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holdmeclosertinytaron · 1 year

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Chapter Four

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this next instalment of ETTC!! Thank you to everyone who has been liking, commenting and messaging me about the story. It means the world.

Warnings: Explicit language, consumption of alcohol

Word Count: 8.2k

Story Page / FAQs / ETTC chats.

The pub was busier than Amelia had ever seen it that night, though there were only an additional five tables occupied than normal. Though there was a certain hustle and bustle that came with those few extra people, Amelia welcomed it with open arms.

After three in the incredibly quiet village where not a lot happened, being surrounded by more people was just what she needed. It made her feel a little more at home.

The only issue with there being more people in the pub was her usual table in the far back corner wasn’t free like it normally was. So, she opted to sit in front of the roaring fire, letting the heat radiate throughout her entire body. She sat far enough away that she wasn’t sweating from the heat, but close enough that when the door opened, she didn’t feel the draft entering the building.

Her steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes went down a treat and just as she was about to get up to get another drink, Kaine walked over with a drink for her.

‘How did you?’

‘Read your mind,’ he replied with a smirk. ‘No, it’s a bit of a habit you have. After you’ve eaten, you’ll wait five or so minutes and then come up and get a drink.’

Amelia was shocked. She’d not realised that she was so readable but at the same time, she should have known. Everywhere she turned there was someone who knew something about her life that she didn’t know was common knowledge.

‘Well thank you,’ she offered as she took the glass of wine from him.

‘No Taron today?’

‘Kaine, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you,’ Amelia mumbled as she looked at him, his tongue pressed into his cheek. ‘There is nothing going on between Taron and me.’

But oh how she wished there was.

‘But if you must know,’ she continued, emphasising ‘must’ by tilting her head ever so slightly to the left, ‘he is working until six and then will probably be going home to put his feet up because if you haven’t noticed, it’s bloody freezing outside and he’s been working since eight this morning.’

‘You know an awful lot about his work schedule for there to be nothing going on between you,’ Kaine jested while grabbing Amerlia’s empty plate and walking away before she could reply.

Another glass of wine later, Amelia finally pulled her phone out of her bag. There were random instagram notifications of people liking her most recent photo– one she had taken months before to try and make people believe she was still in LA and not in the English countryside– as well as her daily Co-Star notification and three text messages.

From: Haz :)

They’ve asked me to do three more press interviews! I’m so tired and just want bedddddd… and my partner in crime. Work isn’t as fun without you :(( x

From: Mama

Any men popped up since last time we text? Xx

From: Lukey 🤍

Lmao that sounds…interesting. Any plans for tonight?

Choosing to ignore her mum for the time being, simply so that she could avoid having another conversation about the lack of a man in her life, and knowing that it would cause Harry to pout and playfully sulk if she were to reply to Luke first, Amelia decided to respond to Luke first.

To: Lukey 🤍

I’ve just had tea at the pub and I think I’m going to sit here for a couple of hours and have a few drinks before heading back for the night :))

Her fingers moved fast against the keyboard on her phone and she only made a couple of mistakes that were easily fixable. It didn’t take Luke long to reply which could only mean that she was on her way home from work and bored on the tube.

From: Lukey 🤍

That honestly sounds perfect! I think I’m just gonna pop 10 Things on and eat my weight in chocolate lmao. Don’t tell H but I’m going to open the Quality Streets early :)))))

Amelia chuckled before sending a quick reply and promising not to tell Harry of his boyfriend’s antics. She locked her phone then, putting it on the table in front of her and enjoying the final song that the live band was playing. Over the course of their set, she had taken a couple of videos to show Harry the next time she saw him.

As families and a few of the older gentlemen started to trickle out of the pub, a few others started to trickle in, filling the seats that sat near the small clear space that had been designated as a stage. Amelia paid close attention to everyone around her, her love and need for people watching kicking in fully.

Kaine weaved his way through the tables until he stood at the front of the room. He clapped when the band finished their cover of Bohemian Rhapsody before he stood behind the microphone and cleared his throat.

'Evening lads and lasses.' He was unable to continue speaking from the low mumbles of everyone in the pub repeating ‘evening’. 'It’s Friday night karaoke night! I’ll leave a little sign up sheet here for you to write your names down then when our ever so lovely Kelly comes in, I’ll come and sign everyone up properly. Bar’s open all evening!'

With that, everyone clapped again and the pub’s sound system kicked in, playing a song that Amelia couldn’t quite remember the name of. She kept checking her phone to see if she had any more text messages but she didn’t so she finally replied to Harry. Or at least she started to. Halfway through her text two hands landed heavily on her shoulders and she almost jumped out of her skin.

'What the?'

As she turned around, the two people she least expected to see stood smiling widely at her.

'If it isn’t Pretty Baby Bray…' Harry joked playfully.

