No Regrets

*HARRY’S POV*

I sat in the dressing room for a good eighty minutes by myself trying to figure out what to say to Lizzie. I just didn’t understand… I’ve been with several girls before- actresses, models, singers- but here I was completely dumbfounded by this average American girl.

Well she wasn’t average. She was anything but average. It was indescribable how I felt around her, and I really just didn’t understand why. Finally (thank god) she was the first one to text me.

From: Liz
Hey Harry, any chance I could meet you at your hotel around 6:00 tonight to talk?

I quickly responded saying that I thought it was a great idea, and that I was really looking forward to seeing her. In my head, however, I was freaking out. I now had a total of 5 hours left to figure out a strategy to get this to work out between us- and it had to be flawless.

*LIZZIE’S POV*

I had thought for a good while before I sent Harry that text. And I finally decided on what I should do based on what was best for the situation, however difficult this may turn out to be for me. Now, I just had to kill time and figure out a way to explain to Harry my decision.

Before I knew it, it was 5:30. I figured I should change into something more casual, so I threw on a pair of black denim shorts, a big slouchy sweater, and a pair of toms. My light makeup still looked fine from earlier this morning even though I had cried off most of the mascara, and my hair looked shockingly good considering the day I’ve had. I stuck my iphone in a tiny wristlet with my driver’s license and credit card, grabbed my keys and walked out the door.

The whole five minutes of my drive over to Harry’s was the most stressful one of my life. I went and parked in the back garage in the same spot where I had parked when I drove Harry home from the coffee shop a few nights ago. I sat there for a few minutes, reassuring myself that this was the right decision, and got out of the car and walked into the lobby and to the elevator. When the elevator doors opened, much to my surprise, Harry was standing there smiling at me.

*HARRY’S POV*

When those doors opened, and Liz was standing there, she took my breath away. No matter how many times I saw her I couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. Actually seeing her made me more nervous, but I was confident in my plan.

“Hello Liz!” I said cheerfully as I hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. I was trying my hardest to seem calm, but on the inside I was in complete turmoil. I didn’t know what I would do if she said no. We rode the elevator up to my room in silence- her mood was different, I could tell something was wrong, but I tried to convince myself otherwise for the sake of my nerves. When we got to my room I waited a moment before I opened the door, preparing my little speech for her. As I turned to her, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“What’s wrong, love?” I asked, completely forgetting my plan. I was starting to get very worried at this point, but seeing her upset made me upset, and I didn’t know why.

“Harry…” she began as she reached up and touched my face. It sent shivers down my spine as her fingers lightly traced my jaw line. “I just want to say this before we go any further, because I don’t know how well I trust myself in a hotel room alone with you.” Normally I would smirk at this, but she was so sincere and seemed so sad that I didn’t. “I think, for the sake of your and the band’s reputation, that we should just be friends.” When she said that she dropped her hand from my face, and I felt my insides slowly freeze. This wasn’t how I planned this to go at all.

“But why…?” I tried to ask, but she cut me off.

“You seem like a cheater because of me, and the rest of the world will never know or believe the true story about our beginning.” She spoke so softly, it was almost a whisper. “Harry, I care for you a lot, and I don’t think I can handle pretending to be friends while we secretly aren’t. That’s not fair to you or me. Neither of us deserve that, and I’m sorry. I’m more than willing to try management’s suggestion though. We can hang out together while you’re here, and still have fun with everyone over Mardi Gras, but we just have to make sure it stays strictly friendly.” I was glad when she finished talking, because every word she said made me feel like a tiny hand was squeezing my insides into a small hole. I forced a smile, not wanting to ruin the beginning of our already terrible friendship.

“If that’s what you want, my dear, then I’m more than happy to oblige!” I said jokingly, trying so hard to mask my true feelings. “Now, I’m very sorry to say this, but I’m tired and I have to get up early tomorrow for a 6:00 rehearsal to make up for today. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bid you farewell.” I kissed her on the hand.

“Bye, Harry.” She said as she turned around and walked away.

*LIZZIE’S POV*

After I broke the news to Harry, he seemed to take it lightly, but I could read his eyes so well. I had hurt him- I’m sure just as badly as this was hurting me- but I knew it was for the best. I couldn’t handle being in his presence anymore right now, especially since I knew tears were coming, so I was more than ready to leave when he asked me to go early.

*HARRY’S POV*

I watched Lizzie all the way down the hall until she got into the elevator. Then, I slid my room key into the door, closed it gently behind me, and finally let my tears fall as I blew out each individual candle that I had lit on the floor. They spelled out “Sorry Liz!”, but she never even got to see them.

Notes