Only You - Chapter 2

A Shoulder to Cry On

          After up partying all night, the last thing Harry wanted to do was to wake up to the sound of somebody banging on his door. His head was killing him and the banging did not help at all. How much did he drink last night? The last thing that he remembered was the blonde who asked him to dance last night. Pretty as she was, he declined. Girls were just not his top priority right now. After breaking up with Sarah, his girlfriend - well, his ex now - he was a bit wary of women in general.

          

The incessant banging would not stop. Whoever it was, he was going to kill him... or her for the agony he was going through right now.

          “Okay, okay. I’m coming!” He shouted although he doubted the person on the other side of the door could hear him. He opened the door to a very enraged Jenna.

        Jenna was one of his closest friends. He knew her since we were in primary school. She is a very attractive brunette and a really good friend. However, she had a reputation of changing boyfriends like she changed her clothes.

She went out with a lot of men and most men she dated were older men. Much, much older. Okay, he dated older women too, so he shouldn’t be the one to criticise but for some inexplicable reasons, it really irritates the crap out of him.   

They had talked about it, they even argued and fought about it because most men she dated were jerks and the latest, Parker, was not an exclusion. He hate to see her get hurt.

“That no-good, lying....” She lost him after that largely due to his throbbing head. She marched into his house even before he managed to get his “Hi, Jenna” out. Then, she paced the floor of his living room, ranting about... something.

If his head was not hurting, Harry would probably be able to follow her rant but the pacing she was doing and the noise she’s making only contributed to making his head hurt even more.

“Uh, Jenna?” he hesitated. “Much as he love you and love to hear what got your knickers in a twist... I have a MASSIVE, MASSIVE headache, right now.”

She stopped in her track and turned to look at him. When she realised he only have his underwear on and he was wearing a pained expression on his face, her beautiful eyes widen in surprise.

“Oh, Harry.” She was gushing with sympathy. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t realise. Gosh, sit down. Hangover?”

Harry nodded. Not a good idea as it brought on a wave of nausea.

“Yeah..” He sighed and tried to sit as gingerly as possible on the sofa.

“Poor Harry.” Her eyes were full of compassion. “Let him get something for that headache.... and some clothes for you to put on. You’re indecent.”

Jenna went into the kitchen and came out with a tall glass of water and a painkiller.

“Here. Take this.” She handed him the glass and the painkiller, and sat down beside him. “It’ll help with the headache. Finish that water. You need a lot of water.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He mumbled. After he took the painkiller and drank the water, she took the glass from his hand and set it on the side table. Then she went into his bedroom and came out with an old white tee and beige bermuda short. He took the clothes, put on the Bermuda and discarded the tee.

“Come here, sweetheart.” Jenna said. “Let him give you some TLC. Lie down and put your head on my lap.”

Harry did as instructed and she began to massage his temples.

“Feel better?” Jenna asked quietly.

“Yeah, that feels really good.” he replied weakly. Harry lay there quietly, with his head on her lap and her soft fingers massaging his temples gently. Some would describe this as heaven: lying on the lap of a beautiful angel while she administered her tender loving care, soothing away pain and troubles. He smiled at his poetic thoughts.

“I can see that you like that.” Harry could hear the smile in Jenna’s voice.

“Yeah, thanks.” He smiled fondly at her. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” She said indignantly in a high voice. “Everything!”

“Uh, Jenna.” he wrinkled his forehead. “The headache?”

“Oh!” She was immediately remorseful. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

“Now, tell him but keep your voice low.” He advised.

“Parker cheated on me.”

Harry lay there unmoving. He would love very much to tell her ‘he told you so’ but it was not the right time. Furthermore, she could just shove him off her lap and left him on the floor in pain. So, no. Not a good idea. Definitely not a good idea.

“Go on.” he urged her to continue. It was a full 10 minutes before she finished telling her story. From what he gathered, her boyfriend had cheated on her with one of her girlfriends. She is angry and hurt at the betrayal. Mostly angry but not sad. he felt that was odd.

His own relationship with Sarah ended badly. She could not handle that he had to travel a lot and not be with her most of the time. He was in the biggest boy band and at the height of his career. One day or another, if he was not on tour, he would be travelling around the country promoting our albums, doing interviews, working in the studio and other stuffs with his band mates. Sarah needed someone who could be there with her, and she found him.

