HARRY’S P.O.V.


I felt like a complete piece of shit when I woke up the next morning. Even still, I didn’t feel differently about the topic of Matthew. I just should have handled it differently. I just didn’t expect for her to come back from an evening out and him to be the first thing she wanted to talk about. Piper needed to move on and I knew that deep down, she understood that. She just needed a push in the right direction.

I checked the time and it was only seven in the morning, which meant that I only slept for three
hours. I didn’t hear either of the girls awake in the living room, so I went into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. By the end of it, I was ready to have a civil, reasonable conversation with Piper.

When I was dressed and in the main area of the suite, they were still sleeping. I felt my stomach rumble and I searched the pantry and refrigerator for something to eat. I didn’t buy breakfast food, though. I only supplied the kitchen with snack foods and all of Andy’s favorites in case room service didn’t have them.

I could use a bit of fresh air, so I went back to me and Piper’s room, grabbing my coat, socks, and boots. I prepared myself for the cold weather and scribbled a quick note on the hotel notepad by our bed.


Piper & Andy
Went to get us breakfast. Love you both, my girls.
Harry x


I tore off the top sheet and left it on the dining table so that it would be easily noticed. I gathered my wallet and phone before leaving our room by half past seven.


_______


I only ran into a few fans on my way back to the hotel at around a quarter past eight. It was freezing so I made it a point to rush home. When the elevator dumped me out at the correct floor, I balanced the tray of coffee in one hand and carried the bags of bagels and pastries in the other. I turned the final corner and heard soft sobs.

I paused and listened carefully, realizing that it was coming from next to one of the rooms. I glanced around the walls separating different doors and finally came across a mess of brown waves sprawled out over a curled up body.

“Eleanor?”

Her head snapped up and she appeared startled.

“Harry! God, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head and wiped away a few tears. She was wearing a pair of sweats and one of Louis’ old hoodies that I recognized from years ago. I sat down next to her and laid the food down.

“It’s fine. I’m just trying to get this out before he wakes up.”

I nodded and pulled out an apple turnover from the plethora of breakfast foods in my bag. I handed it to her and she hesitantly took it.

“Thanks.”

She took a bite and I took a sip from my coffee.

“Wanna tell me what happened?”

Eleanor took a deep breath and finished chewing the bite she had taken.

“Well... I went to a doctor. I’m not pregnant.”

I nodded slowly. I couldn’t tell why she found this to be a bad thing. She was so stressed about how Louis would handle the information. I knew there was more to the story so I urged her to continue.

“I told Louis though, and he went with me to the doctor. I didn’t expect him to because he was so
frantic. It really put me in a bad mood. Still, the fact that he went made me feel like he was being supportive like he should and that was a step.”

I nodded and took another sip of coffee.

“Well, he was nervous, and of course I was too, but the doctor came in after doing the tests and told me I wasn’t pregnant. Sure, I was relieved, but Louis’ reaction wasn’t comforting. He practically screamed with joy. It was so hurtful to think of how he would have reacted had the test been positive. Why am I with him if he isn’t even capable of handling a pregnancy scare after we’ve been together for two years?”

I honestly didn’t have a good answer for her.

“I don’t know, El. Do you think he loves you?”

“Yes, but you know we’ve been fighting for months. We hardly see each other, Harry. We
shouldn’t be fighting every time we do.”

That’s what scared me about me and Piper’s current argument. It felt like a waste to fight during
what little time we had together.

“I understand, but you know that all relationships have their downfalls. Don’t give up without
talking to him about it. I don’t mean to speak out of line, but from what I’ve seen over the years, you and Louis don’t always communicate when it matters most. Have you told him how you feel?”

She looked defeated and exhausted.

“No, I haven’t. I pretended to be just as relieved as him. I mean, of course I was glad, but I kind of got used to the idea.”

I put a comforting arm around her and she sniffled before wiping away her final tears.

“I’m sorry, Eleanor. Just talk to him. He doesn’t want to hurt you.”

She nodded and pulled away, leaning her back against the wall.

“Thanks Harry. I know he doesn’t mean to. I should probably get in there before he wakes up.”

I smiled and stood up, gathering the rest of the food and coffee.

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thanks for the pastry.”

“You’re welcome.”

She smiled one more time before disappearing behind their door. I made my way down the hall and pulled out the key card from my back pocket. I carefully opened the door and let it close behind me. Piper was sitting on the couch with a still sleepy Andy curled up at her side, some cartoon playing on the telly. My heart sank when Andy looked over at me and showed no excitement in her face. Piper didn’t either, but that was expected.

