Dedicated to Kaitlyn (again) because she made that awesome cover on the side (---->) and she's also just all-around AMAZING. <3
With that, I'm off! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I hope it's worth it! X
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As soon as Harry shut the door behind us, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pushed me up against the wall, holding my wrists in place by my sides. By the time I had realised what was happening, his body was already pressed against mine, his lips lingering teasingly a few inches away.
"You're not fighting me," he observed, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Why's that?"
Before I could speak, I had to swallow down a nervous lump that had formed in my throat. "Maybe I don't want to push you away anymore."
The corners of his mouth curved up wickedly. "That's a shame. I liked you when you were playing hard to get."
"So you don't like me now?" I pursed my lips and cocked my head to the side. "I mean, I could always just leave..."
"No," he said quickly, his grip on my wrists tightening. "I want you to stay."
This time, I was the one smirking. "Good. Because I don't plan on leaving at all."
I expected him to say something in reply, but instead, he let go of one of my wrists and ran his fingers through my damp hair. He closed the distance between our mouths, and as his lips brushed gently against mine, I shut my eyes and let an excited shiver run down my back.
This was it.
After this, there was no turning back.
When he finally started to kiss me ― slowly and carefully at first ― I put my free hand on the back of his neck and pulled him even closer. As my chest rubbed against his for a moment, his lips parted to let out a soft moan, and I used the opportunity to kiss him back twice as aggressively.
His hands were moving quickly now, running down my sides and holding my hips firmly in place against his. I brought my hands up into his hair, twirling his trademark curls around my fingers, and a low growl sounded in his throat.
Before I could process what he was doing, his hands were behind my knees, picking me up and wrapping my bare legs around his waist. When his lips trailed down my neck and he started to kiss the sensitive spot just above my collarbone, I drew in a sharp breath and dug my fingernails into his scalp.
"Don't you like that?" He chuckled, lifting his head to meet my eyes once again.
"No," I said breathlessly. "I liked it too much."
This earned me another chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Oh really?" I tightened my legs around him and rested my hands on his shoulders. "And what do you like, Styles?"
"A gentleman never tells."
"I think we've already established that you're not a gentleman."
His eyebrows rose, and a small smile formed on his lips. "True." He didn't say anything else, so I brought my mouth down towards his once more, but he turned his head and my kiss landed on his cheek instead. When I leaned back and looked at him in confusion, his expression was slightly troubled.
"What?" I frowned. Had I done something wrong?
His mouth opened and shut a few times before he finally spoke out loud. "I have to tell you something." He met my gaze once again, his eyes darting nervously between mine. "Basically, I... I mean, you... I just..."
"Yes?" I pressed. He was speechless once again, so I lowered my legs and stood upright in front of him once more. "What is it?"
After another long silence, he sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair. "Are you hungry?" He finally asked, his voice shaky and even slightly disappointed.
Was he disappointed in me?
Had I been worse at that than he had expected?
I gave him a weak nod, and he took my hand to lead me into the kitchen. While he walked over to the fridge and started to search through it, I slumped down on one of the bar stools beside the kitchen bench.
He must have been with so many girls before me. Why didn't I realise that?! Of course I was going to disappoint him, compared to all those perfect models and celebrities.
After all, who was I compared to them?
I was a nobody. An average, boring nobody.
"I don't have much to work with," Harry spoke up, and as I lifted my head to look at him, I found myself blinking through tears. Luckily, he was still facing the fridge, so he didn't notice them. "Eggs, milk, cream, chocolate..." He turned to the kettle and picked up the small porcelain bowl that held the packets of sugar. "Sugar," he said thoughtfully. After pondering for a moment, he looked back at me and smiled softly. "How about chocolate mousse?"
I faked a yawn, rubbing my eyes to wipe away the tears. Once I was sure they were gone, I closed my mouth and gave him a lazy shrug. "That sounds fine."
"Great," he grinned. He pulled open a few of the cupboards, taking out bowls and a small pan. As he moved around the kitchen, I bit my lip, worried the tears were about to return.