Harry was angry because he was not enough for her, hurt because she found someone better and sad because she was right. He could not give the girl that he loved the one thing she wanted. Himself.

It hurt whenever he thought of Sarah but he wanted her to be happy. If she was happy with the other guy, then so be it.

“Why are you not crying?” he asked bluntly. He was curious.

“Crying? Whatever for?” She said incensed. “Crying for losing a cheating boyfriend or a backstabbing girlfriend?”

“I don’t know. I would have thought you would be crying your eyes out for ‘the most amazing man you have ever met’.” He could not resist getting that out.

“Hey, rubbing it in is not allowed.” She said sulkily. “And here he thought you were his friend.”

“Sorry, love. I can’t help it. You know how I feel about the guy.” he smiled. “Don’t you find it strange that you are not saddened by this? When I broke up with Sarah, all I want to do is crawl into a hole and stay there. Could it be that you don’t actually love him?”

“That’s not the point, Harry. When you are with someone you should be honest. When you don’t want to be with them anymore, you should tell them so. Am he so wrong in expecting honesty from those around him?”

He knew that Jenna was not really in love with that jerk. “Okay, fine. So, what do you want to do now?”

“All I can think of now is getting even. Give me a day or two to answer that question.”

“Poor Jenna.” Harry sat up and turned to face her. “So, your most amazing man is not so amazing after all.”

Jenna did not rise to the bait, instead she touch his cheek and said softly. “No, Harry. I thought he was amazing but the most amazing person in my life is you. To me you are beyond amazing, sweetheart. You are a great boyfriend material, unfortunately, you are not my type.” She sighed.

Harry was not sure whether he should feel honoured or insulted, so he said, “Thanks, love. But even being a great boyfriend material is not enough for some people.”

She gazed into his eyes and opened her arms wide. “Come here.” She pulled him into her arms and held him tightly.

He buried his face in her shoulder. He breathed in her scent which he find quite comforting. She did smell nice.

“Look what a sorry pair we are.” She said slowly and he chuckled.

“Don’t worry, babe. We may be single but we have each other.” he said, pinching her lovely nose. She smiled at him fondly, kissed his cheek, and laid her head on his bare chest with her arm around his waist.

He kissed the top of her head and they cuddled in silence until his stomach growled audibly, demanding to be fed.

Second Chance - Chapter 13

HEAR ME OUT

HOLLY... 

“What?” He was incredulous. He was completely stunned. He could not believe what he had just heard. “You’re what?” 

“I said I was pregnant.” I repeated what I said even though I was certain that he heard me the first time. I closed my eyes briefly because I could not look at Louis. When I opened my eyes, I stared at my feet, still avoiding his gaze. 

Louis was completely silent. I looked up at his face because the silence was unbearable. He looked completely stunned. 

“I was 15 weeks pregnant when I left.” I said in almost a whisper. Louis stood there staring at me as if he could not comprehend what I was telling him. 

He bit his lower lip and began shaking his head. He ran his fingers through his hair repeatedly. 

“I’m sorry, Louis. I truly am sorry.” I apologized. My voice was wobbly and my eyes were glassy. I was trying so hard not to shed any tears. 

He closed his eyes tightly and the expression on his face I could only describe as in pain. I took a step forward to take his hand in mine. I wanted to comfort him and sooth the pain away. He immediately opened his eyes when he heard me moved and took a step back. He did not look at me. He held his hands up to stop me from advancing towards him. 

“Don’t. Touch. Me.” He stressed every word. Hurt, disappointment, anger and resentment were written clearly on his face. He fixed his gaze somewhere on the ceiling as if he could not bear looking at me. 

“I cannot believe this shit. This is so fucking hilarious!” He started pacing back and forth and lashed out angrily. “You must have a damn good laugh at me, haven’t you? The bloody dimwit who was so much in love with you that he was willing to fucking sacrifice anything to be with you.” 

“Louis...” I began. 

“Oh, no babe, don’t fucking interrupt. Let me finish. You must have so much fun playing me for a fool. Congratulation, babe. You did a damn good job of that.” Louis stopped in front of me and waggled his finger at me when I tried to interrupt him again. “No no, babe. None of that shit.” 

“What you did was a damn fine acting. I was totally, completely fooled. I thought you were for real. Stupid of me. You should get a fucking award for that, babe. It was fucking impressive.” 

