Truly, Madly, Deeply (Book 2 of the Summer Love series) || 1D

SEVENTEEN: Oh, I Just Wanna Show You Off

Briley's POV

    I wake up and turn over, reaching for Harry with my eyes still closed. My hand can't find him. I open my eyes and see that he's not in bed next to me. I look at the time. 7 AM? That boy never wakes up on his own before 8, let alone 7. I sit up and hear his low voice muffled in another room. I get up and follow the sound.

    "No, we--...we didn't--...that's not what--..." I hear Harry stuttering as I get closer to his voice. I think he's on the phone in the bathroom, and it sounds like whoever he's talking to won't let him get a word in. I press my ear against the bathroom door. "I understand that, but please, just hear me out. I--..." he sounds upset. I wonder who he's talking to. I have a sneaking suspicion it's Simon. He continues.

    "Yes, I know... yes, I know, but--... okay?... Okay... Okay, but--... No, I--... N--No, I will protest because you're wrong! Okay? Yes, I signed the contracts but she didn't. You can make me do whatever you want but it's not fair if the things you make me do directly impact her. She has nothing to do with you or the band. She didn't sign up for this..." definitely Simon. He lowers his voice after a moment of silence.

    "... I knew she wasn't happy, but no... No, I didn't, she did it by herself... What?..." Harry's defense drops suddenly, I can hear it in his voice. "Wait, really?... Okay... It's just not what I expected... Okay... Yeah, I will... Okay..." a long pause, "... yeah, thank you. Okay..." I keep listening, but don't hear anything. Then, just as I'm deciding to open the door, I hear a quiet sniffle. I open the door slowly and see Harry curled up in a ball with his back against the bathtub and his head on his knees. I walk over to him, sit down next to him, and push some hair out of his face. He looks up at me, crying softly. He sniffles again. "Hi. Did I wake you?" he asks. I shake my head.

    "No. Are you okay?" I ask him. He nods and wipes his tears.

    "I'm okay." he says, giving me a small smile. "Sorry I've been crying so much lately." he says laughing a little. I shake my head.

    "You don't have to apologize." I tell him. "Was that Simon?" I ask. He sighs and closes his eyes.

    "How much did you hear?" he asks.

    "A lot. But also, not much considering I only heard your half of the conversation." I reply. He nods and lays down on the bathroom floor, resting his head in my lap. I start to play with his hair. He closes his eyes.

    "It just takes a lot out of me talking to him sometimes. Especially when he doesn't really care to listen." he says.

    "It's okay. What did he say?" I ask.

    "He, um... he's not upset." he says slowly. I'm shocked.

    "What? He's not?" I ask.

    "Well, he is. But he said he's sort of impressed you had the gall to go against him." he says, opening his eyes and looking up at me. I grin back at him. "There's um... an event tonight. It's a charity event. We're scheduled to perform. He wants you to... be my date." he says. Now I'm really shocked. Not only was Simon virtually okay with the fact that I told everyone Harry and I are together, but he wants us to go be coupley in public at a charity event? "If you want to. Just, some pictures, probably a short interview or two, and one song. That's it. We should be in and out of there in a couple of hours." he explains.

    "Of course, I'd love to come. I'm just shocked he all of a sudden wants us to be public." I say.

    "Me too. I don't know." Harry agrees. We look at each other for a second, then start laughing quietly. I think deep down we were both afraid that Simon would force us to break up. This is honestly the best possible outcome either of us could have hoped for. "I love you."