Maggie walks into the bedroom carrying a cup of coffee. He's sprawled out across the bed, tangled in the sheets. His chocolate brown curls a mess on the pillow. He's lying on his stomach, his broad back slowly rising and falling.
How the hell is he in my bed? She thinks to herself. Slowly, she walks across the hard wood floor, taking in his skin bathed in sunlight. Maggie sits down on the bed, the mattress giving under her weight. She reaches down and strokes the curls out of his eyes.
"Harry." She says softly, still playing with his hair. His eyes squeeze as if trying to block out the soft morning light and then slowly open. His bright green eyes look confused as he takes in his surroundings, but calm when they find her face. A slow, easy smile spreads across his plump lips.
"Morning, coffee?" Maggie says handing him her cup. He takes a sip and grimaces.
"Ew. Black?" he says. He just said two mundane words and already Maggie's knees where weak. Oh that accent, she thinks to herself, good thing I'm sitting down.
She takes the cup back and says, "You don't have to drink it you know." before taking another sip. They sit a moment just observing each other.
Finally Maggie says, "Alright, you have two options."
"I do?" Harry questions with a smirk, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"Yes," she smirks back, "Option 1, you can check your phone because its been ringing non stop this morning." Harry glances at his phone but doesn't reach for it.
"And what's my other option?" he asks all humor gone.
Maggie stands up and leans over to place the coffee cup on the worn nightstand. While doing this, she feels Harry graze his fingers along the side of her bare thigh with a feather like touch. She pulls away and starts backing up towards the bathroom, slowly unbuttoning Harry's flannel shirt that she was wearing. When it is completely unbuttoned and he is sitting straight up in bed, Maggie turns around and lets it fall to the floor.
Calling over her shoulder she yells, "I'm going to take a shower. You're welcome to join." With that she disappears into the bathroom, not bothering to look behind her.
Harry stares at the bathroom door for a moment and then reaches for his phone. He wanted to make sure that it wasn't his mom calling him.
"Shit." He breathes out. 25 missed calls. The callers ranging from security, to his stylist, to the boys of the band and probably close to 50 text messages, all were wondering where he was and if he was dead.
I should call them back. Harry moves to call Louis and explain the situation but right when he was going to push send, a soft melody reaches his ears. Harry's head snaps up and immediately the call is forgotten. Harry looks at the clock on the nightstand, 9:30; he had a press meeting at 1:00. He tosses the phone over his shoulder and walks towards the bathroom.
"I've got time." He tells himself. By 1, I'd have had my fill of her. He tells himself. Hopefully.
Harry looks down at her. She is curled on her side, her blond hair a complete mess from the shower and sex. Those long eyelashes casting shadows across her round cheekbones. She was tangled in the sheets. How he wanted to just crawl back in bed with her. Harry leans down and places a kiss in her hair. She smells like her shampoo and soap. Strawberries, honey and something entirely Maggie. A sweet perfume he only hoped was stuck to his skin at the moment.
"God, I'll miss you." He whispers as he takes one last look. Then he turns and walks out of the cozy London apartment, never allowing himself to look back.
Maggie hears the soft click of a door closing.
Nope, I'm not going to look. She tells herself. But her hands have a minds of their own. They reach, out grazing atop the sheets which where still warm from his heat. Maggie rolls over putting her back to the evidence that he ever existed outside of her dreams. She curls into a ball, bringing her knees up to her chest, begging for the escape of sleep.
Harry steps out of the taxi and walks straight into the lobby not bothering to look at anyone. He can hear the distant screaming of the fans and makes a mad dash to the elevator, the doors close and he inserts his penthouse card to get the elevator moving. He leans back against the wall to catch his breath, trying to prepare himself for the interrogation that he knew was about to ensue. He doesn't even make it out of the elevator before his first interrogator appears in front of him.
Paul is waiting when the doors ding open. He has a frown on his face and his arms are crossed in front of his broad chest. To say the he looked pissed was a royal understatement.
"Where the hell have you been?" he says as he grabs Harry by the collar of his shirt so that he couldn't escape when the elevator goes back down. Paul pushes him into the hallway and traps him against the wall with his overbearing presence and inquisitive stare. Harry opens his mouth to speak but for some reason, that he didn't want to process at the moment, he didn't want to tell Paul, or anyone for that matter, about Maggie. He wanted to keep her a secret. A distant memory, always to be cherished and no one else's to know. Instead Harry slowly closes his mouth and looks at the floor.
"Fine." Paul says hurt and worry dripping from just the one word. "Your clothes for the interview are in the room on the left and Lou is waiting to do your hair. Get moving, you're late."
Harry is whisked away to get ready. The other boys were all ready and waiting in the conference room. Paul must have spread the word that Harry wasn't talking because it seemed everyone was trying to get him to say something but he hadn't said a word since entering the hotel or leaving that apartment.
When he is finally ready, wearing skinny jeans and a blazer jacket with a grey v-neck and his signature dew, Harry is once again in the elevator only this time not alone. He and four other security guards are making their way down to the conference room.
Harry enters the room and the cameras go crazy, he is almost blinded by the sight. He knows he has to flip a switch, deciding that he isn't going to think about her until after the meeting and then he would wallow all he wanted. The boys each give him a curious look but they don't see anything different about him other than his tardiness. Harry takes his seat and waits for the first reporter.
A young sleek looking brunette stands up and questions loudly, "Harry, dear, where have you been? I hope our little meeting didn't inconvenience you." I knew there was a reason I like blondes better. Harry thinks to himself.
"Not at all, love." He says smoothly, "I just simply overslept. It was a long night of being Harry Styles." He finishes with a smile. This gets a chuckle from the crowd and the defeated brunette sits down.
After that, the meeting drags on. The reporters want to know about the upcoming tour, music videos, new album and Liam's wedding. Mostly Harry is able to hide behind the other boys and their answers, only responding to a few questions of his own. Which is a good thing because he can't get the blonde haired, blue-eyed angel out of his head.
It had been hours since she'd heard Harry leave. Try as she might, she couldn't make herself fall asleep. Admitting defeat she got up and went for a run then came back home and showered. At the moment she was getting ready for a business dinner date that she was having with her boss and a potential client. Being a music video director, Maggie got to meet handfuls of famous people but her favorite were the undiscovered, the ones that were truly talented. Her boss was bringing her along mainly for eye candy tonight and if she helped him land this job, he would give her the gig. The only problem, Maggie still didn't know who the potential client was, he'd just said, "Wear the best little dress you own." She would've been offended if her boss wasn't gay. It made these types of job assignments a little easier to bear, especially when he openly said she had to show her legs and cleavage.
Maggie finishes curling her hair into perfect spirals and then flips her head over, messing it up a little. She's going to for the bed head look tonight. Her eyes are rimmed in black and look smoky, making her blue eyes stand out even more. She walks from her bathroom to her closet and grabs the new black dress she'd purchased just for the occasion. It was skintight but it played well with her curves. Minimizing what needed to be and enhancing other key areas. It was completely open in the back; skin was visible from her shoulders to the dimples at the bottom of her spine. Maggie shrugs off her robe and steps into the dress zipping it up the short zipper. She grabs her black, studded heals and her black leather jacket and checks the clock. 6:30. Her boss is going to pick her up and they are going to swing by the office and pick up some paper work at 7.
"What to do? What to do?" Maggie asks her apartment. She walks into the living room and switches on the tv and all the air whooshes out of her. He's sitting behind a long table with the other four men of One Direction. He is answering a question with that voice that makes her mind travel to hot nights and smooth skin. She can't even hear what he's saying, she's focused on the hickey that is peaking out just above the collar of his v-neck. When he finishes answering the question and the reporters are focused on another member, she literally watches as his eyes empty. He isn't in that interview anymore, he's somewhere else. Maggie's heart breaks at the thought that he isn't happy. What the hell? NO! she scolds herself. He left you without saying goodbye. You are too good for him anyway.
"Damn straight." Maggie says to tv Harry as she clicks off the show. At that moment the doorbell rings and her boss is here.
"It's about time." Maggie mumbles. Which she knows is stupid because he's a half an hour early.
Maggie pushes up her boobs and grabs her jacket, moving steadily towards the door. Lets do this! She thinks. Acting as if the last five minutes never happened.
"Harry!" Louis yells.
"What?" Harry questions in an annoyed tone.
"I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes but I guess this lovely floor rug is more interesting that I am." Louis says in an equally annoyed tone.
They were in Harry's apartment. Harry was sitting on the couch his elbows on his knees, while Louis was relaxing in a plush chair.
"Sorry, I guess I got lost in thought." Harry offers looking back at the ground.
"Did you hear any of what I said?" Louis questions.
Harry drags his gaze back up to Louis, "Nope." He answers simply.
"We have a dinner meeting tonight at 8. You have to go, if you don't Simon will be mad at all of us. He was royally pissed this morning when you were late for the press. You should have heard him reaming Paul." Louis says.
This gets Harry's attention and his guilt. "He yelled at Paul? Why?"
Louis looks sad for a moment, "Because Paul is our head of security. He is supposed to know where we are every second of everyday, even when he's not with us. You dropped off the face of the earth, man! Nobody knew where you were. Not even our fans and they ALWAYS know where we are." He finishes. "How'd you do it by the way?" He questions with a smirk.
"How did I do what?" Harry questions back.
"Disappear? Poof! You were gone, mate." He says and then he waves his hands in front of his face in a wide arch. "Without a trace." He whispers.
"I went for a drive." Harry says simply. Which was the truth. Mostly. He and Nick had gotten some drinks last night. After Harry had dropped him off at home, he was on his way to his apartment when he found her dancing. He'd rolled down his window and listened but he didn't hear any music but she was just dancing down the street. She had fascinated him.
Already he was letting the flashback pull him in. He could smell her shampoo. Feel her warmth as he pulled up next to her.
"Ah, miss?" He called, "What are you doing?"
She turned and looked at him, her face flushed from the dancing and most likely the alcohol. Her blond hair was falling out of its bun and cascading around her face. Her eyes shown and looked like the bluest of seas. It took a moment for Harry to realize that she'd answered him.
He chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, you're going to have to repeat that."
She smiled, oh that smile, and said, "I said, just enjoying the full moon."
"Why don't I give you a ride home? It's getting late and you shouldn't be out here alone and in your condition." He offered.
"What do you mean, 'my condition'?" she asked, making air bunnies with her fingers.
"Your intoxication. Ma'am" Harry answered simply.
"I am not intoxicated," she responded in a British accent. "I am simply buzzed. There is a difference. And I don't get into cars with strange men."
Harry reached out the window and extended his hand, "Then I'm Harry."
The girl looked at his hand as if it were a foreign object and looked at his face. She stared long enough that Harry started to fidget. As if deciding he was in fact human, she placed her hand in his bigger one and shook it once.
"My name is Maggie." She said. Only she said it in French, with a smirk on her face.
"And then I had sex with Liam and Dani. At the same time." Louis says.
Harry's head snapped up at this and exclaims, "WHAT?"
Louis hits Harry upside the head with his hand. "Do you really think that I would do that? I was trying to get your attention." He explains. "Again."
"Sorry." Harry mumbles looking at his hands.
"Don't say it unless you mean it." Louis says, "What's wrong? I know we aren't supposed to ask but you aren't listening and you have love bites all over you. What did she do? She leave you?" Louis asks.
Harry starts to ring his hands. He wants to tell but then he doesn't so he chooses to do nothing. He doesn't deny or confirm any of Louis question. Finally, Louis lets out a breath.
"Fine. Be a stiff. Dinner is in an hour, and don't be late. And at least try and be social." He finishes as he gets up to leave.
"I'll be back in 45 minutes to pick you up. Be ready, or so help me Harry Edward Styles." With that Louis leaves the apartment and Harry falls back against the couch.
"Ya, I'll be ready." Harry replies softly, closing his eyes.
"Harry! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Louis booms across the apartment as he slams the door shut behind him. Harry shocks awake and falls off the couch.
"What is it Lou?" He questions rubbing his eyes. He was having a good dream. A dream of Goldie locks and strawberries.
"I told you to be ready to go when I picked you up!" Louis exclaims throwing his hands in the air. "Get your ars up off the floor and get ready! You have less than 5 minutes."
When Harry doesn't move, Louis charges up, grabs him by the arm and halls him to his feet.
"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you but get your shit together, we have business to take care of." He says harshly. "Stop acting like a child."
Harry wrenches his arm out of Louis grasp and starts heading for the door.
"Where do you think your going?" Louis calls after him.
Harry yells over shoulder, "Dinner. You coming?" not bothering to look back.
Louis sends a silent prayer to the heavens for strength not to kill him and follows him out to the car.
Harry sauntered into the restaurant. He was going to attend dinner, just as everyone was asking of him, it didn't mean he had to be present though. He walked straight past the gawking hostess and went to the bar.
"Scotch, please." He said to the bartender. He turned around, leaning against the bar and scanned the restaurant. It was beautiful, if you like the fashionable caramel colored decorum that was trendy now a days. Soft shades of brown where everywhere. It made Harry feel like he was in a Rollo chocolate shake. Delicious. He thought to himself. He hears the scrape of a glass being passed towards him and he turns to take a sip. Right when the glass touches his lips a firm hand locks onto his shoulder.
