A/N: a long chapter and an important one for the future!
Sorry for the late updates :')
Enjoy!
★ ★ ★
“Give me the best shirt you have in your closet.”
“No. Don't go.”
“Come on, Harry.” I look over my shoulder at Harry who's sitting on the bed. “I have to go, it'll be helpful for Lucas. I told you that.”
“Why are they meeting in a pub for their first meeting? Shouldn't they be meeting in a nice cafe where everything is peaceful.” he makes a grumpy face. “The pub is just...”
“Claudia wants that, not Lucas.” I look back in the mirror. “Also, the pub will make things less awkward for them while talking, you know how shy Lucas becomes when talking to a strange person and Claudia is the girl he has that once-in-a-lifetime crush on. I think it'll be easy for them.”
“If it's easy for them then why are you going? Don't go,” he says and I let out a sigh. “We should spend time together.”
“You also have to go to work in an hour Harry...” I mumble while neatly clipping up my hair. I turn around and walk towards the bed, sitting next to him.
“I just have the work for the party so I'm coming home earlier than I do and you're going to the pub so god knows when you will come back. Also, you'll get more all by yourself while they're talking.”
“I'll come home before 10:30, I swear. And I won't get bored as Claudia’s friend is coming too, I'll have company.” his face was not much convinced, so I smiled softly and held his hand. “I promised Lucas that I'll go with him, Harry. He looked very excited, I don't want to ruin that for him, please. Let me go, I'll come back soon.”
He stares at me for a few seconds before he clicks his tongue and lets out a sigh. “Fine, go. I'll drop you off at Lucas. But don't drink much and come back quickly, okay?”
“Okay, also I'm not gonna drink today at all, I'm not in a mood,” I say with a smile. “So now please give me one of your shirts, I don't want to wear mine.”
“Okay.” he nods and scoots away to get off the bed and walk towards the door before glancing over at my black ripped jeans. “Black and white?” he points at me.
“Perfect.” I give thumbs up and he walks out with a nod.
I turn around to look at myself in the mirror but then the screen of my phone lights up. I pick up th phone and see Lucas’s message.
Lucas: I think I might cry when I see her. I'm nervous.
I chuckled and opened the message to reply to him.
Me: Don’t worry I'll help you run away from there ;)
I send the text and he immediately saw it.
Lucas: You're not helping the situation... Fuck off ( please come)
I laugh and close the messages before locking the phone and putting it in my pocket.
“What happened?” I hear Harry’s voice as he enters.
“Lucas said he might cry when he'll meet her,” I smile and turn around after loosening the strand of my hair which was too stretched up. “So I told him ‘Don't worry, I'll help you run away from the pub’.”
He chuckles and steps closer with a black and white patterned shirt in his hand. “Hmm. I think this is perfect.”
I nod and take the shirt from him and open it, it had a pattern of unique white flowers attached to its stems. I'm pretty sure those are flowers. My brows raise when I see it had half sleeves.
“You have half sleeves shirts and you don't wear them? Why?” I look at him. “You’ll look really good in those shirts.”
“Well, now I'll try.” he shrugs with a smirk.
I shake my head and put the shit on the back of the chair before backing up a few steps and removing the tee I had on. After I carefully remove my tee without it messing up my hair, I open my eyes and see Harry’s eyes on me with a smirk on his face. My heart jumps and a smirk forms on my face as I realize myself being almost naked apart from the bra I have on.
“Stop it,” I state, folding the tee.
“I don't know how to,” he says with his eyes trailing down and hands in his pocket. I look up and see him slowly stepping towards me with his eyes moving up to my eyes. “What a shame that Lucas is shy, huh?”
I stay firm on my spot as he stands toes to toe with me. His eyes meet mine and he tilts his head with a smirk on his face. I keep my eyes on his and put the tee away on the table, taking the shirt after. “Mhm.”
“For the last time,” he leans down, hovering his lips on mine. “Don’t go. I'll be back in two hours....” his lips brushed mine just a bit. “Just two hours...”
“I have to go...” My heart jumps when his lips brush again. “I'll be back soon. Don't do this.”
His lips stop on mine and he takes a big inhale, “Put on the shirt before my hands get out of my pockets.” with a soft nose brush, he backs away with a smirk and moves away towards the mirror. I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling and quickly open the buttons of the shirt before putting it on me. I smile to myself as I get a faint whiff of his cologne from the shirt while buttoning up the shirt and tucking the extra in my jeans.
“Ready?” I look to my side where he was leaning against the wall. I give him a nod. “Okay, I'll wait outside, come when you're done with everything.” I nod and he moves away, falling out of the room.
