It’s So Easy (And Other Lies) Chapter 11
Title: It’s So Easy (And Other Lies) Chapter 11
Summary: Stevie Adler likes Duff McKagan. She has for a while now, but she is convinced Duff doesn’t like her that way. Duff likes Stevie, but so does their new bandmate Axl Rose.
Chapter Warnings: Mainly some language
AN: Thank you for all the feedback!
Axl woke up a couple hours after they left New York. Izzy and Slash had slept the night before instead of going out, so they were up, watching something on TV. Axl headed out towards them, but stopped when he looked at Stevie’s bunk, which was empty.
“Hey guys?” Axl asked as he made his way into the main area of the bus. “You seen Stevie?”
“Not recently,” Izzy informed him as he flipped through a magazine that had been left behind. “Why?”
“Her bunk’s empty,” Axl went to the small bathroom, but no one was in there. “Shit, did we leave her behind?” Izzy looked over at Slash and nodded for him to play along.
“You know, I don’t think I saw her get on the bus,” Slash pushed her bag so it was out of Axl’s sight.
“Oh fuck,” Axl looked out the window. “How far away from New York are we?”
“About halfway between there and Charlotte,” Izzy tossed out. “Duff is going to be pissed.”
“What am I going to be pissed about?” Duff asked. Stevie was still asleep, but he had to pee and he was getting hungry. He was hoping they were going to be stopping soon. Axl paled more than he already was and gave Duff a small smile.
“Hey Duff,” He said, trying to divert Duff’s question. “I gotta go look for something in the bunks. I’ll be right back!” He quickly went around Duff, heading back to the bunks. Duff looked at Izzy and Slash.
“What’s up with him?” He asked.
“He thinks we left Stevie in New York,” Slash laughed. “We’re just letting him stew.”
“Oh my god, you guys are awful,” Duff laughed. “I wanna play along.” He headed back to the bunks where Axl was looking around, Slash and Izzy following him. “Watchya looking for?” Axl jumped and smacked his head on one of the bunks.
“Uh...bandanna?” Axl asked. That’s when Stevie ripped open the curtain from the bunk she was in.
“Okay, okay, I’m fucking awake!” She snapped. Duff started laughing.
“Stevie thank god!” Axl smiled but then frowned. “Why aren’t you in your bunk?”
“Why don’t you just mind your own business Red?” Stevie sighed. She always was grumpy when she got woke up, but she’d balance out after she got some food. She climbed out of the bunk and made her way to the bathroom.
“I think we’ll be stopping soon,” Izzy patted Axl’s shoulder. “And we’ll be getting our sweet Stevie back.” Axl just sighed and headed back to the common area.
****
“I hope we get big like the other boys someday,” Stevie told Duff when they got back on the bus after their rest stop. She was lounging in a chair, watching the world go by the window. Duff was sitting by her, playing on a guitar.
“Well, yeah,” Duff smiled. “But what’s your reasoning?”
“They have a jet,” She told them. “Tommy said that they’re gonna grab me sometime and have me fly with them.”
“Not without me,” Duff laughed. “We’re gonna get there sweetheart. We won’t be on this bus forever.”
“I’m calling bullshit on that one!” Axl called out. “We have been on here forever!”
“We just stopped like an hour ago,” Slash grumbled. “We’re almost there.”
“It could always be worse,” Izzy added. “It could be a broken van while we’re touring around the west coast in freezing temps.”
“I got so sick on that,” Stevie shivered a little bit. “But at least this has heat and air. And good company.” She smiled at Duff. He reached out and squeezed her hand before going back to strumming on his guitar.
****
Duff, Axl, Izzy, and Slash made their way off the stage. Stevie would do a little solo to give them a break, then Izzy and Slash had a dueling guitar piece they wanted to do before they all came back out. Duff had gotten a drink or two before slipping away from the others to watch Stevie.
