A/N: I KNOW I KNOW!! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!! But I finally got a chapter out - a double-update even though it doesn't feel like it. I'm sorry for the wait!!
"Oh my God..." my eyes widened as I caught sight of the shoes Harry was in the middle of putting on, "that has to be the coolest pair of boots I've ever seen."
"You like them?" Harry looked up at me and smiled.
"Are you kidding me? They look awesome!" I beamed back at him, "I love the way they look!"
"Oh, well thank you, Leah," Harry chuckled, "I was initially worried that they were too boldly coloured to go with the suit."
"No way!" I shook my head vigorously, "The red and gold are a perfect contrast to the suit! Seriously, who made those masterpieces?"
"Gucci," he replied with another chuckle, "same as the suit."
"Oh, of course," I rolled my eyes but giggled all the same, "well, they're amazing. I never thought that having gold dragons sewn onto a pair of boots would actually look so cool. I'm actually jealous right now. And that's saying something – because I have never been jealous of a guy's footwear before."
"Is that so?" Harry smirked a little, "Wow. I feel so special."
"You should," I smirked back, "anyway – I know the fans are gonna go crazy about those boots as soon as they see them – because I'm already crazy about them."
"Well, if you like them so much, I guess I'll have to think about wearing them more often," Harry's smirk grew.
"Please do," I told him with another giggle.
"Oh, it's almost time!" Anne suddenly came rushing into the room with her eyes fixed on her watch, "Leah, I'd really love to snap a picture of you and Harry before you leave. Is that alright?" she asked me, "You both just look so lovely!"
"Oh...really..?" My eyebrows rose at her words, but I began to smile anyway, "Well...alright. So long as it's OK with Harry too?" I looked at him.
Harry smiled as well and immediately nodded. "Snap away, mum."
"Thank you!" Anne broke out a beaming smile as she pulled out her phone and loaded up her camera, "Alright, give me a pose. Any pose."
Harry & I looked at each other – both of us unsure of how we should pose. In the end, Harry only shrugged and wrapped his arm around my waist – pulling our bodies closer together and smiling at me. I smiled back and giggled once more as I slid my hands up his chest and rested them both on his shoulders.
"Oh, hold it right there!" Anne told us with a gasp, "Don't even turn your heads! That looks perfect!"
Both our smiles immediately grew as we held our position – looking into each other's eyes which instantly made me blush – because the way Harry's eyes were lit up with tenderness and affection as he looked at me warmed my heart straight away.
"That's beautiful!" I could hear the shutter of Anne's phone camera going off several times, "Thank you!"
I felt my blush deepen as Harry & I pulled away – and I heard Harry chuckle softly before he squeezed my waist and kissed the side of my forehead – causing a shy smile to slowly creep across my face.
"Would you mind if I posted one of these photos, Leah?" asked Anne, "I just love them so much."
"Post..?" My eyes widened a little, and I looked up at Harry, "Er...Harry?"
"Why not?" Harry smiled, "We're already stepping out in public together, anyway. It shouldn't really matter, right?"
"Huh..." I began to smile back, "I guess you're right."
"So, do I take that as a 'yes'?" Anne looked hopeful.
I chuckled and gave her a nod. "Sure thing, Anne. Go ahead and post one."
"Thank you so much!" She clapped her hands excitedly, "But you two had better start heading outside. I think your car's gonna pull up at any minute."
"Good idea," Harry chuckled as well before making his way over to Anne and giving her a hug, "thanks again for rushing over with my suit, mum."
"Of course, love! Now hurry along," Anne kissed both his cheeks (which was insanely adorable) before ushering him back to me, "good luck at the premiere! Don't let Leah get overwhelmed by all the cameras."
"I won't," Harry promised with a smile before taking me by the waist.
"Bye, Anne," I gave her a quick wave, "it was so amazing to meet you."
"You too, Leah," She beamed at me and waved back, "have fun, alright?"
"I will," I grinned back, "thank you."
***
"Hang on..." Harry dipped his head closer to my neck, and I heard him sniff, "Leah...are you wearing 'Between Us'?"
"Oh...yeah," I blushed a little and chuckled softly, "I am."
"I didn't know you wore our perfumes," Harry began to smile at me.
"Of course I do! I've tried out all the 1D perfumes," I told him, "but Between Us is my favourite, so I tend to save it for really special occasions."
"Oh really?" He rose an eyebrow, "So, my first concert, where we first met...that wasn't special enough for you? Because I would've remembered if I smelt it on you when we talked."
"Oh man, I know! I totally forgot! I was stressing too much about getting there on time, that I actually wore no perfume at all," I pouted, "I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
Harry's smile grew, and he let out a chuckle. "Alright. Fine. I forgive you."
