66 - Anyone In Between Is The Enemy

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"We're flying out of Manchester so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to spend Christmas together, at my mum's?" he continued. "It's fine if you'd rather be with your family, though, I understand. But the invitation is there. Just let me know. I'm sorry to spring it on you like this; I know it's a bit sudden. It sort of only just came about in the last twenty four hours or so." 

My mind was racing while he was saying all of this, trying desperately to think of a way of accommodating both Harry and Callie; of somehow going on both holidays; of maybe splitting myself in two or something because the thought of letting either of them down was too awful to contemplate.

"Jess? Are you still there?"

"Yeah," I tried to say, but it came out as a whisper of air and nothing more. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Yes, I'm here."

"Baby, don't worry about Christmas at my mum's if you want to be with your family," he said softly. "We'll have the whole week afterwards to be together. Mum and Robin are coming on holiday too."

"And you've already booked it?" I said, miserably. "You can't change the date?"

"Not now, no. Why?"

I hesitated, and then said resignedly, "I'm so sorry Harry. I can't come."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Then, "Is this a joke?"

"No," I said, my voice trembling. "I've just booked to go skiing over New Year with some friends. We've paid the deposit and everything."

"Oh!" he laughed. "Well can't you push it back a couple of weeks? I'm sure your friends will understand."

"I can't," I said, almost in tears now. "There are too many of us to start changing dates. It's already booked - the flights, the chalet, the lift passes..."

There was more silence.

"Harry, I'm so sorry," I said again. "If there was anything I could do to change it, I would. But I can't."

"You're seriously saying you can't come?" he said after a moment, and the shock and disbelief were evident in his voice.

"I'm so sorry." I was starting to sound like a broken record.

"Jess...," he began. "Jess, this is really important to me. I need you there with me. This holiday... it isn't just about spending a week on a boat. Jeff and his family are coming. We're going to be discussing my future management while we're there. Both Irving and Jeff are interested in signing me up. This is a huge step for me and I need you by my side."

I felt sick. He sounded different now - I had never heard this tone before. It was bordering on fundamental disappointment.

"Can't you... can't you do that another time?" I asked, stupidly, and even as the words fell out of my mouth I realised how idiotic they sounded.

"No," he said bluntly. "This holiday has been suggested by Jeff, after a discussion with Irving. I've told them about my interest in breaking into the film industry, and they both think I've got potential. They're busy people. If they've booked that week, then that's the week we're going."

"Oh," I said in a small voice, as I was harshly reminded of Harry's level of fame and desirability.

"Can't you change yours?" he asked again.

"Not with so many of us going," I said awkwardly.

"Who's going?"

"Um, well, Callie," I began, and Harry made some sort of huff of disgust. "She's the one who has organised it all," I added quickly. "It was supposed to be a girls-only thing, to take her mind off what happened with James, but then more people started showing an interest so it's ended up being a big group of us. I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to come along too, but then I thought maybe it would be better if we went away just the two of us, like we talked about a few weeks ago...."

"Well if there are loads of you going, I'm sure Callie wouldn't mind if you weren't there," he said in a hard tone.

"I think she would," I argued, bristling slightly. "She's always been there for me, through thick and thin. I've not been able to support her as much as I would have liked through all her heartbreak over James, but this holiday is my chance to put that right. She needs me."

"Jess," he said, and his tone was softer now; pleading. "Baby, I need you. This is one of the most important moments of my life. It could determine my whole future, not to mention my success without One Direction. I need your support."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "Harry, if there was any other way...."

"There is. You can tell Callie you're putting our relationship first, for a change. She'll get over a broken heart - if she even has a heart at all. This is about you being part of my future, and supporting me in one of the biggest decisions of my life."

"It's not a case of putting our relationship first," I disagreed.

"That's exactly what it's about!" he exclaimed, making me jump. "You put her first, every single time! She always comes between us - why can't you see that? I've tried really hard to bite my tongue, Jess, but I won't be held to ransom by that girl any longer! You're not being fair to me!"

"Held to ransom? By Callie?" I repeated, confused. "What's that supposed to mean? I don't put her first at all! I left her in pieces only two weeks ago to fly to LA with you!"

"Yeah - after you'd bombed off my X Factor performance! Or had you forgotten that?"

"Harry - "

"Or what about the time she turned up at your flat when I was there, before we'd got back together properly and we'd been.... y'know, getting close? She practically kicked me out the second she arrived, and you just stood by and let her!"

I fought back a smirk at the memory of that night; the first night we had kissed after breaking up, when Harry had got a little over-excited and carried away.

"That evening had already been planned before you turned up unannounced," I defended.

"You sent me packing, even though I told you I wouldn't be back in London for another couple of weeks, all because she demanded your attention! All I wanted to do that night was be with you, after a shit few months without you and fuckıng Georgia Fowler taking me for a fool, but you wouldn't put me first! I'm sick of her calling the shots with us; I'm walking on eggshells constantly, trying to do the right thing, yet she's always there waiting in the wings for me to fucķ up. I'm living on a fucking knife edge!"

"I told her off for the way she spoke to you," I explained. "I told her to pack it in. I defend you to her all the time!"

"You shouldn't have to!" he thundered. "She should keep her nose out!"

"Where is all this coming from?" I wondered. "You've never mentioned anything about this before. You've always accepted Callie as part of my life."

There was a short silence, apart from Harry's furious breathing. "I've been trying to keep the peace," he said eventually. "I don't want to be the cause of you and her falling out. But I'm coming to the end of my tether with it. She interferes way too much, and I've had enough."

"She doesn't interfere at all!" I protested.

"Really?" he said sarcastically, and I could clearly picture him raising one eyebrow sceptically. The thought made my stomach flip. "So she has never once passed comment on our relationship and told you she doesn't trust me?"

