Graceful Departure// Harry Styles Fan Fiction

Chapter Twenty One

By January 13th a huge street party broke out through out the UK as Prince Harry was marrying Isabella and everyone was feeling Patriotic. Jennifer and I had dressed Grace up in a warm white and blue outfit and stood by some of the adults talking at the corner of the street. Jennifer stood behind me bouncing Grace next to Mrs Childs and Mrs Lang while I spoke to Mr Lang, one of the neighbours next door.

"Congratulations on the job." I heard his wife say behind us. I looked over and saw Jennifer gushing but in a quiet tone. I took a few steps towards them and smiled. 

"You got the job?" I asked her as she saw me coming. Her smile faded and she nodded but said nothing. "When did you find out?" She looked up at me and nodded to a bench up the road. We sat on the wooden bench and I waited for her to say something but instead she fiddled with a button on Grace's outfit. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her beginning to get annoyed with her lack of answers.

"It's in America." She said quickly, passing Grace to me and turning her body towards me. Grace sat in my lap and began playing with one of the draw strings on my hoody.

"What?" I said quietly. "When are we going? How long for? Just one event? Two?"

Jennifer shook her head and stroked Grace's cheek. "Harry, I'd be the director of the event's firm. I'd have to move out there. I can't ask you to do that, I can't take Grace away from her grandparents. I can't take you away from your family and band."

"Are you thinking about taking it?" I asked her pulling Grace's hat on so it didn't blow off in the wind.

"Yeah, I am." She said gently, sighing a little. "I would have killed to be in this position last year. Do you know how long I've wanted this. There's nothing holding me back here in England." She said getting up and smoothing down her hoody.

"What about Grace? What about me?" I shouted making several people turn their heads in our direction.

"Come on Harry. Who are we trying to kid? We're not a family. Louis and Samantha put us together because we love Grace like our own, but we are not a family. We don't love each other. It's not fair to bring her up in a pretend family." She sighed and took a few steps back, pulling at the strings of her hoody trying to think of something better to say to me.

"So all this time you've been pretending for Grace?" I asked her.

"Harry, I didn't pretend for Grace. She deserves better than a made up family."

"So you were just pretending to me?" I replied quietly. Her face dropped and she turned her back on me walking away and into the house. I sat on the bench for a long while playing with Grace. Eventually it became too cold for everyone and they filtered inside their homes. I looked around and saw an empty street so I decided to get up and take Grace inside. When I opened the door I found two of Jennifer's suitcases by the door.

She was really leaving us for a job in America. I shook my head and took Grace upstairs to give her a long warm bath so I could avoid seeing Jennifer. When I had clothed Grace I put her to sleep and sat in a chair near her cot watching her sleep peacefully.

"Harry, can we talk?" Jennifer said quietly from the doorway.

"No, if you're leaving me and Grace we can't talk. If you leave tonight you're never coming back." I turned my body to face her but remained in the chair. "If you leave us... We won't be here for you to come back to." Jennifer dropped her eyes from mine and sighed loudly.

"Goodbye Harry." Jennifer said quietly closing the door behind her. I took a deep breath and held the tears in my eyes, refusing to let them fall down my face. I heard the front door click closed quietly and the house fell silent. I got up and went downstairs throwing myself onto the sofa I let out a long and loud wail of sorrow. Jennifer had gone. Even if she decided that she'd made a mistake I didn't think I would ever be able to forgive her for leaving us again.