Month One

Maureen looked at Harry across the table and cataloged his various ills. Usually the boy looked like a candle, all luminescent and warm, but today he looked haggard. The circles under his eyes were the color of a fresh bruise, his hair was greasy and limp, lips chapped and picked over, shoulders hunched and his clothes wrinkled.

"Is, is she okay?" He choked out.
This was the first thing he had said since letting her in the house. She had pulled him into her arms and felt his body wrack with sobs. Alysia had been the same for days after she made it home two weeks ago. They were both miserable, she had no idea why Alysia was doing this. She wouldn't talk about it, and she refused to talk to or see Harry. When Maureen had had to close the door on his broken face the other day she knew she had to check in on him.
"No, she's not," Maureen hoped this would comfort him, but his fallen face denied her wish.
"Has she...told you..has she told you why?"
"No, she told me before she did it and I tried to talk her out of it, but she left and turned off her phone, but she couldn't tell me why," she took the hand laying on the table. "She's hurting too, I can only guess it has something to do Mom and Dad, like leave before you do, and she's not able to cope. I don't know Harry, she won't talk to me."

"Does she, does she believe that I cheated?" Harry whispered.

"I don't think so. Harry," she stopped for a bit, "Did you?"

At this Harry's head shot up, "No," he swore, "I'd neveh. I can't even think about someone else like that. I can't see anyone but her. Never wanted anybody like this," he trailed off sniffling and hung his head.

Maureen bit her lip and gripped his hand again, "Maybe she'll come to her senses, Harry. I hope so, for both of your sakes."

But she didn't. After the initial breakdown where Maureen watched her sister cry herself to sleep for weeks, she seemed to just seemed to push it off. Maureen tried to talk to her about it, but Alysia threw herself into her business and worked every spare minute.

Maureen decided to check in on Harry as often as she could. His response seemed to be the opposite, as Alysia ignored her pain, Harry seemed to wallow in it. Every time she saw him he was gaunter and sadder, until she decided that she was going to have to bring in an intervention.

Month Two

Maureen stood outside of the Full Stop Management and contemplated what she was about to do. This was meddling on a level she would never have thought herself capable of. She squared her shoulders and opened the door.

"Hello, I'm looking for Jeff Azoff," she told the receptionist.

"Do you have an appointment?" her name tag said Kelly.

"No, I don't, but I'm here to talk about Harry Styles," Maureen tried to explain and quickly backpedaled when she saw the alarmed look on Kelly's face.

"No, no, I'm not a fan, well I am, but more of him than his music. I'm his ex-girlfriend's sister, and I'm worried about him." she tried to explain.

At that moment, Jeff walked into the office with a worried expression on his head. When he looked up, he gave her a quizzical brow.

"Hi, Are you Jeff?" Maureen asked extending her hand.

"I am." He said warily.

"I'm Maureen, Alysia's sister. I'm here because I'm worried about our idiots," she explained.

Jeff exhaled heavily, "Please, Come in," he opened the door and lead her down a hallway to his office. "So, How's Alysia, as miserable as Harry?"

"Hard to say really, she won't talk to me. But, I hear her crying in her sleep. How's Harry? I haven't seen him in a couple weeks."

"I just left him actually, and he's horrible. I can't get him to go to the studio and he needs a shower. I know the kid is a sap, I mean, I've read every song he's written, but who knew he'd be such a mess over a break up," Jeff looked bewildered.

"I really wanna help him. You know him best, what would help him?" Maureen asked with raised eyebrows.

"If Alysia showed up at his doorstep and never left," Jeff quipped.

"Well, she won't even let me talk about him, his name is not allowed and she changes the station if anything One Direction comes up."

"Well, life's about to get a lot harder, he's going to be everywhere next month for Dunkirk and then we are starting album promo soon after. I mean, if I can get him to write a song, all that heartbreak should be good for something," he muttered. "Honestly, I'm at a loss."

"What about his Mom and sister, could they get him out of the bell jar?"

"That's a good idea!" He enthused.

"We should get them to fly out," and Maureen and Jeff got to plotting in their effort to rescue Harry Styles from heartbreak.

Month Three

"Am doing well, thanks. My mum and sister came out and got me on my feet, and actually, been writing about it and that's helped loads," Maureen heard him take a huge gulp, "and...um...Alysia, how's she?"

