Graceful Departure// Harry Styles Fan Fiction

Chapter Nineteen

"Harry, hi. It's Ben." I heard a male voice say on the other end of the line. "Ben Howard. I've e-mailed you a few times but you didn't reply so I thought I'd give you a ring."

My heart skipped a beat and a grin broke out on my face. Jennifer walked into the kitchen as I fed Grace with one hand and held the phone with the other.

"Ben, I've not really had the time to look at e-mails in a while. Sorry. What's up man?" Jennifer looked at me and narrowed her eyes, shaking her head a little bit. I waved her off with the spoon in my hand and began feeding Grace again.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to the studio today and record some stuff with me. I'm off to LA tomorrow and today's the only day I can do for a long time. I did e-mail you a few days ago.."

"Yeah, no, no that sounds brilliant. What time?" I asked excitedly. Jennifer walked over to the calender and pointed at today's date. December 1st: Job interview (Jen) 11am. "Shit." I whispered. Jennifer threw a grape at me and pointed to Grace. "Ben, I'll call you back. I've got to find a baby sitter for Grace.

"Baby.. What?" I heard Ben mumble before I hung up on him.

"Jennifer, please. I can't take Grace with me. It's Ben Howard! BEN HOWARD! He's one of my favourite artist ever."

"It was on the calender Harry." Jennifer said simply, applying her red lipstick to her lips. "I can't take her with me. It's a job interview."

"You don't need a job!" I said angrily. Jennifer turned to me and frowned. 

"I put it on the calender. I'm going to a job interview. You would be going to sing some songs! You take her." She snapped, storming out of the house. I threw a grape at the door and phoned Ben back.

"How does the studio feel about bringing babies in." I asked him.

"Uh, yeah. It's not going to work. Maybe another time man." Ben sighed as he hung up. I threw my head back and looked back at Grace who had covered herself and most of the kitchen in her baby food.

"You little shi-" I stopped before I uttered the word. Grace was picking up sounds easily now and Jennifer and I had decided to stop swearing in case Grace picked those sounds up. I picked Grace up and took her to the bathroom. "Someone needs a bath, hey." I said gently. As I walked past a photo of Jennifer and her friends I prodded the frame with my elbow and watched it as it fell to the ground and broke, growling at it to vent my anger toward Jennifer.

I spent the day cleaning up the kitchen and Grace and then cleaning the house from top to bottom again. I missed the boys. They never came around any more. I hadn't had a proper conversation face to face in a while with any one other than Jennifer or Holly in ages too. It upset me that I was alone even when people promised I wasn't. By 8pm Grace was tired and I began singing her to sleep. Jennifer walked up the stairs and opened the door as I was singing an angry but calming song to Grace.

"But it's OK,

As long as Jennifer has a good time,

She'll stay with you one day.

You know what they say, life is a damn steep climb."

"What are you singing to her?" Jennifer asked me gently. I looked up at her and scowled at her. 

"I'm singing her to sleep." I spat at her quietly. I looked down and saw that Grace had dozed off and put her in the cot.

"Do you have to be so depressed all the time?" She asked me as I got up. 

"Would you be quiet!" I said angrily, pushing her out of the room and closing the door behind me. "And yes. I do! I used to have everything, now look at me."

Jennifer scoffed and stormed down the stairs. "Everyone says they used to have everything." She said angrily. I followed her down the stairs and through to the kitchen. 

"Yeah, but I actually had it! I used to sing for a job. I used to get paid for being seen wearing a brand. I used to be like brothers with my band mates now I don't even talk to them. I don't do anything any more." I sighed and slumped down onto a chair. 

"God, how long do you spend complaining about your social life?! You have a daughter to look after." She asked me. I looked up, furious that she even asked. 

"Because that's exactly what I'm doing!" My voice was raised and I felt the anger rushing through me. "You go off for cocktails and meals and I'm left to do all the work! Even when you're here it's me doing all the work!"

"Your child needs us-" Jennifer began but I stood up knocking the chair over and put my hand up so I was pointing at Jennifer.

"There is no us about it. I do all of the work around here. You get all of the credit because you're the one that goes out looking like shit all the time when I'm stuck at home looking after Grace. When was the last time I went out for myself?" I asked her. I turned my back on her seeing how upset I'd made her. As I reached the front door I heard her follow me. "Oh," I said angrily as I opened the door. "She is not my daughter." I spat at her, slamming the door shut behind me running off into the cold night.