Once in a lifetime {h.s.} ON HOLD

11. Flicker

I probably wouldn't be alive without Wattpad and caffeine

This is a mess but at least y'all know what's coming

Harry's POV
Maybe there was a ray of hope. No, a flicker of hope. When you see a ray of sunshine, you know it's there and you can look at it and reach out and see it on your body. When you see a flicker of light, you almost question if it's really there, if it even happened, but it makes you feel hopeful that there was light there. I was feeling hopelessly empty, but hearing Jeff's words were a flicker of hope.

"She agreed to do the collab."

"Really! Amazing; when can I meet with her?"

"Does tomorrow work?"  I had my first online therapy session in the morning.

"After lunch?"

"You know what, why don't I just give you her number." While he texts me her number, I bombard him with questions. I remember how his face lit up when I asked to do a collab with this girl. He said something about a muse.

"Does she know it was my idea?" I ask, nerves filling my voice and my head. Why? Why can't she know?

"No, I didn't say anything about it other than it would be good for getting her name out there."

I sigh in relief.
...
Fuck. Niall. I sit down in my bed and open Instagram, scrolling through my feed when I see a picture of Skylar, looking beautiful with her light brown hair in waves and a lime green bikini in a hot tub with Niall. I completely forgot they were together. I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time, like I wanted to be there too. Left out. I close my phone, but I'm restless. Finally, I text the number Jeff gave me.

>>hey! is this Skylar?

xxx-xxx-xxxx
Yeah
Who's this?

>>it's Harry. what time can you meet tomorrow?

Skylar
Any time after lunch?
I'm free all day, so whatever works for you

>>ok. meet for lunch?

Skylar
Sure :) what time?

>>12:30?

She doesn't respond for a while, leaving me on delivered. I wondered what she was doing at the moment. Was she still in the hot tub with Niall? Was she with Niall?

I got up to brush my teeth, waiting for a text back. I was just finishing when I heard my phone ping. My heart leaps and I nearly trip over my own feet trying to get to my phone. What the fuck are you doing? I think to myself.

Skylar
Sure thing
Where at?

I tell her I'll pick her up from Niall's house and take her out. God, I finally have something to look forward to. I was honestly so excited to see her tomorrow, though I don't really know where it was coming from. I look back at my phone and see that she is typing. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

The bubbles go away; she isn't typing anymore. What did she want to say?

The restlessness won't go away, but I try to ignore it, laying down to sleep. I wonder what she's doing now.

Skylar's POV
1 hour earlier
My hands are shaking as I grasp my phone in my hand. The ringing echoes across the house. Louis's face fills the screen.

"Louis!" I cry before he can say anything.

"What's wrong love?" He asks, genuine concern on his face.

"The paps followed us home." I say, panicking. What does one do in this situation? Wait for them to leave? Call the cops? FaceTime their manager?

"Is Niall home?"

"Yeah," he says from behind me.

"Call the cops Niall," he says, sounding scared as well. I sit down in the kitchen.

"I feel like this is my fault," I mutter, resting my elbows on the counter and holding my head in my hands.

"No, no it's not your fault. You did nothing wrong. There is no way this is your fault," Louis says as Niall calls whatever number it is that removes paps. I sit on the couch, trying no to freak out. Eventually Niall and Louis figured it out and they left. I sit in the kitchen like I always do with Niall, eating a hot pocket and worrying about my meeting with Harry tomorrow.

I look up from my plate and see Niall, looking right at my eyes, reading them.

"You're nervous. On edge."

I sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Niall asks, getting a beer and a white claw out of the fridge.

"No," I say, taking the beer, leaving the white claw for him.

"Hot tub?" He asks.

"Yes," I say, going to my room to put on my lime green bikini.
...
I joined Niall in the hot tub a few moments later. The cooler February air bites my skin as I sink into the warm water, feeling my worries leave my body.

I use the timer on my phone camera to take a few pictures of us in the hot tub. Whenever I post Niall, I always get DMs telling me to kill myself, so I usually refrain from posting him, but the picture was so cute, I had to post it. I almost screamed when I got a few comments from some other singers, mostly scolding me for having a beer.

I talked to Niall and felt the hot water on my body. I was feeling relaxed, which was nice. Even though our address might be floating around the internet, I felt safe with Niall right now. I got a text from a random number asking if I was Skylar. It was a bit weird but, you never know who it might be. I almost spit out my beer and dropped my phone into the water when I saw that it was from Harry.

Choking and struggling to breathe, I try not to panic. Niall, who has become concerned, either for my health or my sanity, had grabbed my phone so it doesn't slip into the bubbly water, when he sees the text.

"HARRY STYLES IS TEXTING ME."

"You know, it's been a while since he's texted me."

"Shut up Niall. I have to meet with him tomorrow." My mind is going a million miles an hour trying to process this. I can't do this. "Can you do it?" I ask.

"Do what?"

"Make the plans for me?" I nod at my phone in his hand.

"Sure, I guess," he says, typing a reply. I exhale deeply.

"Thanks." I have to see him tomorrow, so I'm not sure how that will go, but it's okay. That's a problem for tomorrow, and I've had enough problems today.
///
I was trying to take the state test today but I couldn't stop thinking about strawberry milk Harry (specifically chapter 15 who am I skjdgshgshs)
Anyway I had 4 slices of Texas toast and now I'm having ✨heartburn✨