#and w millennials all my siblings are millennials so I Get Them
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one of my Complexes is that I was raised an only child by gen x'ers who were both young, one of whom acted like a sibling, and both whom raised me like they were raised & on the media they were raised on & we were poor enough that I also got the "latchkey kid" complex most gen x'ers had so now when I'm hanging out with gen x, millennials, and gen z (my actual generation) at least 75% of the time I relate more to the gen x'ers like đ§ââď¸
#I just think it's really funny#my parents accidentally raising a sibling instead of a child makes me feel 50 at 24#the Amount of times when it's me and a 50 year old making the same references and my peers like. I do not know what you're saying to me#or I'll wind up translating between the two lmfao#and w millennials all my siblings are millennials so I Get Them#meanwhile my own generation I'm just..... we baffle me
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Disclaimer: I love this film. These are just my critics. I know someone else has already pointed these issues out and better than I ever could. Just wanted to get my thoughts out. Feel free to link their analysis
Post Disclaimer Disclaimer: A lot of these may be petty and have no real solution so I apologize preemptively.
Without further ado here is an aging millennialâs concerns with: The Lion King (1994)
Small nitpicks first
Incest
Usually lion prides have a single adult male that mates with all the females but in this case there are two, Mufasa and Scar, meaning, that at best Simba and Nala are first cousins and at worst siblings, getting married and having children.
On the flip side there is nothing more royal than keeping it all in the family.
Say his name
What is Scarâs real name? I know it can probably be found somewhere but i think itâs pretty messed up itâs never said in the movie. Also making someoneâs physical feature their name is rude. Its like calling someone Hairy, Big Nose, or Six-Fingered Man.
Sexiest Lion
From what I remember learning about lions, the males with darker manes are seen as more attractive. So why is my man Scar not getting hole? I know its a kids movie but could we at least see a couple dark furred cubs running about? (I know about Kovu)
Choice of voice actors
Why are all the good characters voiced by white people? (Exceptions for James and Madge) and all the bad guys are POC? And its some extra ish when only the lackeys are POC. The big bad is white. Colored folk canât even be their own boss.
And i know the remake âfixedâ this but weâre not talking about the new woke Disney.
Now the real gripes
Monarchy and leadership
While the idea of a hereditary monarchy is bad enough the main plot strongly implies divine right is just and desirable.
Mufasa is supposed to be king and this is reflected by the kingdom being pristine and in balance.
Scar, who is not ordained by the sky daddies, takes the throne and all falls to ruin.
Then the ârightful kingâ returns, restoring prosperity to the land.
It gives credence to the idea that a higher power has to approve of a leader for things to go right. That those in power are there because that is how itâs supposed to be.
Look, little one. See what happens when you try to break the status quo? Bad things happen. Be happy with your lot in life.
If you try to rise above your station like Scar, well. You saw what happened. (I know Scar murdered fools but you get my drift)
âBut Razzâ I hear you say. âThe reason things went bad is because Scar had the hyenas live in the pride lands and they ate everything. Those slobbering mangy stupid poachers!â
Aha! I say. You activated my trap card.
US History as a Metaphor
I think its safe to say that the hyenas are coded as POC. As such the idea of their integration into the pride lands being the catalyst for its blight is troubling.
It harkens back to the fear of the negro moving into cities during white flight. Hyenas/blacks move in and everything goes to shit.
Thats why we keep them in their elephant graveyards and shadow lands (the ghettos) so the blight doesnât spread.
And if one of the hyenas do come into the pride lands we send our strong alpha Mufasa to beat and brutalize them.
Also the hyenas are painted as gluttons for wanting to eat. THEY WERE IN A LITERAL GRAVEYARD.
Of course theyâre hungry. Of course theyâd want to eat everything they could. They were forced to live that way.
Now lets draw a line.
Hyenas are always hungry because they live in a food desert and actual desert.
They live there because of enforced segregation by the lions.
Lions who then blame the the hyenas for being hungry and use that as justification to continue segregation and harsh policing of the hyenas movements.
Sounds familiar.
And the filmâs solution to all this is a return to the status quo. Yuck.
Not to mention the sequel where thereâs a reconciliation between the lionesses who supported Scar and the pridelanders because Kiara says âWeâre the sameâ. I know Iâm probably grasping a straws here but that moment felt like the Irish and Italians gaining whiteness.
Ok rant over.
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Fanfic ideas which are obviously Mammon centric. I never include MC because I'm not that fond of a story that has oc as it's main character.
An effective old curse(?)
There is an old curse that will kill a demon if it is planted on them. To use it, they need a lot of sacrifice (not souls or any of that kind) that is really hard to get because the curse will 100% work. When you have already collected all the important things, the curse can be sent like a voodoo thing and the target will not realize it until the next day. It started with some kind of mark on their wrist and it began to travel to their body. Depending on how long the sender wants it to completely work, the curse will spread at a certain pace a day.
Someone who got this curse will slowly but gradually will started to feels tired fast and lost their senses. Before the day they are supposed to die, they will become an unresponsive person. Not paralized type but more like someone who lose all their senses type.
So, there is a witch who wants revenge on Lucifer by sending the curse. But unfortunately the curse got sent to Mammon instead. On the first day, he doesn't even know about it. He found out about the mark on the second day when it already covered his right lower arm. But Mammon being Mammon doesn't think much about it and doesn't know what it means.
Mammon knew about the curse two days after. He and his brothers are having a movie night, something that happens once in millenials. The rowdy type, Mammon, Asmo, and Levi, have their little quarrel. Asmo tried to attack Mammon with a pillow but slipped and pulled Mammon's top, exposing his right arm.
The other brothers who happen to look also don't know about it and asked Mammon if he got tattoos. But Mammon just looks at the mark confused and says bewilderedly that he is not and this mark just appears out of nowhere. He swears it was just covering his lower arm but how it suddenly covers his right arm, he doesn't know.
Lucifer is the only one who knows about the curse and how to recognize it. So he is surprised and dread following after when he looks at the marks on Mammon's right arm. He suddenly in front of him, startled not just Mammon but also the others, and grabbed Mammon's arm and inspected it. There is no doubt that it is that curse.
Apparently he grabbed it too tightly because Mammon started to complain and said that if he is angry because he thinks it's tattoos, he swears that it is not. But Lucifer ignored him and said that they needed to see Barbatos in a clipped tone. Still not letting Mammon go but loosen his grasp.
(Let's say that Barbatos is a master of curse.)
"Wow, wow. I don't think we need to, it's just weird marks. I'm sure it's gonna gone before I know it"
Lucifer hissed and glared at him. But not like his angry one, there is something else in his eyes, tone and body languages, something urgent and unreadable.
"Don't you know what this mark means?! You're gonna die!"
"Huh?" Mammon's brain shut down and his face was blank.
The other looked shocked. Asmo tried to laugh it off, saying that Lucifer was just joking. But when Lucifer doesn't react and is still in a staring contest with Mammon, his smile drops and fear begins to creep on him.
Series of activities happened and they are on their way to the castle. Lucifer began to intrograte Mammon and got little to nothing important information because Mammon himself doesn't even know a single thing.
The brothers also ask questions and Lucifer answers as far as he knows. Fear envelopes everyone while Mammon tries to joke to light up the atmosphere but gets an angry yet worried death glare from his brothers that shut him up.
When they arrive and explain what they knew, they get the heart breaking news that there is no way to lift the curse.
Some ruckus happens and they decide to find a way to lift it with the help of Barbatos and Diavolo. The curse spread faster than they imagined and on day five it almost covered all his upper body.
In those days, Lucifer, despite wanting to spend his last time with Mammon, just can't stop his research because every second matters.
Satan who usually would rather somewhere else than with just Lucifer always by his side to help.
Asmo and Levi make sure to always have Mammon in sight.
The twins always find time to cuddle Mammon.
Mammon was scared but also frustrated with his brothers. He tried to reason that they don't need to neglect themselves just for him, which got them mad, saying that he is more important that got him speechless.
He just let that happen but even he knows that it will be futile.
The possibilities are endless and I'm not sure where and how I want it to end. But one thing for sure is, in the end Mammon died.
Kind of like a sleeping beauty AU
⢠The brothers are currently at the party hosted by Diavolo
⢠After some time, Mammon came to the garden.
⢠In the garden are Levi and Satan who start to feel suffocated inside with all the social shits.
⢠With Mammon there, surely it's not gonna be a silent situation.
⢠He teases, argues a little and does things older siblings would do to their little ones.
⢠As you know Mammon is the fastest demon, and it seems that even Diavolo and Lucifer won't be able to catch up with him if he wants to.
⢠Mammon is secretly protective with his brothers, yes it includes Lucifer.
⢠He senses some malicious intent toward one of his lil bros.
⢠(My hc) Some of Mammon's power is about time. He's the fastest and he also can manipulate time and make it slower or faster w/o others notice, which is handy most of the time.
⢠He makes sure to use his power in a small radius, not too far to notice Lucifer or Diavolo but enough to prevent anything that may happen to his lil bros.
⢠Faster than they can blink, Mammon pushes Levi away.
⢠Levi yelped and Satan was also shocked by the sudden harsh action. It seemed like Mammon used a little bit more strength than intended.
⢠Levi looked up angrily from where he pushed off and was ready to throw some harsh words toward Mammon.
⢠All the words died in his mouth when he watched Mammon crunch down, arms hugging himself, with two arrows stuck in his back.
⢠He whimpered and hissed in pain when the arrows seemed to glow and disappear in every second along with weird and old looking sigils starting to appear on his body.
⢠Without a second thought Satan throws the book he's been reading and kneels beside his brother.
⢠He tries to call him but Mammon ignores everything. He also tried to take the arrows but couldn't and tried to solve what the sigils mean but it's the first time he saw something like this.
⢠Levi who kneels in front of Mammon tries to make him focus on him but to no avail Mammon's eyes just keep being between focus and unfocus.
⢠When the arrows completely disappear, the sigils glow a little as if sealing something in before disappearing completely and Mammon slump toward Levi.
⢠One thing imprinted on Levi's brain is how he saw a completely pure fear in Mammon's eyes before they turned dull.
⢠Levi froze in his place and when he snapped out of his daze, Satan was already cradling Mammon's lifeless body.
⢠Satan had Mammon's head pressed on his chest and that's when Levi saw how his usually lively and energetic brother looked like a soulless doll.
⢠His body looks like a doll that has no string to keep them up and his eyes are dull and lifeless.
⢠"Levi!"
⢠Levi looked at Satan who looked at him with apparent fear in his eyes and startled a little because right now, Satan looks like an innocent little kid who doesn't know what to do.
⢠Although he may be one of the smartest among the brothers and the fourth strongest, he is still the youngest of the brothers.
⢠"Levi, do something."
⢠He must be crazy because Levi can hear a hidden plea in his tone.
⢠It's slow but when Levi finally catches up with the situation, that he should be the one who is in Mammon's position and his brother just saved his life, fear and a sheer terror rush to him at full speed.
⢠He is afraid for his brother's life, afraid that he may lose him, that because of him he'll never be able to see his idiot but lovable brother anymore.
⢠He starts to shake Mammon awake, do anything he can, shouthing, but he won't bugger even a little. The only movement of him is the sway of his hair because of the wind.
⢠Levi doesn't know since when he clutched Mammon's shirt and pressed his forehead on Mammon's chest whilst he cried and shouted incoherent sentences in hope Mammon would wake up and laugh, telling him that it was just a prank.
⢠For the first time since millennials Satan felt lost.
⢠He always pride his knowledge but right now he feels useless because he just can watch when his brother suffers, died, in front of him.
⢠Hearing Levi crying and calling for Mammon, Satan couldn't hold his own tears as they began to stream down his cheek while he tightened his hold on his dear brother.
⢠It seems that their ruckus attracted some demons who were near the garden and they were smart enough to call their other brothers.
⢠Satan is silently glad because he swears he will tear them apart in anger if they just stand around and watch while they don't even know what is happening.
⢠In his mind, he vaguely knows that he needs to get the others but he doesn't want to leave Mammon's side. He's afraid that if he lets him go he will disappear forever and it looks like Levi is not doing any better.
⢠So they just wait and try to wake Mammon or just think, as much as their hazy mind can, what just happened and what they can and need to do.
⢠When one of the demons in the party comes to Lucifer, he doesn't really pay them any mind.
⢠He thinks that they may want to talk with Diavolo or Barbatos like the others before.
⢠Lucifer and his brothers have been Diavolo's companions since the middle of the party.
⢠What he didn't, never, expected is the demon talk, inform him that his brothers in the garden make some ruckus.
⢠When he heard the word white haired brother, the first thing he thought was how Mammon caused trouble again, in Diavolo's party no less. He felt irritated.
⢠But it melted away quickly as it came when he heard what was said after.
⢠Two of his brothers, Levi and Satan, weeping, shouting something while crying. Satan.
⢠And how they hold Mammon because something happened to him.
⢠He didn't hear what was said next because in a second he was already on his feet and hurriedly walked to the garden.
⢠There is foreign feeling in his chest and he registers it as fear, he feels his stomach drop.
⢠His mind ran miles for what had possibly happened.
⢠It better not be some kind of prank or he's gonna be mad.
⢠The other brothers, Beel wake Belphie when he senses that something is wrong, along with Diavolo and Barbatos who also hear the conversation following him.
⢠What they saw in the garden is an unexpected thing, something they thought would never happen.
⢠When Satan sensed someone closer, he held Mammon closer protectively and snarl at them.
⢠For the first time he is relieved a little when he sees his brothers, Diavolo and Barbatos.
⢠With tears still streaming down, he looks at Lucifer and says, "Lucifer, wake him. Wake Mammy, please"
⢠Mammy is Satan's nickname for Mammon, the only brother who he gave an affectionate nickname to, because he's the one who took care of him the most back then.
⢠Lucifer is trying his hardest to compose himself because he needs to keep strong for his brothers.
⢠Asmo went to Levi the moment he arrived and sowed tears when he saw Mammon lifeless eyes.
⢠He tried to call him, shakily, but got no response.
⢠He almost went into hysteria seeing his brother state.
⢠While Lucifer checks on Mammon, Asmo hugs Levi who keeps muttering that it was his fault and how it should be him in Mammon's place.
⢠Beel and Belphie tried to calm Satan.
⢠They don't cry but Beel looks close to losing it while Belphie tries to stay strong for his twin too.
⢠Lucifer's heart clenched painfully when he held his, first, baby brother in his arms, lifeless. It brings back all the bad memories of the past.
⢠Not a minute after arriving and assessing the situation, Diavolo commanded Barbatos to have all the guests come home.
⢠Diavolo always admired Lucifer for his calm and collected composure.
⢠But right now, he can see him slowly losing it the longer he holds Mammon.
⢠Diavolo knows, everyone knows, despite the fact that he equally loves all his brothers, he always has a special spot for Mammon, the second eldest.
⢠(Skip because I don't know what else I should write in this scene.)
⢠After Satan explains everything, they begin to investigate the current case.
⢠Satan may look fine but he drowns himself in books, something that has something to do with sigils and spells, more.
⢠Levi rarely went to his room and always stayed in Mammon's room. He may as well stay there with how many things he keeps bringing.
⢠Lucifer locked himself in his room and just went out to the castle to discuss it with Diavolo and Barbatos.
⢠Belphie, Beel and Asmo tried to help as much as they could.
⢠Mammon was laid down in his bed like a sleeping beauty.
⢠They found out that some demons/witches, for whatever reason, were targeting Levi but Mammon took the blow instead.
⢠The arrows were covered not only by some spells but also sigils.
⢠What makes it complicated is, the spells and sigils are the really old, complicated and strong ones.
⢠The ones that existed when Diavolo was a child.
⢠The fastest way to get rid of it is to wake the Demon King from his hibernate slumber.
⢠But they can't do that without any risks for the three realms.
⢠They need to solve it by themselves.
⢠It takes them hundreds of years (because I think thousands of years is too long... or maybe not?) to figure it out. The brothers, despite their resolve, didn't function really well. They are determined to wake Mammon but there are also times when it's too much for them.
⢠In all that time, Mammon was shackled down with holly chains to his knee in a dark void with water reaching his waist. Obviously when he wakes up later, his mind will not be in the best place and will be hard to fix.
⢠When they finally figure it out, Mammon doesn't immediately wake up and the brothers keep searching for what might be wrong.
⢠What they don't know is that awakening is a slow process. First, he's going to start to be aware of what is happening around him in his sleeping state. Then his senses will start to function again. And he will start to move his body.
⢠No one beside him, as they focus on what they can fix, for two weeks and in those weeks he almost regains all his senses and moves his body almost fully. He was still sluggish and trembling like a newborn deer but he got there.
⢠The first one who finds him is Levi. He walks in and throws himself on the sofa, unaware of eyes trailing his every move.
⢠Mammon is still skeptical if it's a reality or just something his mind keeps making up in his loneliness at that place.
⢠But when he is sure it's real, he brave himself to joke about how tired Levi looks.
⢠Levi looks startled and actually jumps on his feet. There is no way he's gonna mistake those voices, a bit scratchy for not being used for so long but definitely it belongs to Mammon.
⢠He stood there and stared at Mammon with wide eyes while the latter waved and smiled awkwardly, "well, it's nice to finally be back?"
⢠Levi's lips began to tremble and tears flowed freely from his eyes. Mammon who was sitting on the edge of the bed panicked and worried as to why his brother suddenly cried and looked pained.
⢠Without a second thought and ignoring how his body aches, he slowly but surely made his way to Levi and brought him to his embrace to comfort him.
⢠He is confused and doesn't know what to do when Levi starts to cry harder and hug him as if his lifeline depends on him.
⢠He spoke incoherently. And when Mammon heard something about that it should be him in his position, Mammon forced him to look him in the eye. Firmly and seriously, he said that what happened was not his fault and he did it of his own will and will do it many times for his brothers if he needs to.
⢠Levi laugh weetly and burried his face on Mammon's chest, still hugging him, and called him stupid. Mammon just says that it was because he is the great Mammon after all, boastful and laugh loud and clear.
⢠Levi missed this. So he let himself in Mammon embrace while the latter rubbing his back and caressing his hair gently.
⢠After some moments of bliss, Mammon states that he thinks he needs to see the others, especially Satan as he was also the one there when everything happened to him.
⢠They decide to come out when it's dinner to surprise the others.
⢠They rarely eat together again because it's not the same but this time the brothers manage to find time.
⢠While waiting for dinner, they talk about many things but not once talking about what happened and where Mammon might be. They talk and talk, sometimes just sitting there basking in a comfortable silence, like nothing ever happened.
⢠At that moment Levi realized something, every brother of his has their own role in this dysfunctional family. All of them are glue but Mammon is the strongest glue that holds them together.
⢠It's time for dinner and they walk downstairs to the dining room. Levi talk animatedly about new games and anime series with Mammon beside him, listening closely to whatever he said.
⢠When he is more sure that it's not some fuck up thing his mind torture him, he is more confident and want to savor everything. He misses his brothers so much.
⢠They walk slower than usual because Mammon is still not used to moving his body.
⢠The others brothers who already seated began to hearing Levi loud and antusias voice, something they do not heard since that accident
⢠They are curious as to what the cause of this and who he talk to but then they froze in place when they heard a familiar loud laugh following whatever Levi says
⢠They look at the door aticipantly and when Levi and whoever he is with arrived in their peripheral vision, they hold their breath
⢠Mammon stood beside Levi a little awkwardly and waved at them, trying to look confident and choky when he greeted them.
⢠Anyone would think it's Beel or Asmo who immediately rush to Mammon, or even Satan remembering how he look at that time
⢠But much to everyone's surprise, it is Lucifer who suddenly stands in front of them and hugs Mammon. He let a shaky breath
⢠There are many things he want to say, but he manage just to say, "welcome back, little brother"
#mammon headcanons#obey me mammon#obey me satan#obey me leviathan#obey me lucifer#obey me beelzebub#obey me belphegor#obey be asmodeous#another hc lol#i love mammon#that's why i make him suffer#and i like making the bro suffer to#because mammon suffer ofc#barbatos#diavolo#angst#mammon angst#i need more of mammon centric angst#and some remorseful brothers#luv
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(for you) i will try // Harry Styles Fic Exchange Short Story
A ex-lovers reunion ou where exâs are exâs for a reason, weddings are near-on soul destroying and Harry and Indigo together are just a massive cause for disaster ~ 17k
trigger warning: cheating, toxic relationships and alcohol abuse described.Â
Indigo never predicted sheâd be in this predicament â that her entire life could be flipped around in a measly 48 hours.
She never thought she would doubt everything about herself but now she did.
She never thought her career took precedence over her relationship.
She never thought that she would catch her girlfriend of two years cheating on her in their bed.
She never thought betrayal could cause this much pain.
And what may have topped it all, Indi never thought in a million years that she would agree to help Jack and his nowâfiancĂŠ plan their surprise wedding for them with none other than Gemmaâs little pop star of a brother  â who was a whole different subject of issues.
All Indigo knew was that she needed a drink and a cigarette â immediately.
i. letâs have a (surprise) wedding
It wasnât the fact that social gatherings bothered me that put me off being here. It was the fact that it was the first time six years I had been back home. The whole village of Holmes Chapel seemed to be here in Mr and Mrs Twistâs house and all they wanted to know was when I would move back and settle down with a man and have kids with him. It was miserable enough to have those expectations put on you by your own parents, let alone the whole village.Â
Itâs also something nice to hear when youâve just been dumped by your girlfriend (...well, ex-girlfriend, I suppose) two days ago. I craved nothing more than to rifle through my bag and pull out a pack of Malboro Gold, light up and inhale the ever-calming smoke that put my anxiety to ease. The e-cigarette I bought twenty minutes before leaving London would have to do. There was no way I was going to give my mother another reason to be on my case. Being a bisexual millennial was enough to make my mother to sprout grey hairs. I didnât need to add being a closeted smoker to her stress list. The best I could do was a flimsy version of a healthy cigarette to keep my nicotine addiction at bay.Â
The fiery orange skyline settled down into itâs dark violet dusk as I sneaked out to the veranda overlooking the back garden; trying my best to get a moment's peace from the party inside. Strawberry vapour filled my lungs as I dragged from the sleek black pen, wishing nothing more than to smoke whatever the hell I wanted back at my apartment in London.Â
âI see you still havenât quit smoking.âÂ
My body tensed as I felt his presence saunter closer. His sweet yet spicy smell seemed to overtake the lasting lingers of vapour. It was infuriating how it hadnât changed since the last time I had seen him; almost like he wore it purposely just to piss me off.Â
âMind you,â He finally stopped by my side as I ignored him, looking out as far as I could see. âI suppose this is the healthier alternative.â
Rather than the sickly sweet vapour that had filled my lungs just moments before, annoyance replenished every fibre in my body. It was only something that he could do and he absolutely knew it. He was the only person in this entire universe that could flick this switch inside of me and he had great pleasure in doing so whenever he could get the chance.Â
âHarry Styles. What a surprise.âÂ
âReally?â Harry chuckled as he turned, leaning against the wooden rail of the veranda and staring at no other than me. âYouâre surprised to see me at my Mumâs house, at my sisterâs birthday party.â
My silence spoke volumes.Â
âIf anything, it should me surprised to see you here. Itâs been like, what â four years since youâve been back here in Holmes Chââ
âI didn't realise you kept count of my comings and goings Harry.âÂ
My eyes finally met his. Since the last time I had seen them in person three years ago, they had only grown into a richer forest green which knocked the wind out of me. His hair still held those chocolate curls that I ran my fingers through so many times before, it was impossible to keep count. I felt sick that these memories flashed back into my body in such a quick moment. Anxiety pulsated through my veins to the point where my fingertips were on fire.Â
âIndigo Palmer,â Harryâs eyebrow arched upwards in smugness. âThereâs no way I canât help but keep my eyes on you and wherever you go.â
âUgh, Harry!â I groaned. âYou canât just say that to me. Not anymore.âÂ
Harryâs eyes dropped mine own, slipping down to where his scuffed up boots crossed together. âYouâre right.â His lips rolled inwards for a second, his shoulder jerking slightly. âSorry.âÂ
The noise of Gemmaâs party quietly bounded outside of Harryâs parents house, all while the back veranda offered us the mere silence of our breathing. It was something we had done many times before. Through all of these years that we had known each other, we could talk endlessly about everything and on the other hand, say nothing and appreciate what we had and what we had around us. Now, everything about him hurt me.Â
âSo where is Emily? I thought she would of been here.â Harry lifted his hand to scratch at the nape of his neck, a nervous tick he had ever since we were children. My throat instantly tightened as soon as I heard her name leave his lips. It was two parts of my world that I did not want to mix ever again.Â
âWâwe, uh⌠SheâŚâ My voice fumbled, trying to grasp at any sentence that would make what trying trying to say sound the tiniest bit better.Â
âWeâre not together anymore.â
âOh,â Silence thumped in my ear drums. I watched as Harryâs eyebrows furrowed down, frown lines denting his smooth olive skin.Â
âSorry to hear that. What happened?âÂ
As hard as I fought, my eyes found themselves rolling at his ridiculous question. Who the hell did he think he was? My therapist? But as soon as Harry saw them roll, his eyes seemed to follow my lead and rolled back while he shook his head.Â
âLook, you donât have to tell me whatâs gone on but it looks like you need to talk to someone.â Harry shrugged.Â
âAnd that someone should be you? Just like old times then, yeah?â I scoffed maliciously.Â
The wind rustled against the leaves as Harry thought for a second or two, before shrugging his shoulders once more.
âWell, yeah. Why not talk to me? You always used to talk to me.â
Inhaling deeply, I looked him once more dead in the eye. I hated doing that because all I saw was trust and love every time I lost myself in those eyes of his. Thatâs why I hadnât looked him in the eye the last time I saw him and it was all it took for me to break down.
âSâshe, uh⌠She thought I spent too much time at work and focusing on being an associate at the firm Iâm currently at. Apparently that qualifies her to⌠cheat on me I suppose.â
âFuck,â Harry whispered so quietly, I almost never heard him. âThatâs so shit, Dig. Iâm really sorry she did that to you.âÂ
Tears welled in my eyes while guilt instantly poured in my lungs. I had felt this three years ago but it still felt fresh â a old wound reopened. I suppose I deserved it. I finally got my karma. I looked up to the sky where the stars were beginning to peak from the night sky, blinking as hard as I could to get rid of them.Â
âYâyeah, it only happened a few days ago.â I sniffed. âSo if you can likeâ not tell anyone? That would be great. Mumâs already on my case and I just donât have the energy to deal with this situation, let alone have her meddle in it.âÂ
Harryâs head nodded profusely. âYep, sure. You got it. No problem at all. In fact, consider thisââ
Before Harry could continue his rambunctious rambling, the door behind me creaked open. Instantly turning around, I watched as Jack and Gemma stumbled out of the house giddily; not realising that their younger siblings were also catching a moments peace on the back veranda until Harry coughed aloud.Â
âOh! Hereâs where you two have been hiding.â Gemma clapped her hands together. âWeâve been looking for you.â
Turning around, I leaned against the rail beside Harry trying my hardest to discreetly slip my hand that held the e-cigarette behind his back. Thankfully Harry had caught on and shuffled forward slightly so I could do so.Â
âWell, you found us!â The weight of Harryâs arm suddenly dropped onto my shoulders, pulling me closer into his side. âWhatâs going on?â
Jack pulled one of the chairs that sat by the back door, scraping its legs against the outdoor tile before plonking his arse in it.Â
âNeed to talk to ya about the wedding.â Jack drunkenly mumbled as he pulled a giggly Gemma down to sit in his lap.Â
âWhat wedding?âÂ
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I looked at Harry to see if he knew what in the world my brother was talking about but he looked just as confused as I did.Â
âOur wedding.â Jack shrugged, wrapping his arms around Gemmaâs waist. âMine and Gemâs. Youâd both know that if you were inside five minutes ago.â
With a wide grin, Gemma held out her hand that had a small but sparkly diamond on her ring finger that shimmered despite the lack of light. âIsnât it pretty?â
âItâs gorgeous Gem.â A shocked smile grew on my face.Â
I hated how miserable I felt. I should have been ecstatic that my brother and his long-time girlfriend were finally getting married. I put on a mask and played my part despite feeling like I was rotting from the inside out.Â
âCongratulations you two.âÂ
âYeah, Congrats.â Harry beamed, shaking Jackâs hand before leaning over and kissing Gemmaâs cheek. âItâs about bloody time!âÂ
âYeah, yeah. Weâre getting there.â Jack grinned. âAnyways, we came to talk to you about the wedding.âÂ
âWe want to have a surprise wedding!â Gemma jumped in, her grin reaching from ear to ear.Â
âUh,â my eyebrows furrowed. âIâm a bit confused. How do you expect to have a surprise wedding when youâve just told everyone in that house youâre getting married?â
âWell, thatâs kinda where you two come in.â Gemma began to explain. âWeâre wanting to throw a party in a monthâs time and while everyone else will be thinking itâs an engagement party, we will surprise them with it being the actual wedding ceremony!âÂ
Before Harry and I could object (or say anything really), Jack piped up. âWhat Gemâs trying to ask is if youâll plan our wedding for us.â
âWeâll pay you for your time and effort!â Gemma assured us. âItâs just, some of the best times weâve had with each other have been at some of those parties you used to throw back when you two were together.â
âAnd honestly, if it werenât for the two of you, Gem and I probably wouldnât be together. Thereâs no one else that we trust more than you two to do this.â Jack shrugged as Gemma looked at us with hope beaming from her eyes, making me feel worse by the second.Â
I took one look at Harry who looked just as unsure as I felt but I knew him. I knew he would do anything for them and while I would have like to say I would too, I wasnât entirely sure I could.Â
Harry looked down for a second before looking at me, searching for an answer I wasnât sure I could give. As soon as the corner of his mouth pulled up, revealing a small smile that would be a true smile truly for the first time in 48 hours, I knew what his answer would be⌠what our answer will be.