"I'm going to wait in the lounge room." I stood up and headed into the hallway, not even waiting for his reply. Right now, all I wanted to do was sink into the couch and watch some boring late night television.
Thankfully, the TV was already turned on, so I used the light coming from it to walk through the otherwise dark room and find the couch. Once I was sitting down, I grabbed the ugly brown blanket off the back of the sofa and draped it over my legs, suddenly feeling very exposed in just Harry's white sweater.
He was never interested in me, it was obvious. It had been nothing but an act. And even though I technically couldn't be upset about that ― after all, our relationship was nothing but an act to begin with ― I couldn't help but feel slightly hurt.
After all, he had just shut me down in the hallway, right after I had asked how I could please him. If that wasn't a blatant rejection...then I didn't know what was.
"The One Direction boys certainly stepped out in style tonight," the TV announced, and my eyes flicked up reflexively. It must have been the late news; a man and a woman were sitting behind a long black table, while footage of the boys at the premiere tonight rolled on a large screen behind them.
"That's right, Selena," the male reporter nodded. "I think the entire town turned up at Redline Cinema to sneak a peek at the teenage superstars."
The female reporter ― Selena, I suppose ― laughed at that. "Well, Chris, I don't blame them! Those boys are hot!" She fanned her face with the cue sheets in front of her, and I rolled my eyes.
"Well, I'm afraid one of them in particular was definitely off limits tonight," Chris chuckled. "Harry Styles, the youngest of the five boys, arrived at the premiere with his new girlfriend close by his side." The footage from the cinema expanded to take up the whole screen, and I jumped slightly when a short clip of Harry and I talking to the fans started to play.
"Now, if I'm not mistaken, that girlfriend of his is Cassie Pritchard," Selena said as the clip continued to roll. "Isn't she a local girl?"
"She is," Chris answered. "Apparently they only started dating a few days ago, and they've been making a lot of headlines since then."
Another clip started to roll, one of Harry and Louis being interviewed by a tall man in a grey suit. The reporters in the studio quietened down as the audio of the interview started to play, and the first thing I could hear was the ear-piercing screams of the girls behind the camera. Had they really been that loud? I'm surprised I didn't come out of there deaf, I thought in bewilderment.
"Now, you two are the only members of One Direction with girlfriends, right?" The interviewer asked, raising his voice to be heard above the squeals.
"That is right, yes," Louis chuckled.
"Tell us about that," the interviewer pressed. "I mean, Louis, your girlfriend lives back in the UK. Does she ever get lonely while you're off on tour?"
"Yeah, she definitely does," Louis nodded, scratching his nose while he spoke. "I mean, we talk every day, so it's not too bad."
"Well, that's always the way to go," the interviewer smiled. "And Harry, I've heard that your girl is actually here with us tonight. Am I right in saying you, uh...won't be watching much of the movie later?"
Louis laughed loudly ― I could tell he was forcing it out ― while Harry smirked and shot the camera a sly wink. "I think you would be right in saying that," he nodded, then he grinned and let out a short laugh. "No, she's a lovely girl. If anything is going to happen tonight, it will be when we're out of the public eye, if you know what I mean."
I groaned, picking up the remote and quickly changing the channel to what looked like MTV. "Sleaze," I muttered.
"Ouch," someone laughed behind me, and I peered over the back of the sofa to see a very surprised Harry. He was holding a glass of mousse in each hand, and when I widened my eyes at one of them, he stepped forward to pass it to me. "I don't know what I should be more offended by," he said, stepping around the couch and sitting down beside me. "Hearing you call me a sleaze, or knowing that you just changed the station from my interview to a Pitbull music video."
I looked back up at the TV, and sure enough, it was to see Pitbull singing in the middle of an empty room while a pretty girl ran her hands over his shoulders. I sighed and turned down the volume, then I put the remote on the armrest and turned around to face Harry.
"Are you as good at cooking as everyone says you are?" I asked him, holding the glass of mousse only a couple of inches away from my face and peering at it suspiciously.
"I'd like to think so," he shrugged, scooping some of the fluffy chocolate out of his own glass. "Like I said, I didn't have much to work with tonight. There's only so much you can do with packets of cheap hotel sugar. No offense."