"Don't you dare get drunk on this dinner. I don't mind if you have a drink or two but I will not carry you out of here." Paul said gently in his ear, almost as if it were a warning. Harry looks over the rim of the glass and downs it in one swig, Challenge Accepted, never taking his eyes of Paul's. He sets the glass down gently and motions to the bartender to pour another. Paul just shakes his head in defeat.
"I hope you know what you're doing." He whispers and then steps aside to motion towards the table that is waiting for them. It's set in a back corner with a chocolate curtain to give it privacy. Harry grabs his new drink and downs that one too then walks towards the curtain, leaving the glass.
"The director and her employer are waiting behind there." Paul says as they join the other boys. Her, that's interesting. With his short cut from the bar, Harry has somehow ended up in the lead with Paul beside him.
"Be polite." Paul chides as Harry reaches for the curtain. He pulls it back while looking at Paul, not caring who he finds on the other side. He hears a sharp intake of breath.
"Fuck." He hears breathed out. He turns his head and sees her. She looks like walking sex.
"Maggie." He breathes out like a prayer.
WHAT THE FUCK?! Maggie screams in her head. Her boss is scolding her in her ear that if he'd known that she'd act like this he would have never chosen her for this job and that she has a lot of back peddling to do. Her sluggish mind catches up to her and she pops to her feet, extends her hand, and puts on an award-winning smile.
"Hello, I'm Maggie Hulstein. It's a pleasure to meet you."
At first he doesn't budge, he's still holding the curtain not moving staring at her.
Finally a boy with blond hair ducks past him, gently clasps her hand and says, "Hi, I'm Niall." He turns to introduce the rest of the group. "And this is Zayn," pointing to an exotic looking boy with mocha skin, "Louis," a boy with brown hair and an angular face, "Liam" a different brown haired boy and then he clasps Harry on the shoulders, "And Harry." He says with a smile that almost looks embarrassed.
Her boss, Charles, stands and shakes each of the boy's hands, "Charles Huntington. It's a pleasure to finally be meeting all of you. I bet you're starved, from the tellie I see you've had a very long day. Let's eat something."
Niall rubs his hands together and says, "Yes, please." They all take a seat and Maggie ends up sitting next to Charles and Niall. Harry looks stunned across the table, glancing around the room as if he's trying to figure out if he should play the game or out their relationship.
Maggie catches his eye and mouths "please" begging him not to tell. His eyes cloud over and he looks down at his hands, his lips set in a grim line. Fuck, Maggie grumbles in her head, This is not going according to plan.
The evening drags on and the group, minus Harry, talk about possible ideas for the upcoming video. It's agreed that Maggie and Charles should hear the song before making any solid plans and then present a more solid plan of action. At the conclusion of the evening, they all say goodnight and begin to walk their separate ways.
Maggie is walking towards Charles's car when she feels someone pull on her elbow. She doesn't have to turn around to know who it is.
"Just meet me at the apartment." She says without turning around. "20 minutes."
"Okay." He says quietly and releases her arm. Maggie tilts her head up and walks toward the car with all the power and grace of a queen. Feeling as if she'd just punched a baby in the face.
Harry pulls up to the apartment in his range rover. He takes a deep breath before getting out of the car. She'd acted like she didn't know me. He kept seeing her sitting there at that table, watching her face close behind that wall, a wall he'd never seen before. Of course he'd only known her 24 hours but she didn't seem like the person who kept up walls. They'd talked for hours the other night that was partly the reason why he hadn't been as social as he usually was. He was so tired after a night of sex and deep conversation.
He lets out a sigh, gets out of the car and approaches the building. He gently raps on her door. A small part of him is hoping that she isn't home and he won't have to face this yet but a few moments later the door swings open and there she is.
Nothing is more beautiful. Her hair and makeup are still done from dinner but the dress is gone, in its place is an old looking brown sweater that reaches to mid-thigh on her. She steps aside and he walks threw.
Hours ago this apartment had felt so right and now if felt like an alien planet. Warm colors were everywhere, and it just felt lived in. Completely opposite of his apartment, which was, all white and sharp angles. She walks past him to the kitchen and he hears clinking a second later she reappears holding two glasses of whiskey. She hands one to him.
"We can't tell them." She says before taking a sip of her drink. Harry stares down at the one in his hand. He brings it to his lips and downs it in one swallow.
"Okay." He agrees. They stand and stare at each other for a moment. "What now?" He asks reaching for her drink and downing that one too. He was still feeling the buzz of his before dinner drinks so when these hit, it was going to feel awesome.
"Well you can't drive anymore so we have two options." She says with a smirk. "Option number one, you can sleep on the couch." She says gesturing to the worn leather couch in her living room. Harry doesn't even look at it, his eyes locked on hers.
"What's our other option?" he asks in a deep voice.
"You can sleep with m-" but Maggie is cut off by Harry's lips crashing into hers. He tugs the sweater over her head and tosses it to the ground. He grabs her by the buttocks and lifts her. Maggie wraps her legs around his waist and her arms round his neck, digging her hands in his hair. Harry carries her to the bedroom, content on never driving again.
Sometime later that evening, Maggie was lying on her stomach across the bed. Harry was leaning on one arm and tracing circles on her back. She was barely conscious when she hears him whisper.
"Why can't we tell them?" Maggie is fully awake and rolling over to face him. She snuggles into his chest and plants a kiss in the middle of it. Harry lazily drapes his arm over her hip and continues rubbing her back.
"Because when I make it as a big time music video director, my success will not be my own. Everyone will say that it was because of you." Maggie says as she leans back to look at him. Harry looks down at her, she had a point and he knew that. Nobody would believe the story of how they met. But now that he knew this wasn't a one-time thing he wanted everyone to know that she was his. But if keeping her a secret meant keeping her, he'd do it.
Harry leans forward, "When can we tell people then?" he whispers as he traces her shoulder with his lips. Maggie thinks about it for a moment.
"A few weeks after your video is released. That is, if you choose our pitch." She adds with a smirk.
"Then we should start filming tomorrow." He says as he rolls on top of her.
"I haven't even heard the song yet. I don't have any ideas. The pitches you heard tonight, half of them came out of my ass right on the spot." She giggles as he nibbles on her neck.
Harry leans back and thinks about this for a moment. "Hmmmm what are we going to do about this conundrum?" he says as he taps her collarbone. Then he has an idea.
"Do you have a guitar?" he questions excitedly.
"Actually I do. But it's mostly for decoration." She admits with a smile.
"Where is it?" He asks bouncing off the bed. "In the living room." She says with a giggle. He takes off towards the living room. Hopefully none of my windows are open. She thinks to herself. He returns moments later holding the guitar by its neck. He sits down on the edge of the bed and begins to strum. A horrible sound of flat and off key notes fills the room.
"Ehh, sorry about that." He says as he begins to tune the guitar. Soon enough he has it singing beautifully. He begins to strum an up beat melody that reminds Maggie of days at the beach in college. Not worrying about the time and just enjoying the sun on her skin.
He begins to sing. The lyrics aren't that deep but explain how he misses his summer girl. The girl that made him laugh and forget about reality, the escape he needs desperately. Mostly focusing on the happy memories he still carries with him. Her eyes shining like the sea and her hair caught in the summer breeze. When he reaches the end, the lyrics slow and the melody changes, a softer harmony that feels melancholy and sad. He misses his summer girl, a girl who left to travel the world and the heavens above.
When he finishes, he looks up and sees Maggie crying.
"Whoa, Maggie I didn't mean to-" he begins.
"You suck." She says whipping away tears, "That was beautiful."
Harry chuckles, sets the guitar down and crawls towards her. He slips into her arms that are still whipping away tears. He rains kisses across her cheeks and lips, taking away the tears.
"Thank you." He finally says. "Now we can start filming tomorrow." He adds with a chuckle, "You do have an idea don't you?"
"I do. But I'm still going to act surprised when I listen to it in the next few days and I'm not going to tell you my plan either." She replies.
Harry leans back on his elbows, "What do you mean you aren't going to tell me? I gave you the idea." He says flabbergasted.
"No, the song gave me the idea and Ed Sheeran wrote the song, didn't he? His style of writing is all over that piece. Besides you suck at acting so you have to be genuinely surprised when I tell you. In front of the group."
Harry pushes up as if he's about to leave but Maggie tackles him and pushes him back into the bed. She's straddling him when she begins to kiss his chest.
"You can't distract me like this woman," he breaths out, "it's not fair."
Maggie looks up his chest and smirks, "Watch me."
A few days later, Maggie is sitting in the studio listening to One Direction's next single. It was amazing. The transition was effortless from care free and fun to heavy and heartbreaking. How they made it work she didn't know but they did.
For the video, she was in visioning a flashback type theme. The story will start with one of them on the beach but it will be cold and storming. Maggie was thinking east coast setting. Something on the beach triggers a memory and then the video would start. The flashbacks would be bright and golden while the current reality would be dark and glooming.
Once the song finishes, Maggie opens her eyes to see everyone staring expectantly at her. She really needs to talk to Charles about her ideas to see if it was even remotely possible to do with their budget and even if it was a good idea.
"It's an amazing song. Who wrote it?" She asks with a questioning look. Niall steps forward and confesses, "Me and Ed wrote it actually." He says with a shy smile.
"It really is beautiful, Niall. May I ask what inspired you two to write this type of song?" Maggie asks softly, considering how heavy the over all message of the song was.
Everyone in the room becomes very quiet. Harry gives Maggie a look saying that she didn't want to know the answer to that question.
Niall clears his throat and says softly, "I had a girlfriend last year. She died in a car accident while I was away on tour." He pauses for a moment to cough, "Anyway, I didn't handle it very well and Ed helped me put it into writing so I had an outlet." Then he adds with a shrug, "She was my summer girl."
Maggie stammers, "I-I d-didn't-"
Niall puts up his hands to silence her, "Only a few people knew. We decided that we wanted to keep our relationship out of the public eye. Pretty much only our families and the people in this room knew about us."
"I'm so sorry, Niall." Maggie offers.
"It's alright love." He says simply.
Harry walks out of the studio, he was already trying to figure out if he could sneak over to Maggie's apartment tonight when an arm is thrown over his shoulders, making him jump.
"So how long?" Louis whispers in his ear.
"What?" Harry asks with a laugh.
"How long have you known her?" Louis asks with a smirk.
"How long have I known who?" He asks confused while stopping to turn and look at Louis.
"Ms. Hulstein." He says with a knowing smile.
Harry's heart jumps up into his throat as he says, "Same as you. Only a few days. The first time I met her was at dinner." He decided to tell a partial truth. He has only known her a few days, he technically only knew her a day before the rest of the boys. It's just that they met before that dinner.
"Riiiight." Louis says as he walks away, "Don't worry your secret is safe with me."
"What secret?"
Harry jumps around to see Cara, a girl from his not so distant past. She was gorgeous in a model sort of way. Her blond hair was straight and cascaded down around her shoulders almost touching her waist. Her big blue eyes were outlined perfectly in make-up. She is the exact same height as him but at the moment she was wearing heals so she towered over him. And she was tiny, her cheekbones jutted out and he always thought that if he was too rough he was going to break one of her bones.
"Cara. Hi." He says as she leans down to kiss his cheek.
"Hello, Harry. How have you been?" she asks innocently.
"Ah, good good. Busy, you know how it is." He says as he begins to fidget. When had he ever been uncomfortable in front of a girl?
"Well, you aren't on tour for awhile right?" She questions looking at the ground.
"No, we're about to start filming a music video which is exciting though." He says as he watches Maggie exit the building talking candidly with her boss.
"Harry," Cara says as she ducks into his line of vision, blocking Maggie.
"Yea…" He says getting back into the conversation.
"Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight? That is, if you aren't busy." She asks blushing.
"Uh," He was about to say no but right at that moment Maggie looks up and sees him with Cara. Their eyes lock and for a moment Harry could've sworn he saw jealousy. This could be fun. He thinks to himself.
"I would love to go to dinner." He says smiling at Cara. "Should I pick you up at 8?"
"Maggie." Charles says pulling on her arm.
Maggie snaps her attention back to her boss, away from Harry and that fucking bombshell of a blond.
"Uh?" She says focusing on his face.
"I said, I think that we could do a lot with your idea. I'm going to give you this shoot." He says.
"Oh my gosh!" Maggie squeals, "Thank you so much." She starts to dance around in a circle, which is probably the wrong thing to do, considering that they were standing in the studio parking lot and in front of their employers.
"Knock it off." Charles says but not harshly, grabbing her arm. "Promise me that you will understand the enormity of this. If this video is a success our names will be the go to names for music videos. This is our one shot, Ms. Hulstein, and I am putting my faith in you. Don't let me down." With that he turns and walks away.
"I won't let you down." Maggie says even though she knows he can't hear her. She turns and sees Harry flirting with that blond. Why should she care? All their relationship was was sex. He could flirt and do whatever he wanted to. She would do the same.
