Because Hearts Get Broken

Chasing Ghosts

Harry doesn't hear from Taylor again. He calls a couple of times, but his calls go straight to voicemail.

He knows she's still in London, with a few more shows to go before finishing this leg of her tour. She must be busy preparing for a big finale, he tells himself.

But patience has never been his strong suit. So when he finds out that some of her close friends are in town, instead of keeping his distance, this time, he starts looking for opportunities to bump into them.

He attends concerts where he knows they might be, drops by their usual hangouts. He tells himself it's just to be social, but deep down, he's hoping to catch a glimpse of her or at least hear something about her. He wants her friends to tell her he was there, to remind her he is waiting.

At one small gathering, he spots a group of her friends laughing in a corner. He drifts closer, trying to seem casual, pretending to be engrossed in a conversation about the latest music releases. His ears, though, are tuned into their chatter, hoping to hear her name. As he listens, one of them mentions her casually.

"Taylor was so tired after the show last night, she just crashed," one says.

"Yeah, I don't blame her," another replies. "She's been pushing herself too hard. She barely has time to breathe."

Harry's heart skips a beat, but the conversation quickly shifts to someone's new project, leaving him frustrated and feeling foolish.

It's like he's chasing ghosts.

It starts to feel like he's becoming obsessed. The thought nags at him, and he wonders if Taylor might be picking up on that too. Maybe that's why she's keeping her distance—because she thinks he's too intense, too desperate. The idea makes him want to pull back, to try and forget about her altogether. But how is he supposed to do that when she's everywhere? Her face is on every billboard, her singing voice fills every room, and her name is on everyone's lips. The whole city seems as obsessed with her as he is, and it's driving him mad.

He knows he should focus on other things, like his situationship who's currently touring Japan.

The connection feels strained, like it's hanging by a thread. One evening, during a text conversation with her, he decides to come clean. It's not his style to drop something like this by message, but he can't keep pretending everything is fine.

"Maybe it isn't a good idea for us to keep this going," he types out, staring at the screen for a moment before pressing send.

Her response comes quicker than he expected:

"I figured as much. Didn't expect much from you anyway."

The words hit him like a punch. Not because they're cruel, but because they're so indifferent. It's a clean break, yet somehow it leaves him feeling even more empty.

There's no anger, no hurt—just resignation, like she saw this coming from a mile away and didn't care enough to fight it. Whatever they had is over, and it doesn't even feel like he's lost anything. It's just... gone.

That night, as he lies in bed, Harry thinks about Taylor again. He tries to push the thoughts away, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to shake her off.

It's the night after her last show. He wasn't even invited to her end-of-tour party, and he's convinced that she's already left, back to the U.S. He tells himself he's an idiot for holding onto hope, for believing that maybe something real was still there.

He's already trying to convince himself that none of it had happened, that it was all in his head, when his phone finally rings. His heart leaps, but it's just a message.

"Sorry I've been quiet. So much going on, flying tonight. But I promise, I'll be back. Talk soon."

Relief washes over him, but it's mixed with impatience and a realisation that pining this hard is a horrible feeling. And then memories of all the times he ghosted her, made her feel this way because he was being selfish or petty, flood his mind. He rubs his face, the guilt settling in.

What can he say? He needs to pull himself together and give her time. He has no right to be upset. So he types back, simply:

"Proud of you. I miss you."