"None taken." He had given me my own spoon, but I avoided it and dipped my finger into the mousse instead. When I pulled it out, it was covered in rich, dark chocolate. "Well, here goes nothing." I shut my eyes and slipped my finger into my mouth, sucking off the creamy mousse and giving my tastebuds a moment to adjust to it. When the sweet taste finally washed through my mouth, I opened my eyes and couldn't help but grin.
"Is it that good?" Harry chuckled.
"Definitely," I nodded eagerly. I grabbed my spoon and scooped out some more, practically shoveling the delicious dessert into my mouth.
"You're such a tease, you know that?" Harry asked suddenly, and I froze to look up at him over my spoon.
I swallowed down my mouthful and dropped the spoon back into the glass. "How so?"
"Well, not right now," he laughed. "But before...when you were...you know..." I raised an eyebrow at him, but he shook his head, apparently not wanting to continue. I opened my mouth to ask him to explain, but he interrupted me instead. "Nice mustache."
"What?" I frowned.
"You've got some mousse...on your top lip, right there," he chuckled, pointing at my mouth. I licked my lips, but he shook his head, indicating that it was still there. His mouth curved up into a grin, and he started to lean towards me. "Here, I've got it."
As his face edged closer and closer to mine, it quickly dawned on me what he was planning to do. In a frantic attempt to stop him from kissing me ― after all, I didn't want to disappoint him even more ― I pulled the sleeve of my sweater down over my hand and wiped it across my mouth.
"Stop! I got it!" I squeaked, placing my hands on his shoulders so he couldn't come any closer. "You don't have to get it for me now. It's gone!"
His expression twisted into one of shock, and as he sat back down on his side of the sofa, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"Let me get this straight," he said slowly. "You didn't want me to lick off the mousse...so you decided to wipe it off with my new white sweater instead?"
I felt my eyes widen in surprise, and sure enough, when I looked down at the sleeve of his sweater, it was smeared with dark brown chocolate.
I looked up at him once more and cringed. "Sorry. I'll wash it, I promise."
"Don't worry about it," he frowned. "I suppose it doesn't really bother me. What does bother me, though, is..." He set his glass of mousse down on the floor and leaned forward on his knees. "Why didn't you want me to come any closer?"
I swallowed nervously, feeling my heart start to beat faster inside my chest. "I...I'm afraid I have bad breath," I stuttered.
"Don't be silly," he smirked, edging even closer. "There's nothing better than a chocolate kiss."
"I wouldn't know," I mumbled under my breath.
Harry stopped moving, his body easily within arm's reach. "Is that what it is? Do you think you're inexperienced?"
"Hardly," I scoffed. "Maybe just...too experienced."
"You're not making sense, babe."
"I just... Most of my kisses have been while...intoxicated." I sighed in defeat. "What if my mouth is like, permanently drunk when it comes to making out?"
He laughed loudly at that, but when I pressed my lips into a thin line, he immediately stopped. "Cas, you cannot be serious," he said, shaking his head in wonder. "You're a brilliant kisser."
"Oh? Then why were you so intent on stopping before?" I retorted.
His brow furrowed once again. "What? When?"
"In the hallway."
His eyes remained concerned for a moment, but when something seemed to make sense to him, they slowly became understanding. "Cassie, that wasn't your fault."
"Oh?" I widened my eyes at him. "Then whose fault was it?"
"Mine," he said exhaustedly. "I wasn't lying when I said I had to tell you something."
"So tell me."
"It's not that simple."
"Why?"
"It's just...ugh!" He groaned, running his hands down over his face. He didn't speak for a moment, and I was just about to order him to spit it out when he finally spoke up. "Do you like hide and seek?"
His question took me by surprise, and I couldn't help but scrunch up my face in puzzlement. "I...I suppose so. But don't change the subject. What did you have to tell me?"
"That was what I had to tell you," he said cautiously. "I've been wanting to play hide and seek for a long time, but I was afraid the other boys would think I was immature if I asked them."
