One Month Later

I cupped my hands around the coffee cup in attempt to steal its warmth. I was sitting at one of the back tables in the small café waiting patiently for my friend to join me. I used to come to this coffee shop all the time however since the fans had learned who I was they would wait outside for me to arrive hoping to catch me with Harry. This morning however, there were no fans in sight. I took another sip of coffee before flipping the page of the newspaper I was reading.

“What’s a cute girl like you doing sittin all by yourself?” Asked a familiar voice. I snapped my head up to see Perrie Edwards smiling back at me. She still had her sunglasses on and her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail. She wore her black leather jacket and ripped jeans. She looked stunning as always.

Perrie fell into the seat across from me and pushed the sunglasses to the top of her head, “How’ve you been babe?”

“Somehow I’ve been surviving,” I laughed. “It’s nearly the end of the term and the girls and I are freaking out trying to finish our projects.”

“So it’s a perfect time to procrastinate with a coffee date!” beamed Perrie.

“Exactly!”

“How are your paintings coming along?” She quizzed, taking a sip of her own coffee. “I always look for your updates on instagram.”

“Ugh I’ve literally been locked in the studio for the past week,” I said, pulling at my face before letting out a laugh. “I’m just adding a few finishing touches to the last one. I wish I could do more but I’ve run out of time seeing as the show’s next week.”

“Oh shit really?” Gaped Perrie.

I nodded in response before breaking into a smile, “You should stop by! There’s gonna be some pretty amazing work. There’s also a fashion show before the gallery showing and my friend Ella is forcing me to be her model. So there’s that too.”

“What!” Cried Perrie. “Damn girl! What have you gotten yourself into?”

“And then Mack’s show is in two days,” I added. “Oh and I just found out the whole family is coming up and I have no clue how we’re going to fit them all into our little apartment.”

“It’ll be like a giant slumber party! Try not to stress about it too much. Oh hey! Speaking of Kenzie, how’s Jasper? Still doing alright?” She asked, a frown crossing her face.

“He’s annoyed he still can’t play yet,” I replied, rolling my eyes. It was odd to think that a whole month has past since Jasper had been rescued from his father.

But the truth was, Jasper was having a really hard time since the incident. He was always on edge and hardly slept anymore. We were constantly tiptoeing around him as if he was a time bomb, knowing the smallest thing could set him off. The doctors said he was suffering from PTSD.

“Niall got him into some ridiculous physical therapy with one of the teams here in London so he’s been staying with us,” I added. He was also starting to scare the younger kids which is also why he moved in with us. But I didn’t tell her that. “Kenzie was beside herself when she found out. Jasper was ecstatic of course.”

“Oh so Jasper’s already given his blessing then?” Perrie joked. I burst out laughing and nodded.

“Who knows…maybe they’ll be the next ones engaged?” I giggled.

“Before El and Lou? Don’t be silly!” she smiled. But I felt mine falter on remembering what Eleanor had said the last time we talked of Louis. Perrie frowned at my reaction. “What? Trouble in paradise?”

“Yeah. They seemed…off in New York,” I said, taking another sip of my coffee as Perrie leaned in to hear the gossip. “And when I talked to her last about it she said she thought she was loosing him. Have you talked to her lately?”

“No I haven’t…oh but they can’t break up!” pouted Perrie. “I know they’ve both changed a lot in four years but they’ve made it through so much together. I’m sure it’s just a rough patch and they’ll get through it like they always do.”

I nodded in agreement, though I wasn’t too convinced. “Have you noticed the guys seem more stressed then usual?”

“Yes! Thank goodness you see it too, I thought I was the only one!” Perrie said, smacking the table in excitement. “I don’t know if it’s the tour, the album or what but they’ve just seemed in a funk lately.”

“Maybe it’s a little bit of everything?” I wondered. “Oh Per, I felt so bad for Zayn when we were in New York.”

“I know. I felt horrible that I couldn’t be there with you all. He wasn’t too miserable was he?”

“I kept stealing Kenzie away from Niall so he and Harry could keep Z company,” I whispered, shooting her a wink.

Perrie let out a laugh, “Much to the annoyance of Harry and Ni I’m sure!”

“Oh I’m positive,” I smiled. I began playing with my cup as a silence spread over the table.

“I worry about him so much,” Perrie whispered after a moment. “I worry about them all! It’s such a demanding job and they are on a ridiculous schedule. Everything is so rushed and I just feel like they…we have no breathing room.”

I nodded in agreement. I knew exactly how she felt. But at least Perrie was going through similar motions as the guys with tour and studio. Harry was constantly stressed and I though I tried to help, I wasn’t always sure how.

