This chapter contains smut (I should put warnings from now on lmao).
Enjoy! Let me know what you think :) - Allie
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Harry woke up to the sound of running water and his girlfriend's singing in the shower. Hearing the song he had sung to her yesterday on the rooftop put a big smile on his face, but his head started pounding as soon as he sat up. That was a reminder for him to never drink like that again. Though he could remember most of the events last night, it had been quite long since he last partied like that. And God, was twenty-five really that old?
Amused by the thought, he ran his palms over his face and got up, dragging his feet to the bathroom. Thea didn't hear him come in so she didn't stop singing while he stripped off his clothes and hung them up. He could see her naked silhouette through the frosted glass shower door, and seeing it first thing in the morning made him incredibly horny. That had answered his previous question. He wasn't that old.
He pulled the door open and she snapped her head to look over her shoulder, brown eyes bugging out when she saw his face. "You scared me, dickhead," she grumbled.
"Sorry, baby," he laughed, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She moaned with her eyes closed, feeling his hard cock standing at attention between her ass cheeks. "You didn't fuck me last night," he fussed, and laughter shook her slightly.
"You were so fucking drunk."
"I'm sober now...and so fucking hard," Harry growled in her ear, grinding his shaft against her soft flesh which made her gasp loudly. He moved one hand to her breast, squeezing it and pinching her hard nipple, his other hand cupping her chin and turning her face around so he could slide his tongue against hers. Lowering his other hand from her stomach, he squeezed his cock and gave it a few strokes before guiding it inside her dripping pussy.
She was so slick that he could just slip right in, but he knew he was big so he thrust slowly to get her used to the fullness. She tossed her head back on his shoulder, her mouth fell open as she begged him to just fuck her. And who was he to disobey? He wrapped his arm back around her waist and began to fuck her hard and fast, telling her how much he loved her over and over again. It didn't take too long for her to shout out his name as he shot his cum into her, fucking her through it.
They fucked one more time in the bedroom and decided to take some rest before they went downstairs for breakfast. They lay naked in the tangled sheets, their legs intertwined. He was lying on his back, one arm above his head, the other draped around her back, while she was lying on her side, her head on his arm. During these moments, he loved to pretend that they had all the time in the world to do whatever they wanted, and they chose to spend it on each other alone.
"What's wrong?" he asked when she propped up on her elbow.
"I almost forgot, Gemma was here last night."
"Yeah, I remember."
"You two made up, right?"
"I think so." He sat up with her, rubbing his hand up and down her naked back. "I'm gonna have to call her again later just to be sure."
"I agree." She ran her fingers through his hair, pushing it back to reveal his forehead. "Also, Jeffrey told me to let you know that there's this event in LA for the Oscar nominees, and you have to attend."
"When?"
"In two days."
"Noooooo!" He pinned her down on the bed. Her cry of surprise turned into laughter as he buried his face between her breasts, lying fully on top of her. "I don't want to be away from you again!"
"I know, baby, I know." She smiled, patting his hair.
"Come with me."
"Are you crazy?"
"Please?" He pouted and nudged her cheek with his nose like a cat. "Wanna show you off, baby."
"You know I don't like those fancy dinner parties."
"But you'll have me. We'll have the best time, I promise. Leo will also be there."
She let out a faint giggle and cupped his cheeks, turning his face back up. "You could name all of my celeb crushes and the answer is still no. I still have to attend lectures and work on my book."
"Right, you're officially a writer now."
"Not yet, but almost," she snorted amusedly, pushing him back so she could sit up.
He stayed between her legs, resting his head on her chest while she had her arms around him. With his eyes closed, he mumbled, "I'm gonna miss you like crazy."
"So am I," she said, her lips curved. "But hey, I'm only gonna baby you for two more minutes because I have classes to attend and you have a radio interview before lunch."
He groaned, bringing his hand up to cup one of her breasts. He loved being handsy, and it never bothered her. "I think you're even better than my assistant, Bambi."
