Already Gone | H.S

epilogue part one*

Harry's P.O.V

3 YEARS LATER.

Normally, I didn't mind plane journeys but when I have been anxiously looking forward to seeing Angel, it's a little understandable why I felt a bit on edge. The last time I saw her was a year ago but it felt like a lifetime without my A by my side.

Unfortunately, it was brief. I was hoping she would be able to join the Australia and New Zealand leg of the tour with me so I could have her to myself for a couple of weeks before we had to part ways again. Sadly, the universe had a mind of its own and she only made it to a couple of the shows before she had to go away to a coffee testing conference in New Zealand.

I was so proud of her though.

Naturally, when she moved to Australia, she found herself a job in a small café as a barista. Over the years, the coffee shop evolved into a brand and then before you know it, the cafés were popping up all over the country. A couple of the bigger city-based cafes even started incorporating art classes and exhibitions into the coffee shop.

As expected, her boss saw the talent in her and put her in charge of organising all of the artsy aspects of the business. I still remember the excitement on her face when she told me the news. I knew another reason she wanted to go to Australia was to find a purpose and she did. She brings joy to others in the form of caffeine and paintings. Over the last few months, she even became the manager of one of the Adelaide stores. I didn't doubt her ability and knew she would be successful no matter what she went into so I was ecstatic for her. It was beautiful watching her grow alongside the business she poured her heart into. I could tell she really enjoyed working there.

After back to back recording sessions and tours for the last four years, I decided to take a break from music after finishing the second tour. My manager had been pestering me to try my hand in the acting industry so I gave it a shot. I auditioned and landed myself a small role in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and it was an incredible opportunity. It was my first acting experience and since then, I have been looking for the next film to get involved in. The way I had to completely immerse myself into a fictional character's headspace was like a break from being Harry Styles and I loved it. For a few months, I get to take on the personality of someone else and playing the role was fun. The whole trailer experience plus early morning starts with late-night finishes was surprisingly something I enjoyed too.

Once that film wrapped, I auditioned for a few more until I found myself as a character in a psychological thriller called Don't Worry Darling. Despite being a supporting role, there was a lot more screen time than the first film I was in and it was more demanding but I loved it. I'm not sure Angel would appreciate what I had to tell her about the director but I'm sure she would find the situation amusing. Regardless, I finished filming for that film last month so now I am taking a well-deserved break for the next short while.

Just before I left for Australia, I auditioned for My Policeman, the film adaptation of a book I read years ago and I was just waiting to hear back from the team. From the sounds of things, the other actors I met at the audition already got their rejection emails so I'm hoping that meant that they were at least considering me.

The first year after Angel left for Australia was the hardest. We texted every day and tried Facetiming every other day. Despite the time differences, we made it work for a few months but then we were both so exhausted all the time from trying to fit each other into our schedules. It didn't help when I was travelling all over the world to write for album number two and she fell in love with her job which meant that she started working more hours. The replies became longer and the video calls diminished to once a week then eventually once a month if I was lucky. I made excuses to come to Australia a lot during the first year, blaming it on finding inspiration for songwriting. I think she knew I just wanted to see her though which was something that she said she didn't want me to do but when I arrived on her doorstep each time, she would be crying and hugging me so tightly that I struggled to breathe. Over the last few years, I saw her a handful of times. I visited once with Caroline and Oscar, a few times myself and once or twice with Rebecca and James alongside the kids.