I set the bag and coffee tray down on the dining table before walking over to the couch and sitting
next to Andy. Piper glanced at me and I gave her pleading eyes. Hers were glassed over and I wondered how much she cried because I was a dick.

She simply nodded, though. There was no smile present and I felt a burning in my eyes. I couldn’t
cry in front of Andy, though. Not then.

“Andrea, baby.”

She shrunk away from me as Piper stood up and moved to the dining room. I felt my heart tighten in torment.

“Andy, I’m sorry about yesterday. I’m so so sorry. Daddy shouldn’t have yelled.”

She sat up a little and turned her body to face me, clutching her blankie in one hand.

“Is daddy still angwy?”

“No, sweetie. I should have never been!”

She nodded and leaned into my open arms. I cuddled her close to me and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, daddy.”

She leaned over and kissed my cheek. I grinned and silently wished it would be this simple with Piper.

“I have yummy breakfast for you over by Piper.”

Andy bounced up excitedly and hurried over to the dining table. She climbed onto the end chair and Piper walked into the kitchen to fetch plates for us. I followed her in there and pulled three cups down from the cupboard. She put the plates down on the counter and opened the drawer to find silverware. She still hadn’t spoken a word to me.

I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing the back of her head.

“I’m sorry.”

She didn’t react, though. She tensed up and then wiggled out of my grasp, bringing the plates and silverware to the table. I sighed and found orange juice in the refrigerator. I poured a small amount in Andy’s cup and a bit more in mine and Piper’s. I handed out the cups according to each of us and sat next to Andy, across from Piper. She placed half of a bagel on Andrea’s plate along with part of a danish. She spread cream cheese on the bagel before gathering her own share of breakfast. I stared at her intently, but she refused to meet my gaze. I took her coffee out of the holder and made a show of placing it in front of her.

“Just how you like it.”

She glanced up for a moment and nodded slightly before returning her attention to the food. Andy was eating while staring at the telly, despite how far it was, and Piper was beginning to eat her food. All I could do was hope she would look my way again.

“Can we talk, Piper?”

She shook her head and took a sip of her coffee before finally looking right at me and speaking.

“I don’t want to talk right now.”

“Are we still going to the auction tonight?”

“Yes, we are. If you’re lucky, we’ll talk then.”

I scoffed and pulled a bagel out of the bag.

“How can we go and not talk?”

“I think I can manage it. We’ll see how I feel.”

She was back to avoiding eye contact, but that was fine. I wasn’t going to push my limits. I’d leave
her be the rest of the day and be on my best behavior for the auction. I’d just bend over backwards until she forgave me.

_____________


PIPER’S P.O.V.


I had just finished my makeup when there was a soft knock on the door. I rolled my eyes, assuming it was Harry, but he had been pretty good about leaving me alone all day. He spent some much needed time with Andy and I spent some much needed time alone. I slowly opened the door and found Louise peeking through, smiling kindly.

“Hello! I heard you had a special date tonight and thought I’d offer my services.”

I grinned and opened the door for her fully, allowing her to bring her bag of hair supplies in.

“I’d love that, actually. I was just trying to decide what to do with my hair; you can honestly do
whatever. Are you staying here as well?”

She laid out some items on the dresser of Andy’s room and waved me over.

“Yeah, a floor down. Harry called me because he’s entirely useless on his own. I promise, he looks stunning now. Lux is out there with Andy and my husband right now.”

I’d only met her a few times when I was backstage at the boys’ show, but she’d always been so
sweet.

“That’s great. Thanks for coming in here. You didn’t have to.”

“Nonsense, come sit down.”

She pulled a chair over and plugged in two different sized curling irons and one flat iron. I hardly knew how to manage with one of those.

I tried my best to put on a happy face, but I failed miserably. The worst part of this argument with Harry was that I couldn’t talk about it fully with anyone since the subject was a secret.

“Why the long face? Harry seemed down today as well.”

I sighed and sat up straight while she pinned back pieces of my hair.

“We’ve just been fighting since last night. I’m sure it’ll blow over and I suppose it’s my fault.”

“I highly doubt Mr. Styles has no blame in this. I know he isn’t innocent here.”

We both giggled and she started to curl strands of hair, starting with the bottom layer.

“I guess it’s both of us. I’m just so pissed off at how he acted. He scared the shit out of Andy and I know that broke his heart, but he really just acted like a child.”

