It was a tangle of sheets and pillows. Their bodies were pressed up against the other. A glimmer of sweat and the smell of sex covered each naked curve of their bodies. Her body was laying against his, her arm sprawled against his torso. Her breathing was slow. He watched as her back rose up and down as she took in each breath. He was wide awake, unable to fall asleep.

Every time Harry would close his eyes, he would be faced with a picture of Ava. It was paired with a thick coating of guilt. It was a guilt that he felt every time Libby touched him or he would kiss her. It was the guilt that he would feel whenever their bodies connected in the most intimate fashion. As much as he tried to push the guilt away and to not dwell on it, it would still remain. He knew that it was driven by the love that he still had for Ava but he didn't let that get in his way of trying to move on. Trying being the key word.

The bottom line of the situation was: Harry was using Libby. He didn't plan on stopping however. They didn't know anything about the other but he didn't want to get to know her. Their relationship was purely physical. A summer fling. Every day for the past week, Libby would stay over at his apartment. The main activities of their time together consisted of touching and kissing. Which of course led to other things. Their "relationship" was purely physical and Harry didn't care. He knew that she wasn't looking for anything more and she knew that he wasn't either. A good fuck was what he considered her to be. She relieved him from the physical urges that he had and took his mind off or the inner battle that he was facing. She was a distraction: a distraction from the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach; a distraction from the guilt he felt for not fighting for Ava; a distraction from the love that he felt that couldn't part with (as much as he tried to).

The apartment was starting to warm up as the sun outside his bedroom window began seep in. Their sweaty bodies stuck together as the thin sheet laid across their bodies lazily. Libby stirred in her sleep while incoherent words flowed out of her lips. He watched her as her red hair stuck to the back of her neck. He lifted her hand off of his body as he rolled out of the sweaty sheets. He walked out into the balcony of his small apartment and lit up a cigarette. With each puff of smoke, he watched the city light up from the upcoming sunrise.

He couldn't help the thoughts that wandered back to her. Was she watching the sunrise too? Did she have her usual cup of tea and a blanket thrown over her body? Was her hair in a messy bun on top of her head as she sat and looked out into the sunrise? These questions floated in his mind as he watched the sky change into a collection of reds, blues, and oranges.

It bothered him that she was in the same city as him. It bothered him that she was here and that he couldn't see her. There wasn't anything that was really stopping him from finding her. But he knew that it would be a bad idea to do so. She had made it clear to him that she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. All because of his stupid decision to go to LA. He scolded himself as he took in another drag of the nicotine filled smoke. It burned his lungs as he inhaled. There was something cathartic about the feeling of the cigarette that sat in between his fingers. It brought a sense of comfort. A slice of serenity that he so desperately longed for.

Harry had been consumed by his thoughts that he didn't hear the door slide open. He kept his eyes on the city. Suddenly, two arms slid around him. "What are you doing out here?" Her voice had been raspy due to her sleep. Harry didn't respond to her, he just continued to look out into the distance. "Harry?"

Libby let go of his body and began to rub his bare back with her cold fingers. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine as she began to leave small kisses up and down his spine. She ran her hands up his back and began to massage his shoulders. Her small hand reached up into the base of his neck and ran through his curls. Harry turned around causing her hands to fall from his hair.

"I'm fine." He spoke quietly. She looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and concern in her eyes.

"Are you sure? You don't smoke."

Harry smirked. "You don't know much about me, babe." With that, he exhaled a long drag from lips. He removed it from his mouth and stubbed it out on the balcony railing. Harry walked past her and back into his apartment. She soon followed and closed the door behind her.

Harry sat back on his bed with his head in his hands. Libby slowly walked over to the bed and began to find her pieces of discarded clothes. She pulled on her dress and walked over to her bag. "I'll see you later then." Not once did he look up or acknowledge her exit. She just rolled her eyes and left without saying another word.

Once he knew that she was gone, Harry stood up and walked over to the bathroom. He turned the shower on and allowed the hot water to run down his body. He stood there and allowed the drops to burn his skin. His body had become numb to the feeling. He stood there for a few minutes not once moving. His thoughts drifted back to her, like they always did. Harry didn't even bother to stop them anymore. It was funny. As much as he knew that she broke his heart, he still loved her with all of the shattered pieces.

One year ago, not once did he picture his life the way it was now. He would not have pictured himself in California with a book deal. Not once would he had imagined that he would be nursing a broken heart once again or that he would be using someone to mend the broken pain. But that was life. Life had a tendency to throw you curveballs. It had a tendency to allow things that you didn't care for to happen and you just had to go with it. The smell of vanilla filled the small shower box bringing him back to reality. It was the scent that brought him back to her but he didn't care.

The water grew colder. He walked out and wrapped a towel around his hips. It sat low showcasing his butterfly tattoo and v-lines. His curls were a wet mess on top of his head. He ran his fingers through it allowing it to fall back into a messy quiff of curls. He pulled on a black t-shirt and jeans. His sunglasses sat on the bridge of his nose as he walked out of the building. It had been exceptionally warmer today. Not that he minded, however. It had been a nice change from the usual cold weather from home.

Sometimes change was good. Sometimes change was needed.

He was coming to terms with that ever day that he lived in Los Angeles.

-

East Side Publishers was a rustic building. The outer walls wer a dark red brick. It was a smaller building, but Harry didn't mind. A guy sat in the receptionist desk. He had shaggy blonde hair that was pushed off to the side. He looked up at Harry. "Could I help you?"

"Yeah. I'm here to meet with Adam?"

"Name?"

"Harry Styles."

