The Aftermath

“Can I give you your Christmas present early?” Harry asked Savannah the night before they were to leave for Europe to see his family for the Holiday’s.

“What? It’s not Christmas though,” Savannah said, smirking playfully at him.

“It’s too big to fit on the airplane,” he told her, smirking right back.

“So it’s not jewelry?” She said wryly, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“No, it’s not jewelry and it won’t fit in a suitcase,” he scoffed at her as his cheeks turned slightly pink.

“You know, this goes completely against the traditions of Christmas—”

“Sahhh-van-nahhh,” Harry whined, which made her instantly giggle.

“I’m just kidding, baby. Sure. If you need to give me my present now, I’m not going to stop you,” she laughed, feeling rather excited. Christmas early? Yes, please.

“Good. Come on,” Harry said, jumping off the couch, grabbing her hand to help her up.

“Baby!” Savannah shrieked and giggled as Harry pulled her toward her apartment door.

“Where are we going?” She asked him as they moved toward the elevators out in the hallway.

“It’s in my car. I couldn’t just bring it in, obviously,” he said, smirking at her devilishly.

“Oh. Ha. Right,” she giggled.

Harry walked Savannah out to the parking lot, but she couldn’t see his black Range Rover anywhere, which had her confused.

“Baby, did someone steal your car?” She asked him, her eyebrows knit with confusion.

“No. But this one’s yours,” he said, smirking widely as they stopped in front of a car in the parking lot.

“What?” She choked out looking at the car in front of them.

“Merry Christmas, Van,” he said, smiling from ear-to- ear.

“Harry—what?” She asked, looking at him wide-eyed.

“You don’t have a car. You’ve never had a car. Well, here’s your car, love,” he told her, before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Savannah was standing in front of a silver Audi S6 sedan and it was one hell of a car.

“Harry! This is a fifty-thousand dollar car!” She shrieked.

“Seventy, but who’s counting,” he said with a shrug.

“HARRY!” She yelped.

“SAVANNAH!” He mimicked.

“I can’t—Harry, ohmygod,” she said, gaping at the beautiful piece of fine machinery.

“You can. Here,” he said, putting the key in the palm of her hand.

“Ohmygod. I don’t even know what to say,” she yelped, throwing her arms around Harry.

“You don’t have to say anything, love. Merry Christmas,” he said with a pleased chuckle.

“Thank you so much,” she said as she pulled back, grabbing his face in her hands before leaving a chaste kiss on his lips.

“My gift to you will never compare to this,” she told him with a huff.

“Don’t, Van. Don’t do that. I know I am going to love whatever you give me. It’s not about the biggest or the most expensive, okay. It’s about the love we share. I got this for you because you’ve never had one and I wanted to do that for you,” he told her seriously. She nodded, swallowing back her pride.

“I love you, Savannah Lynn,” he said, kissing her lips.

“I love you so much,” she said, meaning it whole-heartedly.

.

.

Savannah was extremely nervous as she sat next to her boyfriend of nine months on the airplane headed to Mullingar, Ireland to celebrate Christmas with his dad’s side of the family. Harry invited her along as to a) include her in his life, like any loving boyfriend would; and to b) not be alone when he faced his family for the first time in over a year, since his step-brother Niall and Savannah broke up.

Savannah hadn’t spoken or seen Niall in months. They weren’t friends, they weren’t close anymore and she could only accredit that to her now steady relationship with his younger step-brother and old band mate. Oh, yeah… and maybe also the fact that he was now engaged to his mistress who just so happened to have recently given birth to their love child. She was not looking forward to seeing the two of them or their bastard child.

Harry and Savannah spent the last nine months laying low, keeping out of the public eye. Even though One Direction kind of fell out of the spotlight over the years, there still was an all-out scandal over the fact that not only was Niall Horan a cheater and got his mistress pregnant, but his step-brother and ex-band mate Harry was also sleeping with his girlfriend. And the fact that Harry and Savannah stayed together only fueled the media’s bloodlust.

As Savannah held onto Harry’s hand on the airplane, it just amazed her how she could be in the exact same position she was a year ago, but it was entirely different at the same time. Last year, it was Niall’s hand she was holding on the airplane to Ireland. It was with Niall that she faced his parents for the first time, hoping they would approve of her. This year, it was Harry’s hand she was holding. And it would be with Harry that she would face his parents for the first time since their affair, hoping they would approve of their relationship.

