Appeal Denied

2015-NYC/London-20: Brief Encounter

November 8, 2015

"Need you to do me a favor, Brains," Harry's face looked serious through the iPhone, and when he added, "Please, Vanessa. It's important to us," I broke into a sweat.

I swallowed. "Tell me what it is first. Then I'll see if I agree."

His hair was in a bun as was typical these days when he had a moment or two to breathe between the insanity before hiatus began. On his chest was a simple white t-shirt with a smallish hole near the collar in front. I wanted to tease my finger into that hole and tickle his skin underneath. Fuck. He looked so delicious; we hadn't seen each other other than on FaceTime for two months. I half hoped he was going to ask me to fly to London to spend an hour with him. Honestly, I missed him so much that I would have done it without blinking.

Making a mental note to snag some of his clothing next time he was in NYC so I could keep his scent with me, I waited to hear his request, nerves seeping through my body like alcohol flows through the brain, numbing body parts; just not all at once. I wanted to be desensitized for this request because my intuition told me it was going to stretch my trust to its limits.

"We have a clause that we can each tell one person, right?" he asked.

"Yes." My stomach knotted up, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Have you told your person yet?"

"No." Amber had wondered who had called on Halloween, but she didn't know it was Harry, and I was determined not to tell her. She's my closest friend outside of Marvin, and she's got a big mouth. No way could I share that information with her. Unless, of course, I wanted everyone at MPP to know, which would lead to possible repercussions for me. I had recently earned my first solo account for a new music act, and I didn't want anything to jeopardize that. The singer, a young woman named Kacey Musgraves, had been nominated for Album of the Year at the Country Music Awards. I was honored to be given sole custody of her account. No way was I going to let the fact that I had a contract with a boybander get in the way of my successful career.

"Soooooo...." Harry began, and I did my best to breathe while I waited for the bad news. I'm not sure what I expected him to ask. I was terrified. "I have a friend flying into NYC tomorrow, and she needs to know about us. I was thinking....um....either you could tell her as your person or we could change our agreement so we could each tell two people?"

His question was tentative, nervous, and my mind roamed in twenty different directions all at once. Not gonna lie, my tummy had enough lead in it to rival the weight of Sisyphus' great boulder. I agreed anyway, knowing only the who and not the why. I figured if Harry said it was important, then it must be.

I asked myself why I hadn't told the news about our contract to anyone, and I'm not sure how I felt about the answer. Part of me was selfish and didn't want to share this amazing man who had fallen into my lap. Talking about him would cheapen our relationship. But the other reason scared me a bit. I was embarrassed by the whole "contract" thing, and anyone who found out might think less of me. That wasn't a risk I was willing to take. So if I needed to use my one person for Harry's sake, I was okay with that. Saved me from having to decide who, if anyone, I would tell.

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November 9, 2015

Nervously, my fingers fidgeted on the handle of my handbag as I stood in my best work outfit in front of the podium at the restaurant. "I'm here to meet someone. She might already be here. Ummmm.....Kendall Jenner?" I said to the maître d' at Balthazar on Monday mid-morning. The man visibly bristled, and then politely asked my name. Upon hearing that I was Vanessa Johannsen, he led me to a table near the back where a gorgeous young woman sat, sipping coffee.