“It wasn’t...” I tried again to explain. With almost every sentence punctuated with swear words, I had no doubt that Louis Tomlinson was absolutely furious. This was like a flashback to the fight I used to witness at home between my parents, with them shouting every known profanity at each other and sometimes at me. 

“Babe, how many times must I tell you? DO. NOT. FUCKING. INTERRUPT!” He tore into me viciously. “Did you enjoy screwing him? Hell! I must have been a damn good teacher. You liked it so much that when I was too fucking busy for you, you find some other guys to screw.” 

I gasped aloud when it registered in my head what he was saying. Did he just call me a ‘slut’? I stared at him, my eyes widened with disbelieve and I was absolutely speechless. 

“Do you like screwing him better than me?” Louis sneered. 

“Is it as good as what we had? Does he know how you liked it, love?” 

“Louis, please stop!” Tears were falling down my cheeks. I closed my eyes tightly and covered my ears because I could not stand to hear him talking like that. It was nasty. It was crude. It was vulgar. I know he was saying all those things to hurt me and... he succeed in doing that. “Just stop, please.” 

“You, my love, are fucking unbelievable! How many others are there? Did you come to my bed straight from theirs? So, one got you pregnant and that’s why you had to get married. Was he the real father? Shit! Do you even know who the father is?” He jeered cruelly. 

I looked up swiftly with a glint of anger in my eyes upon hearing his words. Before I even knew it, I took a step forward and slapped Louis soundly across the face. I gasp and immediately took a step back when I realised what I had done. 

Louis’ head had turned sideways with the impact of the blow. I could see the imprint of my palm on his cheek. He stiffened and his eyes flashed with rage. The look he gave me was black as thunder and of pure hatred. Suddenly, the tension in him fell away and the blaze of fury in his eyes went out. 

Louis smacked his lips and raised his eyebrow as he said softly at me. “Congratulation, babe. You succeeded in making a fucking fool out of me!” He shrugged and promptly walked away, looking tired and defeated. 

“Louis, please listen to me.” I begged pitifully but I was talking to his retreating back. 

“Louis, please.” I shouted but he ignored my plea. I could not let him go without straitening him out, without telling him the truth, so I rushed after him, not realising that I had stepped on my tote bag which Allie left there earlier. My foot was caught in the straps which caused me to tumble. I tried to stand up and go after Louis but terrible pain shoot up from my ankle. I must have sprained it. 

I tried to walk, not even caring about the pain. I was only thinking of Louis leaving. I took a few steps and fell back on the floor. 

With my tears blinding me, I called out his name but Louis was already gone. I sat there on the floor, a pitiful figure sobbing helplessly. 

“Princess, what happened?” Zayn sat down on the floor beside me and pulled me towards him so that I sat between his legs. I was so wrapped up in my own misery that I did not hear him approached. 

“He wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t listen. I tried to tell him. I could not make him listen.” I sobbed hysterically. “He wouldn’t listen.” 

He put my head on his chest tenderly and cradled me. He rocked me back and forth slowly while making comforting noises while his hand was rubbing circle on my back. 

“It’s okay, princess. Let it out. Everything will be alright. I promise.” He kissed the top of my head repeatedly. Don’t you worry. Everything will be okay.”

When my parents fought at home, I would run to Zayn’s house and he would cradle me in his arms until all my tears are spent and his mum would let me stay for the night. For all the wrongs that I did, I must have done something right to deserved a friend like Zayn. He was always there for me. I always felt safe with him. 

When I had calmed down and had no more tears left to shed, Zayn said in a low voice, “Feeling better, princess?” 

My head was still on his chest and I sniffled and nodded in reply to his question. Then, I realised that my tears had soaked his shirt. I touched the wet material and looked up to see his face. He looked so concerned about me that I smiled wistfully. 

Zayn Malik, my best friend in the whole world. I brushed his bearded cheek gently and leaned in to give an affectionate and grateful kiss on his cheek. His beard tickled my nose. 

“Thank you, sunshine.” I said softly. “For always being there for me, for being you. I am very lucky to have you, brother.” 

“None of that, princess. I love you. Of course, I would be there for you and I know you would do the same for me. You can always count on me.” He said sweetly and wiped away the lingering tears on my cheeks. 

“I know.” I replied, hugging him tight. “I love you too, sunshine.” 

