Thursday, November 21, 2019

Waking, Harry felt disoriented. Why was he sleeping on the wrong side of the bed? Eyes still closed, his hand traveled the mattress to locate Nataley. Not finding her, his eyes popped open, and he recalled instantly that he was in one of the extra bedrooms at Jeffrey's house. Dammit. That stupid threat.

It had been the smell of coffee that awakened him, and he drew in a deep breath as the scent wafted through the house and the tendrils of the acidic, rapturous smell drifted under the door. He rubbed at his face, feeling the bristles of his unshaven whiskers as he sat up in the bed. Reaching for his phone, he called Nataley.

When the call connected, she didn't speak right away although he could hear her breathing. "Good morning, love," he softly spoke as one would to a hysterical child, hoping she had calmed since the previous night.

"Morning." Her voice sounded weary, and she yawned. He heard the clatter of items on a hard surface.

"Getting ready for work?"

"Mhm."

Shit. They were still at the one word -- or one sound -- stage of her anger.

"How'd you sleep?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to draw them back. Wrong question, he knew instinctively.

"Crappy."

"I'm sorry, love." Fuck. He should bite off his tongue rather than say stupid things. On the other hand, was there anything he could say that would make the situation better? A long pause followed his words, and he listened as she whistled for Chuck. Hearing the rattle of the dog's lead, he surmised that she was taking him out for a morning walk.

Nataley sighed, "What exactly are you sorry for, Harry?" He could hear the front door opening as he pictured her stepping outside while Chuck yanked on the leash. The cavachon was always so excited to get outside, and Harry enjoyed being the person to take the pup for his morning potty break. Disappointment rushed through Harry as he realized he was missing out on what he considered to be a treat.

What was he sorry for? That's what she asked, wasn't it? The answer was simple. Everything. His heart ached for her. For them. For the carefree couple they had been just a few days prior. "I'm sorry you slept poorly" are the words that actually left his mouth. Once more, he recognized that he had misspoken. Fuck. Sometimes he wished he had a scriptwriter for his daily life. Not always, but in circumstances where people were mad at him, it would be a relief to have the correct words at the ready. Without those, he was at a loss. What should he say to Nataley? What would make the situation better?

"Jesus Christ, Harry. That's why you're apologizing?" Her voice rose an octave, and he cringed. How was he such an idiot? Kicking himself, he didn't know how to reply.

"Yes, but I'm also sorry that this person has upset you." Those are the words that finally left his mouth.

"Upset me? Harry, what kind of alternate reality are you living in? I'm 'upset' when someone takes the parking spot I was aiming for or when I buy something and find it for half off somewhere else a day later. I get 'upset' when the restaurant cooks my steak well done instead of medium rare. 'Upset' is not the appropriate word for the situation. This person threatened my life. THREATENED MY LIFE, Harry."

Oops. He'd fucked up again. "Yes, Nat. They did threaten your life, and that's not okay."

"NOT OKAY?! Harry, are you listening to yourself? It's criminal. Not like in the metaphoric use of the word, but in the literal sense. This person broke the law."

She was growing more heated. Perhaps he shouldn't have called at all. "Come on, Chuck. Let's go back inside." Her voice was more modulated when she spoke to the dog than to Harry. That was concerning.

"I hear you, Nat. In fact, I think the entirety of Los Angeles heard you."

"Harry..." Nataley paused, and he heard her draw in a deep breath. "Why are you not taking this seriously?"

Exasperated, he held the phone away from his body, staring at the display as it vibrated. Jeffrey had texted a few tabloid headlines that shouted 'Harry Styles Dating Mystery Woman' and 'Fans Snap Photo of Harry and New Girlfriend Kissing' and the succinct 'Harry Style Kisses Woman'. As if that were news. He had kissed plenty of women in his life. Few publicly though, he acknowledged. Rolling his eyes at the headlines, he focused on the conversation with his 'mystery woman' who was currently fuming at him.

"Nat, I am taking it seriously, love. That's why I wanted you to come sleep here at Jeffrey's. It's not safe at your house."

"What are you planning to do about this, Harry?"