Quickly, I spray on my perfume and grab my wallet from the table before sliding in front of the mirror. I take a quick look at myself and adjust the clip on my head as well as the studs in my ear which were still loose. After the approval of Luna from the mirror, I turn around and walk outside. Harry immediately looks up from his phone when I enter the living room.
“I'm getting you shirts like this when the next time we go out shopping,” he says with a chuckle while I pass by him toward the door. “You look really good in those.”
I smile to myself and wait for him to lock the door. He then turns around and his arm wraps around my shoulder, “I look good in everything that's related to my beloved boyfriend.”
I quickly look at him and manage to catch the smirk on his lips. While we walk towards the lift, he pulls me closer, almost making me stumble, “You do, mi amore.”
★ ★ ★
“Why don't you come in and meet them both?” I say after unbuckling my seat belt. “It won't take much time.”
“I would've loved to but I can't, Cherry," Harry says with a sorry look on his face. “The party is big and special so I have to go a bit beforehand. I'm sorry, but you go; he must be very nervous.”
I frowned with slightly pouty lips but I nod, “Yeah, okay” I smile at him. “All the best, I'll come back soon.”
“Okay... Don't drink much and take care,” he says, tucking the strand of hair behind my ear. “I'll call Lucas if it's too late.”
I nod and lean a bit towards him with a pout of my lips, a smirk forms on my face when he chuckles and shakes his head. With a small smirk on his lips, he holds my chin and pulls my face to him before planting a kiss on my lips. I smile against his lips and do the dramatic sound of the kiss as we back away. In a quick moment, I quickly check myself in the rearview mirror and open the door, getting out of the car. With my hands hovering over my pockets, I walk around the car and stop at his window.
“Bye-bye!” I say and lean inside the car to give him a peck on the side of his head before pulling back out. “All the best and I love you!”
“I love you too,” he says with a smile as I walk a few steps back before turning fully and walking towards the front door.
I take a glance back as I stand in front of the door and the car’s drifting-off sound comes. I quickly ring a bell, and then slowly enter through the door which was a little cracked open. As soon as I walk in, I hear a rushed conversation from the living room. So, I turn and walk towards the living room where I see Lucas dressed up in a full tuxedo with a white shirt underneath and adjusting his bow tie. Lily was sitting on the couch with her hand supporting her head and a defeated look on her face.
“What is this?” their heads turn to me as I reach the back of the couch. “Are you planning to marry today or what?”
I saw him blush a little, “I have to make a good first impression.”
I roll my eyes, “You’re meeting in a club, Lucas not a 5-star hotel.” I shame my head. “Take off that blazer and tie, come on.”
“But-”
“I told you before,” Lily butts in. “Remove that blazer and bow tie, and roll up the sleeves.”
“Exactly. After that, unbutton the first two or three buttons, and you'll look good.” I tell him, but he still looked puzzled. “Come on, quickly. Do you want to keep her standing on the first meeting?”
“No. Okay, fine.” he quickly removes the blazer and the bow tie from him and puts it on the couch. I pay attention to how he rolls up his sleeves while I neatly fold the blazer and put it beside Lily. A smile forms on my face and Lily and I both look at each other when he neatly finishes rolling up the sleeves in a decent pattern. “All good now?”
“Unbutton the first two and you're a perfect gentleman.” wordlessly, he does as I say and looks at me, so I give him a thumbs up. “Perfect.” he lets out a sigh. “Come on, we should head out, the pub area gets a bit crowded at this hour.”
“Okay.” he sins around and snatches the keys and wallet from the coffee table before giving his mother a quick hug. “Wish me luck, Mum.”
“Best of luck, sweetheart.” I smile as she strokes his back. “It's going to be great, have fun!”
Lucas backs away with a visibly nervous face and nods at her. I chuckle to myself as he rushes away from us and towards the door after gesturing me to follow. I quickly say bye to Lily and rush behind him. Once I exit the door and close it behind me, I rush down the stairs towards almost running Lucas, stopping him by hooking my arm with his.
“Slow down, Romeo.” he slows down and his body relaxes as he rolls his eyes at me. “She’s not running away.”
My eyes widen and I stand still when he twists around, grabbing me by my shoulders. “It's my first time after a long time and I want this to work out because I like her and she's so beautiful and funny and-”
“Shhh!” I slap my hand on his mouth. “It will be great. Don't worry. Everything is going to go as you want, okay?” he gulps in nervousness, so I let out a sigh and remove my hand from his mouth. “It will be okay. Trust me. It's just the first meeting, don't worry, she'll be nervous too.”
“Okay...okay,” he mumbles and nods to himself. With a glance at me, he lets go of my shoulders and proceeds to walk out of the exit. “Come on, let's go. Whatever happens, happens.”
