Mel POV


Mel was enjoying her time in San Diego, it was warm and also enjoyed some good company and almost managed to forget that she had gotten married in a whirlwind ceremony. The ring on her finger reminded her. She had moved it to her right finger again, but every glance at it caused her thoughts to head straight back east to Harry Styles, his huge mansion, and her family’s likely reaction to the new. When it was time for Mel to leave, she was toying with the idea of missing her flight and staying in San Diego for a while. Sighing, she boarded the plane and settled into her seat. She had intended on working for most of the flight home, but between her busy week and her own exhausted emotional state she actually managed to sleep for a couple of hours.When she woke up, she reached for the newspaper that she’d picked up at an airport in hopes of catching up on the news.
Flipping the page, she glanced at the headlines. She was just about to turn the page when something in the middle of a column caught her eyes. CHARITY DINNER FUNDARISER. And there was a photo of Harry and four other guys posing for photos. And oh dear, there was her name. Oh no. Oh no. Closing her eyes tightly, she willed the story to disappear, but the story was still there. Damn you, Harry. Ok, well at least there was no photo of her.
Ok, she thought. Mom and Dad won’t see this. Gran might. People at work definitely would. So she needed a plan. First, she read the article. Not as bad as it could be, she thought when she finished. Her name was there in here, but mostly the article was about her new husband generous donation to the charity, his business, his family background and the four other guys turned out to be his best mates.And a whole paragraph on his is dating history- now that was some interesting reading! Wow. He’d dated a whole slew of women. Mel thought. And none of them, not one, was anything close to who she was. Wow a supermodel. A country singer. Geez.
Mel folded the paper and leaned back on her seat. Not that she needed a reminder of how unsuited the two of them were, but this was a clear indication that she was a business decision, not a decision of the heart.
By the time the plane was ready to land, Mel was feeling decidedly down, but determined to face her life. She’d let her staff know about the wedding. Calling it an elopement would make it more romantic, and then she’d talk to her parents tonight. It was a darn good plan, she thought. Until she walked out of the baggage claim, and found an angry mobs of her family, waiting for her out the security area.

“I tried to tell you,” Mel pointed out with frustration. “But then you all just talked about how I was kidding, and I figured I’d wait until I got home to deal with it! I know. It was cowardly. “But...”
“Mel, this is something we would except from Lilli, not from you.”
“Well that’s not exactly fair.”
“What do you mean?”
“You should have equally high and low standards for both your daughters,” Mel argued.
“We’re used to Lilli acting crazy. But for you to marry this man, without informing any of us? Mel that not right.”
She leaned back against the seatback and closed her eyes tightly. “I know that,” she said quietly. “But it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
“How did you meet this man, anyway? And how do you know that he’s any good?”
Mel laughed without humour, her eyes opening and meeting her father’s in the rear-view mirror. “I met him through Lilli. And he’s decent man, Dad.” She was surprised to hear herself defending him, a man who had essentially blackmailed her into marriage.
“Do you love him, dear?” her mother asked anxiously.
Mel never could lie to her mom. So she did the next best thing- she evaded the question. “What kind of question is that?” she asked. “Do you honestly think I’d marry him if....” she let the sentence trail off as her mother looked bemused.
“No, Mel, I guess not. But I didn’t think you’d elope with a man we never met either.”
“I like being unpredictable sometimes,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Look, it’s not a big deal. We’re married. You’ll like him. I’ll bring him by. But for now, I’ve got to get home. I have a long day tomorrow and I’m tired.
“Home? Where is home now, Mel?” her grandmother asked sharply.
“For one more night, it’s at my old house,” Mel answered honestly. “I didn’t have time to pack my things before I felt for San Diego. I’m moving in with Harry this weekend.
Gran’s eyes search hers, then seemed to shutter tight. “Fine then.” Looking away from her granddaughter.
Mel sighed. This was going extraordinarily badly, she thought. But it wasn’t like she had planned this. She had hoped to ease her family into this, not for them to hear the news by reading a newspaper.
“Look everyone,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry you found out the way you did. I tried to tell you before I left, but I ran out of courage, and that’s my fault. But I didn’t intentionally hurt you, and i hope you can forgive me.”
She watched as her family all looked at each other, then back out into the night. Oh hell, she thought, nearly deciding to throw Lilli to the wolves, but then talked herself quickly out of it. She’d made her choice. Now she needed to live with the consequence.

Notes

Just couldn't help myself :)