The Journalist

Chapter Twenty-Two

Elsie and the photographer came the next day.

“Emma!” Elsie cried when she saw me. I smiled; I had grown to miss her during past couple weeks. I had stayed up all night but I had finished rewriting all the articles and personally handed them to Ms. Richmond. She had only sniffed in dissatisfaction and ignored me the rest of the time. It wasn’t great but I’d take it over her being angry any day. I began going to the bar with the guys again while she hit the town, looking for a good time.

“Do you know where Harry is?” Louis asked me a couple days after the baseball game.

“No, why would I?” That came out harsher than I intended and I winced. The guys exchanged glances.

“Well when he was here he wouldn’t shut up about you, I almost miss it.” Louis looked at his beer bottle mournfully. I almost choked.

“Why would he talk about me? I mean I am pretty amazing but still.” Liam rolled his eyes and I slapped his arm. He smiled.

“Oh you should’ve heard him.” Zayn said. “Emma likes the Yankees, isn’t that great? I think I’ll take her to a Yankees game. But what if the Yankees lose? That will only make her mad. I don’t like her when she’s mad. But what if she only pretended to like the Yankees to seem interesting? What if she gets too into it? Do you think she’s dated a Yankees player? On and on and on. It’s annoying actually.” I smiled and looked down.

“I don’t know he took his journal. Once he finds a place to write he usually stays there a couple days.” Niall said. I remembered the battered brown leather journal I had seen him writing in occasionally.

“Does he miss Claire?” I asked suddenly. The guys looked at each other.

“I don’t know.” Louis said finally.

“If she’s not right next to him, he never talks about her at least not like he does about you.” Liam said.

“He’s happier without her.” Zayn said.

“We all are mate.” Niall said.

-Almost a week since the baseball game passed and I was sitting on the beach around midnight. I couldn’t sleep so I went for a run and now I was sitting with my toes in the sand, watching the moonlight on the ocean waves. I pulled my knees up to my chest and put my head on them. I heard noise and looked over to see none other than Harry walking towards me. He sat down next to me, his long legs just barely reaching the surf.

“Hey Stranger.” I said.

“Hey Emma. Couldn’t sleep?”

“No. You?” My dreams had been haunted by Harry turning into Greg and then back again until I couldn’t decide who was who. Just the thought made me inch a little away from him.

“No.”

“The guys missed you while you were gone.”

“Did you miss me?” The question threw me.

“Pardon?”

“Did you miss me?”

“I suppose so; I could’ve gotten another interview out of you before you went M.I.A.” I tried to play it off as a joke but even I didn’t believe it.

“I-I left for a couple days to think, get everything straight. After the game I was so confused. When I’m with you I don’t even think about Claire. And with I’m with Claire all I can do is think about you. I don’t even know if I like Claire anymore, let alone love. All my life I’ve been told to do things that are good for and everyone tells me that Claire is good for me. That I can use someone like her in my life. But I don’t want to be with someone just because it’s the good thing to do.” I looked at Harry; he stared out at the ocean, his face calm. I was afraid to hope he was saying what I thought he was saying.

“When I met you, well it was amazing. We connected so fast and you didn’t even know about the fame. I guess it doesn’t even matter since you know about it know and you still treat me the same. I can spend every second of the day with you and not get bored.” He suddenly turned to me. “I want you Emma, not Claire.” He said and then he leaned over and kissed me.

A/N: I don't know about you, but I'm feeling twenty-two

I'm sorry I had to

-E