HARRY’S POV

I knew the moment I said it that I was going to be in trouble. I don’t know what possessed me to tell the world about Piper’s pregnancy, but they kept putting Louis on the spot and it’s the only thing I could think of that would defer the attention. The only thing bigger than his break-up is my having a child on the way. I didn’t think it through, and when I got home, I heard about it.

Well, I didn’t hear about it per se. I got the silent treatment from everyone for a long while, and then I heard it from my mum, and then my sister, not to mention the lecture I got from Liam before we even left the fucking studio.

Now, a whole day later, I’m getting short responses out of Piper. It’s a start.

“How are you feeling?” I’ll ask.

“Fine,” she’ll say.

“I love you,” I tell her.

“I know,” she says despondently.

I tried the whole apologizing thing to no end yesterday, and it only made her more upset. I have no logical excuse for saying it. I just did, and I can’t take it back. I don’t know exactly why she’s upset, but I do know I had no right to make an announcement like that without her approval.

We’re in bed when I try apologizing again. I feel relieved already that she hasn’t kicked me out of bed yet, or chosen to sleep somewhere else like she did last night.

“Piper,” I whisper and scoot a bit closer to her. She doesn’t move when I wrap my arm around her waist, but she does tense up. “Piper, we should talk about this, yeah? Please, can we talk?”

She shrugs and rolls over to face me, “Yeah, I suppose we should.”

“I’ll start,” I say before she can speak. I want to reiterate how sorry I am before I hear her side of things. “I’m so sorry for making that kind of public announcement without asking you. There’s no reason that anyone you know should find out before you have the chance to tell them first. I didn’t think and I was so bloody stupid. I’m more sorry than I could possibly convey. I hope you believe me when I say I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t plan to do that, I swear.”

She sighs and wipes her palm under her eye, “I know you didn’t, but that’s what hurts. You didn’t think about me when you did it. I don’t know what you were thinking about, but it wasn’t me. Harry, I’m not as much worried about people I know finding out as I am your fans. It’s still so early on in the pregnancy, and if something happens, it’ll only make things worse. I’ll never hear the end of it. It’ll be like what happened with James, only worse because it’ll be much more public and I’ll be letting you down too-“

“Christ, Piper,” I curse under my breath, gathering her in my arms, “how many times do I have to tell you not to worry about anyone else? The fans talk, they’ll talk whether or not there’s anything to talk about, honestly. Either way, they move from one thing to the next. Do you ever see anything on Twitter about that asshole James anymore? No! It’s old news.”

She sniffles, but doesn’t say anything. I take a deep breath to calm myself before kissing her forehead, “Piper, I love you. Alright? I love you so much, and I’m so sorry I didn’t think things through during that interview. I was an idiot and I’m just too excited about this baby for my own good.”

She scoffs a soft giggle and rests her hand on my shoulder as I rub her belly softly.

“I’m excited too,” she whispers. “I’m just nervous as well.”

“Don’t be,” I murmur against her lips, my fingertips teasing at her pantyline. “This baby is our business and not anyone elses. They’ll know you’re pregnant, we can’t control that, but we can control how we react to their responses.”

Piper nods and kisses me, her mouth cold against mine from the iced water she had been drinking.

“You know most of the fans have been really great so far,” she whispers, pressing her body against mine.

“That’s great,” I smirk. “Our baby is already so loved.”

We kiss for a while before drifting off in each other’s arms, my palm resting on her stomach.

___________

PIPER’S POV

The morning of Harry’s party goes according to plan, despite it being hectic. Gemma succeeds in getting him out of the house and they take Andy to the park after breakfast.

The moment they’re gone, Anne and I are running around, gathering all of the items we’ve hidden in the flat. Some of Anne’s friends, and a few of Harry’s show up to help set things up.

I meet Nick first, and he seems to be a pretty stand-up guy. He’s one for the jokes, though, and in the hustle of things, I can’t bring myself to laugh.

Liam and Riley show up soon afterward, much to my relief. Liam sets off to make a “killer punch” in the kitchen, leaving Riley and I to finish putting away all of the personal items laying around.

“How are you feeling?” she asks me after about an hour.

“I’m alright. Just a bit anxious to get everything done,” I admit.

She nods and we get back to work.

I meet James and Ben a few hours before the party, but I don’t get to talk to anyone much before the caterers arrive with the food. Anne and I decide where they should set everything up, and once we’ve delegated the rest of the work, Riley joins as we head up to shower and get dressed.

“Now, can you tell me how you’re actually doing?” Riley says as I shut the door to mine and Harry’s bedroom.

I sigh and sit on the edge of our bed, lifting my knees so that my elbows have a place to rest. I bury my face in my hands and take a deep breath.

“I’m okay considering,” I say, brushing my fingers numbly through my messy hair. I slump over and fall into the unkempt sheets. “I’m just angry at him, but I’m not at the same time, and my emotions are confusing me and I can’t imagine what they’re doing to Harry. It’s just a mess, and I wish I could be easy-going and laid back about everything, but I can’t seem to help myself. I feel like a dramatic bitch. We talked about it and he said everything he’s supposed to say after fucking up like that, but I’m still irritated.”