“What happened, princess?” Zayn enquired. 

“I told Louis I was pregnant when I left.” The memory of what had just happened was too painful that I choked on my words. “And he accused me of sleeping around when I was with him. I tried explaining it to him but he was too angry to listen.” 

Zayn’s sharp intake of breath told me he was astounded by my revelation. 

“You were pregnant?” 

“Yes.” 

He heaved a great sigh. 

“Princess, we have to work on your partiality on keeping things secrets and also your communication skills.” Zayn tweaked my nose. “You should have told me.” 

“I know, I’m sorry.” I said apologetically. “I did not mean to keep it a secret. I am not good at explaining things especially to someone who is very angry. I usually cannot find the words to say it. I am better at writing than I am at saying things out loud.” 

“Was it Louis’s?” He asked this cautiously. 

“What do you mean ‘was it Louis’s’? Of course the child was his. God! Not you too.” I got all worked up by his question. 

“Hey, don’t get angry.” Zayn smiled trying to placate me. “I was just making sure.” 

“You’re annoying. Whose child do you think it could be? I told you he was my first. I had never been with anyone else. He was the only one.” I declared. 

“What did Louis say?” Zayn said. 

“He did not even ask if the baby was his. He just jumped into conclusion that it must be Ryan’s because I married him.” I replied in a huff. “He would not listen and I was not good at explaining things. What would you call that? The ‘right combination’?” 

Zayn chuckled. “Yeah, that’s Louis. Don’t bother talking to him when he is pissed off because he wouldn’t listen. Let him cool off first.” 

“Thanks, sunshine.” 

“Excuse me, Mrs. Phillips?” Suddenly, Noah called me from downstairs. “Do you need a hand?” 

“Oh, my God! I forgot about Noah.” I exclaimed and then to Noah, “I’m fine, Noah. I’ll be there in a minute.” 

“I have to go, Zayn. Please tell Jenna and Harry that I am sorry about this.” I said apologetically. 

“Don’t worry about it, princess. They understand.” He said assuring me. 

I smiled gratefully at him and tried to stand but stumbled when I tried to put weight on my left foot. Zayn quickly caught me. 

“Careful, princess.” He reminded me. 

“I think I sprained my ankle.” I explained. 

Zayn picked me up bridal style and carried me downstairs to the waiting car. He told Noah about my sprained ankle and asked him to take care of me. He put me in the back seat and crouched down near the car so that he was at my eye level. 

Zayn put his hands under my chin and tipped my face up to look at him. He gazed into my eyes. “Take a good care of yourself, princess. Okay?” 

I nodded. 

“I’ll call you. And I’ll come and see you when the tour ends, yeah. Don’t go and disappear on me again. Promise me.” 

“Don’t worry. I’ll still be here. I am not going anywhere this time.” I promised him. 

“I’ll see you in six weeks or sooner, in case you decided to join us on the tour.” 

I laugh out loud. “I’ll think about it. I might just do that.” 

“Good! Don’t worry about Louis. I’ll talk some sense into him.” 

“Thanks, sunshine, but you don’t have to do that.” 

“I’ll give you a call when we arrived, yeah.” Zayn gave me a heart-melting smile which would cause a lot of girls to swoon. “I love you, princess.” 

“I love you too, sunshine.” 

“Don’t forget to call me.” 

I nodded. Now that he was leaving, I felt like crying again. I blinked away the tears. “I’ll miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you too.” Then, before saying our goodbyes, Zayn kissed my forehead tenderly. 

Second Chance - Chapter 12

THE REASON

HOLLY...

“Okay, shall we start at the beginning?” Louis snapped. I could see he was struggling to control himself not to explode in rage.

“Okay.” I said timidly. That was my only response. What else could I say? I meant to tell them everything but the time was not right. Besides, I was not very good at explaining things. Now, everything exploded in my face.

I wished I could be more like Jenna. She would have never taken anything like this lying down. If she was shouted at, she would shout back. I could never do that.

When my parents fought, usually on top of their lungs, I just want to make them stop. I wanted to shout at them to stop, but I never did. I never did anything other than run away from it all. I would always run away. I hated myself for this.

“Where and when did you meet this guy?” Louis asked flatly. His face was emotionless. His angry stare made me very fidgety.

