A/N: HI! I know we're all very stressed because of the election. Please, please, please feel free to pm me if you need someone to talk to. This is a very stressful time so surround yourselves with things that bring you comfort and joy!!

I hope this update gives you a much needed distraction. Lord knows I need a distraction right now, so personally, I'm rewatching every Florence Pugh movie known to man. Because, duh, she's the best.

Anyway, some cute stuff and some more of D's past!

In this book, 'Rumors' is written by Delilah. It fits. You'll see.

I want to point out that this is, in no way, discrediting Sabrina or ZAYN. I adore them both so much and if anything, I'm giving them more attention.

This book is fiction. Not real. So, D wrote it, lol.

It's a really amazing song, listen to it!

Enjoy!

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I'm driving us back to Harry's house and I'm in my head throughout the entire ride. It's not like me to kiss someone I met a few weeks ago. It's not like me to kiss someone at all. The last time I kissed someone was my senior year in high school and it was the worst experience of my life. I'd had such a crush on her and she'd asked me out and taken my first kiss as a joke. I'd even written a song about her before I found out.

But it definitely did not feel the way kissing Harry did.

Then again, everything with Harry felt right. I needed to stop questioning it. So, when he asked me if I wanted to stay at his house tonight, I immediately told him yes before I could overthink it.

We were both exhausted so when I parked at his house, I was glad to see there was no one hovering around.

He walked us in and to his room, and as soon as we stepped in, he peeled his shirt off his body and tossed it into his hamper. His back was to me and I watched the muscles flex as he dug through his drawers. "You can shower first, if you'd like."

I'm standing in the middle of his room awkwardly and nod my head, before realizing he can't see me. "Okay. Thank you."

I walk into his bathroom and lock the door behind me. I undress and hop in the marble shower. As I'm under the warm water, I can't think of anything but Harry. I've really never felt like this before. It's scary and a part of me is telling me to take it slow.

But the other part of me, the intrepid part, is telling me that maybe I deserve to feel like this. Maybe after feeling like I was drowning for so long, I deserve to float and soak in the golden sun for a bit.

I turn the water off and go to step out of the shower before realizing I didn't have a towel. Or clothes.

"Harry?" I call out, hiding behind the curtain.

"Yeah?" He responds.

"Could I have a towel, please? And, um, some clothes to borrow?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." And after a minute, he knocks on the door, "Are you decent?"

I laugh, "Yes, come in." He walks in with his eyes screwed shut and waves his hand that isn't holding the towel and clothes dramatically out in front of him. I let out another laugh as he drops his hand and smiles at me.

He hands me the towel and places the clothes near the sink, winking to me before he walks out. I get dressed quickly and his shirt is loose on me. Really, really loose on me. I don't even need to wear the shorts he gave me, but I figured it's more decent to keep it on.

I walk out and Harry isn't in the room. I hear the soft sounds of a piano playing and it reminds me of the night we met. I follow the sounds until I reach one of Harry's many, many spare rooms. The door is cracked open, so I push it wider and I see Harry hunched over a piano, shirtless.

He's playing All of Me and he's singing along to it lowly, practically mumbling. But naturally, it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

I walk closer and the floor creaks, causing Harry to look up. He smiles, "Hey." He looks me up and down. "You look really good in my clothes."

My cheeks heat and I run my hands through my hair as I smile. "You sound amazing."

He waves his hand out in front of him, "That was nothing. Come sit down with me." And he scoots over on the piano bench. Exactly like the night we met.

I pad closer until I'm seated next to him and he starts playing again, "You smell like me." And he gives a dimpled smile, looking in my eyes as he says it.

"I had to use your soap." I chuckle. "I like it a lot. You really like vanilla, huh?" I take a small sniff of the air, "You smell like it, too."

"I love vanilla." He nods. "I took a shower in the downstairs bathroom." His long fingers are playing and soon he starts singing.

To me.

He plays without looking at the keys, his eyes on me. "What would I do without your smart mouth? Drawing me in and you kicking me out. You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down."

He continues singing until he reaches the end of the verse and then he nudges me, "Your turn."

I know what he's doing. He's singing to me because I told him I'd sing to him if he did. My heart starts hammering in my chest but it's not as bad as it would've been before I met Harry. So I take that as a sign to do it.

"My head's under water, but I'm breathing fine. You're crazy and I'm out of my mind." I watch as his eyebrows raise in surprise before he stops playing altogether.

He shakes his head. "You're really talented." He starts playing again, this time something I don't recognize. "I know you told me why you don't sing. And I'm not telling you to go release a thousand albums right now. But I really don't think you should hide yourself. You're too special to be hidden."

I swallow harshly, "I'm not special."

"Yes, you are. I'll remind you of it every single day if I have to. You're special, incredibly so. You're one of those rare people who...You're like a candle, you know? You're meant to share your light with others." My eyes start watering at his words.

He looks in my eyes as he speaks. "You're something people believe in. I want to open my hands out to your warm glow and find in it a home."

I feel tears run down my cheek and he continues, "You shine so bright on your own and you're the brightest candle there is, honeybee. I just want you to help others see that before you burn yourself out."