"That's because your assistant sucks, no offence."
"None taken. To be honest, I didn't really want an assistant but Jeff insisted," he complained while circling his fingertip around her nipple, smirking when she shuddered.
"Well, if I fail to publish my book, please fire her and hire me."
"Then I guess I'm stuck with her because you're gonna become the best writer in the world!"
Before she could come up with a response, he ducked under the covers, holding her legs apart and put his mouth to her clit. She cried out in surprise, yanking his head up by his hair. Seeing his moist lips curved into a cheeky grin, she couldn't hold back a moan. "I said two minutes."
"I only need thirty seconds," he answered before slipping back under the covers. Thea dropped her head on the pillow and arched her back off the bed as his skilful tongue lapped at her juices, making her toes curl and her jaw tight. Another wave of pleasure soon washed over her as his fingers glided in and out of her sensitive pussy, and she screamed his name, riding out another intense orgasm.
With a smug look on his face, he hovered above her and pressed his lips to her cheek, so she pulled him down and kissed him like she wanted to devour him.
"You're gonna be late," he reminded her in an arrogant tone, and she could feel his smirk against her neck. He was hard and poking her thigh again.
"Fuck, you're gonna be the death of me," she mewled with her eyes shut, hastily wrapping her legs around his waist.
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Gemma was agitated; she kept tapping her fingers on the table while her coffee was getting cold. Another employee rushed into the shop and apologised for being late, but it wasn't the one she'd been waiting for. It seemed like she wasn't in luck as Emilia didn't go to work today. She rolled her eyes, resting her chin on her knuckles as she picked up her cup and finally took a sip. At least the drink was good so she wasn't at all annoyed.
The sound of her ringtone turned the heads of two other customers at the table beside her, so she apologised to them and quickly answered the call.
"Good to know you're alive," she joked as soon as Harry said hello.
"I wasn't that drunk." He let out a low laugh, his voice was raspy. "I called to make sure you're okay."
"I'm very okay. Thanks for asking."
"Come on, Gem."
Gemma leaned back against the chair, folding one arm on her stomach. "Well, I'm still pretty pissed off. You did a shitty thing, Harry."
"I know."
"But I guess I can't stay angry at my brother forever."
"Thank you," he said, relief was etched in his voice. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I'm very sorry, Gem."
"Are you?"
"I am, deeply."
"All right." She shrugged, drawing circles around the rim of her cup. "Then you have to do something for me."
"Anything."
"I need you to tell Mum about Winton and his daughter."
"Wait...what?"
"Did I stutter?"
"Gem, I don't think Mum would--"
"She would be devastated if you let her find out on her own. I was going to tell her myself but you brought this upon us so now it's your chance to fix it."
Harry stayed silent for a moment. She assumed that he was taking his time to weigh the pros and cons as he always did when he had to make a tough decision. Eventually, he said, "fine, I'll tell Mum. I'll go back home this weekend and tell her in person."
"Good," she murmured, a small smile tugged at her lips.
"You know I love you, right?" he said after a moment.
"Of course," she replied, eyes fixed on the coffee cup. "I love you, too."
They said goodbye and ended the call. Gemma exhaled sharply, quite happy to get rid of the weight on her mind, but her comfort didn't last for long as a text popped up on her screen. She zeroed in on it when she saw her boyfriend's name.
⌲ Asher: Where are you?
Her eyes rolled back as she let out a low groan and picked up the phone again.
⌲ London, she typed, and sent.
He didn't take too long to respond.
⌲ Asher: Still?
Her eyes stretched wide in disbelief. She chewed on her lip, trying to keep her composure while typing down her reply.
⌲ What does that even mean? I already told u why I had to go back
⌲ Asher: Yeah, your fucked up dad and famous brother, I'm fucking tired of hearing about your family drama
⌲ Asher: My family was kind enough to invite you on this trip and you just fucking left like that
Gemma clenched her teeth, her hand on the table tightened into a fist as she reread his messages over and over again. Eventually, she put her phone on airplane mode, leaving him on read and hoping that she could finish her coffee without being disturbed.