I shake my head with a chuckle and follow him out.
★ ★ ★
We reached the club in roughly ten minutes and were standing outside while he calls Claudia to ask where she and her friend is. I'm very excited to meet her, I've heard about her from Maeve and according to that, I can think of her as a fun and outgoing person who loves photography. I guess that she's the opposite of what Lucas is. Lucas is a typical nerd who can't think of anything more interesting than his block-type books.
On the other hand, the pub looks beautiful. It has such a lavish interior which makes me think about why Lucas never brought me here, I think I'll ask him that once we get done. I could see people grooving on that stage to a 80s or maybe 70s rock song but I couldn't tell clearly what else was inside because of the constant flow of people rushing around here and there.
My dyes move away from the pub and to my side where Lucas was standing, completely petrified with his lips parted and staring inside the pub. I scoot closer to him and nudge his side, “Where are they?”
“They're inside,” he mumbles.
“Good, come on.” I walk a couple of steps further and glance back to see him still petrified. I roll my eyes when his shoulder slouch down, so I shake my head and grab his arm, snatching him forward through the entrance. A smile forms on my face when I look around the pub, it was indeed excellent. “Where now?”
“They are sitting at the corner-”
“Lucas!”
Our heads snap to the left corner when the loud voice echoed. My jaw almost dropped at how beautiful she was. An automatic smile forms on my lips when I see her grinning and waving her hand while standing up. Unlike Maeve, Claudia had a nice curly head with big doe eyes. She was wearing a very casual outfit of blue floral shirt and white trousers with minimal make-up or an expensive hairdo.
My eyes shift from Claudia to the person near her who just slowly pop up from the chair. It was a redheaded boy who had a glass of cold drink in his hand. Even he was in a casual outfit, making me feel overdressed. That boy doesn't seem to have much age difference with me, probably older by one year or six months. He had a smirk on his lips while his gaze constantly shifted from Claudia to Lucas who was standing beside me, still bewildered.
“Let's go.” I nudge Lucas’s side while whispering and loosening my grip around him. “Go forward, come on.”
I slightly push him and he moves forward, leading in the way. I subtly smile at the boy who came with her as we stop at the table. But my eyes quickly widen when Claudia immediately hugs Lucas without any hesitation. Then I snicker when I see Lucas’s eyes widening and his body freezing on the spot with his hands hanging in the air around her. Luckily for him, she backs away from the hug and looks at him with the broadest smile on her face.
“Hi! You have no idea how good it is to finally meet you.” She says to him. “I was waiting for this day.”
“Yeah, me too.” his voice was very timid, I even doubt if she heard it. “It feels really good.”
I smile to myself then Claudia looks at me. “Hey!” she gives me a quick hug. “Luna, right?” I nod. “It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot of good things from Mae and Felix, I'm happy that he brought you as the awkwardness buster, I finally got to meet you.”
“You’re gorgeous, my jaw almost dropped when I saw you,” I say sincerely and she giggles. “I'm glad this coincidence happened. It's great to meet you.”
“By the way, this is Cameron,” she pulls the boy in front of me. “He's my best friend and is Felix and Mae's neighbour and a friend too.”
“Oh?” I look at him with a small smile. “That's great.” I stretch out my hand. “Hi, I'm Luna, it's a pleasure to meet you.”
“I'm pleased to meet you too, Luna.” he shakes my hand. “I'm glad someone came to keep me company while these two talk like I don't exist.” I laugh and leave the hand. “Let's do small talk to pass the time.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say. And turn to Lucas and Claudia. “You guys sit here and talk, we'll sit at the counter,” I look at Camron. “Okay?”
“Yeah, cool.” he nods and looks at the other two. “Have fun.”
My gaze shifts to Lucas and my smile turns into a frown when he looks at me with wide eyes, almost threatening me.
“Excuse me.” he excuses himself and grabs my hand pulling me away. I roll my eyes when he grits his teeth and glares at me with his back to them. “What are you doing?! You were supposed to ease up the awkwardness, not push me into it!”
“What?” I frown. “What more am I supposed to do, idiot? It's you two who are supposed to talk, I'm just your moral and emotional support.” his face changes slightly. “Do you want me to sit at your table and just hear you talk? Or wait in a distance while you two talk it out?” I raise my chin. “What's more awkward, huh?”
His face twists into realization and he slowly nods, “You do have a point.”
“I'm not dumb as you are, Lucas Davis.” I scoff and abruptly turn him around, and slightly push him forward after “Go.”
