Romance
1580 Words
I woke up at my normal time, meditated and found Wendy in the kitchen cooking breakfast for the boys.
"You don't have to do that," I smiled.
"It's ok," she said. "I'm already making mine."
We heard toilets flush and little footsteps barreling down the hallway. Lennon and Bas bolted into the kitchen wearing superhero costumes; they looked very proud.
"Morning, babies!" I exclaimed.
"Mommmmmm, we are NOT babies," whined Bas.
I chuckled and squeezed their little bodies in a hug.
"We are going to Toys R Us today and then to grab some pizza," I casually mentioned.
"Yay!" They shouted in unison.
The four of us ate breakfast together. I cleaned the kitchen and Wendy said she would be back around 5. We said goodbye and I got the boys and myself dressed for the day. I called down and asked Peter to grab a taxi for us and we went on our adventure for the day.
_________
It was 5pm, Wendy and the boys were playing the new Lego video game we bought and really getting into it. I hopped in the shower and rinsed off. I curled my hair and applied light make up minus mascara - in case there were tears.
I stepped into my clothes and with one last glance in the mirror, I went into the playroom to say goodbye to Wendy and the boys.
_____
In the cab, I put my hat and sunglasses on. The driver dropped me a block away as I had requested. I looked at front of the hotel and couldn't believe the amount of paparazzi surrounding the front door. They knew Harry was there. I kept walking but could not locate another entrance, so I sent Harry a text.
Me: Paps surrounding entrance - is there another way?
I sat on a bench and waited.
Harry: Meet Charles near the kitchen door in the back.
Me: Sure.
I took the long way around and found Charles. He met me on the sidewalk and gently guided me. We heard footsteps and shouting - he started walking faster, pulling me along. He opened the heavy door and pushed me inside before slamming it in someone's face.
"Seriously?" I asked in disbelief. "So rude."
He nodded and led me to the service elevator; once inside, he pressed 10. Charles walked me to room 1075, opened the door with his key and silently walked away. Man of little words, I thought.
I stepped in the room, took off my hat and sunglasses- there were flowers EVERYWHERE, the smell was overwhelming. Small LED candles lit the room, soft music played and the balcony doors were open. There was a fresh sparkling glass of champagne on the round table near the door. I placed my belongings on the table and lifted the glass. I sipped as I walked toward the balcony.
"Hello, love," Harry smiled as he saw me.
"Harry- it's -it's beautiful," I gushed. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble."
He grinned, "it was no trouble. I wanted to do something special for you. Someone will come collect the flowers- to donate- before our dinner arrives."
I looked at the ground and smiled. It had been so long since someone had gone all out for me; I admit, it made me feel special.
"Thank you," I walked over and kissed his cheek.
He seemed pleased and asked if I wanted to talk inside.
"Dinner will be here at 7:15," he said as he sat on the couch. "I hope you like Chinese."
"I do."
We both smiled at those words. I blushed. God, it felt great to sit with him again and to hear his voice.
"I don't want this to be awkward, so I want to be honest up front," he began. "Sophie, I want you to be a part of my life. I know you can't join me on tour and we can't have the typical relationship- but please know you mean a lot to me." he said.
My heart fluttered and I took in the words as I carefully thought out my response.
"I'm scared," I replied honestly. "I'm afraid to start over, I'm not sure I ever want to be married again and I'm pretty sure I don't want anymore kids. So, as I said before, I don't want to stop you from having that, Harry."
He looked at the glass of champagne in his hand and his eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't have to get married to be committed to someone," he finally responded. "But, you're right, I love kids and want my own someday."
I clenched my hands in my lap and looked at my fingers.
"Is there a way to compromise?" He asked slyly.
I quickly looked at his face and could tell he was serious. Was Harry Styles asking me to consider mothering his children? I forced myself to look at the flowers. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.
Harry sighed and muttered a few choice words under his breath before he opened the door- it was the small group to collect the flowers (early, of course). He insisted that I keep one bouquet, so I chose yellow roses - my favorite. The team had the flowers removed in 25 minutes; just as our food was being delivered. Harry signed the slip and closed the door.
"Let's sit at the table," he suggested.
I agreed and poured us each a glass of water before joining him.
Dinner was quiet, each of us trying the various dishes. The food was as delicious as it smelled. I cleaned up our mess and threw empty containers in a garbage bag and placed it outside our door. There were a few unopened containers, so Harry called Charles and asked him to drop them at a local homeless shelter.
Charles showed up quickly, grabbed the food and nodded his goodbye.
There was an awkward silence as we sat on the couch again. I turned on the TV, some teen awards show was on so I switched to MTV. Harry moved closer to me and put his left arm around me. He was wearing a short sleeve button down blue pinstripe shirt, so his tattoos were very visible.
"I'm glad you decided to come here," he whispered.
I nuzzled my face into neck; his hair tickled my nose and smelled so good. He leaned his head on mine and held my hand. His fingers gently massaged my hand.
"Harry, I feel so confused," I said softly.
"I know." He sighed.
"My relationship with Alexander isn't getting any better. In fact, I think his new lifestyle would be ideal without a wife..." I trailed off.
Harry shifted uncomfortably on the couch.
"I mean, it's not the way I pictured my life, but I want him to be around for the boys," the tears started swelling. "He really is a great father. And I want him to be happy."
Harry intertwined our fingers as his grip tightened around my hand.
Finally after a few moments, Harry asked, "Sophie, what's going to make you happy?"
I looked at him and then our hands. I thought about how things had been in the past few years. I had figured a change - a new career, a move- would make me happy or help repair our broken marriage, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I still hadn't found myself. I felt myself shrug. Harry chuckled.
"You're so worried about everyone's happiness, you don't even think about your own," he said putting his arm around me again.
"My sons are my main concern. I don't want them to be hurt by any of this," I explained.
He hugged me closer, kissed my forehead before saying, "I want the opportunity to make you happy."
My heart fluttered. How could he make me happy? Why would he want this emotional mess sitting in front of him?
I scowled, sat up and stared into his green eyes. "I'm a mess. I'm married, I have two kids, I'm in a city where I hardly know anyone, you barely know me."
He sighed, "Well, our situation is complicated and I'm not asking you to leave your husband for me, but I would love to give us a proper try....when you're ready, of course.
I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. What was I supposed to do? He handed me a tissue as the tears fell.
"I don't regret anything we've done," he stated. "I want more."
"I don't regret it either," I said honestly. "I've been happier spending time with you than I have in a very long time."
He seemed pleased. I was surprised at how laid back and patient he was considering our unique situation. I rubbed my eyes with the tissue and felt him stand up from the couch. He still wants to marry, he still wants children of his own, he still has so much more to offer the world, I reminded myself.
"Harry, I need to go - I just can't hold you back," I heard the words come out of my mouth. "You have so much ahead of you - I don't want to complicate things."
"Don't say that, Sophie," he whispered bending down on his knees to face me. "You've already complicated things." He laughed.
I looked into his eyes. That's when I knew, I had fallen for Harry Styles. But I had NO idea what my next move would be.
- Writer
