The Reinvention of Harry Styles

Molly felt the hot water pour over her back, steam swirling around the shower between her and Harry. Little droplets of water formed on Harry’s eyelashes, making him look ethereal and angelic.

‘Ironic,’ Molly thought, as she pieced together her response. They were just inches apart, and if they had not just finished a round of whiskey and angst fueled sex, she would have been all over him.

“Ohhh Harry...” Molly closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sure that sounded better in your head, but open up your eyes, shut your mouth, and see that you’re the only one who’s been in love with you.” She brushed past him out of the shower and grabbed a towel.

“Hey...” He turned around. “You can’t use my own lyrics against me. And what is that even supposed to mean?”

“Really, Harry?” Molly flipped her hair forward and wrapped it up in a towel. “You realized you couldn’t have Daisy, so you settled for the next best thing? Or the closest available thing?”

“That’s not what I meant.” He reached back into the shower to turn it off, and Molly tossed him a towel.

“The sun is not available, so instead of going after another star, you’re going to settle for the moon, because it’s closest? The moon is basically just a shiny rock reflecting the sun. I’m guessing you’re Earth in this metaphor?”

“Molly, that’s, I don’t know, maybe I’m Earth?” Harry finished drying off and wrapped the towel around his waist as he tried to sort his thoughts out.

“You do realize the Earth revolves around the sun, and the moon around the Earth?” Molly took a step closer. “Are you saying my life revolves around you?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that-”

“Because it kind of does. I can’t get a job, I can’t get a boyfriend, I’m just stuck pretending to be your girlfriend-”

“Molly.” Harry took a step closer.

“And pretty soon, I’m going to have to start paying off my student loans-”

“Molly...” He took another step.

“I can’t even help my mom find an apartment because I’m stuck with you all the time, so she’s staying in the guest bedroom of my parents’ house while they go through a divorce-”

Harry leaned in the last few inches and kissed her, interrupting her long string of complaints. He carefully cupped her face with his hand, and to his surprise, she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. It was so different than how she’d clung to him less than an hour ago as he carried her up the stairs to his bedroom; it was more like she was holding on to the only stable thing in her life as the rest of it swirled around her in a tornado.

“We can fix that. All of it. Well, I can’t fix your parent’s divorce, I’m sorry, but we can get your mom a new place. And, I don’t know about getting you a job, but since that’s my fault, I can pay off your student loans. As long as they’re not, like, more than one million dollars, because that would raise a bit of suspicion.” Harry smirked.

Molly relaxed in his arms a bit and pulled away so she could see him. “Are you trying to bribe me into dating you?”

“I don’t recall asking you out?” Harry smirked.

“Good, maybe I don’t want to.” Molly half smiled and left to get dressed in her room.

Harry fell back onto his bed once she was gone. ‘What the hell was that?’ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Okay, it wasn’t a no, but it wasn’t a yes. You’re doing great, Harry…’

***

“I’m sorry, I know there’s a fee for canceling an appointment less than 24 hours in advance, but is there any way I could reschedule instead?” Daisy realized Zoe probably did not cancel that doctor’s appointment she’d asked her to, and found the number online herself.

“No problem, would next week be better for you?” The receptionist asked.

“That’s fine.” Daisy answered.

“Is that still within the right time frame?” The receptionist asked, and Daisy nodded.

“Yes,” she answered, realizing the receptionist couldn’t see her, and got through the rest of the phone call as quickly as possible.


***

Harry and Molly inadvertently avoided each other the rest of the day because they were both a bit embarrassed about what they’d said earlier. Molly kept herself busy working on finishing up the book she was ghost writing, and Harry found himself wandering, again taking another late night walk.

As he looked up at the moon late that night, he wondered how he could have done that differently. The moon isn’t so bad, is it? Harry thought it was quite beautiful and admired it’s waxing shape. Perhaps if he had just called her the moon and left Daisy out of it, she would have been more appreciative.

‘Yes, that’s definitely the problem’, Harry thought as he sat down on a bench to look at the moon and stars, hearing the waves lap at the beach somewhere far below him. ‘It’s fascinating how the moon controls the ocean’s tide. And the phases of the moon are ever changing but so consistent.’ Harry pondered if he should take this metaphor further, or just drop it, since it hadn’t gotten him much gain before.

‘And what the fuck did she mean, quoting Only Angel like that?’ Harry tipped his head back and closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the LA night. He mentally repeated the line she’d spat at him earlier in the shower and tried to make sense of it.

“She thinks I’m in love with myself,” he said out loud, maybe to the moon. “She thinks I’m self-obsessed, and could never love anyone more than myself.”

‘But that’s not true, is it?’ He asked himself. After all, it was Harry who’d written those words about himself, but he didn’t mean it that way. He looked back up at the moon and pondered its imperfections and not quite round shape.

“No, she’s not the moon,” Harry said to it as he stood up. “She’s an angel.”

Harry smiled to himself as he walked home, proud that he’d figured that one out. He wondered if he should sing her ‘Hey Angel’ or ‘Only Angel’, or maybe both? Or maybe ‘Girl Almighty’, or even ‘Where do Broken Hearts Go?’ might be more appropriate. Harry silently tread up the steps and stopped for a moment outside her door, open just enough that he could see in.

