Luck

I woke up on a couch in the middle of a living room that I had never seen before. My head was pounding and my vision was blurry. I rubbed my eyes and while the blurriness went away, the room continued to spin. Sitting up to survey my surroundings, I realized I was clearly in a man’s house. The decor was clean and cool, but not friendly or welcoming, nothing that a woman would pick. On the right side of the couch, there was a small table with a lamp on it. But next to that, there was a small cup full of water and two pills that appeared to be ibuprofen.

“Oh, good morning,” Harry’s voice surprised me and I jumped a bit, “Did I wake you?”

“Is this your house?” I asked, sleep still filling my voice. I wasn’t sure who I was expecting, but it wasn’t Harry Styles.

“Uh, yeah,” Harry confirmed, as he strummed his fingers against his counter. The living room backed up to the kitchen, and he was leaning against the granite island. I noticed that his over-the-shoulder bag was sitting on the counter beside him, and he was wearing shoes. He was evidently on his way out.

I didn’t respond to his comment right away, partially because I was still processing everything that was going on and partially because Harry looked like he still had more to say.

“Yeah, I was going to put your in one of my guest rooms, but you were kinda heavy, so I just put you on the couch,” Harry continued feebly, “Sorry.”

“Why am I here?” The words came out more as a demand, and with far more force than I meant.

“Do you remember anything about last night?” Harry asked slowly. He eyed me nervously.

My eyes grew wide as I remembered my little bar adventure with Brody and the shots we did, “Uh, no? What happened?”

“No!” Harry choked, “Nothing happened! I didn’t try to pull any moves or anything like that, I swear! I just found you and you were crying about wanting to go home and I couldn’t exactly put you on a plane back to Boston but you also weren’t very happy when I stopped by your flat, so I just took you back to mine. I didn’t - I didn’t - I would never,” Harry sputtered quickly.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re a good guy,” I reassured him, “But why the hell am I here?”

“Uh, you were crying that you wanted to go home,” Harry explained, repeating what he had said earlier but more slowly, “And I tried to drop you off at your flat but you said that’s not where you wanted to go and I just panicked and brought you back here.”

“Oh,” I blushed as my little breakdown came back to me, “I’m sorry. You didn’t have to do that.”

“It’s fine, you weren’t in a very good place,” Harry shook it off, “Do you need anything?”

“Is that for me?” I asked, motioning to the pills and water on the table beside me.

“Yeah, I figured you might want it after last night,” Harry said, “Um, there’s a toilet over that way if you need to puke, or go or anything.” He nodded to the right, at an archway that appeared to lead to a hallway.

“Thanks,” I shot him a small, grateful smile before picking up the pills and downing them, “I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, it was no problem.” He avoided my gaze, however, and he looked anywhere but where I was sitting, “There’s not anything else you need?” Harry’s eyes finally met mine.

“No, no, I’m fine,” I promised him, “You’ve done more than enough. “

“Uh, this may seem a bit out of line, but you seemed really upset last night,” Harry said nervously, “Are you okay? I mean, do you need help or something?”

“I just had a bad night last night,” I waved it off quickly, “It was nothing, I promise. I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

The look on Harry’s voice told me that he didn’t believe me, “Listen, Savannah, if you want to go back to Boston, I can get you a ticket or something.”

“No,” I said a little too quickly, “No, no that’s okay. Thanks, though. It means a lot.”

“You should think about it,” Harry pressed, “If you’re not comfortable just taking the money it can be a loan or something. We could figure something out.”

“No,” I refused again, “I’m good. Last night was just bad. I’m sorry you had to witness that, but it really wasn’t anything. I’m fine here. I’m happy in London.”

By the look Harry was giving me, I could tell he didn’t believe me. I didn’t blame him, after last night, I was sure that I probably appeared emotionally unstable and probably in need of a therapist.

“Well, I really have to get going, I have, uh, a business meeting,” Harry said finally, “But you’re welcome to hang out here, if you want. Help yourself to food or whatever. I can drive you back in a few hours if you want to wait around. My cleaning lady is coming around eleven, but she’s signed a confidentiality agreement so it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re here.”

Harry gave me a quick nod goodbye and stepped out without saying anything else to me. I was left alone, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I felt uncomfortable in Harry’s house, but I felt awful.

After using the restroom (or the toilet in England), I decided to go. I wasn’t one to hang around and I technically had class later that day. A quick glance at my phone, I saw that it was nearly eleven and my class started at one thirty. I hated skipping, but it seemed like it may be a necessity today. I would definitely be needing a shower before I could go anywhere.

Harry’s house was guarded by a wall, but there were two gates: one for cars and one for humans on foot. The one not meant for cars had a small window, almost like a porthole, that opened, and I looked out to make sure there were no fans. Nothing scared me more than One Direction fans did. But the coast was clear, so I opened it and wandered through, making sure that it closed fully after me. The last thing I needed was to leave Harry’s house susceptible to a break-in.