“Ryan and I met at WW Children’s Home which I used to go every time I went to London. We went there once, if you remember.” I reminded him.

“Yeah, I know the place. You always went there when I was too busy preparing for our performance to be with you.” Louis was recalling every moment that happened.

“Yes.” Again, I did not know what else to say.

“Did he work there?”

“No, he didn’t. He just went there to help out with the children and sometimes give financial support to the children home. He was really good with the children.” I tried to make Louis see Ryan in a good light.

“So, when you were with me you were also seeing him at the same time.”

“Louis, it wasn’t like that.” I protested. He did not understand and I found it very difficult to explain it to him. When Louis was angry, I found it very difficult to find the right words to explain to him. All I could think of was his anger.

“Well, it sounded exactly like that, babe.” Even though he said this sarcastically, my heart still skipped a beat when Louis called me ‘babe’. That only showed what an idiot I was, loving a man who hated me. My only excuse was I had never stopped loving him since I first fell for him.

“Ryan... Ryan and I were just friends.” I clarified.

“Like you and I were friends, love?” He bit my head off and I winced at his harsh tone. I stared at my hands because I could not make myself look at his furious face.

“We were more than friends, Louis.” I said slowly. I dared myself to look at him through my lashes. He was gnashing his teeth.

“Really, babe?” He was mocking me.

“Louis...”

“Okay, let me get this straight. You dumped me, whom you said was ‘more than a friend’, and married the guy, you said was ‘just a friend’.” He said derisively and his oh-so-kissable lips were curled contemptuously.

His magnificent blue eyes were hard. “Wow! That just makes perfect sense to me. Perfect sense!”

What could I say to that? Yes, I loved Louis and I left him. And yes, Ryan and I were just friends and I married him. How was I going to explain to him that I have a good reason for what I did?

“Explain to me how that make sense.” Louis said bitterly. I wanted to say something, anything.... but nothing came out of my mouth. I felt every bit like a fish out of water gasping for breath. Why couldn’t I do this? I thought the main reason for this was that I feared Louis’ reaction. He would be so angry at me. In the end, I just shook my head.

Louis gritted his teeth in frustration. “Tell me, did you love him?” He demanded sharply.

“Yes. No. I mean yes and no. It wasn’t like that.” I was so shook up that I could not think straight.

“Which is it, babe? Yes or no?” He spat the words out impatiently.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and tried to organise my thoughts. I looked Louis straight in the eyes.

“I love him... but as a friend.” I answered him truthfully. “I love him as a friend.”

“Well, let me see here. I know you love Zayn as a friend, but you did not marry him, did you?” He retorted.

I was dumbfounded. I shook my head slowly in answer to his question.

“I wasn’t enough for you, was I, Holly?” The hurt in his eyes made me feel really guilty. I was going to have to make myself tell him the real reason.

“It wasn’t that, Louis.” I swallowed hard as I tried to find courage to tell him.

“No? Then, was it money? Things he can give you?”

“God! No. I was never materialistic, you know that.”

“Babe, I don’t know that.” He was almost shouting now. “Now, I realised that I don’t even know you at all.”

Luckily, the bookstore was already closed and the employees were at the back room.

“Then, why? Why did you marry him? You said you loved me! But it was a lie, wasn’t it? Everything was a big, fat lie.”

“It wasn’t a lie. I do love you.” I declared. Once the words left my mouth, I stiffened a little. I hoped Louis would not notice my usage of the present tense. Fortunately, he did not.

“If you loved me like you say you did, then why, Holly? Just explain it to me because I don’t understand. Not one bit. Not even a little.”

“I had to.”

“Why did you have to?”

“Because I had to.”

“That’s not a good reason, babe.” He said sarcastically. “Just give me a reason!”

I debated internally whether to lie or tell him the truth. Truth won. As I inhaled slowly, I was hoping my new-found courage would last until I had explained everything to him.  

“I left because.... I was pregnant.” I whispered softly.

Second Chance - Chapter 11

MY OTHER HALF

HOLLY...


I woke up that morning with a slight headache. Allie had already called to remind me about the book signing which was supposed to start at 10. I took my phone from the side table and look at the time. It was only 7.45am; I have hours and hours to get ready for the event.

I arrived last night at the hotel close to midnight. A tall, dark-haired man was sitting at one of the armchairs at the lobby and immediately I thought of Ryan. I wanted to call Martha but it was late and I decided to give her a call the next day. I have not talked to Ryan for weeks. I hoped he was doing better.