I shake my head as I follow him towards the table. “Sorry, that was-”
“He panicked.” I cut off his sentence and I feel him glaring at me without looking. But the corner of my lips curls up when I see Claudia getting shy and avoiding eye contact. At the same time, I heard a snicker from Cameron.
“Okay, enough with this, We'll leave you two alone,” Cameron states and turns to me. I glance at the counter when he points and look back at him. “Let's go.”
I nod and glance at Lucas, giving him an assuring nod and thumbs up while Claudia moves to the table. I smile when he nervously nods back with his lips in a straight line. Finally, I look away and walk towards the stools where Cameron was already sitting. Luckily the stalls were already apart from each other to not make things awkward. So I reach the counter and hop onto the one beside him.
A few minutes pass by silently while he stares at the alcohol wall in front and I count down every bottle to pass the time, but Cameron breaks the ice.
“So, what should we talk about?” he turns to me. “Instead of them, we are getting awkward.”
“We should have brought our awkwardness busters.” he chuckles. “Should we eat first? Like a snack?”
“I was going to suggest that.” he nods and calls out for the server behind the counter. “Can we get two plates of cheese balls?” the server nodded with a pleasant smile and was about to move away when he adds in the details. “Please don't bring the ketchup bowl for one-” he looks at me. “Do you want ketchup?” I nod and he turns to the server. “Okay, that's all. Thank you.”
While he orders, I was bopping my head according to the beats of the music echoing throughout the club and people dancing on the dance floor behind our backs.
“You like rap?” I look at Cameron and nod. “Wow.”
“Sometimes, it's got a nice rhythm but sometimes it's completely out of place,” I say. “Why did you ask?”
“You don't look like you'd enjoy rap music,” he says. “I mean, I'm not judging but you can tell what kind of my music they listen to by looking at a person.”
“I like, what I like, to be honest.” I shrug. “Doesn't matter if it's popular or not so much.” Our heads turn to the counter when a woman slides the dishes of cheese balls in front of us. “Oh, that was fast... Thank you.” I thank her and pick up the bite.
“Mmm, looks delicious.” Cameron takes the ball and tosses it in the mouth. I laugh as he makes faces when the food was still hot but he still managed to let the words out. “I love...I love Manchester food so much.”
“It is good,” I say after taking a bite. “By the way, you're friends with Maeve and Felix?”
“Yeah, you can say we're really good friends,” he says after finishing the food in his mouth. “My dad’s company is a big part of the company they both work in. My dad’s company handles all the big and important interior designing contracts of the company.”
My eyes are wide and I chew the food quickly. “Wait, really?” he nods as he takes another bite. “How old are you?”
“I'm 21.” my brows raise. “You?”
“Oh, I'm 19.” he just nods. The next few moments pass by in silence as we finish our food, but then I notice what looks like a couple's bracelet on his wrist. “That's cute.” I point at the bracelet.
“My girlfriend loves this kind of thing so I do it for her.” he smiles behind the rim of the glass. “It's been exactly 1 year, 2 months, and 7 days since I've been in love with my girl.”
“Wow, it's crazy that you remember the details. ” I say in disbelief.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asks.
“Yeah!” I smile. “We will complete the whole two months at midnight today.” I smile at that thought of my boy.
“Nice!” he says with a smile. “It's fresh out of the oven relationship.” I laugh.
“Yeah, basically you're right,” I nod. “But practically, not so right?”
“What does that mean?”
“We know each since we were kids, we just got reunited last year.” his brows raise. “Yeah.”
“Wait, that's great!” he looks more surprised than I expected. “I wish I had a childhood sweetheart.”
“It's not always a good thing you know?” I shrug as he frowns. “Anyway, It's a long topic, let's not talk about it.”
“We have plenty of time- Jesus!”
We both flinch hard when the song volume goes up high and the lighting changes to what looks like a dance mode with the disco ball hanging on the ceiling which I hadn't seen until now, lighting up. A smile forms on my face when a familiar song echoes and my eyes shift to the dance floor.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” A boy in possibly in his mid-twenties comes forward while grabbing a girl's hand who had a party hat on her head. My smile grows as the rest of the group which was sitting with them, gets on the floor, surrounding the girl. “Sorry to bother you with the loud music but today, we are celebrating the first member of our group turning 25! So, we are gonna dance and if you want, you can too!”
I laugh as the group erupts in cheers with the music volume going high up again. While I bop my head along with the beat, my eyes shift to the table they were all sitting on and not surprisingly, there were almost half a dozen bottles of beer and glasses of whiskey on the table.
“They’re drunk as hell-”
Cameron and I abruptly stop when we turn to each other and shout at the same time. After a moment of wide-eyed eye contact, we burst into laughter while still swaying to the music.