I don't know what to respond so I say the first thing that comes in my head as I feel more tears glide down my cheek. "I like that word."

His hand comes up to my face and he wipes my tears with his thumb. "Which word?"

I swallow again, "Rare. I think...I think it's a really nice word...like when you apply it to people. It means they're authentic and real and they're who they're meant to be, and what they're meant to be is unlike anybody else." I look up at him. "You're rare."

He's looking down at me with a smile and scoots as close as possible, "And so are you." He's leaning in.

"We make a good team, then." I breathe out when I feel his nose bump mine.

"The best." He whispers, and then his lips are shaped softly against mine. He's kissing me slowly and meaningfully and it makes my heart pound. He pulls back, grinning at me. "Do you want to go to bed?"

I'm still reeling over the kiss and can't form a coherent sentence, so I just nod at him. He stands up and pulls me by the hand. I trail behind him, staring at our joined hands and I can't help the small smile that forms on my lips.

We get to his room and Harry gets on the left side of the bed. I walk around the bed and climb in the right side, both of us getting under the covers. "Don't forget we have that meeting tomorrow." I tell him.

"I know, I know." There's a beat of silence before he speaks again, "What made you want to start learning those big words every day?"

I chuckle at the memory. "In college I was in one of my English classes and I'd heard the professor tell one of the students, 'Don't be a mooncalf.' And I remember being so confused that I took my phone out in the middle of class to look it up. She was basically calling him an idiot and I found it so funny that I just wanted to make it a thing for myself to learn more funny words and then at some point I'd stopped searching for funny ones and just wanted to learn words in general." I shrug.

"Mooncalf. That's funny." He pauses. "I didn't know you went to college." He says as he wraps his arm around me and pulls my body to him.

I nod against his chest. "Yeah, I majored in Psychology and minored in Musical Theater. Finished in three years."

"You don't want to do anything with your degree?" He asks, his thumb rubbing my arm.

"I did. At first. But it was more because I felt pressured to. Since I was little I always wanted to be a performer. And when I'd told my family, the rest of my family, not my parents, that I didn't want to go to college, they gave me this long talk about how my dream isn't realistic and how I should try to get something stable. So I went to school for my Bachelor's. I minored in Musical Theater so I wouldn't end up hating the entire experience but when I graduated, they still weren't satisfied."

I let out a deep sigh, "But I thought about it and I decided I didn't want to go thousands of dollars in debt for something I didn't really want. I actually liked psychology, but I wanted to put the money I had towards something I actually wanted. So I told them just that. My parents didn't care. They always told me to do whatever I wished to. They were supportive like that. They always said I was going to become a performer. Said they could see it in me."

"They were right. And I'm sorry your family were a bunch of pricks but I'm glad you made that decision for yourself." He yawns. "Do you write songs?"

I shake my head, "I used to. I wrote the majority of them in high school. A lot of them about the same girl. But after the accident, I just...stopped. Hadn't found anything to motivate me."

"Girl?"

I nod slowly and he speaks again. "What was the song about?"

That wasn't the question I was expecting. "I had a crush on this girl, Madison, and the kids in my class had told me she liked me back. They told me she thought I was pretty and that she wanted to ask me out. So, as soon as I had gotten home, I got my notebook out and wrote. I called it Rumors. Just about the things people told me she thought about me. They ended up not being true, she was just being mean. Took my first kiss and everything." I shake my head, "Anyway, I liked the song too much to toss it out after I found out."

"That's terrible, Delilah. You don't deserve that. I wish I'd gone to high school with you, I'd have beat them all up." I laugh.

"No, you wouldn't have. There's no way you and I would've been friends in high school. No chance." I tell him. "I wasn't really in with the popular kids. And you get along with everyone so they would've loved you. It's not a bad thing."

"I think any scenario where I'm not with you is a bad thing." I smile at his words. "Can you sing some of the song to me?"

I turn to face him, leaning on my elbow. I stare at his face before I start. He's smiling at me. So pretty.

"I heard that you want to be closer to me. I heard that you said you've seen me in your dreams. He said she said you like the way I smile. He said she said you like my confidence and style. He said she said you want to hold my hand and more. And more."

I stop for a breath. His lips are parted but he looks...almost entranced.

"All these rumors spreading around. And I kinda like the way they sound. All these rumors 'bout you and me. How can we make this a reality?"

I only share a little of the song but when I finish, he still doesn't speak. "Well, I didn't think it was that bad." I laugh.

He shakes his head and his eyes widen. "Bad? Are you insane? That was amazing. So, so amazing. You should keep writing. It's beautiful. And your voice too, obviously."

"Thank you. And thank you for what you told me earlier by the piano. You have a beautiful way with words." I whisper, and it's my turn to yawn now. "We should sleep. Big day tomorrow." I joke.

"Big day tomorrow." I hear Harry repeat and then I feel a kiss pressed to the top of my head. I'm lulled to sleep by his soft voice whispering as his arms tighten around me, "my honeybee."

