tw: brief mention of drug and
alcohol addictions rehabilitation
Sydney
The sudden sound of my alarm made me jump out of my skin. I sat upright in my bed, and leant over to turn it off.
10.00 am
I slumped back into my bed, Harry next to me. If I'm honest I couldn't remember much from my sleepy state, except Harry carrying me into bed last night.
"Too early." Harry tiredly groaned, his arms wrapping tighter around me. His voice sounded raspier in the morning, it was very sexy.
I smirked under his grip, trying to twist around to face him. He wasn't having any of it though. His face buried into the crook of my neck, as he left small kisses on my collar bone.
"Harry I have to get ready to go out." I giggled, trying to push myself away and climb out of bed.
He pulled me tighter, and started kissing up my jaw and towards my cheeks. His body moved so he was on top of me, now kissing my lips softly.
I couldn't resist, so I kissed him back and wrapped my fingers into his messy curls. I pulled them gently, and he groaned into my mouth.
I smiled, and quickly pulled away, "Now I really have to go. If I don't, we'll be in bed all day."
He stayed grinning at me, but as I sat up to get out of bed a frown pulled on his lips. I threw my legs over the side of the bed, and stretched my arms up.
"I'm thinking staying in bed is the better option here." He smiled, sitting up and leaning his
head on my shoulder from behind me.
"Trust me I wish I could, but I haven't seen my mother in months. She'll kill me if I don't see her today." I huffed, leaning against him.
"Okay but I wanna drive you there okay?" He asked, and I smiled before turning around and giving him a quick kiss.
"Okay, thank you."
I stood up, and went into my living room as Harry flopped back into bed for a few more minutes of sleep. I quickly went to grab mine and Harry's suitcases, and rolled them back into the bedroom so we had access to all our clothes.
Once I was back in the room, I saw he had drifted off back to sleep. He looked so peaceful, lying between the thick white duvet. His eyes were a little swollen and wet from sleep, but he looked perfect.
I leant down and grabbed my tooth brush, and toiletries. Quietly, I moved into my en suite and turned on the shower. I placed my toiletries bag on the counter, and began to brush my teeth.
I finished, climbed in the shower and let the cold, fresh water wake me up for the long day ahead of me.
I prayed that my mother didn't ruin this joyful bliss I had been experiencing for the past few weeks. I'd been riding out this high ever since New Years, and I hoped that she would just be happy for me and celebrate that.
But usually in my case, hope was for suckers
I stepped out the shower, wrapped my body in my fluffy towel and walked back into my bedroom. Harry was sitting up on my head board, scrolling on his phone.
"If you're gonna come with me, you need to have a shower now. My mum will kill me if I'm late." He chuckled, and began to get up and out of bed.
"Could've saved water and gone in with you." He laughed, and I rolled my eyes at the suggestive comment.
"Funny guy, now go get in the shower." I ordered, and he wondered into my en suite, rubbing his tired eyes.
I opened up my suitcase, and picked out my outfit for today. A pair of white jeans and a Ralph Lauren thin knitted jumper.
It was a very understated, and simple outfit that I knew my mother would hopefully have no criticism for.
Once I had changed, I ordered Post Mates for Harry. I would eat soon, but wasn't sure what his plans were so I got some coffee and doughnuts like the last time we were here.
I dried my hair, and began to straighten it when he was finally out of the shower. He walked into the living room, fully dressed with messy wet curls.
"You look very pretty Sydney." He smiled, coming to sit near me on the sofa.
"Thank you, you look very pretty too."
He was wearing simple black jeans, and a pastel purple knitted jumper. He had rolled up the sleeves, and had a white t shirt peaking out from underneath.
I heard the buzz of someone downstairs, and assumed it was the Post Mates.
"Could you buzz them up please?"
I asked, looking at him through the mirror i front of me.
He walked over and pressed the buzzer before saying, "Who is it?"
"Post Mates, I just got you some food because I'm gonna eat later when I meet my mum and I didn't know when you would." A grin pulled onto his lips.
Harry walked back over to me, bent down and kissed me. As he pulled back, I smiled and gave him a quick peck before he went over to the door to grab the food.
I didn't know why we were being so touchy at the moment, but I was loving it. I felt so comfortable with him now, that odd kisses and cuddling was becoming easier.
It felt right with him
He greeted the driver, thanked him, and brought the food and coffee over to where I was perched.
"Thank you for getting these." Harry voiced, sipping his drink and tucking into a doughnut.
"Thank you you for offering to drive me, you could easily just stay in bed till I come back later."
"Wouldn't be the same without you here...it's fine I'm going to see Mitch and Sarah. We're going to just walk around the city, and be tourists. Any plans for tonight?"
I thought for a second, if I wanted to see my friends or just crash here with Harry.
