Comfortably numb

The shoot had been a success; the photographer had plenty of pictures to choose from for the campaign and everyone was sent on their way. Still in full make up, Bella changed back into her clothes she had worn to set that day. “What are you up to for the rest of the day?” Bella asked Harry while they were walking out. The sunlight was harsh when they first got outside since the majority of the set of the shoot had been pretty dimly lit besides the spots right in front of the camera.

Stepping back out of the studio after getting back into his normal clothes Harry slipped on a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes from the big fiery heat ball on the sky, also known as the sun. “I don’t have anything planned the rest of the day. Cara’s busy today, so I have the whole day to myself.” He told her with a soft smile playing over his lips. He turned his head and looked towards the model. “What about you? You busy or do you have time for a coffee or lunch or something? I don’t know about you, but all this modelling stuff has really made me hungry.”

          “Valentine’s day is awesome too, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes it just feels a little too exclusive when there are so many different kinds of love to be had out there. Even a parent’s love for their child is still love, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be a romantic kind of love, I don’t think. But I was lucky enough to find someone to celebrate Valentine’s Day with this year, so I got to celebrate a little of both myself.”

"No, I get what you mean, but when it's promoted, Valentine's day is made out to be for couples only, and I don't know about you - but I find that a bit wrong...?? Does that make sense. Like you said, there are so many different types of love you can show, but Valentine's Day is directed to couples. And sex, of course, so that the sex shops get to sell things low-key as well. Yeah? That's lucky. I did too, so I've been lucky, as well."

          “I’m a little late to the party here, but I wanted to give my two cents on Valentine’s Day. I have always found it interesting that we celebrate Ystävänpäivää in Finland instead of Valentine’s Day like everyone else does. Ystävänpäivää can translate to Friendship Day because we like to include everyone there and not leave anyone out. We shower our friends with our platonic love for them and give them things, along with our sweetheart too. I dunno, I just tend to think that Valentine’s Day should be a celebration of the many different kinds of love that there are out there because it can take on many different forms that we often don’t seem to think about.”

"That's actually really beautiful, considering those who don't feel included (aka those who don't have a romantic partner) on Valentine's day seem to want to tear it apart for everyone tryng to have a good time. Both are nice traditions, but maybe we should make it a norm that if you don't have romantic plans on valentines day you can celebrate Friendship day like in Finland."

Dark eyes scanned the city skyline of his hometown. “Right; it is good to be back in London I say,” Alfred stated.The man jumped at a sudden realization. “Oh f-shit I left my glasses at the airport!” This was not how Molina wanted to start out his homecoming. 

A frown spread over Harry's features as he heard the other male. "Sorry to hear that." he told him with a small smile. "I know of a place you can get new glasses, but I'm afraid I don't have any for you to have... I don't wear them myself." he offered.

+

“How is Cara? I haven’t seen her in a really long time either,” Bella tucked a strand of dark hair behind one of her ears, “How’s married life?” The brunette got the vibe that Harry had sort of been hoping there wouldn’t be many people he knew there on set that day and Bella couldn’t help but wonder why he might be feeling that way. Maybe the hiatus had him feeling more private or like he didn’t want to risk having to bump into a bunch of people and face their million and one questions about when he was going to be making new music. Eventually, Bella and Harry were called to set with the rest of the celebrities at the shoot that day. Make-up artists were still touching up some of the girls’ make-up and someone fixed Bella’s hair quickly before the photographer and shoot director started instructing everyone on how they wanted them to pose. “These guys have the really hard job today,” Bella teased, looking over at Harry before gesturing towards the photographers when they weren’t looking. Bella couldn’t even imagine having to direct 20+ people on how to pose for a single photograph and have the picture actually turn out the way they wanted it. After about thirty pictures had been taken, they were allowed to break for a while before they had a wardrobe change and they’d be shooting again. “Hey, where’d you get that tea you were drinking before? My throat’s all scratchy. I could use some,” Bella peered over at one of the tables before glancing over at Harry.

“I don’t think they realised they were working with idiots when they were set up with this bunch of celebrities.” Harry said with a laugh rolling from his lips as they waited for the photographers to push the models and other celebrities around until they were exactly where they wanted to be. “I admire their strength and patience, though. I wouldn’t be able to do this.” Harry explained after they had been let off on a short break as the photographers and set designers turned the set into something to fit the pictures of smaller groups. “Oh, just over here. There’s a hidden table of goods over there.” He explained to her and gestured for her to follow him over to the table. He reached for a small bottle of water for himself. “The lights on a photoshoot are always so warm it turns your throat into some kind of desert.” He shook his head and put the cap back on the bottle after taking a sip.