'What the hell are you two doing here?' Amelia replied with her hand on her heart. She was easy to scare and Harry knew that, which is why he would purposely scare her when they were on set together.

'I don’t know about this idiot but I missed you like crazy,' Luke piped up from next to Harry.

Amelia saw her close friend and stood up from her seat. She instantly wrapped her arms around Luke and held him tight. Her friendship with Harry had resulted in a really close relationship with his boyfriend and they would often have brunch dates when they were both in the same city.

'Do you want a drink, babe? I’m gonna go grab myself a beer.'

Luke let go of her friend and turned to his boyfriend, thinking for a second before turning to Amelia.

'You’re here a lot. What do you recommend I get?'

'Southern Comfort and Diet Coke,’ Amelia replied instantly. ‘Sweet and tasty. So bloody good. I’ve gotten a little tipsy on them a few times.'

'Two Southern Comforts and Diet Coke coming right up,' Harry spoke happily before walking over to the bar to get the drinks.

'Who introduced you to that drink?' Luke asked gently as he sat down next to Amelia, leaving the seat with the back to the fire for Harry.

'Taron,' Amelia replied simply.

'Taron? Taron as in the Taron you keep texting H about? Talking about how he makes you flustered and nervous all the time? How on many occasions you’ve ‘made a complete fool of yourself’ but Taron was gracious and simply brushed it off? How there hasn’t been a guy before Taron that you have ‘fancied the pants off’?'

Amelia couldn’t reply. Her cheeks were red hot and visibly darker in colour. She shifted in her seat and drank the last bit of the drink she had already all while Luke laughed at her.

'You’re so predictable, babe. Is this guy really that amazing?'

'Yes.'

He really was. He was the most amazing and Amelia couldn’t comprehend how she’d been so lucky as to have him in her life, even if just for a short time.

Though she didn’t have the heart to tell her friend that she and Taron weren’t exactly on the best of terms at that point. Ever since their incident in the street a few days before, they hadn’t spoken. Not for want of trying. Taron had texted Amelia multiple times trying to get her to let him explain and he’d even tried to call her but she ignored it. She was too scared to know the truth.

******

When Kaine walked over to the table with a tray of four tall glasses a little while later, each filled with a beautifully ombréd drink in them, Amelia was beyond confused.

'What is this, Kaine?' She asked as she tilted her head up so that she could look at Kaine properly.

'A Snookums. Harry mentioned your nickname a little earlier. It’s basically a Gatsby but with muddled strawberries,' Kaine replied as though Amelia should have known what the drink was. The only problem was that even after being told what it was Amelia still looked completely clueless to which Kaine, and Harry alike, couldn’t help but laugh. 'There’s brandy and gin in it as well as apple juice and strawberries. It might be gross but I thought you’d appreciate something different.'

Amelia took a small sip of the drink and her eyes fell closed in pure euphoria. 'Oh…my…god. That’s so good, Kaine! You’re going to have to keep these coming tonight.'

Luke and Harry chuckled from their places as they took the first sips of their own Snookums’. Amelia hadn’t been lying, it was really good, and Luke could tell that if she were to keep up and drink more then she would slowly become more and more drunk.

'I’ll keep ‘em coming, lovely. Talk to you soon.' Kaine gave Amelia a small wink before walking back to the bar where he was met with a multitude of older men waiting to be served.

'Why’s the barman winking at you?' Luke asked curiously.

'You two got a thing going on?' Harry added playfully.

'You two are actually as bad as one another, you know? That’s Kaine and he’s my oldest friend’s boyfriend.'

The look of pure hurt on Harry’s face caused Amelia to bend over in her seat laughing. Of course, she knew that he wasn’t really hurt or she wouldn’t have laughed. But he was an actor after all.

‘Haz, stop being a child! I haven’t spoken to Thalia in a while and I don’t know when the next time will be either. You know that you’re my best friend…after Luke.'

'Ha! Told you she loved me more!'

The group’s playful banter was exactly what Amelia had been missing since she first arrived in Rivercliffe. It wasn’t that she didn’t have friends there because obviously she did. It was just that herself, Luke and Harry would take the piss out of one another and then laugh about it. There was something keeping her from being her true self in the village and as much as she knew what that was, she was scared to admit it properly.

******

'Hey mate,' Harry chirped as he walked up to the bar for the third time that evening.

'Hey mate. You’re Amelia’s friend…Harry, right?'

'Aye that’s me. Look, mate, I desperately need your help.'

Kaine put his hand towel back through his belt loops before putting his hands on top of the bar and lifting his head slightly. 'Depends what it is, but sure I’ll bite I guess.'

'Perfect. Do you know a bloke called-'

'You’re going to ask me about Taron aren’t you?'

