March
32 Weeks
Finished. Done. Finito.
My contract with Fortnam hotels was officially over. The company had been paid their money and I had my big fat commission cheque. I also had very little work to do because Amanda didn't see the point in giving me any big contracts when I was going on maternity leave in less than 7 weeks.
Which was just as well because in the 4 weeks since Harry had posted the first photo of me on his Instagram page my life had been flipped, turned upside down. Harry had been right about the intense media scrutiny. However what he hadn't counted on was my uncanny ability to dodge all attention. So far we had managed not to be pictured together. Due to my lack of social media presence they hadn't been able to find my private Facebook or Instagram. The media and public's inability to trace me online meant no one even knew my name. Which was pissing off a lot of Harry's fans but others had accepted that Harry would be as cagey about this as he is the rest of his private life so they were happy to wait on what ever little snippet he would offer them. Which so far had only been 1 more picture on Instagram. But for him that was enough.
It did mean that socialising together was difficult. Our shopping trips had been restricted to online only but it had meant spending even more of my free time at Harry's. We'd managed to perfect me slipping in and out of his, virtually unnoticed, until now.
*
[Nora_Henley]: harrystyles mentioned you in a post: Not long to go little one â¤ï¸ @ Nora_Henley
My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the notification, the tube bumping to a slow halt a few stops before ours.
"Christ" I mumbled to myself as I stared at the tiny glimpse of the image Harry had just posted to his Instagram page, in the notification.
"Hhmmm?" Allison looked up from her own phone as she sat beside me, on our way home from work.
"Harry's posted another photo on Instagram and I don't recognise it" I tell Allison, keeping my voice low because you never know who's listening to your conversations, something Jeffrey had spent a great deal of time telling me along with other helpful ways of dealing with paps and trolls when he insisted we had a 'strategy meeting' one evening in Harry's kitchen. He was still in my bad books but it gave me a chance to see a different side to Jeff, the side that actually cared for Harry. A side I could relate to.
"Why don't you open it?" Allison's asked bluntly
I glanced up to make sure none of the other passengers we were crammed in this carriage like sardines with, were listening to us. "In case I don't like it? In case there's nasty comments?"
Allison just raised her eyebrows unhelpfully. "You don't have to look at the comments just open the picture"
I nodded as I looked back at my phone. Resolved not to look at the comments I swiped at the notification and suddenly a picture I didn't even know he'd taken, was lit up on my phone.
For a second I didn't recognise it at all. Till slowly I recognised the shorts as his. Ones I'd pulled out of his drawer last week when I was at his. It had been a chilly night and Harry had dutifully put the heating on full blast to heat the house up which led to me being far too warm which resulted in me having to steal a pair of shorts from him to save me sweltering.
"That's cute" Allison's sing-songy came over my shoulder.
"It is" I admitted a little flabbergasted. Harry must have taken it while I was napping, evidently on his lap. What scared me was the intimacy of the picture. It looked like any normal bump shot, a father-to-be caressing his partners bump, a normal couple, delighting in their pregnancy and sharing it with their friends and family. Except this wasn't a normal pregnancy, we weren't a couple and this was being shared to millions of people worldwide. I balked as I noticed it already had 30,000 likes and it had only been shared minutes ago.
"He's tagged me in it" I mumbled as I watched the likes rise and rise. "Shiiiitttttt" I hissed, clicking on the notifications heart. He'd done the one thing I thought he didn't want. He'd lead the world straight to me.
"I have 1,400 friend requests" My head shot to Allison as her eyes widened.
"He's told the world who you are" Allison always knew my every thought, sometimes even before I did.
Suddenly my phone started buzzing in my hand and Harry's name flashed up on the screen.
"Hello?" I answered after a second.
"Hey" Harry's sheepish voice came over timid and shy for once.
"What have you done Harry?" I whispered into the receiver grasping for a modicum of privacy.
"I don't know. He admitted quietly. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just..." His voice trailed off.
"You just what?" I asked. I could feel Allison beside me, listening to my every word.
"I just wanted show you off" His words were like a jolt of electricity through my body.
"I'm fed up keeping you hidden like you're something to be embarrassed of" He whispered and I looked up, ready to see everyone listening to my private conversation but as I looked I noticed everyone was still ignoring each other and me like was the done thing on the London tube.
"Look, where are you? I'll come and get you" Harry suggested.
"We're just a few stops from home" I told him.
"Ok, I'll get you at yours soon" and then the line went dead.
*
"That's the third time your buzzers gone in 45 minutes" I sighed exasperated as I shoved his MacBook back onto the coffee table and heaved myself off the couch. I was getting fed up watching the likes and the follows rise by the second. Despite Harry posting the photo hours ago the internet was still going crazy over it.
"Just ignore it Nor' they're just trying to antagonise me" Harry dismissed as he watched me peak out from behind the heavy, charcoal curtain.
"Surely that's not legal for them to sit out there and pester us all night by continually ringing the buzzer?" I turned to face him folding my arms on top of my bump. It was useful for some things.