Maggie pulls out her cell and dials Leah's number. Leah is a girl that Maggie met back in California. She was currently studying abroad in London and Maggie knew the girl would need a night out considering that she was studying to become a doctor.
The phone rings a few times before Leah answers, "Heelllllloooooo." She answers in her singsong voice.
"Hello, my dear, what are you up to?" Maggie asks as she walks away from Harry towards the street to flag a taxi.
"Oh, you know, studying. Why? What's up?"
"We're going out tonight. I just got a promotion of sorts and we are going to celebrate." Maggie says as she climbs in the back of the taxi and gives the driver her address.
"Yes!" Leah shrieks, "What time are we hittin' the town?"
"I'll come and pick you up at around 11, sound good?" Maggie asks.
"Yea. Sounds perfect. I'll be ready. See you then. Got to go bye." Leah says in a rush.
"Leah.." Maggie starts but doesn't get to finish because Leah hangs up on her.
"Fine." She looks at her watch and sees that she has just enough time to call One Direction's agent and make a meeting with them in the next few days and then get ready for the evening.
"Oh yea. It's going to be a great night.
A few hours later, Maggie is standing in front of Leah's door pounding on it. She had been standing there for ten minutes and Leah wasn't answering. Maggie was about to walk away when the door flies open and there stands Leah. She's wearing a silk bathrobe and her hair is a mess.
Right when Maggie is about to chew her ass for not being ready, a drop dead sexy man walks by. He has a perfect body, perfect tan and perfect face. Maggie didn't mind that he wasn't wearing a shirt either.
"I'll see you later, Jacque." Leah says as he waves goodbye. "Sorry I didn't answer the door. I got distracted." She adds with a wink.
"That's why you hung up on me so fast this afternoon, wasn't it?" Maggie asks as she gives Leah a high five.
"He can speak 8 languages. Lets just say that he has the gift of tongues." Leah answers as she walks into the apartment to get ready.
"Well hurry up, I want to get to bed before sunrise so we have to get a move on." Maggie yells when Leah disappears into her bedroom.
About an hour later, Maggie and Leah arm in arm, are walking into Club Buddha. It always made Maggie feel as if she were tripping on acid, but tonight was a special treat. Everywhere people were covered in neon paint and barely anything else. Maggie had reworn the little black dress that she'd worn for the business dinner. But she didn't think that the paint would stain so she let the hostess spray her with a bottle of some neon paint. Neon yellow, pink and green dots now covers her chest, arms and legs. The music is thumping and Maggie can feel it vibrate in her chest.
"Leah! I want you to paint wings on my back!" Maggie screams in her ear.
Maggie turns around and feels Leah's sticky paint covered fingers trace arch like lines down her back.
"Done!" Leah screams in her ear after a moment.
"Alright, lets dance!" Maggie yells over the music as she grabs Leah's arm and drags her out onto the dance floor.
Where the hell is she? Harry asks himself. He's sitting in his Range Rover outside Maggie's apartment waiting to see her. It was 3:30 in the morning, where could she be?
At that moment a taxi pulls up in front of her apartment and Maggie steps out or rather trips out of the car.
"Thank you, kind sir!" She hollers to the taxi driver as she climbs the stairs. The taxi waits until she opens the door but she has trouble getting the key in the lock. The tired driver climbs out, ascends the stairs and unlocks her door for her.
"Thank you so much. You're so sweet!" Maggie exclaims as she stumbles threw.
"Goodnight!" She yells over her shoulder as she kicks the door closed.
When the taxi is gone and the street is quiet again, Harry jumps out of his car, runs up to the door and rings the doorbell. He hears a little stumbling around and then the door is flung open.
"I've always loved that doorbell." Maggie mumbles as she leans against the doorframe. Then her eyes travel up his body and land on his face. To his surprise a frown mars her face and says, "Oh, it's you." With that she turns and walks back into the apartment, leaving the door open for him.
"What do you mean, 'It's you'?" Harry questions as he kicks the door closed and strides after her.
"I thought you had a date." Maggie says as she bends over looking in the fridge for something.
Oh, that ass. He thinks a moment. Trying to use what little blood was left in his brain, Harry asks, "What date?"
Maggie stands and is holding a gallon of milk and takes a swig right from the jug.
"Your date with the blond bombshell." Maggie says in a British accent.
"The only bombshell I see is you." Harry says taking a step towards her.
Maggie bends back over to put the milk away and says, "Yea well, that's because she's not here."
Maggie stands, pushes the fridge door closed and tries to take a step around Harry to go to the bedroom but trips and almost goes crashing to the ground but he catches her at the last second.
"Whoa, had enough to drink tonight?" Harry asks as he brings her to a standing position.
"I'm fine." Maggie says as she tries to pull her arm back but the motion ends up making her loose her balance again.
This time Harry scoops her up and makes his way to the bedroom.
"What are you doing here anyway? It's not like your getting any. You're good but not even you can keep me awake tonight." She mumbles into his chest.
Harry doesn't say anything and keeps walking towards the bedroom. Before he even gets there, she's already sleeping softly curled into his chest.
He lays her near the end of the bed and pulls the covers back. After that he picks her up again and gently slides her in between the sheets. Immediately, she rolls over onto her stomach. He sees dried paint flaking off her back and he gently traces it with is fingers. It looks like angel wings. It reminds him of Cupid.
Fuck, I'm in trouble. He thinks as he returns to the kitchen to fill a glass of water for her. He brings it back to the bedroom and sets it on the nightstand.
"Its not just about the sex." He whispers before planting a kiss in her hair.
"Mmmm, strawberries." He mumbles as he turns to leave.
Maggie rolls over onto her back. Who the fuck lit a fire behind my eyes? She asks herself, and why did they shove so many cotton balls down my throat?
She slowly opens her eyes to the afternoon sunshine. She'd never seen something so offensive in her life. It was a Saturday and good thing because when she looks at the clock its 4:00 in the afternoon.
"Fuck." Maggie says as she falls back into the pillows. The movement jostles her brain and makes it scream in protest. "Gah." She groans out.
She looks at the nightstand and sees the most beautiful thing she'd ever witnessed in her entire life. A tall glass of water.
"Well done, Drunk Maggie." She comments dryly as she reaches for it. After downing the entire glass, she slowly sits up in bed. Her feet and calves are sore from the long night of dancing and her skin is itchy from the paint that still clings to it.
Even more slowly, she gets to her feet and walks to the bathroom. Slowly, almost like a woman in her nineties rather than a girl in her mid-twenties, she goes threw her morning routine. First she washes all the paint and make-up off her body and face, feeling reborn when she steps out of the shower. Next she brushes her teeth getting rid of the taste of last night.
After about an hour Maggie, is sitting at the kitchen counter holding a cup of coffee. She sees her phone sitting on the counter, she grabs it and dials Leah's number.
"Wha?" Leah groans when she picks up.
"Dude, what the hell happened last night?" Maggie asks before she takes a sip of coffee.
"We went to a club. You were sober at that point of the evening I do recall." She drawls threw the phone. "It wasn't until that cute guy at the bar started buying us drinks that the evening gets a little blurry."
Maggie puts her head in her free hand. Now she remembered. There was a cute guy at the bar. He was tall, well built but he had blond hair. I don't like blondes. She thinks. But there was still a part of the evening that she didn't remember.
"Do you know how I got home?" Maggie questions.
"Yea, a different guy called us a cab and paid for us to get home. He really was a gentleman. Only I think he was gay because I think he wanted to get our original cute guy for himself." She explains. Maggie can hear her take a sip of something. "I wonder if he scored." She adds as an after thought.
"Did you score last night?" Maggie asks fiddling with her cup.
"I drunk called Jacque last night." Leah admits. Maggie can hear from the tone of her voice that she's a little embarrassed about that fact. "But he did come over and I got to come too, so I guess it all worked out." And there is the Leah Maggie knows.
"Well congratulations." Maggie says, "Alright, I got to go and draw up some pitching ideas for Monday. Have a wonderful day Princess."
"I will, Whore." Leah answers before hanging up.
There is something in the back of Maggie's mind that she knows she's forgetting. But for the life of her she couldn't remember.
"Oh well, must have not been that important." She says as she walks to her office to get to work.
On Monday, Harry is climbing the steps to the studio. He turns a moment and waves at the fans that are clinging to the gate. They all go crazy. After doing this a few years, he was finally getting used to the screaming. He resumes his climb and walks threw the doors, the receptionist looks up and smiles.
"Afternoon, Mr. Styles." She says, "Can I get you anything? Coffee or Tea?"
"No thank you, Sara, but I appreciate the offer." Harry says as he walks by with a good-natured smile. He walks straight into the conference room. Mostly everyone is there already but Niall and Zayn are still missing.
"Hello Harold." Louis says from behind the newspaper. "Did you have a wonderful weekend?"
"Magical, Lou. And yours?" Harry asks in high spirits.
Louis folds the paper and looks at Harry, "Same." He answers simply. Right at that moment Niall and Zayn walk in and take their seats.
"Alright, Alright everybody settle down," Jake, their manager, says, "We have a lot to discuss. Firstly, We have chosen a director for our upcoming music video. Her name is Maggie Hulstein. She's young but she has talent and Simon found her and her boss, we met with them this morning so she's our director."
Hearing that, Harry's heart swells a little with pride. Well actually, he wanted to climb on the table and beat on his chest and exclaim that she was his woman, but he barely refrains himself.
"Secondly, with the storyline that goes with the upcoming video. We'll be flying to America to do a little filming in North Carolina. It should only last a few days but we'll be leaving on Friday and then returning on Monday. Not even long enough to get jet lag." After that, Jake talks about a few added dates to next year's tour and upcoming charity events.
Near the end of the meeting Jake stands and says, "And finally, to wrap up today's festivities, I am throwing a bachelor party for our dear friend Liam at the end of the month. All men are invited." At this the room breaks out in applause.
"With that announcement you are all free to go." Jake says as he begins gathering his papers.
Harry grabs his phone and texts Maggie, Where are you? She replies almost immediately. At home. He makes a b-line for the door and jogs to his range rover. He was going to stop at home and grab a taxi over to Maggie's apartment. His black range rover was too easily recognized, and he did NOT want to piss her off.
Maggie was just finishing deciding what shoes to pack when she hears her doorbell. She jogs to the door and swings it open. He pushes past and walks right into her home.
"Come right in." Maggie says to the empty space in front of her. She turns and sees him standing in her living room. He's wearing loose skinny jeans, a white t-shirt with rolled sleeves to show off his tattoos, and white chucks. His brown curls are sticking out of the beanie he is wearing.
"Harry, what are you doing here?" Maggie asks walking into the kitchen for a glass of water, "I don't have time for this." She adds impatiently.
Harry looks at the floor and mumbles, "I just wanted to see you."
Maggie sighs and looks at the tile countertop. She feels bad. Harry raises his eyes to look at her and she is completely lost. Her plane was leaving in 5 hours and she wasn't nearly packed and the airport was going to be crazy. But in those pleading eyes, she lost a battle that she had no hope of winning.
"Are you hungry?" She asks dazed.
Harry's face breaks out in a knowing smile, "Starving."
The fucker played me, Maggie thinks.
For the next hour, Maggie and Harry cook an early dinner of pasta and chicken. When they are sitting at the kitchen bar eating, Maggie lets it slip that she was worried about what she needed to pack.
Harry looks up at her, "I thought we weren't leaving until Friday." He says.
"You aren't leaving till Friday. I'm leaving tonight. I'm going home early, I'm flying to see my family back in Iowa for a few days and then I'm flying back to North Carolina to get things ready for your big arrival." She says simply.
Harry looks at her with a confused expression, "Where's Iowa?"
"Iowa is in the middle of the United States, lots and lots of cornfields and cows. I grew up on a farm." She answers simply. "My dad's a farmer and my mom's a nurse."
"What was that like?" He asks leaning on his elbows.
"What was what like?" Maggie asks back taking a bite of her noodles.
"Growing up on a farm." He answers.
"Umm. Like any other childhood I'd assume. I played outside and ran around barefoot. I had a horse named Dillon. He was my baby, he was this huge buckskin. Man, could he run." She says with a smile. Harry was watching her, while she was talking about home, he watched as she transported back there.
"What about your parents?" He questions.
"My dad's name is Kraig and mom's name is Cheri. They've been married 32 years this year actually. They're still living in the farmhouse that I grew up in. All though I don't qualify it as a farmhouse, it's way too big to be a farmhouse. All my friends back in high school said that they were awesome but I never saw it so who actually knows if they're cool or not." Maggie says with a smirk.
"Wow, thirty-two years is a long time. I want to meet them." Harry says simply.
Maggie almost chokes on her milk. She starts coughing uncontrollably and Harry starts patting her on the back.
When Maggie has her breath back she looks at Harry with wide eyes. "You want to meet my parents?" She asks completely shocked.
"Why wouldn't I want to meet your parents?" He states simply.
"B-b-because guys who have relationships like this with a girl don't usually want to meet her parents." Maggie says waving her hands in the air.
"They made you and raised you into the person you are today. I want to meet them for that reason alone and besides I only know a handful of people that their parents have been married that long." He says evenly.