Harry knew that there was a possibility that Kaine wouldn’t know where Taron was, but he had to try. When Amelia had called him the night everything happened in floods of tears and near a panic attack, he wished that he could have been there to hold her and calm her down. And even if it killed him, he would get them both back talking again because Amelia hadn’t been as happy before as she was when she was with Taron .

'How did you…?'

'Look, Harry, I’ve got eyes and a brain. Those two need someone to bash their heads together and I feel like you’d be the best person to do that anyway. Amelia mentioned that he’s working until six and then he’ll probably be heading home.'

'Perfect. Do you think if I head off to try and persuade him to come for the karaoke night you could make some excuse up with the missus and Amelia about where I’ve gone? I’ll be ten minutes tops.'

Kaine nodded with a smile. 'Course I can. Be quick or someone’s gonna steal your seat I can guarantee it.'

'Will do. Thanks again, Kaine.'

'It’s no problem, brother.'

With that, Harry was legging it out of the pub and running all the way back to the bed and breakfast where Taron should have been getting ready to finish his shift.

As though the universe was working in favour of Harry, Taron was just closing the gate behind him when Harry turned the corner.

'Taron!' He shouted the best he could through his pants. If there was one thing that Harry was, it was unfit.

'That’s me.'

Taron stayed where he was until Harry got closer to him so they could talk without shouting.

'I’m a friend of Amelia’s.'

Amelia. Even hearing her name had Taron’s stomach twisting awkwardly. For days he’d tried to get in contact with her just so that he could explain what happened and for days she had ignored his efforts. At one point he was contemplating catching her when they were out and about so that he could tell her to her face but he chickened out at the last minute.

'I know what happened between you both the other night.'

'Look, Harry, I swear I’m not-'

'I know,' Harry spoke quietly. He knew that with Taron trying to get in contact with Amelia that he was telling the truth. 'She’s just fucking stubborn. But she also knows deep down that you were telling the truth and she feels stupid and is scared to admit that she was in the wrong. It’s the way it goes with her.'

'I’m not mad at her, if that’s what she thinks. I don’t think any less of her for thinking what she did because if the roles were reversed then I would have done the same'

'I know, pal. That’s why I need you to come to the pub before her and my other half get too suspicious as to why I just left them. Come with me and explain to her. She won’t walk away if I’m there because I won’t let her leave.'

Taron thought about it for a while, watching the way that he could see his breath in the below freezing temperatures. As much as he wanted to go to the pub and see Amelia, he was scared. What if she refused to listen to him? Or worse yet, what if she told him that she hated him and didn’t want to see him? His heart broke when she walked off from him and he didn’t think he could deal with her telling him to his face that she hated him.

'Listen, I know it’s scary and you’re unsure as to how she’ll respond but she wants to talk to you. Told me herself.'

'I’ll come.'

'Perfect.'

******

'Your left big toe was cold so you went to get your woollen socks?' Luke asked with raised eyebrows as Harry sat himself down on his seat and pushed himself closer to the fire so that he could warm up. In the heat of him leaving the pub he hadn’t taken his coat with him. 'You’re not even wearing them.'

'Well, you see, what happened was-'

Harry couldn’t even finish what he was saying before Taron was putting his drink down on the table and sitting next to Amelia. Harry nodded at him with a small smile before he turned to his boyfriend and kissed him quickly, wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into his body. Amelia turned to glare at her friend with her tongue in her cheek before she turned to Taron with her lips pulled between her teeth.

'Luke, this is Taron,' Harry spoke, needing to clear the tension at the table. 'Taron, this is my boyfriend, Luke.'

'It’s lovely to meet you, Luke.' Taron offered Luke his hand and dipped his head down slightly when she shook it. 'Amelia’s said so much about you. Says you’re one of her best friends.'

'Amelia is truly the best.'

'She is.'

With that they all fell quiet again. Amelia lifted her glass in a hurry and pulled it to her lips, tipping her head back to down the rest of the liquid which burnt her throat.

'I’m going to go get another drink,' she said through gritted teeth before she harshly pushed her chair back and practically stormed to the bar.

'I’ll go make sure she’s okay,' Harry muttered as he kissed Luke’s forehead and followed his friend. 'Oi,' he said as he poked Amelia’s shoulder, 'he’s come here so that you can listen to what he has to bloody say. And I’m not letting you leave this pub until you’ve heard him out.'

'Why, Harry? He’s just going to make a fucking fool of me and I’m going to feel even more dumb than I already do. And if I don’t, I’m going to make a fool out of myself because look at him.'

Taron was sat chatting to Luke quietly but all Amelia could focus on was how good he looked. When he sat down he took his long line coat off and she was fully able to see his outfit. A white t-shirt and black jogger style trousers. He looked good. He always did.

'Please, Amelia. It broke my heart hearing you so down the other night. He really does just want to talk to you.'

