Stumbling Into Perfection...

Chapter 28

Harry glanced across the table at the blonde girl sitting in front of him. She was cute enough, someone he would have been expected to date. She was the exact opposite of Jennifer and he had absolutely no clue what the hell he was doing with her.

The only explanation was that two and a half weeks ago his heart had been ripped out by the only girl he'd ever really loved and he was grasping at whatever he could to make the pain stop.

He stayed busy. If he wasn't at the studio, he was at the gym, working out so hard that he was sure he'd dropped 10 lbs....which was also due to the fact that he'd barely eaten two bites a day since she'd left. He checked his phone every 5 minutes, like clockwork. On the off chance that Jennifer might have actually decided she wanted to talk. But there was never a message; in fact his phone barely rang at all.

He looked back up at the girl and furrowed his brow, trying hard to remember her name. Lucy, Luca, Lara....something with an L. She was rambling about school. Her classes, something to do with fashion. He fought the urge to roll his eyes and instead let out a deep sigh as he signaled the waiter to come with the check. She looked back at him,

"Are we gonna go to the club now?"

Harry nodded gently,

"Sure are."

He said, trying to sound perky but instead sounding irritated. He hated this. He hated that he'd been talked into dating by everyone around him. He wasn't ready. He hated that he'd chosen someone so opposite, knowing full well there was no chance in hell he'd ever be interested. He hated that he was using this girl. Using her to fill the void. A void she couldn't possibly even begin to occupy.

His mother would be disappointed. She'd raised him better than to treat women as some kind of chess pieces in his life.

He signed his name to the credit card slip and stood up, holding his arm out for her to walk ahead of him. Lucy/Luca/Lara giggled excitedly as a million paparazzo snapped her picture. She turned to hide in Harry's shoulder, a classic move to get closer to him.

Harry sighed and held his hand up,

"Hey guys...we're just headed to a club." He said softly.

"What's the girl's name?" One of the photographers shouted.

"Lisa." She answered happily.

Harry's eyes widened LISA! he screamed inside his head, silently thanking the photographer for asking. They finally backed off and allowed Lisa and Harry to walk to his car.

Harry thought back to the many times he and Jennifer had been caught by paparazzi. She never hid in his shoulder. She simply walked with her head down, kept a tight hold on his hand and stayed behind him. Harry was what they wanted a picture of and Jennifer understood that. She never wanted to be in any spotlight and did not get any excitement from it.

God I miss you.

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Jennifer sat in the apartment Liam had arranged for her, finishing the breakfast Chad had cooked for her. Tracy had opted to stay in a hotel rather than the apartment, knowing full well that 24/7 contact between her and Jennifer probably wasn't the best way to handle this situation.

Tracy had contacted the outpatient treatment center and met with the counselors there to create a plan for Jennifer's recovery. Two weeks into it and Jennifer was feeling a little more stable and comfortable.

She looked down at her phone as it sprang to life on the table next to her. Liam's name blinking on the screen. She tapped the answer button and put it up to her ear,