Not long after the wedding it was time for me to go back to university. When I got back I realised I couldn’t escape what had happened over the past week. To start with my roommate had been extremely angry, accusing me of lying to her. It didn’t take her long before she decided she could use it to her advantage though, and it took me even less time to go and demand to be moved. People had also begun to stop and stare at me and whisper as I walked by. It bothered me a lot more than I had thought it would. I could feel my skin crawl with all the icy stares.

Harry’s outburst had only made things worse. I had tried to avoid going online and reading magazines but it was still hard to avoid. Part of you wants to know what is being said, so you look anyway even though you know it’s going to hurt. It’s a mistake though, because for every nice thing someone has to say about you ten people have bad things to say about you, and even when you don’t read it, people stop you and ask you about whatever they read. It was more difficult than I had anticipated. The first time it had happened I hadn’t really been affected, sure I was getting abuse online, but I was at home with people who knew me and Harry, and didn’t care. Here though, it was different. It was people I didn’t know, people who didn’t know Harry. Stopping and staring. I couldn’t go out without being recognised as ‘that girl Harry Styles is dating’. It was awkward and hard to explain to people who didn’t want t0o listen. They didn’t care that I wasn’t dating him, because that wasn’t interesting to them.

However, it had been three months since I had last been seen with him and things had eventually died down. When I did see my name online now it was more of a ‘Whatever happened to that blue haired freak?’ I didn’t mind though. I was still speaking to Harry and Louis, and even Niall. The boys were due home for a short break soon and I was quite excited to get to see them. Harry was going back to Holmes Chapel to spend time with his family and it was at the same time as I was going to be there for my break. So, Harry was going to invite the boys down for a weekend and we’d spend the weekend at his step dad’s bungalow and just enjoy the weekend.

It would be good to see him again. It felt weird the amount we had spoken the past few months, especially considering it was probably more than I had talked to him in my whole life. I was glad I had though. I was seeing sides to him I didn’t know existed. He was funnier than I remembered and a lot kinder. He had a lot of compassion for people and I wasn’t really sure why I had thought so little of him before. He’d never really done anything to make me think badly of him, ever. He’d always been a good friend to me, even when I hadn’t known it.

Since things with Harry no one had really talked to me, it was a good thing in the sense that I was getting work done. However, it pretty much killed my social life because everyone I wanted to hang around with, didn’t want to be near me and everyone I didn’t want anything to do with, wanted to be around me. It made things incredibly difficult for me, but at least I knew I had true friends in the boys.

I’d enjoyed some of the random conversations I had had with Harry, when he’d asked me to be his date to the ‘This is us’ premiere was probably one of the most memorable ones.

‘Hey, I just saw ‘This is us’ and it is amazing! Not to brag at all, but really. I can’t wait for you to see it! It’s going to be amazing; I think it really sheds a new light on us. Anyway, I was wondering, would you be my date to the premiere in August? Oh, and I’m home soon, you missed me? The guys are driving me crazy. Niall also wants to know if you want him to bring you home some Japanese sweets? I don’t really get his obsession with sharing his food obsession with you? Anyway, we officially have a day of down time and I’m not really sure what to do with it! Okay it’s already 4, but I’ve done everything I can think of! :( Save me from my boredom?’

‘Hey, are you sure you want me as your date? :/ I mean I’m more than willing, but people will get the wrong idea and I don’t want you to have to deal with that? I can’t wait to see it though! Am I going to cry? And of course I’ve missed you. It’s strange really, I mean I don’t think we’ve ever been this close and I don’t really understand why. I count you as my best friend now, but before, you were just ‘family’ to me, more like someone I had to put up with. I guess my head was up my arse a bit. Tell Niall, if he doesn’t bring me home shit tonnes of sweets, I’ll cry. And yeah me either, but it makes him happy so leave him be. And have you tried watching John Hughes movies? They always take away my boredom, that or you can help me understand how to teach five year olds basic maths and why we teach them the way we do. Because my professor bores the shit out of me.’