“What the fuck was that!?” he laughs and sways in the opposite direction as me but still at the same time. We again laugh and our eyes go wide. “What the fuck is this?!”
“I don't know!” I laugh. “I love this song though.”
“I've heard it for the first time but it's so good!” he says while bopping his head. He closes his eyes and frowns as the musical bridge starts. “Oh!”
“It's good, isn't it?” he nods and looks at the dance floor while I look at the server behind the counter, “Hi, can I get a Sunrise Mojito?” she nods. “Oh and wait-” I look at Cameron who was almost dancing at this point. To get his attention in the loud music, I tap his arm. “Do you want a drink?”
“Yeah, get me whatever you'll get.” he rushes out and turns back to the dance floor.
“Make it two, please. Thank you!” I say to the server and she walks away. I quickly spin around and look back at the dance floor but after a moment passes, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. So I take out my phone and see 2 missed calls from Harry. My eyes widen when I see the time, realising it is almost 1 and a half hours since he dropped me off. I quickly hop off the stool and walk away with a glance over at Cameron who was now standing. With a smile on my face, I walk out of the pub while taking off the clip on my head because it somehow started to irritate me. Without wasting a second, I call him back as soon as I get out.
“Hey, flower! I miss you!” I say.
“Hey.” his voice was low, tired from the work. “How is it going over there?”
“Oh, it's perfect!” I say. “Lucas and Claudia are talking well and I've also got a good company.”
“Oh? Who is it?”
“Cameron, he's Claudia’s best friend and also friends with Maeve and Felix. Fascinating isn't it?” he hums. “He's very fun and talkative, I didn't get awkward at all, well a little at first but not now!” I chuckle. “But I miss you though, if you weren't working, I would've dragged you with me, we would've danced all night. The music here is so good!”
“Well, I'm glad you're having fun,” he says in a strained voice. “When are you coming home, it's almost 10.”
“I'll come back soon, don't worry,” I say. “Where are you?”
“I'm just heading home,” he says after a short pause. “I thought you'd be home by now, I was excited.”
“I'm sorry, H.” I sincerely apologize before shifting my phone to my tight ear and the clip on my left hand. “But I'll come safely and soon, don't worry. Also, if you're tired, go to sleep, I have a key so you don't have to stay awake just for that.”
“Okay... What's that noise?”
“The music and people cheering inside the club. It's crazy inside-” I heard my name called and I look at the entrance from where Cameron rushed out. “What? Why are you in a rush?”
“Come inside, there's a surprise for you!” He says with a grin.
“Okay, I'll come in a few minutes.”
“We don't have that much time,” he holds my wrist and tugs at it. “Come on!”
“Okay, don't drag me-” I stumble at the entrance and curse under my breath when I drop the clip by the entrance. When he lets go of my hand, I go into a corner to finish my talk with Harry. “Hey babe, I'm going inside the club and it'll be noisy so I'll hang up now, but don't worry too much I'll come back as soon as I can. I love you.”
“Luna, come on! It's our first time witnessing it!”
“Okay!” I looked down to cut the call but I had accidentally cut it. So I look up at Cameron and follow him inside. “I was having a very nice talk.”
“I'm sorry but you have to see this,” he says and we reach our seats where my glass of mojito was untouched and the other one was half empty. So casually, I pick up the glass and take a sip before Cameron speaks. “Turn around, look at the dance floor!”
I turn around and rest my back on the counter before my eyes look at the dance hall. I let out a gasp and my eyes widened when I saw Claudia and Lucas dancing together with wide smiles on their faces. Looking at Lucas's smile makes my heart happy and it just feels so good to see him like this after the pressure of his studies.
“Am I dreaming?”
“You definitely aren't.” I glanced at Cameron who had his glass in his hand. “See, I told you it's our first time witnessing this golden moment.”
In that, Lucas and I make eye contact and I give him an excited thumbs up which he blushes at before continuing the dance. “I'm so happy for them!” I fully turn to Cameron. “I don't think they needed us in the first place, it was a scam.”
“It was indeed.” he laughs. “Well, at least we got to meet you know? It's a good thing.” After he said that the music changed to Classic by MKTO. “I love this song!”
“Me too!” we both started to sing the lyrics automatically and sway like we were before, in opposite directions. But midway through the pre-chorus, I got a little excited and my hand moved faster, spilling the mojito on myself. “Shit!”
I quickly put the glass down and grab the tissues from the box, wiping the drink off.
“Wait,” I look at Cameron and he takes out a handkerchief from his pocket. I watch as he grabs the glass of water and pours it on the cloth before stretching it to me. “Take this.”
“No, it's okay. There are plenty of tissues.”