I beamed at him and kissed his cheek several times – making him laugh before he playfully pushed me away.
"I'm actually pretty impressed that you got it, though," I told him as I moved back to my seat, "I mean, I've heard people say that you can guess a girl's perfume just by smelling it, but I didn't know if it was actually true."
"Leah, do you know how much time I spent around the people who mixed that perfume? I'd recognize the smell in a heartbeat, whether I wanted to or not."
"Ohh..." I let out a giggle, "I guess you're right. I didn't think of that."
"But hey – don't get me wrong. I still know my perfumes," he sounded proud, "I actually am pretty good at identifying them by their smell. For example, I know the smell of Thierry Mugler's 'Alien' like the back of my hand."
"Really?" I was intrigued, "And why is that?"
"It was my first girlfriend's favourite perfume," he replied – his voice seemingly dropping a tone lower, "she, er...she wore it all the time. And now I just...I can instantly tell when any woman's wearing it."
"Oh..." I bit my lip, "do you consider that...a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Kind of both, I guess," he shrugged.
"I see..." I nodded slowly, "well, if it makes you feel better, I can always pick up on a guy wearing 'Skulls & Roses' by Ed Hardy. That was...Curtis' favourite cologne," I lowered my eyes.
"Woah, really?" Harry's eyebrows rose, "Shit...I guess that'd be a bad thing for you..."
"Oh yeah," I nodded without hesitation, "because whenever I smell it, it instantly takes my thoughts straight to him. And it's fucking annoying, because A: I don't want to think about him, and B: it doesn't even smell that good anyway. But I guess a lot of things about your first are gonna stick with you forever...even if you don't want them to," I sighed.
"Yeah...I suppose so," Harry sighed as well, "oh well. Let's not focus on the past, Leah. We need to look excited when we get out of this car," he squeezed my hand and smiled at me softly.
I gave him a small smile back. "Yeah. I know. You're right. I can't think about shit like that now. I gotta focus – because I don't want to start panicking when I get out of this car and step in front of a bunch of flashing cameras and a giant crowd of people."
"Don't overthink this, Leah," Harry reminded me gently, "you're gonna be fine, I promise."
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I will," I took a deep breath, "I just...I can't help feeling like someone's gonna see me step onto the red carpet, and then say 'Leah Marrone, you look ridiculous. Just go home'."
"Stop it. No-one's gonna say that to you," Harry cupped my face in his hand and turned my head towards him, "you don't look ridiculous. You look stunning. You look like you were born to walk the red carpet," he smiled at me.
I scoffed. "Don't joke. This isn't the time."
"I'm not joking," Harry's smile grew, "I really don't think you're aware of how beautiful you look."
"Are you sure you're not just saying that because you're trying to be a good boyfriend?" I asked him half-jokingly.
Harry shook his head. "Trust me, Leah. You have no idea how proud I'm gonna be, stepping in front of all those cameras with you on my arm," he pressed his lips to mine in a soft and tender kiss, "I'm so fucking glad you let me buy that dress."
I felt myself blush and smile at him coyly as he pulled away.
"OK. I believe you," I said with a quiet giggle, "but it would really help me out if you told me what else I'd have to expect once we arrive at this thing."
"Well..." Harry began slowly, "er...actually, when we get to the event, there's a chance that you & I might be...separated on the red carpet."
"Wait, what?" My eyes widened, "S-Seriously..?"
"It'll only be for a little while," he promised me, "it's just that...a lot of it is just like when you're at an awards show. Sometimes, you get pulled away in different directions to sign autographs, pose for pictures or to do short interviews. But when we go inside the cinema, we'll be together again."
"But...Harry..." I bit my lip, "what...what am I gonna do...if you get pulled away..?"
"Well...to be honest, Leah, you'll probably get pulled away for the same things," he told me, "this is the first time in a long time that I'll actually be confirming that I'm in a relationship. So...the press are gonna be interested in you. They'll want to know what exactly it is about you that made me want to step out in public with you. Some reporters might want to get pictures of you, or try to get more information about our relationship."
"Huh?!" My eyes widened even further, "You...y-you mean...they'll want to interview me, too?!"
"Probably," he replied in a low voice, "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, Leah. It just...it completely crossed my mind until now. I guess I was just too excited about doing this with you today..." he told me sheepishly.
"Oh God..." I let out a shaky breath, "it's OK, Harry...I'm not mad, I'm just...n-now I'm just even more nervous..." I continued to chew anxiously on my bottom lip, "fuck...how am I gonna answer their questions? W-What if they ask me straight-out if I'm your girlfriend? What do I say?"
