In the clear yet?, good.

The one with the overexposure

"Hey, sorry for taking so long to get back to you", she smiles as she drops onto the sun lounger of her rented Sydney house, stretching her legs.

"Yeah, you've been busy."

"Yes, it's been a few crazy weeks. Thanks for the flowers; they were really nice." She smiles softly, recalling the bouquet.

"Congratulations. There you are making history, yet again." He smiles.

"Yeah, I didn't expect that one at all." She confesses, her eyes fixed on the view in front of her.

"Didn't you?", he asks, his curiosity peaked.

"Nah, I mean, look at the other nominees!. And I never really felt the album was 'it.' It was a big surprise." She explains, with a mix of disbelief and self-doubt.

"I think it is a great record. And you've been everywhere since the tour started. For the good and the bad..." He says, trying to ease in his current concern for her.

He has spent the last two weeks scrolling through an overwhelming amount of news and opinions about her, some of them quite nasty.

At his record company, and the studio, everyone has only been talking about her; her at the Grammys, at the games, the new album, the gossip... it seems she is all everyone in the industry can think and talk about, not always nicely. And it bothers him. The line between her public persona and her private life has suddenly disappeared, allowing everyone to step in and form an opinion and share it out loud.

"Yeah." She smiles, tiredly; "Guess it's all working as planned. "

"It does seem like a lot from the outside", he says quietly, earnestly.

"A lot? What's a lot? Look at all the attention and the business it's bringing in", her mind solely  focused on the end goal.

"Yes, Tay. But you don't need it. And it doesn't look sustainable."

His concern turns into a sceptical sigh on her side, frustration in her voice.

"I appreciate your concern, but trust me, I've got everything under control" She reassures him firmly, but there is weariness in her eyes he cannot see, contradicting her words.

"What if it all turns on you; You are exposing yourself considerably, the bubble can burst. Then what?" He says and his words linger, like an ominous prediction, leaving an uncomfortable silence between them.

"Been through it before. And why can't you just let it go?." She dismisses his words, determined to face whatever comes. As friends have started to warn her, she has become more determined to stick with it. So deep in it that it is hard to admit she might have gone too far with the PR game this time.

"Because I care for you, and you'll burn out if you keep this up. I know how much you care about the public's opinion..." His concern is finally spilling in, adding tension to the conversation.

"Harry, It's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Have you forgotten?" She cuts him off, and her eyes narrow defensively.

"No, I haven't, but this feels bigger", he sighs, "and you don't need to go through it again, it is not inevitable. You have your music, your fans, awards, the tour. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone anymore... Why are you doing all the rest? or for whom?"

"For whom?" She repeats almost immediately, astonished, because his words have just hit the mark, making her feel exposed and vulnerable all of a sudden.