There was a very small gap in the busy stream of traffic, and no time to hesitate. I put my foot down on the accelerator and pulled out on to the road, merging into the fast-moving line of cars and leaving the shrieking girls standing behind on the footpath.
"Go Emma!" cheered Harry. "Hey Mum, I'll ring you later," he said, and ended the call.
Then he turned to me. "So as well as having lots of other talents, you also drive like Lewis Hamilton," he grinned.
"Yep," I smiled back at him. "Or at least I do when there's a chance of being pursued by a bunch of rabid Directioners."
"So I take it you're not a rabid Directioner then?" he asked.
"Ahh..." What was I meant to say to that? Should I let on that I was actually a huge fan, or try to play it cool?
Before I could give him an answer he asked, "Are you coming to the show tonight?"
"No," I told him. "I mean, I wanted to. But I, um, I had to spend the money for my ticket on something else. This car, in fact, when it broke down. It's my mum's car, and she just couldn't manage without it."
"Well, you've got to get your priorities sorted," he said. "Having a working car is far more important than coming to see us. And I'm glad you got it fixed, or you couldn't have come to my rescue today."
He was quiet for a moment and when I took my eyes off the road to look at him, I saw that he was watching me. The intense look in his lovely green eyes made my stomach flip over.
I quickly looked back at the road, unnerved by his gaze.
"Glad to be of service," I mumbled.
There was a moment of awkward silence, during which I made sure to keep my eyes forward, then Harry spoke.
"Do you mind if I use your phone to call Preston before I forget the number my mum just gave me?" he asked.
"Go for it," I told him. I listened as he explained to Preston what had happened and felt myself blushing as he sang my praises.
"Emma's been brilliant," he said. "If it wasn't for her I would probably still be hiding in a cupboard full of mops and brooms. I'm very, very lucky to have run into her."
He asked Preston how he was and they chatted for a few minutes about Preston's health. It sounded like he was going to be OK, thank goodness. Harry ended the call just as I turned into the road that led to the back entrance of the stadium. It quickly became evident that I wasn't the only one who'd had the bright idea to come this way to see if I could see One Direction arriving for the concert, judging by all the teenage girls milling around on the footpaths. They were still there, even though the rest of the group were obviously inside, at the meeting Harry was late for.
"You might need to put Susie's head back on in case you get spotted," I said.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said, starting to pull it on. "How do other people manage to see when they are wearing this thing? Or is it just me? "
"I think it's just you," I said. "Nobody else has problems."
"My eyes are nowhere near the eye holes," he said. "My head must be a funny shape."
"I'm not going to comment on that, on the grounds I might incriminate myself," I told him.
Harry had a little chuckle over that.
"Zayn teases me about having an enormous forehead," he said. "But you know what they say - big forehead, big...."
He paused and bent his neck forward, as if he was looking down between his legs.
"Harry!" I exclaimed.
"...brain. What did you think I was going to say?"
I could hear the teasing tone in his voice, and I grinned.
"No comment!"
"Another part of the body starting with 'fore', by any chance?"
"Harry!"
"You have a dirty mind," he laughed.
By then I was at the back gate to the stadium, and there were dozens of girls hanging around. The gate was shut, of course, and there was a security guard stationed in a booth. I drove up to it, not quite sure how I was going to handle this.
"This could be tricky," I said to Harry. Girls were peering into the car, obviously puzzled as why an elf and a giant squirrel would be trying to get into a One Direction concert via the back gate.
I wound down my window and smiled at the guard, a big middle-aged guy with a bald head and a grey goatee beard.
"Ahh, hi. This is going to sound weird, but we really need to get inside."
"Sure you do," said the guard. "Do you have a pass?"
"Ah no," I said. "But I do have one member of One Direction here with me, and he really needs to get inside the venue. He's late for a meeting."
"Yeah, right," said the guard, squinting at Harry - or rather, Susie Squirrel.
"I'll have to take the head off," said Harry, "so he knows it is me."
