Fade {Harry Styles}

chapter 18

"What do I do?" Harry asked for what felt like the millionth time. He ran a hand through his tangled hair. His fingers got caught in the curls. 

The computer pixels around Louis face blurred slightly as he shook his head. “I don’t know, lad. It sounds like she’s got some emotional problems or something. One minute she totally digs you, and the next she’s slamming the door in your face.”  He chuckled. “Are you loosing your lady charm?”

"Absolutely not." 

"Evidence suggests otherwise."

"Don’t be such a bitch."

"Don’t act like such a jerk." Louis smiled at his old friend. He missed him more than the world and needed him to come home. But he never breathed a word of it to Harry. Louis knew that he heard it enough from everyone else.

"Hey guess what!" The excitement that laced Louis voice was contagious. "Lynch told us that you’ll be coming back by the end of the month!" He quipped. "And that means the tours and games and pranks —”

Harry’s stomach churned with happiness. He missed Britain; the people, the accents, the food, the streets. There was no doubt he was homesick. 

"Really?" Harry beamed. "How do you know for sure?"

"I walked into his office one day when he was on the phone with someone. He was telling them that he needs you back within a month, and that happened about a week ago! Start packing your bags, Styles." Louis clapped his hands together with a smile. "And get your arse back here soon, lad."

Harry returned the grin, pushing all thoughts of curly, blonde hair and tempting gray eyes from his mind.

A slamming door sounded through Harry’s laptop speakers and Louis eyes looked up from his computer screen to the figure that had appeared. Harry watched as another head popped in front of the screen, a tuft of blonde hair and blue eyes greeted him. 

"Harry!" Niall lilted. He pulled up a chair next to Louis, staring gleefully into the webcam. "How’s it going?" His teeth flashed in a smile. 

"It’s going. And you? It’s been a while." Harry said. Realization slapped him across the face when he figured that he hadn’t talked to Niall for uncountable months on end. Guilt wrenched his stomach, but Niall didn’t seem to notice or care about the lack of communication between the two of them. He was just happy now.

"Great, man! Even better now that we know you will be home soon!" Niall’s laugh was contagious, and the cackle that crept from his lips was soon rumbling in the back of Harry’s throat.  A smile slipped on his lips, causing it to be lopsided and goofy looking; but it was real and natural.

"Miss me yet?" Harry mocked.

"I think the question of the day is more like did you miss me?” Louis pressed a hand to his chest in self enjoyment. 

Harry’s eyes crinkled in a giddy smile knowing that he would soon see his best mates. 

In person.

*    *    *    *

Kelsey threw herself on top of her bed as her phone buzzed persistently within the clasp of her hand. She stretched her limbs out carefully and sighed slowly. 

"Hello." She answered in a collected tone. 

"Kelsey," Mr. Lynch replied at the other end of the line. She always thought it to be anything but funny when she had to address him properly while he could talk to her as if they were on a first name basis, which they were not.

"How are things going?" She knew he didn’t mean with her. His first concern was about the boy across the hall, and how he was doing.

"Good." She replied respectively. "I’ve seen a lot of improvement with him." Her throat tightened without her permission. 

"Splendid." Mr. Lynch’s voice was empty as well as gravely and not exactly appealing to the ear. Kelsey could practically see the man sitting behind his desk with his feet propped lazily on top of his large, oak desk. "Do you think he is ready?" Kelsey struggled to push all thoughts of a spy movie out of her head. The way the two’s conversation played out sounded as if they were in a spy movie. As if Kelsey were an agent, and Mr. Lynch her employer. The whole situation felt scripted, and she needed to follow her lines.

"Yes. I believe so." She tried to remain emotionless.

"I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done, Kelsey. I truly am. After Harry leaves, which will be by next week, why don’t you take a break. It sounds like you need one." Mr. Lynch offered. She pictured him fiddling with paper on his desk. His conversations with her were never lengthy, and Kelsey expected their current one to be over quite shortly. 

"That sounds great. And sir," The pause at the other end of the line indicated that she was to continue. "Can I tell him?"

Mr. Lynch sounded confused. “Tell him what?”

Kelsey sucked a tunnel of air between her teeth. Her throat clenched and her stomach twisted with guilt. “You know, that I’m not who he thought I was. That I work for Modest.” She tried to pretend that she didn’t hear the slight quiver within her voice.

Mr. Lynch paused and Kelsey half expected him to say no to her request.

"You’ve grown attached, haven’t you?" She was taken back by the snip in his voice.

"No—"

"Kelsey," Mr. Lynch interrupted her weak protest. His response this time was a shade less snappy than last time. "You had one rule to follow. Just one."

"I know." She felt like she were being scolded by her father for not taking out the garbage or something completely absurd. "I’m sorry. It won’t happen again." She answered mono-toned. 

"Then I guess you should be the one to tell him." And that was the ending of the conversation. The phone beeped a few times into Kelsey’s ear, signaling that Mr. Lynch had hung up on her.