âSure. Weâll plan your wedding.âÂ
ii. letâs get a game plan together
It was a rare occasion for the sun to be out in London, so it was fair to say that I was making the most of it. Actually, a lot of people were. I sipped at my coffee as I sat outside of the nearly full cafĂŠ, watching people bustle by. My legs rarely felt the instant warmth of the sun and god was I loving it. It would have been great, if Harry Styles actually was on time for once.Â
After learning about Jack and Gemmaâs plans for their wedding which they were basically leaving Harry and I in control of, Harry and I had made a plan to meet a week later and get this underway. We only had a month to make this miracle happen for our siblings after all.Â
Despite the street being filled with people, I instantly spotted Harryâs chocolate curls bounding towards me. If it wasnât for the tiny blonde child in his arms, I swear I could have murdered Harry on the spot.Â
âYouâre late.âÂ
âReally?â Harry exasperated sarcastically. He somehow pulled the chair out from underneath the table with his foot, all while shooting me a very unimpressed look. âNothing about the kid in my arms isnât giving you any clue as to why I might be late?âÂ
âNope.â I shrugged. âAbsolutely none.â
The small girl giggled as Harry lowered her into the seat across from me, his nose instantly following the noise.Â
âAlright, enough out of you cheeky-monkey.â His palm flattened her wispy strays of blonde hair âWhat would you like to eat, huh?â She bit down lightly on her bottom lip, her wee eyebrows furrowing as she grew deep in thought.Â
âA muffin please.â
âA muffin? A fruity one?â
âYes, A muffin. Iâll pass on the fruity though.â The blonde girl nodded decidedly. âChocolate will do.â
That sentence alone caused Harry to belt out a full-bodied laugh, to the point where his head tilted back, eyes shut closed with little crow's feet rippling on the outer sides and his palm grasping at his protruding belly. If people werenât looking at Harry Styles before, they certainly were now.Â
As Harry got over his laughing fit, wiping away y few stray tears that had rolled down his cheeks, he looked down once more at the girl.Â
âYou be good for Dig, okay? Iâll be back in a few.â
The curve of her ponytail bounced as she nodded profusely before Harry made his way into the cafè, ignoring all of the stunned looks others were giving him. I could only shake my head at him, trying my hardest to hold back the scowl that was threatening to appear. If it wasnât for the kid staring wide eyed at me, I might have just let it appear.Â
âSo who might you be?â The little blonde thing grinned at me, two of her upper teeth and one on the bottom clearly missing from her smile.Â
âIâm Lux!âÂ
âOh.â I hadnât been expecting that.Â
The last time I had seen Lux, she had only just been a baby; Fast on her feet and hiding away from Harry and I any chance she got. The only reason the memory had stuck with me for this long was because Harry and I had literally lost her in the house for a solid hour and a half.Â
It was one of the most frightening moments of my life. Here Harry and I were, naĂŻve adults who thought they could look after a baby for the night and we literally lost a child that was under our care. Thank god she hadnât been taken or had let herself outside! She probably had been laughing at us the whole time as she hid behind the bookshelf in the living room.
âWeâve actually met before.âÂ
âWe have?â Lux gasped.
I nodded before taking another sip of my coffee. âYou were just a baby the last time I saw you.âÂ
âThatâs cool!â She threw me another grin. âAre you Uncle Harryâs friend?â
My lips pursed into a small frown as my eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched up in thought.Â
âUh⌠kind of?â
âOh.â Lux looked down at her lap before snapping back up towards me. âSo is your name really Dig?â
âExcuse me?â I frowned once more in confusion.
âIs your name Dig? Because thatâs what Uncle Harryâs been calling you today. Itâs a little strange if you ask me.â
Inhaling deeply, I rolled my eyes at Harryâs idiocy. Of course he couldnât just call me by my name properly, could he?
âNo. I think thatâs just Harry trying to be funny.â That comment seemed to pull another giggle from Lux.Â
âHeâs not very funny, is he?â
âNo, he isnât.â I agreed, giggling quietly along with her. âHeâs the type of person you end up laughing at because he thinks heâs hilarious.â
Lux burst out laughing, which pulled a small smile out of me. Before she could add anything else, a chocolate muffin on a porcelain plate was slid in front of Lux. Both Lux and I looked up to see Harry holding a very unimpressed look.Â
âExcuse me Dig but for your information, I am hilarious.â Harry placed a glass on orange juice in front of Lux before sitting in the chair next to her. âYou know that.â
âYou are not Harry. You are the opposite ofââ
âSo whatâs your name then?â Lux cut in before I could finish insulting him. I was actually taken aback by it.Â
âOh,â I stammered. âMy nameâs Indigo but most people call me Indi.â I couldnât help but snare at Harry who just rolled his eyes at me.Â
âThatâs a really nice name.â Lux smiled at me before she promptly turned towards Harry with a frown. âWhy donât you call her by her name? Itâs pretty.â
âBecause Iâve called her Dig for most of my life. Iâm not going to stop now just because you say so.â Harry said as he pulled out his phone from the front pocket of his hoodie. âNow play a game on this while me and Dig sort somethings out, yeah?â
Lux happily took the iPhone out of his hand and tapped away to her heart's content.Â
âYou got that email from Gem, yeah? The one aboutââ
âWhat they want for the wedding and what theyâve already got sorted?â I finished Harryâs sentence off, irritation slowly seeping in my veins. âOf course I did. They also asked me to help me plan their wedding, not just you Harry.â
âWoah!â Harry leaned back slightly, eyes wide open in shock. Lux wearily looked over the phone screen, her eyes flicking between Harry and I before focusing on the game she was playing. âThatâs not what I meant Dig.âÂ
I knew that wasnât what he meant. Truly; but I couldnât help but have my guard up around him. The situation we were in was nothing like we were in before and I couldnât understand why he was acting like we were best friends again. He had to know I wasnât in the best state of mind.
âThatâs how it sounded.â
From one look, I knew he wanted to argue back. His lips slightly pursed in a small scowl and his nose scrunched to the left. Having knowing Harry for as I had, I instantly picked up on his tells and I could only pray for the sake of Lux and I that he just kept his mouth shut for once.Â
I slipped my notebook out from my handbag that sat on the only free chair at this table, flipping immediately to the pages where I already jotted a few notes and ideas down since Gemma and Jack had asked us to perform a miracle.Â
âI think since theyâve already emailed through their guest list, we should just get a start on a booking a venue.â Despite the frown still etched on his face, Harry nodded in agreement as a waitress placed a coffee in front of him and another cup in front of me. We both mumbled our thanks to the waitress before getting back to the subject at hand.Â
âWe could just have it at Mumâs and Robinâs. Donât have to book anything in advance and no one will think there will be a wedding happening if they turn up there.â Harry commented after he had taken a sip of his black coffee. âEveryone will just think itâs a generic engagement party.âÂ
Harryâs nose twitched when I sighed aloud. âThey want our parents to be surprised as well H. The moment a set-up crew and catering turn up to your parents place, theyâre suddenly in on the secret.â I shrugged.Â
âAnd in my opinion, itâs probably a lot easier to book a venue that can cater for our needs and have everything all in one place than transport everything to your Mumâs and then take it all back. What do you think?â I left the ball in Harryâs court, trying my hardest to not make it seem like I was taking over as the project manager. We were doing this as a team.Â
Harry sat there for a few moments before nodding to himself. âYeah, I suppose youâre right. It was a right pain in the arse waiting on others to bring stuff to us and then wait for them to take it away.âÂ
A wave of relief overcame me when he had agreed with my suggestion. This whole wedding planning business wasnât going to be an easy ride in the park but at least I could see he was trying too.Â
âSo where do you think we should go?â I asked Harry, ready to write down a list of venues to check out.Â
Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he thought, a few silent minutes passing by. âI donât think we should go with venues like Crewe Hall or Colshaw Hall. Seems a bit obvious to have a surprise wedding somewhere like that innitâ?â
âYeah,â I nodded in agreement. âYouâre right.âÂ
âWhat about somewhere like Oak Tree of Peover? I went to Jamie-leeâs wedding there last August and itâs was pretty but not like â overwhelming yâknow? It was very low-key.â Harry suggested as he stole a bit off of Luxâs barely touched muffin.Â
âThatâs a really good idea, HâŚâ I said, quickly noting down The Oak Tree of Peover as a venue option.Â
From memory, I remember it being a lovely venue for a wedding. The Oak-framed barn made it one of the most gorgeous treasures that Cheshire had to offer, overlooking the picturesque countryside that captured our little hometown perfectly. Ideas began popping off in my head, immediately spurring more venues around Holmes Chapel.Â
âWe should probably go do some research on more venues and shortlist the ones we like.â I suggested as I finished writing down the last venue idea I had. Harry nodded before taking a sip of his coffee. âAnd maybe go to HC next weekend and check out the venues we shortlist?â
âCool,â I picked up my phone, immediately opening the trainline app to book a ticket back home. âDo you want me to book you a train ticket?â
âUh, no thank you.â Harry shook his head. âI was thinking you and I could carpool up there. Yâknow, since we're both going to the same place to do the same thing.â
âI suppose that make sense. Ooooh! We can go to Dadâs and do the invitations to.â The pen dropped loudly onto my notebook, causing Lux to look up from Harryâs phone. âHeâll have everything we need to do it!â
âCanât we just get them printed like normal people?â Harry groaned. âWeâre already short on time as it is?â
âWhatâs the point of having a Dad that owns his own art supply store? Heâll love having you around.âÂ
âThat doesnât answer my question Dig.â Harry quipped. My shoulders dropped in disappointment. This wasnât like him. Normally he would be all over this type of stuff. It used to be me that protested in time-wasting.
âOh come on Harry! Dad will be thrilled! His daughter visiting him twice in the same month except with his most favourite ex of mine! Heâll love it! And he can help! Pleeeease H?âÂ
Harry chewed on his bottom lip, deep in thought with doubt written all over his face.Â
âLook, Iâm not budging on the handmade invitations. Itâs something I want to do to make this wedding special. But if you donât want to do that, thatâs fine too. Iâll do them myself and you can research into some photographers and DJâs maybe?â A sigh escaped from me. âSeems more down your alley anyways.âÂ
âOkay then. Sounds good.â Harry just shrugged his shoulders, slowly annoying me. It was like he almost didn't give a shit. I mean, of course he cared about Jack and Gemmaâs wedding but when it concerned me and doing my bit to help create this wedding, he just⌠couldnât care. I didnât think that it would affect me so much.Â
âHarryâŚâ I pleaded. âPlease work with me here. Iâm trying my best.â
âI know you are.â
iii. let's (try) start the invitations
If it wasnât the sun peaking through my half-shut curtains waking me up from my deep slumber, it was the birds that were happily chirping away in the tree outside my bedroom. Well, my childhood bedroom at my Dadâs. There was no chance of any birds chirping outside my flat in London.I ached from head to toe.
My body felt stiff as I lay in the measly king-single bed. I could only really narrow it down to a few reasons why that might of been.Â
I had a non-stop day in the office working on the McNealson case yesterday, trying my hardest to get everything done before focusing solely Jack and Gemmaâs wedding; but I had to spend a further 3 hours and 45 minutes making awkward conversation with Harry. Also, the argument I had with Emily minutes before Harry knocked on the flat door didnât help.Â
As soon as I stepped into the flat yesterday, I could tell Emily wanted to have another argument. She sat on the couch with her legs crossed at the ankle, nursing a half-empty glass of red wine with a scowl on her face. Now while we still lived together technically, we really didnât. Since the moment I got back from Gemmaâs birthday party in HC, I had avoided the flat like the plague. I hadnât found it within myself to kick her out of my flat and I couldnât tell you why. There was something about our relationship that made me act like I was clinging on to a drowning boat, hoping that it would keep me or rather our relationship afloat⌠but it was the suitcase that had finally sunk it.
âWhere are you going?â Emily snided as I pulled my suitcase out of the storage cupboard in the lounge.Â
âBack to HC.â I mumbled quietly, my lungs concaving out of the pure pain they felt.Â
âRunning away again yeah?â From the corner of my eye, I could see her scoff before finishing the last of her wine. âDonât know why Iâm surprised. You always run away, even to a place you havenât been back to in six years.âÂ
âI donât know what you expect me to do Em.â I couldnât help but snap back. âYouâre the one who cheated on me, remember?â
âOf course I remember Indigo! You havenât let me forget it since.â She drunkenly yelled back. âWhat I want to know is when youâre going to get over it!â
My jaw dropped in shock. âExcuse me?âÂ
âYou heard me the first time Indigo.â She slammed the wine glass back onto the coffee table. âWhen are we going to get back to normal? When are we going back to being Em and Indi?âÂ
I shook my head despite every part of me being stunned at what she was saying. âIâm not doing this now. Iâve got to pack before Harry gets here.â
This only sparked Emilyâs fury.Â
âHarry?!â She spat viciously. âAs in Harry Styles?! Your pop star ex-boyfriend? That Harry?!â
âJesus Christ Em.â My eyes bugged out at her outburst. âWhy does that matter?â
âIt matters because itâs him!â Emily nearly screamed. âHeâs the only other person youâve loved besides me, Indi! Can you honestly not see why Iâm scared? You left him for me and now youâre just running back to him to spite me.â
âI am not Emily!â
âYes you are!â
For the life of me, I couldnât understand why Emily was nutting off at me, about Harry nonetheless. We were only carpooling. It just made sense to go there together. Besides, wasnât she the one I caught cheating on me with another woman in our bed? Why was it all my fault?Â
And then there was the knock on the flat door. Now it may well could have been Mrs Dowley from across the hall, ready to give us another growling for having an argument this late at night in which I totally agreed with, I had a feeling it might have been someone else that would have fueled Emilyâs anger.Â
It was obvious from the moment Harry knocked on the door that he had heard a decent part of our argument. I noticed his cheeks flushed red and was overall antsy about getting on the road from just his body language. Emily looked past me and just glared at him. Thankfully, I was that angry I didnât even let him in the door. In fact, I left the empty suitcase sitting in the middle of the lounge.Â
âYou need to be gone by the time I get back on Monday, Em.â My mouth moved before I even realised I was speaking. âYou and your stuff. I want it gone. I canât deal with this anymore.âÂ
âIâm sorry, are you kicking me out of my own home?â Emily choked out, shock evident in the lack of breath she had. I donât think she quite believed Iâd be the one to kick her out.Â
âMy name is on the lease. Youâre the one who cheated on me. This was my home before it was ours. Youâre the one whoâs got to go.âÂ
Silence was the only sound that could be heard. Tears threatened to burst over my inflamed cheeks. Harry stared on uncomfortably, trying to ignore what was happening in front of him.Â
âIf youâre that concerned about where you should stay, may I suggest youââÂ
âJust stop lawyer talking me Indi! Talk to me normally! We can work this out.â Emily pleaded.Â
âI suggest you go to that slag whose face you were sitting on top of in our bed and ask if you can stay with her. Tell her that you ruined what was good here and now have nowhere else to go. But as far as Iâm concerned, I donât have to do anything for you anymore. Iâm done. Weâre done.â
Emily began to sob, tears rolling down her cheeks, begging me not to do this. As much as it hurt to see the girl that I had loved cry in front of me, the tiniest bit of relief made me feel like I could breathe again.Â
âJack is staying here for a few days while Iâm away. You can leave your key with him. Donât call me.âÂ
Before I could go back on the impulse decision I had just made, I slammed the door behind me, grabbed Harryâs wrist and began to drag him towards the elevator, mumbling a quick âLetâs go.âÂ
I probably pressed the elevator button six or seven times in a row, my fingers shaking as angry tears rolled down my cheeks. I just needed to get out of this building as soon as possible. I just couldnât bare being in here any longer than I needed to.
âHey, hey, heyâŚâÂ
Harry grabbed hold of my shaky hands, turning myself around to face him. His arm curled around the back of my head and suddenly my face was smothered in the confines of the crook of his neck, a place I used to consider a safety net years ago.Â
âShhh, youâre okay Dig. I promise.âÂ
It was like he knew exactly what I needed. I let out the deep breath I hadnât realised what I had been holding. He had offered to go back into the flat and get some clothes for the weekend but I didnât want him to face the wrath of Emily alone. Thankfully, I had left some spare clothes at Dadâs when I went up for Gemmaâs birthday.Â
In all honesty, I was thankful that Harry had turned up when he did. Iâm not sure what I would have done if he hadn't. Everything about yesterday was just as traumatic if not more than when I caught Emily with another woman. No matter how hard I tried, I couldnât stop thinking about it; about her; about the betrayal.
A loud bang from downstairs had broken my mental reliving of yesterday. Moments later, a hushed âFuck!â could just be heard, causing me to forget my tragedy of a life for one second and bring the first genuine smile to my face in days.Â
âDad! I hope youâre making what I think youâre making!â If I knew my Dad as well as I did and from judging by all the racket coming from the kitchen, we were having his famous blueberry pancakes. Throwing the covers off, I made my way downstairs with a rumble in my stomach.Â
âIâve been craving these all week! Iââ I immediately choked once I saw the mop of chocolate curls scarfing down a stack of my pancakes. Harry smirked as he felt my snarl from across the room. âWhat the fuck are you doing here?âÂ
âPrinny! Thatâs no way to talk to a guest.â Dad gasped in shock, taking one look over his shoulder to look Harry, whose smug expression still hadnât left his big head. âEspecially a scrawny pop star one at that.â
âOi! Iâm not scrawny!â Harry protested. âIâve been working out⌠a lot!âÂ
My eyes couldnât help but roll backwards at the both of them. There was a time where Harry used to be afraid coming to my Dadâs house, purely because my Dad was overly protective of his only daughter and young Harry was shagging her; and now here they were. The chummiest of buddies. Unbelievable.
âWhy are you here eating my pancakes?â Glaring at Harry, I took a seat next to him before snatching the fork out of his hand. âDonât you have your own Mum to make you your own pancakes?â
âFor your information Prinny,â Before I could stab the fork into the fluffy pancakes on his plate, Harry suddenly snatched the fork back. My nose twitched as I cringed at the horrible nickname leave Harryâs mouth. âMy Mumâs in London for a girls weekend with Gem. Thatâs why Jackâs been booted to your flat. So Iâve come to eat your Dadâs pancakes instead.âÂ
âGod, I wish you two wouldnât call me that. You know I hate it.âÂ
âItâs a wonderful name!â Dad stated with certainty. He slid a plate of my very own pancakes in front of me, handing me a fork so I could also gain some sustenance. âI put a lot of thought into that name when you were born.â
âItâs not that hard to put Princess and Indi together Dad. Anyway, that isnât the point. The point is that I am a 24 year old woman and I shouldnât have to be ridiculed by that ridiculous namââ I tried to argue but before I could continue, a fork full of pancake was rather rudely shoved into my mouth.Â
Harry tried to hold back his laugh but I could see his cheeks twitching. âShut up and eat your pancakes, yeah? Your Dad and I donât have time for this nonsense. Weâve got invitations to make and party venues to look at.â
âIâve got to agree with young Harry here Prinny.â Dad thought to add his opinion, all for Harry to grin ear to ear. âWeâve got to get down to the art shop before ten if you donât want to be caught with Harry by Mrs Birchingham. Who knows what rumours sheâll spread around Holmes Chapel if she catches you two in the same shop.â
âYeah Prinny, we canât have that.â Harry chided, getting his kicks from agreeing with my Dad and more so by annoying me. I was just glad he had changed his attitude within the week since I saw him last and oddly, it was rather nice to be sitting here at my Dadâs with his company and my favourite pancakes.Â
iv. letâs find a venue to party in
âSo I got the photographer, videographer and DJ booking confirmation just before.â Harry said as he chewed through his burrito, barbeque sauce slowly dripping down from the corner of his mouth. My eyes rolled as I lifted my hand up to his mouth, wiping away the brown sauce that was irritating me.Â
âOh,â I wiped the excess sauce onto the side of Harryâs jeans, as we walked towards the church. âWhoâd you get then?â
Harry stumbled over his own feet, bumping into me slightly as he tried to correct himself. âOne of Gemâs friends works for a photography company in Manchester and her colleagues is going to do the photography and videography.â
âYou sure Gemmaâs friend wonât find out. Theyâre both really adamant about people not finding out the wedding.â
âYes, Indigo. Iâm sure.â Harryâs chest rose as he deeply inhaled, letting out possibly the loudest sigh anyone on earth had heard in its entirety. âMadeleine and Seth are going to the job as freelance photographers, so the actual job doesnât go through the company. That way Francesca wonât find out about the wedding.âÂ
âThatâs good. What about the DJ?â
Harryâs nose scrunched slightly as he thought. âWell, thereâs this guy James that Nick is kind of mentoring with the whole DJ-ing thing. He actually did a really great job at Nickâs New Years party so I thought Iâd ask him and he said heâs good to go for the 27th.â Harry shrugged. âAnd I figure since Nick is invited, he can help out if anything goes wrong.âÂ
My neck immediately snapped towards him. âAre you expecting things to go wrong with him? Why on earth would you hire him if you think heâll do something wrong?âÂ
Harryâs eyes bulged out in astoundment. âJesus Dig, I didnât say that.âÂ
âYes you did!â My voice grew higher in annoyance. âYou said that Nick would be there if anyââÂ
âI said that Nick would be there to help out if anything god for bid goes wrong. Itâs not a bad thing Dig. You need to calm down.â He huffed, taking another bite before storming off in front of me. I didnât reach him until I got to the magnificent french doors that lead into the foyer, the door just slamming in my face as Harry walked through.
I walked in the moment the young blonde girl at the reception say âOh my god! Youâre Harry Styles!â You would think that by now people would be used to Harry popping his head up every now and again around Holmes Chapel, but for some reason there was always one twenty-something-year-old girl that would make the biggest deal of him being in his hometown.
I watched as his mouth instantly lifted into a smile but into one of those fake smiles to appease people from his true feelings. I could tell he felt uncomfortable all from the slightest movement of his nose twitching to the left. Years ago, he would used to tell me how he hated being recognized as Harry Styles from One Direction in his own hometown. In his head, he was just Harry; a normal chap with a not so normal job, returning home to see his family and friends. To have people make a big hullabalooÂ
âWeâre booked under the name Palmer to view the wedding ceremony and reception areas.âÂ
âOh,â the young girl frowned instantly as I stood besides Harry. âYour getting married to her? I thought you were with Camiââ Her mouth couldnât help direct at Harry with some disgust. She couldnât have possibly known how close that reality could have come true. It hit me like a rock sinking to the dark depths of the ocean, except in my heart.Â
âNo,â Harry coughed uncomfortably, interrupting her before she could finish off saying his last girlfriendâs name. âWeâre here to plan a surprise engagement party for our friends.â
âIs Evelyn here? We were booked in with her to show us around.â I tried my hardest to redirect us to what Harry and I were actually here to achieve today.Â
âNo sorry. She went home sick today. I can help you out today though. Follow me through here.â
She pointed her oddly creepy smile towards Harry, completely ignoring me as she opened the door behind her. âMy names Charlotte, if you wanted to know.âÂ
Charlotte showed us around the grounds and the venue which seemed to be fine. It was a little country motel that wouldâve needed an entire book out just to get the venues, but the set up on the riverbank made up for that. It was one of the things that had caught my eye when Harry and I began researching venues and unbelievably, Harry and I agreed that it completed the vision Gemma and Jack wanted for their special day.Â
However, it was obvious that she had no care for why I was around. It was all about Mr Popstar himself. Now while she happily informed Harry that they could organise rain cover if needed for the ceremony and that they had an onsite vendors that we could use to execute our vision, the venue could not hold the number of guests that had already RSVPâd back, let alone the number of people who had been invited to the engagement party/surprise wedding and we had no availability to valet parking.Â
Despite the few hiccups the venue provided, we were seemingly moving towards the agreement that this would be the right place to have the wedding. We could book the out of town guests into the available accomodation and undoubtedly Jack and Gemmaâs family could bunk in at our parents houses. The kitchen was more than satisfactory for any catering company to use as their facility. It was ticking most of the boxes on our checklist.Â
Harry and I had been standing in the corner of the ball room, discussing where the best possible place to put the DJ booth while Charlotte had briefly run off to get some more information for us when my phone had let off a message notification. Scrambling through my handbag, I finally found my phone and was met from a message from Emily.Â
Emily Xx:
so thatâs it huh? Youâre fucking him again? You fucking HATE everything about him Indi! I fucking knew you would do this Indigo! Let me remind you one of the many reasons you left him for me! Hereâs another article ridiculing you for hanging around the UKâs biggest womaniser http://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/762998/harry-styles-rekindles-romance-with-childhood-sweetheart-indigo-palmer/
My throat instantly tightened as I read every word in her text, tears threatened to spill from the rims of my eyelids. My thumb shakily tapped on the link she had oh so graciously shared with me all while my anxiety heightened.Â
I had already read the article and was already twenty hateful tweets in when Harry noticed the tears that had escaped, most likely dragging down my non-waterproof mascara down my cheeks.Â
âHey, hey Dig?â Harry hushed as he instantly stood in front of me, the pad of his thumb running underneath my eye. âWhatâs wrong?âÂ
âWâwe câcanât have the wedding here.â I managed to choke out.Â
âWhat? Why?â Harryâs eyebrows furrowed in confusion.Â
âBâbecause Charlotte or whatever her name was has bâbeen posting pictures of us the whole time weâve been here.â
âNo she hasnât, has she?â I nodded sorrowfully. I said nothing more, just handing over my phone to the endless amounts of reactions that seemed to be popping off every millisecond. I couldnât even look him in the eye. He knew how hard I took everything to heart and it was one part of his world that played part in destroying our relationship.
But somehow, I picked my head up.
My eyes flickered up with very little movement, just to gauge any indication of how he felt, despite in my bones knowing how upset he would have been. It was most likely the worst decision I had made today.Â
Why?Â
I watched how his face remained stern when he had finished reading the link, tapping the top left of the screen to return to the message thread between Emily and I; only to drop the moment he had began reading that message she had sent.Â
âSo Iâve got the booking information here for you. A deposit will need to be paid of course. So I was thinking weââÂ
âIâm sorry.â Harry began warily. âWeâre going to have to go somewhere else.âÂ
âBâbut, Iâve got the bâbooking forms here.â
âSorry.â Harry said bluntly. âI canât hold a private event where staff are going to be posting pictures online before the actual event happens.â
He took hold of my hand, ever so gently and guided me back out to the entrance and carried on holding it until he had opened the passenger door of his car for me, waiting to get in.Â
We only couldâve been driving for two minutes in dead silence, only the noise of the tyres crackling over the loose gravel could be heard until Harry coughed uncomfortably.
âDig, Iââ
âAre we stopping for a cigarette?â
âYou didnât deserve that.â
I took a deep breath in, the oxygen filling my lungs trying itâs best to ease the anxiety flowing through my body. What my body need was a tequila shot and a hit of nicotine to stop me from going crazy.
âItâs just an article.â
âItâs not just an article.â Harry said, anger seeping through his tone. âOur trust was betrayed; especially yours.â
I couldnât argue that.Â
âAnd I know you had your reasons for leaving meââ
âHarryââ
âBut she had no right to try manipulate you with that article like that. It actually makes me sick to think sheâs treated you like this for who knows how long.âÂ
Harry swiftly pulled his car onto the side of the road. âPlease Harry, justââ
âIndigo,â The calluses on his hand softly scratched at my skin as he held my chin towards him. Sympathy poured from his forest green eyes, while mine were already bloodshot from the tears I couldnât seem to hold back. âYou deserve better⌠actually no, you deserve the best. And what she gave you just then was certainly not it.â
Before he could go any further, I quickly unclipped my seatbelt and threw my arms around his neck, my nose hiding in that crook I would find comfort in so many years ago. His lips pursed against the shell of my ear, peppering light kisses there as his arms wrapped themselves around me.