"Do that and we'll be mobbed," I said, remembering he couldn't see the crowd of girls staring at us, who were no doubt wondering what was going on. "There are a lot of girls out there, and nowhere for me to do a Lewis Hamilton and speed off when they realise it's you."
I turned back to the guard. "Look, this is Harry Styles. The Harry Styles. Of One Direction. Honestly. You'll have to take my word for it. Please let us in."
As I said it I knew it sounded feeble, and I got the reaction I was expecting.
"Yeah right. I've had people try it on in many different ways in my time, but this takes the cake," the guard said, shaking his head. "You seriously expect me to believe somebody dressed as a giant rat is a member of a band who plays a stadium like this?"
"He's a squirrel, thank you very much, and yes, it is Harry. He can't take the head off, or everyone will go crazy."
"Do I look like I was born yesterday?" grumbled the guard. "Bugger off."
I turned to Harry. "Oh dear, I didn't quite anticipate this."
"I know, I'll ring Preston, since I've got his number now, and get him to call one of our security guys to come out and get us," Harry said. He hit redial on my phone and then said, "Damn, I don't think I'm going to be able to hear him with this bloody head on - can you speak to him?"
I took the phone and listened to it ringing. Then it went to voicemail.
"Oh no," I said to Harry. "He's not answering."
When the message ended I said, "Hi Preston, I'm Emma, I'm helping Harry with his, uh, little dilemma. We're at the stadium but the security guy won't let us in because Harry's not quite recognisable..."
"I look like an escapee from Disneyland!" yelled Harry.
I giggled at that, and then continued, "Can you please call someone at the venue and get them to come out and help us? We're in a red Renault at the back gate. Thank you very much."
"You have very nice manners," murmured Harry beside me. "So now what?"
"I guess we wait, and we hope that Preston gets that message very soon."
"What if he doesn't?" said Harry. "The meet and greet with the kids must have started by now. I feel terrible about missing it."
I turned back to the security guard. "Please, please, can you let us in? Please! This really is Harry Styles. Don't make him take the costume off to prove it, we'll be mobbed."
"I've had enough of you two," said the guard. "Turn around and drive away. Now."
Harry undid his seat belt and leaned across me. "Look mate, I really am Harry Styles of One Direction, and I need to be in there. How else can I prove it to you?"
"You can't," said the guard. "Now I've asked you nicely. Please leave."
"I know," said Harry, still leaning over me. "I'll sing for you." Next thing I knew, he had launched into his solo from What Makes You Beautiful.
"Baby, you light up my world like nobody else, the way you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed..."
He sounded slightly muffled because of the squirrel's head but it was incredible to be so close to him and hearing him sing the song I'd listened to thousands of times. His voice was amazing.
"You're wasting your time," interrupted the guard. "That proves nothing... I don't even recognise the song. Do I look like I listen to One Direction?"
"Oh," said Harry, slumping back into his seat. "Trust us to get someone who doesn't know our songs."
"You might have to resort to taking the head off after all," I said.
I turned to the guard. "Surely you must know what Harry Styles looks like? If he takes the head off you'll recognise him, won't you? He's always in the papers."
"Don't read the papers," sniffed the guard. "Only pop star I know is Elton John. Only song I know is Crocodile Rock. Now go away before I start to get really mad."
"We are so screwed," Harry said. "Even if I do take the head off, he won't know me."
"No, but they will," I said, surveying the dozens of girls watching the exchange between the guard and us. Obviously they hadn't heard Harry singing or saying who he was, or they'd have swarmed around the car by now. "We'll get mobbed, but it might mean he'll let us in."
Harry was quiet for a moment.
"I guess I've got no choice really," he said. "Just make sure you're ready to move quickly... and lock the doors."
"OK," I said, putting the car in gear and winding my window up until it was open just a crack.
"All right, here goes," said Harry, slowly pulling off Susie's head. He had only just shaken it free of his hair when the first ear-piercing scream rang out.
It was followed by a chain reaction of shrieks as more girls recognised Harry, and suddenly the car was surrounded by girls peering in the windows and squealing.