-

I fumbled with the keys before sliding them into the lock. Our apartment door always stuck and it took a special combination of turning pulling and pushing to force it open. But in my sleep deprived state it was a few minutes of fumbling before the door finally budged.

Despite getting coffee with Perrie this morning, I had had five more cups just to keep me functioning throughout the day. It was finals week, which meant that I had slept a total of three hours in the past three days in attempt to prepare everything. As I stumbled inside I was suddenly tackled to the ground.

"Ah!" I cried as I hit the floor. Someone was on top of me, their hands pressed against my throat. I took the chance to peak up and see a sandy-haired boy. "Jasper!"

He looked frantic. He eyes were red and crazed. He was breathing heavily as he pinned me down to the floor.

"Jas. It's Thalia. It's just me," I whispered, hardly able to talk due to the increasing pressure around my neck. Jasper’s eyes seemed to snap out of whatever haze he was in and he jumped back, releasing me from his death grip.

"Shit! I-I'm sorry," he said, still panting. "I thought y-you were-"

"Calm down Jasper it's fine," I said while rubbing my neck. "I know you didn't mean it."

He wrapped into a ball, curling his legs up and resting his chin on his knees. He was shaking. I was taken back to when he and Mackenzie had first moved in to my Aunt’s house. Whenever Mackenzie would leave for dance trips Jasper could hardly function. He would curl into a ball just like he was now and hide in the closet until either I or Maeve came and found him.

"Jasper," I whispered. I touched my hand to his back, which caused him to flinch. But I pulled him closer and held him tight. "Jasper it's okay. Everything's gonna be okay."

"I just want it to stop," he replied, in barely more than a whisper. "I see him everywhere."

"He's gone Jasper. He can never hurt you again," I comforted him. Jasper nodded, but didn't respond right away. He was beginning to close himself off.

"Don't tell Kenzie. Please?" He said numbly. "She'll worry."

"I won't tell I promise," I said, pushing the hair back out of his face as he returned to his stupor. With a deep breath I did the only thing that had ever calmed him. I sang.

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left it seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted
In my brain still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light that split the night
And touched the sound of silence

Jasper's breathing slowly returned to normal and I felt him relax in my arms. He had started to drift off to sleep so I gently lay him down on the couch, all the while singing.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

Once Jasper was tucked into bed I headed up the rickety ladder. Maeve had crashed hours ago and I'm sure Elaine and Mackenzie were fast asleep by now as well. I quickly changed into my pajamas and just as I was climbing into bed heard my phone ring. After letting out a yawn I gently slapped my cheeks to wake myself up before accepting the call.

"Hey babe!" I smiled into the phone as Harry's face appeared on the screen. He was smiling but his eyes and nose were red. "Harry? What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I just really needed to see your face," he croaked. Uh oh.

"What's going on?" I asked, shifting in my blankets to sit up against the wall, any feeling of tiredness completely disappearing. Harry frowned and looked, if possible, even more distraught.

"Sorry I forgot how late it was there I can-"

"No no it's fine! I wasn't going to bed for a few minutes anyway," I smiled. I was growing more worried by the second. "Harry, what's going on?"

He looked off to the distance and ran a hand through his long hair. "I just...it's been a rough day."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He bit his lip, contemplating. "I met up with one of my old friends from back home today. He's in the states. He just finished school and started his job as a doctor. He has a little flat with his girl and he told me he wanted to propose and...I just wonder sometimes...everyone I know I going on to live these normal lives and I love what I do I just..."

"Wonder what your life would have been like?" I finished for him. He gave me a small smile before wiping away a few tears. I could physically feel the pain my chest from seeing him so hurt and sad.

"It's stupid." He said, shaking his head and pushing the hair out of his face.

"No it's not. Everyone wonders what their life could have been like if they had chosen a different path or taken a different chance," I replied. "But can you also imagine sitting at university, taking classes and maybe dating a girl...who's not as great as me of course."

Harry let out a laugh as I continued, "can you imagine sitting there just like you are now wondering what your life could have been like if you had only auditioned for x-factor?"

He gave me a small smile and nodded his head. His tears had stopped, though he still looked depressed. It killed me to see him this way.

"And you know not everything has completely changed," I added. "You still see your mom and your family. You've gained new friends just like you would have of you went to Uni. You've obviously kept your old friends..."

"I know," he smiled weakly. "I just feel like despite everything, what have I really accomplished? Josh is out there saving people and-"

"Harry that's not fair and you know it," I scolded. "Even if you had continued school it wouldn't have been to become a doctor. You have touched millions of lives through your music, support of your fans, and charity."

This was one of my pet peeves about Harry. No matter what I or anyone else told him, he could never really grasp just how truly amazing he was.