'Fine. I’ll hear him out. But if this ends badly it’s on you.' She poked at his chest before thanking Kaine for her drink and walking back to the table.

******

Throughout the course of the evening, more people had signed up for the karaoke…including Harry who only smirked at his boyfriend and best friend. He was always the one to get up and sing, though normally he would need a couple of pints down him first.

When Luke brought that fact up, he shrugged it off with a wink, 'Ahh, but angel you’re forgetting something. By the time I’m called up to sing, I’ll have a few more than a couple of pints down me so I’ll be good.'

'You’re a knobhead,' Luke breathed quietly. Truth was, she loved when Harry sang and she knew that even at a karaoke night when there was a high chance that he would be drunk, he would still be amazing.

'Yeah, but I’m your knobhead,' he replied just as fast, leaning forward to press a swift kiss to his lips.

Amelia watched her two friends in awe. She could barely remember the last time that she kissed someone she was seeing out in public without a care in the world, though it was probably before she’d been in any films and didn’t have to worry about the media.

Long gone were the days where she felt free enough to even hold hands with someone let alone kiss them. She longed for a relationship as, what seemed to be at least, perfect as Harry and Luke’s. She wanted someone to kiss her while they were out and about and them both wind up giggling like they were in those very first stages of a relationship where everything was new and exciting.

The only issue was that she longed for a relationship like that with only one person. No one else set the butterflies off the way that Taron did, and no one else seemed to care about her the same way that Taron did. Even when they were simply having a small conversation, Taron’s entire attention was on Amelia and what she was saying. When she was with him, she didn’t have to fight for his attention and that’s what she loved.

'What song are you going to sing?' Amelia asked gently as she lifted her drink up to have more of it. The almost overly sweet beverage left her closing her eyes again and when they opened, Harry was shaking his head with a chuckle.

'You really are something else, you know that?' Amelia nodded. 'But I’m going to sing Faith.'

'I don’t even know why I asked in all honesty.'

'Yeah I’m surprised that you asked. Are you gonna sing something?'

'Hell no,' Amelia replied quickly. There were some things that she would do at a drop of a hat but singing in the pub to strangers? No chance. 'There are some things I will never do.'

'But you’re an amazing singer! They’d all love you.'

'My dignity wouldn’t.'

'I’ve never heard you sing,' Taron whispered awkwardly. He and Amelia had talked about what happened and they agreed to put it behind them but they weren’t back to what they were before.

'Don’t hold your hopes up, mate,' Harry added through a chuckle, 'she hardly ever sings anymore. But you’ll be lucky if you do hear it. Like an angel, she is.'

'Harry, I swear to god I will throw my drink on you.'

Taron laughed quietly from his spot. When Amelia turned to look at him his smile disappeared, until he saw her give him a small smile. Oh, how he’d missed the way her smile made him feel. It was as though the butterfly which was tattooed permanently onto his stomach fluttered around in giddiness and his head went light as he tried to control his breathing.

'I’m going to go and get another drink, would you like one?' He asked everyone at the table, but mainly Amelia who suddenly couldn’t take her eyes off of Taron.

It was the first time in a while that she truly looked at him and took him in. He looked dishevelled, almost like he hadn’t slept in days. The bags under his eyes were deep purple and rather visible. His lips were chapped and cracked in places and his eyes looked sunken. Not to mention the mess of hair on the top of his head. He looked unwell.

'I’ll come and get one,' Amelia replied quietly, turning to Harry and nodding when he gave her a look as if to ask if she was sure.

They walked to the bar in silence. Taron had his eyes on the floor while Amelia had to fight herself not to grip onto his hand. Though she did have to grip his bicep when she almost tumbled forward.

'Careful, Pretty Baby.'

'How is that you’re always saving me from falling on my arse?' Amelia chuckled, getting to the bar and leaning on it to catch herself properly. 'Are you okay?'

Taron was taken aback by the question. It wasn’t a typical ‘are you alright?’ question. There was meaning behind it, like Amelia really wanted to know how he was doing.

'Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?'

Lies. He wasn’t okay in the slightest. He’d barely slept a wink since they last spoke to one another and had opted to sleep on the sofa where he wasn’t surrounded by her scent which lingered on his sheets. For days the only thoughts clouding his brain had been Amelia. Each ignored text and unanswered phone call made him recoil back into the sofa more.

Work was the last thing on his mind and he had, regretfully, called in sick from both jobs because he didn’t want to risk running into Amelia and upsetting her. He did, however, take walks around the village in hopes of seeing her because seeing her out in public would surely be easier than seeing her in the confines of a small cottage building.

'Taron, I know that’s not the truth.'

'I’ve barely slept.'

Amelia wasn’t expecting the truth to cut her so deep. But it did. Knowing that Taron, her lovely Taron who she adored, hadn’t slept to the point where he looked physically ill hurt her. She could feel her stomach clenching at the thought and she had to take a deep breath to even begin to relax herself.