@harrystyles-ldn

Harry stirred slightly in his sleep when he noticed fingers running through his hair, and soft lips to his temple. He let out a soft hum, a content smile spreading over his lips. He brought his hands up to rub his eyes tiredly, before blinking his eyes open. His smile widened when he saw Cara, and he pulled her into the bed properly, curling up to her warm body. “Maybe if we stay quiet no one will know we’re missing today. And we can spend Valentine’s day at home. Warm and comfortable.” He told her, looking up at her and kissing her cheek gently before he pushed himself up in a sitting position.

pt. 2: low quality version.

Bella had met Harry a few times at a couple of events in the past and he was really the only other person there that Bella sort of knew. Not that they knew each other well, but they knew one another well enough that Bella gravitated towards him after getting her make-up done to chat with him while they waited for everyone else to be ready. “Harry!” She gave him a tiny wave, “Long time no see.” The brunette walked over to him, sipping one her coffee while trying not to spill any on the white tank top they had her dressed in. “How have you been?” Bella was curious if any of his other bandmates were there that day or if it was just Harry there. It seemed like they were going to try and cram as many ‘celebrities’ as they could into one photo and it was actually a cool concept, having all of them dressed in jeans and a white tank top with letters painted in black paint on the front to spell something out. Bella was just happy she was getting a chance to be a part of this; it was for an amazing cause and compared to these other people at the photoshoot, she was still relatively unknown.

Harry looked up when he heard a familiar voice. He looked around a little confused until he noticed the little wave from Bella. A dimpled smile formed over his lips as she came closer to him so they could have a chat. He didn’t know her all that well, but he was happy to see that there were at least one person he’d said hello to before. “Hey, it’s good to see you again.” He told her with a soft smile. “I’ve been good. Trying to enjoy the hiatus at the fullest, though, I’m ready to go back to work now.” He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “How about you? I haven’t seen you in a while.” He offered as he finished his cup of tea and set the empty cup on the table next to where they were standing, and one of the cleaners around the shoot picked it up only moments later to take it to the kitchen. “I wasn’t sure what to expect coming to this shoot. I haven’t heard from the other boys, and I knew Cara wasn’t doing it, so I didn’t know if I’d know anyone here.” He said. He wondered how evident the relief was on his face when he said it.

“It is. I don’t think there’s any way to avoid it. The saddest thing is that the less fortune seem to complain less and just appreciate what they do have. While everyone else takes things for granted and gets angry over something like having to get a new television remote.” She tried to remind herself of that whenever she felt like being bitter, but it really was something in human nature, everyone was set in the habit. “Fast food is just so tempting. Honestly, I’m not sure it does any good. I have my days where I eat salads and, you know, snack on dark chocolate and almonds and put the chips aside. But then I also have my days where I can eat a twenty piece chicken nugget and a large fry and a milkshake at once and not even regret it. Then eat junk food on and off all day. Maybe it’s alright, maybe it all balances out. I’m not sure.” She laughed, “A little McDonald’s won’t kill you.” When he mentioned wanting a house down there, she nodded. She had absolutely no idea where she would be living at this time next year, but for now she was content in London. “You could always get a summer house and make a permanent move later. I bet it would be a nice place to live.”

”That’s actually true. I don’t know if you’ve done any travelling to like, other countries for charities and stuff? We went to Africa for Comic Relief, and I mean, it made me appreciate what I have a lot more. Because they had nothing. And once for Sports Relief one of the Radio DJ’s off of Radio 1 spoke to the Syrian refugees, who used to have what we have – but then it was all of a sudden taken from them. But they don’t really complain, you know? I think they just think as long as they are alive and somewhat well, they don’t complain. Which is admirable, and shows how spoiled we kind of are in the western parts of the world.” Harry pointed out. It may or may not be one of the things he thought about every now and then. Though, it wasn’t exactly something he liked thinking about, he knew it was important that they did something to help those who had less. That was why he was always eager to help with charities and the like. “Yeah, a little McDonald’s now and then won’t hurt you. Did you ever see that documentary? Supersize me or whatever it was called? Put me off it for a little bit, I won’t lie.” Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he made the correct turns through the narrow streets once they reached Brighton. It always made him regret getting such a big car. “Yeah, maybe. Maybe when the wife and I retired and can sit outside in rocking chairs and watch the waves, wondering why no one bothers visiting us.” He laughed as he pulled up at a parking spot. “There we are!” He said cheerfully and unbuckled himself and reached for his phone that had been charging while he had been driving.