"Seriously? What's the divorce rate here?" Maggie questions while picking up her plate and carrying it to her sink. She whorls around and points at Harry, "Don't answer that, I don't actually want to know."
Harry closes his mouth and puts his hands up in surrender. Maggie reaches across the counter and takes his plate. He stands and walks to the sink and begins filling it with water.
"What are you doing?" Maggie asks.
"I wash, you dry?" He says handing her a towel.
"Sure." Maggie says simply. Of all the guys that she'd ever cooked dinner for, mind you there weren't that many, he had been the only one to offer to help with dishes.
When the dishes are done and put away and the kitchen is all cleaned up, Harry turns to Maggie. "I should let you pack. Your plane leaves in three and half hours."
Maggie's eyes scan the floor and walls. Don't look at him. If you do, you'll lose. She tells herself. But on their own accord, her eyes trail up his body. Taking in his shoes, jeans, white, almost see through, t-shirt, his beautiful collarbones and neck and finally his face. Fuck she breathes out in her mind.
He takes a step towards her, "I should go."
"Yes, you should." She breathes out as she takes a step back. Her butt bumps into the kitchen counter.
"But I've never been good at doing what I should." Harry admits taking another step towards her.
Maggie's eyes break away from his and travel down to his lips. Wrong move. She thinks. Her lips are suddenly very dry so she licks them. For a second, Maggie thinks she hears him groan.
Her eyes travel back to his, "You haven't?" she asks innocently.
Harry shakes his head as he takes another step towards her.
"So why would I start now?" He says before he cups her face in his hands and claims her lips in a passionate kiss. His hands slide down her body as he picks her up and sets her on the counter. Maggie tugs at his t-shirt until he lifts his arms to let her pull it off of him, knocking his beanie off as well. His hands dig into her bum and pull her to the edge of the counter, Maggie lets out a cry as he grinds into the v of her legs. She wraps her legs around his waist and she tries to pull him closer. She reaches for his belt buckle the same time that he reaches for the snap of her jean shorts. Why start now indeed.
The next morning, Maggie is walking out of the Sioux Falls airport with her suitcases.
"Yeo!"
Maggie turns around to see her parents standing near their car. She drops her bags and runs at them, throwing her arms around them.
She pulls back and her mom is crying.
"Oh Cherbear, don't cry." Maggie says giving her another hug.
"Don't call me that." Cheri says without gumption.
Kraig returns with the bags and tosses them in the car. Maggie gives him another hug as well.
"I've missed you guys so much." She says whipping away tears of her own.
"Come on, Icebox, don't cry." Her Dad says throwing an arm over her shoulders.
"Don't call me that." Maggie says hitting him lightly on the chest.
"Where is everybody?" Maggie asks as they get in the car. "How have they been?"
"They're waiting for us at home." Cheri says. Then she goes into a complete story of trying to plan everything with everyone's schedules. Katie and Evan were busy with their daughter, Jude. Ryan and Amanda with Ruby's dance and Cohen's football practices. Matt and Hannah with getting ready for the new baby and the new house. But in that moment Maggie wasn't listening. She was looking back and forth between her parents, trying to imagine what it would be like for Harry to meet them.
An hour later Maggie is walking into her childhood home. The familiar sent that was just home engulfed her and cradled her like a warm blanket on a cold night.
She opens the laundry room door and everybody screams with joy. Amanda, Katie and Hannah run up to hug her all at once. It was kind of awkward considering that they were all hugging each other and Hannah was 8 months pregnant but they all came out laughing anyway.
For the next few minutes Maggie is whisked around the room saying hello to everyone and giving hugs. Grandma Mae is Maggie's undoing and she begins to cry. She couldn't stop smiling when she saw Jaz. She ran at her and almost tackled her.
"How have you been?" Maggie squeals as she hugs her.
Jaz simply holds up her left hand and shows her the sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
"Holy shit!" Maggie yells as she grasps the meaning and her left hand.
"He proposed last week. I wanted to surprise you." Jaz says with a huge smile.
"You lucky fuckers." Maggie looks back up to her face. "How is he?"
"Good, good. Very busy with school beginning again." She says.
They just smile at each other for a while at each other, "I'm just so happy to see you." Maggie finally admits.
"Same, now lets eat!" Jaz says clapping her hands together.
While they eat, everyone asks questions about work. Maggie alludes to the fact that the upcoming video was going to completely change her life. Which makes everyone question whom she was working with but she kept her lips sealed.
Amanda pipes up and asks the question that Maggie has been dreading this whole meal. "So, Maggie, have you met anyone? Have you had any boyfriends since you left?" She asks with a smile.
Maggie slowly swallows her mashed potatoes. How the hell do I answer this? Maggie had never been good at lying or keeping things from her family.
"There is someone actually." She says slowly. "But we've only hung out a handful of times and it's still too early to tell if there is anything special." She finishes. Maggie takes a swig of her water and it feels like acid going down. She knows that there was something special between her and Harry but she didn't want think too much about it at the moment.
Later on during the meal, Jaz leans over and whisper in her ear, "A group of us are getting together later tonight to have a few beers at my house. You should seriously come. That way you can tell me who you're working for and what guy made you blush fifty shades of pink."
"Deal." Maggie whispers back.
Maggie swings down and around the bottom of her stairs and heads towards the door.
"And where do you think you're going?" Cheri calls from behind the kitchen counter.
"Out." Maggie says with shy smile.
"Absolutely not!" Cheri exclaims, "I haven't seen you in almost a year and you're only going to be here a few days and now you're just going to leave us?"
"Mom! I'm just going to Jaz's and I'm spending all day with you and the fam tomorrow." Maggie pleads walking around the counter giving her a hug. "We have tons of time to catch up."
"We'll have all day tomorrow?" Cheri whimpers.
"Yes." Maggie says with a smile.
"Ok, fine."
"Great. Don't wait up." Maggie says as she bounds for the door.
About ten minutes later, Maggie is walking up the steps to Jaz's little house in town. There were lights on in the kitchen and music could be faintly heard playing through the windows.
Maggie doesn't bother to knock and just walks right in.
"Hello?" She yells from the entryway. Jaz pokes her head out from the kitchen.
"In here!" She yells with a smile.
Maggie hangs her coat on the peg near the door and walks down the narrow hallway. On the walls hang photos of Jaz's life. There are pictures of her and Maggie, her and her siblings, her on her graduation day, and several others. The things you miss when you chase your dreams. Maggie thinks to herself.
Maggie rounds the corner into the kitchen and there stands a group of people that she hadn't seen in almost two years.
Emma screams at the top of her lungs and runs straight at Maggie, giving her a suffocating hug. Also amongst the group stands, Jason and Jason, Nikki, Kelly, Aaron and Brandon.
When Emma releases Maggie from her death grip, Maggie turns to the group and says, "Hello."
"Hello?" Jason Sneller says. "We haven't seen you in almost two years and that's all we get?"
"Have you been counting the days of my absence, Jason?" Maggie says with a smirk as she reaches for a beer.
His cheeks turn bright pink and he looks down at the beer in his hand. "Relax. It was a joke Jason." Maggie says taking a swig of her beer.
"So I was just telling the group that you're working for a big shot star and directing their music video." Jaz says.
"You were. Wow, I said that I was going to tell you," Maggie says pointing at Jaz, "Not the entire world."
Kelly pipes up and says, "The entire world population has been reduced to 8 people? When did that happen?"
"Come on, Mag. You have to tell us." Nikki says throwing an arm over shoulders.
Maggie looks around the group, "Fine!" They all start clapping and whooping. "But you have to promise not to tell a soul. No Twitter or Facebook. It stays in the room." She says pointing at everyone trying to get the point across.
"Promise." They all say at different times.
"Fucking peer pressure," Maggie begins then says, "I'm flying out to North Carolina on Thursday night to film a music video for.." She stalls for added effect, "One Direction."
There is a mixture of shocked silence and Emma and Nikki's screams of joy.
And then the bombardment of questions happens. How did this happen? Has she met them? How long will she be working with them? Was this for their upcoming single? Has she heard the song? Are they as hot in real life as they are in the pictures? You have no idea. Maggie thinks to herself at this question thinking of Harry. Again this makes her imagine Harry with this group of people. Would he fit in?
Maggie takes the questions in stride but eventually all of them are satisfied.
"Wow." Jaz breathes out.
"Tell me about it. I haven't stopped working since they chose our pitch." Maggie says taking swig of beer.
There's a pause and then Emma says sheepishly, "Jaz also mentioned a guy."
If looks could kill, Jaz would be lying dead on her kitchen floor.
"Wow, is there anything you didn't tell them, Jaz?" Maggie asks angrily
"Yea," She says with sass, "His name, considering that I don't know it either."
Maggie looks down at her hands for a moment. Should I tell them? Would he be mad? Would the public find out and eventually my boss?
"I can't tell you yet." Maggie mumbles looking down.
"What do you mean you can't tell us yet?" Jason Swets questions.
"I mean that he and I haven't decided to go public." She states. "Yet."
The room is silent for a moment until Nikki hits the table and exclaims, "You're dating one of them! Aren't you?"
"What? No!" Maggie says but a little too innocently.
Everybody instantly knows that she's lying.
Emma acts like a detective when she starts mumbling, "Liam is engaged. Zayn is still dating Perrie, so that leaves Niall, Louis or Harry."
Maggie just stares at the table.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She says simply before she rushes off to find the bathroom.
Maggie is sitting on the closed toilet when she hears a soft knock on the door. She walks over and unlocks it. Jaz is holding two beers and offers her one. Maggie takes it and returns to her perch as Jaz sits on the edge of the tub.
"Are they sitting around the corner?" Maggie asks between sips of beer.
"Nope. They're all downstairs talking about Emma's new job." She says simply before taking a swig of her own beer.
"Can you really not tell even me?" Jaz asks finally.
Maggie looks at her with sad eyes. "Of course I was going to tell you but only you." Then she adds looking down at her hands. "I don't want everyone to think I'm a skank."
Jaz tries to hold back a giggle but eventually it snorts out. Maggie finds the laughter contagious and begins to laugh as well.
"I know, I am a skank." She says just as Jaz says, "But you are a skank."
Once they both calm down Jaz says, "Alright, enough with the serious attitude girl. Which one is he?" She leans her elbows on her knees as if in complete rapture.
Maggie giggles and finally says, "Harry."
Jaz screams at the top of her lungs and seconds later Jason comes bounding up the stairs. He appears in the bathroom doorway.
"What the hell is going on up here?" He yells when he sees everything is okay.
Jaz looks at him as if he's annoying her in his attempt to save her life. "Nothing, now get out of here." She says shooing him away.
"But you screamed like you were getting murdered." He pleads as if he's looking for some praise for his athleticism.
"No, I didn't. Now go downstairs and keep everyone in the kitchen. We'll be down in sec." She says as if telling a child to go to bed. Reluctantly Jason turns and closes the door behind him.
Jaz whorls on Maggie and simply states, "Spill." So Maggie tells her everything. From meeting him to having their goodbye romp on the kitchen counter. When she finishes, she realizes how stupid it sounds that she might be falling in love with him. She'd only known him a few days and she was already envisioning him meeting her parents. What the hell is wrong with me?
When Maggie looks up, Jaz is smiling a closed lip smile, as if she knows a secret.
"You like him." She says as if she's in fifth grade.
"Seriously? How old are you? Yes, I like him. But just his body, he is so good in bed." She finishes as if breathing out a prayer.
"Whatever you say. But I know you like him like him." She repeats and pokes Maggie in the arm for added effect.
"God, you're ridiculous." Maggie says as she stands up to go back downstairs.
On the following Friday, Maggie is in her rental car driving to the hotel. It had been a great few days, catching up with family and friends. It left Maggie feeling refreshed and only a little sad, she loved being reminded of her roots.
She pulls up in front of the hotel. It pretty much looked like a hole in the wall. It was right on the beach. White-washed from the sun, black shutters and trim with beautiful flowers in front. The huge house looked like a restored mansion. A storm was rolling in right on schedule, so the sky was dark and cloudy.
Maggie had just come back from scoping out the beach. With the storm coming in, it was going to be awesome filming tomorrow. She ascends the front steps and checks her watch. The boys, the models and the crew were going to be arriving shortly, she'd arrived early this morning and made sure that everything was ready for their arrival. She had requested the room next to Harry's. Being that this hotel was a restored mansion, their rooms were connected by a secret door in their closet. Luckily the receptionist hadn't thought much about it.
She walks into the lobby and sees Charles sitting at a corner table sipping a cup of tea, reading the newspaper.
He sees her walking towards him and asks, "Everything look good?"
"Yea, the storm is really working in our favor. I can't wait to do some shooting out there." She says as she sits down and motions to the waiter for her own cup of tea.
"My only worry is that it's going to be absolutely freezing when we shoot the summer scenes." She adds as the waiter sets the cup down in front of her.
Maggie is just bringing the cup to her cold lips when they hear the sound of crunching gravel under car tires outside the house.
Charles stands and smiles down at her, "Shall we go greet our guests?"
Maggie takes a quick sip of her tea and stands as well. "Of course." She breathes out trying to calm the stampeding of her heart.