"Just tell them the truth, Leah," Harry gave me a small smile, "the whole point of this was to show people that we're together, remember?"
I smiled back faintly. "I guess you're right. But...you really won't mind me telling any of the reporters that?"
"Of course not," Harry's smile grew, "but babe, I have to warn you...sometimes, some reporters are a little bolder than others, and they do tend to get a little...too personal with the relationship questions, if you know what I mean. So, just remember that it's OK not to give an answer if you're not comfortable doing so."
"Really?" I asked him.
"Of course," he took my hands and gave them a soft squeeze, "just because someone pulls you aside for an interview, it doesn't mean you have to give an answer for every question they have. Do some ducking & diving, or just avoid the question completely."
"Ducking & diving, huh?" I giggled a little, "That's your area of expertise, isn't it? Care to donate some of your skills to me?"
Harry chuckled and pulled me closer to him so that he could sweetly peck my cheek.
"I would if I could, Leah, but it's actually not that hard to do," he told me, "and besides, you won't be entirely alone on the red carpet. Loads of photographers are definitely gonna ask for photos of us as a couple, so we can definitely still stick together when we can."
"That's good to know," I chuckled softly before I took a long, deep breath, "OK...OK, I'm gonna be fine."
"Of course you will be," he said with a smile, "you might even have fun."
"Any last-minute tips before we get there?" I asked him.
"In the interviews, just be yourself. You can do some thinking about your answers to the questions – quick thinking – so that you won't take too long. All in all, just let each answer come out naturally. You could even crack a joke or two if you'd like. And when posing for photos, just use that gorgeous smile of yours that always gets under my skin," his smile grew tenderly, "you'll win over any photographer with that smile, baby."
I couldn't help giggling at his words as I rested my head on his shoulder.
"Thanks, Harry," I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him close to me, "that makes me feel heaps better."
***
"Oh, fuck..." my heart immediately started racing as the sounds of distant cheering already began to fill my ears as our driver pulled up by the red carpets in front of the Odeon cinema, "aaaand the nerves are back..."
"Don't be nervous, Leah," Harry reached down and gave my hand a squeeze, "everything will be fine."
"What if your fans are gonna hate me for stepping out with you like this..?" I asked him – my teeth coming out to chew at my lip once again.
"Don't think about that right now, Leah. If anyone does get upset with you, the security guards will make damn sure they don't do anything to hurt you," he brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it warmly, "I promise."
"OK..." I took several deep breaths as our driver got out of the car and made his way to the back doors, "OK...OK..."
A small group of photographers already began to gather around our car – their cameras flashing and their voices indistinct as they animatedly talked over each other. Harry didn't let go of my hand until our driver opened his door and held it open for him to step out – and once he did, the photographers began shouting his name immediately – their cameras snapping more rapidly as he climbed out of the car.
Harry straightened out his jacket and turned back to me, giving me a warm smile and beckoning me out of the car with a small nod of his head. I bit my lip again and slowly shuffled my bum across the back seat – my heart rate rising rapidly as I moved closer and closer to Harry. Once I was close enough, Harry reached into the car and took my hand to help me out – revealing me to all the photographers for the very first time as soon as I stood up beside him.
Tons of the photographers immediately gasped as soon as they saw me – their camera shutters going off even more furiously as almost as soon as I got out of the car. And the first thing I heard as I stood up was some guy yelling out "My God! He's brought Leah Marrone!"
"You look so beautiful," Harry spoke to me quietly and with a tender smile as he reached down for my hand once again, "let's do this, babe."
I let out a shaky sigh and nodded, and he squeezed my hand gently before he began leading me down the red carpet. As we walked through the growing crowd of photographers, hundreds of questions were fired at us immediately.
"Harry! Is that Leah Marrone?!"
"Is Leah your date for tonight?!"
"Is this a PR stunt, Harry?!"
"Does this mean that you two are really in a relationship?!"
"Did Harry really ask you to be his date, Leah?!"
"Are you making your relationship official?!"
The rally of camera flashes was getting so bright, that I had to start squinting to protect my eyesight. I never thought the brightness would bother me so much in evening daylight – but apparently, I was wrong.
Harry & I made it out of the sea of paparazzi with no problems, and we both arrived at the start of the main sections of the red carpets – where all of the fans were gathered. Naturally, as soon as the fans saw Harry emerging, an array of loud screams and cheering erupted all around us – but as I began to look around the crowd, I noticed that loads of them immediately started making faces as they took notice of me walking beside him and holding his hand. And although I was too far away to actually hear what they were saying, I still managed to make out some of their lip readings.