‘Or perhaps Stockholm Syndrome?’ Harry thought, as he recalled Molly’s comment earlier about the moon revolving around the Earth, and how trapped she seemed. He shook his head and went to bed, reminding himself that she could leave if she wanted to. ‘Right?’

The following morning, Harry tried to think of a way to entice Molly to the studio, where he was waiting with Mitch, Sarah, Adam, and Clare. They had to rehearse for the upcoming tour anyway, so he hadn’t dragged them all to the studio just to sing to his girlfriend.

Harry sat, staring at his phone, trying to come up with a text.

“Just call her,” Mitch suggested.

“I have to think of what I’m going to say beforehand, or I’ll just stammer and say ‘ummm’ for a few minutes,” Harry replied, and they laughed.

“Tell her you miss her,” Clare suggested.

“Or, have her bring us lunch?” Sarah laughed, and Adam agreed.

“I could go for lunch, too.” Adam said.

Harry sighed. “Okay, what do you all want for lunch?”

Once they’d gotten their lunch order figured out, Harry finally called Molly to see if she could pick it up for them. While he stepped out to make the phone call, the rest of his band chatted about their upcoming lunch and tour.

“So, does anyone know what’s going on with Daisy?” Adam asked.

Most of them shrugged. “I know Harry wanted her to tour with us, but she never seemed too keen on that idea. After her...announcement, I could see that not happening.” Clare suggested.

“That’s too bad, she’s pretty good,” Mitch commented.

“I’m sure someone else will take her on, she’s certainly gotten her name out there,” Sarah added, and they all looked up when Harry returned.

“Molly’s busy,” he seemed perplexed. “She said she’s interviewing Daisy, and they could both come here, but she couldn’t come on her own until later.” He glanced up at his band, not sure what he should do.

“But what about our lunch?” Adam asked, and the others murmured in agreement.

“I’ll go get it.” Harry was about to turn around, but they stopped him.

“We haven’t seen Daisy since, you know...so maybe they can both come?” Sarah spoke up.

“But it’ll be weird, won’t it? With them both here?” Harry asked.

“She’s your girlfriend.” Mitch shrugged.

“Right…I’ll just...” he turned around and left to call her again.

“That boy is so awkward, someone help him!” Sarah laughed, and the others joined her.

“Alright, let’s start from the beginning.” Harry entered and they stopped laughing. He picked up his guitar while the rest of his band set up, each exchanging confused glances with each other. “We’ll start with ‘Ever Since New York’, ready?”

They had nearly made it through the first three songs on the set list before Molly and Daisy showed up. They were just playing the last few notes of ‘Carolina’ when Harry saw them, and motioned for his band to start playing the song they had practiced that morning.

“If I could fly, I’d be coming right back home to you,” Harry started, and Molly stopped in her tracks, nearly dropping the take out she was carrying. “I think I might give up everything just ask me to.”

“How did he know this my favorite song from Made In the AM?” Molly whispered, and Daisy glanced at her, before they both sat down and listened to the rest of the song. It was so weird to hear Harry singing it on his own without the other boys, yet at the same time it seemed so right. Especially since he was singing it directly at Molly.

“....For your eyes only.” The song concluded and Harry’s eyes remained locked on Molly’s.

She blinked a few times, shocked that she was feeling a bit emotional to hear Harry singing to her. Next to her, Daisy shifted over a bit, sensing she wasn’t a part of whatever was going on.

“Molly,” Harry said with a bright smile. “You’re the bright, shining, moon that lights my darkest nights; you keep me sane, normal, and on schedule, like the tides, and uh…” Harry decided to leave the part about the moon’s cycles out of this metaphor. “And, I’d be the happiest guy on Earth if you’d be my girlfriend.”

Molly gasped, and this time she really did drop the paper bag containing their lunch. “I..Harry, I don’t know what to say!”

“I thought you were already dating?” Daisy whispered, and exchanged confused glances with the band.

But Harry and Molly didn’t hear them, as they were wrapped up in their own little moon-lit world. Yet, as seconds ticked by, that little moon-lit world melted around them and Harry was suddenly aware that everyone was watching them.

“You don’t have to answer right away.” Harry smiled meekly, and Molly nodded, biting her lip. The pair seemed frozen in place, and one by one, Harry’s band began exchanging glances.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m going to grab our lunch; it’s nice out, maybe we’ll eat outside?” Sarah said as she stood up, the others following her. Daisy left with them, and it was just Molly and Harry, still standing in the same places they had been when the song ended.

“That was very sweet of you; how’d you know that was my favorite song from that album?” Molly finally said.

“Is it really?” Harry smiled. “I had no idea.” It was quiet for a moment. “Why were you interviewing Daisy?”

“I got an exclusive.” Molly smiled. “It wasn’t that hard, I have an inside source. I thought if we showed Daisy’s side of the story, it would take some of the blame off you and your management.”

“Oh.” Harry swallowed.

“And, I think I am going to take some time to answer. I don’t want to jump into anything too fast without thinking.” Molly smiled apologetically. She felt bad for leaving him hanging like this, but if things went south between the two as a real couple, they’d probably have to end the fake relationship too.

“Right, take your time.” Harry forced himself to smile as Molly turned to leave. “You know where to find me,” he called after her and sat down.

Harry sighed. ‘That was too much, wasn’t it’.

Notes

Poor Harry just can’t catch a break! I think I would die if Harry sang ‘If I could Fly’ to me : D

Thank you for reading, commenting, and voting!! : )