Begin Again [A Haylor Fanfic]

Chapter 8

I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Harry after the concert last night. Not that I would have known what to say anyway, how do you tell someone that you’re falling for them, but you don’t think you should be together? I thought it would be best for the moment to leave it at what I had already told him.

I was quite excited for today, though. It was a great opportunity to be able to work with Ed Sheeran. I don’t know what exactly we would end up doing, but to be able to sit here and listen to him play me some of his songs for the next album got me excited. The boys were also coming to the penthouse later to stay; I wasn’t exactly sure for how long, I wasn’t even sure of how long I was staying. But it was their place, so I didn’t mind. I just hoped it wouldn’t be awkward between me and Harry.

When Ed had arrived, we had somehow ended up in the kitchen; guitars in hand as we sat on the tiles, a plate of biscuits next to us as I listened to Ed play his guitar while he sung ‘The A Team’. He sounded amazing. I felt so lucky to be sitting here with him. All of this was because of Harry. I had to give him credit where it was due; he had been so good to me. Everything was just so messed up in my head; I had never been more confused. I must have been in a daydream as Ed finished. He had to repeat his question a couple of times before I noticed.

“Taylor… hey Taylor, did you want to play something?” He said for what was probably the third or fourth time.

“Oh, oh sorry. I was um… yeah. I… I haven’t really played for anyone before apart from a couple nights ago… which doesn’t count because I was under the influence of alcohol.” I stopped for a couple seconds, before sighing. “Yeah, okay.” My songbook was sitting next to me, so I opened it and flicked through the pages until I got to something I had been working on recently. “Okay so it’s not finished. It’s like, a verse and half a chorus. So let me know what you think. Be honest.”

Ed nodded. “I’ll be honest, trust me. You good to go?”

I placed my fingers on the guitar, starting to play the tune.

All I knew this morning when I woke

Is I know something now, know something now I didn't before

And all I've seen since eighteen hours ago

Is green eyes and freckles and your smile

In the back of my mind making me feel like,

I just wanna know you better now,

'Cause all I know is we said "Hello"

And your eyes look like coming home

All I know is a simple name

Everything has changed.

I looked over at Ed opposite me, waiting for some sort of approval. Or for him to tell me it was horrible. Either way, I couldn’t wait any longer.

“So what did you think?”

Ed smiled, an impressed look on his face. “Taylor, that was amazing. Do you even realize how great of a songwriter you are?”

I blushed a little, setting my guitar down as I stood up to grab myself some water from the fridge. “Well I don’t know about that…”

“Taylor, stop doubting yourself. You could be huge.” Huge? Me? I didn’t really know how to reply to that. Is that what I wanted? Ed stood up, setting his guitar down next to mine (well, Harry’s guitar I was borrowing) and came closer to me, placing his hands on my shoulders as he looked into my eyes.

“Trust me Taylor. You have what it takes to me a singer songwriter. A great one.” When Ed Sheeran says something like that to you, you can’t just ignore it. As much as I didn’t think I was great at this, he had told me otherwise. It was in that moment, the five boys came running through the door; Niall seemed to be chasing Louis and the rest of them were laughing. Until they saw us standing in the kitchen. Ed pulled his hands away, grabbing his guitar as he waved to me, walking towards the guys. “I’ll see you later, Taylor. Seya boys.” He walked past them and out the door.

That left me, standing their awkwardly with the boys looking over at me. I walked over to Harry, grabbing his hand as I dragged him into his bedroom. “We need to talk.” He didn’t argue and just followed. I closed the door behind us sat next to Harry on the bed.

“You like Ed?” He questioned, while I looked at him with a ridiculous look on my face. Was he serious right now?

“What are you talking about?! No, no we were just working on some music. I played him something.”

“You’re allowed to like him, y’know. Don’t let me get in the way.”

I shook my head, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Are you kidding me right now? I. Don’t. Like. Ed! Sure, he’s an amazing artist and I’ve adored him for years. But no, I don’t like him, Harry!”

Harry just looked at me, sighing as he stood up to leave the room. I stood up after him and yanked back his arm so he was facing me.

“I can’t even believe you right now, Harry! If you want to know who I actually like, it’s you! I like you, Harry! There is nothing more I want right now than to try this whole relationship thing with you, but I can’t! Because I don’t know if this is the life I want! I don’t want to deal with paparazzi every day. I don’t want to wake up to check my social media to find hundreds of hate aimed at me! But I want you, okay?!”  I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself down. Harry was looking at me with a surprised look at me; it almost looked like he was… smiling?

“I like you, Taylor.” He sighed, taking my hand in his.

“I know.”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Harry sighed again. I could feel his thumb rubbing on my hand, and I couldn’t stop the butterflies in my stomach.

“The Brit awards are tomorrow night. The guys are all bringing their girlfriends… will you come with me?”

“Harry… this is the total opposite of what I just told you.” I rolled my eyes a little.

“We’ll go as friends, if that’s what you want. See how you like being in the spotlight. I just… one chance, please Taylor?”

I thought about it for a couple of seconds, before thinking ‘why not?’ Harry was right; shouldn’t liking each other be enough? I needed to take the leap and try it. “Okay. I’ll go. But… we should go as a couple. Just to see how the public react. But nothings official between us yet, okay?”

Harry nodded. He looked like an over excited ten year old on Christmas day.

“It’s a date.” I nodded.