KEEP DRIVING - H.S

Chapter 25

November 20 2021, Los Angeles

"OH, FUCKING DEUX-MOI," Alliah cursed under her breath, reading through the messages from her manager, Jenna, and publicist, Maddie. "Not again!"

"What are they saying now?" Harry asked, his head on Alliah's lap. He rubbed his head against her stomach.

Alliah obeyed him, returning to what she'd previously been doing, and using the hand that wasn't swiping through messages, running it through Harry's curls. "Alliah?"

"Shit, sorry," Alliah apologized, "Got a little distracted. Um, they're talking shit about me, 'cause, well, the whole internet thinks we're dating, and now they're saying that i was 'very cozy' and 'touchy' with Tom at dinner, plus the photos with Niall. Apparently I'm dating three guys at the same time."

Harry laughed. "And you're dating none of the three."

"Painfully single," Alliah agreed with a hum. "I mean, god, me, dating Niall Horan? I wish."

Harry stiffened at her words, but Alliah was too consumed by the frantic texting of her manager to even notice. "What do you mean 'you wish'?"

Alliah took her hand away from Harry's hair, using it to type a quick text. "I mean, it's Niall. Even if he was single, which he definitely isn't- him and Amelia are amazing together, genuinely. Have you heard the way he talks about her? Beautiful- anyways, I'm getting off-track. Even if he was single, he's so out of my league."

"So if he was single, would you date him?" Harry asked, his voice lower than usual.

Alliah hummed. "Dunno."

"What do you mean, 'Dunno'? It's a yes or no question," Harry protested, frowning even deeper.

Alliah sighed, reading the new text Jenna had sent. "I mean, he's a good guy and all, but I don't really like talking about hypotheticals, especially when it would never happen. It feels... disrespectful to him and Amelia."

"I get it, but then why were you saying 'you wish' you were dating him?" Harry kept insisting.

Harry then sat up, moving his head from Alliah's lap, and that was when Alliah really started getting annoyed. How did they even get to this point?

"Harry, it's not that deep. It was just a joke, I didn't mean it literally-"

"If you didn't mean it, then why did you say it?"

A prickle of annoyance shot through Alliah's veins. "I didn't mean it literally!" She protested, rolling her eyes.

Harry scoffed, crossing his arms. Alliah was momentarily distracted by the vein popping in his bicep. And then she remembered she was pissed at Harry.

"Don't roll your eyes at me!"

"Stop telling me what to do, and for god's sakes, stop being so dramatic, I made a joke, it's seriously not. That. Deep!"

"Don't call me dramatic, I am not being dramatic!"

"Fine, you're not being dramatic," Alliah snapped at him, fed up with his attitude, she scoffed, "You're being unreasonable, rude and quite frankly, annoying."

"Annoying? You're the one who made some tasteless joke-"

Alliah groaned, getting up off of the couch. "Holy fuck, Harry, can you just stop it? Let. It. Go! I've got enough shit to deal with-"

"So I'm a burden now? That's what you're saying?"

Alliah clenched her eyes shut. Don't say something you'll regret. Don't say something you'll regret.