I heaved a great sigh and opened my eyes. I really have to get out of the bed and get ready but I just could not find the energy to move. I stared at the ceiling and started to think about what happened the night before.

The show the lads put on was fantastic. I could not keep my eyes away from Louis. Standing there in the dark, together with squealing and excited screaming teenagers, I look my fill of him. I remembered the time when we were together. I missed the way he looked fondly and indulgently at me, the way he held my hands and intertwined our fingers together, the way he kissed my forehead lovingly, how he always hold me close and... I missed everything about him.

The alarm I set at 8.30 am went off. With great reluctance, I dragged myself to the bathroom and got ready for the book signing. I wore a black sleeveless blouse and beige pants matched with black multi-strand stilettos.

I walked into the bookstore where the book signing was held at fifteen to ten, but there were already a group of people waiting for the book signing to start. I smiled cheerfully and waved at them.

          “Hi.” I greeted them. “Thank you for coming. Just give me a minute, okay.”

          I went in search of Allie and found her coming out from the back room.

          “Oh, Holly. There you are. I was just thinking of calling you.” Allie took my tote bag and ushered me to my seat.

    

          The turn out for the signing was just as impressive as the day before. I chatted and signed the books until lunch break at one o’clock. I had chicken sandwich and a bottle of water at the back room as I was not in the mood to go anywhere. Lunch break was over at two and I continued with the book signing until three.

 

          “Is that it, Allie?” I was exhausted.

          Allie nodded and smiled at me. “Yup, it’s a wrap. Now you can go and put your feet up.”

          Allie was in her mid-thirty, a divorcee with two children to support. She was a sweet woman but a shrewd agent. She was introduced to me by Ryan. Ryan told me they used to date when they were much younger. When Allie first met her ex husband, they remained friends. I could imagine the two of them together. They made a very striking couple.

        “Hi, there. I haven’t seen you in a long time.” The voice was familiar but I could not remember the face that go with it. I turned towards the door; a lovely brunette was standing there with a wide smile on her face. She opened her arms towards me.

          “Jenna Harrison!” I squealed. I could not contain my excitement. “Oh my....,”

          “Holly Adams.” Jenna smirked. “Nice to see you.”

          I stood up slowly from my seat. I could not believe she was here. “Oh, God. Jen, I missed you.” I walked towards her into her open arms. We hugged for a few seconds.

          “Where have....”

          “How are you?”

          The two of us started to talk simultaneously and then giggled. This is just like old times.

          “You go first.” I suggested.

          “Okay. Where have you been? Nobody knows where you were.” She said and then lowered her voice in a whisper. “Louis was really heartbroken.”

          “I know but things happened and sometime you need to make a decision quick. And sometimes the decision made is going to hurt others.” I had never told Jenna about Louis and me, but she walked in on us making out in a dimly lit area backstage and apologised profusely. She never asked me about the incident but every time she saw me and Louis together, she winked and smiled.

          “Hmmm... very cryptic. Never mind, we are going to have a chat about that later. Just us girls. Right now we can’t because the boys are just behind me. They got delayed by a few fans. Well, not a few. A large group of them, it seems.” Jenna explained. “It’s Harry, Zayn and Louis.”

          “Oh.” That was the only response I could give upon hearing Louis’ name mentioned. He came and my heart was singing. I tried to concentrate on Jenna. “What brings you here? You looked beautiful, by the way.”

          “Aww, thanks babe. You looked beautiful too. I’m here for the amateur film-making conference. I came with my boyfriend, Parker whom Harry absolutely detests. I had a screaming competition with him about Parker. Sometimes Harry can be a pain in the you-know-where. He just could not understand that whoever I date is my choice.”

          “He was just looking out for you.”

          “Yes, I know. That’s why I can’t be angry at him for very long. But lately, he had been very critical of my choice of boyfriends.”

          “How many have you had since we last met?”

          “Umm... well, after Morgan, there’s James, and Rob, and Ed. Oh, and Al and Dave. I would say about ten.”

          “Ten in less than three years?” I was amazed.

          “That’s quite a lot, isn’t it?”

        “I would say ‘yes’. No wonder Harry is worried. He doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

          Jenna smile and I was taken aback. I had forgotten how stunning she looked. She could get a guy do anything for just by smiling at them.