As their plane touched down at the airport the lump in Savannah’s throat grew tenfold and the ache in her stomach was something she knew wasn’t going to let up the entire time she and Harry were with his family.

Let the quagmire ensue.

Standing outside of the Styles house in Ireland, hand-in-hand with Harry – their luggage in tow, Savannah wanted to turn and run as fast as she could. She eyed Harry with a look of pure terror as he reached for the doorbell, taking a deep breath.

“We’re in this together, Savannah,” he assured her. She could only look up into his eyes and nod, hoping his words were true.

With that he plunged his finger into the doorbell and pulled back. She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until she forcefully let it out as the door swung open, revealing none other than Gemma Styles.

“Savannah! Harry!” She said happily to the two of them.

“Gemmy,” Harry said fondly as he leaned in hugging her tightly.

“Hello, beautiful,” Gemma said, turning her embrace on Savannah.

“Hi, darling,” Savannah said, feeling elated that Gemma was there. She’d spent some time with them during their nine month hibernation from the world.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Gemma said, smiling widely at Savannah.

“I’m here,” Savannah said apprehensively.

“Are you nervous?” Gemma asked her, making a frightened face.

“More than you know,” Savannah told her.

“It will be okay,” Gemma told her.

“It will be okay, Van,” Harry reassured her. She wasn’t so sure.

As Harry and Savannah entered the sprawling foyer of Des and Maura’s house, they could hear scattered talking and laughter coming from the direction of the kitchen. Savannah’s nerves were shot to shit as Gemma walked back into the kitchen, announcing their arrival to the family.

“Harry and Savannah are here,” Gemma told them, loud enough to hear from the foyer.

“Harry and Savannah? What?” They heard Greg ask, sounding a bit confused.

Within seconds, Greg came meandering down the hallway to greet the two of them. Savannah was hidden well behind the staircase as she removed her shoes. And she was scared to show her face to anyone, even Greg, who was a friend to her when she was dating Niall. She didn’t know where she would stand with him now.

“Harry! My brother! Long time, no see,” Greg greeted him, hugging Harry to his chest quickly before releasing him.

“Good to see you, mate,” Harry told Greg with a wide smile. Savannah could tell they truly missed each other. Harry always talked about Greg fondly and it made Savannah sad to be part of the reason why they hadn’t seen each other in so long.

“So, Savannah? You brought Savannah? Am I missing something?” Greg asked curiously, quirking his eyebrow. Savannah’s stomach dropped. Did Greg not know about them? She was certain that Niall would have told them all by now.

Savannah emerged from behind the banister, being witness to the curious look that Greg was sending Harry’s way.

“Savannah! Hi,” Greg greeted as she came into view.

“Hi, Greg. It’s good to see you,” she said as he pulled her in for a hug.

“Uh, I’m a bit confused. I thought you and Niall broke up,” Greg asked, looking more than a little baffled as his eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. Savannah looked at Harry, who was wearing an awkward goofy grin on his face.

“Uh. We kind of… got together,” Harry said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh, wow,” Greg said, looking between the two of them.

“Niall never told you?” Harry asked him.

“All I heard was he and Savannah broke up. Honestly, that was the last I heard about Savannah,” Greg said, giving her a sympathetic look.

“Glad to see you again, love,” Greg told her.

“Thank you. You too,” she said, smiling genuinely at him. Greg was a really great guy.

“So, how long have you two been together then?” Greg asked, giving them both a smile.

“Nine months,” Harry said, taking her hand in his as she stood silently by his side.

“Nine Months?” Greg asked astonished, his mouth dropping open slightly. They nodded, both of them letting out a strained chuckle at his reaction.

“Nine months? Wow. Why didn’t you guys let anyone know?” Greg asked curiously, looking almost hurt that he and Harry had drifted so far apart in the past year.

“Let anyone know what?” They heard as Harry’s father Des emerged from the kitchen.

Savannah’s heart accelerated, but also felt like it stopped all at the same time. She was petrified. She tried to tug her hand out of Harry’s just to lessen the tension she was feeling, but Harry gripped her hand with an iron fist, refusing to let her take the easy way out.