She didn’t do as many crazy things as Tommy did, but she was still so amazing. Tommy and her had been planning crazy stunts though. Duff was just glad they hadn’t actually gone through with one yet. He was so proud of her as he watched her do different pieces. He didn’t realize that Tommy, Nikki, Mick, and Vince were standing there, watching her as well.
She was done soon and headed backstage while Izzy and Slash did their thing to give her a minute. She walked backstage with a big smile on her face. Duff walked up to her and kissed her deeply.
“Not that I’m complaining,” She laughed a little. “But what was that for?”
“I love you,” He told her. “And you’re so fucking amazing.” The Motley boys all looked at each other. Did he just say…
“I love you too,” She smiled at him. Duff kissed her again.
“That’s so sweet!” They heard Tommy’s voice over the guitar. Stevie blushed and looked over at the boys.
“Get you some!” Nikki called out. Stevie looked at Duff.
“We really need new friends,” She laughed.
“Hey, we’re your best friends,” Vince threw his arms around them. “And I mean, I can take credit for getting you two together.”
“Yeah, standing me up,” Stevie rolled her eyes. “Good thing you’re cute Neil.” She patted his cheek.
“Ha! She thinks I’m cute!” Vince laughed. Mick just rolled his eyes.
“We gotta get back out there guys!” Axl stepped out of the dressing rooms. “Let’s go!” He grabbed Stevie’s hand and pulled her back onstage, Duff following along behind them.
“I think we take those two and fly them to our next destination,” Mick suggested. The other three looked at him. “What? They deserve some alone time, right?”
“Yeah,” Tommy nodded. “And Stevie and I can talk about setting her up a big stage thing like mine!”
"Yeah so Duff can kill you when she breaks something?" Vince teased. Tommy just glared at the frontman, with Mick standing by, rolling his eyes. Nikki went to tell Doc that Stevie and Duff would be joining them on the jet and to let Guns n’ Roses management know.
****
Saying that Axl was annoyed that Duff and Stevie got to fly with Motley Crue a couple times was an understatement. They had been boarding the bus when Tommy picked Stevie up.
“Tommy! Put me down!” Stevie squealed.
“Nope,” He laughed. “Come on Duff. You can fly with us too.”
“You’re kidding,” Izzy shook his head.
“Bye guys!” Stevie laughed as she was carried off with Duff getting their bags and following them. Axl turned to look at Slash and Izzy.
“What the fuck just happened?” He asked. The two guitarists just shrugged before getting on the bus. Axl glared in the direction that they had headed in before he got on the bus himself.
Duff and Stevie got to ride with the Motley boys for a few stops before Doc had enough of Tommy and Nikki recruiting Stevie to the terror team, so he sent them back to their tour bus three stops later.
“Look who came back,” Axl scoffed when Stevie and Duff boarded the bus.
“Someone’s just pissy that we got to be on the fun jet,” Stevie laughed.
“You know the only reason they wanted you there was so you’d be on your knees,” Axl mumbled under his breath, but the next thing he knew, he had a fist to the face.
“Duff!” Stevie called out. Slash grabbed Duff’s arm to stop him from hitting Axl again, and Izzy kept Axl back to keep him from hitting the bassist.
“What the fuck McKagan?” Axl asked, rubbing his sore cheek.
“Don’t say shit like that,” Duff growled. Stevie grabbed ahold of Duff and pulled him back to the bunks while Izzy and Slash dealt with a fuming Axl. “Sweetheart…”
“You don’t have to do that,” She told him. “I’m not worth breaking up the band over because Axl says something stupid.”
“Babe, I’d break up this band a thousand times if it kept you safe and happy,” Duff looked into her beautiful blue eyes. “You are my whole world, have been long before we got together, and Axl can go fuck himself.”
“Duff…”
“I meant what I told you,” The bassist pulled her to him. “I love you. And I’m not taking it back because of anything.” He gently kissed her, resting his forehead against hers.
