Matchmaker

Matchmaker: Chapter Nine

“Harry-“

“No!” Harry hissed, pacing the length of my room, hands balled into his fists at his side. “Just, God,fuck Kate. Why the fuck did you have to say anything.”

I sighed, lowering my head, and Liam, who was sitting on my right, patted my shoulder.

We were all in the room the afternoon following my meeting with management, and Harry had called an impromptu meeting as soon as he’d heard the news,

So Niall and Liam were dragged into my room. We were short on time though; the Video Music Awards were only in a couple of hours, which didn’t leave us a lot of time to endure a breakdown.

“Harry, mate,” Niall said from my left, “This is all going to clear up. Okay?”

“No, it won’t!” Harry snarled, pausing in his pacing and leaning against the wall, running a hand through his frazzled curls, “It won’t clear up, because management is involved. And anything they fucking touch doesn’t change. Look at my hair. See my hair? I can’t cut this!I want to fucking cut my hear, because it’s fucking hot on stage, and it gets all sweaty, and it gets in my eyes, it’s hard to see, but I can’t because management likes it this way. So now management likes that I’m…that I’m dating a girl, and hiding the fact that I’ll suck dick before dating a chick-“

“Classy,” Liam muttered and I shushed him, eyes wide as I continued to watch Harry unravel.

“-And now we’re probably going to date forever. And I’m going to have to fucking propose. And there’s going to be a wedding. Fuck. And then Liam and I will have to be family-“

“Why is that so bad?” Liam spoke up again, only to be hushed by Niall this time.

“-And then Louis will probably marry Eleanor. And our fucking kids can have play dates together. And then they will probably get married. And then I’ll die. And that is my life.”

He finished with his head in his hands and I bit my lip, glancing at Niall out of the corner of my eye. His shoulders were sagged and he was looking almost as resigned as Harry.

Which was ridiculous. Because this was so fixable.

“Hey, asshole,” I said, and Harry slowly lifted his head, “There’s absolutely no reason I can’t break up with you. This isn’t the fucking 19th century. I’m allowed to end this too.”

Harry’s eyes widened, and Niall perked up next to me.

“Yeah, that could work,” Harry said slowly, small smile growing on his face, “Because, when Louis finally admits-“

“If he finally admits,” Liam interrupted and I elbowed him in the ribcage.

“When he finally admits he’s been stringing along a crush on you forever,” I continued for Harry, “I’ll ‘catch you’ in the act. Break it off. You’ll have to face the press for that, but I’ll come off as an innocent victim. You two will come off as in love. Everyone wins!”

And then I’d be single and ready to mingle.

“God! Kate!” Harry said, his attitude a complete 180 as he hurried over to me and wrapped his long arms around me, pulling me up from the bed and into a hug, “I fucking love you! You’re literally the best girlfriend ever!”

I nodded against Harry’s shoulder and grinned, my eyes peeking over Harry’s shoulder at Niall who was grinning as he looked on.

“Right!” Harry declared after he let me go, “Niall. Liam. You want to go get dressed for the VMAs? Maybe grab a drink downstairs first though, celebrate the fact that my life might not actually end with me as a father-in-law to Louis and Eleanor’s child?”