âI just â I need you to know that and no matter what, Iâve still got your back. Youâve got to know that.â
I sniffled there for a few moments, the beating of his heart the only noise being the only thing I could hear.Â
âCan we have that cigarette now?â
âYeah Dig. We can.â
v. letâs find someone to cook us some food (but I want cake)
âJesus Dig, could you hurry up? I am starving.â Harry complained, lying on my bed staring up at the millions of fairy lights that scattered across the ceiling. I rolled my eyes at his childish antics, clipping the butterfly to the back of my earring.Â
âIâm literally ready. Let me just get my shoes on and then weâll go.â
âWell itâs about time.â He leaned up on his elbows. âYou told me not to eat breakfast before this. Why would you tell me that if you planned on being this late.â
âWeâre actually right on time. Our appointment isnât until 11, which is 20 minutes away.â I slid on one shoe before throwing my foot up into Harryâs lap, saving me from bending down and buckling my own shoe.Â
âYou do know it will take us more than 20 minutes to get there.â Harry couldnât help but snide as he slid the leather strap into the gold buckle. âYouâll be lucky if we get there in half an hour.âÂ
âOh calm down, would ya?â I sniped wittily. âI Google Mapsâd it this morning. Itâll take us 22 minutes to get there by car.â
âYou canât trust those things Dig. Theyâre not 100%ââ
âYour mother really should have named you Harold, you know. You have the personality of a cynical 84 year old man.â
He glared up at me as he finished buckling my shoe. âI am a cynical 84 year old man.â
âWell, be a not cynical gentleman for once and do up my other shoe please?â The shoe hung from my fingers in front of him, the gold buckle clinking together as it swayed side to side. Harry huffed, almost snatching the shoe away. I nearly toppled over when I lifted my other foot up, Harry immediately getting hold of my hands and placing them on his shoulders to balance myself.Â
âRight, thatâs you ready to go.â He released my foot from his grasp.Â
âThank you.â I patted his shoulders once, his snarl slowly forming into a discreet smirk. âCan we go now? I donât want to be late.â
âOh, so itâs now you donât want to be late?â
I didnât even give him the satisfaction in answering, leaving him behind in my old bedroom at my Dadâs to get in his car.Â
I had been surprised at how easily we had fallen into this weird friendship we had going on. We still argued almost every chance we could get, but since that text message Emily sent last weekend, we were still able to get along just fine for the sake of planning this wedding. Even though Harry was most likely acting out of pity, I didnât mind spending my free time with him. If anything, it reminded me of why I had fallen for him the first time.Â
âWould you look at that! Weâre here with time to spare.âÂ
We had pulled up to Scoundrels two minutes earlier than Google had anticipated, a smug smile perched right up on my face as Harry parallel parked outside of the cafĂŠ. Harry had no trouble in telling me to fuck off which had just made me more smug.Â
The bell rang behind us as we walked through the doors and memories flooded in like a tidal wave. Scoundrels hadnât changed one bit. Both Harry and I looked to the right where our table sat.Â
I remember we could have only been about fourteen when our Mumâs had first dragged us there. Mum and Dad has only just divorced and Anne was wholeheartedly there to support our family in need. While Mum cried about the inevitable end of her relationship to Anne, Harry and I were forced to awkwardly sit with each other to the table in the right while Jack and Gem were out with their mates and over time, by sitting at that table playing the most stupidest games with each other, Harry and I used to both agree that it was one of the best things that had happened to us, because it was the beginning of us; the beginning to our adventure.Â
âNo fookinâ way!â A loud voice boomed from the counter, both of our heads swiftly turning towards the loud noise. âWhat are you doing here?! Are you two shagginâ again?â
Harry burst out in laughter, clutching at his stomach as ZZ stood behind the counter, pure and utter shock written all over his face.Â
âZima!â Darcy squealed as she ran from behind the kitchen and stood in the doorway. âYou canât just ask them that!â
âWell why didnât you tell me they were our 11 oâclock appointment?! I would have had time to freak out before they turned up here.âÂ
âIt was meant to be a surprise!â
âNice to see you too Zuzima.â Harry grinned as he made his way over to ZZ, wrapping him up in a big olâ hug. âAnd itâs nice to hear you still care about our sex life.â
âHarry!â I exclaimed, whacking his arm with the back of my hand.Â
âWhat?!â With his eyes wide, Harry tried his best to act like he didnât know what he had said.Â
âIgnore them love,â Darcy quickly wrapped me up in a sweet hug. âTheir brains operate at a far slower rate than ours. Makes us girls superior, I reckon.â
âOi!â ZZ piped up. âYou best take that back. Gender equality and all that.â
âYouâre right darling, Iâm sorry.â Darcy huffed playfully as she let me go and set her eyes on Harry. âNow get over here you. Havenât seen you in months H. How have you been?â
I walked over to ZZ with a small smile on my face. I hadnât seen him and Darce in years. I think the last time I might have visited would have been when I was visiting H on tour with the One Direction lads at one of their Manchester concerts, which was well over four years ago.Â
âHiya Zeez,â
A lot like Scoundrels, ZZ and Darcy hadnât changed a bit either, so it wasnât like I was nervous about that. I on the other hand had changed and from what I could tell, it wasnât for the better. But ZZ just stood there with his kind smile and his arms out ready to give me a hug. We stood in each other arms for the longest time, just swaying side to side, holding each other tight. I actually hadnât realised how much I had missed the both of them.
âLong time, no see sweetheart. You alright?â He mumbled quietly.
âCould kill for a decent coffee and a bit of cake.â
ZZ bellowed out a laugh, letting me go. âThat I can sort that out for you. Go take a seat and Iâll bring us some.â
We all settled down on the larger table in the middle of the cafĂŠ, about two tables away from our self proclaimed spot. The bitter yet familiar aroma of ZZâs coffee filled the cafĂŠ and I could already see from the look on Harryâs face, he was bloody happy about getting some coffee and food into himself.Â
âSo Iâm a bit confused, likeâŚâ ZZ slid my Mocha in front of me and promptly sat down beside me while Harry and Darcy chatted amongst themselves on the other side of the table.Â
âAre you guys, yâknow⌠getting married?â
My eyes bulged out in shock as I sipped my coffee. I got that much of a shock, I ended up choking mid-sip. Harry had to pat my back rather brashly to help ease my coughing fit. ZZ immediately sat up straight, ready to explain himself in the fastest way possible.Â
âD said this appointment was a engagement party sampler and possibly a cake tasting. I see that thereâs no ring in your finger, but I thought you and H were keeping it secret.â
âZima!âÂ
âWhat?!â He exclaimed, confusion written all over his face.Â
âWeâre not getting married, ZZ.â Harry said so carefully, as if he were trying not to break his own heart again with the subject of us and marriage. If anything, it added another crack into my own shattered heart. Darcyâs eyes flickered between the two of us as if her eyes were following a tennis match.Â
âJack and Gems are actually getting married and they wanted to have a surprise wedding as soon as possible. So they asked us to plan it for them.â He managed to snap back to normal, the knuckle of his index finger rubbing at the tip of his nose.Â
âOh.â ZZ responded disappointedly. There was no secret that he was definitely one of our #1 supporters. We had our first date in his cafĂŠ. Of course he was disappointed that it wasnât us reuniting our love. âThatâs well good innitâ?â
âYeah,â Harry looked over at me, a small smile reaching towards me. âWe think so.â
âSo what were they wanting to have for food?â Darcy asked after she finished sipping her tea. âDo they want to serve a big lunch or dinner, or kind of have a smorgasbord of food throughout the afternoon?â
âWell theyâve kind of left that up to Harry and I, so we were thinking that we could have smorgasbord set up on the day.â I explained. âThat way people can help themselves throughout the day if we were able to do that.â
âAbsolutely!â ZZ clapped his hands together. âWeâd probably need to bring our portable container with our gear in it if your venue doesnât have a decent kitchen in it.â
âWeâre waiting to hear back from two venues and one of them wonât have a adequate kitchen, but they will have the room for the portable container to be onsite.âÂ
âGreat,â Darcy wrote down in her notepad. âNow what kind of food requirements were you hoping to have?â
âWell ultimately, we would like a vegan menu if possible.â I tried to elaborate. âA lot of Gemmaâs friends are vegan, but there are a few of Jackâs rugby mates and a couple of my Uncleâs that like a good roast.â
âWhat Dig is trying to say is that weâd like the best of both worlds.â Harry laughed, resting his arm on the back of my chair. âAnd weâd rather like it if you could make the wedding cake to
âHarry darling,â Darcy curled her fingers under his palm and squeezed his hand gently. âWeâd do anything for you lot, especially after you helped us out a few months ago H. It be a pleasure to do this for your family and yours too Indigo. Weâre really honoured that you both chose us to help you with your siblings wedding.âÂ
âRight,â ZZ clapped his hands, standing promptly out of his seat. âWith that being said, Iâll bring out what Iâve prepared, yeah? Thereâs a killer red velvet I want you to try Indz. Come give me a hand Darce?â
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as ZZ and Darcy both walked into the kitchen.Â
âWhat did Darcy mean when you said you had helped them out?âÂ
Harry just shrugged his shoulders, acting as if it were nothing of importance. âItâs nothing.â
âCome on Harry. Tell me.â
His chest rose as he inhaled deeply, his eyes shining a vibrant forest green my way. âMum told me Scoundrels was going to close just after Christmas, so I popped in for a visit to see why ZZ and Darcy were shutting up shop. The people that used to own the building were going to put the price of their rent up astronomically and they couldnât afford to keep running the business when Aaliyah was going to go university next year.â
âSo what did you do?â
âI bought the building. Well, I was going to gift it to them but being the people they are, they wanted to pay rent. So I agreed given that I was allowed to put the rent into a university fund for Aaliyah. But the building is theirs. They just donât know that their names and Aaliyahâs is on the deed.â
I could hear ZZ and Darcy bickering in the kitchen but that hadnât deterred my attention from the sweetest boy I knew, if not - the sweetest on this earth.Â
âYou are too good for this earth, Harry Styles.â
I remember first saying that to him when we were sixteen.Â
He had been in the middle of the live shows for X Factor and was loving everything about his new life - the girls, the city, not going to college at eight in the morning. But he had heard through Anne that my Dad had just moved back to Holmes Chapel two years after his divorce with Mum to be reconnect with me and Mum was not dealing with it well, to the point where she nearly had a mental breakdown. So, he and Gemma invited me up to London for the week and any free time he got was spent with Gemma and I doing all the tourist-y shit around London.Â
So I said the words at the end of my trip - âYou are too good for this earth, Harry Styles.â He laughed boisterously, and shrugged it off like it wasnât a big deal. It was just one of those things that stuck with us. To this day, I would say it was one of the best weeks Iâve ever had.
âN-no, Iâm not.â He almost never replied to what I had just said, disbelief stricken all over his face. I could see his mind racing at one million miles per hour.Â
My hand went to his knee, the pads of my fingertips applying the slightest of pressure in comfort.Â
âJust because you donât think so, doesnât mean itâs not true Harry. You are inconceivably good.â
vi. letâs get everyone on the same pageÂ
We were only a few days away from Jack and Gemmaâs wedding and while everything seemed to be ticking along just fine, I had to go back to London for the last two trial days in court for the McNealson case.
I had already anticipated that my boss Mr Rodgerson would call me in to stand apart of the defence team when it came to the end of the trial. Thankfully for Mr Rodgerson and I, Judge Heatherly had come out with his verdict in our favour just before three, meaning Iâd be back in Holmes Chapel just in time to meet Harry, Jack and Gemma at the pub. It also helped that Jack had lent me his car to use for the week, meaning I didnât have to wait around for another 45 minutes for the next train back to HC. Â
I didnât think anything would go array when I pulled into Dadâs driveway, especially when all I was doing was dropping off a some clean clothes and my dress for the wedding; but as soon as I opened the car door and I heard two voices yelling at each other, voices so familiar it threw me back to my childhood, I just knew Iâd be running late for the pub.Â
âWhy didnât you let me know Matt?! For fuck sakes, sheâs my daughter too!â
âI thought you knew Jules!â
It was almost like I was 12 again.Â
Mum was stood in the kitchen, red in the face and fuming while Dad stood in the doorway to the dining room, arms out in disbelief, not knowing what he had done wrong this time.
âWhy are you two at each otherâs throats again?â
They both froze when they saw me come in the back door. Before Dad could even say hello, Mum directed her fury towards me.Â
âWhy have you been staying here on and off for the past month?â Mum spat viciously. âActually no, why have you not bothered to come see me once since youâve been back?â
My shoulders dropped as I let out an audible sigh. âItâs not what you think Mum.âÂ
âWhat do you mean itâs not what you think? What else am I meant to think when the only parent you see after six years of not coming home is the one who left you and your brother for two years of your life?â
âJulia! You canât juââ
âMum,â I cut Dad off, knowing that they were both just egging each other on for a bigger and worse argument. âYou obviously know that Iâve been helping Harry plan Jack and Gemâs engagement party then, yeah?â
Mum pursed her lips into a small scowl before nodding her head timidly.Â
âAnd you know that while Iâve been doing that, Iâve also had the big McNealson on as well right? We found out this afternoon that we won the trial.â
Mum and Dad stayed silent, both of their faces showing small telltale signs of guilt.Â
âIâve just been busy Mum. Iâm not trying to ignore you or cut you out of my life. From what Jackâs told me, you and Steven have his girls every other weekend and thatâs okay. I just thought Dadâs was the most convenient place to stay because he has the room. If Iâm honest, Dad and I have hardly spend any time together while Iâve been back and forth; but Iâm sorry I made you feel like I was leaving you out of my life.â
Mumâs lip quivered as a small tear rolled down her cheek. Dad looked down at his boots sorrowfully as he leaned against the doorway.Â
âWhy didnât you tell me you caught Emily cheating on you before Gemmaâs birthday, Indi? I could have helped you with that.â
âWhat?!â Dad stood up immediately, his eyes running wild with outrage. âShe cheated on you?!â
Mumâs eyebrow quirked upwards. âYou didnât know?â
âOf course I didnât know!â Dad huffed. âWouldâve driven up to London myself and let her and the world know she isnât and would never be good enough for my girl. Would have shat in her shoe too if Indi wanted me too.âÂ
I couldnât help but laugh at the complete 180 degree change between the two of them. While I had known for the longest time that they really didnât get along, they were both ever so protective Jack and I. This was a good reminder to how lucky we were to have parents like them despite their flaws.Â
âLook I appreciate that you guys are both so protective of me and I love you both so much, but Emily and I⌠that was something I just had to deal with myself. There wasnât anything or anybody that could fix how things turned out or how I felt. Only I can do that, okay?â
Dad bit down on his lip and nodded his head while Mum ran her thumb under her eye to get rid of the stray tears that had rolled down her face. A messenger notification popped off my phone holding the conversation to a stand still. I knew who it would be and I knew I was now running late.Â
Harry: Where are you?Â
âAnd Mum,â my voice shook as I entered unknown territory with my mother. âYouâve got to let the whole Dad disappearing for 2 years thing go. Your feelings are validated about the whole situation, but Jack and I have made our peace with Dad. So if youâre going to have a go at him, express your feelings to him and move on. Donât use Jack and I as ammunition against him. Heâs never done that to you, okay?â
Mum sniffled as she nodded, relief seemed to pour out of me considering she hadnât gone off on another tangent.Â
âRight.â I coughed in the uncomfortable silence. âI only came to drop some clothes off. Iâm running late to meet Harry, Jack and Gemma at the pub.â
âHey kiddo,â Dad stopped me in my tracks waving me toward him, my suitcase still sitting on the back step. âCome here.âÂ
I walked into his arms and wrapped my arms around his torso. âIâm so proud of you. Congratulations on winning the McNealson case.â
âYeah congrats Bubba.â Mum said after Dad let me go, wrapping me up into her own big warm hug. âLove you so much.âÂ
Harry: seriously? Why is it always me thatâs on time? Why canât you or your brother or my bloody sister make it to planned things on time?
Me: calm ur fucken chill mate, OMW. B @ G&D in 5 mins. Also, b a darlin and order me a ciderÂ
I left my parents together but not as how I had arrived. They were both sat down in the lounge with a cup of piping hot tea in front of them, calmly talking things through. Jack was not going to believe me when I told him what state I had left our parents in.Â
The G&D had been every Holmes Chapel childâs first legal drinking hole, except my own. I had one drink there the day I turned 18, a glass of Pinot Noir with the Toad in the Hole I had ordered along with dinner. Three days later, I had moved all of my belongings from my Mumâs house to my small studio apartment in the middle of London and began my life there.Â
So it wasnât like I knew the ins and outs of the place, but I could spot Harry sitting at the far left table with a half drunken pint of beer and a cider on the table.Â
âYou alright, H?â
âWould be better if you lot turned up on time.â Harry snarled, sliding my cider over before taking a decent sip of his pint. âHowâd your trial go?âÂ
âJudge Heatherly went in our favour. Ms Cindy Stewart will receive a reparation payout of ÂŁ2.6 million from McNealson and Sons and another investigation into Mr Carter McNealsonâs workplace harassment claims will start next month.â I shrugged before downing half my pint of cider in one go. âA good day's work if you ask me.â
âSo the bastard and his father got what was coming for them, eh?â
âOh yeah, definitely.â
âIâI uh,â Harry lifted his arm up to scratch the back of his neck. âI ordered some food. Wasnât sure if you had dinner or not. I havenât. So I⌠ordered food?â A laugh that began at the core of my body escaped me.Â
âYou and pub food? I canât quite believe it!â
âShut up.â Harry quipped. âNothing wrong with pub food.â
âThatâs where you draw the line. Pub foods okay but when it comes to a 6 pack of Chicken McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce at one in the morning, itâs suddenly a catastrophe.â Harry glared at me briefly as the young waitress placed our food on our table. At least she got something that resembled a smile out of him.
âGet over it. Iâve got important things to talk to you about before Jack and Gems get here. Mrs Birkenridge called and said if we still wanted to book her homestead, we could. Her daughter is going to be around looking after the place while sheâs visiting her son in America.â
âThatâs good news!â And it really was. There were so many places around Holmes Chapel that we loved but with it being a small town meant that the venues were even smaller. The only other venue that could hold the number of people we were accounting for was the hotel that caused my meltdown a few days ago â and we certainly were not going back there. It was fair to say we were kind of banking on the Birkenridge Homestead.Â
âShe also said that we can use the bedrooms if we need which I thought was lovely of her.â
âThat is lovely of her to do that.â I agreed. âDid you give her the deposit?âÂ
âTransferred it on the spot. Told the set up crew and ZZ and Darcy to meet us there tomorrow so we can get it set up and sorted.â
He was acting odd. We had been counting on Mrs Birkenridge to come through and she had. I couldnât understand why he was acting⌠grumpy.Â
âWhatâs going on Harry?â
Harryâs eyebrows furrowed, frown lines deciding to make an appearance on his forehead.Â
âNothing.â
âHarry,â I tried once more. âWhatâs making you grumpy?â
His chest rose, uncertainty written all over him.
âDad doesnât think heâs going to make it.â Harry said, defeat laced in every syllable. âNo matter how hard Iâve stressed to him how important it is for him to be here, he just⌠says he wonât come.â
Sadness seeped in my lungs, weighing my chest down all because I knew how the very act of Harryâs father not coming to his sisters engagement party/wedding hurt him to the core.
The topic of his Dad was an ultimate mess for not only Harry but for anyone who had the pleasure of dealing with his Dad. If it werenât for the positive mindset Anne had instilled in her son, there would be no relationship with him at all.Â
âDo you want me to call him myself? I have no problem doing so. Iâve done it before.âÂ
âNah,â It was the first smile Harry had cracked since I arrived at G&D. âGem reckons she doesnât mind if he doesnât turn up but like, I do. Like, if I were a Dad, Iâd want to walk my little girl down the aisle. I donât know why any father wouldnât want to be at their daughter's engagement⌠or wedding. I donât know. Itâs all a mindfuck innitâ?â
I nodded understandably. He was right. It was a mindfuck.
The messenger noise halted our conversation.
Jack: wonât be making it sis. the girls have turned up for drinks with gem so iâm off 2 deanoâs 2 have some drinks with the boys. tell h heâs more than welcome 2 joinÂ
Me: wow thanx 4 the invite arse. U 2 better be at mrs birkenridgeâs @ lunch. xxÂ
âWell, guess whoâs bailed on the meeting they planned?â
Harry rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of disappointment. âBloody typical.â
âWell,â I clapped my hands together. âI donât see why we should waste the rest of our night.â
âWhat do you mean Dig?âÂ
âIâm saying we should make the most of our free night not planning this wedding. I donât know about you but I could do with a decent night drinking.â
Chewing on his bottom lip, he pondered the possibility of spending the night with me.Â
âFuck it.â He smiled once more, before necking down the rest of his pint. âWell go on then. To the bottom.â
Thatâs all it took for me to chug the rest of my cider and order us 2 shots of tequila each and another round of drinks, a start to interesting night.
vii. letâs get a start on this wedding
I could hear chirping.
Why could I hear chirping?
I took three deep breaths, my head thumping and my mouth drier than the Sahara desert. I couldnât even bare the thought to open my eyes. If it werenât for my turning stomach, I would have stayed in my deep slumber. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the weight on top of my abdomen, pressing all the wrong placesÂ
âGet off.â I mumbled, squeezing my eyelids shut tighter as the daylight outside woke me up. Trying my hardest to push the weight off, I began to breathe quicker, my mouth watering at an insane rate as my turning got worse than before. âGet off. Get off. Get off.âÂ
A sigh of relief escaped me when I managed push the weight off me. Flinging the sheets off me, my eyes shot open and I ran to the bathroom, my stomach emptying into the toilet as soon as I collapsed in front of the toilet. The bathroom was beginning to spin once I had finished, so there I stood at the basin, stark naked brushing the remnants from the night before off my teeth. My thighs ached to the point where without the motivation to vomit, I wasnât sure I could walk.Â
I spat the remaining toothpaste into the basin, the running tap washing the foam down the drain. As I looked up into the mirror, I saw Harry standing behind me in the reflection, still half asleep and stark naked as I was. He reached around me, twisting the tap to the point the water stopped running.Â
âTurn around.â His voice croaked. It had always taken a bit for his gravelly voice to warm up in the morning.Â
Harry guided my hands to hook behind his neck, before running his own down my body, leaving a wake of goosebumps, settling at the back of my thighs.Â
âJump.âÂ
My legs locked around his body, while my eyes found comfort in the darkness of the crook of his neck.Â
âYouâre game.â I mumbled as Harry carried me back to my bedroom. âWalking around like this in my Dadâs house.â
âCalm down.â I heard him kick the door to my bedroom, as it bounced off the wall and back into us. âYour Dad left for work a couple of hours ago. Heâs not exactly quiet when he leaves for work.â
My back hit the mattress gently as Harry lowered me down, a kiss placed on the very corner of my mouth which melted all my limbs to jelly. He draped the sheets over my body before occupying the space next to me like he had the night just been. His head rested by my right shoulder, eyes already shut closed. The calluses of his hand tickled at my hip as Harry pulled me closer to him.Â
âH?â I asked so quietly, I wondered if he had heard me. My fingertips ran through the mess of his hair. Harry seemed to have liked it because he had shuffled closer to me and did this weird, purring thing.Â
âMmmmâŚâ
âWe had sex.â
âYeah,â Harry mumbled smugly. âWe did.âÂ
We lay in silence for a bit, the only noise was from the birds chirping outside my window. And while it seemed quite slow and steady out there, in here my brain could not stop running at one million and one miles per hour.Â
âDo you think Dad would of heard us last night?â
âOh yeah no doubt.â Harry chuckled. âRemember that time he stayed with us? The night of your graduation? You were almost louder than that night, I reckon.â
âOi, no I wasnât.â I disagreed.Â
âWhatever you say Dig.â
Yesterday seemed like forever ago. While bits of it were a haze, there were times last night that were clear as day. I remember when Harry backed me into the corner, telling me how beautiful I looked. I told him to piss off. I remember tasting whiskey off of his tongue when he kissed me on the taxi home. I remember feeling so satisfied with colour purple that grew on the crook of his neck, admiring the handiwork I had done on him. I remembered what it was like to just have him in such a vulnerable state, the intimacy we shared almost identical to what we used to share with each other all those years ago.Â
Rather than the experience being soul-shattering and painful like I thought it would turn out to be, I felt loved; something I hadnât felt in a long time.
Without knowing so, Harry and I fell into another deep slumber, where I had dreamed that we were about to go skydiving and I was about to jump off the plane when a phone began ringing.
âWhat?â Harry grumbled beside me. His heartbeat echoed in the shell of my ear as he listened to whoever was interrupting our time. âShit! Yep, yeah. We will be there in ten minutes.â
âWho was that?â
âIt was Gemma.â Harry slipped out from under me, making me whimper from the loss of contact and warmth.Â
âCome on Diggy babe. Youâve got to get up. Everyoneâs at Mrs Birkenridgeâs.â
âWhat?!â That made me instantly sit up. I couldnât recall in the whole time that I had known Harry for him to dress himself as quickly as he did. Me on the other hand still felt drunk. He threw on his clothes and then helped me into my own before putting me into the car and drove speedily towards the Birkenridge Homestead.Â
âIâm so sorry weâre late.â Harry instantly apologised to the woman I assumed was Mrs Birkenridgeâs daughter.Â
âItâs no problem. Iâm Rosemary, Mary-Louiseâs daughter. You must be Harry? We spoke on the phone.â
âYeah I am. Nice to meet you.â Harry grinned, holding his hand out for her to shake his hand. âThis is Indigo, Jackâs sister. Weâre both planning the engagement party together.â
Despite every cell in my body functioning at a 45% success rate, I pulled a smile on my face and shook Rosemaryâs hand. âHiya! Nice to meet you.â
âYou too.â She smiled politely as she lead us around the property. âJack and Gemma are just around the back by the pond. They were telling me that you used to throw pretty great parties back in the day.â
âThat was mostly Harry,â I admitted. âI was too busy studying for my exams most of the timeâ. All I would do was make sure there was a enough booze and food for everyone.â
âDonât you listen to her Rosemary,â Harry was quick to dismiss. âShe was a vital part of the team. Was always there ready to play an impromptu game of drunk twister and always made sure nobody felt left out.â
âOh there they are. Took you two long enough to get here.â Jack said in a smarmy tone, all to arrogant for his own good. Gemma slapped his chest with the back of her hand. If Jack was gonna play this game with me, I was gonna play and beat him at his own game too.Â
âOi, pipe down pet. Itâs not like weâve done everything else for this bleeding wedding.âÂ
Rosemary looked warily between the two of us, I sure if we were being serious or not.Â
âIgnore him.â Gemma grinned over at Rosemary. Harry just threw a warning look my way, as if he were saying âjust shut your face for once, would ya?â through the smallest movement of his eyebrow. âHe gets a bit cocky when he hasnât been fed.â
âWell, I say we get into it.â Harry clapped his hands. âYou tell us how you want things set up,â he looked towards Gemma and Jack before aiming his attention at Rosemary. âAnd you can let us know if thatâs okay or not to do on the property,â Then his neck snapped my way. âAnd Dig and I can sort the rest.â
For the next three hours, Gemma and Jack explained how they wanted their ceremony area and reception area set up, while Rosemary sat at the table with Harry watching the decorators do their thing. By the end of the afternoon, Rosemary was besotted with Harry and couldnât stop gushing to her husband how sweet Harry was.Â
It looked absolutely beautiful.Â
Baby pink satin curtains draped against a frame that stood on a platform at the end of the aisle. Fairy lights glimmered in the treeâs and bundles of pink and white roses bloomed all over the show. What had impressed me the most was the smiles that just seemed to keep on growing on my brother and his fiancĂŠâs faces.Â
âUh, Indigo?â I turned around to see Rosemary who looked unsure about what she was going to say next. âThereâs, uh⌠Emilyâs come to see you? Sheâs quite adamant on seeing you, uh⌠now?â
My heart dropped in a instant. I could feel my skin turn pale and my breath held still in my chest. I was in shock. I couldnât wrap my head around the idea of how she knew where I was.Â
âHey, hey, heyâŚâ Jack stood in front of me, his hands rubbing the sides of my arms to shake me out of the shock I was in. âWhatâs going on Prinny? You look sick. Is your hangover finally kicking in?â
I wanted to speak⌠No actually, I wanted to scream; but I couldnât. I just wanted to be left alone for one goddamn minute to grasp what was happening.
âA girlâs turned up here to see Indigo. Her nameâs Emily.â Rosemary patted my back comfortingly as Jackâs green eyes bulged out in disbelief.Â
âFuck.â He mumbled. âDo you want me to go get rid of her? Because I will. You know I will.â
âNo.â I managed to shake my head and took a step back. I needed space for my own well-being. âIâI just wasnât expecting her.â
âWell do you want me to go with you then? Weâll go tell her to bugger off together.â
âNâno thanks.â I shook my head before turning around to Rosemary. âIâm so sorry if sheâs given you any trouble. Iâll make sure she goes home.â
She nodded at me with a sympathetic smile. âSheâs in the front entrance. Good luck.â
I could hear her before I could see her. She was pacing up and down the entrance her normally pristine hair was messily thrown up into a bun. She looked like she hadnât even changed clothes in the last couple of days. It was more scary than it was worrisome.Â
âEmily what are you doing here?âÂ
She stopped in her tracks, her piercing eyes going right through me. âYou need to come with me now.â
âI canât Emily.â My voice wobbled. âIâm busy.â
âYeah, with that fucking prick from One Direction.â Emily spat venomously. âItâs fucking everywhere Indi. Harry Styles back with his former childhood sweetheart. Do you know how stupid that makes me look?â
âWhat about how stupid I looked when you cheated on me, huh?â I cried so loudly, it echoed within the entrance. âDo you ever think about how awful I felt when I caught my girlfriend of two years in our bed being eaten out by your co-worker?âÂ
âI only did it because you stopped loving me!â
âThat is such bullshit Em.â I angrily wiped the tears rolling down my flushed cheeks. âThe worst thing about all of this is that I still fucking love you, even after everything youâve put me through. I still fucking love you.â
âWell if you loved me, you would have never kicked me out of my home. You would have stayed in London and sort things out with me. We would still be together.â
âNo we wouldnât.â I spoke honestly. âYou know, Harry never did anything wrong while we were together. Sure, his job sucked at times but he always made me feel loved. And I still ran away from him because my parents had fucked up the idea of marriage for me. All your cheating did was bring everything to light, Em. You never loved me the way I loved you and Iâve realised that itâs not enough.â
âDo you know how hard Iâve fucking tried over the last two years Indigo? Because let me tell you, itâs fucking tough when your girlfriend is still in love with her ex-boyfriend.â
âIâm not in love with Harry!â I sobbed. âIâm not.â
âYou are though. Youâve never fully let him go and all youâve done is run back into his arms. Forget me though, Iâll just act like everything youâre doing is fine.â
âFor fuck sakes Emily!â I shouted, a lie bubbling up in my stomach. âAll heâs done is help me with this near-on soul destroying wedding! Heâs not even being that great about it. If it werenât for the fact that my brother and his sister were getting married, I would have absolutely nowt to do with him.â
I could see the rage in her that had built up so much, it was about to overflow.Â
âYou need to go, Emily.â
Harry stood leaning against the hallway wall, a mixture of sadness and anger showing on his face. Emily scoffed as she spotted Harry a few metres away from us.