“It might get sticky, you know. It's best to wipe it off completely with a wet cloth,” he replies. “Also, if you feel bad for using it don't worry, it's been in my pockets for 2 days.” I make a disgusted face. “I haven't even used it, it's just in my pocket because I'm travelling. Take it, I'll just wash it in the hotel room.”
I think for a moment but on the other side I was feeling a bit of stickiness around my throat where the drink spilt. So, I shrug and take the handkerchief from him and wipe the sticky stain while he dances on the spot. While I wipe my throat area, a strong whiff of cologne hits my nose.
“Did you spray cologne on your handkerchief?” I ask and he nods. “Why?”
“It feels fresh. I always do that when I'm travelling.”
I quirk my brow and nod a little before giving him his handkerchief. “Are you sure you will clean it in the hotel or should I just wash it up for you?”
“When are we gonna meet again that you'll give it back?” he says as he takes a sip of his drink. “Don't worry, I'll wash it.”
“Okay...thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he says and raises the glass. “Now enjoy the mojito and fantastic music.”
I laugh. “Yeah.”
★ ★ ★
“Why don't you go with Cameron?” Claudia says. “He'll drop you off safely. Won't you, Ronnie?”
“Of course, I will.” Cameron nods but I look at Lucas and give him a look. “I'll drop you off by your flat.”
“Wait, I'll talk to her.” Lucas holds me by my arm and turns me around walking a few steps away from the rest. “I'm so sorry.”
“You’re irresponsible,” I state. “It's already past 10:30 and we were supposed to leave 15 minutes early. What's wrong with you?”
“I know, I'm sorry, but I can't leave her like that. We still want to spend more time with each other, not too long, just half an hour, but I can't stop you here. If Cameron’s going back to the hotel, he'll drop you off; the hotel is near your building, sweetheart.”
“But he's still a stranger, Lucas.”
“It's just a 15-minute ride, and he's not that type of guy, you know it.” I stare at him. “I'm sorry for this, but please go home I don't want you to stay more when you don't want to.”
I pause for a moment and groan, “Fine. I'll go. Have fun.”
“Don't be mad.”
“I'm not mad, I'm frustrated.” I let out a sigh. “Fine, I'll go with him. You guys enjoy and take her back to the hotel safely.” he kids with a small smile and pats my head. I turn around with a last glare and stop by the two of them. “Okay, let’s go.”
“I'm sorry, Luna.” Claudia apologizes.
“Oh, no, it's alright. You guys have fun.” I smile at her. “I hope we see each other soon.” she nods with a smile and I turn to Cameron. “Let's go.”
“Bye, Dia.” he waves at Claudia and looks at Lucas. “Hey, bring her safely.”
“I will.” with a response from Lucas, Cameron turns around and I follow him out with a last glance and wave at them both.
After we get out and get to his car, I suggest an idea. “Do you mind, if I drive?” he looks at me, puzzled. “I mean, instead of constantly telling you about the direction, I'll drive back to my house and then you take the control.”
“Umm, okay. Sounds fair.” he nods and tosses the key at me. “You won't sleep, right? Don't do that.”
“No, I won't.” I open the door and get into the seat. As he gets in, I strap in the seat belts, but my eyes fall onto the CD collection he has in his car. “Wow, these are all classics. Elvis, Madonna, Rolling Stone and even Fleetwood Mack!”
“I have a very classic and perfect music taste,” he smirks as he straps the seat belts. “You wanna listen while we drive?”
“Why not?! Off course.” I smile and turn on the engine. “Can we play Elvis, it's been long since I've heard his songs.”
“Oh, yes,” he mumbles and puts in the CD. After the CD starts with ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’ “Let's go.”
“Uh-huh!” I chuckle and start the car, driving off the road.
The next 15 minutes of the ride was just Cameron and I sang offbeat lyrics while I drove and missed Harry. It would've been really fun if he was with me through the drive. But unfortunately, we had to stop by the gas station to fill up the gas and fix the tyre which took even more time. Nonetheless, we safely reached where I live.
After turning off the engine, I hand the key back to Cameron before getting out of the car. I wait by the sidewalk as he walks around the car and gets to my spot.
“It was really fun passing the time with you, my fellow awkward buster.” we laugh and he raises a first for a first bump. “We probably never meet again, or we will, who knows if I became a flower boy in their wedding and you became the ring bearer.”
I chuckle. “You even have rolls assigned?”
“Of course, I do.” he shrugs casually. “So, if you're okay with it, we can say goodbye with a quick hug.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” I nod.
With one hand to ourselves, we give each other a quick one-arm hug before we back away with a smile on our faces.
“It was nice to meet you, Cameron. I had fun today.” I say sincerely.