My first thought upon stepping out on the street was that I had no idea about where I was. I had been sleeping or else too intoxicated to pay attention to the where Harry was driving last night. The street was completely residential, and upscale. Harry’s house was hardly the only one with a wall, but those without or with wrought iron fences revealed mini-mansions and some of the nicest homes I had seen in London.

Glancing both ways, I saw no familiar underground signs and nor any bus stops. The great thing about London was that the public transportation system was widespread and easily accessible, and I knew if I walked far enough in any direction the chances of me figuring out where I was were pretty high. I picked the right, and trudged on a slower pace than normal. My back hurt from sleeping on the couch, and I was still slightly dizzy.

I was sure that I looked like the painfully stereotypical Walk of Shame girl. My hair was messy, despite my lame attempts to groom it and a peek at myself in Harry’s mirror earlier had allowed me to see how badly my makeup was smeared. The neighborhood looked classy, not like some place where a Walk of Shame should be done. Never once had I imagined myself doing the walk of shame, yet here I was. But I had also never imagined myself waking up in some celebrity’s house, but I had just done that, as well.

It wasn’t even a block away from Harry’s house that I spotted a bus stop. With my handy London Transport App it didn’t take me long to figure out where the bus was going, and once I saw that it would stop at the Hampstead Underground Station, I climbed aboard the next one.

In order to get back to my flat, I had to change lines at London Eurston, but as I scanned my Oyster Card, I realized I wouldn’t have enough on it to get all the way back. At London Eurston, I topped off my Oyster Card with twenty pounds, hoping that would last me at least through the end of the week.

I felt utterly gross as I made the walk from the station to my flat. My hair was greasy and I wanted nothing more than to change out of these clothes. I was fantasizing of a shower; the flat had surprisingly good water pressure. A neighbor lady gave me a glare as I neared my flat, but I didn’t have it in me to shot a look back.

The second I opened the door, Eva came running from her room.

“Where were you?!” Eva demanded, “I was worried sick!”

“I’m fine, Eva,” I told her with a sigh, “I was fine.”

“Well, where were you then?” Eva repeated. She looked strangely reminiscent of my mother, her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the ground.

I hesitated for a second, “I was at Harry’s.”

Eva’s eyes grew wide and she instantly abandoned her motherly stance, “He took your virginity?!”

“What?!” I cried, “No! Not at all!”

Eva’s face fell in confusion, “But you spent the night there.”

“Yeah, but it was just because I fell asleep when he was driving me home,” I attempted to explain.

“So he just brought you back to his house and didn't try anything," Eva seemed doubtful, “What the hell kind of popstar is he?”

“A nice kind?” The annoyance in my voice was obvious.

“Why did you even fall asleep in his car?” Eva pressed, “What the hell happened last night, Savannah?”

“I’m not in the mood for twenty questions, Eva…” I ran my hand through my hair and sighed.

“Well, I was worried about you, Savannah,” Eva told me, “You could have died! I don’t care that you spent the night at Harry’s, but you should have at least had the courtesy to tell me that you wouldn’t be returning!”

“I feel like that it’s highly unlikely that I would have died, Eva. And you’re not my mother,” I snapped at her, “Anyway, I’m going to shower.”

I pushed past Eva, grabbing some clothes from my room before heading to our shared bathroom.

Savannah!” Eva cried after me. There was a clear edge of annoyance in her voice, but I ignored it and didn’t turn back.

The shower gave me a chance to think. Parts of last night had come back to me. I remembered Brody ditching me at the bar and the mix of anger and sadness I had felt at it. I remembered running into Harry and the building he pointed out as Niall’s residence. I even remembered climbing into Harry’s car. Embarrassment filled me as I realized that I had a breakdown in front of Harry. I had been doing so well; I hadn’t cried once since leaving my grandparents’ house. And even then, I hadn’t cried quite as hard as I did last night.

But the bigger thing also came back to me: my house was for sale, and probably going to be purchased. The anger that I felt at Maria flared up again: how in the world could she keep that information from me? She was supposed to be my ally, my supporter and my informant. Her betrayal caused me to allow a few more tears to escape, but they were masked by the water from the shower. It took me a second to calm down, but I wasn’t about to go back to where I was last night.

I let the water start to go cold before I turned the water off. My fingers were wrinkled but I felt cleaner than I had for a while.

I thought about taking the time to dry my hair as I dried off, but I was still tired. Harry’s couch had not been the most comfortable bed I had ever had, and I wanted to take a nap. My headache had mostly subsided, and I wasn’t feeling dizzy anymore.

I settled back in my room after finishing my shower and throwing on some leggings and a sweater. I took a moment to breath and let everything catch up with me. My head was clearer now, and I was doing okay.

“Savannah?” Eva knocked quietly on my door, “Can I come in? I made you a cup of tea.”

“Alright,” I agreed. I laid back on my bed, ignoring my wet hair that was soaking through my thin robe.

