Pretend It's Ok

Harry had just walked in from his date with Brooke. He ran his hand through his hair slicking it backwards taking off his beanie in the process. He sighed in relief smelling the familiar scent of his flat.

He headed to his room sluggishly opening the light in the hall along with him. Harry walked into his partially chilly bedroom. On instinct he plugged his phone into his charger that had been plugged in since he had left the flat. Gharram told him time and time again to never leave plugs into the outlets for it wastes electricity.

Harry turned on his heels taking off his clothes as soon as he seen the bright screen on his phone turn on. One by one, he took off each item of clothing. The room suddenly got colder. Almost walking into the bathroom, he heard many dings signaling numerous amounts of missed calls and texts. His heart dropped as he heard them but had no idea why. He shrugged his shoulders continuing into the bathroom.

Harry had spent the night with Brooke in her apartment. She threw a welcoming party for her best friend and decided to introduce Harry to everyone there - needless to say he needed no intro. Harry had been slightly drunk that night. He danced, are and laughed along with the guests. He even gifted them with a simple tune for the fun of it.

Harry hadn't forgotten about the fashion show. It completely left his mind. He was having too much of a blast to even care about tonight's agenda. His phone had been turned off and it hadn't been done accidentally.

Harry turned the knobs for the bath tub until he was satisfied with the temperature of the water. He then stood underneath the shower head feeling the warmth of the droplets hit his sore back.

He rubbed his hand on his shoulder wincing. "I wish Gharram was here to massage...", he paused his sentence then. "...it. FUCK!", he screamed hitting his forehead with his palm. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!!!", Harry repeated.

He slammed his back against the cold tiles. He ran his hands through his hair grunting in disappointment that he had missed his best friend in her shining moment. At that moment everything he felt, all the fun he had, nothing was right. Harry had sunk into a pool of guilt.

Turning off the faucets, Harry rushed out the tub with a towel looking at his phone. His heart had plummeted into the pit of his stomach. All the missed calls - all the texts - were from Gharram.

Scrolling and reading each message, he felt the pain in the back of his heart increase. He couldn't register tonight's earlier events. He hated himself at this point. What would he do now? What would he tell Gharram? Would he text her? Would he call her? Harry was in a mess of thoughts.

"How can I be so stupid?", he slapped his forehead.

His thumb hesitated over the call back button. Something was telling to him call, but then his mind told him not to. His heart yearned for her voice regardless. He needed to make to right.

With a text message? No. With a phone call? A phone call? Ditching his best friend at the one event she needed him the most? What was he thinking? This wasn't just anyone! He needed to make this up to her and he needed to think fast.







Gharram wasn't doing well either.

Sitting in the back of the party, she took another swig of her beer. Gharram was never a fruity drink type of person anyway. She tilted her head back grabbing a shot glass randomly from the table. Gharram downed it rapidly. The stinging sensation of the alcohol didn't phase her seeing as the pain didn't really match up to the pain in her chest.

Gharram was heart broken, hurt, devastated.

She had been embarrassed as well. Not having Harry by her side the one time she really wanted him to be there. One thing she begged him for and it wasn't done. She hadn't been angry with Brooke. Or should she have been? She didn't know who to blame or target. The only thing on her mind at that moment was Harry. How could he? What had him so occupied?

She turned her body on the stool to face the crowd. Her friend Idrees, an upcoming model himself, had walked up to her. "Gharram...", he called to her.

He actually had screamed it out loud over the loud vibrations of the speakers. Gharram could only hear but a faint echo. Everything around her spun and she felt dizzy. She swayed side to side her head tilted back. She swung her arms around in a daze smiling with smeared mascara.

"Gharram...", she heard his voice again but this time louder. She looked to him and smiled with tears resting on her waterline. "You okay?", he held her to his body keeping her still. She nodded her head sluggishly.

"Where are we going?", she hung her arm over his shoulder. "Where are you taking me?", her paranoia began. Idrees refused to answer seeing as it was pointless. He lead her through the crowd trying his best not to bump into anyone. "Hello!!", she screamed at him. He wouldn't budge still tugging her. "Let go of me!", she yanked herself away from him.

"I'm taking you home!", he tried grabbing her again as gently as possible seeing as she couldn't stand on her own two feet.

She seen an area to sit in the back of the party. It was a curved couch shaped weirdly. Modern chic. Gharram dropped quickly in her gold sequined dress she had changed into. She felt her long green one was just getting in the way of everything. Gharram's tears were falling uncontrollably. The alcohol had taken it's tole on her and she felt as though this was a breaking point sort of. She couldn't help herself. How could she? She took out her distress on anything she had available - not including drugs of course. She seen the glass of tequila in front of her. Wiping her face she felt her fingertips tingle for the glass to touch them.

