GREEN (RL Harry Styles fanfic)

87. Green Eggs & Ham

As soon as the wheels of the plane touched down in London I was overwhelmed. Everything felt very real now. Fashion Week was just days away and I wanted to make sure everything was absolutely perfect for such a huge moment in my career. Harry was dealing with his own career milestone. One Direction was playing 6 nights at the O₂ which would be the band's final shows in London. It was the beginning of the end of their tour which would come to a close at the end of October. I wanted to give my work everything I could, and I knew Harry had that same work ethic when it came to his music. At the same time, I wanted to support Harry and make these final days memorable and something special. And I wanted to do all that while growing a baby inside of me who had his or her own demands, all while keeping my pregnancy under wraps when we would both be surrounded by the media. I let out a massive sigh just as the fasten seatbelt sign dinged off and we were free to deplane.

"Sigh of relief?," Harry asked with inquisitive brows. "I usually have a sick feeling in my gut when I fly ever since...," he trailed off and I understood why, "but I wasn't nervous today because you were here." He smiled and took my hand to help me up out of my seat. I tried not to cry because, well hormones.

"Not relief. Stress. How do we have so many things happening all at once?," I said followed by another sigh.

"Because we are very fortunate." Harry wrapped one of his long arms around me and pulled me against him. He kissed the top of my head. "Busy is better than boring. That's something my mum always used to say when Gem and I were kids. I think it got stuck in my brain and that's why I work nonstop." I smiled picturing Harry and Gemma running around the garden tormenting each other as kids. "This could be the best time of our lives," Harry continued while his other arm managed to toss our carryons onto his shoulder with his artistically hidden muscles.

"Well maybe you have a point," Harry beamed with satisfaction at being right, "or your mom does." I winked and pinched his side.

He was always so grateful and grounded. Not what you'd expect from arguably the most famous boy-bander in the world. I could only hope our child would inherit that trait instead of my worry and overthinking. Oddly enough, the only thing Harry seemed to worry and overthink about was me and the baby. Maybe he was trying to worry on my behalf so I wouldn't have to.

It wasn't working. I worried that I couldn't hide this pregnancy when there would be cameras and press everywhere. And as I filed out of the narrow aisle of the plane towards the jetway I felt massive. I bumped into more than a couple armrests. I hoped I was just swollen from a long flight and by the time fashion week rolled around I didn't have to be rolled around.

*****

"I've only got a fucking week before fashion week! How am I supposed to get all this in order in just seven days?" I said followed by a guttural ugh.

"It'll all work out just fine babe," Harry assured me as he leaned over my head and looked at the papers strewn in front of me on his mother's desk. "You've gotten this far, all you need to do now is final fittings, make sure everyone shows up, and the dress rehearsal." He kissed the top of my head and stretched his arms high above his long body as he straightened back up. He let out either a yawn or a grunt. I couldn't be sure just from the sound.

"And I've got to finish the set design, time the music to the number of pieces in my collection. figure out what to wear, and do a million press interviews. I just want to take a nap!" I sighed and plopped my head into my hands.

"OK. Let's take a nap," Harry suggested as if I hadn't just listed all those to dos. "Nothing on your list will be completed in the next hour or needs to be completed in the next hour. But you need a nap. Let's go." Harry rubbed my shoulders and pulled my chair out. "I'll even let you be the little spoon if you want to."

It worked. He had managed to make me smile. It was one of his talents. No matter how melancholy or manic you were feeling he could get a smile out of you and make you forget all your worries, even for just a moment. It was as if your heart knew he wanted you to smile and every fiber in your being wanted to make him happy, so you obliged.

I smiled for him. I cuddled with him. I napped in his arms as the little spoon just as he had offered. He made me feel so loved in the little ways he cared for me. I smiled again thinking about the new ways I would see him love. Not love me, but love our child.

Would he insist on reading a bedtime story to her every night even if it was over the phone on tour? I envisioned him telling the crowd to be quiet while he called us from the stage, loudly whispering "shhhh!" into the microphone and telling them to "please shut up." Then he'd direct the entire stadium to read Green Eggs and Ham aloud in unison while he smiled with pride. Would he help draw replicas of his tattoos on our son's arms and chest to be just like daddy and then act shocked in the bath when his own tattoos wouldn't wash off. Would we take naps as family with one of us as the middle spoon? I couldn't be sure what our future would look like. I didn't yet know if we would be having a son or a daughter. But with all the current uncertainty that surrounded us, I was absolutely sure Harry would be an amazing father and I was the luckiest woman in the world to be able to witness it.

And with that thought I drifted to sleep forgetting all the worries of earlier and the stress of my to dos. This really might be the best time of our lives.