Still the One

Harry’s Point of View

Shit! This couldn’t be happening! Some imposter was sitting in for Lana. I couldn’t believe it. The police got a hold of the imposter and were dragging her out.

‘Harry go get Libby so we can get out of here.’ Paul instructs.

‘Alright.’ I rush across the hall and head to the office where Libby awaited me. ‘Libby, it’s time to go.’ I push on the door but it doesn’t open, ‘Lib, did you lock the door?’ There was no response.

‘She’s a little busy right now.’ Someone answers after a long agonizing minute.

‘I swear to God – if you hurt her-…’

‘I am the one with the gun pointed to your precious girlfriend’s head. You are not in the position to be making threats, now are you?’ Lana laughs cryptically.

‘Baby, are you okay? Don’t worry, everything’s going to be okay.’

‘Oh Harry,’ Lana says against the thick wood, ‘you should know not to make promises that you can’t keep.’

‘What do you want? We tried to give you the interview but you screwed us over. What’s your price?’

‘This isn’t about some interview anymore. It’s much bigger than that. This is about getting even with the girl who ruined my life.’

‘Harry.’ Libby whimpers with her throat full of tears. ‘I love you.’ She says like it was the last thing she’d ever tell me.

‘I know you do. I know baby. I love you so much.’

The police officers were in the corner devising some kind of plan that I couldn’t really hear. The boys hover around me cautiously.

The police go up onto the next floor and slip some kind of camera into the room while a sniper goes across the road. Somehow the word had got out and there people everywhere.

‘Harry Styles, can you please make a statement?’

‘I am just letting the police do their job in ensuring everyone’s safety.’ I answer walking across the road to talk to the chief. ‘What’s going on?’

‘We have visual.’ The sniper calls, ‘I got a clear shot at her boss. What’s the call?’

‘Fire.’ The chief of police commands and I immediately rush back out the door.

The loud gunshot goes off and everyone screams with a mixture of gasps. When I finally make it to the office the police were kicking down the door. Libby stood in the corner of the room trembling with Bandit in her arms. She looks up at me with the widest eyes.

‘Come here.’ I extend my arms out and she falls into them immediately, ‘it’s okay.’ I coo, ‘It’s all going to be okay.’

‘She- she’s dead Harry because of me.’ Libby mutters clutching onto my shirt, ‘this is all my fault.’

‘Ssh, come on. Let’s go talk to the officers so we can get out of here.’ I hold her tightly as I guide her from the room.

We spent about half an hour making statements before we were finally allowed to leave. The entire car ride Libby stared blankly from the window. As soon as we make it back to my flat she goes into the bedroom and lies across the bed.

‘I’m going to go call the movers and give them the okay to start moving stuff so we can get it all done today.’ I use my fingers to play with her hair while she looks outside the window. ‘I’m just going to be right out in the living room. Will you be okay?’ Libby nods in response and I head out of the room.

They were already talking about the death of Lana. They went into detail of how she suffered from some disorder that made people flip out frequently. I turn it off before I heard anymore and pulled my phone from my pocket. I call up the movers then agree to meet them at Libby’s flat.

‘Hey, baby.’ I say sitting down on the bed, ‘I’m going to go over and meet the movers at your flat. I’ll be back soon.’

I grab the car keys and head out the door. As I was starting the engine Libby rushes outside with a blanket draped over her shoulder. She silently climbs into the passenger side and grabs my hand.

‘I didn’t want to be alone.’

‘Alright, we’ll do this quick and we can stay in together.’

Libby quietly walks behind me as the movers ask what to take to my flat and what was going in storage. There was a thin piece of police tape in Libby’s bedroom. This was the same room that Lana came in and destroyed. Libby’s things were tossed all about the room in some kind of fit of rage. Libby whimpers holding the tape in between her fingers.

‘Shit.’ I mutter as I watch her walk out of the room and back to the car, ‘the bed, dressers, nightstands are all going to storage. Everything in them to my place. Everything in the bathroom comes to my place. All of the kitchen stuff with the exception of food comes to my place. The sofa and loveseat in the living area goes to storage as well as the dining table and entertainment stand. Think you guys can handle it? I need to step out.’

‘We’ll get it packed up and ready to go.’

‘I appreciate it.’ I say walking to the car. ‘So, do you want to talk about it?’

‘Harry there isn’t anything to talk about. There is a girl no more than you or me and she’s dead now because of me.’

‘The police did not shoot her because of who she was. They shot her because she turned the gun on you. It was either you or her in that moment and I wasn’t losing you.’

‘Well someone lost her.’

‘Look, I am sorry for what happened with Lana. I really am – she shouldn’t have gone out like that but she was a threat to our safety. She was going to kill you Libby, do you understand that?’

‘How do we know that?’

‘She had the gun. I think she was pretty damn serious about it.’

‘I don’t know Harry. I can’t help but think this is all because I didn’t get the interview with you guys in the first place. We could’ve ended this ages ago with one stupid interview.’

‘Do you really believe it would’ve ended with the interview? Because I sure in the hell don’t. First it would’ve been the interview then it would’ve been something completely different. Lana wasn’t going to stop. She was going to keep this going until she hurt someone. She came really close today but thankfully the police were there and ready.’

‘But you didn’t see her…’ Libby sniffles beside her, ‘all I heard was the gunshot before the glass shattered. She stared directly at me before she fell out. I watched the light leave from her eyes and her body come to an instant stop as soon as she hit the floor. The image is burned inside my mind. I can’t shake it.’

‘I’m sorry we couldn’t did this some other way Libby but all I could think was you’re trapped in a room with someone pressing a gun to your face.’

‘I know.’

‘Can you please try not to think about this?’

‘I can’t help it.’

‘For me, try. Please.’ I grab a hold of her face and press my lips to hers.

Libby’s Point of View

Once the movers had managed to pack up my entire flat in four hours Harry and I went to get takeout.

‘I need you to go inside with me.’ Harry says cutting the engine.

‘Why?’

‘Because I always get the wrong thing and you always get pissed and I go to bed without eating because I feel guilty and give you mine.’

‘That is because you never listen.’

‘Because I can’t pronounce half of the menu.’ He laughs opening the door, ‘hurry. We can go in and out.’

‘Harry.’ I groan following him to the door.

Harry and I spent about ten minutes in the restaurant debating on what to get. We finally made it out before a mob of paps arrived.

‘How many more days?’ I question looking over at Harry.

‘Three.’ He answers not looking at me as he runs a hand across his lips. ‘Just three.’

‘When will you be back?’

‘A month or so? But we have a few breaks in there.’

‘Okay.’

‘Just wait until we’re in Europe touring. I want you at every single show, okay?’

‘They’ll still take quite a while to get to and from.’ I remind him with a laugh.

‘Well the ones around us then.’

‘It’s a deal.’

‘I love you.’

‘I love you Harry.’

He leans over to meet my lips with his with a smile. When we get back to the flat the movers had dropped off the boxes and were making their way over to the storage unit harry set up. Harry and I sat on the sofa eating the takeout and watching some random movie on TV when news about Lana cuts in. Her face flashes onto the screen as the reporter stands outside of management’s office. I drop the food on the coffee table and stand to my feet.

‘Where are you going?’

‘I’m not feeling too hungry anymore.’

‘Libby...’ Harry starts looking up at me.

‘No, I’m fine. I just need to go lie down for a bit.’ I say going back to the bedroom and closing the door behind me.