Harry steps out of the car. Where is she? Is his first thought after gazing up at the house. The place is beautiful and being late September, he shoves his hands deep in his coat pockets to protect them from the cold. The strong breeze blowing off of the sea smelled of salt and freedom.
Niall appears at his elbow and says, "They expect us to film in this stuff." as he wraps himself more tightly in his own coat.
Harry clasps him on the shoulder, "Come on, Nialler, its not that bad. Just a little cold and water." He says with a large smile.
At that moment Harry hears a screen door snap shut above him. He turns his eyes and sees the person that he's been missing these past few days.
She's wearing black skinny jeans, a bright red wool coat, boots and a black beanie. Her hair is curled in loose ringlets that were being caught in the breeze. The overall effect is breathtaking.
"My God." Niall breathes out next to him. Harry's head snaps to Niall, What the FUCK? Niall is staring at Maggie as if he's never seen her before.
"Welcome everyone." Maggie says with a huge smile, scanning the small group, "The rooms are all ready for you. Will the models please follow Charles to their rooms? And will the boys please follow me upstairs?" With that she turns and heads into the house.
Harry quickly grabs his bag and heads up the stairs. He walks through the doors to see Maggie and Niall talking at the bottom of the stairs and he sees red.
When the boys are all standing at the bottom of the grand staircase, Maggie turns and motions to follow her up stairs. What is she doing talking to Niall? He thinks to himself.
One by one Maggie shows the boys their rooms. Lastly, she turns to Harry and gestures to his room. "And here is your room." she says with a smile.
He doesn't look at her as he walks into his room and kicks the door closed behind him. He throws is bag onto the bed and falls down on it.
After a few moments he hears a click and then a creak. He rolls over to see Maggie walking out of his closet. That's a new one. He thinks.
She'd ditched her coat and shoes and is in her black skinnies and a white v-neck. She is gorgeous, as always but then she opens her mouth.
"Who the fuck pissed in your cheerios this morning?" she asks placing her hands on her hips.
Harry is so surprised that all he can do is laugh. She fights it as long as she can but then she begins to laugh as well. She bounces across the floor and jumps on top of him.
She leans down and kisses him, "What's wrong?" she asks between kisses. Harry waits a few minutes to reply, loving that fact that she was on top of him and kissing him.
She sits up and starts unbuttoning his coat. "Talk or I stop." She says simply.
Harry lets out a breath and closes his eyes. It will be easier to say if he doesn't have to look at her when he admits that he got jealous.
"I was jealous." He breathes out. He can feel her fingers stall on his coat. He opens his eyes to see her trying not to laugh.
"You think that's funny?" He asks completely confused.
She shakes her head and covers her mouth with her hand.
"Then why are you trying not to laugh?" He questions as he reaches for her hands.
She coughs a few times and then says with a completely straight face, "It's not funny." But the straight face lasts as long as the sentence before she's curled over and laughing into his chest.
Harry can't help it. He begins to chuckle, "Why is it so funny?" he says.
She leans back and smiles down at him, "Because, who do you have to be jealous of? Lets be honest guys aren't exactly falling at my feet." She finishes.
"They should be." He says sitting up and pulling her hands against his chest, completely serious. "You are an amazing woman."
Maggie pulls away and climbs off the bed. "No, don't do that." She says as she straightens her shirt, looking at the floor.
"Don't do what?" He says swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
"Offer endearing compliments. That's not how this works." She says as she makes her way towards the closet. Harry stays on the bed, looking down at his hands. Why won't she let me love her? He thinks and then stops short, Love?
"We're going out tonight as a group so the chemistry is already partially there for the camera tomorrow. Please be ready." She says before disappearing into the closet.
Harry nods his head and then falls back against the bed.
"Oh, boy." He breathes out.
Hours later the group returns to the hotel. The boys and the models were getting along great and already friendships were blooming. This will work nicely on camera. Maggie thinks to herself.
They'd gone out to a local pub and had gotten some food and had a few drinks. Mostly they'd just hung out and talked, it was actually really fun. Maggie was feeling the buzz of her beers. I'm such a lightweight, she thinks as she climbs the stairs clutching the banister. She saunters into her room, pushes the door closed and kicks off her shoes. She's taking of her coat when she feels hands on her arms.
Mmmmm, he's nice and warm. She thinks as she leans into him. His thumbs dig into the stressed muscles of her shoulders.
"Oh my goodness that feels amazing." She says as she rolls her neck in a circle. She lets her coat slip off her arms as he continues to message her back. He guides her to the bed and turns her around. Maggie's eyes are still closed in bliss as he traces the plains of her face and brushes her eyelashes with his fingers.
"You are beautiful." He whispers, his breath warming Maggie's chilled nose.
"You're not so bad yourself." She mumbles before their lips make contact.
The kiss is slow and deliberate, like he's taking his time to explore and taste her. It makes Maggie weak in the knees. Oh boy, she thinks, this just might kill me.
Just as Maggie is about to reach up and deepen the kiss, there is a knock at the door. Both of their heads snap towards the sound and they freeze.
"Maggie?" They hear Niall say from the other side of the door. Harry looks at her like he's going to kill someone.
Maggie points to the closet. Go she mouths. He doesn't budge. She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him slowly on the lips.
"Please." She barely whispers. Slowly he turns and walks back through the closet.
Maggie adjusts her shirt, trying to catch her breath before she walks over to answer the door. She opens it to see Niall leaning against the railing opposite the door.
"Niall, what's going on bud?" she questions.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asks looking down.
"Yea, sure come on in." She says stepping aside to let him in. She softly closes the door behind him.
Maggie turns around to find him standing by the window, looking out at the ocean lapping at the beach.
"You looked just like her." He says.
Maggie walks over to stand beside him. "Just like who?" she asks looking at him sideways.
"Melanie." He says simply. "My summer girl."
Maggie takes a sharp intake of breath.
"Don't be freaked out I just wanted you to know why I acted strange this afternoon." He says turning towards her. "When you walked out onto the deck this afternoon with your red coat and your rosy cheeks it was like I was seeing a ghost. I literally thought that you were her." He goes and sits down in the chair in the corner. "God, I sound like such an idiot." He says as he places his head in his hands.
Maggie turns around and leans against the windowsill, her arms folded in front of her, "You don't sound like an idiot." She says softly.
He looks up and says exasperated, "Come on, Maggie. I just told you that you look like my dead ex-girlfriend. What about that statement sounds anything other than idiotic?"
Maggie shrugs her shoulders, "You're in love. Love makes us do bat shit crazy things." She says simply.
"I was in-love." He mumbles.
Maggie walks over and squats in front of him. "No, you are in love." She says taking his hands in hers. "I don't think that you've fully excepted that she's gone. I think that you're still planning on flying home and seeing her when you get back."
He looks up at her with tears in his eyes. "Don't worry. I know what you're going through." Maggie says gently. "My grandma died in Texas. The entire family was back in Iowa when it happened. Even after the funeral, I always thought that she was just on her winter vacation and that she'll be back come spring. It took me years to accept that she was actually gone."
Niall slowly nods his head. "And it's ok, to still love her." Maggie says pushing his hair out of his eyes. They're silent for a moment.
It occurs to Maggie that she never asked Niall if he wanted to be the lead in this video.
"Niall, do you want to play the lead tomorrow? I mean it is your song and your summer girl. I'm sure Louis will be more than happy to let you take it." Maggie says, "That is if you're up for it."
Niall thinks about it for a moment. "Can I tell you tomorrow morning?" he asks.
"Of course." Maggie says. Niall stands and so does she.
"Thank you." He whispers as he rubs his hands down his face. Maggie leans in and gives him a hug. "Anytime." She says simply.
Niall walks back to the door but before he leaves he turns and says, "He's lucky, you know."
"What?" Maggie says confused.
"Never mind." He says with a smile and then closes the door behind him.
Immediately, Harry emerges out of the closet. Maggie turns to him, her hands on her hips.
"That was close." He says simply.
"That was close? That's all you're going to say? We almost got caught. That was too fucking close." She whispers running her hands down her face. She looks back up to Harry. He's smiling a devilish grin and stalking towards her.
"Now where were we?" He says as he falls on top of Maggie on the bed.
The video shoot went by faster than expected. The weather co-operated beautifully, which was a blessing. Saturday, they filmed the sad and lonely scenes with the boys and after a killer storm on Sunday filmed the happy, carefree scenes. Niall ended up playing the lead and completely rocking it. Harry barely even used his room, he spent every night in Maggie's bed. Both nights they were too tired to do anything other than sleep, Maggie told herself it was because the hotel was so drafty and Harry always kept her warm. They wrapped up the shoot and everyone flew home together on Monday morning.
It was Tuesday and Maggie was sitting in her office watching the footage from the past weekend. She was already beginning to edit it and make cuts here and there.
She was just beginning to rap the first 30 seconds when Charles comes storming into the office. He walks straight to her desk and slams a magazine down on it, Maggie jumps at the loud crack, slipping off her head phones.
"Have you been fucking all of our clients?!" He screams at her.
Maggie looks down at the magazine and sees Harry leaving her apartment. As if in a daze, she gently grasps the article, like it's an unsteady bomb.
"I recognized your apartment." He whispers harshly. "Is this how we got this job? Because you spread your legs?" he asks harshly.
Maggie flinches at the harsh tone and hurtful image but can't form a defense.
"End it. Whatever it is." He says as he turns to leave. But he whorls around and ads, "If anyone finds out that it was you, we are finished and you can kiss your dream career goodbye." With that he slams her office door closed behind him.
Harry was just putting the top slice of bread on his sandwich when he hears a soft knocking at his door.
"Damn." He says, he hadn't eaten all day. He jogs over to the door and swings it open. Maggie is standing in the doorway; she pushes past him and shoves a magazine into his chest.
"Maggie," he says confused, "What's going on?"
Harry straightens the magazine and reads the headline. Harry Styles Late Night Adventures? was in big white letters across a picture of him leaving Maggie's apartment.
"Fuck." He says.
He turns around to see her pacing in front of his couch. She looks so out of place here. Her personality so full of life and bright colors, it was a sharp contrast to all the white around her.
"My boss knows. He brought me that." She says cracking her knuckles and then pointing at the article.
Harry looks down at the magazine and is completely numb. He knows what's coming but he doesn't want to face it. Not yet.
"Who cares?" He tries half-heartedly as he pushes the door closed.
"Who cares?!" Maggie screams at him, "Harry, if people in the music industry find out about this, everything that Charles has built will be destroyed. Everyone will think that he pimps out his employees to get gigs. That can't happen." She finishes. "My career would be completely ruined. Never mind if I have talent or not." She adds.
"What, so you're choosing you job over me?" he yells back.
"Don't you dare make this that simple, because it's not." She snaps back.
Harry studies her for a moment, "What are you thinking?"
"I think that we should take a break. Not see each other for a few weeks. By then the video will be finished and we'll be announcing its release date. A few weeks before the video is released, we can start hanging out with people that we both know or 'happen' to bump into each other at a club or something." She says in a rush.
The only thing that Harry comprehends out of her whole speech was that he wasn't going to see her for a few weeks.
"A few weeks?" He breathes out.
"Harry we've only known each other a week." Maggie says sheepishly.
"Don't make it that simple, because its not." He throws back at her with a half-hearted smirk.
Maggie tries to fight the sad smile threatening to spread across her face. "Touche." She says.
Harry inclines his head as if saying thank you then looks at the floor in defeat. She walks over and stands in front of him.
"It'll fly by, I promise." She says as she reaches up to kiss him.
"Can we have good-bye sex then?" Harry whispers against her lips.
"Good-bye for now sex." She replies. And that is all the invitation he needs before he picks her up and carries her to the bedroom.
This is not flying by at all. Maggie hadn't seen him in 17 days. Not that she was counting. She had spent every waking moment working on the video. It was turning into a real masterpiece but it was heartbreaking to watch Harry all day on her computer screen and then not see him at night. It was like she was eighteen again. Maggie went to work and then went home. Charles had calmed down when she'd told him that she ended it. But she was still afraid that she was going to lose her job, which was probably why she was working so hard on this video.
Maggie is doing more editing when Charles pokes his head into her office.
"How's it going?" He asks as he brings his full body into view.
"Great. It's really coming along nicely. I think it'll be finished by the end of the week." Maggie says looking up from the screen.
"Good, good." Charles mumbles. "Listen Maggie, I wanted to apologize for how I acted a few weeks ago." He says.
Maggie is completely taken back by this but stammers, "Oh, t-t-that's ok."
"No it's not." He interrupts. "Who am I to tell you who to love and when to love them? And how I talked to you was extremely fowl. I truly and deeply am sorry. Can you forgive me?" He pleads.
"Yes, of course." Maggie says. I have to, you're my boss. She adds in her head.
"Good, and relax, I was never going to fire you. I can't risk loosing my best talent." He finishes with a wink before walking out of her office.
Maggie lets out a breath that she'd been holding for the past two and half weeks. She turns in her chair and reaches for her phone. It was a Wednesday and Maggie felt like going out this weekend.
She dials Leah's number and she picks up on the second ring.