"Not sure, I'll text you and let you know. I'll hopefully be back around 3-4 and then we can get ready if we do end up going out." I smiled, placing my straightener on my glass table to cool.
I stood up and walked over to my front door, and grabbed a spare set of keys from my bowl.
"I have these for you." I jingled them, and threw them over for Harry to catch.
"You can use them whilst we're here. If you need to come back and grab anything, you can."
A soft smile was plastered on his face, as he fiddled with the keys in his hand.
"Okay, I just need to grab my stuff and we can go?"
He nodded, and we both walked back into my bedroom to pack our bags for the day. I picked a small one and placed my phone, keys, lipstick and extra little bits.
Harry slipped on his shoes, filled his pockets and we were ready to go out. It was now 1.00, which meant I needed to be at the restaurant in half and hour.
I grabbed a big coat, to layer myself up with and told Harry he needed to buy one today because New York was so cold in January.
I grabbed my Chelsea boots, and Harry instantly smiled when he saw them.
We then headed out the apartment, and down to the car park where I had my car safely kept. Harry climbed into the drivers seat of my BMW, just like when he took me to the roof.
I quickly tapped on my cars GPS, so Harry knew where to go for my early lunch.
I then plugged my phone in, and shuffled my liked songs. A relaxing hum of guitars and drums began to play through my speakers, and I smiled.
How Can You Mend A Broken Heart: Al Green
"Beautiful song." Harry quietly voiced.
I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow, but I was never told about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend a this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again
Both Harry and I sang along to the lyrics softly, looking out the windows at rainy New York.
The song reminded me of London, as it was famously used in the movie Notting Hill. It was one of my favourite movies, filmed in one of my favourite parts on London.
I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow, no one said a word about the sorrow
We drove up the busy streets, splashing the sidewalks as large puddles had formed over night.
I always enjoyed how things looked in the rain. My favourite places to be in the rain were New York and Paris. Anywhere else you seemed to running from it, but it was different here and in France.
Harry turned up a side street, as the restaurant came into view. He spotted paparazzi before they had seen him, so he quickly moved away.
He always had a great eye, and saw them before I ever did
I knew I could get out here, and he could drive off without any of them getting pictures of him. He pulled up into a spot, and turned to face me.
"Have a good lunch, don't let her get in your head."
A crease formed between my brows; I'd never told him anything about my mother. I didn't know how he could sense my discomfort about this lunch.
"You seem tense...I'm not going to pry. Just get through today, and you'll see me later which is a great plus." He grinned, and I chuckled.
I leant over the console, and planted a kiss on his lips. He tasted like black coffee, and lemon doughnuts.
I knew I'd be wiping off my red lipstick once more, before I went into the restaurant.
I tried to pull back, but he pushed me closer and I smiled into the quick kisses.
"Harry"
More kissing
"Harry come on I have to go inside."
He placed his hand gently on the back of my head, and kept me close. I had to put my hand down on his seat, to keep me upright.
"Cancel the lunch." He whispered onto my lips.
I finally pulled back, his hand still on the back of my head, now looking into his deep green eyes. I saw the faint red staining his mouth, and tried to contain my giggle.
"I wish I could."
My seat belt clicked as I unbuckled it, and grabbed my bag, slotting it on my shoulder. Harry slumped back into his chair, as I opened my door and grabbed my phone.
The window was cracked open, and I looked back at him through it, "Later baby."
He rolled his eyes and smiled right after, "Later baby."
As I walked away, Harry drove off and I came into view of a sea of paparazzi. It had been a while since they had got any pictures of me, so this was a field day for them.
Of course, they were shouting all about Harry and the idea of us together. I kept tight lipped as usual, and pushed through towards the entrance.
A waiter escorted me towards my mothers table. She was sitting with her glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, as she scrolled through her phone. Her outfit consisted of a Dior, cream suit with matching cream Loubitons.
I came closer, and when she saw me she put her phone downstairs and slowly stood up to greet me.
"Bonjour Ma Chérie." She came closer, and air kissed both of my cheeks.
"Bonjour Maman."
"I see you've taken inspiration from me today. Don't you think your outfit isn't very weather appropriate Sydney." She began scanning my clothing, as we both sat down.
"It does seem that way doesn't it. Hopefully no one splashes me on the way home." I had to force a fake smile, as she did the same.
My mother looked the same as usual. She had her chestnut hair in a half up half down style, flowing on her shoulders.
Her plush lips, were painted a soft rose which complimented her green eyes. She had thin black eyeliner, and individual lashes carefully added to accentuate them.
"Where have you been hiding for months Sydney, have you been avoiding me?" I picked up a menu, and shook my head gently.
"Of course not mother, I just flew out from LA last night, and I was in London before that for Christmas." I quietly said, and her eyes shot up.
"You didn't tell me you were in London for Christmas. I thought we agreed you wouldn't go back there during that time of year." She glared at me, and I let out a long breath in frustration.