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Two days later, Harry flew to LA and Thea had her first appointment with her literary agent. She arrived at Laura's office ten minutes earlier and the assistant told her to wait outside while Laura was on the phone. Although she knew she was Laura Hilfgard's client and the woman had repeatedly praised her book, sitting in that corridor on her own filled her up with anxiety as if she was about to go in for a job interview. She tapped her foot impatiently, scratching her nails on her leather bag and chewing on her lip. Ten minutes felt like twenty, and as soon as she heard the door unlocked, she stood right up, holding her breath.
"Theadora!" Laura appeared with a smile and nodded her head for Thea to enter. "Come in, darling. Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Thea followed the older woman into her office. It was the most British-looking office she had ever seen, like one of the rooms in Hogwarts, with velvety-brown wallpapers, wooden furniture, and vintage decorations on the window panes. On her desk sat a laptop, a notebook lying open, and a stack of papers sitting under a cat-shaped paperweight. Laura sat down behind her desk and told Thea to take a seat in the swivel chair.
Laura Hilfgard had the look of a Hollywood actress from the 60s, with a defined face, chestnut-colour short hair, and bold red lips. Though her appearance screamed 'boss-lady', there was something childlike in the way that she smiled. For someone who was turning forty-two, she didn't look a day over thirty. She could be the cool aunt Thea never had. And she was smart, probably in the top five of the smartest people Thea had ever met. They started off the meeting with small talks to break the ice before they went on to discuss the manuscript. The conversation flowed so easily, like two friends chatting about a fictional couple that they adored.
Thea didn't pay attention to how much time had passed since she arrived, until Laura glanced at the clock and cried out, "oh dear, it's almost lunch!"
"I'm sorry for taking too much of your time," Thea said, but Laura waved her off.
"No, don't be sorry. It was my pleasure, darling."
They exchanged a hug before saying goodbye, and Thea left her office, dizzy with excitement. The girl almost jumped for joy when she headed out of the building, and she decided to walk home despite the darkened cloudy sky.
The air was cool and moist. She breathed in deeply with her open mouth, her hands jammed in the pockets of her coat as she dodged hurrying pedestrians who were in a rush to get home before it rained. Thea was so confident that she would make it back to her block without getting wet, but it was never a good idea to underestimate Mother Nature. Little droplets alighted on her face as a friendly warning, and then huge bullets of rain began to beat down on her like an ambush from the sky. She managed to find shelter under the roof of a grocer's, laughing at herself for being so stupid.
The rain poured and poured, a sight she should have gotten used to after all the years living in London but somehow she still got amazed every time she witnessed it. She wasn't in a hurry anyway so it wasn't a bad idea to stay and watch the rain instead of wading out in this downpour. Shifting from one foot to the other to find some comfort in her damp shoes, she pulled out her phone, snapped a photo of the opaque scene and sent it to Harry with the message: It's raining in London.
As she put her phone away, someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around, almost bumping into Blake. The corners of her mouth slid upward as Blake faltered, raising a smile. He had just left the grocer's, still very clean and dry.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, raising his arm to shield her face from the rain.
"I was walking home when it started pouring," she said, her eyes sparkling. "I met Laura today. I was going to tell you when I got home."
He laughed, flashing his teeth. "How did it go?"
"Pretty well. I feel like I can't thank you enough."
Blake watched the rain as he wetted his lips and let out a breath. She was wondering what he was thinking about when he turned back to her and said, "you said you'd buy me dinner, right?"
"Right." She almost forgot. "Are you free tomorrow night?"
"No, but I'm free tonight."
"But...it's raining."
"I live right next to you. We can just order in."
"Oh."
"But we'd better hurry back. It looks like it's going to rain much harder," said Blake as he opened his black umbrella, giving her a gentle look. "Come on. Let's go."