"SHE LIVES!" Leah screams into the phone.
"It's nice to hear from you too, Leah." Maggie giggles
"Please tell me you're calling to invite me out tonight." Leah begs in a desperate voice.
"Not tonight, Friday night." Maggie says.
"Close enough. When are you picking me up?" Leah asks excitedly.
"11o'clock and don't make me wait again. Also wear dancing shoes because I get to keep my job! Yay!" Maggie says with mock excitement.
"Well done, whore. Did you sleep with your boss too?" She asks sarcastically.
"Seriously, Leah?" Maggie asks dryly.
"Too soon?" Leah asks.
"Little bit." Maggie answers.
"Dooley noted." Leah says, "See you Friday!" She yells and then hangs up.
"Crazy girl. " Maggie mumbles as she sets her phone down on her desk. She looks at the clock. 3:30, she could quite early since she'd been putting in all this over time and quick do some shopping. She had a rock stars socks to knock off and she knew the perfect dress to help her do that.
Josh jumps over the short staircase to land in their VIP booth and pretty much crashes into Harry.
"Whoa, Josh, settle down boy. What's all this about?" Harry laughs reaching for his drink.
Josh moves to stand in front of him and says, "Gorgeous blond, red dress at the bar. Amazing bum."
Harry casually scans the bar over Josh's shoulder and freezes with his drink half way to his lips. He'd recognize that bum anywhere. Her back is to the club and is free of fabric. He follows the trail of her long legs up to her bum. He should be angry with all the skin she is showing but he's too busy enjoying the view.
Josh smiles and says, "You see her don't you."
Harry thinks about it, they were supposed to be letting people know they knew each other. So he says, "I know her." as he sets his drink down with a proud grin.
Josh looks like he just saw a pig fly. "You know her? Damn Styles, do you know every hot woman in London?"
"Not every hot woman." He says as he steps around Josh and makes his way towards Maggie.
"Fancy seeing you here." He whispers in her ear as he slides up next to her, leaning on the bar. His nose is in her hair for a moment and he's lost in strawberry fields.
She turns to him and smiles a knee-wobbling smile, "Fancy that." She turns to a girl on the other side of her and says, "Leah, this is Harry. I shot his music video a few weeks ago."
The cute short girl almost chokes on her drink as she extends her hand, "I'm a huge fan." She coughs out. Well at least she has a friend for Josh. He thinks to himself.
"Would you two ladies like to joins us in our booth?" Harry asks flashing his own smile.
"We would love to." The girl named Leah pipes up. They walk over to the booth and Harry introduces them to the group.
"Maggie, Leah, this is Nick, Rita and Josh. A few friends of mine. Nick, Rita and Josh, meet Maggie and Leah." Then Harry sits down pulling Maggie along with him. Josh, seeing his opportunity, rushes over and begins chatting up Leah. Good wingman Harry thinks.
He leans over and talks low enough so that only Maggie can hear, "So is this the part of the plan when we begin to go public?" he questions.
"Yup," Maggie answers flippantly. "My boss said I get to keep my job. Besides the music video is finished. I actually finished it this afternoon." She says with a proud smile.
"And is it a completely magical?" Harry asks as if he's completely enthralled.
"Superb." Maggie says without missing a beat.
The girl named Rita pipes up, "Do you two know each other?" cutting into their conversation.
Harry leans back and yells over the music, "She directed our latest music video."
Rita races two perfectly maintained eyebrows. "Really?" She says impressed.
"Yes really." Harry says, "Why is that so surprising?" He asks suddenly on the defensive. He feels Maggie lean into him and gently rub his leg with her own, trying to calm him down.
"It's because I'm so young. There aren't very many successful 25 year old directors out there." She says looking at Rita with a calm expression. Not offended in the slightest.
Rita smiles at Maggie and tips her glass towards her as if saying thank you.
"And when will we get to see this wonderful work of art?" Nick says changing the subject.
Maggie focuses her attention on him and replies, "Two weeks after their single is released."
"Well, that's exciting. Are you nervous?" He asks kindly.
Maggie shrugs, "A little. I mean it is my first video that I've directed and edited all on my own which is exciting but frankly I can't wait."
"Well, good luck." Nick says raising his glass in a toast.
"Thank you." Maggie says raising her own.
For the rest of the evening, Harry watches as Maggie becomes friends with his. She fit right in. Now that he was keeping his mouth shut, she was making friends with Rita quiet easily.
He sees Maggie glance down at her phone and frown at the time. She motions for her friend to go.
She returns to Harry and sits down next to him, "I've got to go. It's almost 4 in the morning."
Harry stands and holds out his hand, "I'll drive you home." They all pile into Harry's range rover and one by one he drops people off until only he and Maggie are left in the car. While he's making his way over to her house he says, "You do realize that now, your Twitter will explode, they'll find your Facebook and you'll be called terrible names, you won't have any privacy."
Maggie takes Harry's hand in between hers and kisses the back of it. "I don't care." She says simply. "As long as you're there to hold me at the end of the day." She adds.
He pulls up in front of her apartment, she leans over and gives him a slow kiss on the lips. She goes to open the door but Harry grabs her wrist.
"I'm having people over for dinner in a few days. You should come." He says.
"I should come?" Maggie says lifting an eyebrow.
"I want you to come." He says with a double meaning smile.
Maggie smiles a slow smile, "Ok. I'll be there."
They'd hung out in the public eye a few more time since that night in the club. They'd grabbed coffee and went to dinner with Rita but never did they show any type of affection.
Harry was right. Maggie's twitter account had exploded, overnight she'd gone from 15 followers to almost a thousand and it was still climbing. She started receiving threats to stay away from him after they'd gotten coffee the first time but overall she was ignoring the overly protective fans. Their slander wasn't even that creative. But she did enjoy the occasional supportive fan complimenting her on her looks or lifestyle. It was a great confidence boost.
Now, she is riding the elevator to Harry's penthouse. She'd decided to go with a more innocent look and was wearing a blue lace dress that synched at the waist and hung loosely to mid thigh. Her hair was put up in a messy bun at the nape of her neck with whispies flying free around her face, her make-up was done to look natural but sexy.
The doors slide open and she walks to his door, her nude heals clicking on the tile. She knocks lightly and a second later, Harry wrenches open the door.
"You came." He says with a huge grin. He's wearing a white button down shirt that was left open at the collar. His strong legs where clad in comfy looking, navy blue dress pants and he wore brown dress shoes.
"Of course I came. Did you think I wasn't?" She says as she walks past him. She purposefully brushes into him as she strolls past.
"I had my doubts." He croaks out.
Maggie walks into the room and Rita runs up to greet her.
"How have you been, girl?" She asks hugging Maggie.
"Great. How have you been? How's the new song coming along?" Maggie questions,
"Swimmingly. Hey, I mentioned a certain studio to my manager for my up coming music video." She says elbowing Maggie in the ribs with a goofy grin.
"You didn't! Oh my goodness, Rita. Thank you so much!" Maggie says giving the girl another hug.
Rita pulls back and whispers low, "Hey, I know this is a weird question considering the change of topic but do you have a tampon?"
Maggie starts rummaging in her purse and says, "Yea, sure." She pulls one out but freezes when Rita takes it from her.
Maggie tries to keep her breathing even.
"You alright love?" Rita asks touching her arm.
"What? Oh yea, I'm fine. I just remembered that there's something I need to call my boss about. I'm going to go out on the balcony."
Maggie walks out on the deck chanting, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." She reaches in her purse and pulls out her phone to check the date.
"Fuuuuck." She breathes out.
She dials Leah's number. "Come on. Pick up, pick up, pick up." Maggie starts pacing back and forth on the balcony.
On the last ring Leah picks up, "Yello," She answers.
Right when Maggie is about to talk, she hears Harry laugh from inside and turns around to watch him.
"Hello?" Leah repeats in her ear.
"Leah," Maggie barely manages, "I'm late."
"What do you mean you're late?" Leah questions.
"I mean," Maggie says still staring at Harry, "I think I'm pregnant."
"What the fuck?!" Leah yells through the phone. "Did I not teach you anything? What is the number one rule? Always use protection and if you forget, use Plan B. Besides aren't you are on the pill?" Leah finishes.
"I know, I am on the pill but I am terrible at remembering. Besides half the times that Harry and I were together alcohol was involved and we were in a rush. "
"Okay, lets think about this for a second." Leah says slowly. "How many periods have you missed? Because with all that stress at work you could've missed one because of that."
"I missed two. I should've had my period when I flew out to North Carolina for the shoot and I should have it now. I've been too wrapped up in this Harry thing and video shit to remember." She says. "Fuuuuuuck."
At that moment, Harry notices Maggie out on the balcony. He begins to walk towards her.
"Leah," Maggie starts in a rush. "Meet me at my apartment in like 3 hours. Bring a test. There's a key under the front mat." She hangs up right when Harry pushes through the patio door.
"What are you doing out here, love? You'll catch a cold." He says as he walks over to her and wraps her in his arms as she slides hers around his waist. Maggie buries her face in his chest and takes a deep breath, breathing in the scent that always clung to his skin, a mixture of mint, soap and something Harry. The simple gesture leaves Maggie feeling oddly calm.
"Are you alright?" He murmurs into her hair, as he rubs circles on her back. Maggie leans back and smiles.
"Yes, I'm just glad I'm here." She says simply.
This makes the biggest grin Maggie has ever seen spread across his face, "Good." He says, "Dinners ready, are you hungry?"
"Starved." Maggie says trying to not freak out now that she might be eating for two.
After a night of laughter and good conversation, Harry is driving Maggie home. She's been quiet the entire trip and it's making Harry nervous.
He reaches over and rubs her leg, "Are you sure you're alright?" He questions.
Maggie takes his hand in hers and looks down at them, "I'm fine, I promise, I'm just stressed about work." She says quietly.
Harry tries to change the subject, "Did you have fun tonight?"
Maggie's head snaps up and she gives him a tight smile, "Yes, I really like your friends."
Harry pulls up in front of her apartment and parks.
"Don't move." He says before jumping out to open her door for her.
"You're lying." He says as he helps her out of the car.
Maggie sighs and looks at the buttons of his shirt, "I really do like your friends, I'm just tired."
Harry studies her for a moment. He takes her hand and carries it with their fingers interlocked as they climb the stairs to her door. He sees Maggie look at the door as if Hell is waiting on the other side.
"I'm going to check up on you tomorrow." He says after a moment looking at their fingers.
"There's no need. I think I'm going to take a few days off of work and visit a friend in Ireland tomorrow." She says with a shrug, not looking at him.
She was hiding something from him but he couldn't figure out what.
"Ok, I'll see you when you get back, right?" He says trying to get her to look at him.
Maggie looks up and smiles at him, "Absolutely."
She steps into him and wraps her arms around his waist. His hands slide up her neck and cup her face. He slowly brings his lips to hers. The kiss is slowly and easy, like they have all the time in the world. This is the Maggie I know. He thinks as he angles his head for better access. He gives her one last sweep of his tongue and pulls back.
"Be careful Miss Hulstein or I might pin you up against this door." He says with his eyes closed trying to get the blood back to his brain.
Maggie giggles and kisses him on the nose. "I'll see you as soon as I get back."
She steps around him and disappears into her apartment.
"Bloody hell," He says to the night, "I am in trouble."
Maggie watches through her peephole as Harry drives away. As soon as he's out of sight, Maggie screams at the top of her lungs, "Leah!"
The calm that she'd felt while being around Harry was completely gone with his absence.
The girl runs around the corner, out of Maggie's bedroom holding a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses in her hands.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Maggie asks.
"If you aren't pregnant, we are getting celebratory drunk."
Maggie rips off her coat and asks, "And what if I am pregnant?"
"Then I will get depressingly drunk because I will forever be alone." Leah says just as serious. "Come on, woman. The test is waiting for you in the bathroom. I hope you stored up for this because I think I'm about to have a stroke."
Maggie sprints for the bathroom and rips open the box when she gets there.
She almost misses the toilet she tries to sit down so fast. She relieves herself on the stick and throws it into the sink like it's on fire. Leah is fidgeting in the doorway, already twisting the cap off the liquor bottle. She slams the two shot glasses down on the bathroom counter and fills them to the brim.
"How long does it take?" She asks quickly.
"3-5 minutes." Maggie responds setting a timer on her phone.
"Enough time for me to get a head start." Leah says as she throws back both glasses.
A few minutes later, Maggie cell phone dings the alarm. Her eyes snap to Leah.
"No matter what, I'll be here for you." She says as she hands Maggie a shot.
Maggie slowly reaches into the sink and pulls out the test to turn it around to face her.
Maggie reads the test and hands Leah back the shot.
"And I will forever be alone." She says as she downs that one too.
"What are you going to do?" Leah slurs taking a swig from the bottle. She'd long ago ditched the glasses.
Maggie and Leah were sitting on the floor of her room, facing the bed, where all this trouble started.
"I don't know." Maggie says. It really is a nice bed. She thinks.
"Are you going to keep it?" Leah slurs, rolling her head to look at Maggie.
"I don't know," Maggie repeats then adds, "I'm 24 at the beginning of my career."