"You agreed mum, I never said I wouldn't go back. London was my home...is my home. It's getting better." I tried to reason with her, not wanting to argue this soon into the conversation.
"Enlighten me, how has it gotten better." She crossed her leg over the other, and waited for my response.
"I'm seeing someone..." I started, looking up at her eyes that were watching me with a dark look.
"He's called Harry...Harry Styles. He's a singer and was in One Direction, the band. It's early days, but I spent a lot of December with him."
Her face was still cold, and I knew she wasn't going to be happy about any of this.
"I don't like this Sydney. You promised me you would keep out of London, unless it was for work. I know people in the industry, I know who Harry Styles is and I don't like it. He was in a band Sydney, you think he didn't party and drink and do drugs? You're supposed to be surrounding yourself with good people."
I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous suggestions, "Maman please stop. Harry isn't doing drugs, he isn't like that. He's a really good influence on me."
"No...no I don't like it." She shook her head in annoyance.
"Mom, I'm 22 years old I'm very capable of making decisions on my own-"
"Don't make me laugh...you know that you are hardly capable of making any positive decision for yourself. You've been in and out of rehabilitation centres since you were 19, do you think that's normal Sydney? I'm telling you this because I'm worried for you." She interrupted, becoming more frustrated and angry at me.
I hated when she brought this up in an argument. I couldn't change my past, only
my future and how my habits improved.
"Mom stop it, stop bringing up my past against me. I know I had problems with drugs and alcohol, but I haven't gone back to that place in months. I'm doing better, and that's due to the people around me...including Harry." I stood my ground, trying my best not to believe what she was saying.
She continued to glare at me from across the table, but lips formed a line as she kept quiet. I wasn't sure if she knew I was right, or just didn't want to continue this topic.
The waiter that had escorted me here, came over with two salads in his hands. He placed them in front of my mother, and then myself.
My mum looked up, and thanked him before he turned and headed back to the kitchen.
"You ordered for me?" I asked, picking up my fork and beginning to dig through the salad for something appetising.
"It's good for you, eat up." She snapped, as I dug my fork into a slice of mozzarella.
A silence fell upon us, as we began to eat our salads and the waiter brought over two sugar free iced teas.
"I need you in my show Sydney, it's in a few days."
I discretely rolled my eyes as I knew it was coming, "Why are you only telling me now, don't you think I should have some preparation?"
"You've modelled before, you'll be fine. It's on the 31st of January, and there's an after party where I'm expecting you to make an appearance. I need you to also come for a fitting tomorrow." She ordered, as panic flashed across my face.
"I can't do the after party, I have plans already."
Her eyebrow raised, "What are these plans?"
"It's Harry's surprise birthday party, his birthday is on the 1st. I've been planning it for weeks, please Maman. I will come to the show and all the fittings, but I can't miss the party I planned." I began to plead, hoping she would feeling slightly nicer after my explanation.
Her tongue run across her lip for a second, as she thought to herself. I worried about what diabolical plan she was concocting.
"You can miss the after party, but I want you to stay in New York after fashion week and do some work with me. I already have a campaign all laid out for you." She had a mischievous grin plastered on her rosey lips now.
"Mom no, I don't want to do modelling full time. I never wanted to to, I'm a musician. I write, and I sing and I live in London. I'm in New York occasionally, but I'm not coming to work with you."
"Then I'll see you at my after party." She grinned, knowing she was beginning to trap me.
My chair squeaked along the floor as I aggressively pushed it back, so I could stand up.
"Why can we never just have a normal mother daughter lunch without you trying to interfere in my life!" I exclaimed, causing people to begin to turn and look at us.
She stood up, her heals tapping on the floor as she towered over me.
"Let me remind you Sydney...that "home" in London is under my name. If you continue to go against all of my wishes, I may decide that I no longer want to own it anymore...or maybe I will move in myself and have you evicted." She angrily shouted at me, as my eyes glossed over at the thought of moving out of my flat.
It wasn't just a flat to me, it had history and I couldn't even think about not having it.
"Goodbye Mother, I'll see you tomorrow." I spat, turning around and walking towards the entrance of the restaurant.
Paparazzi still littered the sidewalk, and I was forced to put my hand in front of my face to shield my glossy eyes.
I quickly walked down the street with them surrounding me, as I hailed a cab. They bombarded me with questions about my mother, who they obviously knew I was meeting.
Those questions turned to more about Harry, and her approval of him. I asked them to leave me alone, which only spurred them on more.
Once I finally got into a cab, I shut the door on them and drove away, finally able to breathe.
"Where too Miss?" The driver asked kindly, looking at me through the mirror.
"The nearest bar please."
good things don't always last...
mommy issues jumped out
in this chapter ouch
also if anyone wants a face claim
for juliette (Sydney's mom)
i picture her as the queen
Angelia Jolie