“You’re very welcome, Luna.” he does a two-finger salute as he opens the door with the other hand. “Good night.”
“Good night to you too and happy journey for when you go back to London,” I say as he gets into the car and closes the door. After buckling up his seat belt he waves at me. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye!” with a last wave, he starts the car and drives off.
With a small smile on my face, I turn around to go into the theme building and my hand flatten up my hair because I forgot about the clip which I dropped somewhere. In a few minutes, the elevator stops at my floor and I get out, dragging my feet across the floor towards the flat. Once I reach it, I twist the knob to see if it was locked or own but luckily, it was open. With a grin on my face, I open the door fully and step inside. Quickly, I removed my shoes and headed inside but Harry wasn't in the living room. But eyes short towards the balcony and I see him standing there with a guitar in his hand.
I sneakily walk towards the balcony, containing my smile, and wrap my arms around him from behind. “Hey, lover! I missed you.”
He clears his throat before speaking. “Hey, You're late.” he removes the guitar and grabs my hands, pulling me to the front. My heart flutters when I see his smile. “What happened to your hair?”
“I dropped my clip and then forgot to look for it before leaving.” I wrap my arms around him. “Lucas is so irresponsible, I swear to god. We decided to leave early but he still wants to talk to Claudia so he told Cameron to drop me off as their hotel is closed. But do you know, he had so many CDs of your favourite music artists, we did a karaoke on our way back, even at the gas station.” I chuckle. “It was fun overall.”
“Nice.” he smiles. “I'm glad you had fun, love.” he tucks my hair behind my ear before bending down to hug me. My heart jumps as he pulls me closer and puts his hand in my hair. But sadly, he backs away quickly. “Go get changed and we'll sleep, hmm?”
“What about the party? His did it go? Did you have too much workload?”
“We'll talk about it tomorrow,” I roll my eyes with a smirk when he turns me and pushes slightly towards the door. “Go, get changed. I'm tired.”
“Okay.” I smile. “I love you.”
“Go!” he chuckles and I laugh before turning around.
Ah, it feels good to be back home.
★ ★ ★
No perception.
Meanwhile...
After completing his work in one and a half hours, Harry reaches home and twists the key before opening the door and stepping in. As soon as he steps into the hallway, he drops down on the couch, resting his head back. The house was too silent as Luna was still out, which he didn't quite like. Harry, takes out the phone from his pocket and dials her number to see where she is and when is she going to leave.
The first time, the bell rang but she didn't pick up. Harry sits up straight and dials again, but again, the same, she didn't pick up, causing his face to twist into a frown.
Did she forget about me or what?
He scoffs as the thought swipes through his mind. But luckily, she calls back before his mind drifts off somewhere far where it really shouldn't.
“Hey, flower! I miss you,” she says cheerily and a soft smile forms on his face.
“Hey, how is it going over there?” his voice comes out low because of the tiredness.
“Oh, it's perfect! Lucas and Claudia are talking well and I've also got good company.”
“Oh? Who is it?”
“Cameron, he's Claudia’s best friend and also friends with Maeve and Felix. Fascinating isn't it?”
Harry pauses for a few moments.
A boy?
She said it's going to be a girl...
But he suddenly gets back to reality and hums.
“He's very fun and talkative, I didn't get awkward at all, well a little at first but not now!” she chuckles.
Harry couldn't form a smile as his mind was still stuck on Luna's description of Cameron.
“But I miss you though, if you weren't working, I would've dragged you with me, we would've danced all night. The music here is so good!”
“Well, I'm glad you're having fun.” she hums. “When are you coming back? It's almost 10.”
I'll come back soon, don't worry.” she rushes out the reply. “Where are you?”
“I'm just heading home,” he doesn't know why he lied all of a sudden but it didn't feel wrong. “I thought you'd be home, I was excited.”
“I'm sorry, H...” she continues talking but half of the attention was on the background noise from her area. There was faint but loud enough music coming from the speakers. “...I have the keys so the font stays up just for that.”
“Okay...” Harry sits up straight as someone calls her name in between all the unnecessary sounds. A frown forms on his face when he once again hears the distant voice of someone calling her. “What's that noise?”
“The music and people cheering inside the club. It's crazy inside-”
“Luna!” This time it was loud and clear.
“What? Why are you in a rush?” Harry hears as she talks to the person while the call is on. “Come inside, there's a surprise for you!” The person says with a rather cheery tone. “Okay, I'll come in a few minutes,” Luna replies. “We don't have that much time, Come on!” Harry's frown deepens as he hears a small chuckle from her before she speaks again. “Okay, don't drag me-”
Drag? Is someone holding her hand?