"Is that Leah?"
"What is she doing here?"
"Why is she with Harry?"
"Is she Harry's girlfriend?"
I bit my lip and began to lower my eyes as I felt my body starting to tense up from the anxiety that was very quickly returning.
"It's OK, Leah," I heard Harry murmur to me, "you don't have to feel uneasy."
"I think some of them are actually trying to make me feel uneasy," I muttered back with a sigh.
"Then don't focus on them," he told me gently, "focus on something else instead."
"Like what?" I asked him.
"Harry, you're here!" A male voice suddenly spoke – causing me to look up, "We were all wondering when you'd show up."
As soon as I saw who was standing in front of us, my eyes immediately widened, and my jaw dropped right down to the ground.
Oh my God..!
Christopher Nolan and his wife were standing right in front of us – and I was awestruck to the bone. I'd actually completely forgotten that he'd be here today.
"Sorry, Chris. There was a bit of a predicament that involved me waiting a few hours for my suit, but we made it," Harry chuckled as Chris shook his hand, "oh, and allow me to introduce my girlfriend Leah," he gestured to me with his free hand and smiled, "Leah, this is Chris Nolan and his wife Emma."
"Holy shit..." I muttered breathlessly before I could stop myself, "oh, God! Pardon my language, I just...i-it's so amazing to meet you..."
Chris chuckled and smiled at me before leaning forward and pressing a friendly kiss to my cheek.
"It's nice to meet you too, Leah," he told me once he pulled away.
"'The Prestige' is one of my favourite movies," I rambled on, "i-it was absolutely brilliant, and I loved every minute of it."
The director smiled again. "Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it," he then turned back to Harry, "I'll be seeing you both in the cinema, then?"
"Yes, sir. We're both very excited," Harry smiled as well.
"Excellent," his smile grew, "until then."
His wife Emma smiled at us both before she let Chris take her waist and lead her back down the red carpet.
"Oh my God..." I fanned myself a little as they walked away, "I totally forgot that they'll be here today, too..."
"What?" Harry began to laugh, "Leah, this is Chris' film. Of course he's gonna be here."
"I know! I just...I've been so anxious about this premiere, that I totally forgot," I sheepishly blushed, "and now I feel like an idiot..."
"You don't have to feel like that. I get it," he gave me an assuring smile, "although, just a friendly reminder: a lot of the actors who were in the film with me are also gonna be here. So, that's people like Tom, Cillian, Fionn, Kenneth, et cetera et cetera. There's also gonna be veterans from the actual Dunkirk event, and maybe other celebrities who are interested in seeing the film. Just in case you forgot that as well."
"Oh...yeah," my blush deepened, "I actually did forget that, too. Thanks."
Harry chuckled. "No problem, babe. Happy to help."
We walked a little further, and I let out a gasp as we stopped in front of a really big war plane.
"Oh my fuck...." I gazed up at the plane in awe, "that is a huge plane."
"Yeah, it is," Harry nodded, "it was one of the planes used in the film."
"No way," my eyes widened, "seriously?"
"Oh, yeah," Harry smiled and nodded again, "pretty cool, right?"
"That is sick!" I grinned, "Now I'm even more excited to see the movie!"
Harry chuckled. "I'm glad to hear it."
"Harry! Leah!" Even more reporters suddenly began to swarm around us, "Can we get some pics of you in front of the plane?"
"Sure," Harry nodded a third time before turning to me, "you ready?" He dropped his voice a tone lower to speak to me.
"I guess," I murmured bag with a shrug and a shy smile.
He smiled back at me and slid an arm around my waist, and as soon as the two of us faced the cameras, the shutters started going off straight away – while the photographers continued to incessantly ask us if we were in a relationship. Since they were all talking over each other, we didn't respond – and instead hoped that our closeness in the photos would be enough to answer their questions. And although I wanted desperately to shut my eyes to shield them from the bright flashes, I knew I just had to push through it – and I instead tried to smile as nicely as I could.
It felt like an eternity before the photographers thanked us and let us move on. However, we'd barely only walked a few metres when it suddenly became the fans' turn to start calling Harry's name. Although he hesitated to leave my side, I knew that he wanted to make them happy – so I smiled at him and ushered him towards them, mouthing to him that I was gonna be OK – and he smiled back at me before rushing over to pose for pictures and sign autographs.
Once he was gone, I didn't know exactly what to do. I didn't know whether to wait for him, or just move along and hope that he would catch up with me later. But I knew I could give off the wrong impression doing either. If I stood there and waited for Harry to finish with the fans, some of them who already dislike me might jump to the conclusion that I'm impatient and selfish – and that I wanted Harry all to myself instead of letting him be with them. And if I moved along, then some people might think that I didn't really care about Harry at all – and that I still wouldn't care if I lost him in the crowds. Or worse yet, some might even think that I'm only using him to get some of my own time on the red carpet.
