It's Gotta Be You (Harry Styles)

Chapter 19: The Article

CHAPTER 19

(Elizabeth's POV):

"Elizabeth, I don't think it's the best idea to be talking to Harry right now," said Zayn, standing in the doorway of their flat, blocking me from entering. 

"Zayn, I don't think it's the best idea to piss me off right now. I need to see him. Now." I snapped. "This is our problem, we need to work it out together."

"He needs some space, Liz," Zayn insisted. "He specifically said that he didn't want to see you."

Angrily, I waved the magazines in my hand around. "Have you not seen what people are saying?" I held up the cover of a People magazine. "'Harry Styles Gets in Violent Bar Fight, page 82.' 'Harry Styles: Good Boy Gone Bad?' Not to mention," I pointed to the cover of another celebrity gossip magazine. "'Harry Styles' Girlfriend Already Cheating!' 'Harry Styles Suffers from Bar Fight Injuries After Hearing the News of His Girlfriend's Scandalous Affair!'"

Zayn sighed, running his tongue over his teeth. "Look, I'm sorry but he said not to - "

"ZAYN, LET ME IN OR I'LL RIP OUT YOUR THROAT." I smacked him with a rolled up magazine and he reluctantly let me in. 

I stormed through the living room and into Harry's bedroom.

He was wearing sweats and no shirt, an Xbox controller in one hand and a Grand Theft Auto game going on the flatscreen. A white bandage covered half of his forehead and there was a hint of a bruise on the side of his ribs. 

"Harry." I said with a loud sigh. 

He paused his game and looked over at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking - his face wasn't showing any obvious emotion. "Hello, Elizabeth,"

"Harry," I said again, sitting down on the edge of his bed. I saw his jaw tense up and I nervously bit on my lip. "It's not true, what they're saying. You know that, right?"

"I don't really know anything right now," he said, putting down the controller and running a hand through his tousled curls.

"Harr-"

"Stop saying my name like that." 

"HARRY." I tugged at my hair in frustration. "I'm not cheating on you, okay? I don't know how else to say it." I tossed the magazines his way. "These are all lies, you should know that magazines will twist everything around for a good story."

Harry chuckled humourlessly. "Honestly, at this point I don't know what magazines will do for a good story." Ouch. He held eye contact with me until I averted my eyes. 

"You've got it all wrong. This is all just a big misunderstanding..." my words came out in a jumble, making me sound desperate and guilty. I had absolutely nothing to be guilty about, what was I doing?

I acted on instinct, scooting closer to him and putting my hand on his shoulder. "You know full well that I love you and wouldn't do anything to deliberately hurt you. The article wasn't for publicity or money. I was trying to show people the side of you that they'd never seen, the side that I love. And the pictures? I don't know who took them and it honestly kind of scares me, but it was Alex. I was talking to him about what happened and - "

"And what?" he snapped, shrugging my hand off of his shoulder. "You kissed him? As some sort of, I don't know, rebound? Are you really that quick to find someone to fall back on?"

"It was a cheek kiss," I insisted. "He kissed me on my cheek. The angle of the picture makes it look like it's mouth to mouth, but I promise you that he kissed me on the cheek."