Pretend It's Ok

1. Prolouge 2. New Beginning 3. Round 1 4. What's Going On? 5. Here We Go Again Part 1. 6. Here We Go Again Part 2. 7. Round 2 8. Locked Up Inside 9. What To Do? 10. Lonely Nights... 11. Let It Be Beautiful 12. Open Your Eyes! 13. Moving On. 14. What Else Can Go Wrong? 15. Free Falling 16. These Four Walls 17. Story Of My Life Part 1. 18. Make My Darkness Disappear 19. Story Of My Life Part 2. 20. My Eyes Decieve Me 21. Diwali Mubarak 22. Breathe Into Me 23. Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai 24. Crawl Back To Love 25. You & I 26. Future References 27. Epilogue
It was the last day of the VS fashion show and it would be the 'angles' showcasing their earned wings. Although this is seemed as not a big deal to the audience and others, this was considered something huge in the modeling industry - especially someone who had just started. Gharram was over the edge, nervous, hyped and stressed all at once. The odd combo caused a nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Never had she thought the day would come that she would finally appear down the catwalk with her very own pair.

Especially with it being so soon in her VS career.

Mixed feelings raced in her veins as she prepped her face for tonight's final walk down the runway. All her friends and family (excluding Melinda) were there to support her. She mainly yearned for her best guy friend's support - whom was nowhere to be found.

This was considered routine of course.

She had started feeling butterflies with Harry more than a week but then fought against them just to prevent herself from an everlasting heartbreak. Gharram knew that stuff such as this would occur but not this way...

Harry had other things on his mind - or rather other people.

Brooke was no longer just his cashier at the local Starbucks. She was someone growing onto him quickly. Was she growing onto him? Or maybe it was just Harry trying to fill the empty void in his chest that someone use to occupy. From the outside Harry and Brooke seemed legit. Anyone who knew his situation would disagree with that. Little did Harry realize, Brooke was nothing but a mere distraction from the real picture. Harry was a little more than infatuated with Brooke. What with her stunning looks and outgoing personality, how was it not possible? Brooke enjoyed spending time with Harry too.

Harry was happy. Gharram was happy.

Or so they thought...

"Why do I always find myself screaming for Harry?", Gharram huffed as she curled her hair into her index finger. "It's not like he's ever early for my shows anyway..." Ending with a gasp, Gharram had been startled by a pair of freezing ice cold hands.

"Guess who?", a deep familiar voice startled her with an excitement almost because of the slight seductive tone he gave off. Purposefully of course.

Gharram bit her lip with a smirk knowing exactly who it had been. "Hi Harry..." His hands released and held onto her cheeks, still standing behind her, placing a light kiss on her forehead. She turned to face him only finding herself jumping into his embrace.

Harry had been caught off guard of the whole action yet accepted it regardless. Anything from Gharram was dear to him - especially it being something as overwhelming as a hug. Her actions seeming so random. The sudden urge for her to be so...cutesy was unlike Gharram in every aspect. The warmth of their bodies collided sending surges down each of their spines so powerful anyone could feel the intensity the two felt for one another.

Missing puzzle pieces; as cliche as that sounds.

She could smell the strong manly cologne seeping into her nose causing a huge grin on her face. She deepened her face further into his black blazer losing herself into a trance. Harry was intoxicated by the smell of her signature VS smell; "Pure Seduction".

Go figure.

Gharram then heard a giggle from behind Harry, causing her smile to fade along with it, and noticed it had been the same girl from last time. Brooke. The aroma of Harry died out on the tip of her nose. Without her knowing, the hug had tightened a little more than she expected - or Harry expected. He had noticed that her reaction to Brooke was something more than it should have been. He could feel her heart race and beat against her chest. Not in a frightened manner. Angrily perhaps? Harry wasn't sure. He had been more confused than anything at this point.

Gharram let go slowly and stared into the girl's eyes with a slight jealousy. Why was she jealous? Did she not receive the same amount of affection and attention as Brooke? Or was Brooke just the "replacement" to Gharram?

"Hi Gramz!", she shouted cheerfully reaching for a hug. Gharram's expression switching to a puzzled one mouthing the nickname only Harry called out to her. "It's so nice seeing you again."

"Likewise...", Gharram's smile covering the annoyance she had for the poor girl.

