Eucatastrophe ~ h.s.

✗ forty-nine ✗

"How many of them do you think there are?" My voice is timid as I clutch onto Harry's hand in the back of our car.

Arranging a ride to work today was Louis' idea; apparently he'd driven by the office and seen the chaos. Rather than Harry driving through it he suggested that Harry's driver, Dave, handle it. Lord only knows Harry probably would have purposefully ran over a pap out of anger.

"I don't know." Harry mumbles, his hand clenching tightly around mine as if I were to disappear if he lets go. "Louis' said a ton. I called in before we left to request extra security at every entrance leading into and out of the building." I sigh and look out the front windshield.

We're one more turn away from the seeing the utter chaos that Louis' had warned us about.

My eyes fall to my stomach that's hidden behind a loose blouse. Though the whole world knows of this baby, I'm still not ready to show it off just yet. The bump is going to stay hidden a while longer. Plus, the bloody paps don't need to have a peek of it, even just for a second.

"I won't let anyone touch you." Harry says, drawing my attention as his hand comes round and sets itself on top of mine.

"I know you won't. I'm just worried now that they know their boundaries may completely disappear." Harry scoots closer to me on the seat and wraps his arm around my shoulders before placing his other hand on my stomach. His thumb caresses the covered skin and I let myself sigh at the lovely feeling. "I wish being a pap was an illegal profession." I admit, looking up to Harry's face. A small smile takes over his features as a chuckle leaves his lips.

"Me too, love, me too."

"Mr. Styles." Dave's thick accented voice draws our attention from our momentary love bubble back to the real world.

Our eyes dart out of the car to see just how many of them there are surrounding Harry's building. They've come in the thirties and fourties today, not teens. I gulp nervously as their cameras all point in the direction of our town car and their shouting gets louder by the second. The glass of the windows does little to conceal their noise level.

My hand flips over on my stomach and grabs onto Harry's as their presence sends a nervous feeling in my tummy. We look to each other, only briefly, before Dave has pulled directly up in front of the entrance. The way is blocked and there is absolutely no way we're getting out of this car unscaved.

"Security will be here in a moment, Mr. Styles, Ms. Nichols. Sit tight whilst I assist them."

And like that, Dave has exited the car, leaving Harry and I to ourselves in the backseat. I'm glad the windows are tinted so the crazed men and women can't see the terrified look on my face and the worried look on Harry's. We watch in silence as Dave pushes to Harry's door and begins instructing the paparazzi back, with little luck.

"Maybe we should have taken another day." I say, my voice just over a whisper.

Harry had still been feeling under the weather on Monday, so neither of us went in and on Tuesday neither of us wanted to deal with this mess, so we avoided it by staying in. Today, we couldn't avoid work any longer.

"Hopefully after today they'll back off." Harry says, shrugging lightly as his eyes scan the mess outside. "We haven't been out since the announcement, it should wear off in a few days."

"Should?"

"Hopefully."

"Great, so all we've got to go off of is hope?" I question, my nerves getting the best of me.