For Fair Love

“You’re only winning because I have on a skirt!” I tell Zayn.
He laughs over as we kick a ball around in the lobby.
“If I had on a skirt too, would that make it even?” he asks funnily.
I raise an eyebrow, “Quite.”
Suddenly, a group of glitzy girls walk in the hotel lobby. The blonde girl walks over to Zayn casually, ending our game of foot.
“Zayn, what are you doing?” she asks.
“Perrie!” he exclaims, “Nice to see you.”
I stand awkwardly as all the eyes are on me. Zayn then pulls me towards the crowd.
“This is Chas,” he introduces me.
“Oh,” Perrie looks me up and down, “She must be Harry’s new… girlfriend.”
Ignoring her uncouth tone, I say, “Nice to meet you.”
She simply scoffs and looks back at Zayn, clinging onto his arm.
“Zayn, we have a meeting with Karen. Where is she?”
“She must be in her office. I’ll take you there,” he says to her. Perrie smiles widely and suddenly seems like a sweetheart. Zayn turns back to me. “I’ll see you later, Chas.”
I wave and see them off to the elevator. Once they are gone, I frown. How he easily forgot about me. Now on my own, I walk out the hotel and onto the busy streets of L.A.

I walk until my feet ache. Luckily, there are no paparazzi harassing me. I guess I’m nobody when I’m not next to Harry. Finally, I sit on a bench. My phone begins to ring. Harry is written across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
“I’d like to be by myself, if you don’t mind.”
“It’s not safe for you to be on your own,” he warns me.
I’m not sure whether he’s worried or Karen just wants to eat me alive again.
“I’ll be fine.”
I hear him groan, “I’m coming to look for you.”
“Don’t bother.”
“I’m coming to get you,” he repeats.
I’m puzzled and angry.
“Then I’ll hide so you’ll never find me!” I hang up.
I get up and keep walking.

I take a taxi out of the town and into a tourist attraction nearby a beach. The sun is pushed away by the thick clouds. I walk pass a few local bazaars. A shop selling teles had the football channel on. Here they call it soccer. I watch the players run around after the white ball. I walk around the different markets. There are millions of stands selling hundreds of useless things. There are wooden bangles, mini surfboards, bottles with miniscule sea creatures in them, art pieces, sand globes, sandals, and sea urchins sculptures. I decide to get a souvenir for Grans. Just as I walk over to the little wood sculptures, a warm hand grabs my wrist. I twist myself around to see who it is that’s bothering me. It is the one and only Harry.
“How’d you—”
He shows me his phone, “GPS.”
I roll my eyes and pull my wrist back to my side.
“You didn’t really have to come get me, you know.”
“You’d be lost without me,” he says.
I ignore him and go back to inspecting the right gift for Grans.
He asks then, “What are you doing all the way here anyway?”
I shrug. There is silence after, making me look at Harry. The wind brushes his curls back. His face is calmer than usual. He just stares at me. I become self-conscious and tug at my skirt.
“What?”
“Can I talk to you?” he asks softly.
He doesn’t sound as though he wants to argue with me.
“Okay,” I say quietly, feeling the wind pick up.
I tuck my hair behind my ear, waiting for Harry to say something.

“I’m sorry.”
“What for?” I ask.
“For making you feel not good enough,” his voice waves.
I stare down at my feet.
“It’s only the truth, isn’t it? No need to be sorry…”
“Don’t think that, Chas. You’re amazing, you are—especially for putting up with my crap,” he slightly grins.
I don’t respond. But, Harry goes on.
“Maybe, I’m just not good at this…”
I look up at him, hopeful, “So we’re breaking up?”
“No,” he says, “And don’t sound so happy.”
I let out a small laugh. He sighs and finger through his hair.
“I want you to be my girlfriend.”
His sudden words stun me. I don’t really know where they are coming from. But I feel queasy. Him slipping his hand into mine doesn’t help either. My cheeks get hot suddenly. Harry must have seen, because he grins. I duck my head down. I try to quickly divert everything away from right now.
“Um, I wanted to buy a souvenir for Grans,” I say.
I randomly pick up a glass bottle of sparkly sand and seashells.
“This is nice right?” I ask.
Harry nods.
“I need a souvenir too,” he says.
He walks ahead, forcing me to follow, as our hands are intertwined still. He touches the display of varnished gems crested atop of wooden rings. I look at their colours glittering.
“Which one should I get?”
“The blue one,” I point, “It’ll remind you of the sky.”
He looks at me oddly, “L.A sky is different from London sky?”
“It is to me,” I smile silly.
“Blue on it is then,” he goes over to the merchant.
But he tells the merchant to take out two blue rings. He lifts my hand in his and sticks on my finger.
“This one’s for you.”
I quickly shake it off.
“No thank you!” I quickly say.
But then he grabs my hand again and puts the ring back on.
“Keep it. It’ll be your souvenir,” he says.
“No thanks!” I exclaim, “I-I was thinking of getting a key chain or something.”
I try walking away, but Harry chases me down and plants the ring my ring finger this time.
“It’s a souvenir from me.”
I watch him put on his own. Then our eyes meet.
“Now, under any sky, you’ll think of me and I’ll think of you.”