“Harry! We’ve missed you so!” Maura cooed as she came barreling toward her step-son, grabbing him in a hug and planting many wet kisses all over his face. It was only then, in the throes of Hurricane Maura, that he dropped Savannah’s hand.

“Hi, Maur,” he said, inching away from her, trying to get her to back-off in the nicest way possible. She finally got the hint and went to stand by her husband’s side.

“Savannah,” Des nodded toward her, acknowledging her presence.

“Oh! Savannah. Hello,” Maura said, caught off guard, her eyes wide and feral.

The sneer in her voice was not lost on her. Savannah could see exactly what this woman thought of her – the girl who cheated on her golden child with another one of her sons. The fact that she was standing in her home, breathing the same air as her, looked as though it was making her physically ill. Her lips curled into a look of disgust, although it was obvious that she was trying to hide it for Harry’s sake.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Styles,” Savannah replied politely to both of them.

“What brings you here, dear?” Maura asked, but her tone read more as ‘why in God’s name are you in my house, you harlot?’

“Dad, Maura – Savannah and I are together. We’re seeing each other,” Harry laid it out for them as he once again grabbed her hand in his. Maura’s eyes snapped down, witnessing the show of affection as her mouth dropped open in pure shock.

“You’re seeing each other?” She gasped, looking back up at Harry.

“Yes. We’re dating. We’re in a relationship. We’re together,” Harry said, over-explaining it to get the point across.

Maura’s reaction was priceless and somewhat appalling. She pursed her lips tightly, lifting her eyebrows as high into the air as they could go, looking as if she just fully ingested a mouthful of the sourest lemon juice known to man. Savannah almost let out a chuckle, but decided it would only make things disastrously worse.

“Oh. Welcome, Savannah,” she uttered, feigning civility. Read: “You will never be welcome in my home.”

“Thank you,” Savannah said quietly, feeling more than a little awkward.

“Have you gotten the chance to see Niall and Shanna’s beautiful baby girl?” Maura asked her with a tight smile on her lips.

“Uh…” Savannah stammered, completely speechless.

Savannah didn’t even know they had a girl, let alone had the ‘chance’ to see her. Wait, did she just ask her that? Really? It definitely seemed a bit malicious, given the circumstances. It was as if she just screamed TEAM NIALL at the top of her lungs in the pettiest way possible. It sure as hell would have earned the same dead-faced response from Savannah if she did.

“Maura!” Harry snapped sharply at her.

“What?” She gasped wide-eyed, looking at her step-son.

“A little insensitive, don’t you think?” Harry snapped, annoyance thick in his tone. Maura huffed to herself, retreating away from the two of them.

“I’ll just… I’ll just go make up the guest bedroom,” she stammered, looking as if she was going to cry, before making a beeline for the stairs. She took them two-by-two before disappearing completely out of sight. Harry sighed next to Savannah, giving her a look of apology.

“You’re going to have to give her a break, son. This is a lot to take in – you just blurting out something that big. I mean—” His dad said in a warning tone.

“Blurting it out? When would you have liked me to do it? As we’re sitting down to dinner? I think there would be a few questions in the meantime,” Harry said sarcastically.

“A phone call might have been nice. You could have given us time to prepare…” Des continued.

“Prepare for what? Savannah’s not the god damn anti-Christ,” Harry said, getting heated in a matter of seconds.

“Harry,” Savannah breathed, tugging on his hand, trying to reign in his temper.

“Harry, that’s not what he was saying,” Greg chimed in.

“I’m just… ughhh. You wonder why I haven’t visited in a year,” Harry grumbled under his breath.

“Harry, I don’t want to have a row. This is supposed to be a happy time. I am sure glad you’re here now. And Savannah, you are more than welcome, believe me,” Des told her. She could tell he wasn’t entirely happy about their relationship, but he did a much better job at hiding it then the ever-so emotional matriarch of the family.

“Thank you,” she told him, giving a small nod as she stood by Harry.

“Yeah, thanks,” Harry grumbled, still feeling a little bitter about the situation.

“Go, go. Get settled. Maura and Denise almost have dinner prepared,” Greg told them.

“Yeah,” Harry said, grabbing for their suitcases.

“Come on, love,” he added as he started to make his way up the stairs. Savannah followed fast at his tail, not wanting to leave his side for a second. He was her only true ally.