"Hold on." She put up a finger when her phone buzzed inside her bag. She hastily reached for it and checked Harry's reply. It was a photo of the sunny cloudless sky attached to the message: Missing you in LA. She giggled out loud and put her phone back into her bag, receiving Blake's questioning stare.
"Harry," she told him. He said nothing as she pulled herself close to his side to fit under the umbrella, and together they stepped out in the downpour.
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Gemma sat by the large window of the coffee shop, watching the raindrops dance on the pavement. London streets were less busy on rainy days, not that she complained though. It was hypnotic and rather enjoyable watching it pour, but only when she was dry and warm indoors, otherwise she would hate it so much. A waitress finally brought her the strawberry cake she had ordered ten minutes ago. She wasn't craving sweet food, but if she was going to be stuck here for a few hours at most, she couldn't take their table with only a cup of coffee.
As a few more people walked into the shop, a familiar face caught Gemma's attention. Isaac shook the rain from his umbrella, hung it by the entrance and headed to the counter to order a black coffee to go. It was only when he took his drink and turned around that he spotted her and his face lit up. He crossed the room to her table as she got up and they shared a friendly hug. She didn't expect to run into him, but it made sense because he was close to Emilia. He's probably here for the same reason, she thought.
"Are you here to see her?" he asked when they pulled apart.
"Yes, but she's not here today." Gemma lifted her shoulders, sitting back and nodding at the chair in front of her. "Wanna join me? I've been lonely all morning."
"Sure." His eyes crinkled as he grabbed a seat. "I saw you at the party the other night but you left before I got a chance to say hello."
"Yeah well, those parties aren't really my thing," she replied. "I was only there for Harry."
"You must be very proud."
"I would've been prouder if he hadn't messed up, but he's the only sibling I've got. I can't be mad at him forever."
Isaac shifted in his chair, his shoulders tensed as he peered at the cup between his palms. Gemma was quick to notice the subtle change in his expression and let out a snort. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you."
"You're not?" he asked, lifting his face.
"Well, I was a bit upset when Thea told me, but I guess you just meant well."
Isaac didn't respond right away so she asked him what was wrong, and he said, "I have to tell you something," a frown marking his lips. She leaned forward, her heart racing.
"I didn't give Emilia your number," he finally confessed. "She got it from Harry's assistant."
"How the hell does she know his assistant?"
"She met her at a photoshoot."
"And the assistant just...gave out my number to someone she barely knows?" Gemma scoffed, raising both eyebrows.
"Emilia is very good at convincing people to do things for her."
"So she's manipulative?"
Isaac rubbed his forearms, somewhat agreeing but didn't feel like he should say it out loud. Gemma, however, wasn't as gracious.
"That girl is hiding something, I knew it!" she hissed, leaning back against the chair. "Do you know why she doesn't go to work anymore? I've come here for three days in a row but I haven't met her."
"Did she know you were coming?"
"I doubt that." Gemma shook her head. "Have you told Harry by the way?"
"No."
"Good. He's happy with his Oscar nomination. Let's keep it that way." As Gemma tilted her head to rest it upon her hand, she noticed the way his blue eyes bored into her and her heart thumped wildly in her chest.
"You're the best sister I've ever met," he said before she could ask. So she rolled her eyes, a smile lingering at her lips.
"You have a little brother right? I assume you would do the same if you were me."
"You're right, but I still admire you for all that you've been through." He grinned. "I admire you both."
"Stop, you're making me blush," Gemma laughed, and she wasn't kidding at all. The pink colour of her cheeks was prominent on her pale face which gave Isaac the sign that he should change the subject.
"How's Anne?" he asked.
"Oh, she's doing much better. We talked on the phone last night and she was over the moon about Harry's nomination," Gemma said and took a sip of coffee, not making eye contact with Isaac anymore. She didn't want to mention that Harry was going to tell their mum about Winton, but then she began to question if it was the right thing to make him do.
"Good for her," Isaac interrupted her thought. She kept the coffee spoon in her mouth as he asked, "how's your boyfriend?"
