model call || h.s

40.

Harry is standing over the counter, putting a salad together for dinner when Nora walks downstairs. "Well, I'm officially unemployed." She sits down at the bar and rests her chin in her hands.

"So, this is a good thing?"

"Harry, it's an amazing thing! I'm done being a fucking model, I'm done."

"Okay..."

"Can't you just be happy for me?"

"I...Nora, I don't want you to regret this. You love your job."

"No, I just don't know who I am without it. Or who I am without my mom...I need to figure it out."

"What makes you happy?"

"You." She answers immediately. He fills two bowls and hands her one while sitting beside her. "Being with you and near you...it's my favorite place to be." Harry gazes at the girl beside him. The beautiful, beautiful, vulnerable girl that he was so terribly in love with. He leans over and presses a kiss to her temple.

"I'm very glad to hear that...but what else? What do you want, Nora?"

"I don't know...that's my problem. I have no fucking idea what to do now."

"Before you were a model...was there something you wanted—a career that you wanted to pursue?"

"I wanted to be a dancer when I was little, but I absolutely do not want that now. Then I wanted to be an actress...I don't want to be an actress anymore. I like writing and photography, but I don't want to make a career out of either of those things."

"Do you want to go back to school?"

"Well, I never went...I started modeling right after I graduated."

"Is that something you might want to do?" She shrugs.

"Maybe...but I don't know what I'd do—what I'd study."

"That's not something you need to decide right away, you can figure it out as you go along."

"When we get back, I'm going to look into schools...NYU would probably be my best option, right?"

"If New York is where you want to be, then probably, yeah."

"It is." She takes a hefty sip of her Sauvignon Blanc. "What about you? What's your plan?"

"Well, I've been meaning to talk to you about some things, but with everything going on...it just hasn't been the right time."

"So, talk to me."

"I've been writing again—well, just barely, but my producer really wants me to buckle down and get the album in the works."

"Wow...Harry Styles' first solo album out of One Direction..."

"It's a bit mad, yeah?" His dimply smile is too cute to stand. She places her palm on his cheek and gently pads her thumb over his skin.

"I'm proud of you, for going forward with this and doing your own thing. I'm really proud."

"You are?"

"Harry," She smiles at him, "Yes, of course I am. I'm not just saying this because you're my boyfriend, whom I love very much, but you are such an amazing person and knowing you has only made me more sure of that. I mean, look at how you've handled my family. You've been there for not just me, but for Lara and Nick and Lola, Eric and my dad..." A light sheen of tears glassed over her eyes, "my mom when she was in chemo. You went and saw her—sat with her everyday. You helped out so much with the funeral and I just...that's not even the half of it. You've been so supportive and wonderful throughout our entire relationship and I'm proud of you and the person—the man that you are."

"That's...thank you, baby. Thank you for telling me that." She kisses him.

"So, what's the next step? Regarding your writing, I mean."

"Jeff...he's been a bit annoying lately."

"Why?"

"He thinks that being here...or in New York is going to be distracting."

"A.K.A, being with me is distracting."

"Well..."

"It's okay, I can handle it."

"He just thinks that I need to be locked away somewhere, just focusing solely on writing."

"Locked away? That sounds a little...unnecessary."

"Not locked away, really...but somewhere off the grid. Somewhere that I can really just give this album my all." Nora nods, thinking about this.

"How long would you go for?"

"I don't know...for as long as it takes to get things sorted, I guess. Maybe a couple of months?"

"I think...you should do whatever you need to do in order to make this album perfect." He can tell that she's forcing the words out of her mouth, "Including going away somewhere. Whatever you need to do."

"Nora..."

"I know it sounds like I don't want that, but I want you to be happy—"

"Being away from you for an extended period of time is not going to make me happy."

"Right, but making an incredible, mind-blowing solo record will. All I want for you, is...I just want you to make sure that you don't regret anything. I want you to do everything right without a single question of whether you didn't do what you needed to do. Does that make sense?" He rests his forehead on her bare shoulder.

"Yes."

"Good."

"But, I feel like...now, I dunno. I just don't think it's the best time for me to leave."

"Why?" She asks, "Because my mom died? Honey, I don't think there will ever be a better time to go."

"Nora...I completely disagree. I don't want to leave you."

"I need to get past her being gone on my own. And now that I'm thinking about it...it makes sense. You've been by my side this whole entire time. You've been here for me, but I need to take some time and be on my own...learn how to live without her without you."

"That sounds like you want to break up."

"That is the last thing that I want."

"So, you're saying that being apart, distance-wise, will what? Make us stronger?"

"Maybe, yeah. Or maybe it'll fuck with us and we'll hate it." She twists her arms around him and lays her cheek against his neck. "But we're not gonna know if we don't at least try."

"I guess." He murmurs.

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Nora."