The Reinvention of Harry Styles

“Oh my,” Molly looked at her computer screen. “Oh no. No no no no no. That’s not what I meant!”

Hearing her, Harry poked his head around the door to see what was up. “What’s happened?”

“Umm. the article I wrote to go with the interview has just gone live, and I’ve found an error. And it’s bad!” She cringed and held up her laptop for him to see for himself.

"Dunkirk ‘stars’ Harry Styles and Fionn Whitehead spoke with us about their experience filming Christopher Nolan’s WWII drama…"

“What? ‘Stars’?” Harry looked back at her in shock. “Can you fix it or is it too late?”

Molly grabbed her phone and started dialing. “I’m going to call my boss, maybe they can take the article down. I clearly meant to put the quotation marks around ‘Dunkirk’ not around stars….” She shook her head as she waited for her boss to pick up the phone. Harry returned to the kitchen to finish making his tea. He didn’t want to admit it to Molly, but he thought her typo was a little funny.

That is, until he got a text from Jeff, who had found and read the article in record time. Apparently Jeff didn’t find it to be amusing either, and voiced his skepticism about Molly yet again. Harry replied to the text, assuring him it was an error and Molly was fixing it now. However, that didn’t stop suspicion from growing in Jeff’s mind.

Molly slumped into the kitchen and sighed. “They’re going to fix it, but really, didn’t anyone proofread that? I know I missed it too, but I’ve been a little, err, distracted.”

Harry smirked teasingly. “You think I’m distracting?”

She rolled her eyes. “Very, but don’t let that go to your head. I don’t necessarily mean that as a compliment.”

“Hey…” Harry pretended to be insulted, but knew she was joking. “Would you like some tea?”

“I think I’m going to need something stronger than tea.” Molly leaned on the counter and rested her head in her hands.

“Coffee?” Harry suggested.

“No, stronger as in booze.” Molly corrected.

“I have just the thing.” Harry left and returned a few minutes later with some copper mugs and a few ingredients. “Ever had a Moscow mule?”

“What?” Molly sat up and watched Harry mix lime juice, vodka, and something else.

“I had this at a friends house once and fell in love with it. Do you like ginger beer?” He asked as he poured their drinks.

“Is that like ginger ale?” She asked and took the copper mug. “Why is it in a copper mug?”

“It’s a little stronger than ginger ale. Try it.” He watched as she took a sip.

“Wow, yes that’s quite gingery. And quite vodkay too.”

“Too strong?” Harry asked and tried his own drink to see if he’d made it wrong.

“No, this is perfect. Exactly what I needed, thanks.” She took another sip, and the two stood in the kitchen for a moment in silence.

“So, we’re leaving tomorrow morning for London.” Harry started. “Well, I am. I think you probably need to stop by home, wherever that is, to pick up more clothes and stuff.”

Molly nodded. “Home is with my parents, still.” She cringed and waited for Harry to tease her, but there was nothing. “I also need to get my passport, let my parents know what I’m doing….that’s okay, right?”

Harry thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I guess you can tell them, since I can’t really ask you to lie to your parents.”

Molly pondered this for a bit while she sipped her Moscow mule. “Maybe I’ll just tell them I got a job. They know I’ve been looking for one. I think my mom would freak out if I even mentioned you. She was one of those directioner moms who was more than happy to take my friends and I to concerts.”

“Really?” Harry laughed, but his mind was preoccupied. He was now worrying about what he was going to tell his own parents, particularly his mom. He couldn’t lie to her, she’d see right through it, but what if Jeff asked her about his new girlfriend? He’d never hear the end of it, if she thought he’d talked to his manager about a girl and not his own mum. “Um, I have to make a phone call.” He left Molly in the kitchen without an explanation and went upstairs to his room.

He took out his phone and hit ‘call’ before really thinking it through. ‘I hope I don’t wake her up…’ he thought as he looked at the time and figured in the time difference. Then again, if she was asleep he wouldn’t have to talk to her about it.

