After The X Factor (One Direction)

Chapter 8

I stride confidently through the hotel entrance and across the lobby, not caring if each member of staff is looking down on me as if I belong in the sewer. Luckily I no longer smell like rubbish bins as I found perfume in my bag, but my clothes are still damp and uncomfortable from the rain.

I’d been sat in a nearby café for the past hour and a half after receiving Harry’s first reply,

Can you make it hour and a half? We need extra practice! ;) x

I had actually laughed at his reply, not really wanting to know what the extra half hour was for. Though I agreed and I waited.

I hadn’t been able to tell anyone about what I’d seen. I had started sending a message to Elvie, but words failed me and I had no idea what to put. Plus I don’t like using that many swear words all at once.

I couldn’t tell anyone else. I figured if I couldn’t tell Elvie, there’s no way I could tell Lizzy or Lola or Gregg or Beth or Jason or anybody else. Especially not Ken.

I rush up the stairs now, surprisingly full of energy, so I can get to Harry’s hotel room as quickly as possible and get this thing done with. He text a few minutes ago to tell me he’s back in his hotel now, so I was allowed to come over.

“Hey!” he grins as he opens the door to me, already changed into some joggers. “You okay?” he questions, looking concerned. I push past him as he tries to hug me.

“No, actually, I’m not.”

The door swings shut behind me and I turn to see Harry looking completely befuddled. “Why, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing much, you know. To be honest I’m probably overreacting, I mean it’s completely normal to freak out when you see your boyfriend with some other girl, isn’t it?” I question. I see in his face that he’s noticed I’m angry, but I also see him acting confused. It’s hard not to laugh thinking of the lies that are about to start pouring from his mouth.

“Chaz, I don’t know what you mean–” he starts, but I suddenly cut him off.

“Why did you do it, Harry? I just don’t understand!” I begin pacing up and down the width of the small hotel room as I speak. “I’d never thought you’d be the one to do this, especially not to me! I can’t believe you made me befriend her, too! Cunning little plan you and Freya made, there, getting me to see for myself so you wouldn’t have to break up with me face to face. Everything you said to me…was it just a lie? Was it…some kind of diversion so that I’d never even suspect you of cheating on me?” I don’t pause as I don’t want him to lie any more, “I didn’t want to believe it when I saw you at the gym today but it’s just the kind of thing you can’t deny when it’s right there in front of you…” I sigh and stop in my tracks. “I just need to know why, then I’ll be gone,” I tell him.

I stare at Harry, now. He doesn’t look guilty. His eyes are focussed on a spot on the floor beside my feet, and he looks absolutely furious.

“…Harry?” I prompt him cautiously after a few moments of silence.

Still staring at the floor, Harry speaks, “You went to the gym?”

“Yes,” I reply, a little taken aback by the simplicity of the question.

“To check up on me?” he adds quietly.

“No that’s not wha–”

Then Harry starts shouting, “But you didn’t trust me, did you? You believed her and just had to get down here to see if it was true! You didn’t believe me. You thought I was lying when I said I loved you!”

I, too, raise my voice, “You can’t love me if you’re with some other girl!”

“I’m not with another girl! I don’t know what you saw today, but there’s nothing going on between Freya and me!”

“Stop lying!” I scream, tears now beginning to fall down my face. “I know what I saw!”

“Clearly, you don’t!” he tells me with a shaky laugh. “Listen, Chazza,” he says, a lot quieter now, “I love you, I truly do. Remember last year, December 12th, in that random room after The X Factor? Can you remember how happy you felt when we were there?” he asks quietly, once again pulling me close to him.

“Yes,” I whisper, almost inaudibly.

“Well, I still feel the same right now. I still love you just as much, and I would never ever do anything to hurt you,” he whispers.

I can’t form a proper sentence. What are you supposed to say to that… You’re probably supposed to go all soppy and apologetic for the accusation. No, I’m not letting him lie to me like this, however much I want to fix this whole thing right here and right now.

“I want to believe you, Harry, I really do. But…I just remember you and her in the locker room together today and…there’s no ounce of belief in there that you love me. I love you, and that’s the truth, but if you don’t want me – just me – then I’m sorry,” I push away from him and head to the door.

He shouts and yells and tries to pull me away from the door, pleadingly, but I effortlessly move around him and eventually find myself on the other side of the door, staring through the little peephole. I can’t see Harry in the glass, only my oddly enlarged reflection.

A couple of doors down the corridor start opening, so I rush back down to the hotel lobby before Harry’s band mates can bombard me with questions. I hear Niall shouting me a couple of times, but I pretend I don’t hear him.

I hurry through the hotel entrance almost as confidently as I had arrived. The sleeve of my coat is smudged with the mascara I transferred from my watering eyes, but I don’t care. I just want to leave.

Out in the freezing November air I keep my head down as I push through the crowds. Once on the other side of the road, I look up at the hotel windows and see Liam and Zayn stood by the window, peering through the blinds. I shoot them a small wave and a smile they probably can’t see, but nonetheless they both wave back.

That’s it, then. I’m done. I’m done with being associated with One Direction – from now on they’re just five guys I used to know. I’m done with Harry especially.

Once I get home I’ll have a chat with Elvie, Lola and Gregg. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to know they were wrong, and that Ken was right. I still haven’t got my head around that fact.

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Comments?

Ideas?

Angry rants?

Threats to murder one of the characters? ;)

Seriously though I love hearing what readers think :) Especially with this chapter - I want to know if anybody's views have changed on a certain character or something... :) 

Also, I haven't written much of Ch.9 yet but it's either going to be a random pointless chapter or one of those chapters where EVERYTHING happens at once, in a way... hmm... anyway, hope you liked this one! :D