“Uh hum,” Slash cleared his throat. Duff and Stevie turned to look at him. “Got Axl calmed down. I’d just stay back here for a while though.” He laughed a little. “So, do you guys need anything? Food? Water? Condoms? Because we don’t need any half bassist half drummer children running around.”
“How…” Stevie started
“I’ve lived with you for how many years now Stevie? And you and Duff both for five years? I know you two better than you know yourselves.” He smirked at them. “And I think Izzy knows too. Axl is the only one who doesn’t know.”
“Oh god, he’s dumber than Vince,” Duff laughed. Slash shook his head.
“I mean, you know he has had a massive crush on Stevie since we got together as a band, right?” Slash told them. Stevie’s eyes widened.
“Red has a crush on me?” She asked. “Oh god…”
“Wait, you really didn’t know?” Slash asked. Stevie shook her head. “Well, this is awkward…” He stood there for a second. “I’ll come get you guys when we stop.” With that, he left, leaving Duff and Stevie there. Duff pulled Stevie to him, letting her rest her head on his chest. Duff had known about Axl’s feelings for Stevie, but Stevie had been oblivious.
“Hey,” He held her close to him. “Why don’t we take a nap, and when we stop, you and I will sneak away for a date?” Duff suggested. “Sound like a good plan?”
“Yeah,” Stevie nodded. Duff nodded and helped her into the bunk for a quiet nap.
Forever Tags: @anathewierdo @dekahg @marvel-af-imagines @feelmyroarrrr @nanie5 @imboredsueme @gemini0410 @aiaranradnay @babypink224221 @mogarukes @xxwarhawk @sandlee44 @shatteredabby @caswinchester2000 @supernaturalwincestsblog @lauravic @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @teller258316 @horrorpxnk @tommyleeownsme @marvelismylifffe @mrslogansixxpixx
Guns n Roses Tags:@duffshairdye @slashscowboyboots @hauntedapricoteggsclam @bitter-13-suite @arianareirg
It’s So Easy Tags: @str4nge-haze @viralwolf02
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No Control | Twenty-Nine
Summary:
Micky Bennett: college student, loyal friend, aspiring nurse, One Direction fan, Harry Styles enthusiast. Her best friend, Trevor, wins tickets to a show in New Jersey with meet and greet passes. Micky expects a quick photo op with the boys and a great night at the concert with her best friend. What she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.
To read previous chapters, you can go here.
*Please feel free to reblog and send feedback. It’s much appreciated :)*
*Gif is not mine.*
TWENTY-NINE
I sleep in the guest room in Harry’s home that night. It’s a bit of a strange feeling, considering the last time I was here, I was sleeping in his bed, intimately tangled with him, and having copious amounts of sex with him, any of those times which resulted in the conception of the child that now resides in my womb. Which is a weird thing to think about, because our lives could not be any different than back in August.
Thankfully, Little Bean seems to have calmed down in time for me to go to sleep, which means I fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer than I had the night before. And while I feel more rested when I wake up in the morning, I’ve still got a weird feeling in my chest that things are not as they should be. I suppose my memories of the previous time that I’ve been in this home are making it a little difficult for me to reconcile the capacity in which I’m here now. It probably doesn’t help that my feelings for Harry haven’t really changed since the last time I was here. I can’t exactly act on those feelings anymore, though.
So, I tiptoe around Harry as he makes some tea for the both of us and tells me that Grimmy wants to see us today. I’m a little surprised that Grimmy knows I’m here, too, considering he hadn’t told his family that I was coming yesterday, but then again, Nick is a little less affected by the pregnancy than his family. I briefly wonder if he’s told his old bandmates about what’s happening, but I figure that if he hasn’t told his manager yet, he’s keeping the information on a need-to-know basis for the time being. I know everyone’s going to be privy to this information eventually, but I’m quite enjoying the quietness of the whole thing so far. I know I have to brace myself for the time when the whole world knows, but I’ll take the peace while I can get it for now.