“Hi hon,” Anne tiredly answered the phone.

“Sorry, mum, did I wake you up?” Harry asked.

“No, just going to bed now. What’s up?” She asked, and Harry was quiet for a moment.

“Umm, I kinda have a girlfriend,” he started.

“Oh, is it someone Jeff ‘set you up with’ like, what was her name? Tess?” Anne did not sound surprised.

“No, this is different. We’re not going public with it, but-”

“Finally! Oh my god Harry, I have been waiting for this day for so long,” Anne beamed.

“Well, it’s not quite like that, though. We’re not actually dating, it’s more, uh…” Harry trailed off as he tried to think of the right word.

“Oh no, Harry,” Anne sounded very disappointed. “You didn’t - please tell me she isn’t pregnant.”

“No, mum, nothing like that.” Harry sighed. ‘Why did people keep thinking that?’ “She’s helping me with PR stuff. She’s a fan, actually, or was a 1D fan, and wants to help me fix this mess Jeff has gotten me in.”

Anne was quiet for a moment as she considered this. “That’s really wonderful, Harry, I’m glad you’re fixing that. I don’t get how she’s ‘kinda’ your girlfriend, though.”

“It’s kinda like the girls I’m seen with for PR, except it’s for my management. I can’t fire my manager, we’re both under contract, so I’m trying to change it myself. Except I have no idea what I’m doing, so that’s why I need Molly. She just graduated with a degree in marketing and has some great ideas.”

“So, do I get to meet Molly?” Anne asked.

“Yes, actually, she’s coming to the premier with you and Gem next week.”

“Is that really a good idea?”

“I don’t think anyone will question it. They’ll just assume she’s a friend of Gemma’s or that she’s maybe someone from my management,” Harry explained. “Sorry, it’s probably pretty late, I’ll let you go to bed.”

“Night, love you Harry.”

“Love you too mum, see you soon.” Harry hung up, and somehow felt guilty. What was he dragging Molly into? His mom’s reaction made him wish he had actually found a real girlfriend, since, as Anne had pointed out, it had been a while. However, Harry did not see that changing anytime soon.

He wandered back down to the kitchen and found Molly trying to make another Moscow mule. “Harry, how much vodka do you add? I think I messed the last one up and added too much.”

“How many of those have you had?” He watched her lean on the kitchen counter as if it were her life source.

“Can you help me?”She held the bottle of vodka out and he took it from her before it could slip from her hand.

“How about you sit down for a while, okay?” Harry was trying not to laugh at her as she let him lead her over to the couch in the living room.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” She asked as she got comfortable on his couch.

“Okay, I guess I don’t have anything else to do.” He slumped down at the other end of the couch. “What do you want to watch?”

“Should we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and see what we find?” Molly asked, trying to mimic the opening to ‘Woman’. She turned to look at Harry with a sly grin on her face to find him staring back at her, an amused smile forming on his lips.

“If that’s what you want to watch.” He shrugged, pretending not to notice.

“Harry, really, are you not going to acknowledge that I just quoted you in ‘Woman’? That is you, right?” Molly tilted her head and replayed it in her head, not noticing Harry’s smirk at the other end of the couch.

“What about this, one, have you seen this movie? Molly?” He asked and threw a pillow at her when she seemed intent on staring at the ceiling.

“What? Oh, you actually did it, you actually searched romantic comedies on Netflix. This feels so meta.” Molly stared at the screen. “What is that? Have I seen ‘The Proposal’? That’s a bit ironic you want to watch that, but yes, I have seen it; Ryan Reynolds is so hot. Oh my god, Harry, have you seen ‘Deadpool’?”

“I haven’t,” he answered.

“Oh my god, Harry, we have to watch it!” She reached over to grab the remote from him.

“Really? I’ve heard it’s pretty graphic.”

“Well, you can hold my hand if it gets too scary for you,” Molly teased and shot him a smile as she searched for ‘Deadpool’.

Notes

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