This was a difficult question to answer for Maureen. Alysia had been distant and focused on anything that distracted her until two weeks ago, when Maureen finally went into her room when she heard her having her nightly breakdown. This one seemed to be more intense than the others, as she wasn't even making an effort to muffle it.

When she had come into her room, Alysia had been sobbing and rocking on her floor with her iphone in her hands. Maureen had wrapped her up in her arms and swayed with her until she had started talking.

"I miss him so much, and he misses me, I think. But I just can't Maureen, I'm just not strong enough," she said, handing her phone over to Maureen. Alysia had Harry's instagram open, It showed a moonlit night out a huge floor to ceiling window and was captioned, "Ain't no Sunshine". Below the picture was comment after comment.

"He's talking about that Bitch again."

"She Gone."

"Harry, please follow me"

"How could she hurt him like this."

"Kill yourself, troll."

"Who the fuck breaks up with Harry Styles."

And right then, Maureen got it. They each responded to their abandonment differently, both their dad's purposeful ghosting, and their mother's tragic death. Maureen accepted the love she felt she deserved, selling herself way short. Alysia, well Alysia, tried to be as lovable as possible. Harry had loved her well, but her fragile sense of self worth, her externalized sources of it, could not handle the hate she received for being loved by him.

"Alysia, baby, have you thought about going to therapy? Will you go with me?" Maureen asked the question she had been wanting to for years, but that she could no longer ignore while holding her broken baby sister in her arms.

Alysia's tear streaked face came up and she nodded.

These were not Maureen's secrets to tell. She wanted to tell Harry to give Alysia time, that she loved him, undoubtedly, but needed to get herself together. That they were starting therapy, etc, etc... But she couldn't, so instead, "No Harry, she's not alright. But she's getting better. I'm so happy to hear that you are too."

Harry chuckled, "Well, I'm trying. I just miss her so much. Ya know that face she makes, when she thinks no one is looking and she hates something but doesn't want to offend you? Her face all screwed up and eyes narrowed? I miss that so much. I cooked her spotted dick one night at like 2 in the morning, and I could tell she loathed it, but she just kept eating, but I saw that face. I think that's when I realized she really loved me....." he trailed off, "Did she, did she see my instagram?"

"She did, Harry," Maureen added nothing to her confirmation.

"Good, good," he exhaled hard, "She changed her number, so I figured that was the only way she'd know I think of her."

"She knows Harry," Maureen encouraged him, "Harry, I have to go, but I'm so glad you are doing better."

"Thank you for checkin on me Maureen, and for taking care of my girl," Maureen blinked back tears at that. Still hanging on, she had to get these idiots back together.

Month Four

"Tell me about Harry," Dr. Tingey suggested from behind her desk and Maureen  wondered if Alysia would answer.

"Um....What about him?" Alysia responded.

"Well, Maureen says you had a bad break up, but I don't know anything about him," the therapist raised her eyebrows and went silent.

"Ok, um, we met and he was wonderful, is wonderful. But, his life is complicated, and I couldn't take it." Alysia tried to be succinct so they could skip this whole conversation.

"What couldn't you take?"

"Um... mostly the bad things people wrote about me and the distance. He's gone a lot,"

"What's sorts of bad things?" the doctor asked.

"Um, harsh criticism and cruel opinions on everything about me, from the tip of my toe to the top of my head, my job, my ambitions, my family, my motives. Basically, all the meanest things you can think of publicly announced," Alysia explained.

"That does sound brutal, what did Harry say about it?" eyebrows raised and waiting.

"We never talked about it."

"And why's that," Dr. Tingey quieried

"I never brought it up. When we were together, we were so happy and in love, I didn't want to bring us down," Alysia endeavored to explain.

"But now you are not together, so didn't it bring you down anyway?"

Maureen hated the sad look in her sisters face, but she couldn't agree with Dr. Tingey more.

Month Five

"Maureen, I have a session tonight after therapy, and some of the girl's want to go dance. Is it cool if I go?" Alysia pulled on her trainers with a hopeful gaze.

"Not your mom! You are able to do whatever you want to do, babe. Where do the girl's want to go?" Maureen finished packing Conner's lunch.

"Some club downtown, I haven't been in ages. Couldn't really then didn't want to. But, I feel like I need to decompress a little. I'm so wound up."

Maureen gave Alysia an incredulous look.

"What?" she was lost.

"Course you're wound up. When was the last time you had sex?" Maureen laughed at ALysia's non plussed expression.