"Honestly? I don't know." She scoffed. "But let's not talk about him."
"Okay," Isaac agreed, no questions asked.
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When Thea and Blake arrived at their block, the rain was letting up and the traffic was busy again. She saw a familiar car pass by and parked right in front of the building. As Blake closed his umbrella, she rushed forward without telling him why. He was baffled until he saw Niall got out of the Range Rover and caught her with both arms, hugging her tightly despite her wet clothes.
"Tea! I've missed you!"
"I've missed you!" She moved back, holding his face. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you of course." Then he saw Blake, and his smile faded. "Who's this?"
"Oh, this is Blake. Blake, this is--"
"Niall Horan." Blake stepped forward and shook his hand. "Big fan. Your music is awesome."
Niall had no hard time accepting the compliment. He snickered and puffed out his chest, arm around Thea. "I like this kid already," he said, smiling at her, and that was when she knew.
"Did Harry tell you to come?" She folded her arms, leering at him.
"Harry said you might be lonely." He gave a shrug, not even denying it.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and rolled her eyes as she murmured, "I knew it" loud enough for both men to hear.
Blake stayed silent, so Niall had to speak, "well, I'm here now so would you like to invite me in?"
"Sure, let's go. I live on the fifth floor," she said to Niall, giving Blake a subtle shrug and leading the way.
Niall was born into wealth so it was very unlikely that he had been in a place like this if not to film a depressing music video. While his eyes darted everywhere in disbelief, Thea had to hold back her laughter.
"Now I know why Harry wants you to move out of here," Niall said, breathing hard as they stopped at her door. Thea didn't take offence at the remark as she knew how Niall was. Blake, on the other hand, was unable to hide his irritation with a straight face. She just knew him too well. She raised both eyebrows at him when she unlocked the door, and he raised his shoulders to reassure her that he was perfectly fine.
Their secret conversation went right over Niall's head. He turned to Blake as Thea pushed the door open. "Are you joining us for dinner, Blake?"
"Us?" Thea snorted.
"Yes, Tea. We'll order in and call H. It's gonna be fun."
Thea didn't not like the idea, but since she still owed Blake dinner, she had to let him decide if he wanted Niall (and possibly Harry) to eat with them tonight. She looked over at him, and he gave a lopsided grin. "Maybe next time," he said.
"Guess it's just you and me, Tea!" Niall brightened, completely unbothered by how disappointed Blake appeared to be. As soon as he had entered his own flat, Niall asked her, "were you about to have dinner with him?"
She stepped aside for him to come in and closed the door, pointing to the sofa. He sat down before she actually told him to.
"Harry sent you because he doesn't trust me," she murmured while aggressively kicking off her wet shoes.
"No, no, no!" Niall raised both hands when she shot him a glare. "I only said that to piss off your ex. Harry has no idea I'm here. I promise."
"Really?"
"I swear on my life."
"That's a bit dramatic, Niall."
"That's because you don't believe me."
Thea pursed her lips as she held his stare for almost five seconds, knowing he couldn't keep eye contact with the person he was lying to. Once he had succeeded, she shrugged off her damp coat, hung it up by the door, and joined him on the couch. "So what are you doing here then?"
"Harry told me you'd found an agent so I came to congratulate you."
"Harry is like an embarrassing mum," she snorted, resting her head upon her knuckles. "Last night, he called my dad and they talked for hours about how proud they were of me as if I'd won the Oscar for Best Screenplay or something."
"That's terrible. They're terrible people. It sucks to be you!" he grumbled and she smacked his arm, both of them laughing.
Niall ordered pizza while Thea took a shower, then they sat on the sofa and got updates on Harry via the Instagram stories of the celebrities at the event in LA. Thea knew her boyfriend was already too drunk to answer his phone, but from what she'd seen, he was having the best time of his life. He was dancing in one of the stories, chugging a beer in another, which made her regret that she had refused to come with him. But then she also wondered, would he still be having fun had she agreed to go with him? She stopped herself right there. She'd had a good day so far, there was no time for unhappy thoughts.