'I’m sorry,' she whispered. She was well aware that Taron would try and tell her that it wasn’t her fault but she knew that it was. If it wasn’t for her not letting him explain in the streets then he would have slept and wouldn’t look ill. But she didn’t, and he didn’t.

'It’s not your fault,' he whispered back. Amelia let out a tiny, breathy chuckle. Taron was predictable in the best possible way.

'It is though. I should have let you talk but instead I just thought about myself and how I felt so I’m sorry.'

'If it had been the other way around then I’d have done the same,' Taron confessed.

Amelia regretted looking up at him. The fluorescent lighting of the pub cast a weirdly gorgeous glow over Taron’s entire face. The shadow on his cupid's bow made his lips look that little bit more full and kissable. More kissable to the point where if there wasn’t a roomful of people around them, and she was sure that Taron wanted to, she would have pressed her lips to his gently.

'I’m still sorry.'

'What can I get for you both?' Kaine asked when he walked up to them.

'Another round of Snookums' please, Kaine.' Taron spoke confidently for the first time that evening and it warmed Amelia’s heart.

While they waited for Kaine to make the drinks, Taron drank Amelia in. He paid close attention to the way that her hair fell on her shoulders and the way that her top lip protruded ever so slightly more than her bottom lip. It wasn’t until then that he truly realised how much he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to grab her wrist so that he could spin her around and he wanted to cup her cheeks delicately as he pressed his lips to hers gently.

******

When Kaine announced that Taron was going up to sing, Taron himself had chuckled because he wasn’t the one who had put his name down on the sheet. It was only when Harry patted him on the back and winked at him that it all made sense. Luke scoffed a laugh while Amelia death glared at her friend.

Taron stood up slowly, throwing daggers at the man he had just met before walking over to the stage area and standing behind the microphone stand. He pointed to Kaine when he was ready for the music to start and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

The opening notes of Endless Love started playing and within the first few words Taron sang, Amelia was truly transfixed.

Completely and utterly fixated.

His voice was so delicately soft with a certain amount of gravel to it too. The gravel that Amelia loved so much. He looked nervous to start, and he could barely be heard over the chatter that was still in the pub. But as he got a little further in, he grew a little more confident. Amelia couldn’t not stare at him. She was so unbelievably confused as to how the guy she’d thought was perfect since the very start could become even more perfect so quickly.

'He needs a Diana,' Harry whispered into her ear before sitting back on his chair with a smug smirk.

'Of course you did this on purpose, asshole,' she whispered back with a small smile of her own. She should have known that Harry would pull something like that, it was in his nature.

Though, to start she had no intention of getting up to sing with Taron for she wanted to sit and enjoy the soothing sound of his voice. She could hear him sing for eternity and she would be content. However, when she could hear him start to struggle singing both parts of the song, she downed the rest of her drink and stood up. Harry let out a small cheer as she walked away, not missing the way she put her middle finger up at him.

'You’re a dickhead,' Luke whispered into his boyfriend’s ear.

'Yeah, I know. She’ll thank me later though.'

'You’d better hope she does. I’d have fucking killed you.'

Harry only laughed at his boyfriend before lifting his pint to his lips so that he could take a swig. His eyebrows furrowed when Luke lifted his hand to his lips to stop herself from laughing. He refused to tell him why he was laughing so he resorted to lifting his phone up to check his face in the camera. Much to his dismay, the head of his lager had left a white moustache above his top lip.

When Amelia got to the table where Kaine sat, she grabbed the microphone that he was holding out to her and switched it on with the switch at the bottom of it. As soon as she saw the red light flash three times she took a deep breath and started her walk to a startled Taron.

'Two hearts,' Amelia sang softly.

Taron didn’t know what he was expecting when Amelia started singing, but it sure as hell wasn’t what he thought.

Her voice was smoother than fresh honey, velvety in his ears as he heard it. It was softer than the fluffiest blanket he had ever owned and it comforted him even more than he would care to admit. There was something so transcendent about watching her sing that he almost forgot that he had to sing too.

He finally started to sing again, his eyes locking with Amelia’s as she turned to look at him. Neither of them could look away. They were so focused on one another that the entire room began to melt around them. Harry and Luke, Kaine and every other person disappeared and left them purely on their own.

It didn’t take long for Taron’s lips to quirk up into a smile. His smile lines deepened and his dimples became even more prominent. He had to close his eyes to refocus himself on the song that they were singing, perfectly falling back into it.

When his eyes fluttered open again, everyone else was back in the room and he felt somewhat scared. But as soon as Amelia’s eyes met his once more, he felt calm. He was always told that when in front of a group of people he should find one person or thing to look at to calm himself. He just never expected that to be someone as amazing as Amelia.

'I’ll be a fool for you, I’m sure.'