          “Enough about that. How are you?”

         “I’m great. Just got my first book published and in the process of drafting for another one.”

          “That’s great. I am so happy for you.”

       “Seems like you girls have forgotten about our existence.” Harry walked in through the door.

          “How can I forget you when all you do is reminding me that you exist for the sole purpose of making my life miserable?” Jenna shot back.

          Harry rolled his eyes. “I do not make you miserable, Jen. Parker will.”

       “Okay, that’s enough you two. Why don’t we go upstairs where we can chat comfortably?” I suggested. I hugged and kissed Harry and Zayn but I just smiled at Louis. He stared at me and finally gave me a heart-melting smile. Now, I was probably a silly puddle at his feet!

          The five of us went upstairs where there were comfortable fluffy sofas we could sit on. I took out some fizzy drinks from the refrigerator. We chatted for a while and I could not help but keep glancing at Louis. My gaze met his a few times and I quickly looked away. Then I realised that Jenna was watching us. She looked at me, winked and grinned widely. I blushed at being caught staring at Louis.

           “Holly, sorry to bother you but there’s a man at the door asking for you.” Allie interrupted our conversation.

          “Oh, do you know who it is?” I asked Allie, bewildered. I was just about to turn around to look at the man when I heard a familiar voice.

          “Mrs. Phillips.” He greeted me while walking up the stairs and I gasped in surprise.

          “Noah! What are you doing here? Did... did something happen to Ryan?” I was starting to panic.

          “No! No, Mrs. Phillips. Nothing happened to Mr. Phillips.” Noah said trying to calm me down. “I am here to drive you to the senior Mrs. Phillips’ home. Mr. Phillips wanted to see you.”

          “He wants to see me?” I was so elated that I forgot that Zayn, Harry, Louis and Jenna were listening to the conversation.

          “Yes, ma’am. I am to drive you after your book signing.” Noah smiled and nodded politely at me.

            “Oh, okay. That is just wonderful. You go on ahead. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.” I said. Noah bowed and walked away. I sighed and turned around to find four pairs of eyes were fixed on me with stunned look on their faces. I was so elated that I forgot that Zayn, Harry, Louis and Jenna were listening to the conversation.

          “Did I hear the guy right, Holly?” Zayn said. “Why did he address you as ‘Mrs. Phillips’?”

          The group sitting on the sofa was waiting impatiently for the answer. I could feel my face redden. How the heck was I going to explain this?

          My breath came out in a rush and I shook my head slightly. “You heard him right. ‘Phillips’ is my married name and Ryan Phillips is my husband.”

           “You’re..... married?”

          “Yes.”

          “... and you didn’t even think of telling me?” Zayn was clearly disappointed and hurt.

          “I’m sorry.” I whispered. I felt so guilty that I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. I did not dare to look at Louis.

          “Holly...” Zayn started but could not finish his sentence. He was so frustrated. He ran his hands through his hair, stood up and stormed off. If Zayn was angry, he usually just walk away and stay away to cool off. 

          “Zayn, I’m sorry.” I apologised but he ignored me. Louis still did not utter a word. He was still sitting but his face was without expression.

          “We are so fucking unimportant to you, aren’t we?” Louis swore. He was so furious that the curse in front of me. He usually refrained from using swear words in front of me because he knew I hated it. “You couldn’t even tell us this.”

         “Louis, I’m really, really sorry.” I was very close to tears.

        “I begin to wonder how many secret you are keeping from us.” He added.

        “Stop it!” Jenna came to my defence which I was going to be forever grateful. She stood up and enveloped me in a protective hug. “Leave her alone.”

         Harry was looking back and forth at me and Louis, clearly guessing that there were things that he did not know happening between the two of us. “Uhmm... I’ll go and look for Zayn.” Harry offered awkwardly and Jenna nodded her agreement.

          “Could you give us a minute, Jen?” Louis requested. “I think Holly and I need to sort this out.”

          Jenna gave Louis the evil eye and asked me, “Is that okay with you, Holly?”

          “Don’t worry, Jen. I’ll be fine.” I assured her. “Go on.”

          Jenna walked away hesitantly. She looked back a couple of time and I smiled at her to convince her that I would be okay.

          “Okay, Holly. Let’s talk.”