"I guess we can't call him tonight," Niall said while scrolling down the photos of the celebrities at the event. "God, Ruby should just fire her stylist. What is she wearing?"
"Ruby Ellis?" Thea flinched. "Is she also nominated?"
"No, but I heard that she was gonna present an award this year." Niall chuckled. "What? Are you worried?"
"No. It's just...weird to think about her now." She shook her head. "I mean, if I were there, we would probably run into her and it'd be so...awkward."
She was quick to catch his smirk, so she asked him "what?" in a mirthful manner.
"You two are a couple," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"Harry had that same look on his face when he told me about Blake," Niall said with a beam. "It's not the 'I don't trust him or her with his or her ex' kind of look, but more like 'I love him or her too much and it makes me paranoid for the stupidest reasons'. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him and vice versa, so you're just afraid to lose each other."
"I guess you're right." She tittered, rubbing her forehead.
"Anyway, just to be clear, I came to see you. It had nothing to do with your ex-boyfriend slash neighbour, although the way he looked at you made me feel quite uncomfortable," Niall said in between laughs.
"Yeah, you weren't being subtle." She nodded mirthfully.
He turned and rested his head on his hand. "I really like you, Tea. I don't have lots of friends besides Harry and Isaac, close friends I mean. And I really like you."
"The feeling's mutual," she told him and offered her hand. He shook it firmly with a delightful smirk. Both of them broke into laughter again. Funny how she had always believed that the best friendships were the most unexpected.
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"...and then guess what? He told me, with a straight face, 'there's another bathroom on the other side of the house'," Gemma exaggerated her version of her brother's accent and gestures, which sent Isaac into a fit of laughter. He was laughing so hard that he almost fell off the chair, holding his aching sides.
"I'm sorry, Gem," he said in between gasps for air, finally regaining control of himself. "I didn't mean to laugh so hard."
"I don't mind," she said delightedly. "It's flattering, really. Not many people would think I'm funny."
"Are you kidding?"
"Not at all. In fact, my boyfriend said he would pay me to stop telling jokes."
The beam on Isaac's face fell as soon as he heard. "That's so mean."
"Yeah..." Her lips formed a straight thin line as she stared blankly at the empty cups between their hands. "But well, I always make fun of Harry's sense of humour, so I guess that's karma."
This time, he didn't laugh at her attempt to lighten up the mood. He raised a sympathetic smile, looking over at the window to see that the rain was letting up. "Wanna get out of here? I'll give you a ride back to your hotel."
"Yes, please, I've been sitting here for too long my butt is getting numb," she said, and they broke into laughter again.
Isaac followed her to the door and opened his umbrella as she threw on her coat. They stepped out into the humid air of September's ending, taking a deep breath at the same time and exchanging awkward smiles before turning away. It was strange, this feeling inside her chest, but she decided to ignore it and glanced back at him. He patted his pockets to search for his phone and pulled it out, asking her to wait while he replied to a text from his manager.
"Every single time I see you, you're working," she said, her lips arched.
"Well, Lee is super pissed at me right now," he chuckled while typing. "I was supposed to be at this meeting with him but I moved it back a day."
"Because of me?" Her smile faltered then faded.
He sent the text, put the phone away, and their eyes met again. "Because of me, actually. I was distracted by our conversation and forgot. But it's also your fault for being so funny."
She didn't know what was happening in her mind at that moment. She tiptoed and lifted her chin, pressing her lips to his. He sucked in a breath. He hadn't expected that, but surely didn't deny her as he deepened the kiss until she gasped and pushed away. The action stirred him, and he reached for her hand but she stepped back, shaking her head.
"Goodbye," was all she said before slipping into the crowd of pedestrians. While trying to decide if he should follow, the sound of his name made him jump. He turned around and saw Emilia in her work uniform.
"What are you doing here, Isaac?"