More Than This

Just Like That

Thank you all for the reads 😍 😍😍

Please do vote and comment. I suuuuper appreciate everything! 🚀🙌

A few more chapters, and this will be over. And at this point, I am both happy and sad 😭😂

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If there's one good thing that Josh' visit did is that suddenly, I had the appetite to eat!  Good thing Josh had this reservation at this posh new Italian restaurant. He knows the owner and he got an invitation to go tonight when he learned he is now at LA.

We got to the place at about 8pm.
I see a number of paparazi's standing by at the sidewalk. For a moment, I hesitated and tightened my grip on Josh' arm, but I quickly realize that no one knows me anyway. There is nothing to fear.

I check out my phone while waiting for our seats. No messages from Harry. I haven't heard from him since I got here in LA. We had a series of missed calls for the pst two days. Fate has not been kind. I decided to send him a message.

Night out with Josh. Call me when you can. I miss you!

As soon as I hit send, the receptionist approached us to lead us to our tables. Our seats are towards the farthest end of the room and as I get to be seated, I see someone who looks like Harry. I pause and stare at this group of people, trying to see if someone looks familiar, but nothing registers.

"Are you OK, Alex," Josh asks. "What are you looking at?"

I sit down across Josh, my vision directed at where I thought I saw Harry. "I thought I saw Harry," I smile at him. "My imagination, probably." I chuckle dismissing it and  and Josh rolls his eyes.

We are looking at yummy choices the menu offers, but I just cannot seem to settle down and not be curious of what I thought I have seen earlier.  I just had to take another peek, the man across the room really does look like Harry. However, I cannot clearly make out his face because I only see his back. I'm having goosebumps. Intuition tells me it is him.

In that moment I did not know what to do. I thought, how can he be here? He did not even tell me. He knows I am here, right? Or did I miss that detail in our last conversation?

I take my phone out to call Harry, just to confirm. After a few taps, the phone rings. I see the man pickup his phone from the table, but only to briefly stare at the screen and he imediately puts it back down on the table.

My heart is now racing. And suddenly, I feel bad, like a switch has been flicked. Ok, Alex, relax, I tell myself. it may just be a coincedence. I take deep breathes.

"Alex," Josh breaks my thought. He reaches out for my hand and squeezes it. "Is everything fine? You look pale. What's happening?" Josh asks. His face looks so concerned. He turns his back to see what I am looking at.

I give Harry a call again. And just as expected, the same phone lights up. This time he answers.

"Hey, how are you, love?" It is him.

"Where are you," is my curt reply. "Why did you not take my call earlier," I say in my monotonous voice. I am in the verge of bursting out. I am annoyed that he did not answer my message nor had he answered my call. When he is just there! Eating and laughing with a group of people. Did he just deliberately ignore me?

"What.. what are you saying," he sounds confused.

Silence.

Josh looks at me with furrowed brows. "Alex, what is happening? You look so upset. Are you ok?"

I nod.

"Is there somehing wrong, love," Harry asks.

"When I message you and you don't answer, and I call you and you just ignore my call, then there is something wrong, so you tell me," I say. I feel heat creeping on my face.

"What are you talking about, Alex," Harry says with a raised tone. So now he calls me Alex. The hell, why is he turning this about me. But knowing me, I won't allow this.

"Well because Mr. Harry Styles, I can fucking see you here from my table," I spit out the words.

"What?" He says softly. I see him push back his seat and stand to survey the place. He makes eye contact and I cut the call. I remain seated, ans I cross my arms and raise my eyebrow at him.

I see the woman beside him touch his arm, as if asking why he stood up. He smiles at her and shakes his head. But he looks at me again.

And there he stood, sticking out in the crowd, but no one is minding him, really. Except me, who patiently waits for him to approach me.

But instead he sits back and calls me instead. What the actual...? Who does he think he is.

I abruptly stand up and head towards the exit. "Alex, talk to me, what's wrong," Josh is alarmed. He chases after me, calling my name. And Harry, I don't hear his voice, at all. My chest tightens.

Thoughts are running in my head, at the pace my feet are shuffling.  Then it hit me. I realize that I actually am just another one if his girls. Nothing special. Not even special enough to be worthy of his attention in a room full of people who knows he is THE Harry Styles!

Fuckthisshit. I run as fast as my high heeled shoe can get me, but Josh catches up with me and catches me with both his arms. And there, by the curb, in full view of everyone there, I burst into tears.  

Josh holds me tighter as he hugs me from my back. He is telling me to calm down.

I cover my face with my hands and I'm bawling like a child. Where is Harry to console me? My heart is in pain, literal pain. My head is swirling from emotion overload. I hear Josh who keeps on saying my name.

And then  just like that, it all comes to a halt.