âWell hereâs the big man himself! Suppose youâve been trying everything in your power to woo our little princess here. Not that hard of a job to win her over is it?â
âIf you donât leave, Iâll get my security to escort you off the property and youâll be given a restraining order.â
âYou know what?â Emily paced back and forth for a bit, quietly laughing to herself. âFuck you both. You two fucking horrible people deserve each other.â
Just like that, she was gone⌠and Harry wasnât far behind her.
âHarry!â I ran up behind him as best as I could in my heels, yanking on his bicep to pull Harry back. âCould you just stop for a second?â
âWhy should I Dig? All youâve done this whole time is second guess me! I want the best for our siblings too! I want to do the best I can possibly do for their wedding! I donât know what I have done for you to not trust me!â Harry puffed, his cheeks instantly flushing red as tears built up in his eyes.Â
âActually, fuck that. I proposed to you Dig! I proposed to you and you ran away and it was the last I saw of you. For the last two years Iâve tried to understand what I did wrong; what I possibly could have done to stop you from leaving me. All for you to not be loved like you should have been loved since. That fucking breaks my heart Indigo, it fucking does. We could have never felt this pain if you had just let me love you.â
âHarry, Iââ
âEver since I saw you sitting out on Mumâs balcony with a fucking e-cigarette in your hand, youâre all Iâve wanted since. But Iâm never going to be good enough, am I Dig?â
I wish you knew Harry. I wish you knew that you were too good for me⌠too good for this earth in this lifetime anyways. It was never about you not being good enough for me. It was about me not being good enough for you.Â
In this lifetime Iâll always love you but will never be good enough to match what you deserve.Â
I wish you knew.Â
viii. letâs have a wedding.Â
âGet up.â My body shook from the sharp jolt that moved my mattress.
I lifted my hand in the air, middle finger flying high and proud as I squished my face as far into the pillow as I could. âFuck off Jackson.âÂ
âSeriously Prinny. Get the fuck up.â
âI donât want to deal with you right now.â I seethed, glaring at Jack with as much hatred as could muster this early in the morning. âFuck off and get ready for your wedding.â
âI want to!â Jack exasperated. âBut I canât when both me and the woman Iâm about to marry are worrying about our siblings.â
âStop worrying and let me go back to sleep. There â problem solved.â
âIndigo.â Jack sat on the edge of my bed, tucking my hair behind my ear. âHe loves you.â
No he didnât. He didnât know what type of person I had turned into. If Emily couldnât love me, Harry certainly couldnât. If anything, my worst fear had come true. I was unlovable. There was no need for Harry to take one for the team and brainwash himself into thinking he loves me.
âItâs been two, nearly three years since he proposed Jack.â I croaked, tears heavy on my eyes and my throat tightening to where it was becoming hard to breathe. âIâm a horrible person. He doesnât love me. He loves this made up version of me that heâs had in his head since.â
âHe loves you Indi, he told you that yesterday. You just donât love yourself⌠or you donât love love.â He argued.Â
âTrust me, I know our parents fucked up our idea of love but in all honesty, it was you and Harry that changed that for me. Not Gemma, you and Harry. I knew that it was the whole marriage idea that triggers you but I thought if you could happily accept the amount of love Harry had for you by opening your heart up, I could do the same. And in a few hours time, Iâm going to marry the love of my life, and itâs going to be great.â
The clock read 8.43am, which meant I had only stopped crying four hours ago. Of course Jack had to go set me off with the sweetest of arguments Iâve ever had with my brother.
âI just want you to have the best love you could possibly get and give and I really think Harry is your shot at that. But you need to fight for him Indz, because I think heâs lost all hope and from what I can see, youâve got a little bit left in ya.â
And like the annoying brother he was, Jack was right. I did have a little bit of hope left for Harry and I.Â
âRight, okay.â I flung the sheets off me, wiping the ugly tears that were drying on my rosy cheeks. âMove out of my way. Got to tell someone I love him.â
Jack grinned, throwing his keys on my lap. âSee you in a couple of hours then.â
I wish I had more time to think, but it only took me three minutes to drive to Harryâs parents house. I wanted more time to think of how to say sorry; to apologise for disappearing after he got down on one knee in our living room and asked me to marry him; to think of all the ways I could show Harry how much I loved him; and most importantly, to talk myself out of doing this because deep down, I was still so unsure about me chasing after him. All of my insecurities were still there but so was Harry⌠for the meantime.
Gemma gave me a knowing look as she let me into her Mumâs house, whispering a quick good luck in my ear as she let me go from our hug. Ny heart pounded so loudly in my chest with every step I took up the stairs, leading myself to Harryâs bedroom.Â
My hand anxiously wavered by before it knocked three times again the wooden door. I could hear the graspiness in his voice the moment he mumbled âcome inâ.Â
My hand turned the golden knob and I visibly cringed as the door freaked while I opened it. But as soon as I saw him, leaning up on his elbows over at me, still half asleep not knowing who was at the door, tears fell heavy on my eyes.Â
âHeyâŚâ I choked out, all the words I wanted to say the moment I saw him vanished in a second.
âHi.â
Rather than the scowl I was expecting to see on his face, Harry smiled and all it did was make me break down in tears.Â
âHey, hey, hey. Come on now. Come get into bed.â Harry hushed from his bed, lifting up the covers and invited me in. It was safe to say I near on ran getting into his warm bed.Â
âIâm so sorry H. Iâm sorry. Iâm sorry. I neverââ
Harry shushed me gently, his lips peppering kisses on my forehead. His arm instantly wrapped around my waist, pulling my body right against his side, the shell of my ear right above his racing heart.Â
âIâm sorry too. I shouldâve never made you feel guilty for not accepting my proposal.â Harry whispered so carefully.
âI should have never run away from you in the first place.â I shook my head. âI should have stayed and told you how afraid I was of turning out like my parents. Instead I hurt you and I donât know if I can forgive myself for that.â
âI think there is a should have and shouldnât haves in our past babe,â Harry sighed. âThe question we have now is do we see a future togetherâŚâ
Before I could get my answer in, Harry carried on. âBecause if Iâm being 100% honest here, Iâm in. With or without marriage, I want to spend this lifetime with you.â
Sniffling hard, I threw myself on top of his body, attacking his body in the biggest hug of love I could give.Â
âI love you. Fuck, Iâm so fucking in love with you. Iâve never stopped, I never will.â I muttered on like a mad person in the crook of his neck. Tears continued to roll down my cheek and onto his warm skin.Â
âLove you too, Dig. So much.âÂ
***
âCould I get everybodyâs attention please?â Jack's voice boomed over the group of people that had gathered in the backyard. Gemma stood proudly by his side, her smile beaming as she looked up at the man she was about to marry.Â
Harry and I sat off to a table on the right of the aisle, bunched up together like two peas in a pod. Our fingers were intertwined, resting on Harryâs thigh under the table. Thankfully, the tablecloth covered out hands so not even our mothers could use that as an excuse to pry in our newly founded relationship. My head rested on his shoulder, partly due from the lack of sleep I had the night before, but mostly due to how exhausted planning this wedding had made me.Â
Anne has burst into Harryâs bedroom earlier this morning, just like when we were kids. While we may of been sleeping for ten minutes at most after reconciling, she told us to both get out of bed and join her and Gemma for breakfast. She had made pancakes, and made me my own special blueberry pancakes.Â
Things would have been great if Harry didnât insist on eating my pancakes. We were thirty minutes into our new future that we couldnât wait to see what would come from it, and we were already arguing. For the first time in a very long time, I felt happy and that in itself was an overwhelming emotion.Â
âWe want to thank you for turning up today. It means a lot to Gemma and I that you all could make it. But thereâs two people we really want to thank from the very bottom of our heart.â Jack looked over at Harry and I from the platform.Â
âAs you know, my brother Harry and Jackâs sister Indigo have spent the last couple of months planning this engagement party for us. Havenât they done such a wonderful job?â Gemma said, her grin never leaving her face. A applause broke out from the crowd in front of them.Â
âIf you didnât know, they used to date! And like the annoying siblings they are, they would make Jack and I hang out with them all the time. It was like being an awkward double date.â She laughed, before turning her attention back onto Jack. âBut little did we know what would come our way and what we would turn into. So in saying that, we have a bit of a surprise for you all.â
Gemma quickly ran off stage and pulled another lady up onto the stage with her.Â
âThis is Diana. Sheâs a marriage celebrant.â
A gasp came over the guests, while Harry and I chuckled between each other.Â
âAnd since we thought Harry and Indi have done such a great job and all of the people we love and cherish are here, we thought why not just get married now!âÂ
Both of our Mumâs looked between in each other in shock, tears forming heavily in their eyes. Dad threw his head back, boisterously laughing his head off, pointing at us as we sheepishly grinned like we hadnât known this was the plan all along.Â
âYou knew, didnât ya! Ya little fucking shits.âÂ
Diana stood in between Jack and Gem, harping on all things love and how the very act of love made the world go round and more specifically, how it came to bring them two together. I didnât expect Jack to be as emotional as he was. His voice quivered on almost every third word when he was saying his vows, sneaky tears being hastily wiped away by this big stocky fella who I hadnât seen cry in almost twenty years. As for Gemma, well â you couldnât get the smile off her face if you tried.Â
â...I now announce you as husband and wife. Now snog each other, will ya?â
A surge of pride filled my chest as I watched my brother and new sister-in-law whisper âI love youâ to each other before kissing each other. Jack had said earlier that there was hope in seeing love. Now I knew what he had meant, and it pained me to say but my big olâ brother was right.Â
I turned my face towards Harry, resting my chin on his shoulder as I looked up into those lovely eyes I had been in love with since I was fifteen.Â
âI love you.â I whispered, the most smug of smiles gracing Harryâs face.
âI love you too.â
ix. epilogueÂ
Harry thought to himself he had never been so thankful to see a door before. The moment he walked out, all he wanted to do was walk back in and stay there for as long as he could.
But Indigo was sick of hospital food. All she wanted was some baked ziti from the little Italian restaurant down the road and given the last twenty four hours she had been through, Harry would do anything for his love. That however meant Harry had to drive across town to get it, and while he was near home, he might as well pick up the gift he forgot and left at home.Â
Harry quietly crept into the hospital room, trying his best not to drop the food his girlfriend desperately wanted, or all of the other stuff he had brought from their home. Despite the curtains were drawn shut, the sunset managed to peek through, setting the room into a nice auburn red that wasnât too harsh on his eyes.Â
âHey.â Harry whispered, a moment of relief falling over him when he saw Indigo sitting upright, her hair tied up messily on the top of her head, happily gazing down at the little bub that had only entered the world just a few hours ago.Â
Indigo looked away from their little angel, her smile turning into a grin when she saw Harry standing there with a paper bag of food and about three stuffed toys in his hand.Â
âHi. How was the traffic?â
âIt was fine.â Harry walked over and placed the toys at the side of the hospital bed, the food put on the bedside cabinet, and a kiss promptly placed on Indigoâs lips. âHowâs our girl doing?â
âWell sheâs been a hungry little bugger for the last ten minutes, havenât you sweet girl?â Indigo turned her attention back down to her little bubba, currently latched on and eating to her heartâs content. âBut sheâs been a good girl nonetheless. The nurse and I were really impressed at how well she latched on this time.â
âNot sure where she gets being good from. It certainly isnât from you or me.â Harry snided, his wit still coming through despite most of his attention was on this little girl of theirs. He went to pat the apple of her cheek ever so gently with the knuckle of his finger but she was to quick for him, her tiny hand wrapping around his finger. Harryâs heart hadnât melted quicker than it did in that moment.
âThe nurse wants you to do some more skin-to-skin tonight too.â Indigo smiled at her little girlâs hand wrapping around her daddyâs finger. âShe said it may help her settle a bit better when we put her down for a sleep, rather than nursing her to sleep all the time.â
âCount me in.â Harry beamed. âIâd do anything for you, little girl.â
Indigoâs free hand lifted up to Harryâs cheek, feeling the scratchy stubble on her palm. Admiration filled Indigoâs heart to the brim when it came to Harryâs love for anything, but it had been amplified when they had found out about their little bub growing in Indigoâs tummy, and then so much more when she finally decided to enter the world. In all honesty, Indigo thought she had peaked. There was absolutely no way she could be any happier than she was in this very moment.Â
âSweet girl wrote you a card while you were gone.â
âDid she now?â Harryâs eyebrow quirked upwards. âYou know, weâve got to give her a name at some point.â
âItâll come in good time. Just canât decide if sheâs a Grace or a Georgia.â Indigo shrugged her shoulders, dropping her hand from his face, and back down to their baby. Her little bub looked content and full, so Indigo broke her suction and quickly replaced her nipple with the knuckle of her finger in between the babyâs gums. âHer cardâs just up on the cabinet if you want to read it.â
Harry didnât want his sweet girl to let go of his finger but he slid his finger out unwillingly. His curiosity got the better of him, wanting to know what his daughter (and Indigo) wanted to say to him.Â
He picked up the baby pink envelope, flicked his finger under the paper and pulled out a card that read âTo the Best Daddy in the world!â on the front. His thumb pulled the card open, and with his heart beating ever so loudly, Harry began to read.
To Daddy.Â
Arenât you happy Iâm out of the womb now? Now we can chat and have kisses at what ever ridiculous time of night without waking Mummy up! Iâm so glad that I get to be yourâs and Mummyâs sweet girl forever now.
While Iâve been growing in her tummy, me and Mummy have been having some serious talks about our future - just stuff like not being fussy with food and going to bed properly the first time. I said to her I couldnât promise that but I did say I would help her ask something.Â
Mummy said she loves you very much and has loved you the moment you gave her a pink rose outside of Scoundrels when she was 15. She said you tried to do this once before, but she got really scared and ran away. She hopes youâve forgiven her for it, she never meant to hurt you. All she wants is to give you as much love as she can. What sheâs trying to ask is if youâll marry her⌠but she thinks itâd be much cuter if I asked - so here it goes.Â
WILL YOU MARRY MY MUMMY? xo
By the time Harry looked up from the card, Indigo held open a ring box, that hand the most stunning carvings within the black coated ring.Â
âSo what do you say?â Indigo said with a nervous smile on her face; their sweet baby angel cooing in her arms.Â
âWill you marry me?â
#this was a piece I wrote earlier in the year#thought I should finally post it on here and get back into writing and posting more regularly#ENJOY#tw: toxic relationship#tw: alcohol abuse#tw: cheating#harry styles#harry styles imagine#harry styles imagines#1dff#1dffexchange#harry styles angst#harry styles drabble#harry styles drabbles#harry styles blurb#harry styles blurbs#harry styles ou#harry styles preferences#harry styles concepts#harry styles fan fic#harry styles fanfiction#harry styles fan fiction
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Antique the Vamp Geek Pt1 Ep1
CWs: Blood, Sex mention, vampirism (obvs)
A/N: All this content is original fresh out of my sad little brain. It follow Antique, a baby vamp who manages to get on a local radio station just to shoot the shit about her fucked up life. This takes place shortly after the revelation of the existence of Vamps. She is nervous af in this first episode. There are a total of 14 eps in Pt 1. Please be kind to me about it!
W/C: 671 (very short intro)
Hey guys! I'm 'Tique. Short for Antique. No it doesn't mean anything special; my mom just liked the way it sounded when she heard it. Anyways, I'm a vampire, or as the government officially named my kind: âSentient non living specimen.â Yes, itâs dehumanizing, but for obvious reasons I can't exactly claim humanity. Yes, I have fangs. Yes, my heart beats (extreeeeemely slowly). Yes, I sleep. Yes, the sun has a negative effect on my skin, but I heal quickly so short spurts in sunlight don't bother me much (more on that later). Yes, I'm a college student. And yes, I drink blood. It tastes great.
Moving on, I have a âbaeâ....friendâŚ...person? I donât know. We donât call ourselves anything. Anyway, I can't kiss them (contagious saliva and all that). We bang like rabbits tho, but we always use contraception (because...you knowâŚ.Iâm contagious). TMI?
Oh yeah, I'm going too fast.Â
Vampires are everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. Working day jobs and night jobs and fucking shit up and fixing shit up. Have been doing so in secret FOREVER...But somebody couldn't keep their fucking mouth shut in the age of social media and now everybody is in our shit.
I'm still going too fast. Oh, well. Keep up.
Vampires are created, and on rare occasions born. For the vast majority of us, we contracted that shit from sharing drugs or fucking or sharing other shit unwittingly. Not everyone gets it. Some people just get real sick and get better. Some just get sick and die. Some become âsentient non living specimens.â No matter the result, that shit is mad painful.Â
My dumbass caught it out clubbing and drinking and kissing random niggas. I don't know exactly who I got it from. I mean I can guess because one nigga in particular wasâŚ..special. But honestly, it could have been anyone. Still though, I donât remember everything I did that night. But enough about that. I'm here now and this shit is...not as great now as it was when I could move more comfortably in the world.Â
Now, I gotta keep everything quiet af or I could lose it all. There's no laws that say becoming a vampire can't cancel out all scholarships and gov't assistance you receive. I am, after all, a âsentient non living specimen.â The gov't hasn't even begun to figure out how to fully classify us yet. Shit is fucked up, but the world turns, I guess.
Anyways, I have my own place kinda. I mean I have two roommates and they're cool, but one of them is a bit...um...overzealous about her beliefs and for survival sake I've kept my mouth shut about my condition. I'm rarely home so there's little need for confrontation.Â
The other oneâŚ.wellâŚ.we fuck around occasionally, but thatâs TMI again.Â
So ummm. Assuming you've been listening this long, you may have wondered about my family. Well, they fucking hate vamps. I mean donated to coalitions that hunt and kill vamps kind of hate. They think the reason I don't come around is because my âmillennial sjw moralsâ have clouded my judgment.Â
*sigh*
I have nightmares about waking up to find my father standing over me with his rifleâŚâŚ
But yeah, what they donât know wonât hurt me right? Haha.
I do have younger siblings. They are sweet little angels with devilish tendencies when mom and dad arenât looking. They are close in age, but Iâm several years older than them. Theyâre close, but Iâm not close with them. Anyway, thatâs enough about that.
So yeah. I've only been living with this condition for about a year now and I don't really know a lot about it outside of internet blogs. I'll update my baby vamp followers as I get info.Â
Obviously, for safety reasons, there are things about me that I canât say on broadcast. So, if this thing takes offâŚ.well, weâll see.Â
Alright, thatâs all Iâve got for today.
Stay strong suckies!Â
Love âTique
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(for you) i will try
To:Â Rory @verorax
From: Vicki @angstarella
Warnings: Swearing, mentions of cheating
Summary:Â a short story where exâs are exâs for a reason, weddings are near-on soul destroying and Harry and Indigo together are just a massive cause for disaster.
Authors Note: strap yourselves in ladies and gents bc sheâs an angsty one! itâs been a real pleasure writing this prompt for you rory. i got a bit carried away with this but i hope you enjoy it as much as i loved writing it. ALSO thank you to Emma @ninetyfovr for the amazing banner xx
i. letâs have a (surprise) wedding
It wasnât the fact that social gatherings bothered me that put me off being here. It was the fact that it was the first time six years I had been back home. The whole village of Holmes Chapel seemed to be here in Mr and Mrs Twistâs house and all they wanted to know was when I would move back and settle down with a man and have kids with him. It was miserable enough to have those expectations put on you by your own parents, let alone the whole village.
Itâs also something nice to hear when youâve just been dumped by your girlfriend (...well, ex-girlfriend, I suppose) two days ago.
I craved nothing more than to rifle through my bag and pull out a pack of Malboro Gold, light up and inhale the ever-calming smoke that put my anxiety to ease. The e-cigarette I bought twenty minutes before leaving London would have to do. There was no way I was going to give my mother another reason to be on my case. Being a bisexual millennial was enough to make my mother to sprout grey hairs. I didnât need to add being a closeted smoker to her stress list. The best I could do was a flimsy version of a healthy cigarette to keep my nicotine addiction at bay.
The fiery orange skyline settled down into itâs dark violet dusk as I sneaked out to the veranda overlooking the back garden; trying my best to get a moment's peace from the party inside. Strawberry vapour filled my lungs as I dragged from the sleek black pen, wishing nothing more than to smoke whatever the hell I wanted back at my apartment in London.
âI see you still havenât quit smoking.â
My body tensed as I felt his presence saunter closer. His sweet yet spicy smell seemed to overtake the lasting lingers of vapour. It was infuriating how it hadnât changed since the last time I had seen him; almost like he wore it purposely just to piss me off.
âMind you,â He finally stopped by my side as I ignored him, looking out as far as I could see. âI suppose this is the healthier alternative.â
Rather than the sickly sweet vapour that had filled my lungs just moments before, annoyance replenished every fibre in my body. It was only something that he could do and he absolutely knew it. He was the only person in this entire universe that could flick this switch inside of me and he had great pleasure in doing so whenever he could get the chance.
âHarry Styles. What a surprise.â
âReally?â Harry chuckled as he turned, leaning against the wooden rail of the veranda and staring at no other than me. âYouâre surprised to see me at my Mumâs house, at my sisterâs birthday party.â
My silence spoke volumes.
âIf anything, it should me surprised to see you here. Itâs been like, what â four years since youâve been back here in Holmes Chââ
âI didn't realise you kept count of my comings and goings Harry.â
My eyes finally met his. Since the last time I had seen them in person three years ago, they had only grown into a richer forest green which knocked the wind out of me. His hair still held those chocolate curls that I ran my fingers through so many times before, it was impossible to keep count. I felt sick that these memories flashed back into my body in such a quick moment. Anxiety pulsated through my veins to the point where my fingertips were on fire.
âIndigo Palmer,â Harryâs eyebrow arched upwards in smugness. âThereâs no way I canât help but keep my eyes on you and wherever you go.â
âUgh, Harry!â I groaned. âYou canât just say that to me. Not anymore.â
Harryâs eyes dropped mine own, slipping down to where his scuffed up boots crossed together. âYouâre right.â His lips rolled inwards for a second, his shoulder jerking slightly. âSorry.â
The noise of Gemmaâs party quietly bounded outside of Harryâs parents house, all while the back veranda offered us the mere silence of our breathing. It was something we had done many times before. Through all of these years that we had known each other, we could talk endlessly about everything and on the other hand, say nothing and appreciate what we had and what we had around us. Now, everything about him hurt me.
âSo where is Emily? I thought she would of been here.â Harry lifted his hand to scratch at the nape of his neck, a nervous tick he had ever since we were children. My throat instantly tightened as soon as I heard her name leave his lips. It was two parts of my world that I did not want to mix ever again.
âWâwe, uh⌠SheâŚâ My voice fumbled, trying to grasp at any sentence that would make what trying trying to say sound the tiniest bit better.
âWeâre not together anymore.â
âOh,â Silence thumped in my ear drums. I watched as Harryâs eyebrows furrowed down, frown lines denting his smooth olive skin.
âSorry to hear that. What happened?â
As hard as I fought, my eyes found themselves rolling at his ridiculous question. Who the hell did he think he was? My therapist? But as soon as Harry saw them roll, his eyes seemed to follow my lead and rolled back while he shook his head.
âLook, you donât have to tell me whatâs gone on but it looks like you need to talk to someone.â Harry shrugged.
âAnd that someone should be you? Just like old times then, yeah?â I scoffed maliciously.
The wind rustled against the leaves as Harry thought for a second or two, before shrugging his shoulders once more.
âWell, yeah. Why not talk to me? You always used to talk to me.â
Inhaling deeply, I looked him once more dead in the eye. I hated doing that because all I saw was trust and love every time I lost myself in those eyes of his. Thatâs why I hadnât looked him in the eye the last time I saw him and it was all it took for me to break down.
âSâshe, uh⌠She thought I spent too much time at work and focusing on being an associate at the firm Iâm currently at. Apparently that qualifies her to⌠cheat on me I suppose.â
âFuck,â Harry whispered so quietly, I almost never heard him. âThatâs so shit, Dig. Iâm really sorry she did that to you.â
Tears welled in my eyes while guilt instantly poured in my lungs. I had felt this three years ago but it still felt fresh â a old wound reopened. I suppose I deserved it. I finally got my karma. I looked up to the sky where the stars were beginning to peak from the night sky, blinking as hard as I could to get rid of them.
âYâyeah, it only happened a few days ago.â I sniffed. âSo if you can likeâ not tell anyone? That would be great. Mumâs already on my case and I just donât have the energy to deal with this situation, let alone have her meddle in it.â
Harryâs head nodded profusely. âYep, sure. You got it. No problem at all. In fact, consider thisââ
Before Harry could continue his rambunctious rambling, the door behind me creaked open. Instantly turning around, I watched as Jack and Gemma stumbled out of the house giddily; not realising that their younger siblings were also catching a moments peace on the back veranda until Harry coughed aloud.
âOh! Hereâs where you two have been hiding.â Gemma clapped her hands together. âWeâve been looking for you.â
Turning around, I leaned against the rail beside Harry trying my hardest to discreetly slip my hand that held the e-cigarette behind his back. Thankfully Harry had caught on and shuffled forward slightly so I could do so.
âWell, you found us!â The weight of Harryâs arm suddenly dropped onto my shoulders, pulling me closer into his side. âWhatâs going on?â
Jack pulled one of the chairs that sat by the back door, scraping its legs against the outdoor tile before plonking his arse in it.
âNeed to talk to ya about the wedding.â Jack drunkenly mumbled as he pulled a giggly Gemma down to sit in his lap.
âWhat wedding?â
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I looked at Harry to see if he knew what in the world my brother was talking about but he looked just as confused as I did.
âOur wedding.â Jack shrugged, wrapping his arms around Gemmaâs waist. âMine and Gemâs. Youâd both know that if you were inside five minutes ago.â
With a wide grin, Gemma held out her hand that had a small but sparkly diamond on her ring finger that shimmered despite the lack of light. âIsnât it pretty?â
âItâs gorgeous Gem.â A shocked smile grew on my face.
I hated how miserable I felt. I should have been ecstatic that my brother and his long-time girlfriend were finally getting married. I put on a mask and played my part despite feeling like I was rotting from the inside out.
âCongratulations you two.â
âYeah, Congrats.â Harry beamed, shaking Jackâs hand before leaning over and kissing Gemmaâs cheek. ��Itâs about bloody time!â
âYeah, yeah. Weâre getting there.â Jack grinned. âAnyways, we came to talk to you about the wedding.â
âWe want to have a surprise wedding!â Gemma jumped in, her grin reaching from ear to ear.
âUh,â my eyebrows furrowed. âIâm a bit confused. How do you expect to have a surprise wedding when youâve just told everyone in that house youâre getting married?â
âWell, thatâs kinda where you two come in.â Gemma began to explain. âWeâre wanting to throw a party in a monthâs time and while everyone else will be thinking itâs an engagement party, we will surprise them with it being the actual wedding ceremony!â
Before Harry and I could object (or say anything really), Jack piped up. âWhat Gemâs trying to ask is if youâll plan our wedding for us.â
âWeâll pay you for your time and effort!â Gemma assured us. âItâs just, some of the best times weâve had with each other have been at some of those parties you used to throw back when you two were together.â
âAnd honestly, if it werenât for the two of you, Gem and I probably wouldnât be together. Thereâs no one else that we trust more than you two to do this.â Jack shrugged as Gemma looked at us with hope beaming from her eyes, making me feel worse by the second.
I took one look at Harry who looked just as unsure as I felt but I knew him. I knew he would do anything for them and while I would have like to say I would too, I wasnât entirely sure I could.
Harry looked down for a second before looking at me, searching for an answer I wasnât sure I could give. As soon as the corner of his mouth pulled up, revealing a small smile that would be a true smile truly for the first time in 48 hours, I knew what his answer would be⌠what our answer will be.
âSure. Weâll plan your wedding.
ii. letâs get a game plan together
It was a rare occasion for the sun to be out in London, so it was fair to say that I was making the most of it. Actually, a lot of people were. I sipped at my coffee as I sat outside of the nearly full cafĂŠ, watching people bustle by. My legs rarely felt the instant warmth of the sun and god was I loving it. It would have been great, if Harry Styles actually was on time for once.
After learning about Jack and Gemmaâs plans for their wedding which they were basically leaving Harry and I in control of, Harry and I had made a plan to meet a week later and get this underway. We only had a month to make this miracle happen for our siblings after all.
Despite the street being filled with people, I instantly spotted Harryâs chocolate curls bounding towards me. If it wasnât for the tiny blonde child in his arms, I swear I could have murdered Harry on the spot.
âYouâre late.â
âReally?â Harry exasperated sarcastically. He somehow pulled the chair out from underneath the table with his foot, all while shooting me a very unimpressed look. âNothing about the kid in my arms isnât giving you any clue as to why I might be late?â
âNope.â I shrugged. âAbsolutely none.â
The small girl giggled as Harry lowered her into the seat across from me, his nose instantly following the noise.
âAlright, enough out of you cheeky-monkey.â His palm flattened her wispy strays of blonde hair âWhat would you like to eat, huh?â She bit down lightly on her bottom lip, her wee eyebrows furrowing as she grew deep in thought.
âA muffin please.â
âA muffin? A fruity one?â
âYes, A muffin. Iâll pass on the fruity though.â The blonde girl nodded decidedly. âChocolate will do.â
That sentence alone caused Harry to belt out a full-bodied laugh, to the point where his head tilted back, eyes shut closed with little crow's feet rippling on the outer sides and his palm grasping at his protruding belly. If people werenât looking at Harry Styles before, they certainly were now.
As Harry got over his laughing fit, wiping away the few stray tears that had rolled down his cheeks, he looked down once more at the girl.
âYou be good for Dig, okay? Iâll be back in a few.â
The curve of her ponytail bounced as she nodded profusely before Harry made his way into the cafè, ignoring all of the stunned looks others were giving him. I could only shake my head at him, trying my hardest to hold back the scowl that was threatening to appear. If it wasnât for the kid staring wide eyed at me, I might have just let it appear.
