Hunger [H.S]

November (part 2)

Harry was photographed at a café with James. He was holding a cup of coffee in his right hand, as he gesticulated with his left. The way he held his left hand made the thin, black line around his ring finger very visible. It was tattoo-gate all over again; when his Olivia tattoo on his thigh had been spotted, people were zooming in on the lowest quality photos, discussing what it could say, if not just plain and simple 'Olivia'.  The public wasn't sure if he was wearing an actual ring or what was going on. 

"I suppose you have to decide if you want to address it somehow," Jeff said, of course completely leaving the decision up to Harry. 

Harry was a private person. It had partly come with the massive popularity he had established throughout his career. He preferred not to talk about anything but his music and his films in interviews, and he tried to steer clear of questions about his private life. He wanted to have something that was his and that no one interfered with.

"What would you prefer, love?" Harry asked Frankie.

Frankie shrugged. "I think we do what you feel the most comfortable with. I'm not going to be the one, who gets all the questions. If you prefer not to talk about it publicly, I support that. And if you'd like to share it with your fans, then you have my blessing to do that as well." 

"There is the matter of publicity in connection with your album release..." Jeff added on the conference call. 

Harry furrowed his brow and a thin worry line became visible. Frankie reached up and stroked his forehead, making him relax, so the thin line disappeared. 

"You know I don't care, Jeff. Let it be good or bad publicity. Either people enjoy my music, or they don't. And if me getting engaged has any say in what people think of my music then they wouldn't have liked it either way." Harry was steadfast.

Jeff agreed on the phone, and told Harry to have a think about what he wanted to do. If he said nothing, there was the risk that the paps would get more aggressive, and try to catch more photos of both him and Frankie. 

Harry tensed when Jeff mentioned them chasing Frankie, and immediately he looked concerned again. She stepped close to him, and put her arms around his waist. She looked up at him and smiled to calm him down. She wasn't too nervous about it at the time being, but she knew it was a big deal for Harry. 

"James has a new show. If he were to invite me on as a guest, I could go on there and speak about my engagement. That might take the edge of things." Harry suggested, as he squeezed Frankie tightly in his arms. 

"That sounds like an excellent idea, H." Jeff was supportive, and added that he'd make the call to hear if James was up for a visit on his show. 

They hung up, and Harry held Frankie close for a while, like he was trying to protect her from danger. She knew, Harry holding back possibly had something to do with her asking not to be part of public appearances, because she couldn't handle the critics. He was very focused on keeping his promises to her, and he wasn't going to put her in situations that made her feel like she was on the spot. 

"You know that I'm perfectly fine with people knowing that we're engaged, right?" Frankie asked after a while, where they stood in silence. 

"I know," Harry said. "I want everybody to know too, I just don't want it to become something everyone feels like they have a part in. It's us. You and me. I don't want tabloids shaping it into some stupid story. Our relationship belongs to us, and no one gets to weigh in on whether it's right or wrong."

Frankie nodded. "I get that. I know that you would prefer keeping it private, and I think we should. But your fans get desperate when there are rumours about you, and they would probably prefer to just be told sometimes."