She nodded and focused on her task.

“Well, he kind of is a child still. You both are really young and have a lot of responsibility thrown at you. It’s no excuse, but I’m sure you know that men mature more slowly, right?”

I scoffed and nodded softly.

“Of course. I suppose I was just always so impressed by how mature he usually is that I didn’t see it coming.”

“Understandable. Hey, I don’t know what happened, but I’m glad you aren’t giving in too easily. I
think he’s really realizing what he did wrong. He has to realize that everything can’t be solved with the snap of his fingers. He’s a people pleaser and he thinks he can win forgiveness by doing things for you. I assume he’s tried that.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

“Yeah, bought me a dress and shoes for tonight. Sent me out for massages and shopping with Perrie. Went out and got breakfast this morning.”

“Sounds like Harry!”

She smiled sweetly and I could tell how fond she was of him. I looked at myself in the mirror and she was nearly done curling.

“Look, he’s like a little brother to me, so I know how you feel. I’m sure you’re quite fed up with him and you shouldn’t just forgive him without reason, but also remember why you love him. It
happens too often that we forget the good things when bad things happen.”

I nodded and knew she was right. I almost felt like I was trying to make myself more angry than I was by blocking out Harry’s good qualities. I glanced up and she started to pull pieces back, seeing what it would look like pinned.

“Alright, let’s see what we can do then, yeah?”

I smiled and rested my hand over hers.

“Thank you, Lou.”


___________


HARRY’S P.O.V.


I was sitting on the couch with Andrea and Lux when the bedroom door opened. My head shot around and Piper walked out, looking positively stunning. The deep emerald dress hugged her figure in the most perfect way possible. The slit on the side nearly reached her hip and the dip in front of her chest was more revealing than most clothes she wears.

“Wow...”

Lou stepped out from behind her and snapped me out of my daze.

“Doesn’t she look gorgeous?”

I stood up and walked over to where she stood.

“Absolutely. You look lovely, Piper.”

She gave me a tight grin and I accepted it because it was more than I had received all day. I offered her my hand and to my surprise, she took it, intertwining our fingers.

“You two have fun. We’ll be here when you get back.”

I nodded and turned to where Andy was playing with Lux.

“You be good, alright baby?”

She nodded excitedly and ran over to us, hugging my right leg and Piper’s left leg in one go.

“You look so pwetty!”

Piper giggled and knelt down to kiss the top of her head.

“Thank you, Andy. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Andy nodded and I bent down to hug her before we made our way to the door. Piper pulled her hand away when we were in the elevator and that made my heart sink, but I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I had all night to win her back and I had a plan.

__________


We sat at our table in the auditorium. We were surrounded by other guests who had obviously donated a large amount of money, but none of them really seemed like genuinely nice people. I knew Piper wasn’t at this auction for the party; she was there to give more money to children who needed it. And I was there for her.

Everyone else, though, was there for the party and I could tell that it irked Piper. I was thankful that we were at a table set for two, instead of one set for ten like some of the others were. A man came over and greeted us kindly, introducing himself as our server. He handed us both a list of items being auctioned, along with the menu.

“Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. There are slips here,” he pointed to the middle of the table where sheets of paper and pens sat, “where you can fill out information for any items you would like to bid on. I will collect them as you fill them out. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

“I’ll have water.”

Piper glanced at the menu and glanced up at him.

“I’ll have a a vodka cranberry.”

I hoped that the alcohol would make her more relaxed and easier to talk to.

I skimmed through the auction items and found a few that caught my attention. One in particular.
I pulled a sheet from the middle of the table and Piper’s hand caught mine as I brought it back to me.

“You do know that buying stuff for me isn’t going to make me forgive you, right?”

I gulped. I knew it would’t, but I hoped it would make her realize how much I love her. Apparently not. Apparently, this was going to be more difficult than I imagined.

“Of course I know that.”

Fuck. I wish this was easier.

Notes

Sorry, I know that this is sort of a filler chapter, but I don't want things to be magically resolved between Harry and Piper, because that's unrealistic.

Please still comment though <3 and let me know what you think will happen next as this book comes to an end.

The sequel has been posted with only the title up... I'm not posting anything at all there until this one is over because I don't want to spoil anything. Go ahead and click the link and subscribe so that you will get updates when I start posting it! :D

"UNFINISHED MEMORIES"

Thank you all so much for your comments and support :* Love you all!!!! xx