Cliché || H.S.

Chapter 7

It's the morning after my date with Harry and I've gone into a full blown panic. I'm staring at the picture I took last night, mine and Harry's legs extended with the pink and purple sky in front of us. Our faces aren't in it, Harry only being identifiable by the tattoo above his knee. It may be unsuspecting to some people, but definitely not to his fan base. I know better than to think anything could get past them.

"Are you going to post that picture or not? You've been staring at it for the past 30 minutes like it'll post itself," Celeste remarks. I'm laying next to her in her bed, too stressed to do this by myself. "Technically I don't have to post anything. We can just do something publicly after work tomorrow. And then people can just keep guessing," I resign. I throw my phone down on the bed next to me. That settles it.

"Why are you so worried about it? If you keep going out with him people are going to keep looking for proof and you'll be giving them ammunition. Post this and you don't have to be seen in public with him for weeks," Celeste says this casually like it's a no brainer. I try to explain the best I can, "I'm worried about it because I don't know how people will react. I'm pretty certain that half the female population will want to claw my eyes out, first of all. Second of all, this guy has a long history of dating models. Let them think he's just hanging out with his fat actress friend, but if I post this people are going to think he downgraded. I can't take the backlash," I sigh dramatically, throwing my arm over my eyes like a damsel in distress. Who am I kidding, I am in distress.

"Oh woah woah! No you don't," Celeste pulls my arm from my eyes, forcing me to look at her, "Lil, we're not doing this again. Just because you're not underweight doesn't mean you're overweight. You're gorgeous, and the entire world thinks so too. Let people want to claw your eyes out, it's only because they're jealous thinking you have something they want. And to be honest, I think it's good that you're not a model. People find you so much more relatable because of it, and they want Harry to be with someone who's real." Celeste says her words with force, insistent on getting her point across. I feel slightly better, but not enough for me to post the picture with reckless abandon.

"I haven't been able to bring myself to check social media since this started. I think I need to suck it up and look," I resign. If people are taking it well then I'll post. If they're ordering my execution then I'll sit this one out. I open Twitter for the first time in three weeks, feeling like I could vomit on Celeste's pink comforter. I'm met with a flood of notifications and begin to filter through. Pictures of Harry and I at Nobu are everywhere, and I feel a little bit proud of myself. We really do look like we know each other, not that it's the first day we met.

Next is a video someone took at the concert. Harry has his arms wrapped around my shoulders while standing behind me. The quality is poor and you can barely tell it's me. Someone dug up a picture that Safia put on her Snapchat story while I was getting ready, and the outfit confirmed their suspicions. These people are good. Last are pictures that I was unaware of. Harry opening my car door for me that night in the parking lot followed by pictures of us talking through my rolled down window. We both have smiles plastered on our faces.

I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the comment section. These people know nothing about you, they don't determine your worth. The first comment I see is from the concert "brb crying". That could mean anything... there are plenty more just like that which give nothing away. The more I scroll, the juicier is gets. There are comments defending Harry and I, saying that we're allowed to be friends so don't push a narrative. Plenty of his fans tweet that their hearts are broken, but I see a surprising amount of people that say they just hope he's happy. There are also death threats that follow should I break his heart.

My fans are showing an overwhelming amount of support. Them hoping that I found someone who makes me happy, especially someone as hot as him. I laugh at some of the reactions, people shocked that I'm being seen in public with a guy which hasn't happened in years. There are even some rumors that we're already secretly engaged.