‘Of course I do. If you don’t want to though, it’s completely fine! Yeah I get what you mean, but I did always count you as one of my best friends so I am slightly offended ;) I think I’ll pick the John Hughes movies. You aren’t going to leave me alone until I watch them are you? What ones?’

I smiled excitedly, at my phone. I’d been trying to get him to watch them for over a month and he had been refusing.

‘I’ll be your date! And no! I mean, you were always my friend, but not in the same way? And okay you can take your pick between Ferris Bueller’s day off, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and Say Anything (which isn’t technically a John Hughes movie, but it may as well be!)’

‘I’m winding you up Amelia ;) I shall watch them in that order…it might take me and while, but I promise I will watch them all’

I’d sent a quick reply and then gone to get coffee. I was just taking a sip when I felt someone take the seat opposite me. I looked up in confusion. In front of me sat a guy I’d never seen before. He was about 6” with light brown hair and dark eyes. He was a less attractive version of Nicholas Hault.

“Hey?” I stared at him, waiting for him to talk.

“I’m James.” I nodded, waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t.

“Amelia?”

“Nice to meet you Amelia.”

“Is there are reason you’re here?” I finally asked when he didn’t say anything else.

“You don’t seem to like that coffee.”

“I don’t like coffee, period. You aren’t answering my question.”

“Why do you drink it then?”

“I tell you what, you answer my question and then maybe I’ll answer yours.” I glared. He was beginning to frustrate me, and it was amusing him.

“You’re cute when you glare.”

“You still haven’t answered.” I sighed as I began to collect up my books, but he stopped me.

“I’m sorry! I just, don’t really know why I came over here. I never do that kind of thing. You just looked lonely.” he seemed sincere, as I scrutinised him.

“Listen; I’m not looking for a boyfriend, or a fuck buddy.” I was hoping that would get rid of him, but he didn’t move.

“I never said I was either. How about friends?” I hesitated. I wasn’t sure whether or not to trust him, but something told me I should.

“I can do friends.” The smile that spread across his face was contagious. James and I sat and talked for hours. I ordered more coffee that I still drank, even though I hated. When he asked why; I told him I didn’t know, and it was the truth, I never really understood why I drank coffee, but after the wedding it had become habit. We talked about pointless things, and school and family. I didn’t tell him about Harry and the boys; I didn’t want to scare him off. He didn’t appear to know who I was and I gathered it was because he wasn’t a teenage girl. I forgot what it was like having someone to talk to that wasn’t half way across the world.

It was nice having a friend; he didn’t expect much from me. When we did hang out it was normally just to get a coffee or at my place to watch movies. Eventually though it came to the point where we were spending more time together than apart; after only a few weeks of being friends. We weren’t dating, but if I was honest, if he had asked me I would have said yes. I hadn’t told Harry about him, but I’d told Louis. Louis had advised me to wait to tell Harry, he thought it would probably be better to wait till I saw him in person. He didn’t really explain why, he just told me to trust him, and I did.

However, it was the first night James and I were actually going to go out and do something. It was his birthday and he wanted me to go to dinner with him and I had agreed, but I’d also forgot that Harry had planned a Skype call with me about an hour before I planned on going out. It was only a few days before Harry was due home, but we hadn’t skyped in a few weeks and I didn’t feel like I could reject the call.

“Hey!” he chirped, his dimples showing, making him look about twelve. “Are you busy?” his smile dropped slightly and I felt somewhat bad.

“No, well, kind of. I’m meeting a friend for his birthday meal in an hour.” I was brushing my hair in front of my laptop in a towel.

“I can call back another time if you like?”

“No! No! Please don’t! I’ve missed you!” I pouted playfully. “How have you been?” I asked.

“I’ve been good, I’m exhausted though. I can’t wait for a break if I’m honest.”

“I really cannot wait till you get home. It’s going to be so much fun!” I stepped out of view of the camera and began to get changed into the dress I had bought specially for the occasion.

“Me either. So who is this friend? Normally you complain you don’t HAVE any friends.” I could hear the smirk in his voice and I rolled my eyes.