Riley sits in the small space between my body and the edge of the mattress and rests her hand on my arm. “Piper, this is completely normal. You always beat yourself up over being yourself, and I promise that no one, especially Harry, would ever want you to react any differently. At this point, it doesn’t matter why you feel a certain way, and honestly you have every right to be pissed off. It doesn’t have to be solved overnight, but the fact that you want to forgive him already means you guys are going to be okay.” I smile up at my best friend and nod in silent agreement. “You’re pregnant, okay? Emotions are a bit high, and it doesn’t help that you’re carrying a pop-star’s baby. Cut yourself some slack, alright?”

I nod again and drag my body up to a seated position, my back against the pillows, “Thanks, Ri. I needed to hear that.”

“Well, someone’s gotta talk some sense into you when your mom’s in a different country,” she laughs, leaning down to kiss my forehead.

“Yeah,” I smile weakly, “I miss her.”

Riley eyes my expression sympathetically and reaches for my phone, which is upside down on the nightstand, “Give her a call and then take a shower. You’ll feel better and then I’ll help you with your hair, alright?”

I smile appreciatively, taking the phone and wrapping my arms around her, “Sounds perfect.”

_____________

The surprise aspect of the party goes perfectly according to plan. I got to facetime my mom for it, and Dad even joined. I started to feel a little better in general until I ate one of the cupcakes during desert. I think the icing didn’t sit right.

“Are you alright, darling?” Harry says as I excuse myself from our conversation with Gemma.

“Yeah, I just need to have a seat,” I ensure him and he nods warily.

I find a seat in a corner near the window next to the kitchen, which is secluded. I sit down for a minute, but don’t feel any better. My stomach is in knots and I have that strange metallic, watery taste in my mouth that appears before I get sick.

I focus on breathing and close my eyes tightly.

“Oh my god!” A slurred voice breaks my concentration. My head pops up and I come face to face with Eleanor, a drink in her hand and a worried facade. “Are you okay?”

I bite my lip and shake my head shortly, “Do you think you could get me a ginger ale?”

“Yeah,” she nods, setting her drink down a bit too roughly so that some of the contents splatter on the tablecloth. She doesn’t seem to notice, “I’ll be right back.”

True to her word, she comes back moments later with a glass of iced ginger ale, a black cocktail straw peeking over the lid.

“Thanks,” I say before taking a sip. Eleanor sits in the chair next to me and glances around the crowded room.

We sit quietly for a while before I feel well enough to talk.

“How are you?” I say, a bit loud so I can be heard over the music. I watch as Andy flings her arms around Harry’s leg on the dance floor. He laughs and lifts her into his arms, swinging her around in the air.

“Pretty shitty, if I’m honest,” Eleanor snorts at her own comment. “Really shitty.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, unsure of what she wants to hear. I hardly know the girl, so it’s a little awkward.

“It’s not your fault,” she shakes her head, taking a sip of her drink. It’s a vodka tonic, I believe. “It’s mine, really. Once a cheater, always a cheater, right? I should have learned my lesson one of the first three times. I’m just an idiot, I suppose.”

I gulp and take another sip of my soda, hoping she’ll stop talking, or better yet go somewhere else. There has to be someone better here for her to vent to.

“You’re not an idiot,” I tell her, because that’s probably what a friend would say. “When you love someone, it’s hard to see their faults.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen his faults,” she rambles on. I don’t really know if there’s a point to it all. “Everyone’s seen his faults. He’s practically proud of them. He’s just not meant to be in a relationship, really. Ask Harry. He knows better than anyone.”

I set my drink down and cross my legs, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, don’t be daft. I’m sure it’s not dinner talk in your house, but you’ve got to see the way they look at each other. You should be extra careful now, as well. Whenever Louis’ down on himself and lonely, he runs to Harry like an injured puppy.”

My mouth goes dry, but that same pre-sick taste is back. I bite my tongue in hopes of my stomach calming down. It does flips instead, and I’m motionless.

“Harry always lets him, too. He pampers him and tells him he’s a good person. It’s all really fucked up. You know, Harry probably had the most control over him, but he still pissed on that. I don’t think he’ll ever learn,” Eleanor shrugs, before actually looking at me.

“Oh dear,” she says, her eyes wide. “You’re color’s drained. You didn’t know, did you? Fuck, I am an idiot. Shit, let’s get you upstairs, yeah?”

Eleanor kneels at my side and puts her arm around my waist. I want to say no; I want to refuse her help. I really want to, but I can’t. I’m nearly certain that if I stand on my own, I’ll fall over.

So, I accept her clumsy help and soon find myself in my bedroom. She closes the door behind us as I scurry into the bathroom, that watery taste growing stronger than ever, flooding my mouth.

As I vomit into the toilet bowl, I wonder if I would have been better off without this information. Probably, I decide.

I’m not sure where to go from here. The walls just keep closing in.

Notes

I sincerely hope you don't all hate me, but I wouldn't blame you if you did because I've been ridiculously slow at updating. I'm so, so sorry, and as I say every time, I'll try to be better.

Please comment xx I really want to know what you all think.

i'm in class though so i should go lol. hoping to hear from you all soon :)