As Harry gets some sort of breakfast ready, I head back up to the guest room to change out of my pyjamas. I pull on black leggings that fit comfortably over the bump and a red jumper that is cozy and warm and actually still fits me. I’ve been extremely reluctant to buy maternity clothes, just because I know it’s all going to be over soon enough. I’ve used the hair tie through the button hole trick as much as I can, and I’ve taken to wearing stretchy materials or baggier shirts in order to get through this without buying something new. I’ve also taken a new liking to dresses, since they all fit as long as the waistline isn’t too low and they don’t require me to wear bottoms. I have bought one pair of maternity shorts however, and that was only because the weight I gained in my hips made it impossible for me to wear the pairs that I already own.
I have a grey poncho thing to go with the outfit if it’s necessary, but I leave it laid out on the bed for now, since it’s warm enough in Harry’s home to go without it.
There’s a chime that sounds throughout the house, indicating that there’s someone requesting entry at the gate. Harry opens some app on his phone that allows him to view out onto the camera that’s at the gate, and a little smile quirks on his lips as he taps some button.
“Nick’s here,” he announces. He’s already dressed, as well, and I can smell something good in the kitchen. The griddle out on the stove top and the syrup on the counter tells me that he’s made pancakes, and my mouth waters a little.
“Have you told him?” I ask as I grab a stack of plates out of the cupboard. I’m a little shocked by my own comfort in getting the dishes in his home, but I brush it off quickly. It may have been a while since the last time I was here, but we had spent a lot of time here, so I knew the lay out of the kitchen pretty well. I didn’t want to think too much into it.
“No, he just knows you’re here. Figured I’d tell him in person, otherwise he’d be yelling my ear off over the phone.”
“So you rather him yell your ear off in person? Where I now have to deal with him, too?” I ask over a chuckle. “At least you can hand up on him over the phone. Can’t do that when he’s in your house.”
Harry pauses as he hears his front door open. “You’re right. I didn’t think this through.”
I laugh as the door closes again, and the house is suddenly filled with Nick’s distinctive voice.
“Is that the lovely Micky I hear? Now that’s a laugh I’ve missed. Harry’s is so annoying. Your’s is like a delicate little chime. So beautiful.”
“Hey!” Harry protests, pouting at Nick as he rounds the corner into the kitchen space. “Made you breakfast and the first thing you do is insult my laugh. Not very nice. Don’t think you deserve pancakes, mate.”
“I’m just kidding, young Harold. Your laugh is adorable. Especially your little cackle,” Nick appeases, patting Harry’s cheek as he walks by.
I giggle as I place two pancakes on my plate. Nick is approaching me fast for a greeting, and I’m somehow calm about him finding out about the pregnancy. There’s no pressure with him finding out, I suppose. With Gemma and Anne there’d been the anxiety about how they were going to react because they were directly affected by the news. They’re the baby’s aunt and gran, after all. Nick is just the equivalent of a goofy uncle that’s not actually related to anyone, though, so the pressure of telling him is minimal. I know he’s going to take it in stride, maybe rib Harry a little bit, and then go on about how the baby is going to be the most spoiled little thing with Harry as a dad and all his famous friends. Nick is easy, and it’s a relief after how yesterday went.
“Oh, Micky, how I’ve missed your pretty face,” Nick sighs. I’m partly hidden behind the counter, so he’s still grinning as he gets closer. “Look at you, all glowing and tan. What do they put in the water in California? I need me some of it if it makes you look this good.”
“What water?” I ask with a scoff, referencing the current drought the state is in.
“Ooh, yeah, forgot about that,” he grimaces. “Sun is doing you good, though. Not that you’re not beautiful when you’re pale from dreary old England, but a tan is making you all golden. You tan even better than Styles does.”
“Thanks. Took me awhile to build up to this without burning right away,” I admit.
