MAGNETIC [H.S.]

2. in the place of you and me

The relieved look on his face was gone as quickly as it had been there, like a flash of weakness that he snuffed out. I still stood there, silently gaping at the ghost from my past.

"Puppet? No, her name is Ashton, bro." Grant so kindly piped up which earned him a smirk from Harry before he turned and slapped Grant on the shoulder like they were pals or some shit.

"Just a little inside joke. I know her name, mate." Harry is all smiles as the joking tone flows from his lips like poison.

"Inside joke? You two know each other?" Grant looks to be in disbelief as he raises an eyebrow at me. I'm still frozen in the middle of this room, convincing myself this isn't happening.

Harry steps to the soundboard and plucks something from the leather border in front of his seat. "We sure do. Ashton and I go way back. It's been a while though...seems she's been a little too busy for her old friends these last few years."

To the others, his tone seems normal, maybe even joking, but I could hear the sinister undertones from his sharp tongue. I was fucked.

Grant walks to me with the picture, slinging an arm a little too tightly around my neck from behind me, "Of course you know each other. My girl can't have anything NOT be about her, my little attention whore."

He put the photo in front of my face and I almost cringed away from it. It was all 6 of us the summer that the three oldest graduated high school. We were babies then, so naive to the world around us. We looked so happy.

My eyes landed on Liam and I had to squeeze them shut before the tears could start. I didn't want to give Harry the satisfaction.

I cleared my throat and didn't bother to pretend to laugh at Grant's shitty comment. I pulled his arm away from my throat and let it rest over my shoulders while he handed the photo back to Harry.

Harry tucked it back into the leather of the board and turned back to me. He grabbed the widest part of my arms and squeezed them a bit like a weird version of an awkward hug from a distant relative.

" What's the matter Poppet? Cat got your tongue? Ah well, you were always a bit of a weird one." My jaw is clenched so hard that it's starting to ache. I still can't form words, my mind is too busy reeling at how the fuck this is happening. They were never supposed to find me, and now I've walked right into his fucking studio.

In one of the biggest cities in the country...Grant had to pick THIS studio!? I can't stay here. I need to leave, I need a plan. He'll tell Liam that I'm here.

"My business partner will be here any second, he just got off the train. He'll help you guys get mics set and ready before we get started. It's gonna be a long night, I hope everybody is ready." Harry is talking excitedly to the band, and he sounds so genuine and nice, it's very strange.

This wasn't the Harry I knew.

Harry was broody and grouchy, a smile and laughter only came when he was drunk or when you were really funny. He didn't believe in pity laughs or polite smiles, so who the hell was this guy standing in front of me smiling and joking around with a band of assholes he's never met?