Already Home // Harry Styles

Half The World Away

26th March, London

I was abruptly woken by the incessant ringing of my phone.

"Hello" I mumbled, a little irritated, into the phone.

"Where have you been? I've been ringing for ages!" Gemma spoke down the phone, sounding completely shrill.

"I've got the flu. I've been asleep" I answered, throwing the heavy blanket off me and sitting myself up. I switched her onto speaker and looked at my phone. It was 3.28 pm. I had been asleep for a very long time.  I still felt shivery, sweaty, head pounding. The illness hadn't been slept away unfortunately.

My phone showed 118 missed calls. Harry, Gemma and Taylor trying to call. Even Ricky had called a few times. 72 unread messages. All from the same people.

"What's going on?" I asked Gemma, suddenly feeling a bit panicked. That was far too many for this to be a minor incident.

"Have you spoken to anyone else yet today?" She asked. I could read the stress in her voice and it just made me more anxious.

"No. Why what's happening?" I asked, reaching across to turn on the table side lamp.

"Just call Harry. Call him right now. Don't speak to anyone else first and then call me back ok?" She said and dread filled my body. I was thinking the worst. Someone's been in an accident or someone's died.

"Gemma what is happening? You are freaking me out" I spoke, pulling my long hair back and shoving a scrunched around it.

"Everyone's fine. It's nothing like that. Just call him now" She let out a long breath as if she had been holding it in for a while.

"Alright I will. I'll call you back. Bye" I spoke and then hung up the call. I ran my fingertips against my sleepy eyes and tried to shake the long sleep out of my head. I still felt that fuzziness you get after you sleep so well you don't know if it's day or night or how long you've been out for.

I got up and opened the curtains and went to the bathroom before getting back on my phone. Stanley padded into the bedroom, a loud meow aimed at my direction. I'd slept right through lunch and dinner so no wonder he was pissed at me. My phone started buzzing again as I was about to leave to feed him. It was Taylor. I figured I could just speak to her for a few minutes whilst I sorted out the cat and then I would call Harry.

"Hey" I answered, shoving the phone between my ear and shoulder as I went down to the kitchen.

"Where have you been? I was about to send the cavalry around for you!" She spoke, her voice tinted with less concern than Gemma.

"I'm ill, been asleep till just now" I answered, grabbing Stanley's bowl and filling it with an extra large helping of cat food.

"So you haven't been on TikTok yet and seen the videos?" She asked, her voice getting an octave higher, the way it always did when she had gossip.

"Nope, what's happening?" I asked, only half interested. I had assumed it was some influencer had been cancelled or some celebrity she liked was getting a divorce or something. Nothing could have prepared me for what it actually was.

"It's Harry, hold on, I'll send you it" She said and a cold feeling flooded my stomach. What would have Taylor and Gemma both frantic?

I shoved her onto speaker and clicked on the TikTok link she sent me.
It was a blurry little video. The first couple of seconds was Harry dancing with a girl in a street. The voiceover gave away what was to come though. 'Spotted. Harry and Emily kissing in Tokyo'

My heart sank into my toes as it came into view. There he was, standing against a car, holding this girls hand and making out with her, fully making out. You could see everything. His tongue darting into her mouth. It was clear as day.