“He’s called James. I met him a few weeks ago; we’re just kind of getting to know each other. I’m not really sure; I think I quite like him.” Silence. “Harry, are you there?”

“When you say you like him, do you mean as a friend, or do you like, like him?” there was something in his voice and I wasn’t quite sure what it was…

“I think I really like him. He just gets me you know? He’s quite funny and he’s relaxed and he’s strong minded and I don’t know, I can just sit, and we don’t have to talk all the time and I feel so comfortable around him.” I could feel the goofy smile on my face as I sat back down in front of the laptop to do my make-up. “Have you ever met anyone like that? Someone you can just sit in silence with? Or just watch and be utterly fascinated by just them, because sometimes we’ll sit and watch a film and instead I’ll just sit and watch him, just to see his reactions.”

“Yeah, I have. Once.” I could hear something dark in his tone, part of me wondered if he was jealous but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. If Harry liked me he’d had 19 years to do something about it, and it was highly unlikely he did anyway. He’d always like the ‘older’ woman.

“She’s really lucky. Whoever she is, I hope she appreciates you!” I smiled.

“I think she does, just never in the way I appreciated her.” he shrugged, “Just be careful yeah…I mean I worry, because people know you’re friends with me and I just worry, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t think he knows you know. He never mentions you, sorry.” I smirked. It might hurt his ego to know someone doesn’t talk about him. There wasn’t much about Harry that you could consider the norm for a typical pop star, but sometimes his ego could get rather…large?

“What is he studying?” Harry seemed genuinely interested.

“Journalism. He wants to be a serious journalist, and travel the world and write about serious issues.”

Harry groaned, “Are you sure he doesn’t know about us?” he was sceptical, I could tell. I knew it was only because he cared about me, and because he hadn’t met James. If he had he would never doubt him.

“I’m sure, not all reporters want to write about teenage pop sensations you know.” Harry was still unsure but after I promised him I would be careful he let it go. We continued to talk for a few minutes before I had to go, but I promised to email him after dinner and let him know how it was going.

James picked me up about ten minutes after I finished my conversation with Harry, letting himself in. He was dressed smart, in a button down shirt and black trousers. I couldn’t help but blush when he called me beautiful, and again when he caught me looking at him. Something about him made me act fourteen again.

When we got to dinner I realised he’d gotten us into a newly opened restaurant, and I wasn’t sure how. It had been fully booked for months before it had ever opened, and it was its opening weekend, I wasn’t really sure how he had managed it.

“How on earth…” I gasped.

“I’m friends with the head chef, he owed me a favour. Do you like?” he asked.

“I’m not even sure Harry could have got us in here.” I muttered to myself, I wasn’t supposed to say it out loud, but I did.

James looked at me in confusion, “Harry?”

“Oh, um…” I wasn’t sure what to say, but I decided to be honest. “Harry Styles, we’re friends.” I waited for his reaction, but there wasn’t really one.

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were friends with him. How is he?” he asked as we took our seats.

“You knew I was friends with him?” I could feel my jaw nearly hitting the floor. If he knew why hadn’t he mentioned it?

“Yeah, and if you want to know why I never brought it up it’s because I don’t really care. It makes no difference to me.” I couldn’t help my smirk; I knew Harry was wrong about him.

We ate, chatting mindlessly, and it was when we came to the end of the night that I realised James wanted to ask me something.

“Amelia…I have a question for you, and if you feel it’s too soon or you don’t want to, then feel free to say no, but I was wondering…” but he didn’t get to finish because my phone began to ring violently, and I knew I had to take it because it was my mum and it was one in the morning and no parent calls you at that time unless it’s serious.

My mother was frantic, “Amelia, you need to come home! It’s Tabby, she’s in hospital!”

Notes

Okay, so incase you guys haven't noticed all my chapter titles are song titles and I suggest you listen to them, I mean you don't have to, but sometimes they give you clues to how the characters are feeling or what I plan to happen, and yeah not always, but sometimes haha

I'd really like a couple of comments please, just to let me know what you guys really think and what you think I can do to improve and shit :P

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=96847744