âSo who might you be?â The little blonde thing grinned at me, two of her upper teeth and one on the bottom clearly missing from her smile.
âIâm Lux!â
âOh.â I hadnât been expecting that.
The last time I had seen Lux, she had only just been a baby; Fast on her feet and hiding away from Harry and I any chance she got. The only reason the memory had stuck with me for this long was because Harry and I had literally lost her in the house for a solid hour and a half.
It was one of the most frightening moments of my life. Here Harry and I were, naĂŻve adults who thought they could look after a baby for the night and we literally lost a child that was under our care. Thank god she hadnât been taken or had let herself outside! She probably had been laughing at us the whole time as she hid behind the bookshelf in the living room.
âWeâve actually met before.â
âWe have?â Lux gasped.
I nodded before taking another sip of my coffee. âYou were just a baby the last time I saw you.â
âThatâs cool!â She threw me another grin. âAre you Uncle Harryâs friend?â
My lips pursed into a small frown as my eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched up in thought.
âUh⌠kind of?â
âOh.â Lux looked down at her lap before snapping back up towards me. âSo is your name really Dig?â
âExcuse me?â I frowned once more in confusion.
âIs your name Dig? Because thatâs what Uncle Harryâs been calling you today. Itâs a little strange if you ask me.â
Inhaling deeply, I rolled my eyes at Harryâs idiocy. Of course he couldnât just call me by my name properly, could he?
âNo. I think thatâs just Harry trying to be funny.â That comment seemed to pull another giggle from Lux.
âHeâs not very funny, is he?â
âNo, he isnât.â I agreed, giggling quietly along with her. âHeâs the type of person you end up laughing at because he thinks heâs hilarious.â
Lux burst out laughing, which pulled a small smile out of me. Before she could add anything else, a chocolate muffin on a porcelain plate was slid in front of Lux. Both Lux and I looked up to see Harry holding a very unimpressed look.
âExcuse me Dig but for your information, I am hilarious.â Harry placed a glass on orange juice in front of Lux before sitting in the chair next to her. âYou know that.â
âYou are not Harry. You are the opposite ofââ
âSo whatâs your name then?â Lux cut in before I could finish insulting him. I was actually taken aback by it.
âOh,â I stammered. âMy nameâs Indigo but most people call me Indi.â I couldnât help but snare at Harry who just rolled his eyes at me.
âThatâs a really nice name.â Lux smiled at me before she promptly turned towards Harry with a frown. âWhy donât you call her by her name? Itâs pretty.â
âBecause Iâve called her Dig for most of my life. Iâm not going to stop now just because you say so.â Harry said as he pulled out his phone from the front pocket of his hoodie. âNow play a game on this while me and Dig sort somethings out, yeah?â
Lux happily took the iPhone out of his hand and tapped away to her heart's content.
âYou got that email from Gem, yeah? The one aboutââ
âWhat they want for the wedding and what theyâve already got sorted?â I finished Harryâs sentence off, irritation slowly seeping in my veins. âOf course I did. They also asked me to help me plan their wedding, not just you Harry.â
âWoah!â Harry leaned back slightly, eyes wide open in shock. Lux wearily looked over the phone screen, her eyes flicking between Harry and I before focusing on the game she was playing. âThatâs not what I meant Dig.â
I knew that wasnât what he meant. Truly; but I couldnât help but have my guard up around him. The situation we were in was nothing like we were in before and I couldnât understand why he was acting like we were best friends again. He had to know I wasnât in the best state of mind.
âThatâs how it sounded.â
From one look, I knew he wanted to argue back. His lips slightly pursed in a small scowl and his nose scrunched to the left. Having knowing Harry for as I had, I instantly picked up on his tells and I could only pray for the sake of Lux and I that he just kept his mouth shut for once.
I slipped my notebook out from my handbag that sat on the only free chair at this table, flipping immediately to the pages where I already jotted a few notes and ideas down since Gemma and Jack had asked us to perform a miracle.
âI think since theyâve already emailed through their guest list, we should just get a start on a booking a venue.â Despite the frown still etched on his face, Harry nodded in agreement as a waitress placed a coffee in front of him and another cup in front of me. We both mumbled our thanks to the waitress before getting back to the subject at hand.
âWe could just have it at Mumâs and Robinâs. Donât have to book anything in advance and no one will think there will be a wedding happening if they turn up there.â Harry commented after he had taken a sip of his black coffee. âEveryone will just think itâs a generic engagement party.â
Harryâs nose twitched when I sighed aloud. âThey want our parents to be surprised as well H. The moment a set-up crew and catering turn up to your parents place, theyâre suddenly in on the secret.â I shrugged.
âAnd in my opinion, itâs probably a lot easier to book a venue that can cater for our needs and have everything all in one place than transport everything to your Mumâs and then take it all back. What do you think?â I left the ball in Harryâs court, trying my hardest to not make it seem like I was taking over as the project manager. We were doing this as a team.
Harry sat there for a few moments before nodding to himself. âYeah, I suppose youâre right. It was a right pain in the arse waiting on others to bring stuff to us and then wait for them to take it away.â
A wave of relief overcame me when he had agreed with my suggestion. This whole wedding planning business wasnât going to be an easy ride in the park but at least I could see he was trying too.
âSo where do you think we should go?â I asked Harry, ready to write down a list of venues to check out.
Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he thought, a few silent minutes passing by. âI donât think we should go with venues like Crewe Hall or Colshaw Hall. Seems a bit obvious to have a surprise wedding somewhere like that innitâ?â
âYeah,â I nodded in agreement. âYouâre right.â
âWhat about somewhere like Oak Tree of Peover? I went to Jamie-leeâs wedding there last August and itâs was pretty but not like â overwhelming yâknow? It was very low-key.â Harry suggested as he stole a bit off of Luxâs barely touched muffin.
âThatâs a really good idea, HâŚâ I said, quickly noting down The Oak Tree of Peover as a venue option.
From memory, I remember it being a lovely venue for a wedding. The Oak-framed barn made it one of the most gorgeous treasures that Cheshire had to offer, overlooking the picturesque countryside that captured our little hometown perfectly. Ideas began popping off in my head, immediately spurring more venues around Holmes Chapel.
âWe should probably go do some research on more venues and shortlist the ones we like.â I suggested as I finished writing down the last venue idea I had. Harry nodded before taking a sip of his coffee. âAnd maybe go to HC next weekend and check out the venues we shortlist?â
âCool,â I picked up my phone, immediately opening the trainline app to book a ticket back home. âDo you want me to book you a train ticket?â
âUh, no thank you.â Harry shook his head. âI was thinking you and I could carpool up there. Yâknow, since we're both going to the same place to do the same thing.â
âI suppose that make sense. Ooooh! We can go to Dadâs and do the invitations to.â The pen dropped loudly onto my notebook, causing Lux to look up from Harryâs phone. âHeâll have everything we need to do it!â
âCanât we just get them printed like normal people?â Harry groaned. âWeâre already short on time as it is?â
âWhatâs the point of having a Dad that owns his own art supply store? Heâll love having you around.â
âThat doesnât answer my question Dig.â Harry quipped. My shoulders dropped in disappointment. This wasnât like him. Normally he would be all over this type of stuff. It used to be me that protested in time-wasting.
âOh come on Harry! Dad will be thrilled! His daughter visiting him twice in the same month except with his most favourite ex of mine! Heâll love it! And he can help! Pleeeease H?â
Harry chewed on his bottom lip, deep in thought with doubt written all over his face.
âLook, Iâm not budging on the handmade invitations. Itâs something I want to do to make this wedding special. But if you donât want to do that, thatâs fine too. Iâll do them myself and you can research into some photographers and DJâs maybe?â A sigh escaped from me. âSeems more down your alley anyways.â
âOkay then. Sounds good.â Harry just shrugged his shoulders, slowly annoying me. It was like he almost didn't give a shit. I mean, of course he cared about Jack and Gemmaâs wedding but when it concerned me and doing my bit to help create this wedding, he just⌠couldnât care. I didnât think that it would affect me so much.
âHarryâŚâ I pleaded. âPlease work with me here. Iâm trying my best.â
âI know you are.â
iii. let's (try) start the invitations
If it wasnât the sun peaking through my half-shut curtains waking me up from my deep slumber, it was the birds that were happily chirping away in the tree outside my bedroom. Well, my childhood bedroom at my Dadâs. There was no chance of any birds chirping outside my flat in London.I ached from head to toe.
My body felt stiff as I lay in the measly king-single bed. I could only really narrow it down to a few reasons why that might of been.
I had a non-stop day in the office working on the McNealson case yesterday, trying my hardest to get everything done before focusing solely Jack and Gemmaâs wedding; but I had to spend a further 3 hours and 45 minutes making awkward conversation with Harry. Also, the argument I had with Emily minutes before Harry knocked on the flat door didnât help.
As soon as I stepped into the flat yesterday, I could tell Emily wanted to have another argument. She sat on the couch with her legs crossed at the ankle, nursing a half-empty glass of red wine with a scowl on her face. Now while we still lived together technically, we really didnât. Since the moment I got back from Gemmaâs birthday party in HC, I had avoided the flat like the plague. I hadnât found it within myself to kick her out of my flat and I couldnât tell you why. There was something about our relationship that made me act like I was clinging on to a drowning boat, hoping that it would keep me or rather our relationship afloat⌠but it was the suitcase that had finally sunk it.
âWhere are you going?â Emily snided as I pulled my suitcase out of the storage cupboard in the lounge.
âBack to HC.â I mumbled quietly, my lungs concaving out of the pure pain they felt.
âRunning away again yeah?â From the corner of my eye, I could see her scoff before finishing the last of her wine. âDonât know why Iâm surprised. You always run away, even to a place you havenât been back to in six years.â
âI donât know what you expect me to do Em.â I couldnât help but snap back. âYouâre the one who cheated on me, remember?â
âOf course I remember Indigo! You havenât let me forget it since.â She drunkenly yelled back. âWhat I want to know is when youâre going to get over it!â
My jaw dropped in shock. âExcuse me?â
âYou heard me the first time Indigo.â She slammed the wine glass back onto the coffee table. âWhen are we going to get back to normal? When are we going back to being Em and Indi?â
I shook my head despite every part of me being stunned at what she was saying. âIâm not doing this now. Iâve got to pack before Harry gets here.â
This only sparked Emilyâs fury.
âHarry?!â She spat viciously. âAs in Harry Styles?! Your pop star ex-boyfriend? That Harry?!â
âJesus Christ Em.â My eyes bugged out at her outburst. âWhy does that matter?â
âIt matters because itâs him!â Emily nearly screamed. âHeâs the only other person youâve loved besides me, Indi! Can you honestly not see why Iâm scared? You left him for me and now youâre just running back to him to spite me.â
âI am not Emily!â
âYes you are!â
For the life of me, I couldnât understand why Emily was nutting off at me, about Harry nonetheless. We were only carpooling. It just made sense to go there together. Besides, wasnât she the one I caught cheating on me with another woman in our bed? Why was it all my fault?
And then there was the knock on the flat door. Now it may well could have been Mrs Dowley from across the hall, ready to give us another growling for having an argument this late at night in which I totally agreed with, I had a feeling it might have been someone else that would have fueled Emilyâs anger.
It was obvious from the moment Harry knocked on the door that he had heard a decent part of our argument. I noticed his cheeks flushed red and was overall antsy about getting on the road from just his body language. Emily looked past me and just glared at him. Thankfully, I was that angry I didnât even let him in the door. In fact, I left the empty suitcase sitting in the middle of the lounge.
âYou need to be gone by the time I get back on Monday, Em.â My mouth moved before I even realised I was speaking. âYou and your stuff. I want it gone. I canât deal with this anymore.â
âIâm sorry, are you kicking me out of my own home?â Emily choked out, shock evident in the lack of breath she had. I donât think she quite believed Iâd be the one to kick her out.
âMy name is on the lease. Youâre the one who cheated on me. This was my home before it was ours. Youâre the one whoâs got to go.â
Silence was the only sound that could be heard. Tears threatened to burst over my inflamed cheeks. Harry stared on uncomfortably, trying to ignore what was happening in front of him.
âIf youâre that concerned about where you should stay, may I suggest youââ
âJust stop lawyer talking me Indi! Talk to me normally! We can work this out.â Emily pleaded.
âI suggest you go to that slag whose face you were sitting on top of in our bed and ask if you can stay with her. Tell her that you ruined what was good here and now have nowhere else to go. But as far as Iâm concerned, I donât have to do anything for you anymore. Iâm done. Weâre done.â
Emily began to sob, tears rolling down her cheeks, begging me not to do this. As much as it hurt to see the girl that I had loved cry in front of me, the tiniest bit of relief made me feel like I could breathe again.
âJack is staying here for a few days while Iâm away. You can leave your key with him. Donât call me.â
Before I could go back on the impulse decision I had just made, I slammed the door behind me, grabbed Harryâs wrist and began to drag him towards the elevator, mumbling a quick âLetâs go.â
I probably pressed the elevator button six or seven times in a row, my fingers shaking as angry tears rolled down my cheeks. I just needed to get out of this building as soon as possible. I just couldnât bare being in here any longer than I needed to.
âHey, hey, heyâŚâ
Harry grabbed hold of my shaky hands, turning myself around to face him. His arm curled around the back of my head and suddenly my face was smothered in the confines of the crook of his neck, a place I used to consider a safety net years ago.
âShhh, youâre okay Dig. I promise.â
It was like he knew exactly what I needed. I let out the deep breath I hadnât realised what I had been holding. He had offered to go back into the flat and get some clothes for the weekend but I didnât want him to face the wrath of Emily alone. Thankfully, I had left some spare clothes at Dadâs when I went up for Gemmaâs birthday.
In all honesty, I was thankful that Harry had turned up when he did. Iâm not sure what I would have done if he hadn't. Everything about yesterday was just as traumatic if not more than when I caught Emily with another woman. No matter how hard I tried, I couldnât stop thinking about it; about her; about the betrayal.
A loud bang from downstairs had broken my mental reliving of yesterday. Moments later, a hushed âFuck!â could just be heard, causing me to forget my tragedy of a life for one second and bring the first genuine smile to my face in days.
âDad! I hope youâre making what I think youâre making!â If I knew my Dad as well as I did and from judging by all the racket coming from the kitchen, we were having his famous blueberry pancakes. Throwing the covers off, I made my way downstairs with a rumble in my stomach.
âIâve been craving these all week! Iââ I immediately choked once I saw the mop of chocolate curls scarfing down a stack of my pancakes. Harry smirked as he felt my snarl from across the room. âWhat the fuck are you doing here?â
âPrinny! Thatâs no way to talk to a guest.â Dad gasped in shock, taking one look over his shoulder to look Harry, whose smug expression still hadnât left his big head. âEspecially a scrawny pop star one at that.â
âOi! Iâm not scrawny!â Harry protested. âIâve been working out⌠a lot!â
My eyes couldnât help but roll backwards at the both of them. There was a time where Harry used to be afraid coming to my Dadâs house, purely because my Dad was overly protective of his only daughter and young Harry was shagging her; and now here they were. The chummiest of buddies. Unbelievable.
âWhy are you here eating my pancakes?â Glaring at Harry, I took a seat next to him before snatching the fork out of his hand. âDonât you have your own Mum to make you your own pancakes?â
âFor your information Prinny,â Before I could stab the fork into the fluffy pancakes on his plate, Harry suddenly snatched the fork back. My nose twitched as I cringed at the horrible nickname leave Harryâs mouth. âMy Mumâs in London for a girls weekend with Gem. Thatâs why Jackâs been booted to your flat. So Iâve come to eat your Dadâs pancakes instead.â
âGod, I wish you two wouldnât call me that. You know I hate it.â
âItâs a wonderful name!â Dad stated with certainty. He slid a plate of my very own pancakes in front of me, handing me a fork so I could also gain some sustenance. âI put a lot of thought into that name when you were born.â
âItâs not that hard to put Princess and Indi together Dad. Anyway, that isnât the point. The point is that I am a 24 year old woman and I shouldnât have to be ridiculed by that ridiculous namââ I tried to argue but before I could continue, a fork full of pancake was rather rudely shoved into my mouth.
Harry tried to hold back his laugh but I could see his cheeks twitching. âShut up and eat your pancakes, yeah? Your Dad and I donât have time for this nonsense. Weâve got invitations to make and party venues to look at.â
âIâve got to agree with young Harry here Prinny.â Dad thought to add his opinion, all for Harry to grin ear to ear. âWeâve got to get down to the art shop before ten if you donât want to be caught with Harry by Mrs Birchingham. Who knows what rumours sheâll spread around Holmes Chapel if she catches you two in the same shop.â
âYeah Prinny, we canât have that.â Harry chided, getting his kicks from agreeing with my Dad and more so by annoying me. I was just glad he had changed his attitude within the week since I saw him last and oddly, it was rather nice to be sitting here at my Dadâs with his company and my favourite pancakes.
iv. letâs find a venue to party in
âSo I got the photographer, videographer and DJ booking confirmation just before.â Harry said as he chewed through his burrito, barbeque sauce slowly dripping down from the corner of his mouth. My eyes rolled as I lifted my hand up to his mouth, wiping away the brown sauce that was irritating me.
âOh,â I wiped the excess sauce onto the side of Harryâs jeans, as we walked towards the church. âWhoâd you get then?â
Harry stumbled over his own feet, bumping into me slightly as he tried to correct himself. âOne of Gemâs friends works for a photography company in Manchester and her colleagues is going to do the photography and videography.â
âYou sure Gemmaâs friend wonât find out. Theyâre both really adamant about people not finding out the wedding.â
âYes, Indigo. Iâm sure.â Harryâs chest rose as he deeply inhaled, letting out possibly the loudest sigh anyone on earth had heard in its entirety. âMadeleine and Seth are going to the job as freelance photographers, so the actual job doesnât go through the company. That way Francesca wonât find out about the wedding.â
âThatâs good. What about the DJ?â
Harryâs nose scrunched slightly as he thought. âWell, thereâs this guy James that Nick is kind of mentoring with the whole DJ-ing thing. He actually did a really great job at Nickâs New Years party so I thought Iâd ask him and he said heâs good to go for the 27th.â Harry shrugged. âAnd I figure since Nick is invited, he can help out if anything goes wrong.â
My neck immediately snapped towards him. âAre you expecting things to go wrong with him? Why on earth would you hire him if you think heâll do something wrong?â
Harryâs eyes bulged out in astoundment. âJesus Dig, I didnât say that.â
âYes you did!â My voice grew higher in annoyance. âYou said that Nick would be there if anyââ
âI said that Nick would be there to help out if anything god for bid goes wrong. Itâs not a bad thing Dig. You need to calm down.â He huffed, taking another bite before storming off in front of me. I didnât reach him until I got to the magnificent french doors that lead into the foyer, the door just slamming in my face as Harry walked through.
I walked in the moment the young blonde girl at the reception say âOh my god! Youâre Harry Styles!â You would think that by now people would be used to Harry popping his head up every now and again around Holmes Chapel, but for some reason there was always one twenty-something-year-old girl that would make the biggest deal of him being in his hometown.
I watched as his mouth instantly lifted into a smile but into one of those fake smiles to appease people from his true feelings. I could tell he felt uncomfortable all from the slightest movement of his nose twitching to the left. Years ago, he would used to tell me how he hated being recognized as Harry Styles from One Direction in his own hometown. In his head, he was just Harry; a normal chap with a not so normal job, returning home to see his family and friends. To have people make a big hullabaloo
âWeâre booked under the name Palmer to view the wedding ceremony and reception areas.â
âOh,â the young girl frowned instantly as I stood besides Harry. âYour getting married to her? I thought you were with Camiââ Her mouth couldnât help direct at Harry with some disgust. She couldnât have possibly known how close that reality could have come true. It hit me like a rock sinking to the dark depths of the ocean, except in my heart.
âNo,â Harry coughed uncomfortably, interrupting her before she could finish off saying his last girlfriendâs name. âWeâre here to plan a surprise engagement party for our friends.â
âIs Evelyn here? We were booked in with her to show us around.â I tried my hardest to redirect us to what Harry and I were actually here to achieve today.
âNo sorry. She went home sick today. I can help you out today though. Follow me through here.â
She pointed her oddly creepy smile towards Harry, completely ignoring me as she opened the door behind her. âMy names Charlotte, if you wanted to know.â
Charlotte showed us around the grounds and the venue which seemed to be fine. It was a little country motel that wouldâve needed an entire book out just to get the venues, but the set up on the riverbank made up for that. It was one of the things that had caught my eye when Harry and I began researching venues and unbelievably, Harry and I agreed that it completed the vision Gemma and Jack wanted for their special day.
However, it was obvious that she had no care for why I was around. It was all about Mr Popstar himself. Now while she happily informed Harry that they could organise rain cover if needed for the ceremony and that they had an onsite vendors that we could use to execute our vision, the venue could not hold the number of guests that had already RSVPâd back, let alone the number of people who had been invited to the engagement party/surprise wedding and we had no availability to valet parking.
Despite the few hiccups the venue provided, we were seemingly moving towards the agreement that this would be the right place to have the wedding. We could book the out of town guests into the available accomodation and undoubtedly Jack and Gemmaâs family could bunk in at our parents houses. The kitchen was more than satisfactory for any catering company to use as their facility. It was ticking most of the boxes on our checklist.
Harry and I had been standing in the corner of the ball room, discussing where the best possible place to put the DJ booth while Charlotte had briefly run off to get some more information for us when my phone had let off a message notification. Scrambling through my handbag, I finally found my phone and was met from a message from Emily.
Emily Xx:
so thatâs it huh? Youâre fucking him again? You fucking HATE everything about him Indi! I fucking knew you would do this Indigo! Let me remind you one of the many reasons you left him for me! Hereâs another article ridiculing you for hanging around the UKâs biggest womaniser http://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/762998/harry-styles-rekindles-romance-with-childhood-sweetheart-indigo-palmer/
My throat instantly tightened as I read every word in her text, tears threatened to spill from the rims of my eyelids. My thumb shakily tapped on the link she had oh so graciously shared with me all while my anxiety heightened.
I had already read the article and was already twenty hateful tweets in when Harry noticed the tears that had escaped, most likely dragging down my non-waterproof mascara down my cheeks.
âHey, hey Dig?â Harry hushed as he instantly stood in front of me, the pad of his thumb running underneath my eye. âWhatâs wrong?â
âWâwe câcanât have the wedding here.â I managed to choke out.
âWhat? Why?â Harryâs eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
âBâbecause Charlotte or whatever her name was has bâbeen posting pictures of us the whole time weâve been here.â
âNo she hasnât, has she?â I nodded sorrowfully. I said nothing more, just handing over my phone to the endless amounts of reactions that seemed to be popping off every millisecond. I couldnât even look him in the eye. He knew how hard I took everything to heart and it was one part of his world that played part in destroying our relationship.
But somehow, I picked my head up.
My eyes flickered up with very little movement, just to gauge any indication of how he felt, despite in my bones knowing how upset he would have been. It was most likely the worst decision I had made today.
Why?
I watched how his face remained stern when he had finished reading the link, tapping the top left of the screen to return to the message thread between Emily and I; only to drop the moment he had began reading that message she had sent.
âSo Iâve got the booking information here for you. A deposit will need to be paid of course. So I was thinking weââ
âIâm sorry.â Harry began warily. âWeâre going to have to go somewhere else.â
âBâbut, Iâve got the bâbooking forms here.â
âSorry.â Harry said bluntly. âI canât hold a private event where staff are going to be posting pictures online before the actual event happens.â
He took hold of my hand, ever so gently and guided me back out to the entrance and carried on holding it until he had opened the passenger door of his car for me, waiting to get in.
We only couldâve been driving for two minutes in dead silence, only the noise of the tyres crackling over the loose gravel could be heard until Harry coughed uncomfortably.
âDig, Iââ
âAre we stopping for a cigarette?â
âYou didnât deserve that.â
I took a deep breath in, the oxygen filling my lungs trying itâs best to ease the anxiety flowing through my body. What my body need was a tequila shot and a hit of nicotine to stop me from going crazy.
âItâs just an article.â
âItâs not just an article.â Harry said, anger seeping through his tone. âOur trust was betrayed; especially yours.â
I couldnât argue that.
âAnd I know you had your reasons for leaving meââ
âHarryââ
âBut she had no right to try manipulate you with that article like that. It actually makes me sick to think sheâs treated you like this for who knows how long.â
Harry swiftly pulled his car onto the side of the road. âPlease Harry, justââ
âIndigo,â The calluses on his hand softly scratched at my skin as he held my chin towards him. Sympathy poured from his forest green eyes, while mine were already bloodshot from the tears I couldnât seem to hold back. âYou deserve better⌠actually no, you deserve the best. And what she gave you just then was certainly not it.â
Before he could go any further, I quickly unclipped my seatbelt and threw my arms around his neck, my nose hiding in that crook I would find comfort in so many years ago. His lips pursed against the shell of my ear, peppering light kisses there as his arms wrapped themselves around me.
âI just â I need you to know that and no matter what, Iâve still got your back. Youâve got to know that.â
I sniffled there for a few moments, the beating of his heart the only noise being the only thing I could hear.
âCan we have that cigarette now?â
âYeah Dig. We can.â
v. letâs find someone to cook us some food (but I want cake)
âJesus Dig, could you hurry up? I am starving.â Harry complained, lying on my bed staring up at the millions of fairy lights that scattered across the ceiling. I rolled my eyes at his childish antics, clipping the butterfly to the back of my earring.
âIâm literally ready. Let me just get my shoes on and then weâll go.â
âWell itâs about time.â He leaned up on his elbows. âYou told me not to eat breakfast before this. Why would you tell me that if you planned on being this late.â
âWeâre actually right on time. Our appointment isnât until 11, which is 20 minutes away.â I slid on one shoe before throwing my foot up into Harryâs lap, saving me from bending down and buckling my own shoe.
âYou do know it will take us more than 20 minutes to get there.â Harry couldnât help but snide as he slid the leather strap into the gold buckle. âYouâll be lucky if we get there in half an hour.â
âOh calm down, would ya?â I sniped wittily. âI Google Mapsâd it this morning. Itâll take us 22 minutes to get there by car.â
âYou canât trust those things Dig. Theyâre not 100%ââ
âYour mother really should have named you Harold, you know. You have the personality of a cynical 84 year old man.â
He glared up at me as he finished buckling my shoe. âI am a cynical 84 year old man.â
âWell, be a not cynical gentleman for once and do up my other shoe please?â The shoe hung from my fingers in front of him, the gold buckle clinking together as it swayed side to side. Harry huffed, almost snatching the shoe away. I nearly toppled over when I lifted my other foot up, Harry immediately getting hold of my hands and placing them on his shoulders to balance myself.
âRight, thatâs you ready to go.â He released my foot from his grasp.
âThank you.â I patted his shoulders once, his snarl slowly forming into a discreet smirk. âCan we go now? I donât want to be late.â
âOh, so itâs now you donât want to be late?â
I didnât even give him the satisfaction in answering, leaving him behind in my old bedroom at my Dadâs to get in his car.
I had been surprised at how easily we had fallen into this weird friendship we had going on. We still argued almost every chance we could get, but since that text message Emily sent last weekend, we were still able to get along just fine for the sake of planning this wedding. Even though Harry was most likely acting out of pity, I didnât mind spending my free time with him. If anything, it reminded me of why I had fallen for him the first time.
âWould you look at that! Weâre here with time to spare.â
We had pulled up to Scoundrels two minutes earlier than Google had anticipated, a smug smile perched right up on my face as Harry parallel parked outside of the cafĂŠ. Harry had no trouble in telling me to fuck off which had just made me more smug.
The bell rang behind us as we walked through the doors and memories flooded in like a tidal wave. Scoundrels hadnât changed one bit. Both Harry and I looked to the right where our table sat.
I remember we could have only been about fourteen when our Mumâs had first dragged us there. Mum and Dad has only just divorced and Anne was wholeheartedly there to support our family in need. While Mum cried about the inevitable end of her relationship to Anne, Harry and I were forced to awkwardly sit with each other to the table in the right while Jack and Gem were out with their mates and over time, by sitting at that table playing the most stupidest games with each other, Harry and I used to both agree that it was one of the best things that had happened to us, because it was the beginning of us; the beginning to our adventure.
âNo fookinâ way!â A loud voice boomed from the counter, both of our heads swiftly turning towards the loud noise. âWhat are you doing here?! Are you two shagginâ again?â
Harry burst out in laughter, clutching at his stomach as ZZ stood behind the counter, pure and utter shock written all over his face.
âZima!â Darcy squealed as she ran from behind the kitchen and stood in the doorway. âYou canât just ask them that!â
âWell why didnât you tell me they were our 11 oâclock appointment?! I would have had time to freak out before they turned up here.â
âIt was meant to be a surprise!â
âNice to see you too Zuzima.â Harry grinned as he made his way over to ZZ, wrapping him up in a big olâ hug. âAnd itâs nice to hear you still care about our sex life.â
âHarry!â I exclaimed, whacking his arm with the back of my hand.
âWhat?!â With his eyes wide, Harry tried his best to act like he didnât know what he had said.
âIgnore them love,â Darcy quickly wrapped me up in a sweet hug. âTheir brains operate at a far slower rate than ours. Makes us girls superior, I reckon.â
âOi!â ZZ piped up. âYou best take that back. Gender equality and all that.â
âYouâre right darling, Iâm sorry.â Darcy huffed playfully as she let me go and set her eyes on Harry. âNow get over here you. Havenât seen you in months H. How have you been?â
I walked over to ZZ with a small smile on my face. I hadnât seen him and Darce in years. I think the last time I might have visited would have been when I was visiting H on tour with the One Direction lads at one of their Manchester concerts, which was well over four years ago.