“Well, you look amazing,” he decides. “Come give me a hug. Haven’t seen you in forever, babe.”
I see Harry behind Nick, his stance a little stiff at the request. For once, I’m not worried, though, so I round the corner of the island and smile at Grimmy, who’s mouth drops open when he looks me over.
A startled laugh bursts from his mouth, and his hands automatically shoot up to clamp over it, stifling the sound. I can’t help but laugh at him and his reaction.
“Fuck me,” he laughs, dropping his hands to lay them on my shoulders. “Holy shit. Look at you. Gonna be a mumma soon.” He pulls me into a hug, careful not to squish the tummy too much. “You did this, I’m assuming.” he asks, turning to peer over his shoulder at Harry.
“You say that like I did it on purpose.”
“You shagged her on purpose, right?”
Harry scoffs. “Well, yeah, that wasn’t an accident.”
“Sex makes babies, Harold.”
Nick sounds like a mum, and I am living for it.
“I understand that, Nicholas,” Harry sighs like he’s exasperated, even though there’s a small smile pulling at his lips. No matter how much Nick teases him, I think the ribbing is making him feel a little better.
“This is why it’s easier to be gay. No unplanned pregnancies.”
“Gay sex!” I exclaim like it’s just dawned on me. “Should’ve considered that sooner. Would have kept me out of trouble.”
“You enjoy cock too much to have gay sex,” Harry argues before realizing what it is he’s said. As soon as he processes the words, his hand slaps over his mouth and his eyes widen as he looks between me and Nick guiltily.
Nick bursts out laughing, leaning into my side. I can’t help but chuckle at Harry’s outburst too, not having expected it from him ever. The only time I have ever heard him utter the word ‘cock’ is in reference to his own and said cock was doing very pleasurable things to my body. Hearing it so casually fall from his mouth is quite humourous, even if he was taking the mick out on my sexuality.
“You’re not wrong,” I admit with a shrug once Nick’s laughter has calmed to short little chortles. “I was quite partial to yours, as well.” That just sets Nick off on another cackling fit.
“I am so sorry,” Harry urges. “I don’t know where that came from.”
“You’re sexually frustrated, mate,” Nick insists. “Haven’t gotten laid in forever, now Mick’s here in your house, looking all fit and carrying your child. Don’t know if you two are fucking again, but you should be. Can’t imagine your hormones aren’t begging for it, too,” he adds, looking at me.
While he’s not wrong—my hormones have me constantly fired up and begging for some sort of sexual contact—I’m not about to tell Nick that in front of Harry. We may have had sex—amazing sex, at that—together once upon a time, but we’re not in that space anymore. Being pregnant and by myself was bad enough, but now being around the extremely attractive father of my unborn child regularly has made it even worse. The shower head at my flat has gotten a lot of work recently, and I’ve already gone through a new change of batteries on the vibrator I keep in my bedside drawer since Harry re-entered my life.
“We are not having this conversation.” Harry shakes his head.
“He gets pissy when he’s horny,” Nick stage whispers to me, looking very pointedly at Harry.
Harry flushes a pink tinge as he huffs. “I do not get pissy,” he objects. “I just don’t think discussing our sex lives is great breakfast conversation.”
“It’s only not good breakfast conversation because you’re not getting laid,” Nick protests.
“Yeah, well neither are you!”
Nick opens his mouth to argue, but I cut him off, desperately needing the back and forth to end. My stomach is growling with hunger and I really just want the pancakes and to enjoy my last day in London before flying back to LA.
“Alright, alright. None of us are getting laid, which sucks, but such is life when you’re an international pop star, a gay man, and a pregnant woman. Now, can we please eat? The little girl is getting hungry, and when the little girl is hungry, mummy is hungry.”
Nick’s face softens as he peers down at me. “It’s a little girl?” he coos. I nod. “Aw, Harry, you’re gonna have a little girl to spoil! Gonna have daddy wrapped around your little finger, aren’t ya?” Nick cradles my stomach as he continues to coo in conversation to our unborn child.
