ꜱᴇʀᴇɴɪᴛʏ, ᴡʀᴏᴇᴛᴏꜱʜᴀᴡ

18

"And you must be...Y/N?" The man says as he stretches out his hand for me to shake.

"Yes, she is," Harry says before bending down to talk in my ear, "And that's Ethan," He says. I don't know why he bothered leaning down because everyone could definitely hear him.

I smile before greeting Ethan and shaking his hand. The three of us walk down the street, almost running as the sky threatens to drop before we make it to the restaurant. As we walk through the door my heartbeat begins to quicken, and I can't help but feel nervous. We make it to our table and I find myself fidgeting as we wait for the others to arrive. Harry must notice as he glances to his side before whispering, "Don't be nervous, I promise you're gonna be fine," He smiles, comforting me.

It's not long before the rest of the Sidemen arrive and we all get introduced, but to my dismay the anxious feeling doesn't leave me alone. I meet eyes with Ethan across the table who gives me a reassuring smile before continuing his conversation. 

"So, Y/N," Simon begins after swallowing a gulp of coke, "How exactly do you know Harry?" He asks, causing all eyes to gaze upon me.

"Oh, we actually went to high school together," I grin as Harry's hand finds my thigh, making me inhale deeply before continuing my meal.

"So, are you like...together, or?" JJ asks before Josh attempts to elbow him subtly, failing to do so, and whispering something inaudible to him.

"...Oh," JJ says, making a worried face before shutting up and taking a mouthful of his calzone.

I panic. I still don't actually know what Harry and I are, but I do know we're figuring it out. I look to Harry and hesitate briefly before thinking of a response. Harry senses my cry for help and draws circles on my thigh to comfort me before responding on my behalf.

"We're...together, actually," He smiles awkwardly before turning to me and winking at me. I smile before glancing at the boys who, to my surprise, look confused. Why is everyone surprised? Surely Harry told them?

"But, I thought-" JJ starts before Josh, once again, elbows him and shakes his head. The table falls silent, only the sounds of cutlery clashing against the plates can be heard. Harry's hand begins to slowly edge closer to my body, causing me to almost choke on my dinner and Harry to burst out laughing.

"You two okay?" Ethan asks, getting a rough idea of what's going on.

"Yeah, fine," Harry smirks to Ethan who can't help but let out a laugh. As funny as the conversation is, I can't help but think about the boys' reaction to what Harry said earlier. It's obvious they know something I don't. Something inside is telling me that there is something that is really wrong, but I can't quite figure out what. 

"Are you okay?" Harry asks, seeming concerned I've been quiet for so long. I just nod my head in response.

"Are you sure?" He asks once again.

"Yeah," I lie, "I'm absolutely fine."

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A/N: Happy 2023 to you all! Ngl, this years not been the best so far and I don't think exam pressure really helps, but hopefully it's on the up from here. Wishing you all the best <3