âHiya Zeez,â
A lot like Scoundrels, ZZ and Darcy hadnât changed a bit either, so it wasnât like I was nervous about that. I on the other hand had changed and from what I could tell, it wasnât for the better. But ZZ just stood there with his kind smile and his arms out ready to give me a hug. We stood in each other arms for the longest time, just swaying side to side, holding each other tight. I actually hadnât realised how much I had missed the both of them.
âLong time, no see sweetheart. You alright?â He mumbled quietly.
âCould kill for a decent coffee and a bit of cake.â
ZZ bellowed out a laugh, letting me go. âThat I can sort that out for you. Go take a seat and Iâll bring us some.â
We all settled down on the larger table in the middle of the cafĂŠ, about two tables away from our self proclaimed spot. The bitter yet familiar aroma of ZZâs coffee filled the cafĂŠ and I could already see from the look on Harryâs face, he was bloody happy about getting some coffee and food into himself.
âSo Iâm a bit confused, likeâŚâ ZZ slid my Mocha in front of me and promptly sat down beside me while Harry and Darcy chatted amongst themselves on the other side of the table.
âAre you guys, yâknow⌠getting married?â
My eyes bulged out in shock as I sipped my coffee. I got that much of a shock, I ended up choking mid-sip. Harry had to pat my back rather brashly to help ease my coughing fit. ZZ immediately sat up straight, ready to explain himself in the fastest way possible.
âD said this appointment was a engagement party sampler and possibly a cake tasting. I see that thereâs no ring in your finger, but I thought you and H were keeping it secret.â
âZima!â
âWhat?!â He exclaimed, confusion written all over his face.
âWeâre not getting married, ZZ.â Harry said so carefully, as if he were trying not to break his own heart again with the subject of us and marriage. If anything, it added another crack into my own shattered heart. Darcyâs eyes flickered between the two of us as if her eyes were following a tennis match.
âJack and Gems are actually getting married and they wanted to have a surprise wedding as soon as possible. So they asked us to plan it for them.â He managed to snap back to normal, the knuckle of his index finger rubbing at the tip of his nose.
âOh.â ZZ responded disappointedly. There was no secret that he was definitely one of our #1 supporters. We had our first date in his cafĂŠ. Of course he was disappointed that it wasnât us reuniting our love. âThatâs well good innitâ?â
âYeah,â Harry looked over at me, a small smile reaching towards me. âWe think so.â
âSo what were they wanting to have for food?â Darcy asked after she finished sipping her tea. âDo they want to serve a big lunch or dinner, or kind of have a smorgasbord of food throughout the afternoon?â
âWell theyâve kind of left that up to Harry and I, so we were thinking that we could have smorgasbord set up on the day.â I explained. âThat way people can help themselves throughout the day if we were able to do that.â
âAbsolutely!â ZZ clapped his hands together. âWeâd probably need to bring our portable container with our gear in it if your venue doesnât have a decent kitchen in it.â
âWeâre waiting to hear back from two venues and one of them wonât have a adequate kitchen, but they will have the room for the portable container to be onsite.â
âGreat,â Darcy wrote down in her notepad. âNow what kind of food requirements were you hoping to have?â
âWell ultimately, we would like a vegan menu if possible.â I tried to elaborate. âA lot of Gemmaâs friends are vegan, but there are a few of Jackâs rugby mates and a couple of my Uncleâs that like a good roast.â
âWhat Dig is trying to say is that weâd like the best of both worlds.â Harry laughed, resting his arm on the back of my chair. âAnd weâd rather like it if you could make the wedding cake to
âHarry darling,â Darcy curled her fingers under his palm and squeezed his hand gently. âWeâd do anything for you lot, especially after you helped us out a few months ago H. It be a pleasure to do this for your family and yours too Indigo. Weâre really honoured that you both chose us to help you with your siblings wedding.â
âRight,â ZZ clapped his hands, standing promptly out of his seat. âWith that being said, Iâll bring out what Iâve prepared, yeah? Thereâs a killer red velvet I want you to try Indz. Come give me a hand Darce?â
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as ZZ and Darcy both walked into the kitchen.
âWhat did Darcy mean when you said you had helped them out?â
Harry just shrugged his shoulders, acting as if it were nothing of importance. âItâs nothing.â
âCome on Harry. Tell me.â
His chest rose as he inhaled deeply, his eyes shining a vibrant forest green my way. âMum told me Scoundrels was going to close just after Christmas, so I popped in for a visit to see why ZZ and Darcy were shutting up shop. The people that used to own the building were going to put the price of their rent up astronomically and they couldnât afford to keep running the business when Aaliyah was going to go university next year.â
âSo what did you do?â
âI bought the building. Well, I was going to gift it to them but being the people they are, they wanted to pay rent. So I agreed given that I was allowed to put the rent into a university fund for Aaliyah. But the building is theirs. They just donât know that their names and Aaliyahâs is on the deed.â
I could hear ZZ and Darcy bickering in the kitchen but that hadnât deterred my attention from the sweetest boy I knew, if not - the sweetest on this earth.
âYou are too good for this earth, Harry Styles.â
I remember first saying that to him when we were sixteen.
He had been in the middle of the live shows for X Factor and was loving everything about his new life - the girls, the city, not going to college at eight in the morning. But he had heard through Anne that my Dad had just moved back to Holmes Chapel two years after his divorce with Mum to be reconnect with me and Mum was not dealing with it well, to the point where she nearly had a mental breakdown. So, he and Gemma invited me up to London for the week and any free time he got was spent with Gemma and I doing all the tourist-y shit around London.
So I said the words at the end of my trip - âYou are too good for this earth, Harry Styles.â He laughed boisterously, and shrugged it off like it wasnât a big deal. It was just one of those things that stuck with us. To this day, I would say it was one of the best weeks Iâve ever had.
âN-no, Iâm not.â He almost never replied to what I had just said, disbelief stricken all over his face. I could see his mind racing at one million miles per hour.
My hand went to his knee, the pads of my fingertips applying the slightest of pressure in comfort.
âJust because you donât think so, doesnât mean itâs not true Harry. You are inconceivably good.â
vi. letâs get everyone on the same page
We were only a few days away from Jack and Gemmaâs wedding and while everything seemed to be ticking along just fine, I had to go back to London for the last two trial days in court for the McNealson case.
I had already anticipated that my boss Mr Rodgerson would call me in to stand apart of the defence team when it came to the end of the trial. Thankfully for Mr Rodgerson and I, Judge Heatherly had come out with his verdict in our favour just before three, meaning Iâd be back in Holmes Chapel just in time to meet Harry, Jack and Gemma at the pub. It also helped that Jack had lent me his car to use for the week, meaning I didnât have to wait around for another 45 minutes for the next train back to HC.
I didnât think anything would go array when I pulled into Dadâs driveway, especially when all I was doing was dropping off a some clean clothes and my dress for the wedding; but as soon as I opened the car door and I heard two voices yelling at each other, voices so familiar it threw me back to my childhood, I just knew Iâd be running late for the pub.
âWhy didnât you let me know Matt?! For fuck sakes, sheâs my daughter too!â
âI thought you knew Jules!â
It was almost like I was 12 again.
Mum was stood in the kitchen, red in the face and fuming while Dad stood in the doorway to the dining room, arms out in disbelief, not knowing what he had done wrong this time.
âWhy are you two at each otherâs throats again?â
They both froze when they saw me come in the back door. Before Dad could even say hello, Mum directed her fury towards me.
âWhy have you been staying here on and off for the past month?â Mum spat viciously. âActually no, why have you not bothered to come see me once since youâve been back?â
My shoulders dropped as I let out an audible sigh. âItâs not what you think Mum.â
âWhat do you mean itâs not what you think? What else am I meant to think when the only parent you see after six years of not coming home is the one who left you and your brother for two years of your life?â
âJulia! You canât juââ
âMum,â I cut Dad off, knowing that they were both just egging each other on for a bigger and worse argument. âYou obviously know that Iâve been helping Harry plan Jack and Gemâs engagement party then, yeah?â
Mum pursed her lips into a small scowl before nodding her head timidly.
âAnd you know that while Iâve been doing that, Iâve also had the big McNealson on as well right? We found out this afternoon that we won the trial.â
Mum and Dad stayed silent, both of their faces showing small telltale signs of guilt.
âIâve just been busy Mum. Iâm not trying to ignore you or cut you out of my life. From what Jackâs told me, you and Steven have his girls every other weekend and thatâs okay. I just thought Dadâs was the most convenient place to stay because he has the room. If Iâm honest, Dad and I have hardly spend any time together while Iâve been back and forth; but Iâm sorry I made you feel like I was leaving you out of my life.â
Mumâs lip quivered as a small tear rolled down her cheek. Dad looked down at his boots sorrowfully as he leaned against the doorway.
âWhy didnât you tell me you caught Emily cheating on you before Gemmaâs birthday, Indi? I could have helped you with that.â
âWhat?!â Dad stood up immediately, his eyes running wild with outrage. âShe cheated on you?!â
Mumâs eyebrow quirked upwards. âYou didnât know?â
âOf course I didnât know!â Dad huffed. âWouldâve driven up to London myself and let her and the world know she isnât and would never be good enough for my girl. Would have shat in her shoe too if Indi wanted me too.â
I couldnât help but laugh at the complete 180 degree change between the two of them. While I had known for the longest time that they really didnât get along, they were both ever so protective Jack and I. This was a good reminder to how lucky we were to have parents like them despite their flaws.
âLook I appreciate that you guys are both so protective of me and I love you both so much, but Emily and I⌠that was something I just had to deal with myself. There wasnât anything or anybody that could fix how things turned out or how I felt. Only I can do that, okay?â
Dad bit down on his lip and nodded his head while Mum ran her thumb under her eye to get rid of the stray tears that had rolled down her face. A messenger notification popped off my phone holding the conversation to a stand still. I knew who it would be and I knew I was now running late.
Harry: Where are you?
âAnd Mum,â my voice shook as I entered unknown territory with my mother. âYouâve got to let the whole Dad disappearing for 2 years thing go. Your feelings are validated about the whole situation, but Jack and I have made our peace with Dad. So if youâre going to have a go at him, express your feelings to him and move on. Donât use Jack and I as ammunition against him. Heâs never done that to you, okay?â
Mum sniffled as she nodded, relief seemed to pour out of me considering she hadnât gone off on another tangent.
âRight.â I coughed in the uncomfortable silence. âI only came to drop some clothes off. Iâm running late to meet Harry, Jack and Gemma at the pub.â
âHey kiddo,â Dad stopped me in my tracks waving me toward him, my suitcase still sitting on the back step. âCome here.â
I walked into his arms and wrapped my arms around his torso. âIâm so proud of you. Congratulations on winning the McNealson case.â
âYeah congrats Bubba.â Mum said after Dad let me go, wrapping me up into her own big warm hug. âLove you so much.â
Harry: seriously? Why is it always me thatâs on time? Why canât you or your brother or my bloody sister make it to planned things on time?
Me: calm ur fucken chill mate, OMW. B @ G&D in 5 mins. Also, b a darlin and order me a cider
I left my parents together but not as how I had arrived. They were both sat down in the lounge with a cup of piping hot tea in front of them, calmly talking things through. Jack was not going to believe me when I told him what state I had left our parents in.
The G&D had been every Holmes Chapel childâs first legal drinking hole, except my own. I had one drink there the day I turned 18, a glass of Pinot Noir with the Toad in the Hole I had ordered along with dinner. Three days later, I had moved all of my belongings from my Mumâs house to my small studio apartment in the middle of London and began my life there.
So it wasnât like I knew the ins and outs of the place, but I could spot Harry sitting at the far left table with a half drunken pint of beer and a cider on the table.
âYou alright, H?â
âWould be better if you lot turned up on time.â Harry snarled, sliding my cider over before taking a decent sip of his pint. âHowâd your trial go?â
âJudge Heatherly went in our favour. Ms Cindy Stewart will receive a reparation payout of ÂŁ2.6 million from McNealson and Sons and another investigation into Mr Carter McNealsonâs workplace harassment claims will start next month.â I shrugged before downing half my pint of cider in one go. âA good day's work if you ask me.â
âSo the bastard and his father got what was coming for them, eh?â
âOh yeah, definitely.â
âIâI uh,â Harry lifted his arm up to scratch the back of his neck. âI ordered some food. Wasnât sure if you had dinner or not. I havenât. So I⌠ordered food?â A laugh that began at the core of my body escaped me.
âYou and pub food? I canât quite believe it!â
âShut up.â Harry quipped. âNothing wrong with pub food.â
âThatâs where you draw the line. Pub foods okay but when it comes to a 6 pack of Chicken McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce at one in the morning, itâs suddenly a catastrophe.â Harry glared at me briefly as the young waitress placed our food on our table. At least she got something that resembled a smile out of him.
âGet over it. Iâve got important things to talk to you about before Jack and Gems get here. Mrs Birkenridge called and said if we still wanted to book her homestead, we could. Her daughter is going to be around looking after the place while sheâs visiting her son in America.â
âThatâs good news!â And it really was. There were so many places around Holmes Chapel that we loved but with it being a small town meant that the venues were even smaller. The only other venue that could hold the number of people we were accounting for was the hotel that caused my meltdown a few days ago â and we certainly were not going back there. It was fair to say we were kind of banking on the Birkenridge Homestead.
âShe also said that we can use the bedrooms if we need which I thought was lovely of her.â
âThat is lovely of her to do that.â I agreed. âDid you give her the deposit?â
âTransferred it on the spot. Told the set up crew and ZZ and Darcy to meet us there tomorrow so we can get it set up and sorted.â
He was acting odd. We had been counting on Mrs Birkenridge to come through and she had. I couldnât understand why he was acting⌠grumpy.
âWhatâs going on Harry?â
Harryâs eyebrows furrowed, frown lines deciding to make an appearance on his forehead.
âNothing.â
âHarry,â I tried once more. âWhatâs making you grumpy?â
His chest rose, uncertainty written all over him.
âDad doesnât think heâs going to make it.â Harry said, defeat laced in every syllable. âNo matter how hard Iâve stressed to him how important it is for him to be here, he just⌠says he wonât come.â
Sadness seeped in my lungs, weighing my chest down all because I knew how the very act of Harryâs father not coming to his sisters engagement party/wedding hurt him to the core.
The topic of his Dad was an ultimate mess for not only Harry but for anyone who had the pleasure of dealing with his Dad. If it werenât for the positive mindset Anne had instilled in her son, there would be no relationship with him at all.
âDo you want me to call him myself? I have no problem doing so. Iâve done it before.â
âNah,â It was the first smile Harry had cracked since I arrived at G&D. âGem reckons she doesnât mind if he doesnât turn up but like, I do. Like, if I were a Dad, Iâd want to walk my little girl down the aisle. I donât know why any father wouldnât want to be at their daughter's engagement⌠or wedding. I donât know. Itâs all a mindfuck innitâ?â
I nodded understandably. He was right. It was a mindfuck.
The messenger noise halted our conversation.
Jack: wonât be making it sis. the girls have turned up for drinks with gem so iâm off 2 deanoâs 2 have some drinks with the boys. tell h heâs more than welcome 2 join
Me: wow thanx 4 the invite arse. U 2 better be at mrs birkenridgeâs @ lunch. xx
âWell, guess whoâs bailed on the meeting they planned?â
Harry rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of disappointment. âBloody typical.â
âWell,â I clapped my hands together. âI donât see why we should waste the rest of our night.â
âWhat do you mean Dig?â
âIâm saying we should make the most of our free night not planning this wedding. I donât know about you but I could do with a decent night drinking.â
Chewing on his bottom lip, he pondered the possibility of spending the night with me.
âFuck it.â He smiled once more, before necking down the rest of his pint. âWell go on then. To the bottom.â
Thatâs all it took for me to chug the rest of my cider and order us 2 shots of tequila each and another round of drinks, a start to interesting night.
vii. letâs get a start on this wedding
I could hear chirping.
Why could I hear chirping?
I took three deep breaths, my head thumping and my mouth drier than the Sahara desert. I couldnât even bare the thought to open my eyes. If it werenât for my turning stomach, I would have stayed in my deep slumber. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the weight on top of my abdomen, pressing all the wrong places
âGet off.â I mumbled, squeezing my eyelids shut tighter as the daylight outside woke me up. Trying my hardest to push the weight off, I began to breathe quicker, my mouth watering at an insane rate as my turning got worse than before. âGet off. Get off. Get off.â
A sigh of relief escaped me when I managed push the weight off me. Flinging the sheets off me, my eyes shot open and I ran to the bathroom, my stomach emptying into the toilet as soon as I collapsed in front of the toilet. The bathroom was beginning to spin once I had finished, so there I stood at the basin, stark naked brushing the remnants from the night before off my teeth. My thighs ached to the point where without the motivation to vomit, I wasnât sure I could walk.
I spat the remaining toothpaste into the basin, the running tap washing the foam down the drain. As I looked up into the mirror, I saw Harry standing behind me in the reflection, still half asleep and stark naked as I was. He reached around me, twisting the tap to the point the water stopped running.
âTurn around.â His voice croaked. It had always taken a bit for his gravelly voice to warm up in the morning.
Harry guided my hands to hook behind his neck, before running his own down my body, leaving a wake of goosebumps, settling at the back of my thighs.
âJump.â
My legs locked around his body, while my eyes found comfort in the darkness of the crook of his neck.
âYouâre game.â I mumbled as Harry carried me back to my bedroom. âWalking around like this in my Dadâs house.â
âCalm down.â I heard him kick the door to my bedroom, as it bounced off the wall and back into us. âYour Dad left for work a couple of hours ago. Heâs not exactly quiet when he leaves for work.â
My back hit the mattress gently as Harry lowered me down, a kiss placed on the very corner of my mouth which melted all my limbs to jelly. He draped the sheets over my body before occupying the space next to me like he had the night just been. His head rested by my right shoulder, eyes already shut closed. The calluses of his hand tickled at my hip as Harry pulled me closer to him.
âH?â I asked so quietly, I wondered if he had heard me. My fingertips ran through the mess of his hair. Harry seemed to have liked it because he had shuffled closer to me and did this weird, purring thing.
âMmmmâŚâ
âWe had sex.â
âYeah,â Harry mumbled smugly. âWe did.â
We lay in silence for a bit, the only noise was from the birds chirping outside my window. And while it seemed quite slow and steady out there, in here my brain could not stop running at one million and one miles per hour.
âDo you think Dad would of heard us last night?â
âOh yeah no doubt.â Harry chuckled. âRemember that time he stayed with us? The night of your graduation? You were almost louder than that night, I reckon.â
âOi, no I wasnât.â I disagreed.
âWhatever you say Dig.â
Yesterday seemed like forever ago. While bits of it were a haze, there were times last night that were clear as day. I remember when Harry backed me into the corner, telling me how beautiful I looked. I told him to piss off. I remember tasting whiskey off of his tongue when he kissed me on the taxi home. I remember feeling so satisfied with colour purple that grew on the crook of his neck, admiring the handiwork I had done on him. I remembered what it was like to just have him in such a vulnerable state, the intimacy we shared almost identical to what we used to share with each other all those years ago.
Rather than the experience being soul-shattering and painful like I thought it would turn out to be, I felt loved; something I hadnât felt in a long time.
Without knowing so, Harry and I fell into another deep slumber, where I had dreamed that we were about to go skydiving and I was about to jump off the plane when a phone began ringing.
âWhat?â Harry grumbled beside me. His heartbeat echoed in the shell of my ear as he listened to whoever was interrupting our time. âShit! Yep, yeah. We will be there in ten minutes.â
âWho was that?â
âIt was Gemma.â Harry slipped out from under me, making me whimper from the loss of contact and warmth.
âCome on Diggy babe. Youâve got to get up. Everyoneâs at Mrs Birkenridgeâs.â
âWhat?!â That made me instantly sit up. I couldnât recall in the whole time that I had known Harry for him to dress himself as quickly as he did. Me on the other hand still felt drunk. He threw on his clothes and then helped me into my own before putting me into the car and drove speedily towards the Birkenridge Homestead.
âIâm so sorry weâre late.â Harry instantly apologised to the woman I assumed was Mrs Birkenridgeâs daughter.
âItâs no problem. Iâm Rosemary, Mary-Louiseâs daughter. You must be Harry? We spoke on the phone.â
âYeah I am. Nice to meet you.â Harry grinned, holding his hand out for her to shake his hand. âThis is Indigo, Jackâs sister. Weâre both planning the engagement party together.â
Despite every cell in my body functioning at a 45% success rate, I pulled a smile on my face and shook Rosemaryâs hand. âHiya! Nice to meet you.â
âYou too.â She smiled politely as she lead us around the property. âJack and Gemma are just around the back by the pond. They were telling me that you used to throw pretty great parties back in the day.â
âThat was mostly Harry,â I admitted. âI was too busy studying for my exams most of the timeâ. All I would do was make sure there was a enough booze and food for everyone.â
âDonât you listen to her Rosemary,â Harry was quick to dismiss. âShe was a vital part of the team. Was always there ready to play an impromptu game of drunk twister and always made sure nobody felt left out.â
âOh there they are. Took you two long enough to get here.â Jack said in a smarmy tone, all to arrogant for his own good. Gemma slapped his chest with the back of her hand. If Jack was gonna play this game with me, I was gonna play and beat him at his own game too.
âOi, pipe down pet. Itâs not like weâve done everything else for this bleeding wedding.â
Rosemary looked warily between the two of us, I sure if we were being serious or not.
âIgnore him.â Gemma grinned over at Rosemary. Harry just threw a warning look my way, as if he were saying âjust shut your face for once, would ya?â through the smallest movement of his eyebrow. âHe gets a bit cocky when he hasnât been fed.â
âWell, I say we get into it.â Harry clapped his hands. âYou tell us how you want things set up,â he looked towards Gemma and Jack before aiming his attention at Rosemary. âAnd you can let us know if thatâs okay or not to do on the property,â Then his neck snapped my way. âAnd Dig and I can sort the rest.â
For the next three hours, Gemma and Jack explained how they wanted their ceremony area and reception area set up, while Rosemary sat at the table with Harry watching the decorators do their thing. By the end of the afternoon, Rosemary was besotted with Harry and couldnât stop gushing to her husband how sweet Harry was.
It looked absolutely beautiful.
Baby pink satin curtains draped against a frame that stood on a platform at the end of the aisle. Fairy lights glimmered in the treeâs and bundles of pink and white roses bloomed all over the show. What had impressed me the most was the smiles that just seemed to keep on growing on my brother and his fiancĂŠâs faces.
âUh, Indigo?â I turned around to see Rosemary who looked unsure about what she was going to say next. âThereâs, uh⌠Emilyâs come to see you? Sheâs quite adamant on seeing you, uh⌠now?â
My heart dropped in a instant. I could feel my skin turn pale and my breath held still in my chest. I was in shock. I couldnât wrap my head around the idea of how she knew where I was.
âHey, hey, heyâŚâ Jack stood in front of me, his hands rubbing the sides of my arms to shake me out of the shock I was in. âWhatâs going on Prinny? You look sick. Is your hangover finally kicking in?â
I wanted to speak⌠No actually, I wanted to scream; but I couldnât. I just wanted to be left alone for one goddamn minute to grasp what was happening.
âA girlâs turned up here to see Indigo. Her nameâs Emily.â Rosemary patted my back comfortingly as Jackâs green eyes bulged out in disbelief.
âFuck.â He mumbled. âDo you want me to go get rid of her? Because I will. You know I will.â
âNo.â I managed to shake my head and took a step back. I needed space for my own well-being. âIâI just wasnât expecting her.â
âWell do you want me to go with you then? Weâll go tell her to bugger off together.â
âNâno thanks.â I shook my head before turning around to Rosemary. âIâm so sorry if sheâs given you any trouble. Iâll make sure she goes home.â
She nodded at me with a sympathetic smile. âSheâs in the front entrance. Good luck.â
I could hear her before I could see her. She was pacing up and down the entrance her normally pristine hair was messily thrown up into a bun. She looked like she hadnât even changed clothes in the last couple of days. It was more scary than it was worrisome.
âEmily what are you doing here?â
She stopped in her tracks, her piercing eyes going right through me. âYou need to come with me now.â
âI canât Emily.â My voice wobbled. âIâm busy.â
âYeah, with that fucking prick from One Direction.â Emily spat venomously. âItâs fucking everywhere Indi. Harry Styles back with his former childhood sweetheart. Do you know how stupid that makes me look?â
âWhat about how stupid I looked when you cheated on me, huh?â I cried so loudly, it echoed within the entrance. âDo you ever think about how awful I felt when I caught my girlfriend of two years in our bed being eaten out by your co-worker?â
âI only did it because you stopped loving me!â
âThat is such bullshit Em.â I angrily wiped the tears rolling down my flushed cheeks. âThe worst thing about all of this is that I still fucking love you, even after everything youâve put me through. I still fucking love you.â
âWell if you loved me, you would have never kicked me out of my home. You would have stayed in London and sort things out with me. We would still be together.â
âNo we wouldnât.â I spoke honestly. âYou know, Harry never did anything wrong while we were together. Sure, his job sucked at times but he always made me feel loved. And I still ran away from him because my parents had fucked up the idea of marriage for me. All your cheating did was bring everything to light, Em. You never loved me the way I loved you and Iâve realised that itâs not enough.â
âDo you know how hard Iâve fucking tried over the last two years Indigo? Because let me tell you, itâs fucking tough when your girlfriend is still in love with her ex-boyfriend.â
âIâm not in love with Harry!â I sobbed. âIâm not.â
âYou are though. Youâve never fully let him go and all youâve done is run back into his arms. Forget me though, Iâll just act like everything youâre doing is fine.â
âFor fuck sakes Emily!â I shouted, a lie bubbling up in my stomach. âAll heâs done is help me with this near-on soul destroying wedding! Heâs not even being that great about it. If it werenât for the fact that my brother and his sister were getting married, I would have absolutely nowt to do with him.â
I could see the rage in her that had built up so much, it was about to overflow.
âYou need to go, Emily.â
Harry stood leaning against the hallway wall, a mixture of sadness and anger showing on his face. Emily scoffed as she spotted Harry a few metres away from us.
âWell hereâs the big man himself! Suppose youâve been trying everything in your power to woo our little princess here. Not that hard of a job to win her over is it?â
âIf you donât leave, Iâll get my security to escort you off the property and youâll be given a restraining order.â
âYou know what?â Emily paced back and forth for a bit, quietly laughing to herself. âFuck you both. You two fucking horrible people deserve each other.â
Just like that, she was gone⌠and Harry wasnât far behind her.
âHarry!â I ran up behind him as best as I could in my heels, yanking on his bicep to pull Harry back. âCould you just stop for a second?â
âWhy should I Dig? All youâve done this whole time is second guess me! I want the best for our siblings too! I want to do the best I can possibly do for their wedding! I donât know what I have done for you to not trust me!â Harry puffed, his cheeks instantly flushing red as tears built up in his eyes.
âActually, fuck that. I proposed to you Dig! I proposed to you and you ran away and it was the last I saw of you. For the last two years Iâve tried to understand what I did wrong; what I possibly could have done to stop you from leaving me. All for you to not be loved like you should have been loved since. That fucking breaks my heart Indigo, it fucking does. We could have never felt this pain if you had just let me love you.â
âHarry, Iââ
âEver since I saw you sitting out on Mumâs balcony with a fucking e-cigarette in your hand, youâre all Iâve wanted since. But Iâm never going to be good enough, am I Dig?â
I wish you knew Harry. I wish you knew that you were too good for me⌠too good for this earth in this lifetime anyways. It was never about you not being good enough for me. It was about me not being good enough for you.
In this lifetime Iâll always love you but will never be good enough to match what you deserve.
I wish you knew.
viii. letâs have a wedding.
âGet up.â My body shook from the sharp jolt that moved my mattress.
I lifted my hand in the air, middle finger flying high and proud as I squished my face as far into the pillow as I could. âFuck off Jackson.â
âSeriously Prinny. Get the fuck up.â
âI donât want to deal with you right now.â I seethed, glaring at Jack with as much hatred as could muster this early in the morning. âFuck off and get ready for your wedding.â
âI want to!â Jack exasperated. âBut I canât when both me and the woman Iâm about to marry are worrying about our siblings.â
âStop worrying and let me go back to sleep. There â problem solved.â
âIndigo.â Jack sat on the edge of my bed, tucking my hair behind my ear. âHe loves you.â
No he didnât. He didnât know what type of person I had turned into. If Emily couldnât love me, Harry certainly couldnât. If anything, my worst fear had come true. I was unlovable. There was no need for Harry to take one for the team and brainwash himself into thinking he loves me.
âItâs been two, nearly three years since he proposed Jack.â I croaked, tears heavy on my eyes and my throat tightening to where it was becoming hard to breathe. âIâm a horrible person. He doesnât love me. He loves this made up version of me that heâs had in his head since.â
âHe loves you Indi, he told you that yesterday. You just donât love yourself⌠or you donât love love.â He argued.
âTrust me, I know our parents fucked up our idea of love but in all honesty, it was you and Harry that changed that for me. Not Gemma, you and Harry. I knew that it was the whole marriage idea that triggers you but I thought if you could happily accept the amount of love Harry had for you by opening your heart up, I could do the same. And in a few hours time, Iâm going to marry the love of my life, and itâs going to be great.â
The clock read 8.43am, which meant I had only stopped crying four hours ago. Of course Jack had to go set me off with the sweetest of arguments Iâve ever had with my brother.
âI just want you to have the best love you could possibly get and give and I really think Harry is your shot at that. But you need to fight for him Indz, because I think heâs lost all hope and from what I can see, youâve got a little bit left in ya.â
And like the annoying brother he was, Jack was right. I did have a little bit of hope left for Harry and I.