"Do? I don't plan to 'do' anything. If we ignore it, then this person will go away."

"You honestly believe that, don't you? Holy fuck, Harry. Your fans act entitled to your time, your energy and the people in your life, and you never knock them down. You never tell them to stop. You never publicly claim your girlfriends or insist that your fans get a grip on reality."

"Nataley...that's not true." Why couldn't she see the sense he was laying out for her? It was so clear. The best thing to do was ignore these people and their negativity.

"It's 100 percent true. Tell me one time that you've requested your fans back off. Just one."

"Okay, that part is true. But the part about my fans being entitled isn't true."

"Bullshit." He could tell that she was seething, but he hadn't a clue how to placate her.

"Not all of my fans are this way, Nataley. You just happened to run into one who is acting like they own me. There are millions of other fans who are perfectly wonderful and treat people with kindness."

"I cannot talk about this with you right now. I need to get to work where hopefully I'll feel safer."

"Nat --"

"Nope. We will talk later." The finality in her voice scared him.

He rushed to find what might keep her on the phone. In his life. "I fly out on Sunday. I've got promo in Europe."

"Oh." The disappointment in her voice was clear across the airwaves, and Harry felt like a piece of shit for deserting her. He heard Chuck's collar jangling as the dog likely chased after his chew toy that she had probably just thrown in the direction of Noah's bedroom. As the sound of the door closing reached his ears, he knew he was accurately painting the scene in his mind. Fuck, how he missed the normality, and it had only been one night away from her.

"Meet me for dinner tonight?" He asked.

"Wait. You're not coming over here?" Her dejection was apparent to him.

Had she lost her mind? "Love, I can't. Your address was posted."

"I KNOW." Anyone would have heard the frustration in her voice. She didn't bother to mask it even a little. "I'm getting in the car now, Harry. It's not safe to be on the phone while I'm driving. We will talk later." When she disconnected without another word, he wasn't surprised. Clearly she wasn't ready to discuss the situation rationally.

Stretching, he scratched his balls and rose from the bed. After taking a piss and washing his hands, he pulled a pair of joggers over his briefs and a vintage shirt over his torso. Exiting 'his' bedroom (which is how he always thought of that space inside Jeffrey's house), he steered himself in the direction of the smell of the magic elixir called coffee.

"Morning," he greeted, arriving in the kitchen where Jeffrey and Glenne were sat at the table, skimming through their phones.

"How's Nataley?" Glenne asked immediately. It warmed Harry's heart to know his friends worried about his girlfriend.

A shrug was the best answer he could give without going into details, and Jeffrey noticed. Of course.

"I suspect she's still pissed that you wouldn't go over there last night."

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Harry sipped the black liquid carefully so as not to burn his tongue. "She wants me to publicly denounce the person."

"I'm guessing you're not going to do that," Jeffrey stated, and Harry wondered if that was rebuke he was hearing in his manager's tone.

"You know it's a bad idea to give any attention to these people," Harry explained. "Especially as we're in the midst of album promo."

"Maybe we should talk to Dawbell anyway," Jeffrey suggested.

"Nah. Nat will be fine. She just doesn't understand right now." He knew his tone was sulky, but that's how he felt in the moment.

"And you're sure this is the best approach?" Glenne wondered, and Harry seethed at the judgment.

"It's the only way." He was confident in that. Having witnessed the hate that doubled and tripled when any celebrity popped off on a fan on social media as they tried to protect their partners, he knew it was the only solution.

"Your fans have already figured out that you and Nat have been together for a while." Glenne was skimming Twitter, and Harry looked over her shoulder.

"Some of them had been claiming you were just friends but then the kissing photo popped up," Jeffrey added.

"So now they know we're more than friends." Harry couldn't seem to summon any emotion other than pride over their sleuthing. His fans had always been rabid about finding out information about him. And quickly. It's how he knew the Eroda campaign launched just yesterday would be traced to him with plenty of time to spare for the Adore You video to be released. His team had banked on the puzzle-loving brains of Harries when Dawbell had put up the 'Do you know who you are?' posters. When his fans sunk their teeth into something, their investigatory skills were powerful.