Harry was lounging on the sofa I had just vacated, his phone in one hand and the other thrown over the back of the couch, around the area I had just been occupying. He shrugged noncommittally. "It's not legal but phoning the police is just more hassle than it's worth"
"You know they wouldn't be doing this if you hadn't tagged me in that bloody picture. They're like a dog with a bone now. They better stop soon" I huffed as I lowered myself gently back down on the couch, shuffling from side to side to try and get comfy. "I'm starting to get tired, I'll need to go home soon"
Harry raised his eyebrows doubtfully. "If they're not gone in half an hour I'll phone the Police to move them along so I can take you home" He paused and looked down at his lap. "Or you could just stay?" His voice almost a whisper, I was sure I must have miss heard him.
"Stay?" I asked, hoping for clarity. Hoping I hadn't misheard him and picked up what I wanted to hear. That would be embarrassing.
His green eyes darted to mine then back to his lap where he was twisting his ring round his index finger, his phone now discarded on his lap. The twisting of his ring had become one of his most obvious nervous habits. "Obviously, only if you wanted to"
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I wasn't sure if it was the prospect of staying the night with Harry or the ridiculously, adorable way he mispronounced the word obviously. Yet another one of his quirks I was coming to adore.
I sat for a moment watching the way he held his body as still as possible so as to make as little noise, so if I were to give him an answer he would hear it immediately. He had a black Nike hoody on that I was desperate to steal but I knew I couldn't achieve the baggy 'boyfriends clothes' look I was hoping to achieve if I nicked it from him, due the bowling ball I was sporting at the front. His hair was getting longer and he had it tied up in the most glorious tiny bun at the back of his head. It was a baby version of the bun I had, that was closer to a birds nest on top of my head. We accidentally had matching grey tracksuit bottoms on but mines had a lot more fabric to house the bump which made them the comfiest trousers I owned. A massive plus side of pregnancy: as it crept closer to D-Day it grew more sociably acceptable to dress more casual. People didn't seem to mind if you were out in tracksuit trousers and oversized jumpers when you left the house.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked suddenly as I groaned, pulling myself off the couch.
In recent weeks it had became increasingly difficult for me to move like a normal human being. Getting in and out the car was impossible, pulling myself off the couch involved making some extremely animalistic grunts and groans and getting out of bed in the morning took at least 10 minutes.
"To make a cup of tea" I answered. Deciding giving him an answer about staying was too difficult without a cup of tea to mull it over.
"I can get that, sit down" Harry instructed as he followed me from the room.
"I'm pregnant Harry, not incapacitated" I chastised lightly as he trailed down the hallway behind me.
"I know but I want to do these things for you. Let me look after you" His voice was almost a whine as he followed me down the stairs and into the bright kitchen. I headed straight for the kettle while Harry, who had gotten to know me, and my cravings well headed straight for the biscuit tin.
"While I'm still able to do this shit: let me. Because I promise in a few weeks, when I can't, I'll be a complete bitch bossing you about" I grin as I turn back round to fetch two mugs down from the cupboard. I've become so comfortable in Harry's house. I remember, albeit very little, from the first night in this house being intimidated by its size and grandeur, with its artwork and grand pianos. But actually I find it cosy and homely. I know my way around the place and Harry gives me the space to ferret around his cupboards and investigate rooms I've never been in before. I've even got my own mug for tea.
"Bring it on" Harry grinned as he leaned against the counter with the round biscuit tin cuddled against his chest. "Hit me with your best shot. I'm so ready for bitchy Nora, whiny Nora, short-tempered Nora, irritated Nora, I'm ready for it all"
"Right!" I chastised. "I might not be that bad" I feigned resentment at his words. His soft chuckle wrapped around me like a warm hug and suddenly I became jealous of his biscuit tin.
I passed him his mug once it was ready and followed him back up the stairs and into his cosy living room.
"I could fall asleep on this couch. It's so comfy" I smiled as the sleep tugged at my eyes. I closed them for a moment to try and clear the gritty feeling.
"So stay. I promise the bed in the spare room is just as comfy" Harry's gravelled voice gave away just how tired he was too.
"Are the photographers still at the gate?" I opened my eyes a fraction and peeked at him they were still hooded and heavy. "They haven't rang the bell in a while"
"I don't know and I don't care" Harry answered slowly. "I'm not asking you to stay to avoid them, I'm asking because I want you to stay."
"Why do you want me to stay, Harry?" I needed to know that we were on the same page. Not that I particularly understood what page I was on. I just needed to know what he was thinking.
He eyed me warily. Clearly unsure he wanted to share his feelings right now. "Because then I know you're safe" He answered quietly.
I felt my eyebrows tug into a frown.
"It's hard to explain but when you're not with me I get anxious. I can't settle when you're not here. I worry something's happened to you, and the baby" He added quickly. Clarifying that it wasn't me, it was the baby he was concerned about.
"I get it, it's common for dads to feel like that. I've always got the baby with me" I smile as I place my hand on the bump. "But I don't think that's enough of a reason to move in with you Harry" Cutting the crap and getting to the bottom of what Harry really wanted to know.
"I don't think it's just the baby, Nora..." Harry's intense stare roots me to the spot, unsure how to respond.
Suddenly the buzzer sounds and I don't have to. "Fuck sake" Harry mutters as he flings himself from the couch and storms out the door pulling his phone from his back pocket.