Eva let herself in and handed me a mug, piping hot full of tea. I took it gratefully and took a sip while Eva sat down on the corner of my bed.

“Thanks,” I said quietly, “You’re the best. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

“It’s okay,” Eva shrugged, “I know you’ve been having a hard time adjusting. And I’m sorry, too.”

“I forgive you,” I told her sincerely. She smiled at me.

“Do you wanna talk now?” Eva said after a moment.

“Well,” I said finally, “It turns out I’m a weepy drunk.”

Eva laughed, “Are you really?”

I nodded, “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I got drunk last night and the only thing I did was cry, so...”

“I guess I can see that,” Eva said after a moment of consideration, “But this is definitely a story. Who in the world got you drunk? Was it Lou? Did you get drunk while watching Lux?”

“Well, I left Lou’s after watching Lux and I just didn’t want to come back to the flat.” Eva narrowed her eyes at me, but I smiled at her before continuing, “It’s nothing personal! I just had been sitting at the flat for what felt like far too long and I wanted to stay out. But anyway, I ran into Brody and he said I looked down and convinced me to go drinking with him and then I did a few shots with him and then he ditched me.”

“He ditched you!?” Eva cried, “What a twat.”

I shrugged, “It doesn’t really matter. But I then ran into Harry after leaving the bar and he offered me a ride home and instead of just accepting it and saying thank you, I accepted it and cried the entire way home until I passed out and he apparently felt the need to take me back to his house.”

“But you didn’t have sex?” Eva asked, before continuing after I shook my head at her, “And he didn’t make any moves at all?”

“No, not at all. It wasn’t even remotely romantic or anything. I was dead asleep by the time he got back, I guess, and I woke up on his couch.”

“Ouch,” Eva grimaced.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “It wasn’t the best night of sleep I’ve ever had. But it was really nice of him to bring me back to his.”

“Yeah, it was. I can’t believe he did that,” Eva considered, “So how do you feel about him now?”

“He’s a sweet guy,” I admitted, “Thoughtful and kind.”

“Well, I’d ship you two,” Eva told me, “You know, if you ever wanted to date or anything.”

I rolled my eyes, “I said he was sweet. I highly doubt he thinks of me like that and even if he did, we couldn’t date.”

“Not this again,” Eva whined, but she didn’t press it, “Are you going to class?”

I glanced at my bedside clock, “I guess not. I would have needed to leave like ten minutes ago. Are you?”

“I think I probably should,” Eva stood up after a moment of consideration, “I ditch way more than you do.”

“Alright,” I said with a smile, “I’ll see you later.”

“See ya,” Eva said as she headed for the door, “You’ll be alright?”

I smiled at her, “I’ll be fine,” I assured her as she exited my room.

I grabbed my laptop from the floor where I had left it yesterday. The sound of the door slamming as Eva left echoed through the flat as I started up my computer. My phone had desperately needed a charge since I had left Harry’s this morning, so as I waited, I plugged it in.

The choice between coursework and browsing the internet had one clear answer, but I found myself switching between both. Dangerously, I found myself checking my bank account. Lou generally paid me twice every month, but since I hadn’t been working quite as much lately, it had been a little while since I had made a deposit.

I bit my lip as I clicked on “Account Balance.” Sure enough, topping off my Oyster Card today had put me under 100 quid in my account, which I had vowed never to do. I had to pay for my half of the rent, and despite my grandparents’ generous help (they paid for half of my half), it would still be tight. Rent wasn’t due till the end of the month, and it was only the eighth, so I at least had that on my side.

But before I could calculate how much of a hit rent would be for me, my phone buzzed beside me. I hoped it would be Lou, asking if I could watch Lux, but instead, Harry Styles’ name lit up my phone.

Hey you got home alright?

Harry’s text surprised me, but I quickly typed out a reply.

Yeah I got home alright. Thanks for everything.

It was marked as read immediately, and the typing bubble filled the screen.

It wasn’t a problem.

Well, it means a lot. Thank you.

Several minutes passed without any response from Harry, although the text was marked as read. I wasn’t really expecting one, but my phone lit up again.

Did you think about my offer at all? For a ticket for Boston?

I froze. His offer hadn’t even crossed my mind after he mentioned it. I knew I couldn’t say yes, I still owed Maria for the ticket to London. And even if I didn’t, I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to make the trip back. The idea scared me too much. At least in London, I was shielded from everything a bit.

I’m good, thanks though. It means a lot.

Once again, the typing bubble filled the screen and I awaited Harry’s reply. I wasn’t lying; his offer did mean a lot. I just couldn’t take him up on it.

Just tell me if you change your mind.

I couldn’t help but smile at Harry’s kindness. I knew that if I asked, he’d give me however much for a ticket without blinking an eye. I struggled for a reply that wasn’t too socially awkward, but I eventually settled on the simplest of them all.

I will, thank you :)