"I - how do you know about that?" I asked in disbelief.

"A lucky guess," he replied bitterly. "So I'm saying again: she needs to butt out, before she ruins this for us."

I was stunned into silence for a few seconds before I finally found my voice.

"OK," I said, my stomach now churning with unease. "I hear you. I'll speak to Callie again, tell her to back off -"

"No, don't," he said shortly. "This conversation is none of her business."

I swallowed hard. "Harry... now you're not being fair. You're telling me she needs to butt out but how can I get her to do that if I don't speak to her about it? You can't expect me to cut her out completely."

"I don't expect that at all. I just don't want every word said between us repeated back to her."

"Seriously, where is this coming from?!" I demanded again.. "I don't do that... I would never do that! Don't you think after all this time together that I know how important your privacy is; how important OUR privacy is? The fact that you think I would betray you like that upsets me, and indicates you have a very low opinion of me!"

"Of course I don't have a low opinion of you," he sighed. "I think the world of you, you know that."

"Then what's with all the accusations?!" I snapped. "All this has come out of nowhere, all because I've already booked to go away at New Year!"

He was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry for what I just said," he apologised eventually. "Ignore that stuff about Callie, I'm just being oversensitive."

"Alright," I muttered. "But it doesn't change the fact that I can't come away with you. I'm sorry."

"I'm gutted, Jess," he said, flatly. "This break means everything to me. I want - no, I need your support. I don't want to go without you."

"I'm sorry," I said, for what felt like the millionth time. "I want to come, of course I do. If we'd talked about this forty eight hours ago, it would have been a very different conversation. But Callie asked me first, and it's booked. If you'd asked me first, I would have come with you instead."

"Well that's something I suppose," he muttered.

"Please don't be angry with me," I begged. "Please try and see this from my point of view. If you were in my position I'd like to think you wouldn't cancel on a friend to come away with me if it was already planned."

His silence on the other end told me I was right - he wouldn't.

"So, you're going to be discussing a possible swerve into acting?" I said after a moment, trying to move the subject in a more positive direction.

"Yeah," he muttered. "There are a few new big film projects beginning next year, and both Jeff and Irving are well-placed to set up some auditions for me, if I want."

"That's amazing, Harry!" I breathed.

"Mmph," he grunted.

"So, who else is going on holiday with you?" I asked brightly.

"Well Jeff and his family, obviously... um, Jeff's girlfriend Glenne, my mum and Robin, Kendall and her mum, and possibly Kendall's boyfriend but I'm not sure yet, maybe one of her friends instead, and possibly Cindy and Rande but they haven't confirmed yet."

"Kendall as in Jenner?" I asked. "And Cindy as in Crawford?"

"Yep," he confirmed. "Jeff asked Kendall earlier, and then of course Kris jumped on board straight away."

"You don't sound happy about that?" I said delicately, noting his sarcastic undertone.

"Don't get me wrong, Kris is alright," he sighed, referring to Kris Jenner. "She's just all about the fame, and being spotted in the right place at the right time. She's obsessed with maintaining their public status as a family, whereas you know me, I prefer to stay under the radar as much as possible."

I murmured in acknowledgement, before he asked begrudgingly, "So who's going skiing with you? Is Sarah going too?"

"No, she isn't really part of that group of friends," I said. "Callie's sister is coming, along with a few of my friends from uni that I haven't seen in forever, and a couple of guys that Callie knows -"

"Is Gary going?"

"Gary?" I repeated, frowning. "You mean Gary from my office?"

"Yeah."

"No, he's not friends with them either," I explained.

"They were all at the Big Weekend together," he reminded me.

"Well, yeah, but that was because I organised that. I invited a few close friends. But Callie wouldn't invite them, as they're not really her friends, they're mine."

"Oh right."

"Would it have been a problem if he was going?" I asked tentatively.

Harry sighed. "I have to be honest and say I wouldn't have liked it, but I know that's my issue, not yours. But it doesn't matter anyway if he's not going."

We were both quiet for a few moments, before I said, "Maybe when you're back next week you could meet some of my friends properly? I think if you got to know Callie you might actually like her. She's very loyal, and if the two of you spent some time together I think you would get on."

There was a pause while Harry considered this. "Yeah, I suppose that's not a bad idea, now you mention it."

"Great!" I said, happily. "I'll find out when she's free and maybe we could go for dinner somewhere, or even just watch a film and have a few drinks or something."

"Sounds good," he said. "I love you. I'm sorry for snapping before."

"I love you too," I said softly. "I hate letting you down about the holiday. I want to be there for you so badly."

"Let's not talk about it anymore," he muttered, and my heart sank as I realised he still wasn't OK with it. "What are your plans this weekend?"

We chatted about the coming week and how much we were looking forward to seeing each other, before Harry got called away and we had to say our goodbyes. After we rang off I stayed on the sofa under a blanket for another half an hour, agonising over my decision to stick with the ski holiday over the boat in the Caribbean. Deep down I would much rather have been going away with Harry but I knew Callie needed this break, and needed her friends around her. And no matter what Harry said I knew she would miss me if I wasn't there. And after all the times she had comforted me, consoled me and listened to my inner turmoil every time things had gone wrong with Harry, I owed it to her to help her through her own breakup.

I just hoped it wouldn't prove to be a bad decision. After all, we would only be spending a week apart from each other, and Harry would have Anne and Robin there to support him in his management discussions.

What could possibly go wrong?

---***---

So... what could possibly go wrong??

Do you agree with Jess's decision to support Callie? Or should she have cancelled the ski holiday and agreed to go away with Harry instead?

I'm away for a few days from tomorrow in LONDON BABY and I'm not taking my laptop with me, so the next update won't be until next weekend at the earliest. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to vote for this chapter!! xx

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