Harry x Botticelli

“I guess we like to complain. Isn’t it sad?” She laughed. “I’m better off waiting until the last minute anyway, every time I go, I get way too much junk food. And then I have to eat it all. So if I went on schedule, I don’t even want to imagine what my cabinets and my refrigerator would look like. And I act like drinking a smoothie here and there means that I’m healthy. I’m the most pathetic kind of person.” She joked but in reality she ate plenty of vegetables and healthy meals, when she had the time to prepare them instead of ordering fries, and she did look after her diet. She avoided eating meat and she tried to keep her popcorn intake low, but she loved food so much that it was hard. “Oh, that’s a good point.” Debby nodded, considering it more and more. The idea was exciting and if she gave it serious thought, she would probably realize it was someone she really wanted to do, though it hadn’t occurred to her until he brought it up. “I will look into it. I would hate to miss out on an opportunity because I didn’t check it out.” She could do some internet surfing and find some answers. “Hopefully,” she agreed. “But it’s alright if it just wasn’t meant to happen. Oh, I believe you. I bet it would be a great place to bring a notebook and just sit and write.”

“I suppose so. That’s humanity for you and all that, yeah?” Harry shook his head at the thought. It was kind of sad how much people complained, despite nothing really being wrong. First world problems, or whatever they called it – Harry did have a lot of those if he was being completely honest. Gemma, his sister, loved to point them out to him whenever they came to the surface without him really meaning for them to. “I try to eat healthy as well, but now that there isn’t really anything I have to be in shape for I’m not really bothered. I’ve had more McDonald’s lately than any person should be proud of, really.” He laughed a little at the thought. “So kudos to you for eating properly every now and then. Some of us are really slacking in that area.” Neither he nor Cara had really taken it upon themselves to cook something healthy. “Yeah, you should absolutely look into it, or have your people look into it or something. It might be worth it.” Harry sent her a soft smile. “It’s perfect. I kind of want a house down there at some point, but maybe a summer house is my thing.” He mused thoughtfully and shrugged his shoulders at the thought. Right now he was really happy where he was living in London.

Harry Styles // 02/02

          “You moved into a new place? That’s cool. How’d the move go? I’ve been good, but it’s harder than you might think to try an’ stay out of trouble… nah, we’re workin’ on a new album at the moment that should be out later this summer, and we’re taking a break from time to time to go out on stage to do some live shows. I guess that you could say that I’ve been kind of busy with the move and everythin’ else.”

"I did! I finally moved in with the missus. I'm not really sure why it took us so long, but here we are! I can imagine. I hope that boxing lesson paid off to keep up some form of self-defense, at least. Wow, it sounds like you've been very busy. You've got an album, coming, though, that's really cool!"

She shook her head in answer to his question – nothing. “Drink a lot of orange juice, that’s solid advice. I’ll grab some the next time I take a trip to the store. And I should probably make that soon. I always get dangerously close to running out of food altogether before I go back, so keeping food stored is a habit I should work on.” Musicals was a route she hadn’t thought of, though his suggestion did make her want to look into them. She had done a lot of theatre during school, but she had never been able to do it for work, all of her acting gigs had been onscreen. It might be time to branch out. “That’s not a bad idea, I would love that. I’m afraid though, that if I do go for something new, my plate will be full again before I know it. I auditioned for a show and I got the role but then production was kind of halted, so… I don’t even know what’s happening there. I need to get in touch with someone about it.” Another actress had changed her mind and she had yet to hear when they were recasting or how they were going to work around it, or if they even planned to. “Good. I guess as long as it’s an accident…” Debby trailed off with a laugh, “Sounds good to me. Even if is a bit cold, it’ll be worth it.”

“You’re like me. I don’t usually go shopping until I have to, and I always complain about not getting out enough. You’d think going to the supermarket came around as a welcome thing to do, but no. I would rather sit down by my laptop and do a delivery to my door just so I can moan a bit more.” Harry shook his head at himself and chuckled softly. It was a British stereotype how they would moan about everything whilst sipping tea, but Harry felt like it was absolutely not necessary for him to confirm any of these. “You might do. But I don’t think you’d get hired straight away, you know? Depending on how soon they needed the role to be filled. It could be worth looking into if musicals or theatre in general is something you’d be interested in doing.” He offered with a soft smile. “Oh, really?” He frowned a little. “Hopefully that gets up and running, though. It’s sad to see a production go to waste already before it’s started, properly. Brighton will be worth it, I promise. It’s such a nice place.” He said excitedly. “I sometimes go down there just for the peace and quiet some places on the pier in like, summer evenings and all.”