I didn't want anyone to think any of those things. And so, as a result, I was stuck. I really had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.
"Hey! Are you alright?"
I jumped at the sound of a new voice – quickly turning in the direction that the voice had spoken. And, as soon as I did, I immediately let out a gasp.
"Oh my God!" I broke out a bright grin, "Fionn Whitehead?!"
"That's me," the young actor replied with a smile, "are you alright? Trying to find someone?" he repeated his question.
"Er...not really," I replied, "I just...I don't really know what to do right now. This is kind of my first movie premiere, y'know?"
"Yeah. Mine too," Fionn chuckled, "what's your name?"
"I'm Leah Marrone," I held out my hand, "it's so cool to meet you."
"Leah Marrone?" He asked as he took my hand and kissed my cheek, "Are you Harry's girlfriend?"
"Erm...yeah," I confirmed with a small smile, "how did you know?"
"I come across the odd celebrity story now and then," he smiled back at me, "did the fans steal him away from you?"
"Pretty much, yeah," I told him with a soft chuckle, "that's why I don't know what to do at the moment, because I'm pretty sure no-one really cares about me: an everywoman stuck on a red carpet with a bunch of celebrities. If Harry's not standing next to me, nobody's interested."
"I'm sure that's not true," Fionn's smile grew, "once more people figure out you're Harry's date, you'll be under a spotlight before you know it. In the meantime, why don't we walk together? If Harry freaks out because he lost you, I'll take the blame and tell him that I thought I could sneak you away."
I laughed. "OK. Yeah, that sounds good. It'll be nice to have some company."
I looked back at Harry to see if he was still busy with the fans (which he was) before turning back to Fionn and walking down the red carpets with him. We both made it to the next section of the walk – where even more fans and reporters were gathered – fully focused on the other actors who had obviously arrived before us.
"And what do you think you're doing, mate?" Harry's mock-angry voice suddenly came up from behind us, and I turned around just in time to see him taking Fionn's shoulder and pulling him aside, "I see you've met Leah. Tried to steal her away without me noticing, did you Fionn?"
Fionn laughed. "Hey, you left her out in the cold, Harry. I was just trying to keep her company."
Harry rolled his eyes at him but smiled all the same.
"Thanks, but I can take over now," Harry took me by the waist and pulled me closer to him, "I'll see you in the cinema, yeah?"
"Yeah, OK," Fionn nodded and smiled, "it was nice to meet you, Leah."
"You too," I smiled back at him and gave him a little wave – which he returned before hurrying towards the other actors.
"I'm so sorry, Leah," Harry told me, "I didn't mean to leave you like that."
"Hey, it's OK. You're in high demand – I get it," I told him with a smile, "I did get a little lost on what to do when you left, but Fionn helped me out."
"It should've been me helping you out, though..." he sighed.
"Don't worry. This whole thing is just so new to me, that's all," my smile grew, "but I'll get the hang of it eventually, Harry – I promise."
Harry smiled back at me and gently kissed my cheek.
"You're already doing so well," he told me, "you did great posing for those pictures earlier."
I giggled. "Thank you. I try."
"Harry!" A lady in a black dress and a microphone in her hand suddenly approached us with a cameraman trailing alongside her, "Harry, can we pull you aside to ask you some questions about the film?"
"Oh...of course," Harry nodded slowly before turning to me, "I'll be right back."
"Sure," I smiled at him and playfully pushed him towards the reporter and cameraman – chuckling and even giving him a little wave as he followed them.
"Oh, excuse me! Excuse me!" Another lady was rushing up to me, "Hello, are you Leah Marrone?"
"Er...yes..." I said with a tentative nod, "can I...help you..?"
"Ah! Wonderful!" The lady gave a beckoning wave behind her back, and another cameraman suddenly hurried to her side, "I'm Eva Houghton. I represent OK! Magazine. D'you mind if we ask you a few questions?"
My eyes immediately widened at her words.
Oh, shit. An interview for me?!
Well, that's just fan-fucking-tastic.
A/N: I missed you guys so much. I really hope you liked this chapter <3
But DUDE, I'm coming up with events that are taking up way too many words and chapters!!! Pretty much every event I've come up with in this book have turned out to be two or three chapters long, and it's probably gonna be the same for this premiere. But we're already at Chapter 30, and the biggest events of the story haven't even happened yet, so this is probably gonna be one long-ass book!!