Maura was just finishing tidying the guest bedroom when they made their way up. It was the same room Savannah occupied a year ago, the last time she was there. She was more than a little sure the room was already ready prior to their arrival, but if there was one thing Savannah knew about Maura Styles, it was that she was an entertainer. If she was having a guest over, not one thing would be out of place inside her domain.

“Oh. Um, I’ll let you get settled. Harry, could I have a word, please,” Maura spoke quickly as she dashed out of the room, doing her best not to make eye contact with Savannah.

Savannah looked at Harry worriedly, feeling completely wrong about the whole situation. She was regretting the decision to ever come there with him. But she knew it wasn’t even a choice, because she would do anything for him.

“It’ll be okay,” Harry said quietly, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before he obediently followed his step-mother out of the room after placing her suitcase on the bed.

Savannah stood there dumbfounded, feeling abandoned. She stood in the middle of the spacious bedroom looking around, feeling lost in her own skin without Harry by her side. When she heard their quiet voices from down the hallway, it made her rather curious as to what Maura needed to talk to him about, so she walked toward the open door and eavesdropped a bit.

“Your behavior is a little out of line, Maura,” she heard Harry say and it made her happy inside that he was defending her to one of the most important women in his life.

“Why would you bring her here though, Harry?” She heard Maura reply.

“Because she is my girlfriend,” Harry’s voice was strong and deep, sounding offended and defensive.

“Niall is here. And Shanna and the baby,” Maura said, like it was a valid excuse for her reaction.

Savannah’s skin crawled at the thought of spending even a second in the same room as the woman Niall knocked-up when he was still seeing her. But she knew it would be nearly impossible to avoid her since they were under the same roof – no matter how huge the roof was.

“Who cares?” Harry shot at her.

“Don’t you think it will be a little awkward, to say the least, for Shanna… and Savannah?” She asked, throwing her name in as an afterthought.

“Okay, wait a second. How did Savannah become the bad person here when Niall was cheating on her behind her back too! Shanna is only with Niall because he got her pregnant!” Harry bellowed loudly, letting his temper flare up again.

“Shanna is a nice girl!” Maura said, defending the hussy.

“You were saying the same thing about Savannah a year ago, Maura!” Harry argued with her.

“Harry…” She breathed out so hushed that Savannah barely heard her.

“No! You’re being a hypocrite! I love Savannah—” Harry said, still defending her, making her heart swell.

“Love?” Maura scoffed in her sneering tone.

“Yes. I love her. And I would appreciate if you would make it a point not to make her feel like an abomination while we’re here. Or we will be on the next flight back to California. And that’s a promise!” Harry told her firmly.

“I-I will try my best,” Maura say quietly.

“It’s just not fair. Savannah was in Shanna’s same position a year ago, but now you’re fawning all over Shanna and being belittling toward Savannah. I don’t understand how you can be so ignorant about the roles they both played,” Harry said, his tone now lighter with her.

“Harry, I said I would try my best,” Maura said, sharp-tongued and annoyed.

“Thank you,” he said with a sigh.

Savannah dipped back into the guest bedroom right before Maura left Harry’s room. She watched as she walked past the room, completely ignoring her. Savannah liked her so much better a year ago. Seconds later, Harry turned the corner into the guest room in a huff, looking frazzled from the conversation he just had.

“Sometimes that woman… gahhh,” Harry grumbled about his stubborn step-mother.

“I’m sorry,” Savannah said faintly.

“No, no. Baby, it’s not your fault,” Harry said, grabbing her hands in his, looking her in the eyes. Savannah looked up at him with a saddened expression.

“They need to learn how to accept this – us. It’s you and me, baby. I love you so much,” he told her, trying to sound more optimistic than she knew he was feeling in the moment.

“I love you too,” she replied before his lips were on hers for the first time since they set foot in this disapproving household.

“HARRY! SAVANNAH! DINNER!” Greg bellowed up the staircase, breaking them out of their revelry. Harry pulled away, rolling his eyes at his brother’s subtlety.

“Are you ready for this?” Harry asked her with worry in his eyes.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she told him as she took a deep breath and let it out harshly.

Harry grabbed Savannah’s hand and led her down the stairs to her doom – dealt by the hands of his awaiting family.

Notes