They sit in silence for a few minutes and then Maggie holds up the test again. They should really find another symbol other than a pink cross to tell you that you're pregnant she thinks.
"I'm going to go to Ireland for a few days. I know a friend there. The clean air will clear my head anyway." Maggie says finally.
"Well, tell me what you decide when you get back." Leah says standing wobbly. "Can I crash on your couch? I'll lock the door when I leave tomorrow."
"Sure." Maggie says as she watches Leah sway out to her living room.
Maggie returns her gaze to the bed. She keeps seeing Harry sitting across from her at the dinner table tonight, an easy smile and caring eyes. Not a care in the world but his job and friends. She rubs her hand over her stomach and looks down at it
"I'm sorry." She whimpers as the tears begin to fall.
The next morning Maggie is walking onto the farrier that was taking her to Ireland for the weekend. She needed to think about this. She didn't want to get rid of it, the baby hadn't done anything wrong, it wasn't her fault. But Maggie couldn't see herself with a kid either. I should be happy for fuck's sake. That was what was killing her about this. If she kept it, she wanted to be able to tell her child that their existence had excited their mother. But that wasn't exactly the case. Adoption was always an option but she also didn't like the idea of someone else raising her child.
Maggie sits down in a booth and watches the cloudy harbor. What am I going to do?
Maggie steps out of the farrier building and sees Maggie Dykshorn standing by a car.
Maggie walks over and gives her friend a hug.
"Hello, girlie." She says while in the hug.
"How have you been?" Magz asks.
Maggie pulls back and says, "I'm pregnant."
Magz's mouth drops open, "Wow." Is all she says.
"Yup." Maggie says adjusting the strap on her shoulder.
Magz thinks about this for a moment and then says, "Well, I'm hungry and since you're eating for two now, you must be too. Lets go grab something to eat."
Maggie gives a half-hearted laugh and says, "Sure, sounds great."
Once they were back in the center of Dublin, sitting down at a whole in the wall pub, Magz turns to her and says, "Now spill. How did this precious miracle come to be."
So from the time that they order their meal and even finish eating it, Maggie recounts every detail of her and Harry's time together.
When she's finished, Magz sits for a moment absorbing all the details.
She looks up at Maggie with a don't you dare lie look and ask, "Do you love him?"
Maggie hadn't even thought about Harry when it came to the decision of their baby. Did she love him? And it felt like Maggie got hit with a bolt of lighting.
"Fuck. I think I do." She says in complete surprise.
"Then you will work it out. If not for your own sake but for your child's. Maggie, you couldn't give up that kid even if you wanted to." Magz finishes. "You will be a great mother." She adds.
For the first time, Maggie is actually excited about having this child. Her hand reflexively goes to rub her belly. She was still scared completely shitless to be a mother and scared that she was going to fuck up her kid but she also knew that she could do it with Harry.
"God dammit, Magz. You should write self-help books." Maggie says with a smile.
"I know, I'm like Gandhi." She says with a smirk.
Later on that night, after Magz had shown her around the city, Maggie was sitting on the bed in the guest room. She's staring at the phone lying on the bed in front of her. Should I call him? It was Thursday and she would be going home on Saturday.
Maggie picks up the phone and calls Harry. He picks up on the first ring.
"Maggie, how are you, love?" He says like he hasn't talked to her in a year.
"Good. I wanted to ask you something." She says cautiously.
"Sure, what's up dear?" He says. She can see him bunching his eyebrows together to show that he was concentrating and it brings a smile to her face.
"Would you be willing to meet me at my house Saturday afternoon?"
Harry lets out a sigh of relief and says, "You had me worried, Maggie. Of course I'll meet you at your flat on Saturday. I have Liam's bachelor party later that evening but I'll be there on time so there is plenty of time to talk." He says. Maggie can hear him smiling through the phone.
"Great. I'll see you then." Maggie says.
"I can't wait." Harry says before he hangs up.
Maggie sets the phone down on the bed. She has never been so nervous in her life.
On Saturday afternoon, Maggie is sliding her key into her lock. She'd had a great weekend with Maggie. They'd taken Magz's car out into the countryside and looked around. Maggie was always so shocked by all the green in Ireland. It was utterly beautiful. She really enjoyed the trip and the fresh air had cleared her head.
Maggie just finishes putting her dirty clothes in the washer when she hears her doorbell ring. She walks over to the door and takes a deep breath. I can do this. I can tell him. She swings open the door and Harry crashes into her. His lips are devouring hers and she reaches around him to push the doors closed. She starts working on the buttons on his coat.
He pulls back to look at her, "I've missed you so much. You had me worried the last time we spoke." He says still holding her face.
Maggie smiles and says, "I missed you too." She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him slowly. His arms snake around her and he pulls her close. She takes his hand and leads him towards the bedroom. Talking can wait, she tells herself.
After, Harry is leaning halfway up right against the headboard and Maggie is wedged in his shoulder. He's tracing circles on her bare thigh as she's playing with his free hand.
They had made love. Maggie kept thinking to herself. This last time hadn't been like any other time, it had been slow and unhurried.
Maggie takes a deep breath. Now seems as good of time as any. She thinks.
"What was that big sigh about?" Harry mumbles into her hair.
"I realized that I'm in love with you." She says simply. Harry stills for a moment and a wave a panic rises in Maggie's chest which quickly disappears as Harry rolls on top of her and begins to kiss her senseless.
"I take it you're happy about that." Maggie says giggling as Harry moves to kiss her shoulder.
"Happy?" Harry says leaning on his elbows to look at her. "You just made me the happiest I've been in a very long time." He says before he continues to kiss her. He moves back to her neck and Maggie says, "There's more."
"Uh, and what's that?" Harry asks not stopping his assault.
"I'm pregnant." She says simply. Harry completely freezes to the point that Maggie thinks he's stopped breathing.
"Harry?" Maggie asks.
This seems to snap him back into himself; he pushes up on his hands. The movement makes him push into Maggie.
Maggie moans with the sensation and throws her head back. Harry stares down at her as he continues to move. Have I ever seen anything more beautiful? He asks himself.
"I stand corrected," He says slowly. Maggie's eyes drag back to his. "Now I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life." He finishes and they proceed to make love a second time.
Harry is shrugging on his coat, "Are you sure that you want me to go?" He asks for the twentieth time.
"Yes." Maggie answers for the twentieth time.
"Cause I can stay home." He offers.
"Harry Edward Styles. You are going to this bachelor party. One of you're best friends is getting married, you are going." She says putting her hands on her hips.
"Okay, okay." He says putting his hands up in surrender. He leans down and kisses her slowly. "What are you going to do?" He asks grazing her cheek with his lips.
"I'm going to go to bed. I'm fucking tired from traveling and this afternoon and being pregnant." She finishes with a smile.
Harry leans back and with a huge grin and says, "I'm going to be a dad."
"Yes. You are." She says with an equally goofy grin. "But don't tell anybody yet. I don't want my parents finding out through the news and we don't want to take away from Liam's big night." She adds.
Harry nods his head slowly, "How soon can we tell people?"
"Soon, I'll call my parents tomorrow." Maggie says adjusting his coat. "Now, go and have fun."
It's almost two-thirty in the morning when Niall and the group of guys are walking out of the club. Everybody had been in great spirits. Harry especially, he'd kept buying everyone rounds of drinks. When Niall asked him what was wrong with him, he'd simply looked at him and said, "I'm just happy to be alive."
Liam and Harry were walking in the front of the group with Niall right behind them, pushing through the crowd of fans outside the club, trying to get to the car. Security was holding back the mob making a narrow hallway through.
Niall is checking his phone when he runs into Harry's back. He looks up to see a girl standing in the way of their entourage.
Slowly she raises a gun and points it at Liam. "She can't have you." She says before she pulls the trigger.
It happens too fast for Niall to process. Harry pushes Liam out of the way and takes the bullet square in the chest. He looks down at it and slowly raises his hand to the growing dark spot. He touches the wound and looks down at his bloody fingers. Niall watches in slow motion as his knees give out and he falls to the ground. Liam is there applying pressure to the wound, screaming for someone to call for help.
Harry is looking up at nothing when suddenly his gaze locks with Niall's. Niall falls to his knees next to Liam and Harry. Harry reaches for Niall's wrist and lays his other hand over Liam's on his chest.
"Take care of them." He says before his eyes drift closed and the grip around Niall's wrist goes slack.
Maggie gasps awake in bed clutching her chest.
"What the fuck?" She breathes out, it felt like somebody kicked her in the sternum. She looks over at the clock, 2:30, What the hell am I doing awake? She thinks to herself as she rubs the middle of her chest.
At that moment she hears a pounding at her door. Maggie's heart jumps up in her throat with excitement. She hops out of bed, throws on her robe and starts heading for the door. The pounding continues even as she stomps towards her entryway.
"Harry, I'm coming. Jeez." She calls as she opens the door. Only Harry isn't standing on her doorstep. Paul is breathing heavy and it looks like he'd been crying.
"Paul, what's-" She says.
But Paul cuts her off, "You need to get dressed and come with me."
"Paul, what's going on?" Maggie asks, "Where's Harry?"
Paul fidgets and says, "He's at the hospital. Waiting for you."
With that Maggie turns and runs to her room. She throws on a pair of old jeans, a white t-shirt and chucks. On the way out the door, she grabs her navy coat and scarf.
"Alright," She says as she walks past Paul. "Let's go."
Outside the hospital is surrounded by paparazzi. They drive through the ambulance entrance at the back. Maggie jumps out of the car and walks through the automatic doors into the waiting room.
Maggie scans the small waiting area, the walls are white and there are chairs configured to make two different waiting sections. She sees Niall leaning against the wall looking at the floor, Zayn is sitting in a chair staring off at nothing while Perrie rubs his arms like he's cold, Louis is sitting in the corner sobbing, Dani has her arms wrapped around a crying Liam and various other people that she'd never met before are scattered around the room.
Maggie looks over to see Niall approaching her, she looks down and sees blood on his shirt and pants.
"Niall! Are you ok?" She says running up to him.
"Yea, I'm fine, Maggie." He says as she pulls him into a hug. "Listen.."
Maggie cuts him off as she pulls back, "Good, where's Harry?" She asks looking over his shoulder.
Niall puts his hands on her shoulders and says, "That's what I'm trying to tell you."
Maggie's eyes snap back to him. "There was a fan outside the club." He begins.
"Where is he?" Maggie whispers taking a step back.
"She brought a gun and pointed it at Liam but Harry pushed him out of the way." He continues.
She slowly raises her hand and makes him stop talking, "Niall, please."
"He just went into surgery, he took the bullet to the chest."
Maggie's world freezes. She thinks that she hears Niall talking but she's not sure, it could be her heartbeat in her ears for all she comprehends at the moment. She stops breathing and just stares at the blood on Niall. That is way too much blood to survive losing. She thinks.
Niall watches as her eyes empty. Paul walks up beside Maggie and puts his arm around her shoulders. She flinches away from the contact.
Still staring at the blood on his shirt, tears fall that he doubts she's aware of as she mumbles, "You said he was at the hospital."
It takes Niall a moment to realize that she's talking to Paul.
Paul sighs and offers, "He is at the hospital."
Maggie begins to shake her head slowly but it picks up pace with her words, "No. He's in the hospital. Because he's dying." She finishes in a scream. She shoves away from Paul and runs for the stairs in the corner. She shoves through the door and disappears up the stair well.
Paul turns to go after her but Niall grabs his arm.
"No." He says as he walks towards the stairs.
He climbs the flights of stairs until he hits the roof access. He hears screaming on the other side of the door. He pushes through the door and finds Maggie pacing near the ledge.
He walks slowly over to her. He can hear her chanting, "I can't do this." Over and over again.
"Can't do what?" He asks in greeting. She turns to him and her face is streaked with tears and she's breathing heavy, her breath white puffs in front of her face.
Maggie throws out her arms wide. "This!" She yells with a sob.
"I can't do any of this without him." She says and holds her hand to her mouth.
"You won't be alone. All of us are here for each other." He says, he was going to say more but Maggie cuts him off by saying, "I'm pregnant. And it's his."
She sits down hard on the wide ledge of the building. Niall walks over and sits down next her, completely shocked into silence.
"I told him y-yesterday before he went out. I-I made him go to that bachelor party. I-I-I made him g-go. I should've let him s-stay." She stammers out in a rush.
Niall pulls her into a hug and says, "You didn't cause this. None of this is your fault. Bad things happen to good people." He feels her shaking against his side.
Maggie pulls back enough to look up at him, "What if he doesn't make it?"
Niall doesn't miss a beat, "He is going to make it." And then he adds a moment later, "And if he doesn't, your child will have four fathers. We'll all be there to take care of you." He adds.
"Why would you take care of me? You don't even know me." Maggie says with a sniff.
Niall shrugs, "Because he told me to."
Maggie rests her head on his chest as he rest his chin on her head and lets out a long sigh.
"I can't lose him. I didn't realize it until now." She says and then begins to sob again. Niall silently wraps his arm around her and lets her cry.