Maureen watched realization dawn on her sister's face. She waited a beat, "You know when the last time I had sex was," and then continued packing her gym bag.

"It's been a little bit babes, maybe you should check out your options tonight? See if anyone can measure up?" She tried to be gentle, but Alysia would only talk about Harry in therapy, and now that conversation had changed into her feelings of unworth as a whole and their abandonment issues. Maybe this would draw her out, or at least give her an idea where her head was at. Harry had asked if she had moved on recently, if he should try too. Maureen said no, unless he had met someone, which drew an outright snigger of derision from him. Her gut told her that Alysia was still very much in love with him and the last two months of therapy had done wonders. Maybe Alysia was ready.

"No, no one will ever measure up," she shook her head ruefully and shivered, "Besides, I think I'm just going to enjoy my girls tonight. I'm all cried out. But, tomorrow I think I'll dust off my vibrator, " Alysia slung her bag onto her shoulder.

"May have to dust off something else, seester."

"Shut up!" she called back while Maureen laughed.

Month Six

"So..." By the tone of Alysia's voice Maureen could tell she was about to ask about somehting she was unsure of.

"So.....what," she bumped Alysia's shoulder while they drank smoothies and rocked on the patio swing.

"Do you think Jonah would still be interested in a date with me?" Alysia looked as self-concious as a 12 year old.

Maureen wasn't sure what to say, Jonah had asked about Alysia one day when she had delivered her massage table to his house in Malibu. At the time, Alysia had still been a mess, pretending to be ok and crying in her sleep every night. But, she had told Alysis how her handsome, rich, young client had asked about her. She hoped it would make her see herself. Alysia was gorgeous and accomplished and a business woman in her own right now. But, Maureen wanted her to feel worthy of Harry, not some random dude, no matter how firm his backside was.

"Um, I could ask him?" Maureen turned to look at Alysia then and caught her hand, "You feel ready for that, sweetie?"

"I mean, maybe not, but it's been six months, and he hasn't tried to contact me or mentioned me in months. We were only together 5. Plus, he's been really busy. I'm sure he has moved on. Plus, I" she blushed, "I just think I need to get laid, and Jonah sounds like a nice guy," she faded out at the end.

If the bi-weekly text she got from Harry were anything to go by, he had in fact not moved on. Maureen had encouraged him to wait, but looked like time was up.

"Are you sure, babe. And can we pick someone who is not my client for your first post-Styles score?" 

"Course, I didn't even think about that. But, I'm not even sure how to go about meeting anyone. You know him and he's interested. Just a way to dip my tow in the water?" Maureen was struck by how nervous Alysia seemed, like she didn't even know how to relate after Harry.

"Ok, but don't sleep with him right away," Maureen cautioned.

"One time, I've done that one time!" she huffed.

One time, Maureen thought, should have been the last.

"Ok, I'll set something up."

And now Maureen really did feel like Mom. She was waiting up to hear about Alysia's date with Jonah. When Alysia stormed in with a tear streaked face Maureen followed her angry foot steps to the bathroom. 

"What happened," she asked while Alysia brutally scrubbed her face, "calm down, leave some skin."

"What happened. What happened. Harry fucking Styles happened."

"Was Harry there?" Maureen was having trouble tracking with Alysia's thoughts.

"He's fucking everywhere!! There I am with a perfectly lovely man. He can carry a conversation, and he asks me about my business, and he doesn't even live with his parents," she threw down the cloth angrily, pulling up her dress and sitting on the toilet seat to take off her shoes, "But all I can think about is that his eyes are the wrong color, and he doesn't talk with his hands, and his dimples aren't deep enough."

"Ok, so he's not Harry, but you liked him?" Maureen was confused. 

"I liked him, but nothing, nothing down stairs. Jonah is gorgeous and all I could think about is how I can't even get off without picturing Harry's stupid face. And then." she threw her shoes and stormed into the living room.

Maureen followed her out, "And then what?"

"And then 'Little Things' played in the restaurant! So, I had to go cry in the restroom, and that's not even the worst part!" she seethed.

Maureen just stared at her pacing sister.

"I pull myself together and he walks me to my car, he's such a gentleman, Maureen, you wouldn't believe. Just, so nice. We get there to leave and he leans in to kiss me, and I'm excited for a second, but the second his lips touch mine, it's all wrong, and I just sob into his mouth."

Maureen suppressed the smile that begged to surface, she had to call Jeff.