Amelia could feel every beat of her heart pummelling her ribcage. She struggled for breath as she tried to continue to sing. It wasn’t easy though. Taron’s eyes bore into hers and she felt herself grow lightheaded and dizzy.

Everything about Taron was perfect. He was funny, happy, so incredibly thoughtful, he didn’t take himself too seriously, and above everything else…he treated Amelia like a regular person. When she was around Taron, she wasn’t Pretty Baby Bray. She was Amelia. Taron treated her like he would treat everyone around her and she didn’t realise just how much she needed that.

'You mean the world to me.'

Amelia had to look away from Taron in order to try and hide the smile that she was fighting. She found Harry’s eyes and gave him a death glare which had him laughing and he slapped his knee as he tried to stop himself. Luke smacked his arm gently before nodding at Amelia with the biggest grin.

Taron and Amelia sang in perfect harmony. Their voices mixed together seamlessly and it was almost too perfect. Even with their obvious nerves they didn’t miss a single beat and Harry continued to smile smugly from his place.

'My endless love.'

As the song ended, Amelia dropped her arm with the microphone and took a few deep breaths. Taron mirrored her actions.

'I’m sorry,' he whispered as they walked off the stage and back to the table. 'I should have told you that she was coming to mine.'

'Please don’t apologise. I’m an idiot for assuming that something was going on between you both.' Amelia finally smiled at Taron properly just as they made it back to the table and Harry couldn’t hold his smug grin in. 'Shut up, arsehole.'

'Hey now. You should be thanking me, Snookums.'

'Snookums?' Taron questioned through a chuckle.

‘We were a married couple in our new Christmas film and his character called me Snookums. Harry here refuses to call me anything else now.'

'Snookums. I like it just as much as Pretty Baby.'

Amelia could feel her heart burst and her stomach clench all at the same time. She got giddy when he called her love but hearing him call her Snookums was something else. Not to mention Pretty Baby. Throughout her career, she’d been called Pretty Baby Bray by so many people and it had become a point of annoyance for her. But hearing Taron call her Pretty Baby, without the Bray, made her heart do somersaults. He truly was one of a kind.

******

'I got some money ‘cause I just got paid,' Harry sang loudly into the microphone while Amelia held her tenth Snookums in the air as she swayed gently.

She started to loosen up a little bit after her fifth drink and by the eighth she was away with the fairies and signed herself and Harry up to sing together. Harry, being just as drunk if she was and if not even more drunk, jumped at the suggestion and immediately suggested they sing Saturday Night. Luke and Taron only laughed at the pair before they sat back back in their chairs with giant grins plastered on their faces as they watched the other two prance to the stage in fits of giggles.

'Oh, how I wish I had someone to talk to,' she sang back just as excitedly.

'I’m in an awful way,' they sang together, moving themselves so they were facing one another and laughing as the song carried on without them singing.

They were so busy laughing at one another and trying to catch their breaths that they didn’t finish the rest of the song. The alcohol that they had been drinking over the course of the evening had definitely made its way to their heads and made them feel like school children who were having a sleepover and staying up past their bedtimes. Their giggling got so bad that in the end, Kaine stopped the music and sent the two people who could barely stand up straight, let alone walk, back to their table. Taron and Luke greeted them with huge cheers and they dramatically bowed before falling into their seats and giggling.

'I’ve missed you,' Harry hiccuped as he flung an arm around Amelia’s shoulders and pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek.

'Me too,' Amelia replied as she kissed Harry’s cheek back, feeling the stubble that was growing against her lips. 'Don’t ever let us not see one another for so long again.'

'I won’t. As soon as Luke suggested that we come and see you I jumped at the idea because I’ve missed you like crazy.'

Amelia and Harry’s relationship truly was one for the ages. They would say constantly that they didn’t feel like friends but siblings. Though they felt like those siblings who would playfully bicker and jokingly shove one another. Everyone who ever met them always said that they were always joking and laughing when they were together.

Including in interviews. Interviewers who had never met the pair would leave the room with the widest smiles and were always gushing about them. There was never a quiet moment in interviews and they bounced off of one another perfectly.

When Harry told Amelia that he had a boyfriend, Amelia had been a little worried to start. She was worried that her relationship with Harry would change and she wouldn’t get to see him as much. The complete opposite happened, however. When Amelia met Luke, she knew straight away that Harry’s relationship wasn’t going to affect their friendship at all. If anything, Luke brought Amelia and Harry closer together because they could go out as a group and have fun together.

******

'Taron, you have to watch this video,' Harry exclaimed in excitement. He turned his phone to Amelia so that she could see what video he was talking about and he immediately got a cushion to the head.

'You can’t bloody put that on!' She groaned dramatically. 'Taron, you can tell him to do one. You don’t have to watch the video.'

