Caught in a Landslide (ft. Harry Styles)

Proof and Punctuality

"What are those?" Alexander eyed the photos in my hands.

I stared at him.

"When were you going to tell me?" I asked finally.

He laughed when he saw the proofs of the album cover and from the band's photoshoot.

"Well, I was hoping to surprise you with the final product," he answered seriously.

"They are incredible! You all look great - and the artwork for the album cover is superb!" I gushed.

The art was a black and white profile of Alexander's face that someone had hand-drawn for the cover. I could tell he was very excited, so I walked over and hugged him. He hugged me back and turned to look at me.

"I love you, Soph," he cooed.

I let go of him and looked down at my feet. I didn't know what to say..it had been a while since we said those words to one another.

"It's ok," he said glumly. "I'm sorry - it just felt right in that moment."

______________

I woke up from a good night's sleep. I heard Sophie in the kitchen with the boys. I saw pancakes and bacon on the table when I walked in.

"Good morning," I said to my family.

"Daddy!" The boys squealed. They were surprised, but happy to see me.

Sophie smiled and encouraged me to eat. She had let me sleep in until 9:30, but the car would be here at 10:30.

I grabbed a plate and ate quickly while Sophie dressed the boys. She turned a movie on for them so she and I could get ready.

I was nervous last night, it was awkward, but I needed her to know how I felt. My plan was to talk to her tonight...I still needed to know why she wanted to change her number. The phone rang and Peter announced the arrival of our car.

The boys looked bored on our tour of the Empire State Building, until I reminded them where we were headed next. The elevator doors opened on the first floor and a group of girls started screaming. I looked around but didn't see anyone so I kept walking.

"Alexander! Alexander! Pictures, autographs! Please!"

I looked at Sophie who was holding our boys' hands and she smiled. Cameras started flashing, so I took this opportunity to meet some of my fans. My fans.

I signed autographs and posed for a few pictures with them. The kids started fussing, so Sophie took them to the car, that was my cue to say thank you and goodbye.

I hopped in the car with my family...I couldn't help but grin. Sophie smiled again as the car pulled away.

I could hardly focus on the toys - the store was quite large and we spent way too much money. Sophie promised me that she would donate some old toys to make room for the new.

On our way home, I checked Twitter. 150 notifications. Damn, those girls are quick. AND my name was trending..for the first time ever. Sophie and the boys were wearing their sunglasses and smiling behind me in the pictures - I grinned again.

I sent out a quick tweet acknowledging the fans and thanked them again for their support. My followers had jumped from 10,000 to 200,000 in just 6 months. Today, the number reached 300k.

________

Alexander beamed from when he left his fans to the time we got home. Our chicken dinner was waiting on Rodney's counter when we walked into our building. It was 7pm and I still hadn't mentioned I was going out later.

We scarfed down the chicken, mashed potatoes and salad. I cleaned the kitchen as Alexander took the boys into the playroom to open their new toys. Shouts of excitement and laughter filled the apartment. I turned on the small TV in the kitchen, the entertainment news was on. Harry's face flashed on the screen, he was spotted outside the Manhattan about an hour ago, but apparently, he got back in the car and left.

I stood puzzled and decided to check Twitter. No new notifications. Would Harry cancel without telling me? Was he planning to sneak in somehow? I decided to just go and find out later - I could always come home.

I shut off the TV and strolled to the playroom. The boys were busy playing with their new Legos, so Alexander asked if we could talk. I got a little nervous as we moved to the family room.

"I need to know why you want to change your number, Soph," he began.

I clasped my hands together and avoided his eyes.

"Did Harry Styles do something to you?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"No!" I shouted, then apologized for yelling, and thought out my next move. "It's not him...I've had this number for so long...anyone could get it."

He watched me carefully before he said, "You sure that's it?"

I nodded and lightly smiled. I wanted to change the subject...I didn't want this conversation to happen tonight. I looked at the clock on the wall, 8:30. I needed to get ready.

"It seems you have a few fans," I teased and he smiled. "I can't believe they found us. Ha!"

His smile widened. "It was surprising. I'm glad they didn't mob you or the boys."

"The boys thought it was funny. It made me happy to see them surround you - you deserve it." I said. "I'm proud of you."

He chuckled and jokingly asked, "You want some alone time tonight, don't you?"

I attempted to hide my surprise, but nodded my head and looked at him to gauge his reaction.

"Go out and have some fun, the boys and I will be ok," he said, then winked and added. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He walked toward the playroom as I scurried to my room. I found a simple black dress and silver sandals, but the real choice for me was lingerie. I chose my new red lacy bra with matching panties..just in case. I jumped in the shower to rinse off and then got dressed, pulled my hair up in a bun and applied a light amount of makeup. I grabbed my red Coach clutch. Once I placed my id, phone, keys and lipgloss in the small bag, I threw a hat and sunglasses on the bed.

"You look nice," Alexander stood leaning in the doorway to my room. He glanced at the hat and sunglasses.

"Soph, it's 9 pm, going incognito?" He chuckled but had a serious face. So, I took a second to think about my response.

"One wouldn't want to get mobbed by her husband's fans," I laughed nervously.

I'm pretty sure he didn't believe me, but he smiled and said goodnight as he walked to the kitchen.

"Be good for daddy, boys," I said as I kissed their cheeks. "We have big plans tomorrow!"

They whined when I repeated the instructions for the second time, but agreed to be good.

It was already 9:15 by the time I reached the curb to hail a taxi. Once in the backseat, I took out my phone and checked Twitter again. Alexander had been tagged in over 100 pictures, there were thousands of retweets and his name had been trending earlier. I smiled as I scrolled through - I saw myself and the boys behind him in several of the pictures. I wondered if Harry had seen them.

My heart started beating faster and my stomach fluttered as the car pulled up to the Manhattan at 9:35...So much for being on time, but I was going to see Harry again.