She thought of Harry. She thought of her and Harry. Brooke and Harry. The thought of them two killed her. The hidden feelings held in her heart rested until the proper moment of release. Little did she know how big the explosion would be. She had no idea how to handle such a complicated feeling of love.

How can anyone handle such a hurtful emotion such as love anyway? She didn't know how the women and men of Bollywood could and nor will she ever understand.

She could picture Brooke holding his hands - how her fingers wished so bad to feel his skin. She then imagined Brooke running her fingers through his hair - oh how she wanted so bad just to run her finger tips into his cool curly locks. Gharram shivered at the thought of them two intimate - it angered her more thinking of them kissing. She wanted nothing more than to taste his lips. She always admired them from afar. She kept it to herself seeing as Harry would never let her live it down. He used almost everything against her.

Gharram's leg shook at the thought. She could hear Idrees from the side of her telling her to calm down and relax her mind. She couldn't register anything else aside from that. He hadn't a clue as to what had been wrong with her. He didn't want to push it out either, but he would do everything in his power to save her from that one drink.

"You don't have to drink away your problems?", his voice rung in her ears like a savior passing on a message. "You're worth more than any of the liquid in that glass cup."

Gharram did the one she did when her frustration got the better of her and nothing else worked. Her hand, on reflex, quickly smacked the glass off the table. The shattering noise frightened everyone around her slightly. Did she care? No. But it kind of felt...better. Seeing the alcohol fly out the glass and the glass splatter across the black tiled floor replayed in her head. She felt a sudden buzzing coming from her chest. She then realized that she had placed her phone in her bra. Gharram took it out seeing the screen flash a familiar face. A head full of curls and green emeralds staring into her's.

Her heart began to race. Her mind drifted into another place at that very second. The phone continued vibrating in her hands. She couldn't move. Something told her not to answer. The screen continued flashing and she continued staring at it. Echoes of what Harry would say automatically starting ringing and repeating her head.

"I'm so sorry..." "Please forgive me. I was caught up at work." "You know I would never do it on purpose..."

She felt her tears building up again with each thought processing. She had no idea what else to do. She was frozen. Gharram then imagined the worse possible reasoning he would have...

Brooke...

Oh how she dreaded to hear that. So she ignored him and saved herself the heartache. A droplet rolled down her cheek as the screen went blank.

"Idrees...", she called out to him quietly still hypnotized by the shattered fragments. His head turned to her and before he could answer her, her lips moved once more. "Take me home."









Harry's face flushed at the voice mail. It was the third time he had called. He sighed and groaned knowing he messed up majorly this time. He threw his phone onto his bed. He couldn't do anything about it. Calling would solve nothing. What else was there to do?

"I'll just go to her apartment in the morning or something.", he said to himself. His eyes opened immediately as soon as he heard his phone vibrate. Harry ran to his bed seeing the screen lighting up. His heart was beating out of chest and his smile suddenly faded as soon as his eyes met the name on his screen. He threw the phone on the tan carpet beneath his bed not caring for it anymore. Brook had been calling and at the moment he really didn't wanna see anyone.

Harry laid there.

He laid in his bed sighing heavily running his fingers through his tousled hair. His mind was racing. What could she be doing at this moment? He felt himself slipping again. His heart was doing it again and he rolled his eyes knowing what would come next.

"No.", he hit his forehead. "No no no no...", he hit his head repeatedly. "You can't. You have Brooke! Stop it!", he scolded himself. Well really his heart.

Harry still loved her. He loved her tremendously. Regardless of how many times he tried telling himself otherwise, he couldn't see his life without Gharram. He couldn't think without her popping in his head every few seconds. He couldn't watch TV or do anything without being reminded of her. What was going on? He grunted again rolling on his side.

"What are you doing to me, Gramz?", he closed his eyes picturing every bit of her perfect exotic face. "What could you be possibly doing right now?", he opened them again feeling a heavy weight on his chest.

He heard the vibrating on his phone again. Harry laid there for a moment wondering if he should even bother to look. He couldn't help it. His mind and heart were at the same pace right now. He turned on his other side quickly grabbing the phone as fast as possibly. Only to his disappointment see that it had been Zayn. Harry wasn't really in the mood to here Zayn's useless pointless and inconsiderate complaints about Melinda.

"God...", Harry sighed after pressing the red button reading end on his phone screen. Gharram didn't answer again. "Where is she?"

Harry stayed all night on his bed listening to the same song on repeat. He couldn't help himself...as conceited as it sounded, Harry had 'Story Of My Life' on replay. He had his eyes eyeing the window in front of him overlooking the New York skyline. He inhaled closing his eyes knowing that Gharram could be somewhere out there hurt and alone and he wouldn't have any power to help her.

"Where are you Gharram?"

Notes