Press Release

25: Release Some Pressure

Minnie's phone rings just after two in the morning, and she hears the buzzing of the vibration as the phone jumps around on the side table where she left it. Rolling over, she grabs the device, trying to answer it quickly before it awakens Harry.

Throwing aside the covers, Minnie slides from the bed in her borrowed sweatpants, t-shirt, and socks which is how she and Harry had rolled into bed two hours before, both falling asleep fairly quickly and without much thought after the long, stressful day of travel. The underwear is surprisingly comfortable, and Minnie wonders if maybe she should only buy men's boxer briefs for herself from now on. The cotton is soft on her ass, and they fit well. Stepping into the hallway, she moves a few steps towards the great room before she answers the call.

"Hello?" she's tentative, because she's had too many middle-of-the-night calls.

"Olivia? I'm freaking out. You gotta talk me down," Charles whines, sounding desperate. Minnie quickly calculates the time, which is three hours earlier in Los Angeles, so she reminds herself to breathe. There's no way for him to know that she's in New York so it's unfair to be pissed off at him for calling so late. Blowing the air out of her mouth, she runs her fingers through her hair.

"Tell me what's going on," she urges. "Give me all of the details."

Charles starts talking, and Minnie listens for a while, but it quickly becomes clear that he's worrying about the usual things that bother him, so she "Mhms" on occasion, but she feels safe enough to let her attention wander. Charles just needs to get these concerns out of his system, and she's an easy sounding board.

Roaming Harry's apartment, Minnie wanders into the larger of the two guest rooms. Flipping on the light, she's astounded by the amount of pictures on the walls. The room has a smaller bed, probably a full or queen. The sheets and duvet are pink paisley, and Minnie smiles. It's very Harry with several pillows in different shades of red, orange, pink, and yellow on the bed. The room has a unique vibe: neither masculine nor feminine.

But it's the photographs on the wall that have captured her attention. Half-listening to Charles, she starts with the photos right next to the light switch. There are five in a column, reaching from near the ceiling to below her waist. Two of them are children with one child looking at the camera and the other toddler girl giggling. Then there is one of Harry's bandmate Niall from when he was very young, with braces on his teeth, and his blond hair in his eyes. He looks half asleep, and Minnie smiles at the look of innocence on his face. One photo was clearly taken at dusk at the Parthenon in Greece, plus there's a beautiful black and white picture of the ocean with a lonesome sailboat floating by.

"Mhm," she murmurs to Charles, and he responds immediately with a "You're such a good listener, Minnie. Thanks for being there for me."

She feels Harry's arms snake around her waist, and she leans back into him as she speaks into the phone, "You're going to be okay, Charles. What you need is some sleep. So quit drinking and go to bed."

With a yawn, Charles agrees to get some shut-eye. "I 'preciate your help, O."

Minnie smiles, but less at the phone conversation and more at the feel of Harry's thumbs rubbing on her tummy under her stolen Britney shirt. With a few words, she finishes the phone call, pressing the button to end the communication.

"Your photos, Harry. So beautiful. Who is the photographer?" Minnie asks, moving to the next set of frames.

Clearing his throat, Harry mumbles into her shoulder, "Me."

"Harry!" Minnie exclaims. "You are an amazing photographer! Wow. The colors. And on these black and white photos -- the depth you got. Amazing. The emotion behind these. You could enter them into a gallery. Or have an exhibition."