Evening the Score // Book One

Chapter 31

Elena's night did not get any easier once she made it to the hotel. The front desk were none too pleased when she arrived to say she was with the guest staying in room 1623. Seems they'd heard that schtick before. Harry had left word that she would need a key when she arrived, but convincing the manager of the hotel she was who she said she was took a small act of God. Her driver's license, her passport and a positive identification from Jeff over the phone was finally enough to get her in.

The manager grudgingly made her a key, keeping one eye on her the entire time before he personally escorted her up to the room and let her in. He gave her one more suspicious once over before he handed her the room key and left.

The urge to burst into tears that Elena had been staving off for the last half a day finally caught up to her. Sitting there in a hotel room alone, amongst Harry's things was all too much. She sank to the floor, her knees against her chest and unleashed. The tears that streamed down her cheeks continued unabashedly for the next 15 minutes.

She couldn't believe how the day had changed from one of such elation and celebration to her sitting in a hotel room alone, bawling. But this is what her day had become.

Elena tried to stay awake until Harry returned, but the exhaustion from being awake for so long coupled with the barrage of emotions surrounding her was too much. She succumbed to her fatigue less than an hour of making it to the hotel room.

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Harry walked back from the bathroom. He just needed a minute. One solitary minute where he wasn't being pulled in ten different directions. One instance where he could sit alone and contemplate where he was and what he was doing.

Harry was overwhelmed. Probably more than he ever had been in his life. His CD was number one in virtually every industrialized country. The magazine had sold out the moment it had become available online. His solo career, for all intents and purposes, was a rousing success.

It was everything he wanted. Everything he'd worked for.

And it felt like nothing he could describe.

A combination of bliss, euphoria...perfection. This is what it felt like to be totally satisfied career wise. This, this is what he'd been trying so hard to get to.

And the worst part about it was that it was terrifying. Harry was scared out of his wits. Afraid that if he said the wrong thing to someone it would all melt away.

So he just needed a minute.

Harry stared down at Elena's last text message while he walked.

I made it.

That was all it said. A confirmation that she had arrived. He contemplated responding but instead closed his text messages and turned his phone off.

He looked up just in time to see Gemma approaching him. She threw her arms around his neck and exclaimed once again how proud she was of him. Harry squeezed her tight and then pulled away,

"I know Gem. That's like the 14th time you've told me."

"Just don't want you to forget."

Harry smiled, diverting his eyes to the ground for a split second as his smile faded. In that moment, standing in an empty hallway with his sister he realized he missed Elena. Terribly.

He heard Gemma's voice, filled with hopefulness,

"You could tell her to get dressed and head over here ya know."

Harry looked up, slightly shocked that Gemma noticed. He shook his head,

"Party's almost over. She wouldn't get here in time."