Because Hearts Get Broken

Brad and Olivia

It's been two months since the night Harry showed up at her LA house.

He has respected her request for silence, believing she needed space, so he has given it to her.

In Taylor's world, the days have blurred together, leaving her feeling paralyzed by the fear of allowing herself what she wants the most; him. Leaving her to mainly focus on numbing herself.

Time has passed, yet she remains stuck in the same place, unable to move forward. In the past, she would have turned to someone else to pull her out of the darkness, and bring her back together, but now she's determined to find her way out on her own.

The problem is, she doesn't know how. With no clues to follow, she struggles with the overwhelming sense of being lost and the daunting task of finding herself again.

One day, Taylor hears from someone at the studio that Harry is seeing someone new. The news hit her like a punch through her chest. It's the first genuine emotion she feels in weeks.

So she cries. Like she hasn't since the day she told her mum she was leaving Travis. She just cries non-stop. Until she falls asleep.

Four days later, feeling defeated and without the motivation she once had to fix herself, Taylor decides to accept her fate and the blind date Blake has been urging her to go on.

That's how she meets Brad. A week later, the press is full of their new relationship, and Taylor feels a strange mix of relief and vindication. She feels alive, like she is achieving something again, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

* MATURE CONTENT warning ⬇️*

At the Rhode Island house party, Harry navigates through the crowd, his eyes never straying far from Taylor. She's with Brad, and they do look like the perfect couple. But despite all her smiling, Harry senses the artificiality behind it. The easy laughter seems forced, the warmth in her eyes absent. He recognises the signs, he has seen her doing this too many times before.

When Taylor leaves the room on her way to the ladies' room, Harry sees his chance. He follows, pushing through the sea of partygoers.

He observes her as she leaves the bathroom, looking radiant in a flowing white dress, her skin slightly sun-kissed. She is every bit as beautiful as he remembers, and it makes his heart ache.

He intercepts her just outside the hallway, pulling her gently but firmly by her arm, into a quieter room; the house library.

The door closes behind them with a click, locking it, and the noise of the party fades.

Taylor looks momentarily surprised, her eyes wide as she takes in Harry's presence in front of her.

For a moment, as they stand face-to-face, Harry's resolve wavers. The proximity, her familiar scent, stir feelings he thought he had controlled. But he just misses her.

Taylor's heart quivers at the sight of Harry's green eyes. His arms are so close to her, and she remembers all the lonely nights she has longed to curl up in them, as she tried and failed to find a way out of her pain and confusion.

The tension in the room thickens as they stand there, in front of each other, yet so distant.

She speaks first. "Harry, what are you doing here?", she asks, pretending she did not realise the moment he had arrived at the party, hours ago.

Harry's voice is tight with hurt and frustration.

"It's nice to see you too," he counters, the sarcasm evident.