Truth be told, she didn’t want to watch the video because of the memories that surfaced when she did. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, the memories were still incredibly raw.

'Yeah but now I’m intrigued. Hook your phone up to the TV, Harry.'

Taron’s words made Amelia grumble again. The video that Harry was going to put on was Amelia’s least favourite interview and he knew that. The question that she was asked haunted her for months after it was aired and it made her think back to a time where she wasn’t necessarily the happiest behind the scenes.

'Okay so let’s take a look at the food we have here,' James spoke into the camera. Amelia, Harry and James sat around the table. They all looked incredibly nervous…including James who’d played the game multiple times before which didn’t instil much hope in the other two. 'We have, uhh, salmon smoothie, a beef tongue, bird saliva, a herring rollmop, a scorpion, fish head, hot sauce-'

'Is that safe? To do hot sauce I mean,' Harry asked with wide eyes.

'We’re about to find out, Harry,' James laughed as he spun the table one last time. 'and finally…bull penis.'

Between each item, the audience had been moaning groaning and Amelia felt herself gip at the stench some of the items on the table let off. She regretted ever telling Harry he could choose if they did it or not because at that moment she couldn’t think of anything worse to do than eat some of that stuff.

'So for the benefit of anyone who doesn’t know how the game works…Harry, Amelia and myself will be choosing food for another person at the table to eat before asking a question. If the person answers the question they don’t eat. If they don’t answer…it’s down the hatch.' A couple of audience members laughed in response. 'Now just so we’re clear, none of us have seen these questions so they could be on anything at all. I’ll go first and I’ll be asking Harry a question.'

'Right,' Harry sighed as he eyed the multitude of food in front of him. 'Can we not have hot sauce right away? Actually yeah, let me have it. Then I won’t be able to taste the rest of the food when I eat them.'

'Now you’ve said that, I’m going to give you the bull penis.' James spun the table until the plate with the fishy roll was in front of Harry.

'Haha you’re going to have to eat penis,' Amelia chuckled as Harry picked it up to sniff, immediately dropping it back onto the plate and gipping.

'Only if he doesn’t answer the question,' James answered, lifting his first card. 'Harry might give it to you to try for your question.'

'You dare, Harry..'

Chuckles filled the entire room and James even slapped his thigh in laughter.

'Okay, moving on with the game. Harry,' James paused as he read the question before he sat back with his lips rolled into his mouth. 'You’re here to promote your new Christmas film with Amelia, Christmas Staycation.'

'I am indeedy,' Harry answered slowly. He eyed James who giggled lightly.

'In the film you and Amelia kissed under the mistletoe but… who’s the better kisser, Amelia or your boyfriend?'

'How the hell can I answer that?!' Harry exclaimed with wide eyes. He looked at the bull penis in front of him and lifted the plate up to his nose once more. He regretted it instantly, however. 'They’re both really good kissers, just to let you know.'

'That wasn’t the question,' James laughed. 'I’ll ask you again just in case you forgot. Who’s the better kisser, your girlfriend or Amelia?'

'Yeah, Harry. That wasn’t the question,' Amelia repeated with her lips puckered playfully. She knew that there was no way Harry would answer the question. Not even if he was paid to answer it.

Harry took a deep breath before lifting the penis to his mouth and popping it in his mouth, chewing it slowly and gipping around it.

'Yeah, you eat that d…ang bull penis,' Amelia spoke slowly, turning to James and watching him try not to laugh. 'Don’t worry, Luke, babe, I’ve got your back. But you might not have a boyfriend anymore if he gives me something nasty in a second.'

Amelia spoke into the camera and winked as she made a heart with her hands and blew a kiss too. James couldn’t hold his amusement as he watched her interact with the camera while Harry sat and tried not to throw up around the penis he was eating.

A few moments later, Harry finished the food and instantly took a large gulp of water to wash it down. 'That was fucking nasty.'

Everyone cheered and James laughed harder than he had the whole segment. He silently ushered Harry to give Amelia a food to eat and he immediately put the scorpion in front of her. When he read the question he howled in laughter and had to drink more water to calm himself down.

'Amelia, you’re currently dating Henry Caville who we all know played Superman.'

'Oh god I know where this is going don’t I?' She asked through gritted teeth and Harry only nodded.

'Does he ever make you call him Superman in bed?'

Cheers and hollers from the audience deafened Amelia to the point where she could hardly hear James admit that he didn’t envy her. She closed her eyes and let out a large sigh before lifting the scorpion and wrinkling her nose at it.

'There was this one time…' she laughed hysterically and watched as James and Harry’s eyes alike widened thinking that she had actually called Henry Superman while in bed. 'No, he never made me call him Superman in bed, thankfully.'

'That’s boring. If it were me I’d make you call me Superman,' Harry joked, earning a death glare from Amelia. 'Close, close and finished.'

