Pretty Please Don't Pinch Me

25. An Introductory Faint

"I know it sounds glamorous to you Scarlett, but all I want is nothing more than for Harry to be a regular guy. You don't understand how scary it can be to be followed home by strange men taking pictures, and having nasty things being written about you in the media. I don't care about any of the extra bullshït."

She pulls me in for another hug and I feel slightly bad about snapping with her. Having my best friend believe that I'm relishing in all of this would just make matters worse in my mind somehow.

"I'm sorry," she says, "You know I didn't mean it in that way..."

"I know," I nod. "I'm just so stressed at the moment. I don't feel as though I can completely enjoy it all."

"What are you holding on to love?"

"It's nothing..." I say, but Scarlett is persistent.

"Ava. Talk to me."

"It's just that I'm constantly worried about what he'll think."

"What who thinks?" She asks, scrunching up her face in thought.

"Harry." I answer. "When he finds out I'm a... that I'm a-"

"Virgin?" she asks, filling in the blanks, and I nod.

"I mean, this is probably the weirdest thing I've ever said, but you probably know more about him than I do Scar. Which means you know of his reputation. You know he's labelled as this... as this kind of womaniser. He doesn't pressure me at all into doing things - in fact, I think I pressure him more than he does me. But I can't imagine how he's going to act when he finds out that I'm lacking experience in... that area."

"Aw sweetie," she coddles. "You have nothing to worry about. If he's as perfect as you say - and from what I know about him from my years of devotion, he's going to understand. I bet he won't even care. And in the odd chance that he reacts negatively... then that's when you need to walk away, head held high."

"Thanks Scar."

She's probably right. I can't imagine him reacting negatively in some outrageous fashion, but it still worries me about what he's going to think about me.

"Yeah, and if he's a díck about the whole virgin thing, that's when you send him my way," she jokingly adds, and I scoff, shaking my head.

"What was Max like anyways?" She asks, releasing me from the hug. "Maybe you can hook a sister up?" She winks exaggeratively.

I ponder the question thoughtfully.

"Hmm. He was quite an... interesting person. Mysterious maybe? He was absolutely infuriating though. One minute he'd be so arrogant and purposefully irritating, and the next he would be really kind towards me."

"Maybe he likes you," she suggests, and I can only laugh. "There is no way he likes me."

"Think about it Ava. Why else would he follow you around like a mopey little puppy all night, trying to keep you there with him? He definitely wants you at least," she decides, and winks.

I roll my eyes at her. The last thing I need is another complication. And why would I ever go for someone like Max, when I'm finding myself completely captivated by Harry? Harry is more than I could ever ask for; or deserve, and I'm still not properly convinced that he's genuinely interested in me. I'm half expecting Ashton Kutcher to pop out from the bushes and feature me to be on the next episode of Punk'd.