“Hey babe,” His brows raise when she talks to him. “I'm going inside the club and it'll be noisy so I'll hang up now, but don't worry too much I'll come back as soon as I can. I love you.”
“Wait, who was th-”
“Luna, come on! It's our first time-”
The call cuts.
“Hello!? Luna?”
First time?
First time for what?
Why was that person giggling so much?
He removes the phone from his ear in frustration and true to call again but stopped midway.
Am I...?
What am I doing?
“I trust her- you trust her, Harry!” he tosses the phone on the couch. He suddenly gets up and breathes in, trying to stop those nasty voices in his head. “Shit!”
He runs his hand through his hair and strides towards his room.
After an hour, he was sitting on one balcony and practising the melodies with his guitar but his eyes were glued on the road to find any trace of Lucas’s car. But after losing his patience, he picks up the phone and dials Lucas’s number. Luckily for him, he picks up after 2nd ring.
“Hey, Harry.”
“Where are you? You were supposed to bring her back at 10:30, it's just five minutes to 11 now?”
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm still here but she'll come home in a few minutes, don't worry.”
“What? You sent her by taxi at this hour?!”
“Not taxi, Styles, Cameron, Claudia’s friend is dropping her.” His face flattens. “They left 10 minutes ago, they will be there safely, okay?”
“But-”
“I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm in the middle of something right now, I'll hang up now. But don't worry, Luna is in safe hands.”
Before he could get to say anything further, Lucas cuts the call.
Again, Cameron...
“Ugh!” he groans and punches the grill.
New thoughts kept popping up every few seconds as he stands by the railing with his guitar around his shoulder and eyes on the road for the next 10 or 15 minutes. Then finally, he sees a strange car stopping at the gate and the door opens.
His brows raise when Luna gets out of the car. Before he lets out a sigh of relief, his brows furrow when a redhead boy gets out of the passenger seat. With his eyes squinting, Harry looks down at both of them talking and laughing. But eventually, he grabs the metal hard in a fist when he sees them hugging each other and waving goodbyes.
Harry...stop it! You're wrong, you're completely wrong, don't you fucking dare doubt her.
He takes a deep breath.
But why was her hair untied?
What surprise was that for him to say it was their first time?
Did they become that close in just a few hours?
Or did she...?
“Stop it,” he grunts in a low voice, talking to himself. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, calming himself down. “She would never do such a thing, I trust her.”
He startles as he hears the doorknob opening and Luna steps inside the house. He stayed in his spot trying not to make a big deal of it but his heart immediately melts and his shoulders drop when she wraps her arms around him from behind.
“Hey, lover! I missed you,” she says, making him vulnerable.
But he clears his throat before speaking, “Hey, you're late.” his hand goes up at the guitar strap around his shoulder and he takes the guitar off from him while she breaks the hug. With a quick inhale, he grabs her arm and pulls her in front of him, putting on a smile. “What happened to your hair?”
That’s a different scent...
“I dropped my clip and then forgot to look for it before leaving.” she wraps her arms around him, looking at him with those big shiny blue eyes and an innocent smile. “Lucas is so irresponsible, I swear to god. We decided to leave early but he still wants to talk to Claudia so he told Cameron to drop me off as their hotel is closed. But do you know, he had so many CDs of your favourite music artists, we did karaoke on our way back, even at the gas station.” she chuckles, her eyes gleaming. “It was fun overall.”
Okay, so they stopped at the gas station...
“Nice.” he tries to smile. “I'm glad you had fun, love.” he tucks the stray strand of her hair behind her ear.
For my own belief, I have to do this...
He suddenly wraps his arm around her waist and one supporting the back of her head while burying his nose in the crook of her neck.
His heart drops to his feet and his eyes immediately sting with water when he gets a breath of a strong cologne which was not his. He pulls her closer with his hand on the back of her head, but unfortunately, the scent just got stronger than before, confirming his doubts and breaking his heart into pieces.
He peeks up from her neck and quickly wipes off his eyes before letting off the hug.
“Go get changed and we'll sleep, hmm?” he puts on a smile.
“What about the party? His did it go? Did you have too much workload?” she asks.
“We'll talk about it tomorrow,” Harry holds her hand and turns her around to face the door and pushes towards the door. “Go, get changed. I'm tired.”
“Okay.” She looks over her shoulder and smiles. “I love you.”
He feels frozen but he quickly gets hold of himself and chuckles. “Go!”
With a laugh, she turns around and walks towards her room. Once she disappears from his sight, he lets out a breath and stumbles back on the metal. His lips part open and his eyes wander down on the floor while his thoughts turn into a storm.
She wouldn't do that... No.