"Harry, you have helped so many people. Your fans have found themselves in better places because of your music and genuine kindness." I felt tears well up in my eyes thinking of Jasper lying downstairs. "You're charitable. You help people...people like me and my family. People like Jasper."

"How is he? Is he still at your place?" He asked, his head snapping up.

For a moment I tried to play it off like I had been doing for the past month. But when Harry looked at me through that pixelated screen I broke.

It was my turn to wipe away the tears. I tried to answer him but the words caught in my throat. My chest grew tight and I suddenly felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Everything seemed to come crashing down on my at once and each emotion hit me like brick wall.The sleep deprivation had finally caught up with me and the stress along with it. I cried because I was tired. I cried because I was scared. And I cried because most of all I was frustrated that I was crying.

"Thalia? What's wrong love…has something happened?" Harry asked, his eyebrows knit of concern. All of his own sadness seemed to disappear as he stared at me through the small screen.

I took a ragged breath and managed, “I-I’m sorry. I’m just…I’ve been so stressed out about the show and my family coming. And then Elaine’s freaking out for her finals. Kenzie’s a wreck. I don’t even know what’s going on with Mae. And then Jasper’s…”

“Thalia, babe it’s okay,” Harry replied sweetly.

“They told us he has PTSD from the abduction,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I came in tonight and he tackled me to the ground because he thought I was his father—”

“Can he go live with your mom and aunt?” Harry suggested.

I shook my head. “No they sent him to live here because he was scaring the younger kids. I just don’t know what to do. I want to help him but I don’t know how. He’s so scared Harry.”

“He’s going to be alright Thal,” Harry comforted. He gave me a small smile causing his dimples to show. “You’ve taken him to the doctor’s, he’s taking his medicine…just give it another day or two and he’ll be back to normal.”

I nodded, wiping away more tears. I felt even worse for having thrown my problems on him. He had called me because he was upset and now here he was comforting me instead.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bombard you with my problems,” I said, now angry at myself for being so selfish.

“Don’t ever be sorry,” he replied. Even through the screen those bright green eyes locked on mine. “I guess we’re both a bit of a mess right now aren’t we?”

“I guess so,” I half laughed, half sobbed. I know he was glad that I had disclosed my feelings rather than bottling them up like usual. But I couldn’t help but still feel guilty for throwing my worries on him. He had enough on his mind as it was.

“Thal, when’s the last time you’ve slept?” Harry asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“I-well you see I had to finish my project for the show...” I replied. Just then another thought crossed my mind. “Are you going to be able to come?”

“Hey I asked first! When’s the last time you’ve gotten any sleep?”

“How many hours does it have to be to count as sleep?”

“Thalia…” he warned.

“Monday...”

“Thalia Jane Kalfis!” Harry cried out, his eyes growing wide. “It’s Wend-no! Thursday! Get your ass in bed right now!”

“My ass is bed.” I replied. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Thalia. You need to go to sleep! You’re going to die!”

I crossed my arms like a five year old and pouted. I may be acting silly, but after so many hours of sleep deprivation I am considered legally drunk right now. And I was a stubborn drunk. “Not until you answer my question.”

“I don’t know yet,” Harry answered truthfully. I felt my heart sink. “I promise I’ll tell you as soon as I find out. Now will you please lie down?”

I let out a sigh, failing at hiding my disappointment. Is this what he felt like when I had lied and told him I couldn’t go to New York? I fell back onto the bed while taking my phone with me. I stared at the beautiful boy on the screen, wishing more than anything that he was here with me.

“Now close your eyes…” He said softly.

“I wish you were here,” I whispered, giving my thoughts words. I stretched out my limbs and tucked my pillow under my arm, pretending it was Harry. “Please try and come.”

“I’ll try."

"Pinky promise?" I yawned.

"Pinky promise," he agreed before breaking into a smile. "Goodnight love.”

“Harry?”

“Yes love?”

“Stay on the line for a bit?” I asked hesitantly. I was pathetic, but knowing he was on the line was comforting and aided my imagination in pretending he was here.

“Of course. Would you like a lullaby?”

“Yes please.”

As he began to sing I let my heavy eyelids close, suddenly feeling exhausted. I pulled the pillow tighter against my chest and let the sound of his angelic voice lull me soundly to sleep.

Notes

Hi. Sorry it's been taking me so long to update! It's been one crazy week for me.
But here's the new chapter! It's just a filler and I was having a bit of writers block so I hope it's not too horrible for you guys. But just wait for the next chapter...

Next up is Kenzie's final performance.
Do you think Harry will surprise Thalia like she surprised him in New York?
Do you think Jasper will get better and be able to move past this?

PLEASE leave comments! They make my day and I'm SO curious as to how you're feeling about this story!
What do you think or want to happen next???

Ciao my lovelies