âRight, okay.â I flung the sheets off me, wiping the ugly tears that were drying on my rosy cheeks. âMove out of my way. Got to tell someone I love him.â
Jack grinned, throwing his keys on my lap. âSee you in a couple of hours then.â
I wish I had more time to think, but it only took me three minutes to drive to Harryâs parents house. I wanted more time to think of how to say sorry; to apologise for disappearing after he got down on one knee in our living room and asked me to marry him; to think of all the ways I could show Harry how much I loved him; and most importantly, to talk myself out of doing this because deep down, I was still so unsure about me chasing after him. All of my insecurities were still there but so was Harry⌠for the meantime.
Gemma gave me a knowing look as she let me into her Mumâs house, whispering a quick good luck in my ear as she let me go from our hug. Ny heart pounded so loudly in my chest with every step I took up the stairs, leading myself to Harryâs bedroom.
My hand anxiously wavered by before it knocked three times again the wooden door. I could hear the graspiness in his voice the moment he mumbled âcome inâ.
My hand turned the golden knob and I visibly cringed as the door freaked while I opened it. But as soon as I saw him, leaning up on his elbows over at me, still half asleep not knowing who was at the door, tears fell heavy on my eyes.
âHeyâŚâ I choked out, all the words I wanted to say the moment I saw him vanished in a second.
âHi.â
Rather than the scowl I was expecting to see on his face, Harry smiled and all it did was make me break down in tears.
âHey, hey, hey. Come on now. Come get into bed.â Harry hushed from his bed, lifting up the covers and invited me in. It was safe to say I near on ran getting into his warm bed.
âIâm so sorry H. Iâm sorry. Iâm sorry. I neverââ
Harry shushed me gently, his lips peppering kisses on my forehead. His arm instantly wrapped around my waist, pulling my body right against his side, the shell of my ear right above his racing heart.
âIâm sorry too. I shouldâve never made you feel guilty for not accepting my proposal.â Harry whispered so carefully.
âI should have never run away from you in the first place.â I shook my head. âI should have stayed and told you how afraid I was of turning out like my parents. Instead I hurt you and I donât know if I can forgive myself for that.â
âI think there is a should have and shouldnât haves in our past babe,â Harry sighed. âThe question we have now is do we see a future togetherâŚâ
Before I could get my answer in, Harry carried on. âBecause if Iâm being 100% honest here, Iâm in. With or without marriage, I want to spend this lifetime with you.â
Sniffling hard, I threw myself on top of his body, attacking his body in the biggest hug of love I could give.
âI love you. Fuck, Iâm so fucking in love with you. Iâve never stopped, I never will.â I muttered on like a mad person in the crook of his neck. Tears continued to roll down my cheek and onto his warm skin.
âLove you too, Dig. So much.â
***
âCould I get everybodyâs attention please?â Jack's voice boomed over the group of people that had gathered in the backyard. Gemma stood proudly by his side, her smile beaming as she looked up at the man she was about to marry.
Harry and I sat off to a table on the right of the aisle, bunched up together like two peas in a pod. Our fingers were intertwined, resting on Harryâs thigh under the table. Thankfully, the tablecloth covered out hands so not even our mothers could use that as an excuse to pry in our newly founded relationship. My head rested on his shoulder, partly due from the lack of sleep I had the night before, but mostly due to how exhausted planning this wedding had made me.
Anne has burst into Harryâs bedroom earlier this morning, just like when we were kids. While we may of been sleeping for ten minutes at most after reconciling, she told us to both get out of bed and join her and Gemma for breakfast. She had made pancakes, and made me my own special blueberry pancakes.
Things would have been great if Harry didnât insist on eating my pancakes. We were thirty minutes into our new future that we couldnât wait to see what would come from it, and we were already arguing. For the first time in a very long time, I felt happy and that in itself was an overwhelming emotion.
âWe want to thank you for turning up today. It means a lot to Gemma and I that you all could make it. But thereâs two people we really want to thank from the very bottom of our heart.â Jack looked over at Harry and I from the platform.
âAs you know, my brother Harry and Jackâs sister Indigo have spent the last couple of months planning this engagement party for us. Havenât they done such a wonderful job?â Gemma said, her grin never leaving her face. A applause broke out from the crowd in front of them.
âIf you didnât know, they used to date! And like the annoying siblings they are, they would make Jack and I hang out with them all the time. It was like being an awkward double date.â She laughed, before turning her attention back onto Jack. âBut little did we know what would come our way and what we would turn into. So in saying that, we have a bit of a surprise for you all.â
Gemma quickly ran off stage and pulled another lady up onto the stage with her.
âThis is Diana. Sheâs a marriage celebrant.â
A gasp came over the guests, while Harry and I chuckled between each other.
âAnd since we thought Harry and Indi have done such a great job and all of the people we love and cherish are here, we thought why not just get married now!â
Both of our Mumâs looked between in each other in shock, tears forming heavily in their eyes. Dad threw his head back, boisterously laughing his head off, pointing at us as we sheepishly grinned like we hadnât known this was the plan all along.
âYou knew, didnât ya! Ya little fucking shits.â
Diana stood in between Jack and Gem, harping on all things love and how the very act of love made the world go round and more specifically, how it came to bring them two together. I didnât expect Jack to be as emotional as he was. His voice quivered on almost every third word when he was saying his vows, sneaky tears being hastily wiped away by this big stocky fella who I hadnât seen cry in almost twenty years. As for Gemma, well â you couldnât get the smile off her face if you tried.
â...I now announce you as husband and wife. Now snog each other, will ya?â
A surge of pride filled my chest as I watched my brother and new sister-in-law whisper âI love youâ to each other before kissing each other. Jack had said earlier that there was hope in seeing love. Now I knew what he had meant, and it pained me to say but my big olâ brother was right.
I turned my face towards Harry, resting my chin on his shoulder as I looked up into those lovely eyes I had been in love with since I was fifteen.
âI love you.â I whispered, the most smug of smiles gracing Harryâs face.
âI love you too."
ix. epilogue
Harry thought to himself he had never been so thankful to see a door before. The moment he walked out, all he wanted to do was walk back in and stay there for as long as he could.
But Indigo was sick of hospital food. All she wanted was some baked ziti from the little Italian restaurant down the road and given the last twenty four hours she had been through, Harry would do anything for his love. That however meant Harry had to drive across town to get it, and while he was near home, he might as well pick up the gift he forgot and left at home.
Harry quietly crept into the hospital room, trying his best not to drop the food his girlfriend desperately wanted, or all of the other stuff he had brought from their home. Despite the curtains were drawn shut, the sunset managed to peek through, setting the room into a nice auburn red that wasnât too harsh on his eyes.
âHey.â Harry whispered, a moment of relief falling over him when he saw Indigo sitting upright, her hair tied up messily on the top of her head, happily gazing down at the little bub that had only entered the world just a few hours ago.
Indigo looked away from their little angel, her smile turning into a grin when she saw Harry standing there with a paper bag of food and about three stuffed toys in his hand.
âHi. How was the traffic?â
âIt was fine.â Harry walked over and placed the toys at the side of the hospital bed, the food put on the bedside cabinet, and a kiss promptly placed on Indigoâs lips. âHowâs our girl doing?â
âWell sheâs been a hungry little bugger for the last ten minutes, havenât you sweet girl?â Indigo turned her attention back down to her little bubba, currently latched on and eating to her heartâs content. âBut sheâs been a good girl nonetheless. The nurse and I were really impressed at how well she latched on this time.â
âNot sure where she gets being good from. It certainly isnât from you or me.â Harry snided, his wit still coming through despite most of his attention was on this little girl of theirs. He went to pat the apple of her cheek ever so gently with the knuckle of his finger but she was to quick for him, her tiny hand wrapping around his finger. Harryâs heart hadnât melted quicker than it did in that moment.
âThe nurse wants you to do some more skin-to-skin tonight too.â Indigo smiled at her little girlâs hand wrapping around her daddyâs finger. âShe said it may help her settle a bit better when we put her down for a sleep, rather than nursing her to sleep all the time.â
âCount me in.â Harry beamed. âIâd do anything for you, little girl.â
Indigoâs free hand lifted up to Harryâs cheek, feeling the scratchy stubble on her palm. Admiration filled Indigoâs heart to the brim when it came to Harryâs love for anything, but it had been amplified when they had found out about their little bub growing in Indigoâs tummy, and then so much more when she finally decided to enter the world. In all honesty, Indigo thought she had peaked. There was absolutely no way she could be any happier than she was in this very moment.
âSweet girl wrote you a card while you were gone.â
âDid she now?â Harryâs eyebrow quirked upwards. âYou know, weâve got to give her a name at some point.â
âItâll come in good time. Just canât decide if sheâs a Grace or a Georgia.â Indigo shrugged her shoulders, dropping her hand from his face, and back down to their baby. Her little bub looked content and full, so Indigo broke her suction and quickly replaced her nipple with the knuckle of her finger in between the babyâs gums. âHer cardâs just up on the cabinet if you want to read it.â
Harry didnât want his sweet girl to let go of his finger but he slid his finger out unwillingly. His curiosity got the better of him, wanting to know what his daughter (and Indigo) wanted to say to him.
He picked up the baby pink envelope, flicked his finger under the paper and pulled out a card that read âTo the Best Daddy in the world!â on the front. His thumb pulled the card open, and with his heart beating ever so loudly, Harry began to read.
To Daddy.
Arenât you happy Iâm out of the womb now? Now we can chat and have kisses at what ever ridiculous time of night without waking Mummy up! Iâm so glad that I get to be yourâs and Mummyâs sweet girl forever now.
While Iâve been growing in her tummy, me and Mummy have been having some serious talks about our future - just stuff like not being fussy with food and going to bed properly the first time. I said to her I couldnât promise that but I did say I would help her ask something.
Mummy said she loves you very much and has loved you the moment you gave her a pink rose outside of Scoundrels when she was 15. She said you tried to do this once before, but she got really scared and ran away. She hopes youâve forgiven her for it, she never meant to hurt you. All she wants is to give you as much love as she can. What sheâs trying to ask is if youâll marry her⌠but she thinks itâd be much cuter if I asked - so here it goes.
WILL YOU MARRY MY MUMMY? xo
By the time Harry looked up from the card, Indigo held open a ring box, that hand the most stunning carvings within the black coated ring.
âSo what do you say?â Indigo said with a nervous smile on her face; their sweet baby angel cooing in her arms.
âWill you marry me?â
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HOW TO RETURN HOME - The Millennial Problem
I really pushed myself into a corner this weekend when I promised a teacher that Iâd write about âHow to Return Homeâ. Most of you donât know the history of this song, which is a pandoraâs box.Â
Iâve long been planning to write a post about THE FRESHMAN EXPERIMENT. At the time of conception, this is how we defined it:Â
living musical ['liv[ng] 'myß-zi-k&l]
a musical based on the lives of living people
a musical existing in real time
a musical created on the internet by the award-winning writing team Kerrigan and Lowdermilk based on the lives of two young bloggers as they share the story of their freshman years of collegeÂ
Iâll leave it at that for now and come back to this in depth in another post.Â
ChristineCoke, the handle of one of the freshman writers, was an incredible voice. She wrote these earnest and beautiful posts that flowed into some of my favorite songs that weâve ever written:Â Last Weekâs Alcohol My Heart Is Split (and you guessed it) How to Return Home.Â
Itâs funny how memory works. I had created a fiction about exactly what we got from ChristineCoke when she first wrote about going back to her home for Thanksgiving break, but I just went back to our website archive and found this (and everything else youâre about to dig into):Â
I pulled my luggage into a house that is exactly how Iâd left it - dirty and empty with a silence that gently hummed in my ears. There was no one to greet me so I ran up the stairs calling out the names of my siblings and mothers. More silence and peeling wallpaper.
And this is how I wanted to return home. My barefeet sliding along the wood floors as my cat criss crosses her way through my legs. To sit on my bed and wrap myself up in the thin blanket that could barely warm me during the winter months. Slowly, I came back into a place that I hadnât truly thought about until I was five minutes away.
Eventually my brothers and sisters came filtering in and our home had a pulse again. Then Mamajay came and I ran to her before she had time to open the door.
I had a three minute fight with my brother today. It feels great to be here.
A couple weeks after this first post, Brian posted this - with audio that I canât find:Â
hey itâs brian. so i wrote this thing while i was home for thanksgiving and didnât have a chance to post it until now. i played it for kait at some point and she was pretty underwhemed - possibly for good reason. the lyrics arenât great, and they depart a lot from what CC was talking about. but this is emotionally what spoke to me, and i think the music might be interesting. (sidebar: lots of time kait and i start out with a song that i write music and lyrics to and then she swoops in and redoes the lyric) So these may be dummy lyric, and i may also just start from scratch musically on something else. Particularly because while I was home for t-giving my sister and i listened to a lot of dashboard confessional. so in addition to a) being a song fragment and b) not very good, this is also potentially c) a little too much like a dashboard song. wow. yea. but i definitely think thereâs something to be done w/ the phrase âHow To Return Home.â And this is certainly somethingâŚ
âIâm pulling my luggage into a house that is dirty and empty A house that is just how Iâd left it Dirty and empty and silent. A silence thatâs gently humming in my ears. And Iâm waiting for you to come rush down the stairs. Iâm calling, Iâm waiting, Iâm watching the driveway. Hoping that something is still the same. Iâm calling, Iâm calling your name.
I guess Iâm learning How long Iâve been gone I guess Iâd forgotten I miss these walls Now Iâm relearning everything All about silence And how to return homeâ
Brian says I was underwhelmed but it was a long time ago, so I donât actually remember. Isnât it weird to imagine the songs that never were? I bet that my response was more to the music than to the lyric. As he said, I often would change the lyrics anyway. I do remember both of us really struggling over how to use the hook. How do you put âhow to return homeâ into a sentence. It sounds like a recipe title, not a song hook. I remember really arguing over how it could function in the song.Â
Anyway, the next significant step was Brian again and this wasnât until February (so I bet we had some off-line conversations):Â
Okay, so hereâs a new version of How To Return Home Iâm trying, music first. Thereâs a PDF and a terrible scratch vocal of me singing. Not sure how much this will mean to anyone, but hopefully Kait will write some lyrics - and then the whole thing will mean a bit more!Happy February everybodyâŚ
He posted music that is EXACTLY the music that makes up the verse and chorus of the song now. That is magic to me. Itâs one thing to piece together the perfect words, but to somehow knit together the language of a melody into something iconic and memorable - and in one go? How do you do that???Â
Then the writing started to pick up speed. A week later also in February I posted this:Â
Here are the lyrics to at least the first draft of the beginning of âHow to Return Homeâ:
Your bare feet sliding on the old wooden floorboards, Home at last and silent but still youâre shaken, like walking into a museum, somehow out of time. Itâs all the same except the girl in the hallway, Where sheâs been and who she will ripen into, Your childhoodâs on the other side of a gulf to damn wide to climb.
Take silent breath. Hold in the change. Tell yourself you still live here. Itâs the only way youâll get through this holiday. Count the hours. Pick some flowers. Make a nice bouquet.
Clearly, the dumby lyrics come at the end, but Iâm still not sure about the entire chorus. Iâm kind of thinking that it probably changes based on whatever happens at the end of the chorus. Plus, it has to work throughout the song, right Bri? This probably doesnât change each time since itâs such a pop chorus. Perhaps 2 lines change - the âitâs the only way to get throughâŚâ which I would assume will change too. And Iâm pretty sold that we want something more like âget through this dayâ with the three notes on day.
Anyway, this is where the song is at currently. Updates to arrive throughout the weekend. I think Iâll have the whole thing done by Sunday or Monday at the latest.
You guys, this is where you get to see our baby pictures - or my baby pictures. I vlogged this lyric in 2008, so quite literally ten years ago. Kudos for me for not giving a good goddamn about my hair or anything. This was before the days of vloggers really. We were early adopters to be sure and so I had little awareness of the idea that looking presentable might be, er, helpful to our cause.Â
youtube
Oh my god, did you watch it? Those pre-mac days were rough, let me tell you. We definitely hadnât figured out how to use the hook yet. A week or two off-line, where we inevitably went back and forth on that hook (and the occasional pop-misaccent of âhow to REturn homeâ which gave me agitas). But here comes another draft on March 1st in a post called âHOW TO REVISEâ:Â
I feel pretty good about this one. Iâm not going to sing it for you today - unless I miraculously learn how to play the guitar (doubtful). My changed lines are in italics.
Before you read on, I feel like I need to say something about perfect rhymes. Iâve been thinking about them a lot because this song both begs for them and also eschews them if they arenât precisely what you mean. So Iâve definitely struck a bit of a deal with them - borrowing from pop, country, folk, and musical theater to figure out what to do where. But as I thought about these things and did my research, Iâve come to the conclusion that perfect rhymes are having a resurgence. Surprising, I know. Nothing ever seemed more lame or unlikely until lyrics became virtually unmemorizable and rap reclaimed rhymeâs significance. In addition to the rappers (too many to mention but Eminem and Blackalicious still being among some of my favorites for clever - without sacrificing meaning for the sake of - rhyme), the popularity of Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, and new to my itunes line up Vampire Weekend (thanks Rachel Lowdermilk!) all mark a significant upswing in real rhymingâs trendiness. Of course, none of these writers act like hall monitors on the subject. We musical theater writers still have that all to ourselves - remarkably we act like narcs about it whether pro or con.
Now, back to the previously scheduled reveal of new lyrics! I think this is really fun to sing Brianâs melody. We will, of course, test drive sometime this week.
How to Return Home
Your bare feet sliding on the old wooden floorboards, Home just as you left it but still youâre shaken, like walking into a museum somehow out of time. Itâs all the same except the girl in the hallway, Where sheâs been and who she will ripen into, Your childhoodâs on the other side of a sprawling divide⌠too wide.
Take silent breath. Hold in the change. Tell yourself you still live here. Take your bags upstairs. Itâs the only way youâll get through today. Count the hours. Take a shower. Wash yourself away.
The house is pulsing with an alien heartbeat, Was it always here but you never listened? Itâs calling you to be the girl that you were way back then⌠again.
Take a silent breath. Hold in the change. Tell yourself you still live here. Take your bags upstairs. Put away your clothes, take it nice and slow.
Be their daughter. Nothingâs harder when nobody knows
How to return home, and how to survive, Thereâs no written guidelines. How to go back, How to show up and unpack. How to show up.
How to grow up. How to take a breath. Take a silent breath. Hold in the change. Tell yourself you still live here. Take your bags upstairs. You still share a name
But youâre not the same. You donât fight now. You donât hide now. Itâs a whole new way of how to return home.* How to return home. How to return home.
Your bare feet sliding on the old wooden floorboards, home just as you left it but still youâre shaken.
*I originally had âItâs a whole new game. How to return home.â Which Iâm pretty sure I donât like but sometimes I get something right and then go straight past it. This adds a pick up before the âhowâ but I think the meaning is much better and itâs a little less played out / more unexpected and leads to a better conclusion for the song. Â The only other thing that I tried and rejected is replacing âTake a shower. Wash yourself away.â with âOnly hours. Teach yourself to pray.â
Thoughts?
Itâs nice and rare when you get a resounding yes to the thing you made. How sweet to have that back and forth captured in the comments:Â
BRIAN: wow thatâs gorgeous. iâll write more, and probably sing it back to everyone either later tonight or tomorrow morning. amazing work, kait. KAIT: Maybe tomorrow after the cap thing? Iâll bring my camera. Maybe theyâll let us steal a piano for a bit? BRIAN: since we had plans for natalie weiss to make a recording for us anyway, want to ask her to do this? later this week? and yes, letâs record tomorrow. this thing f-ing rocks. KAIT: Maybe. Letâs mull it over as we sing through it today.
Oh, Brian and Kait, you so-n-sos. Always so on brand. Kait ever cautiously low-key, Brian so deeply enthusiastic and raring to go.Â
Do you care about any of this? All of this is about how a song got written, not about how it landed itself as a center piece of THE BAD YEARS. What is THE BAD YEARS? A song cycle? An immersive house party? Both? What does that have to do with the alien heartbeat of this house and ChristineCoke?Â
Everything. âHow To Return Homeâ found its way into a song cycle we made called TALES FROM THE BAD YEARS, which was the brainchild of a conversation that we had with a licensing company that wanted us to make something commercial that could go directly to licensing. Would that not have been lovely? It didnât pan out. But the idea that we hit - to write a show about the people around us - the generation of millennials who would never fulfill their parentsâ American Dream, did pan out and evolve.Â
âHow To Return Homeâ was always one of the songs that felt like a linchpin to these songs and as we built it out, it became something that parents of millennials would hear and grab us by the arm and say âThank you for telling me what my daughter is going through. She just moved back in after college.â We realized that in writing something a bit broader than just about coming home for Thanksgiving break, we were writing about the larger lack of employment after college, the depression of a generation who didnât have the opportunities that they assumed theyâd have. We leaned into this.Â
When we had the opportunity to take TALES FROM THE BAD YEARS and turn it into an immersive house party, this song was both beguiling and bewildering. It does not take place at a house party. But the sensation of being at your familyâs home in the center of a party can be beautifully transfixing. The song became a centerpiece for Rachelâs arc.Â
Rachel was an optimistic and ambitious millennial whoâs surprised to discover that the world wasnât waiting for her. She is one of the youngest at the party and she is just beginning to realize that sheâs going to have to claw her way into the world rather than have it handed to her. In more recent drafts, the house has actually become more and more of a character. The history of the house is also oppressive. This is a place where some bad things happened and itâs going to be destroyed. But right now, Rachel is facing her own nostalgia smashed up against the glass of her reality.Â
Ultimately, âHow to Return Homeâ is about the simple sensation of walking into a house after having grown up there and feeling like the whole place is smaller, different. The fun house affect of your reality having outgrown your childhood cocoon. I moved around a lot. I havenât been back to a single place that I grew up except my grandmotherâs house. Every time I walk in, Iâm struck by how low the ceilings are, how small the kitchen is, how narrow that backyard that contained my fantasies is. Once upon a time, my whole world could fit inside that kitchen. I remember a graduation party (something that I also can barely believe ever happened - my grandmother entertaining) and sliding past adults through the back door to get to the refrigerator. But even as I say that, my memory is wavering. She remodeled her kitchen a few years ago and moved the back stairs and I have to consciously conjure that old set up. My memory has transformed to adjust to her new layout. I remember a couch that was long and s shaped in her music room. The room is so small. Where exactly did it go? Memory is so slippery but the visceral feelings you have when you return to a site of your childhood - especially the dark looming ones - is not. Itâs immediate and pulsing and both familiar and alien at once.Â
The question of how to return home is really a question of how to hold onto your slippery sense of self when youâre just discovering who you are and I think the answer (or at least the answer that we landed on in this song) is mindfulness - mindfully telling yourself to breath, to hold in the things you know to be true about yourself in spite of all of the old neural pathways that are lighting up with triggers.Â
#musical theater#how to return home#natalie weiss#caissie levy#laura osnes#kerrigan lowdermilk#kait kerrigan#songwriting#new musical theater#the freshman experiment#freshx#behind the lyrics
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340
How many months are there until your birthday? Nine months. Have you gotten gum stuck in your hair? Uhhh I think once, when I was 7. It wasnât overly bad. When was the last time you received straight A's? First semester. I could have had straight 1â˛s (our equivalent of Aâs) just this last semester, but one of my profs decided to give me a 2. As someone whoâs grade conscious, I deeply resent her for that lmao. Where is your sister right now? Sheâs upstairs in her room. Is your handwriting large, tiny, or pretty normal? Apparently itâs extremely tiny. I didnât know until like a billion people pointed it out to me. I always get conscious when I write stuff for people to read now.
Are you currently listening to a song? No. I refrain from listening to anything while taking surveys because I end up getting 100% distracted. If yes, what song is it? Do you have a digital camera? We used to, but it was principally my sisterâs. We donât use it now though; we have a DSLR and our phone cameras instead. Do you own any kind of yellow clothing? Just my shirts from junior year when our class color was yellow. Who last commented you on myspace? Wow. How many piercings do you have? Two. One on each ear. What time is it? It isssss currently 5:43 PM. What color are your eyes? Dark brown. How tall are you? Somewhere between 5â˛1âł and 5â˛2âł. How long does it take you to shower? 5-7 minutes. Shorter if I REALLY donât feel like it. Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? Hahahaha this is something Iâm guilty of not doing. I always get into trouble when my momâs in the car and she sees I donât put my seatbelt on. What jewelry do you wear all the time? I used to wear a necklace but it came off and I hadnât gotten around to putting it back on, so right now thereâs not one piece of jewelry I regularly have on. What would you say if your doc told you you were pregnant? Wow. A lesbian conception. A Powerful Breakthrough. Lmao jk I see myself freaking out and insisting it canât be true. Would you keep it, abort it, or allow someone to adopt it? Keep them and either keep them for life or have them adopted. Any siblings? Yes, two of them. What are you doing tomorrow? I have class tomorrow but other than that, itâs a chill day. Tell me a story about a scar you have. When I was five, I had been riding my bike when my pinky toe got stuck in some of the gear thingos of the bike whilst it was spinning around. The wound never fully healed so it has since stayed on me as a scar. What color are your socks? I donât have any socks on. How many cavities do you have? Zero. When's the last time you went to the zoo? Sadly I went to a zoo earlier this year. I donât remember the exact date. I hate zoos and only went because it had been a family outing. What is your GPA? We donât do GPAs here, and our system of grading is also different. What color do you wish your eyes were? Dark brown suits my brown skin and Filipino looks, Iâm good. How long is your hair? Itâs reached a little past my boobs already. What school do you go to? University of the Philippines Diliman. What are you allergic to? Chihuahuas. Can others make you cry easily? Sure. Iâm a big crier. What are three things in your backpack? My notebook, a pack of Maltesers, and pencil case. Whose house did you last go to? I didnât go inside but I dropped off my former busmate from high school, Yanna, at her place. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing? Gabie gave it to me as a Christmas present three years ago. Who is your best friend? Gabie and Anj. Do you know what you are going to wear tomorrow? No clue. Iâm not seeing anyone and Iâm not going out so I might fuck around and just pick an extremely lazy outfit. What are your favorite color(s)? Tiffany blue, pastel pink, millennial pink. Do you know anyone who lives in another state? We do provinces, not states. And yes, a whoooooole bunch of my school mates all come from different provinces. Some stay in dorms near UP for weekdays and go home to their province on the weekend; others stay in the city for an entire semester (or even a few years) and donât get to go back to their home province at all. Iâm lucky I live close to my school. Are you easily confused? No. Thatâs my girlfriend. What is your favorite kind of ice cream? Cookies and cream, chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate. I also have a soft spot for cheese ice cream. Is your current hair color your natural hair color? Yes, Iâve never dyed my hair. Who have you talked to today? Quite a lot since I did go out today. Iâve talked to my mom (through text), sister, brother, Gab, Angela, Hans, Yanna, Lex, Athenna [an (un)pleasant surprise when I unexpectedly saw her in my high school ugh], the servers at my high school bakeshop, Aya and Jo (through Facebook), and Michelle (through Twitter). How has the past week been? Meh. So uneventful. Pride was amazing though. What year was you born in? 1998. What size shoe do you wear? I can fit a 7 to 7.5. What's your bra size? LOL. If I even qualify for a bra lol jk Iâm a 32AA. Would you like to be bigger or smaller? On boobs? Bigger. I donât know what else this question can refer to. Pants size? 0. When did you first get your period? I had just turned 10.  Do you like thunderstorms? I love them, but I wish I get to stay at home more often when they happen. Do you have a bad attitude? Uhhhh as far as I know no. I used to be a nasty kid though. How do you do in school? Iâm doing well. I was always a good kid; except back in elementary and high school when I didnât care for submitting homework because I knew none of it was going to matter in college. Now that I AM in university Iâm more grade-conscious than ever. Do you get in trouble a lot? No. How much do you weigh? Something like 95 lbs., I think. Last time I checked, anyway. What's the hardest class you have? Journalism ethics was a big bitch. Have you ever had a detention? We donât have detention. Do you watch Hannah Montana? I used to. Do you smoke? No. Do you have an iPod/MP3 player? Also used to. My iPod was my best friend for soooo many years. How many aunts/uncles do you have (only your mom/dad's real siblings)? My mom has two brothers, my dad has two sisters and one brother; so thatâs five aunts/uncles. Are you the first born? Yep. Are you a vegetarian? No, but I could live off of such a diet if I had to. Are you eating? Nope, just filling this out while waiting for my class to start. Gold or silver? For jewelry? Silver. When's the last time you cried? Last night. Ocean or pool? OCEAN. Or beach. Whatever natural body of water there is. For some reason I converted somewhere along my teenage years and now Iâm a complete beach person. I canât stand being in swimming pools. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl. When was the last time you went to the bathroom? An hour ago before I drove to school. Are you selfish? When it comes to my food. Have you ever seen a dead body? Only in wakes. What's the weather like right now? The skyâs color is scary and itâs getting more humid. Probably gonna rain in the next hour or so. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Glasses. Do you have braces or a retainer? I had both, but I lost my retainers. What's the worst sickness you've ever had? Platelet loss, which landed me in the hospital. What's on your mouse pad? I donât use a mouse pad. How many keys on your key ring? Two - car key and house key. Do you use any instant messengers? Yes, I have several. Black and white or color photos? COLOR. B&W photos drive me crazy. What color is your toothbrush? Purple. What color is your hair brush? Hahahaha I stopped combing my hair ages ago but on the rare occasion I pick it up, itâs pink. Do you dye your hair regularly? Iâve never dyed it at all. Are you shy? Very. Are you smart? Iâm not gonna claim that lmao ask my friends. How many languages do you speak? Two. Do you like your handwriting? I loved it for the most part, but ever since I took down notes on my laptop, my writing has gone shittier by the day. Now Iâm just kinda meh about it. McDonaldâs or Burger King? Burger King. Are you a daredevil? I wouldnât call myself that.