When I look to Harry over Nick’s head, he’s grinning softly, a sort of awed expression on his face as his eyes graze over my stomach. I know how scared he’s been since finding out that he’s going to be a father, but in that moment I see the excitement and love he already has for his daughter, and my heart flutters a little at the thought.
His eyes flick up to mine and his smile widens. I smile back, bottom lip tucked between my teeth. No matter how tough navigating all this may be, I have a good feeling that we’ll be okay.
Nick somehow convinces us to go out and enjoy the relatively nice day in London. He assures both Harry and me that you can’t see my belly when I put on the poncho and keep it relatively closed in the front. So, with that little bit of persuasion, Harry drives us out to the center of the city where Nick wants to do some shopping, and even though Harry says he’s not going to buy anything, I already know he can’t pass up the opportunity if we’re in a Gucci store.
As soon as we’re out of the car and strolling down the street, a small group of girls and what appears to be their mum approach Harry and Grimmy, asking for photos. I offer to take the photo like I’m used to doing at this point, but the mum shrugs me off politely and takes it herself. I stand on the sidelines and watch as Harry and Nick talk to the girls and pose for photos, all smiles, peace signs and thumbs up. I see the girls eyes flick to me every once in a while, and I’m sure the news of Harry and I hanging out together in London will be on Twitter as soon as they walk away.
We get to the Gucci store without anymore stops, and I have a good time watching Nick and Harry bicker back and forth about what items look good and what’s going to be big this summer, like they’re actually knowledgable and don’t just throw on whatever they think looks good. Nick teases Harry about some of the shirts he picks out, even though he then proceeds to grab ones that look shockingly similar. When I chuckle, they both throw playful glares at me, and I just shrug.
When we finally leave Gucci—Harry having bought five shirts after he very explicitly said he wasn’t going to buy anything—Nick spies a store front and quickly darts across the street.
“Where are you going?” Harry calls.
“Store!” he calls back. “You two stay over there! Go into Coach or something. Micky could use a new purse.”
“Hey!” I protest, looking at the purse hanging from my elbow. “This is Burberry. Trev bought it for me.”
“Fine, no purse! Just go do something!” He disappears into the store, and when I look up at the name of the shoppe, I realize why he doesn’t want Harry and I coming after him. It’s very obviously a baby store, one that is designer, I’m assuming.
Harry shakes his head and wraps an arm around my shoulder to usher me into a cafe. “Want some tea or something?” he asks.
“What tea doesn’t have caffeine in it?” I ask.
“Forgot that you’re not supposed to have caffeine,” he mutters. “Herbal teas. Chamomile and such.”
I nod. “Chamomile sounds good. Better get Grimmy something, too.”
“True. Such a damn drama queen,” he gripes with a fond smile. I go to grab a table while Harry orders, and when he comes to join me Nick walks through the door, an obscenely large green bag hanging on his arm with his just as large Gucci bag, a triumphant smile on his face.
“What have you done?” I ask as soon as he takes one of the vacant seats at the table.
“Figured since I probably won’t see you until after the baby is born, I’d be a proper uncle now,” he nodded once.
“Buying the whole bloody store was necessary?” I ask, peering at how the bag is pretty much overflowing.
“Well, I had to get things in different sizes, Micky. Babies grow, ya know?”
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter as Harry comes back to the table with our drinks.
“What have you done?” he asks as he sees the large bag by Nick’s side.
Once Nick gives the same explanation that I received, we fall into comfortable conversation about what’s been happening lately. I ask Nick how everything’s going with BBC. I obviously don’t get the station in America, and the time difference is too big for me to stay up and live stream it when it airs. I get snippets of it from YouTube videos and on Twitter, but other than that, I’m pretty much out of the loop.
