Starstruck [H.S.]

We're Not Ross and Rachel

Buckle up buttercups...

Harry’s  POV 

I can’t get the image of Aspen surrounded by cameras with that man’s hand around her neck out of my head. No matter what she does to try and distract me or change my focus. I was too rough with her in the restroom. Because I was angry. I was fucking livid. 

I knew Aspen sensed the change in me. She always did. From the way she was watching me as we made our way back to our group, the apprehension in her eyes. I could tell she was braving herself for something. Putting a guard up. That fucking killed me. I'd fought so hard to break those walls of hers down. To see them reforming before my eyes made me feel like a complete asshole.

My mum and Gemma are leaving in the morning. So we head back to the house before midnight. I need to talk to my mum before she leaves. Instead of staying outside with everyone else I go to my mum’s room. Maybe she can help me sort through my scattered thoughts. 

--- 
Gemma and Anne left yesterday. I already miss them. Harry is being distant. April and Emma are set to leave tomorrow, and the girls and I only have a few more days here. I don’t want to push Harry into talking about what is bothering him. But at this point I don’t know that I will have any other choice. He doesn’t really talk to me all day. So the girls and I go down to the beach. I bring my laptop to work while they splash in the water with Emma. April is lounging on a towel next to me. 

“You seem off.” She comments looking up from her book over at me. 

“Something’s wrong. Harry has been acting weird since the whole thing last night.” 

April looks over at me. “What do you mean?” 

“He was really upset…” 

“Well you got accosted.” 

“It was more than that April...I think he might...I think he might end it.” I chew on my lip nervously. 

“You’re insane.” April shakes her head at me. 

Was I? Was this all my past relationship trauma? I didn’t do well when someone shut me out. Justin did it constantly. He never talked to me about anything. He would deliberately ignore me because it made my anxiety flare. I know Harry wasn’t doing that. At least not on purpose. He wasn’t that kind of man, especially after he and I had, had that discussion so long ago.

He was working through something. Something, that apparently he needed to be alone to work through.

“Just talk to him. Ask him what the hell is going on.” April suggested. 

Harry stayed in the studio for the day. When he didn’t come out for dinner, or to say goodnight to the girls I decided to get them into bed, then bring dinner in to him. I knocked on the door. 

“Yeah.” When I opened it he was sitting in front of a piano, a guitar in his hands and a pen in his mouth. He looked up at me and for the first time since I’d known him he didn’t smile like I brought the sunshine with me. 

“I thought you might be hungry. I brought you some veggie tacos…” I set down the tray on one of the couches. 

“Thank you.” He looked back down at his notebook. 

“Harry…” His eyes snapped up at the sound of me using his first name. “Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine.” 

Frustration and sadness washed over me. “You’re not fine. Tell me what’s going on. You’ve been locked in here all day. You didn’t kiss me goodnight last night, you didn’t kiss me good morning. You haven’t kissed me at all today.”