GOTTA BE YOU
Summary: Bambi Aerith was an upcoming fashion model and actress working really hard to find her place in the industry. This is until she was advised to meet and befriend the One Direction boys and fell hopeless in love with Harry Styles, the boy who was able to take off her carefully applied mask.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next day she woke in Harry's arms, holding her protectively to his body, as though she might have run away in the night (although it was closer to morning when they finally slept). Her phone was buzzing on the bedside table, blinding her in the dim light. The caller ID was unknown and she was, at first, sceptical about whether to pick it up, but decided to anyway.
"Hey, Bambi, is that you?" a familiar voice spoke.
Her face immediately brightened up at her cousin's voice, "Emily!" she whispered loudly, still trying not to wake Harry, "How've you been?"
"Good," she replied, "Except my mum's been trying to call you for the last few days and she won't stop nagging me about it."
Bambi slapped her forehead, "Aunt Cassie, dammit. She called my manager and she told me but I forgot to call back," she carefully removed Harry's arm and stepped out into the kitchen, flinching due to the cold tiles on her feet, "Things have been a little full on over here."
"So I've seen. Good catch there, Bambs," Emily spoke happily, "I think I like Harry the best and I haven't even met him before."
She thought about it, smiling as she remembered his face when he slept, "You know Em... I do too. I really like Harry, he's something special."
"Is it because of his you-know-what?"
Bambi tried to stifle her laughter, but burst into it anyway, "His you-know-what? Of course not, and you still call it that, Em? Geez you're sixteen!"
There was a giggle on the other side of the phone, "It's not my fault. All of these interviews and video diaries tell me that it's huge."
"You're an idiot," Bambi said with a smile, "Are you going to tell me why you're really calling?"
Emily sighed, "I really didn't want to but you forced it out of me. Mum's been bugging me about the whole modelling thing again. I don't think she's ever going to get over the fact that I'm really not interested at all."
"So she's still not keen on your designing?"
"Nope, she thinks that designers are 'back stage' work and that I should be on the runway. It's stupid because, no offence Bambs, but designers kind of make the show. Plus, I know that I don't look right for it anyway."
Bambi smiled, "Emily, you're beautiful."
"Well, yeah, I guess. Point is, my mum isn't letting it go and she wants me to ask you to take me in for a while. She thinks that if I go and stay with you I'll be.. drawn by your 'glamorous lifestyle' or something."
Bambi considered it, her arm bandaged, a half empty bottle of vodka in the bin and half dressed Harry Styles just waking up in her bedroom. Everything was a mess and she wasn't sure how it would rub off on Emily, who was her best friend as well as cousin and one of the few people she felt comfortable around. However, she knew that Aunt Cassie would never drop the topic and she really did miss Em.
"You know, I do have a spare guest room and you can bring all of your sewing stuff and design boards," she said with a smile.
Excitedly, her cousin thanked her and told her that she would be there within the next week. At that moment, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She turned to kiss him, "Morning, handsome," she said, hugging him, "You slept well."
Harry ruffled his hair, "Yeah, I knocked right out."
Bambi smiled, "You sleep cute."
He stuck out his tongue, "I sleep manly." He laughed before asking about the phone call, "Who was it?"
"My cousin from Australia. She's coming to stay for a while in about a week."
Harry put him arm around her before looking mockingly thoughtful, "So is she a hot cousin or a...?"
Bambi hit his arm jokingly, "You're a dick."
At that moment, there was a repeated knocking on the door that sounded more like they were trying to break it down than to politely ask for entrance to her abode.
"Must be the boys. I'm going to shower, okay?" he kissed her lightly on the lips, "They're probably going to want to head off right away. Your bags are in your room. Don't add anything to it!"
Puzzled by his warning but letting him go to the bathroom anyway, Bambi went to open the front door. She was greeted by four worried, but smiling faces. All four were dressed casually with their hair barely styled, their van parked in her drive way.
"Bambi!" exclaimed Louis, jumping to embrace her, "You're okay. We missed you."
"I'm fine," she smiled, realizing that she was wearing an old singlet and her scruffy shorts, "You guys want to come in or am I meant to stand in my driveway dressed like this?"
Zayn winked, "I think you look cute."
Harry ended up taking a lot longer in the shower than he sound have, so Bambi decided to show the boys her music room. As soon as she opened the door, they gasped and Niall fell to the floor, opting to crawl his way in.
"This is... this is incredible," gushed Niall, gently stroking an acoustic Maton, "I don't believe it."
"Well, you better," said Bambi, "Because I'm more than just a model."
"Can you play for us?" asked Liam.
Just as Bambi was about to refuse, Harry stepped into the room, a towel around his waist, "When I asked last night, I was one boy. Now there's five of us. Please play something?"
Bambi bit her lip, "I'm really no good at all but..."
"I think this collection says otherwise," observed Zayn.
"Okay, okay," Bambi caved, taking a seat at the piano, "I give up but no one else is allowed to hear this song, okay? Swear on it with your life."
Niall laughed, casually picking up a beautifully made acoustic guitar and eying it, "I swear on it with Nandos, now sing!"
Bambi rested her fingers on the keys, remembering the long nights she had spent playing music by herself. As a child she dreamt that people would listen to her music, sing along to it, but when she grew up she only wished that nobody would ever know about it. Her lyrics had always been honest and rendered her completely vulnerable, which was probably why performing scared her so much, but she really did love it.
The chords were soft and familiar, and her sweet voice sang through the silence.