He regales me with stories of different interviews and ridiculous things he’s seen over the last few months, and both Harry and I are laughing so hard we’re crying at one point. Nick is an amazing story-teller and makes everything ten times funnier just by his own reactions to things. I always knew he had an amazing personality, just from listening to the Breakfast Show and being a fan of Harry’s, but actually speaking to him and getting to know him is so much better than I could’ve imagined.
I’m wiping away the last of my tears, still slightly giggling, when I look out the shoppe windows, and my laughter immediately stalls.
“Harry,” I mutter.
He’s still chuckling slightly when he looks at me, a question in his eyes. I nod my head toward the window, urging him to look. When he sees the small crowd of paps waiting on the sidewalk, his face automatically drops into a scowl. “Fucking hell.”
Nick looks over his shoulder to where Harry and I are looking, and, in typical Nick fashion, comes back with a joke. “Jesus. Don’t know why they swarm places like this. I’m not even that famous. Need to get off my dick.”
I choke out a laugh, and Harry flashes a bit of a smile before pursing his lips. “Let me ask the owner if there’s a back way out.”
“There’s only a few of them, Haz,” Nick reasons. “Plus, it’s not like they can’t see you disappear into the back. Whole storefront is pieces of glass.”
“I just don’t want Micky to have to deal with this,” Harry sighs.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure. “Done it before, yeah?”
“Yeah, but you weren’t six months pregnant, then,” he grumbles. Nick gives him a withering look, and Harry groans. “Fine. But stay next to me. We’ll get to the car as fast as possible.”
“Try not to make headlines this time, yeah?” Nick suggests teasingly, referring to the last time Harry and I got caught in a crowd of paps. Harry yelling at the photographer after one had touched me while we were exiting Nick’s party back in August made news in just about every major gossip rag, and I even saw it on TMZ when I got back to the states. The media had let it go pretty quickly, but I wasn’t blind to the comments from fans about how they were freaking out that Harry had called me his girl and I had been spotted with him several times, both in London and in New York. I stopped paying attention, so I don’t know how long all that lasted, but it was sure to pick back up again now that Harry and I were being seen together again.
“Fuck off,” Harry bit out, a smirk softening his words. Nick just cackled a little as he grabbed his bags and helped me out of my chair.
“Stay between Harold and me, yeah? Try to keep you hidden a bit, babe.”
So, as we headed out, Harry walked out first, my hand clutched in his as Nick walked out behind me, hands on my shoulders to keep the paps away from us. They all shouted Harry’s and Nick’s names as we walked by, making comments to Harry about the band’s hiatus and asking who I was. I kept a hand clutched to the poncho I was wearing, keeping the front closed to keep the bump concealed, praying that they didn't get any photos where it was obvious that I was pregnant. I knew it would come out at some point, but I wanted there to be just a little more time before then.
The paparazzi presence isn’t as crazy in England as it is in America, which is one thing that I’m grateful for. There are only a handful of people wielding cameras outside the cafe, and Harry appeases them by asking how their days are and wishing them good ones when we get through them. When someone shouts to ask who I am, he very coldly remarks, “Don’t worry about it, mate,” not even turning to look at who asked.
When we finally round a corner and get rid of the small swarm, Harry pulls me into his side, arm around my waist. Nick saddles up to my other side, seeming to still protect me even after we made it out of the mess.
“You alright?” he asks, checking me over with his eyes.
“Yeah, I’m alright, Harry,” I confirm. “That was nothing compared to how they were in New York.”
My mention of the constant attention and harassment I was getting when I returned to New York after my time in England with Harry last time has him pursing his lips. I’m sure he saw how bad it was online and through videos I know got uploaded to YouTube and Twitter and the like. Not to mention, we’d talk about it back when we were still talking, and he had been particularly furious about it then, so I’m sure his feelings about it hadn’t changed. Like I said, paps in America are a lot more bold than they are in the UK.
“Come, on, let’s get home. We’ve got a flight in a few hours.”
THIRTY
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