shakespeare | h.s.

032: Met Gala '19 (II)

"SORRY for bumpin' into ya." Harry apologizes to the young lad.

"Yeah, no worries, man." Shawn responds. "I'm a bit distracted myself."

"Why s'that?" 

"I'm trying to look for a girl. An interesting young lady in red."  

"Me s'well. Guess we both got ourselves a Cinderella tonight." Harry smirks. "Would ya fancy me t'help? I mean, what does she do in the Met?" 

"She says she's with a friend and mentions about art and fashion so I figured she's more in the designing or styling team but I asked my team and they said they don't know her." 

"Well, maybe ya haven't look enough. C'mon. Let's go to me team. They might know her." Harry offers.

"Really? Thanks, man!" Shawn thanks him and follows him to his styling team.

They arrived to their table, busy eating and laughing. When he saw Vee smiling beside Lambert, Styles releases a breath out of relief. 

"Oh! The King of Camp joins us with the a prince of Pop, I guess." Lambert teases that made everyone laugh.

Vee looks back from Lambert to see Styles with a small smile as she flips her hair a little from the head turn and it felt like the view itself turned into slow motion. He hasn't appreciated her beauty enough when she looks at Shawn who meets her eyes.

"It's you!"

Shawn can't help but to yell, taking everyone aback.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" She smiles that made Harry frown and narrow his eyebrows, making him snap back to reality.

"Wait."

Harry catches his attention, but all pairs of eyes are on him.

"Vee s'the girl you're talkin' 'bout?!" Harry asks, raising his voice a little but Shawn didn't mind.

"Wait. You know her?" Shawn asks back, noticing his nickname to her.

"She works fo' me." He answers sternly that made her look at Lambert for help. Lambert stands and places his hands on her shoulders.

"Let's not traumatize the lady, misters." He warns, making the both of them turn to him. "Mr. Mendes, you know Vesper?"

"Vesper?" Shawn asks then looks back at Vee.

"My name's Vesper Moon."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady." Shawn compliments effortlessly that made her blush, making Harry roll his eyes. "I would like to share a word with you, if you don't mind..."

He asks nicely that made her smile but suppresses it by pressing her lips together, fuming Harry was about to refuse the offer for her but someone calls his name.

"Harry!" Kendall screams. "Can I borrow you for a second?"

She asks, more like demands since she's already got her hand around his forearm and pulling him. Lambert kept a straight face, staring at them but Vee looks up to him as if she's asking for his permission to go with Shawn.

"I bet he's harmless." She whispers that made him smile and let her go with him. 

The night has past so quickly as Harry was busy being a co-chair and interacting with a few guests while Vee's been having a joyful time with Shawn but they can't help to feel an emptiness every now and then. Missing each other's presence, knowing that they are not the ones who's keeping them company, not being able to spend time with each other, Harry loses it and finally invited everyone in his team out, including Vee which he literally pull from Shawn.

As they were stuck in a heavy traffic jam inside of their transportation which looks like a mobile home, Vee was leaning her head on the window, Lambert sitting between her and him, and Styles who hasn't tear off his gaze on her since she went with Shawn. He was busy but he managed to steal glances on her and Shawn every damn minute that they aren't feeling each other's bodies beside them.

"So..."

Harry starts, turning Lambert's head to him but seeing that he's looking past through him so he leans back.

"You and Shawn..." The words rolling off his tongue with a bit of disgust.

"You and Kendall..." She retorts, using the same tone like his. 

He didn't respond. No one dare to make any noise since everyone feels the tension inside the vehicle. Awkward silence hug them making Vee pull her earphones from her purse, plug them in her phone, shuffle plays the music and wears them in her ears. It was so quiet the only sounds that everyone's hearing was the noise of New York outside and Guns n Roses' Paradise City from her noise cancelling earphones. Lambert nudges Styles and looks at him with lips forming a line but eyes full of worry.

"She shouldn't 'ave join Shawn."

He spits as he leans onto the window and rubs his temples with his index and middle finger.

"And ya shouldn't let her go with him." He whispers harshly to Lambert.

"Excuse me, I wouldn't let her go with him if you said a word, but did you?" Lambert bites back, making Harry silent. "You didn't utter a single word. All you did was let yourself be borrowed by Kendall Jenner."

"We're 'bout to be co-hostin' an after party. All we did was talk." Styles reasons and Lambert didn't bother to mutter another one.

Both of them having so much on their plates already. Minutes after the frustrating silence they all experience, the vehicle stops in front of the hotel that made Vee look up and remove her earphones from her ears. 

"Jeff s'just gonna pick up somethin' then we're headed to the after party." He informs, specifically to her, seeing she's wearing the strap of her purse on her shoulder.

"Actually, I need to go." Was all she said before she exits the vehicle.

Lambert turns to Styles so he can push him to follow her but Styles already exited the vehicle and jog quickly before she can enter the hotel.

"If I was your boyfriend!"

Harry starts, enough to make Vee stop from stepping another step.

"M'not lettin' Shawn talk to ya, look at ya, lay a finger on ya, speak your name or even think of ya." He takes two steps closer to her but still kept a distance. "What would ya do if you were me girlfriend?"

She inhales and exhales rapidly. It's as if she has been ask a million-dollar worth of a question.

She shakes her head. "Nothing." She answers, making her turn to face him and sees his confused look. "It's your decision to talk to your ex in a totally platonic way or not."

She dares to take a step closer to him, only a foot is their distance.

"But it's also my decision to feel jealous and all you just got to do is respect that or make that feeling go away."

His Adam's apple is visibly went from up to down, jaw clenching and tears forming in his eyes.

"If I was your girlfriend. Luckily, we're not a couple." She bites her bottom lip as hard as possible to control the tears from falling down on her cheeks. "Have fun, Mr. Styles."

His heart breaks when he saw what was Lambert talking about, the most unexpected saddest smile forming on her lips. She finally turns around and walk inside the hotel while wiping the fallen tears. At least she didn't cry in front of him.