And his, I am. I just don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

†

I woke up to an alarm ringing, wrapped in Harry's arms, legs intertwined with his. I stayed still for a bit before turning to silence it. The sun was peaking through his curtains and I felt a grin form on my face as I turned to face Harry. He's always beautiful but when he's asleep it's a different kind of beautiful. His eyebrows aren't furrowed, and he looks more at peace. His lips were slightly open, small puffs of air coming out of his mouth, his eyelashes fanning out on his cheeks.

"Are you watching me sleep, Delilah?" And he says it with such a fond tone and a smile on his face that I don't even feel any embarrassment.

"How could I not? You're beautiful." I tell him honestly.

He shakes his head, eyes still shut. "No. 'M not beautiful. You're beautiful."

I poke his arm, "You are. Now get up. We have a meeting to get to and then we have absolutely nothing to do for a while." I pat his hip slightly as he groans. "Come on." I draw out. "Get up."

He gets up and we get ready. The whole routine is very domestic, and it makes my heart pound. In a good way, I think.

Harry drives us and before I know it, we're sat at the office with ten other people. The meeting was pretty simple, just making sure there was a full crew for setting up.

The next meeting was on Thursday and Harry and I had spent every day in between together. I'd called Seb to let him know I was going to be staying with Harry and each day he asked the same questions.

"So, did you finally fuck?"

"Did you have the nightmare?"

The answer was always no for both.

It was Thursday morning now and Harry was very excited. "You'll finally get to meet Mitch, and Sarah, and the rest of the band!" He sounds happy and it makes me happy.

"I can't wait to meet them." I tell him honestly.

We're back at the office and we're sat in the same conference room, this time just Harry's band, me, and Harry, with one band manager. The meeting was pretty dull. Nobody could introduce each other because the band manager wouldn't stop talking about them needing to be prepared and a bunch of other stuff they probably already knew.

But I dutifully took notes for Jeff anyway, and spent the meeting sneaking glances at Harry, finding his eyes already on me every time.

When the meeting was over, Harry practically shoved the manager out and shut the door behind him before turning to the rest of us.

His smile was wide as he walked closer, "Finally, you guys are meeting. Mitch, Sarah, Adam, Naomi, and Charlotte, this is Delilah." He pointed at each of us as he named us and then Sarah, I presume, came up to me first and pulled me into a hug.

"It's so nice to finally meet you! All Harry does is talk our ears off about you." She smiles and Adam speaks next, "It's nice to put a face to the name. He's always like 'Delilah this, Delilah that. Delilah knows such big words. Delilah is so pretty,' and every other adjective about how great you are." He says with a laugh.

He juts his hand out to shake mine and soon, I've met everyone. We're laughing as we get to know each other and I'm so deep in conversation with Sarah, that it takes me a while to realize Harry is gone. And so is Mitch. I look around until I find them huddled in a corner, whispering with smiles on their faces. They keep glancing at me before looking back at each other.

What are they talking about?

She's amazing. She's so beautiful and she's mesmerizing. I feel like I'm in a trance.

Watching her get along with some of the most important people in my life is making me feel so giddy and before I know it, I've dragged Mitch off to a corner to talk to him.

"What are you doing?" His low voice asks.

"What do you think of her?" I ask him hurriedly.

His eyebrow quirks up before he answers, "I think she's great. She's sweet and funny. She's getting along with everyone really well, too, so that should tell you something. Why?"

I let out a sigh. "I like her. A lot. She's different. She's not like Ilanna. I've never felt like this about someone before."

He gives me a small smile, "I know. I can see it in your eyes. I'm happy for you, man. You deserve this. You're different now. Good different." His smile falters slightly. "Does she know about Ilanna?"

I shake my head. "No. Not yet. You know how hard it is for me to talk about it. But I'm going to tell her. Soon. I had another question, though."

Mitch nods for me to continue and I look over at Delilah, feeling my heart beat faster. "Would it be crazy if I wanted to take her to London with us?" Mitch's eyes widen. "She told me it's her dream place to visit and I was also thinking I could...I don't know. I was thinking I could introduce her to Mum and Gemma while we're there. Celebrate her birthday there, I don't know."

Mitch lets out a breath, but he looks happy. "Ah, so that's why you picked London." He nods to himself. "From what I can see, you're both clearly obsessed with each other. I'm pretty sure she'd go anywhere with you. I think you should bring her."

I let out a relieved breath and hug him, "Thanks, Mitchell."

"Anytime, Harold."

†

Harry was driving us home now and he was jittery the entire time. His fingers kept tapping against the steering wheel and he was bopping his head even though there was no music playing.

"Did you have too much coffee or something?" He jumps as I speak, and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"N-no. I just, um, I have to pee. Really have to pee." He tells me with a short laugh.

I laugh and he continues fidgeting as he drives the rest of the way.

We get to his house and there's people with cameras everywhere. More than the last time.

We push past every photographer and make it inside, letting out a breath. Harry starts walking upstairs to his room, not making a sound, and I follow him. Why is he being so quiet? Oh, God he's going to tell me he's tired of me or some-

"Delilah." I look up at the sound of his deep voice as we're inside his room now.

"I need to ask you something."

I blink at him.

"Would you go to London with me?" He rushes the question out and it takes me a moment to process what he said before my eyes bug.

"What?"