No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

85 - I Can Be Your Vice

February 2016

A few of the One Direction update accounts reported that I had followed Harry again on Twitter (and accompanied this news with the old articles written about us in March 2015, and the pictures taken of us leaving his house after our first night together, and our date at C London) but overall this was overshadowed by Harry's "dig" at Taylor Swift with his birthday tweet, and we celebrated yet another small victory at keeping our private life relatively private, although we both laughingly agreed this would have been more beneficial to us eleven months ago.

We enjoyed an amazing birthday lunch for Harry in a secluded, low-key restaurant away from the eyes of the paparazzi with Anne and Robin, Jeff and Glenne, Kendall and her boyfriend Jordan, Harry's friend Xander, and James and Julia Corden. This was followed by an amazing dinner that evening with even more of Harry's friends. We managed to stay under the radar the whole day, which was surprising considering it was his birthday and the paps would no doubt have been on high alert for any sightings of him. I was glad, as it was nice to see him enjoying himself with the people he loved without constantly looking over his shoulder to see who might be filming it all.

Our luck ran out the following day though when we went into Beverly Hills for a mooch and ran into a photographer outside the YSL shop. To be fair, we weren't exactly incognito: Harry was wearing a bright blue Hawaiian shirt with his trademark black skinnies and chelsea boots, and looking very Harry Styles. I hung back so it wasn't obvious we were together, walking through the door a few seconds behind him and heading over to the opposite side of the shop while he browsed. He texted me after a minute:

From: Harry: Do you want to leave separately or together? If you're pictured with me now after following me again on Twitter only yesterday, our cover is completely blown x

To: Harry: I want to go public on our terms, not by accident because we got caught off guard by a pap x

From: Harry: Separately, then. I'll leave first and turn left back towards the car. I'll let him get some good shots of me to keep his attention. You leave right behind me but turn right and wait for me on the end of the block. I'll get the car and come and pick you up x

To: Harry: We're far too good at this xxx

From: Harry: Love you xxx

I watched from behind a rail of clothes as Harry slipped his sunglasses on, darted a brief glance in my direction (his lips twitched into the faintest smirk) and walked towards the door. I followed about ten feet behind, just far enough away to keep out of the pap's shot (hopefully) and walked off the opposite way to Harry, resisting the temptation to look back at him as I heard the camera clicks and the excited shout of the pap who obviously believed he'd hit today's jackpot. Harry picked me up a couple of minutes later as arranged, and we exchanged smug looks as we headed back home, and even smugger looks when the pictures surfaced on Twitter less than an hour later of Harry browsing in the YSL shop alone, and heading back to his car, also alone.

We spent Thursday with Jeff, and then in the evening Harry wanted to take me to Ysabel in West Hollywood for dinner, just the two of us, while Anne and Robin went to watch Kevin Hart's live show. It was my second-to-last night in LA before I was due to fly home, and I wanted to make an effort to look good (and I also was aware Harry was frequently spotted at Ysabel, and wanted to be one step ahead of any lurking photographers.)

I put on a short, lace peach dress with little cap sleeves, and when Harry emerged from the bathroom and saw me he did a double take. "Oh! The fuck-me dress!"

He instantly snapped his mouth shut as I stared at him. "The what?!" I exclaimed, and his cheeks flushed a rosy pink.

He cleared his throat. "It's the dress you bought when you first came over to LA last year. I was with you when you got it."