"Harry, do you not feel even a little bit worried that someone has threatened your girlfriend?" Glenne pushed.

"Of course I'm concerned," he responded rapidly and heatedly. "Someone put her address on the internet. Which sucks. Someone showed up at her house and taped a note to her door. I tried to get her to sleep here until things die down, but she isn't interested. You think I should go stay at her place and put myself in the crosshairs of all of the fans and paps who saw her address?"

"Yes." Standing from the table, Glenne stomped away, placing her coffee cup in the sink before exiting the room.

"Mate," he turned to Jeffrey, "your girl is completely bonkers."

The manager bristled before he pushed back his chair and rose, staring down Harry. "We've been friends for a long time, mate." He emphasized the British word, drawing sarcastic attention to it. "And I've stayed out of your relationships."

Nodding, Harry agreed. This was how their friendship worked.

"Until now."

Harry's head jerked up to his manager's face.

"You love Nataley. Fuck, we all love Nataley. Not to mention Noah."

Narrowing his eyes, Harry glared at Jeffrey. "Are you suggesting that I'm not taking care of them?"

Clenching his fists at his side, Jeffrey shook his head. "You really can be an arrogant son of a bitch sometimes, you know."

Quickly standing, his chair knocked to the ground, Harry shouted, "What the fuck do you want me to do?"

"ANYTHING!" Jeffrey roared. "ANYTHING AT ALL!" Storming towards his own room in the house, Jeffrey could be heard cursing the entire route.

Chastened, Harry picked up the chair, settling into it with his head in his hands. Did they all think he didn't care about Nataley and Noah? Did they think he wasn't frightened for them? Of course he was! After his own experience with the man outside his home in London, how could Harry be anything other than empathetic?

But what was the solution? Bring attention to the person by calling them out? Definitely not a good choice. Announce publicly that he was dating Nataley? That would just draw more hate towards her. And with Harry going to Europe to promote the new album, he couldn't stick around and keep an eye on things. Ugh. Fuck. If only she would stay at Jeffrey's. Or the Gerber's. Why wouldn't she listen to reason?

How could he keep her safe, especially while he was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean?

Standing straight, he placed a hand over his mouth as he drew in a deep breath. That's it! Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

"Jeffrey!" He called, heading down the hallway towards the master bedroom. "Jeffrey! I've got the solution!"

Stepping into the hall, Jeffrey rubbed at his eyes, watching his friend curiously.

"Jeffrey! I know what will help! It's the perfect solution."

"Really? Okay. Spill it, H." His manager cocked a hip and glared at him.

"A bodyguard! I know we don't usually pay for them. Typically the studio pays when we're doing promo, but we could, couldn't we? I mean, I can afford a bodyguard for her, right? After all, we got one when I was staying in London waiting for the trial. We can get her a bodyguard! It's the perfect solution!"

"You already said that." With a dry tone, Jeffrey crossed his arms, examining Harry carefully. "A bodyguard would help, I suppose. Someone who could keep an eye on her and Noah while you're gone. It's not a horrible idea."

"It's the perfect solution!" Harry exclaimed for a third time.

"I don't know about that. It's an expensive solution for sure. Round the clock security isn't cheap."

"It's only money, Jeffrey. When compared to the feeling of safety I'll get from knowing Nataley and Noah are safe..."

"Okay. I'll start looking around for both freelancers as well as companies. Do you have a budget for this project? A timeline?"

"Whatever it costs for however long it takes, Jeffrey. But definitely while I'm in Europe. Then we can think about tour next spring." The relief he felt at having found a solution seeped into his bones, and he collapsed against the hallway wall. "It's the perfect solution."

Examining him carefully, his manager tilted his head. "When are you going to bring this idea up to Nat?"

"Tonight. She was mad at me this morning, but I'll go to the studio and convince her to pack a bag and stay with me here until Saturday. We'll have a wonderful dinner, and that's when I'll tell her about the plan. She'll be so happy that I'm taking action that she'll agree right away, and..." He winked at Jeffrey, "I'm sure to get lucky tonight."

"Don't count your chickens, Harry..."

"Mhm. Whatever. This is the perfect solution."