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A-Z meme
Tagged by @dreamerinsilico
Rules: Answer the questions in a new post and tag 10 blogs you would like to get to know better.
A - Age: 34
B - Birthplace: Sacramento, CA, USA
C - Current time:8:42 PM
D - Drink you last had: just some water
E - Easiest person to talk to: my friends: Tara, @grossandinapprops and the lovely @dreamerinsilico who tagged me in this :)
F - Favorite song: Well lately, probably something off of the Hamilton recording, which I have listened obsessively to since I saw in last September.Â
G - Grossest memory: One time I was walking outside barefoot in some long grass and I stepped right in a fresh pile of dog poo -- it squished up between my toes. UGHHHHHH
H - Horror yes or horror no: I donât like torture porn, but other than that I am down with horror. I just donât like gore. And I donât like it when animals die!
I - In love?: Iâve come to the realization that Iâll die alone. :/
J - Jealous of people?: Not really. Iâm too busy and tired to think about other peopleâs lives and be jealous of them.Â
L - Love at first sight or should i walk by again?: Def not
M - Middle name: Ellen
N - Number of siblings: One.
O - One wish: If I actually had one wish, I would spend more time thinking about what Iâd want it to be, but immediately what comes to mind is that I wish it were June/July because then all this craziness at work would be done. Iâd have new crazy things, Iâm sure, but the next several months are just BEASTS and Iâm already SO. TIRED. :(
P - Person you called last: On an actual phone? Thai take out probably haha.
Q - Question you are always asked: I canât really think of a question Iâm always asked, but I do get a similar comment often: something about my age, about how Iâm a millennial. It is usually presented as some funny joke, but it wasnât funny the first time, and it has not gotten any sort of humor since then.Â
R - Reason to smile: No travel this weekend!
S - Song you sang last: Â Again, probably something from Hamilton. :)
T - Time you woke up: Initially, around 830-9. Then, after eating breakfast, I went back to sleep until 2ish?
U - Underwear colour: blue!
V - Vacation destination: A new city! I like exploring new places.
W - Worst habit: Not saying no and taking on too much.Â
X - X-rays: Usual teeth x-rays and once on my wrist after my mom accidentally slammed it in the car door.
Y - Your favorite food: panang curry!
Z - Zodiac sign: Capricorn!
Tagging - anyone who wants to do this (tag me if you do!  I wanna see!). Also, @grossandinapprops, @tipthewink, @finnglas, @miss-meza @hellishhurricane:)
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New Look Sabres: Preseason GM 4 - TOR - The Olofsson Show
I donât really know where to begin with this one. I guess until Rasmus Ristolainen is traded every postgame needs to start with updated angst meter. With Risto being on the roster last night my angst rating went from 7/10 on Friday all the way down to a 4/10 on this fine Bills Gameday. I guess itâs still preferred he moves before whatever toxic drama he experienced behind the scenes ruins the locker room dynamic after they lose a couple games in a row. I know the trade trash sites have heated up their production on him the last couple days, but I donât let that excite me unless Tim Murray is GM, or its clear Terry Pegula is breathing down Jasonâs neck about bonus money. So how about we talk about the other skaters? I think I put in my mandatory 4 sentences of Ristolainen. He landed a dirty hit on one of the Leafs top 4 defenseman? Oh well, you canât beat the classics. Welcome to Toronto, Tyson Barrie. Iâm not making an excuse for that hit. It was stupid, ugly and a little too on brand for Risto. I think the more interesting question is does this mean Risto is really going kamikaze to end his time as a Sabre? He wants to go down with some kind of ritual suicide landing the most trash hits possible. Again, painfully on brand for Risto but I think everyone who is going to like him after he leaves will no matter what and the people who arenât going to lose any sleep about it arenât losing any sleep about it. I didnât lose any sleep about it, that was the hard cider.
Yeah, I saw Ad Astra during this game last night. Thatâs how I do preseason promise: just ignore the game. Donât see this movie unless you like Art films. Other than the space monkeys the only thing that wasnât artsy AF was Brad Pitt just wailing for his daddy the whole frigging movie over narration. Well anyway, I came how to Beer pong and a series of drinking games with my siblings. That was fun but uh⌠sorry about some of the tweets that I let out during this time. I donât think it was the booze though that made me enjoy this game so much watching it back. The big names came out to play for the home crowd against a Leafs team of Michal Neuvirth, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and the funny name alliance of no-name prospects. Tavares scored a little ways into the first. It was just a net-front redirect but it was in that range of goals Carter Hutton could have stopped. Hutton joined Rasmus Asplund on Chad DeDominicisâs list of the only two Sabres who were outright bad in this game. Iâd have to agree on at least three goals against in this game. Henri Jokiharju and Dylan Cozens got back to back starts playing in this game and nothing really jumped off the page for me in this go around for them. That said, all I did was watch the highlight packs with a slight headache, so I probably missed something. Grill me for what I miss in the comments.
The star of this show was really Sam Reinhart. That was obvious even in the highlights. A couple minutes after Tavaresâs tally Sam Reinhart scored essentially the same goal from a rebound. Thatâs right, Sam Reinhart is our John Tavares! And heâs better than JT you know! Lol, whatever I guess we have to troll each other as fanbases whenever we play. How about we just both be good at the same time, so I donât need to bring up the Sabres have won more playoff series since the lockout even though we havenât made the playoffs in eight years! OH BURN! Suck on that one, T-Town! What did all you punks do while we were throwing the queenâs tea in the harbor? Iâm sure you normies were sipping it hardily you cowards! Okay, enough of that. In the second period Victor Olofsson scored an Ovechkin goal uncovered in the office on a powerplay. The Leafs would tie it up again before the middle frame ended but I really want to dwell on this Olofsson goal for a minute. It was powerplay goal assisted by Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin. In addition to those guys Jeff Skinner and Sam Reinhart were on the ice. Assuming Victor Olofsson does become a scorer like we hope can I submit a formal request to Ralph Krueger and the two new assistant coaches with him?  That should be a powerplay unit all season. That group consists of all the bonified scoring talents we have, and Rasmus Dahlin can play defense for the lot of them to whatever degree you need that on a powerplay. I mean, we need that because weâre the Sabres so yeah. In fact Trevor Moore would score a short-handed goal for the Leafs in the third period but not until after⌠the guy scored⌠the only guy whose worth mentioning in summer 2016: Jimmy Vesey, JV Vasectomy⌠uh⌠Iâm sorry guys I think the mean nicknames bit is going to get cut before the end of Training Camp. Kinda sorry not sorry on that one.
That shorthanded Leafs goal by the way was strike two against Hutton last night. I donât know what you expect when the Sabres are tied with the Leafs going into the last five minutes of regulation, but I normally think W. Last season beat that out of me a little bit, but I have a new hope now. Victor Olofsson scored again but this time from a Reinhart assist from behind the net. Olofsson just kinda passed it into the net. By this point I think the Leafs had Michael Hutchinson in just to remind all the Leafs fans present that this is a preseason game and even though itâs cheaper to drive all the way from Kitchener to Buffalo than to Toronto just because of ticket prices up there doesnât mean the blue and white actually give a shit about the middle class. Olofsson is the standard bearer this year for the hopes of eternal optimists like me. If he can score just 20-30 goals this season he will be a helpful contribution. Itâs guys like that coming in and adding just a little bit that makes us that much closer to a 90-point team. If Victor Olofsson wants to turn this team into the Olofsson show Iâm more than pleased to cheer it on. The Leafs were bagged and this one would end 5-3 for the home team. CJ Smith would put in an empty netter in the last minute but those last seconds ticking away beating the Leafs is drained of its joy when itâs the preseason. Oh and sorry, CJ, an empty netter isnât going to save you from cuts. I hope to see you called up, gee, I hope you survive waivers, but dude, figure it out. There are teenage Swedes whose names sound like Star Wars characters jumping you on the depth chart now. That segways nicely into cuts.
Before the unfortunately mostly rather expected cuts I want to debut a new bit. For games Iâm writing up the next day, particularly ones that life stopped me from watching, Iâll be picking a reply to one of my Sabres tweets about the game for analysis. Thatâs right, your reply guy moment is going to find its way into New Look Sabres this season! Please contain your excitement. Our first ever Reply Guy Analysis comes from one of my most loyal followers: Jonathan who is leaning into the millennial theme with a couple snowflakes around his name @LakeEffectXJ, says: âWas fun and entertaining. A nice reminder exactly how good Olofssonâs shot is, a surprise for many how good Millerâs shot is, and we got reintroduced to how good Reinhart is and that he should be running his own line.â Thanks Jonathan, onto the cuts. Arttu Ruotsalainen saves Rob Ray and RJ from almost certainly butchering his name and gets sent back to the good old Liiga with two Iâs. Everyone else cut is going to the Rochester Americans including CJ Smith and Andrew Hammond who both need to clear waivers. Hopefully both those guys do. The fun part of doing these blogs the day after is having information like this. Assuming you havenât read the list of cuts and are too lazy to go read it now that youâve made it this far here Iâll just list them out for you: Eric Cornell, Sean Malone, Andrew Oglevie, Kyle Olson, Kevin Porter, CJ Smith, Jacob Bryson, Casey Fitzgerald, Brandon Hickey, Zach Redmond, Devante Stephens, Andrew Hammond, Michael Houser, and Jonas Johansson. Amerks Training Camp starts Monday.
As always like, share and comment on yours trulyâs special Sabres blog. Hopefully this was your break from the Bills game reading. In which case I have to warn you to not try to hold a loaded hot dog in one hand and your phone in the other. You think itâs easy but itâs not. Why ruin that nice jersey? Iâll be really honest and say I have never looked forward to a Bills game in my entire life as much as this one. I was a drought baby and a certain stinker in Jacksonville wasnât going to get me pumped a couple years back. Anyway, I hope you come on back to read again as we have two more preseason games and the closing of Training Camp before we can actually get excited about beating teams. I think I speak for everyone when I hope we actually win enough for it to meaningful this season.
Thanks for Reading.
P.S. Moore shoving Olofsson into the Leafs bench was kinda fun I guess. Sportsnet said it led to the ensuing Leafs goal which I suppose it did but I thought taking guys out of the play was bad.
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Rules: Answer the questions in a new post and tag 10 blogs youâd like to get to know better. Tagged by @jlimrosenberg! :) A. Age:Â Â
...34, which I wouldnât mind if I hadnât lost most of my 20s doing things I didnât want to. *millennial group hug*
B. Birthplace: south east England C. Current time: not yet midnight, so I havenât turned into a pumpkin D. Drink you last had: green tea with mint E. Easiest person(s) to talk to: That Motherfucker Iâm Marrying F. Favorite song: augh...? Probably Mambo Sun by T. Rex. Iâm listening to a lot of Strangelove at the moment, too, so I guess Sway has to be up there. G. Grossest memory: oooh. giving my grandfather a lung massage or accidentally treading on a slug in the kitchen? Or that one time there was a slug in the kettle? Or the cockroaches? Or the twenty slugs partying? Out of respect for my grandfather Iâm going to say it involved slugs. (I once lived, for a while, in a house that should have been condemned. Actually two houses, separately. But there was wildlife in both of them. It was awful. Twice.) H. Hogwarts House: Huffleclaw, bitches. Or Ravenpuff. I canât choose. I. In love: With everything. And TMFIM, because theyâre awesome. J. Jealous of people: no. I donât want what other people have; I set my own goals. Sure, I get a little twinge when someone does something Iâd like to do myself, but thatâs theirs, not mine. K. Killed anyone: Well, there was that time I accidentally trod on the slug and felt awful about it for days... L. Love at first sight or should I walk by again: I mean, I made a decision, but you can walk by again, sure. I donât mind. Iâll wait. M. Middle name: Rowan N. Number of siblings: 3, kind of O. One wish: Can I wish for infinite wishes? No? Okay. Either a lottery win, or a sustainable and comfortable income from what I love doing. Or both, I donât mind. Money doesnât buy happiness, but it can certainly equip you with the tools to solve most of your problems and take care of the people you love. P. Person you last called: fambly, for organising fambly stuff. Q. Question you are always asked: â...but why?â R. Reasons to smile: Hugging with my pups, making a difference, watching tiny plants grow, finishing things, finding the right word, jalapeĂąos on everything, autumn rain and chills, remembering how to relax, hot chocolate and blankets, giving gifts, beautiful things in unexpected places... and so much more. Itâs sad that itâs hard to remember that sometimes. S. Song you last sung: To my partner, in a Spongebob-esque voice. It was obscene, offensive and ridiculous, and accompanied by hand gestures describing what they could shove where, because weâre 12 and this is how we show affection. T. Time you woke up: 6 this morning, with my eyeballs spearfished by the sun. I need blackout curtains. U. Underwear color: black, like my shrivelled heart, and sporty like... like how Iâm generally not. V. Vacation destination: holidays happen to other people, but Iâm going to the woods for a month soon to stay with TMFIM. Woo! W. Worst habit: procrastinating and beating myself up over it, so probably time management in general. I start out thinking Iâm doing something good for myself by taking a break, because I have two modes - hardcore productivity and âoff,â which does not sit well with a chronic autoimmune disorder that involves intense fatigue - and then I freak the fuck out because I havenât done eight million things I think I should have. I are dumb.Â
X. X-rays:Â alll the dental x-rays. Because my teeth like the inside of my jaw so much, itâs going to have to be broken to get those bastards out. yaaaaay. Y. Your favorite food: pasta. All of the pasta. Vegan lasagna, baked ziti, mac and cheese... yes. Z. Zodiac sign:Â Aries sun, Aquarius moon, Virgo asc., and both Mars and Venus in Taurus. Moooooo.
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Feel free to ignore, and consider yourself tagged if you want to do this! (Iâm not sure whoâs been tagged and who hasnât... eep. :) )
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Alphabet Game!
I was tagged by @daenerya, @alystargaryen, @sansastarkthequeen, and @sansarya THANK YOU LOVELIES! â¤
a - age: 27 b - birthplace: Missouri c - current time: 4: 25 pm d - drink you had last: sweet tea e - easiest person to talk to: probably my bff who I have known basically since birth f - favorite song: right now itâs Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran g - grossest memory: when this douche canoe in my class threw a dead snake at my head while we were at camp in 6th grade h - horror yes or no:  yes! i - in love?: no j - jealous of people?: it depends on the context. I am definitely very jealous of people who have their lives together. k - killed someone?: never on purpose l - love at first sight or should I walk past again?: walk past again. And you are also probably going to have to like, poke me or something, because I am never paying attention to anything going on. m - middle name: Marie n - number of siblings: one little sister o - one wish: a job that doesnât make me hate life p - person i called last: my grandma q - question youâre always asked: âhow tall are you?â and âwhere did you go to high school?â and âwhat kind of law?â r - reason to smile: my puppy s - song you last sang: probably some dumb song I made up for my dog. (Which is really just me singing popular/nursery rhyme songs and changing the words) u - underwear color: pink and navy v - vacation: New Orleans w - worst habit: omfg sooo many! Slouching, clenching my jaw, biting my nails, procrastinating, being terrible at adulting, I could go on and on. y - your favorite food: avocado toast :) (honestly though, this place by my house has the best fucking avocado toast ever I get it like once a week... So obviously I am The Most Millennial) z - zodiac: Aries
Tagging: @captaine-duckling, @manbunjon, @alittlestardustcaught, @the-ships-to-rule-them-all, @zoemonroe, @literrati, @clarkescrusade, @bisansastarks, @lydiia-martins, @starkandsnow, @starkroqers, @jessicallange and anyone else who wants to play! :)
#i have sooo many of these to catch up on!#slowly but surely I WILL DO IT!#alys memes#about me#alphabet game
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Tagged by  @queenyasimina  Rules: repost and tag blogs youâd like to get to know better!
I tag:  @captainshadowhunter625  @piratesangel  @cheshire0824  @capitanarmandosalazar
A. Age- 29
B. Birthplace: San Francisco, California
C. Current time: 9:39pm
D. Drink you last had: Coffee! Way too much. Jitters
E. Easiest person to talk to: My best friend Claire! Known each other since Freshman year in high school. We can pretty much talk about anything.
F. Favorite song: Currently, Iâd say anything by Akira Yamoaka
G. Grosset memory: Rat got in the wall, died, and then maggots appeared in the shower. Iâve also stepped in eviscerated rat guts, all thanks to the furry little wild hunter that was my dear cat Eliza.Â
H. Horror yes, or horror no? HORROR YES
I. In love? Nope!
J. Jealous of people? Iâm jealous of my momâs generation. They had cheap apartments. Iâm a broke Millennial that must fantasize about that kind of thing.
K. Killed someone? No, and I donât plan on it, unless my life is threatened, or my friendâs lives are. Then itâs on, and whoever or whatever it is is getting a Godzilla smackdown.
L. Love at first sight, or should I walk by again? I need to get to really know someone before i can say that I truthfully love them.
M. Middle name: Leah
N. Number of siblings: I am an only child. Sometimes i wish i had a sibling, but then co-workers and friends who do have siblings, remind me that Iâm perfectly alright as is.
O. One wish: How about 2 millions bucks? Get myself a decent 2 bedroom house on some cool property, fund my education to become a paleontologist, and travel expenses. Get my BA in art too.
P. Person you called last: My supervisor.
R. Reason to smile: Dinosaurs, my friends, nature, movies, music, coffee, chocolate, the fact the next Godzilla movie is on itâs way and Iâm gonna get to see Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah in action alongside The King.
S. Song you sang last: Krusty Krab Pizza song
T. Top 3 fictional characters: Rexy (the T-rex from Jurassic Park) Heather Mason (Silent Hill 3) Hermione Granger. I have a very long list of favs though
U Underwear color: Black
V. Vacation: I want to drive all the way to Alaska
W. Whatâs you Birthday: February 2nd. I am in fact a Giant Groundhog in disguise
X. X-rays: None so far. Never broken a bone. And Iâve fallen down stairs, gone flying off a swingset, went ass over teakettle on a scooter. Knock on wood, my bones continue being fine.
Y. Favorite food: pasta anything. Seafood is also awesome
Z. Zodiac sign: Aquarius
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ABC tag
Tagged by @neon-lake, thanks!Â
A: Age? Old Millennial-aged
B: Birthplace? U.S (northeastern)
C: Current Time? 7:12 pm
D: Drink you last had? water
E: Easiest person to talk to? best friend, brother (different people)
F: Favorite song? Under The Milky Way by The Church
G: Grossest moment? I mean Iâm an adult human, Iâve had food poisoning at some point in my life, I donât know what you want from me.
H: Horror no or horror yes? I would say horror no but I do like horror-tinged supernatural podcasts. No to movies (Get Out excepted)
I: In love? Nope.
J: Jealous of people? Sometimes but all things considered things are pretty okay right now
K: Killed someone? No, seriously what the fuck
L: Love at first sight? I donât think so; I think you can be interested at first sight and fall in love and later think it was love at first sight, but love takes time.
M: Middle name? Starts with R.
N: Number of siblings? 3
O: One wish? Can I combine world peace and world acceptance of science as fact? If not I guess world peace and Iâll work on the science the hard way.
P: Person you called last? My mom.
Q: Question(s) you âre asked often? âHow do I get to (place)?â Not interesting, but true.
R: Reason to smile? Cute animals, stupid puns, good sitcoms, that guy at Google getting fired today
S: Song you last sang? Daddy Lessons - BeyonceÂ
T: Time you woke up? 7:10 am
U: Underwear color? Patterned.
V: Vacation destination? Honestly a lot of places, I havenât traveled much. Most of Europe? Australia and NZ? Japan? All sound pretty good.
W: Worst habit? Nail biting.
X: X-rays? Have I had them? Yes. Do I have a masterâs degree in them, basically and work with them regularly? Also yes.
Y: Your favorite food? I canât decide between sushi and tacos; depends on mood.
Z: Zodiac sign? Aquarius.
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My favorite Philly person Lauren @hrrytomlinson tagged me to do this fun ABC challenge. I love these things, so letâs get started!Â
A) Age: 26 uggghhhhh.... Only for 25 more days =(
B) Biggest fear: Drowning. So when I go swimming I always use a full mask - the one with the nose piece and goggles attached. Otherwise iâm not going under the water.Â
C) Current time: 8:11 am
D) Drink you last had: Milk
E) Every day starts with: Hitting snooze 4-5 times and wishing I was rich
F) Favourite song atm: Strip That Down. Paynoooo
G) Ghosts. Are they real??: I was literally talking to my kids about this the other day, lol. But like, I donât believe that theyâre real, although other people that Iâm friends with claim that their house has a spirit in it and that theyâve seen/heard it. I donât know. I donât think so, though.Â
H) Hometown?: Wenonah. Literally nothing happens here. I feel like I write that into a lot of my stories, too, lol.Â
I) In love with?: The idea of one day being fully independent and happy and not having the same worries that I do now.
J) Jealous of?: Full time teachers. And people whose fics get put on those âBest xx Fics Iâve ever readâ lists or are deemed as classics.Â
K) Killed Someone?: On the Sims, sure.Â
L) Last time you cried: Oh I donât remember. I did tear up a little bit yesterday, though, because there was an awards ceremony at my school, and one of the teachers there was being honored because sheâs retiring this year and sheâs been there for 30 years. And the first graders sang some songs and dedicated one to her. It was so cute.Â
M) Middle name: Krystyna (Christina)Â
N) Number of siblings: Just one older brother.Â
O) One wish: For Trump/Pence to no longer be in office and for someone to fix all the shit heâs fucked up so far.Â
P) Person you last called/texted: Oh I texted my friend because the two of us were supposed to go to another friendâs house, and I literally forgot until it was almost time to leave. So I texted her to see if she forgot, too. She didnât.Â
Q) Questions you are always asked: How do you say/spell your name? In high school, people would always ask me if I was mixed. That was cool. And my family likes to ask if Iâve applied for any teaching jobs yet. Thatâs fun.Â
R) Reasons to smile: Sleeping in. Having a day off from work thatâs not a weekend. Concerts. New music from my favorite artists. Friends. Family. Trying new things.Â
S) Song last sung: The Degrassi theme song, if that counts. If not, I canât remember. Probably something on the radio.Â
T) Time you woke up: I woke up at 7 am today. Which is super late for me.Â
U) Underwear colour: Hot pink. Oooohhhh...Â
V) Verse from a song you like: Once I never could hope to win / You starting down the road and leaving me again / The threats you made were meant to cut me down / And if our love was just a circus, youâd be a clown by now
W) Worst habit: I procrastinate everything. And I donât get enough sleep. So, typical millennial, I guess.Â
X) X-rays youâve had: Iâve fractured my ankles three times in total, so all of those. And a few months ago, I had to get X-rays on my back because it was spasming so much that I couldnât move and my dad yelled at them until they did it, lol.Â
Y) Your favourite food: Mac and Cheese!Â
Z) Zodiac sign: Cancer.Â
To do this, I tag @louissbbtomlinson @temporaryfixlouis @louislittlefeetsies @dimpled-halo @a-writerwrites @jaerie @suddenclarityharry @twopoppies. IF youâve already been tagged to do it, Iâm sorry!Â
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Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday!
For those who donât know, the Top Ten Tuesday Tag is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
10. Batgirl of Burnside â Â Cameron Stewart
Brenden Fletcher, Jared K. Fletcher (Letterer), Maris Wicks (Colorist), Babs Tarr (Illustrator)
Batgirl of Burnside split the DC readership right down the middle. People either really liked it or they didnât. I really enjoyed it. This version of Batgirl was marketed towards the #millennials with the narrative focusing around social media, online dating and identity. The story was small and personal, making it a nice break from the large scale narratives happening in the rest of the DCU.
The art is also worth mentioning. Itâs bright, expressive and eye catching. If youâre looking for a quick fun read than I suggest you pick up this Batgirl run.
Check out our review of Volume One of Batgirl of Burnside here.
9. Watchmen â Alan Moore
When people are arguing whether comics are capital âLâ literature, Watchmen is the comic that most people bring up. The first time I read this book I had a hard time getting into it, I think I was too young. When I picked it up for a university course years later I fell completely and totally in love.
Both a super hero story and a critique on the nature of superhero stories, Watchmen is beautifully put together. The twelve part follows a now disbanded team of vigilantes who are being picked off one by one by an assassin. Watchmen uses the panel structure and page layout as much as it uses dialogue and images to tell its story. Because of that Watchmen is a highly structured and stylized book.
This comic series is not perfect and Iâve been throwing around the idea of doing a series of posts analyzing it. Maybe Iâll get to it. Someday. Hopefully.
8. Batwoman â J.H. Williams III (Writer, Illustrator), W. Haden Blackman (Writer), Amy Reeder (Illustrator), Richard Friend (Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colourist)
The art in Batwoman is breathtaking.
The series follows Kate Kane as she returns to Gotham City. Kane needs to find a way to balance her social life (a new romance) and her life as a crime fighting caped crusader. It doesnât help that the woman that Kane is interested in also happens to be one of the police officers trying to track Batwoman down.
Volume One: Hydrology was my first ever introduction to the character and I fell in love with her instantly. A little more stylized and dreamlike than her male counterpart, Batwoman is perfect for anyone who is looking for a little bit more magic and monsters in their superhero stories.
7. Hark A Vagrant â Kate Beaton
Kate Beaton makes funny comics based off of history, literature, art, or whatever strikes her fancy. Her work never fails to make me laugh. I suggest picking up her two collections Hark a Vagrant and Step Aside Pops and binge read them. Youâre going to laugh so hard itâs going to hurt.
At the time of writing this post, Beaton is on hiatus as she finishes up a graphic novel. But you can check out her comic archives on her website.
6. Hellblazer
John Constantine is a magician and a bastard and I love him.
My father introduced me to Hellblazer when I was a teenager and I started following the story religiously. His original run ended in February 2013, but since has been rebooted twice.
Constantine combines two of my greatest loves: magic and hard boiled detective fiction. This is a man that is followed by constant pain, especially when he attempts to do right by others. His past is always coming back to haunt him. Hellblazer is able to walk the line between the superhero story and the cosmic horror story.
My favourite issue of Hellblazer âOn the Beachâ can be found in the Volume 2: The Devil You Know. In it, Constantine tries to spend a relaxing day at the beach, but things go from wrong to weird when a nearby nuclear plant goes criticalâŚ
5. Locke and Key â Joe Hill & Gabriel RodrĂguez
I discovered Locke and Key after reading Joe Hillâs novel Horns. Locke and Key follows three siblings who move into an old house after the death of their father. In the house they discover magical keys that do different things and can give them different abilities. They also discover that their familyâs past might be a little darker than they ever imagined. Locke and Key is both a heartfelt story about growing up and the loss of innocence. Itâs also really creepy.
If youâre a fan of dark fantasy, then this might be your cup of tea. The story starts out strong and has one of the most satisfying conclusions I have ever come across for a comic. The art is pretty rad as well.
Locke and Key is supposedly being adapted into a film trilogy, so hereâd hoping that actually happens.
4. The Mighty Thor â Jason Aaron (Writer), Russell Dauterman (Illustrator), Jorge Molina(Illustrator)
Thor is no longer worthy and cannot bare MjÜlnir. But, when the Frost Giants invade earth an  unknown woman takes up the hammer to defend humanity. Who is this new Thor? Not only does she have to defend the earth from the usual rogue gallery, but from Odin who is insulted by her existence.
The female run of Thor has been a lot of fun. I was originally worried that this was going to be a short lived gimmick and Iâm glad to see that I was wrong. At the time of writing this post our Lady Goddess is still going strong.
Check out our reviews for The Goddess of Thunder, Who Holds the Hammer and Thunder in Her Veins.
3. Rat Queens â Kurtis J. Wiebe
Rat Queens follows four badass female adventurers living in a fantasy world. Theyâre crude, theyâre hysterical and they feel like theyâre your best friends.
The series has been rocked by controversy when it came out that artist and Rat Queens co-creator Roc Upchurch was arrests for domestic abuse against his wife. Which was then followed up by a weak self destruction of a third story arc.
Creator Kurtis J. Wiebe is rebooting the series. So hopefully good things will be in the future for our favourite adventurers. Iâm hopeful. I miss them.
Check out our reviews of Volumes One & Two and Volume Three
2. Monstress â Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (Artist), Rus Wooton (Letterer)
Monstress manages to combine mythology, steampunk and cosmic horror wrapped up in a beautiful art deco style. Â Every single panel in this book could be framed and hung on a wall.
The comic follows Maika, as she tries to solve the mystery of her past and the connection she possesses with a demonic force. In the first volume, Monstress hints at a grand story set against a complicated world. This is one of those books that the less you know, the more fun you will have reading it. So check it out, you wonât be disappointed.
Check out our review of Monstress here.
1. Â Sandman â Neil Gaiman
Sandman was the comic that made me love comics again. With Sandman, Neil Gaiman blends mythology, superheroes, literature and religion into a complicated and beautiful story. Sandman follows Morpheus the Lord of Dreams, who at the beginning of the narrative has been captured by a cult who had laid a trap for Death. As the series progresses, Morpheus has to come to terms with his past decisions, the changing world around him and most importantly himself.
The art of Sandman varies from issue to issue which helps add to itâs dreamlike quality.
Sandman is my favourite comic of all time, but if I had to choose one issue to focus on it would be Desire from The Endless Nights mini series. Itâs beautiful and bittersweet and gets to me every time I read it.
This list was long overdue, but a lot of fun to put together. I love comics and am always looking for new series to follow! if you have any to recommend send them my way. But until next time and next Tuesday (whenever that is) happy reading!
#death of the author#sandman#batgirl#comics#locke and key#batgirl of burnside#graphic novels#monstress#kate beaton#hark a vagrant#rat queens#thor#john constatine#hellblazer#batwoman#watchman
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