Harry noticed the tension and broke the ice. "So...", Brooke let go of Gharram and stood next to her date. " Gramz, you look stunning as per usual." He planted a light lingering kiss on her cheek filling Gharram with the most warming feeling she had ever felt in her entire life. Her heart and cheek was on fire. The cold air replaced the supple lips that belonged to Harry. "We will go find our seat and wait for your entrance!"
"Alright!", Gharram grinned revealing Harry's favorite feature. Her dimples.

"Good luck, Gramz...", Brooke cheered again.

Gharram simply smiled and nodded towards her. At that point, Gharram's brilliant smile had faded ever so slowly. She had noticed Brooke's arm curl under Harry's and grab hold of his hand entwining her fingers with his. She gulped down what felt like a boulder and shook off whatever was bothering her. The runway had no room for feelings and right now she needed focus.









The fashion had been a success. Gharram had walked down as the "main event". Her huge wings captivated the audience leaving their mouths hung open at her beauty and grace. Gharram had been in the main ballroom chatting with guests and answering questions for magazines all around the world.

Tonight's event had ended with an after party and Gharram found herself in dry conversations with the same faces and same questions. Making her way around the entire room, she noticed that the party had been missing a guest.

Harry.

Where had he been? Gharram grabbed her phone out and hit the last person that had been on her call log. Ringing simultaneously, she grew agitated. Where was Harry? Why hasn't he answered her phone calls? Harry had told her that he wouldn't miss the after party for the world.

Gharram was crushed. After 16 calls, Harry still hadn't answered, messaged her, or called her back. She hadn't been worried that something was wrong. She had been fumed with anger. This was an important time in her life and it wasn't that this was the first time this had happened.

Normally Harry would stay at her shows until they ended. Lately he would leave earlier than usual. Today being one of those days. Harry hadn't waited for Gharram to walk out yet. Harry never did see her walk down the runway with her angel wings glittering in the strobe lights. Gharram couldn't even compose herself during small interviews around the party. She couldn't keep her mind from the hurtful area that only would increase by the seconds.

"Can you excuse me for a second?", she said to the interviewer from Maxim magazine. Gharram walked over to the restroom area feeling even more nausea. She looked at her phone seeing nothing at all.

No missed calls. No incoming calls. No texts.

Gharram decided to unlock her phone and call Harry one last time. Ring after elongated ring and still nothing. Gharram could feel her emotions getting the better of her. She circled the bathroom thinking to herself everything her and Harry shared. Every comment, every remark, every action Harry gestured towards her. It all made sense. She use to take it all as a joke and now finally she was realizing the truth. Or maybe she knew and just was skeptic.

The words of love were always so foreign to her. She never knew what it felt like to really be in love with someone who shared the same amount of affection she had or did...if she ever did.

She glanced at herself in the mirror only for her train of thought to be broken by the sudden sound of vibration coming from her phone. She picked it up in her hands. Circling the bathroom once more everything felt as if it was in slow motion. Should she pick up? Should she let it go to voice mail? But then the other thoughts came into her head. The thought of him being with her. Holding the hands that should be latched onto her's. The lips that should lace with her's. The hair that her fingers should brush back. The warm skin her fingertips would touch and the smile that wasn't created by her... But by Brooke.

The anger filled in her chest caused all sorts of evil thoughts to beat the life out of Brooke but she knew it was too late now. Especially seeing just how happy Harry had finally been. What kind of friend would Gharram be if she came in between that? What if he didn't feel the same? What then? Their friendship would be ruined. She would lose everything with Harry. The tears rested on her waterline thinking about all the chaos that erupted in her mind and heart. She felt her fingers tingle and her heart beat against her chest. There was nothing Gharram could do.

With her back facing the mirror in her stunning olive green dress, she stared at the flashing screen at his name. Harry's name. The grip on her phone was tighter and she did the only she could think of to silence the ringing in both her hand and head. She threw the flashing phone to the mirror behind her shattering it in a million pieces.

Gharram had scared the other women in the bathroom with her yet paid no attention to them. She slowly walked over to the mirror facing reality straight in her face. A few broken pieces of reflected glass hung to what was left of the huge rectangular mirror. One of which she could see herself clearly. Like the huge shard of glass she was broken hanging on by a thread. For the first time in a very long time, Gharram felt...pain.

Tears fell from her eyes looking at the broken screen of her phone flash one last time. She closed her eyes hot droplets rolling down her cheek as she lowered her head.

She had reached her breaking point. Gharram Sharma was in love.

Notes