The Aftershock

-JOEYS POV-
“Please.” Harry pleads.
What do I say? I can’t just forgive him. He broke my heart and expects to look at me with those..gorgeous green eyes…….No! Snap out of it Joanna!
Suddenly something flashes in my eyes and my stomach jolts. I suck in a large amount of oxygen before my vision blurs. It feels like I am transported to a parallel universe. Just a second later, I could see myself 4 years ago.
This wasn’t a parallel universe, it was a flashback.
I was 17 again and I was climbing out of a black Range Rover to be met up with a tall lanky figure with a messy mop head of curls. Harry.
I could tell that we were at his house because I recognize the cute grey-ish house with light shudders and Anne’s small flower garden in the front yard that possesses bright yellow and pink tulips.
As I watch, Harry grabs my hand and stops me before we reach the front porch. Tilting my chin up to look at him, he looks straight into my eyes.
“Don’t be nervous. They will love you just as much as I do, I promise.” He whispers before leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on the lips of the girl that I used to know.
I am not that girl anymore.
I do not acquire the shy innocence that was me when I was 17.
The light flashes again and I was back in the dressing room with Harry.
“Joey? You okay? You just zoned out for a minute.” Harry looks at me with his eyes full of concern.
“Yeah, sorry.” I glance at the floor before sighing.
He did say he wouldn’t try anything.
“Harold, you have one chance.” I rub my temples and take a quick peek up at him. His eyes were so wide they looked like they were about to pop out of his head.
“Not the reaction I was expecting.” I grumble.
All the sudden I was picked up and spun around, being squeezed in the processes.
Oh jesus.
“Um, Harry?” I pry a little bewildered.
“Oh sorry!” He says loudly before setting me down.
“Seriously though, if you mess up even once this will not happen.”
This should be interesting.

////////
“You guys wanna go out for coffee?” Liam asks as he sees me coming out of the hallway.
“Yeah lets-“ Louis stops mid-sentence when he sees Harry come out behind me grinning like an idiot.
I shake my head and give him the ‘don’t even ask’ look and he nods wearily.
“Sure why not?” I fake smile even though they all know me well enough to see through it.
Without another word I wave goodbye to Rodger and follow them to the parking lot.
“I will go with Joey.” Louis says to the other boys as he takes a seat in the driver side of my car.
“Same. We will follow you lads.” Zayn climbs into the backseat as I sit in the passenger side.
“What the fuck happened between you two?” Louis yells exasperated as I close the car door.
“Yeah Joe! You looked as white as a ghost.” Zayn says much calmer than Louis was while slapping him on the back of the head.
Taking a deep breath I explain the whole thing on the way to the coffee shop.
“You are giving him a second chance?” Louis asks totally baffled.
“No. I said I would try to be his friend. He promised me he wouldn’t try to get with me.” I explain for the 4th time.
Louis scoffs as we pull into the parking lot.
Sighing, I unbuckle my seat belt and get out of the car.
Standing next to Louis, I walk into the Starbucks. It was pretty empty so we didn’t have to worry about a mob attacking the boys.
After ordering and getting our drinks in silence, we sit in a big corner booth.
I don’t think I have ever been in a more awkward situation in my life. I twiddling my thumbs and I could feel 4 sets of eyes on me.
I could feel guilt, pity, relief, and care boring into my skull.
“So Joey.” Harry coughed removing his guilty-looking green eyes from me and setting his gaze down at his drink. “Where have you been the past few years?” He seemed genuinely curious. I could tell he wasn’t trying to play the ‘Feel bad for me’ card because when I looked up at him, I could see his small smile play out on his pink lips.
“Uh, well Brie and I have been living in LA. She is a model and I am an artist but Brie uses me as a replacement whenever she has to take care of….” I stop myself. Niall can’t know about Mary Lou. I can’t break that to him. That’s her problem to deal with.
“Of what……?” Harry persists and I could see Niall glancing at me because I was talking about Brie.
“Of other priorities.” I save myself. Niall returns his eyes to his game and Harry battles me with questions about how I have been. I am just glad he didn’t bring up anything about love or relationships.

2 WEEKS LATER
“No! Lulu! Don’t touch aunt Joey’s phone!” I chase the small child around the apartment.
“I got her!” Olivia laughs and pops out from around the corner swooping up the toddler as she giggles like crazy.
“Okay I just ordered the pizza and it should be here in about 20 minutes.” Brie shuffles out of the kitchen with the phone in her hand.
Olivia, Brie, Lulu and I are all having a slumber party. Olivia, Brie and I have become super close in the past two weeks and Lulu absolutely adores Olivia. I got back from London a week ago and I actually had a lot of fun while I was there. On Wednesday I had the photoshoot and coffee with the boys, Thursday I spent the whole day at home and took care of my sick sisters, Friday I hung out with the boys again as they re-showed me around London considering I hadn’t been there for a REALLY long time. On Saturday I went on a shopping spree with Dani and bought a shit load of clothes. And on Sunday, the boys took me to the airport.
Harry kept his promise the whole week and did not act flirty or ask me relationship questions even once. It was actually really nice getting to know the “real Harry Styles” all over again.
It was 20 minutes later until the doorbell rang.
“J will you answer that? I have to go get this one into the bath and then bed.” Brie chuckles picking up Mary lou, placing her on her hip and taking off towards the stairs.
“Oh I wanna come!” Olivia squeals leaving me alone in the living room.
Laughing lightly, I grab the 20 dollar bill off of the table near the door and turn the handle not expecting the people I saw in our door way.
“What are you guys doing here!?” I whisper/yell at the five boys standing in front of me.
“We came to see you!” Louis grins, running in and hugging me.
I am so dead.
Brie is going to saw my face off with a nutella-covered butter knife.

/////////

I was pacing in the kitchen while the boys were sitting in the lounge laughing and talking.
“Niall!” I call out from the kitchen.
“Yes, love?” He walks in.
“Help me with the beers.” I whine handing him a couple and walk into where the boys were sitting. He chuckled and trailed behind me.
“So where is Brie?” Niall whispers to me as we stand in the doorway.
“Upstairs giving the baby a bath.” I say nonchalantly.
“The baby?” He questions.
Suddenly we hear squealing and tiny footsteps.
“Mary Lou get your tiny butt back here missy before I drown your rubber duck!” Brie bellows from upstairs.
All of the sudden, Mary Lou in a unicorn t-shirt and diaper come skipping down the stairs and runs straight into Niall.
“Ah! Save me!” She squeals. Chuckling, I pick her up and place her on my hip.
She looks straight into Niall’s eyes and he does a double take while dropping the beers he was holding onto the floor, making glass shatter and go in all different directions.
Uh-oh.

-NIALLS POV-
Oh god. Why does that child look like me?
Just then, Brie bounds down the stairs looking furious until she saw me.
She looked so broken just then.
“Niall?” Brie stutters before bringing her hand to her mouth in shock.
What did I do to her and whose child is this?!

Notes

IM BACK BECTHES! Did you miss me? I missed you! You like it? You don't like it? IDK. There SHOULD be another chapter up this weekend. Sorry it took so long I just needed a break from writing for a while. BUT IM BACK!

SO ANYWAY! I love you all and thanks for being there for me when I needed it most.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...............x

-Gabi <3