Maggie is watching the sunrise through the hospital windows holding a cup of cold coffee when a woman runs into the waiting room. Everyone quickly stands and approaches her. Maggie isn't sure what's going on until she sees the woman's face. He looks exactly like her, same eyes, mouth and chocolate brown hair.
Maggie quickly turns and heads toward the other end of the room. She couldn't meet her yet. Not like this. Maggie thinks. She watches as the loving crowd engulfs his mother.
Awhile later, Paul sits down next to Maggie.
"I'm sorry." He says not looking at her. "I didn't know how you would react if I told you the whole truth."
Maggie doesn't say anything for a few minutes when a thought occurs to her.
"How did you know to come get me?" Maggie asks looking at him.
"Because he would've wanted you to be the first person he's sees when he wakes up." Paul says simply.
"But how did you know about us?" She questions.
Paul smiles, "I knew the second he pulled that curtain back and stopped breathing. Never in all my years working for these boys have I ever witnessed Harry stunned into silence by a girl. I also saw him try and stop you on the way to your car. You didn't even look at him." Paul finishes.
Maggie looks down at her hands in shame.
Paul pats her knee, "A woman is only cold to the man she loves." He says with a smile.
Maggie looks up at him and asks, "Why is that?"
Paul shrugs and says, "Because she knows he'll come back for more."
Around noon the doctor walks into the waiting room, Maggie moves to go and talk to him but Paul keeps her in her seat.
"Not yet, love. I may have known but I doubt anyone else knew." He says with a sad expression.
Maggie falls back against the chair in defeat. He was right. She watches as Harry's mother is whisked away to go see him. Niall walks over and joins Paul and Maggie.
"He's awake. They repaired most of the damage. The bullet grazed the outer tissues of his heart but it didn't hit anything major. The biggest issue is all the blood he lost." He says and then adds, "His heart stopped twice during surgery." Looking down at his shoes.
Maggie stares straight ahead as tears begin to fall down her cheeks, either from the shock of knowing that he died twice or from the joy of knowing that he was alive, she couldn't really know.
After about an hour, Ann returns to the waiting room. She looks around the room and her eyes stop on Maggie. Maggie's heart rate doubles in time.
Ann walks steadily over and stops in front of her, studying Maggie.
"Are you Maggie?" She finally asks. Maggie stands and nods her head rubbing her hands on her jeans.
"He's asking for you." Ann says softly.
Maggie doesn't even hesitate, she moves around Ann and runs out of the waiting room. Nurses are yelling at her not to run but she doesn't hear them. She runs towards the only room that has a policeman standing outside of it.
He steps in front of her to stop her, "I'm Maggie. He's asking for me."
He must have read something in her face because he lets her pass. Maggie slowly walks into the room. The crème walls reflect the glow of the single light shining over the bed. The room is bare save the bed and a single chair and table.
Maggie's hand flies to her mouth and she rushes to his side.
He's pale. His skin is almost translucent and there are dark circles under his beautiful green eyes. His brown curls hang dead around his face. She can see the bandage peeking out from underneath his hospital gown at the center of his chest. He raises his hand, reaching for her and she gently takes it in hers as she sits on the edge of the bed. She kisses the back of it and slowly curls around it holding it to her chest.
"Hey now." He says softly. "I'm not dead."
Maggie sits up and sniffs, "No you aren't." she agrees as she looks at his big hand between hers. "But you could have been."
"But I'm not." He repeats, squeezing her hand, getting her to look at him. Maggie reaches up and brushes his hair out of his face.
They just sit and hold each other's hands for a few minutes.
"I almost lost you." Maggie says a fresh wave tears coming on. "Don't ever do that again."
Harry smiles and asks, "What? Get shot? Trust me I don't plan on it."
Maggie smiles and slowly stands. As gently as she can, she leans over the side of the bed and plants a slow kiss on his dry lips.
"I love you." She whispers against them. She pulls back and drags her nose across his cheek lightly.
Harry smiles and whispers back, "I love you."
Maggie sits back down on the bed.
"Did you meet my mum?" Harry asks with a smile, his words beginning to slur and his eyes droop.
"Not officially." Maggie answers.
"You should." Harry says before he closes his eyes and drifts to sleep.
Maggie sits and watches him sleep for a long time before she stands and walks out to the waiting room. She approaches Ann and extends her hand.
"Hello, I'm Maggie." She says. "We haven't officially met."
Ann stands and shakes her hand. "Ann."
Maggie gestures toward the cafeteria, "Do you want to get something to eat? I have a lot to tell you."
Ann and Maggie sit down with their hospital food. They each got plastic wrapped sandwiches and Jell-O.
Ann doesn't waist anytime though, Maggie is opening her Jello-O when she asks, "How do you know Harry?"
Maggie looks up and sees Ann leaning on her elbows against the table. She is a Mama Bear. Maggie thinks to herself.
Maggie grabs her spoon and starts mashing her Jell-O as she says nervously, "Harry and I have been dating for about a month." Close enough to the truth. Ann doesn't seem surprised in the least.
Maggie sets down her Jell-O, "Did he tell you?"
Ann nods her head, "He is my son. We do talk to each other. Not as often as I'd hope but he does call. The last time he phoned me he said that he had big news to tell me. I guess you're the news, at least you should be seeing as how you ran off as soon as I told you he was asking for you." She states with a soft smile.
"When was the last time he called you?" Maggie asks taking a bite of her Jell-O cautiously.
Ann swallows her bite of food, "Yesterday, when he was on his way to the club." She sets her sandwich down as if she's no longer hungry.
Maggie swallows hard, "I'm not the news he was going to tell you." She says slowly.
Ann looks up at her confused. "The news does involve me but a little differently than you would think." Maggie states gently.
"Well, spit it out girl." Ann says leaning forward, "I doubt it can faze me after the day I've had."
"I'm pregnant." Maggie interrupts. "And before you ask, yes it is his. And I am 100% sure." She adds in a rush.
Ann sits staring a Maggie for several minutes. Slowly a smile spreads across her lips that reminds Maggie so much of Harry's.
After the big announcement, Ann wanted to know everything about Maggie. They talked until the cafeteria closed. The people closest to Harry decided to take shifts staying at the hospital with him. Ann got the first shift and Maggie was going to take the second. During Ann's shift, Maggie ran back to her apartment and showered and changed. While she was looking for a shirt to wear, she sees one of Harry's laying on the floor. She slowly walks over to it and picks it. She raises it to her nose and breathes in everything that is Harry. She throws the shirt over head and makes for the door.
On the way back to the hospital she calls her boss and explains everything that's going on. He tells her not to worry and take all the time she needs.
When she gets to the hospital, she weaves her way through the hallways and walks towards Harry's room. When she walks in, Ann is sleeping at the foot of the bed in the uncomfortable armchair. Harry is sleeping in the bed.
Maggie quietly walks up and shakes her awake. Ann sits bolt up right looking around quickly.
Maggie holds up her hands, "Easy. It's just me."
"What are you doing here?" Ann asks looking at her watch. "You're shift doesn't start for two hours."
"I went home and found one of his shirts and couldn't be away from him. You should go home. I can't sleep anyway."
"You need your rest, dear." Ann says patting her hand.
"I'll rest better if I'm by him." Maggie admits.
Ann thinks it over for a few moments then stands and grabs her coat, "I need to see my husband anyway." She walks over and brushes her hand across Harry's cheek. "Take care of my boy." She says before she leaves the room.
Maggie sits down in the chair, puts her elbows on her knees and lays her head in her hands. It wasn't getting any easier seeing him like this. Sick and unmoving.
"Hey." Maggie's head snaps up. Harry is smiling down at her. "I can see down your shirt."
Maggie can't help but laugh. Harry begins to stiffly move over on the bed.
"Harry, don't move!" Maggie says sternly standing up and placing her hands on his arm.
He stops and looks at her with a mask of annoyance, "Don't tell me what to do, woman." He says before he keeps moving over. When there is enough room for another person he says, "Now come and lay by me. I'm cold."
Maggie can't refuse him so she kicks off her shoes and gently climbs on he bed. She curls into his side careful not to touch his chest. She drapes her free hand across his lower waist and he reaches around to cup her elbow, her head is resting on his shoulder.
Maggie is almost asleep when she hears him mumble, "I think it's a girl."
She can't help but smile.
7 Months Later..
"Harry we got to go!" Maggie yells from the kitchen. She takes another bite of her homemade burrito.
"Alright, I'm coming." He says walking into the kitchen trying to tie his tie. He's wearing a black and white tux. Way sexier than James Bond. Maggie thinks to herself.
"How does this work again?" he asks looking at it confused. Maggie walks up and grabs the tie from his hands. Quickly ties it and tightens it around his neck. She pulls on the end to bring his head down.
"Harry Edward Styles, we cannot be late for this." She threatens.
"Yes, my lady." He says as he kisses her. He bends down and kisses her protruding stomach through her black mullet dress. Being almost 9 months pregnant made Maggie feel like a house but it did have its perks. Her boobs had almost double in size and no one was complaining.
Harry takes her hand and leads her out to the car, he helps his very pregnant girlfriend into the car. They'd made the announcement shortly after Harry had been released from the hospital and Maggie had begun to show. Harry still moved a little slow but overall he was completely healed. He'd begun singing again weeks after the shooting, mostly just leaning over Maggie's stomach in bed but the doctor told him to take it easy either way. Maggie had been working steadily. The video she directed was a huge hit. Mostly now she worked on editing and less directing but she didn't mind. With this new line of work she was able to go home every night and see Harry.
They were on their way to one of Dani's private dance recitals. Her company loved throwing random ballets in abandoned warehouses in the working district of London.
Harry pulls up outside the warehouse but there aren't any cars.
"Harry, are you sure you put in the right address?" Maggie asks as he puts the car in park.
He doesn't answer her as he steps out of the car. He walks around and helps her out of the car.
"Harry, what's going on?" She asks as he leads her towards a door in the side of the building. Before he opens the door he turns towards her, "Close your eyes."
Maggie looks at him critically. "Why?" she asks.
Harry smiles and says, "You have two options. One, don't close your eyes and not find out what's on the other side of this door or.." He trails off.
"Fine." Maggie snaps as she closes her eyes, her curiosity getting the best of her.
Harry takes her hand and begins to lead her. She can hear the creaking of a door opening and her sandals on the concrete floor. She expects the space to smell of oil and rust but instead it smells like a rose garden.
Harry releases her hand, "Don't move."
"I won't" Maggie says completely taken in by the surprise.
She hears some rustling and then Harry says, "Open."
Harry is standing in a wooden gazebo in the middle of the warehouse. Surrounding Maggie and the structure are thousands of roses and candles. He had to have bought out every flower shop in London. Maggie thinks.
All at once, Maggie can hear one of her favorite songs begin to play, "The Book of Love." By Peter Gabriel. Maggie looks over and sees a full orchestra playing and the real Peter Gabriel singing.
Harry walks down and takes Maggie's hand.
"Is that Peter Gabriel?" Maggie asks pointing at the man with an open mouth.
"I know a guy." He says. "Shall we dance?"
He leads her up the steps of the gazebo and they begin to slow dance in a circle. Maggie lays her head on his chest and listens to the steady beat of his heart. Oh, how I love that heartbeat. Maggie thinks. She'd almost lost it and she was never going to let it go.
Harry begins to sing the lyrics in her ear. Maggie laughs with the overall effect. He spins her out and then spins her back in, bringing her back pressed into his chest as he sings, "But I-I-I-I I love it, when you give me things. And you-oo-oo-oo, You aught to give me," He spins her out and drops to one knee. "Wedding rings." He sings as he produces a beautiful diamond ring from his pocket.
"Will you marry me?" He asks with a huge smile on his face.
"Fuck." Maggie breathes out.
"That wasn't exactly the answer I was going for." Harry says lowering the ring.
"No," Maggie says with a shocked expression on her face. "I would love to marry you. My water just broke." She finishes looking down.
Harry shoots to his feet and says, "Fuck."
"Right?" Maggie breathes out looking up at him.
Harry looks at Maggie with an expression of pure love and joy, "We're going to be parents."
"Yea." Maggie says with the same expression but then doubles over from a contraction.
Harry calls for an ambulance and on the way to the hospital, he whispers in her ear, "I can't wait to see our baby girl."
"You don't know that it is a girl." Maggie says between gritted teeth.
"I know." Harry says so sure of himself.
8 hours later, an exhausted Maggie opens her eyes to see Harry rocking in the chair next to the bed. He doesn't know she's awake. He's too consumed by the bundle in his arms.
7 lbs. and 6 oz., 20 inches long, Darcy Lynn is the spitting image of her father, from the curly brown hair to the dimples. The only characteristic she inherited from her mother are her big blue eyes. Harry was thrilled with the blue eyes.
Maggie watches as he slowly rocks back and forth humming softly. He starts to sing the lyrics to "Isn't She Lovely" By Stevie Wonder.
"Isn't she lovely, Isn't she wonderful, Isn't she precious, Less than one minute old, " Harry looks up at Maggie and continues to sing, "I never thought through love we'd be, Making one as lovely as she, But isn't she lovely made from love."
And they lived happily ever after.
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