Vulnerable (Book One) Complete!

chapter thirty

Harry

     I stood in the airport, my hood up and sunglasses on. Luckily, no one had recognized me. I waited impatiently for my mum and Gemma's plane to land. It'd been three days since I'd talked to Jensen. I wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, to apologize for the hurtful words I'd said. My heart had shattered into a million pieces when I'd watched her face fall at the accusations I'd made. The scene played over and over again in my head of her kicking me out, her eyes a mix of anger and disappointment.

     I hadn't slept or ate much of anything, Mitch had tried to get me to go out with him but I refused, telling him I was sick. I thought about going to the bar or by her apartment. I'd thought about stopping by her dad's or reaching out to her sister. I was terrified I had lost her.

     "Harry?" My mum's voice snapped me out of my dreary thoughts. She was practically sprinting towards me, her suitcase clattering against the floor behind her. Gemma shook her head, walking behind her. My mum crashed into me, practically knocking me over.

     "Hey mum," I laughed, hugging her tightly. I tried to pull away but she kept holding on. I looked over her shoulder at Gemma, silently asking for help.

     "Okay mum, don't break him. He's got a tour starting in a few weeks." I gulped at her words, doing my best to give her a big smile as my mum moved out of the way so Gemma could hug me. "What's up little bro?"

     "Oh, nothing much, living the dream of a rockstar I guess." She shook her head, laughing at me.

     "Where's this Jensen we've heard so much about?" My mum looked around me as if she'd find her if she looked at every person in this airport hard enough. I sighed, doing my best to ignore the ache in my heart. I gave her a forced smile.

     "She had to work today. She said she'd try to stop by if she got off early." I knew the words were a lie but I hoped my mum and sister bought it. I was a shit liar but I didn't know how to tell them I'd fucked up yet another relationship, "Let's get you guys checked into your hotel and then we can head to my place for dinner, ya?" They both nodded. I grabbed my mum's suitcase, rolling it behind me as we talked about the album and the tour. Gemma chimed in about what outfits I was wearing as they were always her favorite part of touring.

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     We had gotten my mum and Gemma checked into their hotel and we were now back at my place. Mum and Gemma sat at the counter, making small talk and sipping wine as I grilled chicken breasts and stirred the noodles for the Fettuccine Alfredo.

     "Jensen works at her dad's bar, doesn't she? She wasn't able to get the night off?" I bit my lip, keeping my back to them as I tried to come up with a good explanation.

     "Her sister had a school event so if she wouldn't have gone to work, it would have just left her dad there by himself and the bar is extremely busy these days. She wanted to by here." The last part wasn't a lie. She had wanted to meet my family at one point.

     "Just a pity, I was really hoping to get to know one of your girlfriends." My mum sighed, and I turned to give her a sympathetic smile.

     "I'm just glad you ditched the models. They were toxic for you. I know they were great for your image and Camille breaking your heart got you a smashing album but you need someone more grounded." I could tell the wine was getting to Gemma as she never would have told me this sober.

"Yeah, well I think I have a better track record than you. Remember Brad?" She gasped, glaring at me. I just chuckled to myself, turning my attention back to dinner.

"You did not just go there little bro, you're so gunna pay for that." My mum laughed, watching us bicker back and forth. I finished up dinner as they continued their small talk.

     "Alright ladies, dinner is served." The two made their way over to the table, both talking about how excited they were for my cooking. I wasn't a master chef by any means but working in a bakery and having a mum who cooked homemade meals constantly helped.

     I set the dishes out in front of us all, sitting at my spot at the table. We were about to dive in when there was a knock at my door. My mum and Gemma looked at me confused and I shrugged. I walked over to the door, surprised who was on the other side.

"Jensen?" I tried not to sound too surprised as I knew Mum and Gemma were watching me like hawks. She wore black skinny jeans with a black and red striped t-shirt. Her dark waves were pin straight and I could tell she was wearing more make up than she normally did. She looked beautiful and yet very nervous being here right now.

"Harry, I-" I stopped her, giving her wide eyes and motioning them behind me. She scrunched her brows together, not understanding the situation.

"Jensen, love? Is that you?" My mum spoke from behind me. I turned so my back was against the door, allowing Jensen to be in full view. Her eyes went wide momentarily before she quickly regained her composure.

"Uhm yeah, I'm Jensen. It's so nice to meet you Mrs. Styles." She looked to me before walking in. My mum ran up to hug her, squeezing her just as tightly as she had with me. Jensen's posture was tense, not expecting this reaction from my mum before slowly relaxing as she let go.

"It's nice to meet you as well dear. And please, call me Anne." Jensen gave her a sweet smile, "Please come join us for dinner we just sat down."

     Jensen looked to me, almost as if she wanted to run back out the door but nodded, following my mom to the table. Gemma and Jensen has their introductions before settling in. I sighed, shutting the door.

     I loved that my mum and Gemma has come to visit but in this moment, I wanted nothing more than to be alone with Jensen. I knew she had something to say to me and I felt my mind swirling with the possibilities as I sat down at the table.

     We all dove in, everyone except for Jensen, who waited until my mum mentioned her not eating, to fill her plate. She bit her lip, her eyes were unfocused letting me know her mind was a million miles away.

     "So Jensen, please tell us a little bit about yourself!" My mum drew Jensen's focus back to the table.

     "Well I work for my dad at a local bar in town, RJ's, and I truly love it. I live in an apartment not far away from there with my younger sister Reese. I don't do a whole lot outside of work and helping out my family." My mum and Gemma were completely focused on Jensen the whole time she spoke.

     "Does that include taking care of this one?" Gemma poked the end of her fork in my direction before taking a bite. I scrunched my nose at her, sticking out my tongue.

     "Excuse me, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you." I crossed my arms over my chest, pouting. They all shook their heads, laughing at me.

     "Sure you can, babe." Jensen spoke, taking a sip of her wine before grinning at me. I felt my heart squeeze at the sight of her smile. God, I had missed her so much.

     The rest of the dinner went smoothly and I could tell my mum and Gemma were big fans of Jensen. We were all saying our goodbyes, both of them giving Jensen hugs and telling her they wanted to come visit her at the bar while they were here. My mum came up to me, hugging me tightly.

     "I really like her, Harry. Please keep her around." She whispered the words in my ears before kissing my cheek. Gemma said the same thing as I walked them to the door. Once they had left, I shut the door, taking a breath before turning to face Jensen. She stood in my kitchen, biting her cheek, her eyes meeting mine.

     I was beyond terrified of the words that were going to come out of her mouth.

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cliffhanger but like two more chapters i think??