Gardens Of Eden (A Harry Styles Story)

43. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

I pulled the heavy ring off my right hand and dropped it in the desk drawer. Around me, my office was buzzing.

Things had been more chaotic than ever following Eve's release on Sunday. As the news traveled around my group of friends and family, I found myself fielding questions at every turn. It was only a matter of time before the media zeroed in on the 'alleged fugitive' I was housing. Hell, it was a miracle that fans around the world still didn't know about Eve. Usually this far into a relationship, it was already being torn apart by the media, then again maybe the media was too busy focusing on something else...

Eve's image had been on the news every night as police attempted to attach her to crimes she had not committed. The orphanage had been ransacked, but amazingly, no further information had come out about the dirty exchanges that had been made there. That was the biggest shock.

How could the police have found... virtually nothing? Surely they would've released it if an organized sex-trafficking ring had been discovered. 

Wouldn't they?

The stress had pushed Eve to call Marshall and setup more self-defence lessons, and I was glad she'd found an outlet. 

I closed the notepad app on my laptop, forgetting about the absentminded lyrics that had been floating through my head. A buzz in my pocket told me I had a call, and I felt a hopeful thrill that it might be her. When I saw the name, the feeling subsided with only a slight wave of disappointment. 

"Uncle Simon! Long time no talk. How you been?" I greeted the man who had been a driving force in starting my career. 

"Harry! I've been really good thanks, and you too?"

"Always good, to what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked, a new wave of excitement in the air. Simon's calls were usually tied to a fun event.

"Well, I'm calling because I have a young girl coming here to play back-to-back shows this weekend, and she wants to meet you. I'm hoping you'll give her a good London welcome."

"London welcome, is it? Well what's her name?" I wrote down the strange name as he said it, assuring him we could work something out. 

"Thanks Harry. The girl is gifted, I want her to sign with my LA office."

"Well I'll do my best to make a good impression." I laughed. "See you this weekend Simon."

"Ciao." 

We hung up and I looked up the girl on youtube. She was charismatic, definitely. Quite young, but that just meant she had a long career ahead of her. 

I picked up the phone again, this time calling home.

"'Ello, love. Just wanted to give you a heads up. We're going out tomorrow." 

**

I tore my eyes away from the dress and shoes laying on the bed. 

Gemma where are you? I whispered to myself. In the time it had taken me to shower, do my hair, and apply makeup, I'd lost all confidence in my outfit selection, and she had promised to help me get ready.

When I heard the front door close, I raced to the top of the stairs. 

"Get up here, woman. You're late!" I rushed her.

"Er, sorry, got caught up with something. Where's Harry?" Gemma smiled at me in my pajama pants and tank top as she got to the top of the stairs. She looked smoking hot in a boyish turquoise thigh-length dress and tan leggings. Her jewelry was black and silver and she had a black hat to match.