"Okay. Adam is up one floor down the hall. Just go up the elevator over there." With that he looked back at the computer screen in front of him not giving Harry any more instructions. Harry turned around, rather confused, and walked over to the elevator. He had been given a week to settle in before he started anything with the book launch. He was thankful for that.

The upstairs level was equally as rustic as the outside. Brick walls lined the room. The room was messy but organized. Bookcases lined the brick walls full to the brim with novels. Excitement began to brew within Harry at the sight of all of the books. He couldn't help but walk over to a nearby bookcase and look over all of the different titles. Most of them he didn't recognize. He had assumed that they were books that East Side had published. As his eyes continued to roam the over the different titles, something in particular caught his eyes. The Secret At Restless Bank by Flint Hastings. Flint Hastings?

"That's a fantastic book." A deep voice startled Harry causing him to drop the book.

"Shit." He spoke as he picked up the book and placed it back. He turned around and a tall man with dark hair and vibrant blue eyes stood.

"Harry Styles I presume?"

"Yeah, hey." Harry stammered before straightening up. He reached his arm out and took the mans hand in his and shook it. "Adam?"

"That would be me." Adam smiled and dropped his hand down. "That's a great book though." He remarked.

"I've never heard of Flint Hastings." Harry couldn't help but wonder if he had any relation to Ava.

"He's a writer from Ohio. An older guy but one of the best mystery novelists of our time. In my opinion at least."

"Is that why you have two shelves full of his books?" Harry inquired.

Adam laughed and nodded. "Alright, Harry. Follow me to my office."

They walked into an office with a large window. It had a view of the Hollywood hills and the city skyline. Harry didn't even realize how close they were to everything. "Nice view, isn't it?" Harry nodded as he took a seat on one of the couches. "Okay. Well, the name is Adam and I'm the main editor here at East Side. I'm a huge fan of your story. I think it has a lot of potential in the mainstream romance genre. That's why we were willing to take you on over here at our offices. The women in Cali are suckers for romantic novels. They will be putty once they read your book." Harry sat quietly as he took it all in. This was all too surreal to him still.

"As you know, we want to get you out there. Get your story known. We set you up with a bunch of big book stores as well as a few smaller ones. You will be doing a lot of major press work here in Los Angeles but we will also be sending you to about five major cities in the state. As well, we want to send you up to Portland, Oregon for a weekend and do some stuff there. That will be closer to the end of the summer. Lastly," he paused, "We want to do a major launch party in June. We will be having press coverage from a bunch of newspapers, you'll read a snippet from your book, sign some copies, and drink a hell of a lot because those things are damn stressful."

"That sounds great to me." He smirked.

"You'll love it kid." Adam smiled as he pulled out a bunch of folders. "Here are some packs with more information that you'll need." He handed the pile and Harry looked over a few of the pages. "You'll need to come in during the week to go over the final edit and publishing process. That's basically what you'll be doing this month. Next month will be the launch party and then you'll hit the road."

"Crazy."

"It hasn't even started yet, kid. Now, go home and rest up. We'll need you here tomorrow morning and then the book editing begins."

Harry nodded and walked out of the office. This was it. He was getting published, going on tour, having a launch party. Launch party. Shit- he thought. Adam had mentioned press coverage. He couldn't help but wonder about the possibility of seeing Ava. He shook his head at the thought. The chances of her showing up were slim considering that she was only an intern, not a reporter.

-

Her lips were pressing small kisses up and down his jaw line. She kept her hands around torso and ran up his shirt. He lifted his arms so that she could peel the shirt off his body. He could smell the vodka and other remnants of alcohol off of her tounge and breath. Their lips collided. Each kiss not being gentle or loving. It was rough. She bit down on his lip causing a moan to escape his lips. She pushed him against the bed. Her dominance had been something different for him. She slid her top off of her body which caused her red hair to fan over her face.

He pulled his jeans off. He hooked his fingers along the hem of her jeans and pulled them down quickly. Her panties and bra following suit leaving Harry as the only one wearing any type of clothing. Soon enough, his boxers were peeled off. Their naked bodies collided into a heated embrace. He flipped her over so that he was now hovering on top. He began to leave a trail of kisses down her pale body. She moaned his name. The sound didn't do anything for him. It didn't cause a shiver to go down his spine, or for goosebumps to reach the surface of his skin.

Their bodies danced frantically together as they reached their highs. He pushed in deeper causing her to scream out his name. He fell on top of her. Their breathing was heavy. He rolled over and pulled the sheet over his damp body. She sat up and pushed her hair over her face.

"Well that was fucking great." She spoke as she ran a hand over his chest. "God, you are sexy as fuck."

Harry didn't say anything. He never did when she would compliment him. Not once had he told her that she was beautiful or give her any compliment of that sort. He grunted in response and she laid back down. Her arms went above her head and she shifted around. Suddenly a buzzing sound came from her bag. Harry reached over and pulled it out of her purse. He looked at the caller I.D. "Who's Sam?"

Libby turned her head and looked over at him. Her eyes widened as she noticed that he was holding her phone. "Shit," she pulled it out of his hands and answered the call. "Hey baby." She spoke.

"Baby?" Harry mouthed. She swatted her hand at him signaling him not to speak. He rolled his eyes and laid back down.

"I'm just at home. I'm reading right now." She lied in the phone. Harry couldn't help but wonder who it was that she was speaking to. "Not right now. Baby, I can't right now. Um, my mom is at the door. I'll talk to you later." She sighed, "I love you too."

"Care to explain?" Harry questioned.

"Sam is my boyfriend."

--

A/N: Oh shoot.

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