Harry gave a little wave. "Hey girls," he called out. The screaming intensified and the girls closest to the car pawed at the windows and door handles, making the vehicle rock. It was very unnerving and I hoped there was no damage. Mum couldn't afford to get the car fixed again.
I turned towards the security guy, who looked shocked.
"See, told you! Please let us in."
He paused for a moment, frozen in apparent disbelief.
"Please," yelled Harry from beside me.
Finally the man moved, and it looked like he was hitting a button. Ahead of us, the large metal gate began to slowly slide open. But unfortunately, there were hysterical girls standing in front of the car, so I couldn't move forward. They were also on my side of the car, several of them with their faces pressed against the window.
"Please let us through," called out Harry. Amazingly, several of the girls in front of the car stepped aside and I was able to inch the car forward. But then I got stuck again, with more fans crowded in front of the car.
"This could take all day," I muttered.
Then, to my surprise, the security guard got out of the booth and walked over to us, shooing away the girls who were blocking away.
"Move it," he bellowed in a surprisingly loud voice, and to my amazement, they got out of the way.
"Cheers mate," called out Harry, giving the guard the thumbs up. As soon as the way was clear, I eased my foot on the accelerator and drove through the gate and down a driveway towards the enormous stadium.
I realised my heart had been pounding with the stress of it all the minute we got through.
"Well done, Emma," said Harry, grinning at me as the gate slid shut behind us. "You are truly amazing."
"My pleasure," I smiled back. And it was. Helping Harry had been an enormous pleasure, and then my smile faded and my heart sank as I realised that it was about to be all over. He was going to go inside to the meeting he was now very late for, and that would be it. This whole incredible, unbelievable experience would be over.
"Can you go over there?" asked Harry, pointing to two mini-vans parked by a huge partially open roller door.
"Sure." I drove slowly toward the vans, trying to prolong every moment with him.
"I am so late," he muttered. "But at least I won't have missed it completely, thanks to you."
Just then a well-built man in jeans and a black t-shirt came out of the building.
"There's Paddy," said Harry. "I guess Preston passed on the message that we needed help. Can you stop here please."
I pulled up alongside one of the vans and took the car out of gear just as Paddy reached us. He opened the passenger door and practically dragged Harry out.
"Jeez, it's good to see you mate," he said, throwing an arm around Harry. "It was such a relief to get a call from Preston saying you were on your way here. Do you have any idea how worried we have been?"
"I'm sorry it all turned out so badly," said Harry. "How's Niall? He was freaking out last time I saw him."
"He's fine now," said Paddy. "You'd better hurry up though - there's a bunch of kids inside disappointed because you're not there. And Harry..."
"Yeah?"
"What the hell are you wearing?"
"It's a long story," laughed Harry.
I watched the exchange between the two of them, feeling increasingly sad. Harry was back in his world, where he belonged. Where I didn't.
"Come on then," said Paddy, starting to walk back towards the building. That was my cue, time to leave. I reached into my bag and pulled out Harry's rolled up jeans and shirt. When he turned around and leaned in the car I held them out to him.
"See ya, Harry," I said, trying to sound as bright as possible. "I hope the show goes well."
He frowned. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Uh, home," I said, a little puzzled. "My mission is complete. I've got you here."
"No, it isn't," he said, reaching in the car and grabbing Susie's head and paws from the floor. "I'll need to give you this squirrel outfit to take back. Can you pop my stuff back in your bag and bring it with you? Plus I need your help with something else."
My heart beat a little quicker. "Really? What?"
"Come with me and I'll tell you," he said, flashing me that beautiful smile of his. God he was gorgeous, squirrel suit, flattened hair and all.
I didn't need to be told twice. I jumped out of the car, grabbing my bag as I did, slammed the door shut and locked the car. I looked down at myself - I was still wearing the hideous elf suit. I wish I had changed - I had a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in my bag - but there was no time for that now.
If Harry needed my help, he didn't need to ask me twice. I was there for him all the way.