'You’re not funny.'

'No, I’m hysterical.'

'Amelia, it’s your turn to choose something for me to eat if I don’t answer whatever question it is that gets asked,' James spoke to bring everyone’s attention back to the game they were playing.

Amelia looked around the table to find something to present James with before she turned it around until the bird saliva was sitting in front of him. She could see the colour drain from his face and his hand lifted to his forehead.

'I’ve had to drink this before and it’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.'

Amelia laughed quietly before showing Harry the card to which he burst into fits of laughter and shook his head at James, 'Enjoy drinking it again, mate.'

'Is the question really that bad?'

Rather than telling James how bad the question was, Amelia straight up asked him and watched as his eyes grew three sizes bigger. 'Who’s the most high maintenance and hard to deal with backstage, me or Harry?'

Ooh’s and ahh’s erupted from the audience. Harry sat back in his seat with a smug grin on his face and pointed to Amelia with a wink. Amelia turned to her friend and flipped him off behind the card she was holding before she turned to James and pointed to Harry.

'And that’s all we have time for tonight! It’s been a pleasure.'

'Come on, James. Who’s the hardest to deal with backstage?' Harry goded with his tongue in his cheek. He was taking great pleasure in watching James struggle to come up with an answer.

'When you’re both together you’re honestly two of the most ridiculously hard to deal with. You’re continuously pulling pranks on me and you run away giggling when I try to get you.'

There wasn’t a single person in the audience not laughing and Amelia and Harry looked at each other laughing themselves. They loved playing small pranks and having as much fun together as they could when they were together. James’ face showed them that he didn’t really mean that they were both hard to deal with. In fact, he would never say anything but he loved when they would play pranks on him because it gave him a smile during the day.

'Being honest, there’s neither of you that are the hardest to deal with or high maintenance so I can’t actually answer the question.'

'Drink the bird saliva,' Harry declared.

'Drink it! Drink it! Drink it!' The audience’s chants left James turning to them with an unimpressed expression.

'You’re meant to be on my bloody side.'

'James… drink the saliva.'

After a deep breath, James necked the bird saliva and tried his best to keep it in his mouth but in the end he had to spit it out into the bucket by his feet. When he was sitting back up and glaring at Amelia and Harry, the cameras moved so that they were facing him.

'Ladies and gentlemen, this has been spill your guts or fill your guts with Amelia Bray and Harry Styles!'

After James’ final words, the TV in Taron’s living room went blank and Harry could be heard guffawing from his seat. Whenever he watched the video back he laughed just as hard as he had when he was filming it. Luke slapped his arm and turned to Amelia who was sitting motionless on the sofa.

She didn’t speak up for a while after the video had finished and everyone was starting to get a little bit worried about her.

'Everything alright, love?' Taron asked tentatively. 'I thought it was a really funny game.'

'It would have been funny if they’d asked me a different question.'

Harry sat forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. 'What do you mean? That was a hilarious question.'

'Again, it would have been.'

Amelia’s repetition of her first response left everyone in the room confused. She had quickly grown quiet and fragile almost as she sat next to Taron with her knees pulled up to her chest and Pickle by her side nuzzling into her.

'What do you mean ‘would’ have been?' Luke asked quietly.

Amelia hadn’t told Harry why she hated the interview so much and he never pushed her on it because he thought she was messing with him. But seeing her sit next to Taron genuinely almost in tears with her arms wrapped around her body made him see that maybe she wasn’t joking. He turned to Luke who shrugged her shoulders at him.

'Henry and I…we weren’t together anymore when we filmed that. We’d broken up the night before and I had to act like everything was fine.'

'Amelia, why didn’t you ever tell me?' Harry asked quickly, confused as to why he hadn’t known that his best friend was no longer in a relationship that day. He was confused and slightly hurt, though he knew that if Amelia didn’t tell him that there was a reason for it and he understood. 'I’d have made sure that there were no questions about him.'

'Because I didn’t want to believe that we weren’t together anymore. It was an argument that blew up in the hotel room and I wound up sleeping on the sofa in the room.'

'I’m so sorry,' Taron whispered as he wrapped his arm around Amelia and pulled her into his body where he held her tightly. She relished in having his arms around her again and she could feel herself becoming so comfortable that she let a few tears fall.

'It’s fine,' she whispered back, 'it was a while ago now and I should be over it.'

'Did you love him?' Taron’s question caught Amelia off guard. She nodded her head anyway.

'I think I could have been but I also don’t think I was.'

'You’re bound to still be upset when it wasn’t all that long ago and you had strong feelings for him. But you’ve got so many people around you who just want you to feel good, myself included.'

'Thank you, Taron.'

'That’s okay. I don’t want to take away from this moment and I’m sorry that I am but we really need to be heading off to the bed and breakfast if we’re going to get there in time.'

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