Shut the door
Turn the light off
I wanna be with you
I wanna feel your love
I wanna lay beside you
I cannot hide this
Even though I try
Heart beats harder
Time escapes me
Trembling hands touch skin
It makes this harder
And the tears stream down my face
If we could only have this life for one more day
If we could only turn back time
[Chorus]
You know I'll be your life
Your voice
Your reason to be
My love, my heart
Is breathing for this
Moment in time
I'll find the words to say
Before you leave me today
Close the door
Throw the key
Don't wanna be reminded
Don't wanna be seen
Don't wanna be without you
My judgement's clouded
Like tonights night sky
And a silent
Voice is numb
Trying to scream out my lungs
It makes this harder
And the tears stream down my face
If we could only have this life for one more day
If we could only turn back time
[Chorus]
You know I'll be your life
Your voice
Your reason to be
My love, my heart
Is breathing for this
Moment in time
I'll find the words to say
Before you leave me today
Flashing lights in my mind
Goin' back to the time
Playin' games in the street
Kickin' balls with my feet
There's a numb in my toes
Standing close to the edge
There's a pile of my clothes
At the end of your bed
As I feel myself fall,
Make a joke of it all
[Chorus]
You know I'll be
Your life, your voice your reason to be
My love, my heart
Is breathing for this
Moment in time
I'll find the words to say
Before you leave me today
You know I'll be
Your life, your voice your reason to be
My love, my heart
Is breathing for this
Moment in time
I'll find the words to say
Before you leave me today
As she played the last chord and her voice faded into the silence, Bambi took a deep breath and looked around. Harry was watching her quietly, completely forgetting that he wasn't dressed. The other boys stared at their feet, fighting back tears and realizing the significance between the song and the battle that they discovered she had fought. Niall was the first to speak:
"Why isn't anybody else allowed to hear the song?"
Bambi smiled, "Because it's a part of me. It's something that I wrote because I couldn't find another way to describe my experience, it's intimate and it's scary. I'd rather people not know that side of me."
Harry stood and gave her a hug, "Well, I think it's beautiful and a shame that others can't hear it, but as long as you're comfortable, then that's what matters to me."
"So if I say I wanted you to put on pants, would you do it?" said Bambi, trying to break the tension, "Because, you know, that might make me uncomfortable."
Harry stuck out his tongue, "Oh please. It's liberating!" He walked out of the room, wiggling his backside behind him, "Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle," he sang.
The other boys decided to leave the room as well, smiling and laughing again, to wait for Harry in the living room. Nobody would tell her where they were going, but she was told that her manager had been notified. Bambi continued to sit in front of the piano, telling the boys that she would be behind them.
She played a simple melody, something that she had known since she was young. She loved music so much and she had so many dreams that had turned into fears. Remembering her childhood, she knew that she had only taken up modelling because she had hoped it would open her up to other industries. She wanted to be a singer and an actor, but time and time again she was told that she wasn't right for the part.
Bambi had been a tall girl with prominent facial features (although to her, she appeared plain), legs worthy of her namesake Bambi the Deer and, because of her disordered eating, she was slender enough for both high fashion and commercial work. Due to her appearance, people had found her aspiring, complimenting her on her fashion sense and figure. There wasn't much work for her in her small hometown in Australia, but once she signed with Angela, she had been taken overseas and her fame rose speedily. Soon, she had moved to the United Kingdom and found her place in society, but she had always felt different.
"So can you tell me what happened, Bambs?" a voice spoke behind her.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Bambi turned around to see that Louis was still standing in the room, watching her with both curiosity and concern, "What do you mean?"
He sighed, taking a seat on the couch next to the upright piano, "You were upset yesterday morning – no, you were beyond upset. Even before Harry called us, I knew something was wrong. I'd never seen a person shiver and cry like that."
"I'm sorry," she apologized, almost out of habit.
"No," he said, suddenly reaching over to hold her, "It's my fault. I mean, I saw that you were beyond just distraught. I should have done more than just ask Zayn to drop you off at home. I should have asked him to stayed with you. Hell, I should have come along and done it myself. If I hadn't been so stupid, maybe none of that would have happened."
Bambi shook her head, "It's not true, Louis. I mean… I've had problems like… 'that' since I was pretty young. I've had a lot of problems for years and it's nobody's fault but mine. I get scared and it messes with my head."
"Just, I know Harry's already said this, but if it ever happens again, please let me help you. I don't want you to suffer like that," he looked her in the eye, "You're Harry's girlfriend but I care about you too."
Bambi smiled, "Thanks, Louis. You know, you really remind me of someone."
"Who?" he asked, just as Harry appeared in the doorway.
His hair was curly and messy as usual, but he had swapped his towel for a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a Ramones shirt. He smiled, "Ready to go?"
"Sure thing," said Louis, standing up and walking out as though he and Bambi had simply been talking about the colour of her ivory piano keys.
Bambi hugged Harry, "So, you going to tell me where we're going?"
"You'll see," he replied, "But I've packed and you're not allowed to bring anything else."
"Not allowed?"
He nodded, "Yep. I didn't pack any of your fancy clothes or shoes, not even those tubes of make up that I don't understand."
Bambi paused, "Clothes and shoes I understand, but no make up? Are you seriously taking me to a treatment centre?"
Harry laughed, "No, Bambs! Come on," he kissed her forehead, "Let's go." They locked her front door and packed into the retro van, seeing that Niall was sitting on a seat behind his favourite guitar.
"Welcome to a very One Direction weekend!" he exclaimed, hitting a G chord.