"Trust me, immaturity is something they would be familiar with," I laughed quietly. "But if that's all you wanted to say..." I exhaled loudly. "Fine. I'll hide first."
"Alright," he smiled, his face and voice both full of relief. "I'll count to one hundred."
I opened my mouth to say I wanted to finish my mousse first, but when he covered his eyes with his hands and started to count, I groaned and threw the blanket off my legs. Setting my glass down beside his, I tiptoed out of the room and started to hurry down the hallway.
Most of the doors in here only led to cupboards ― after all, it was just a hotel room ― but I quickly recognised the door into the bedroom and didn't hesitate to push it open. When I saw Liam sitting on the bed with his MacBook in his lap, though, I stepped back out into the hallway. "Oh, sorry. I thought―"
"No, come in," he smiled, beckoning to me with his hand. "I was just doing a Twitcam."
"Of course." I laughed quietly and rolled my eyes. I walked back into the room, and after listening for Harry's voice ― he was still in the twenties ― I pulled the door closed behind me.
"I'll be back in a few minutes, everybody," Liam said, giving his MacBook a warm smile. Even though it wasn't directed at me, it still made butterflies twirl around my stomach. "I have something to do." His fingers tapped across the keyboard for a few seconds, then he climbed off the bed and set the laptop down facing the pillows.
"I mean it, I'm sorry," I said in a hushed voice. "I didn't think anyone would be in here. Why are you in here, by the way?"
"Niall and I are sharing a room. I didn't want to wake him up," he explained with a shrug.
"That's really sweet," I said, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks. Wait― why was I blushing?! I wasn't even embarrassed!
Stop it, Cassie! He'll notice that you like him!
"Why are you in here?" Liam asked, tearing me away from my internal panic. "And why are we whispering?"
I jerked my thumb back towards the door. "Hide and seek, to both. Is it alright if I hide in here?"
"Sure, go ahead," he chuckled, stretching out his arms and giving a short yawn. I nodded and started to walk towards the closet on the other side of the room, but when Liam laughed behind me, I turned to look back at him curiously.
"What?"
"Why is it, whenever we're alone together, you never seem to be wearing pants?" His expression was light and humourous for a moment, but when something seemed to dawn on him, his smile faded away. "Wait. Have you and Harry been...you know, did you two..."
"No, we didn't," I frowned. "I fell in the hotel pool."
"Ah," he nodded, as if it all made sense. "Oh, speaking of the hotel. What did you say when he told you the news?"
I was well into the closet by now, but this last question made me freeze in surprise. "The news?"
"He didn't tell you?" Liam gasped, his jaw literally dropping in shock.
"No," I said, shaking my head slowly. "I mean, I don't think he did."
"Ready or not, here I come!" Harry's muffled voice echoed through the hotel room, and I quickly pulled the closet door shut behind me.
"We'll finish talking about this later!" I whisper-yelled to Liam, hoping he could hear me through the thick wood. The room was silent for a moment, then I heard the bed springs squeak as he sat back down on the mattress.
The closet was small and cramped; I had to tuck my knees into my chest just so I could fit. It was also dark, which actually frightened me a little. Who knew what sort of bugs or rubbish could be in here? I didn't doubt that the hotel rooms were kept clean ― after all, making sure the attendants did their job was one of my jobs ― but I still couldn't help but worry a little. Part of me wanted Harry to find me quickly, just so I could get out.
And, of course, so I could figure out what this blasted news was.
A few long minutes passed, and I was almost falling asleep against the wall when the sound of a door swinging open made me jolt awake in surprise. Luckily, it was only the bedroom door, and I had to bite my tongue to hold back a giggle.
"Liam," Harry's low voice acknowledged as he entered the room. "Have you seen Cas?"
"I have, actually," Liam answered right away, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. "She was rushing down the hallway and I almost crashed into her. She said something about hiding in the elevator."
Phew! I thought, breathing comfortably once again. Well, as comfortably as I could in a tiny, dusty cupboard.
"Oh, alright," Harry chuckled. "Thanks, mate." Shuffled footsteps started to head out of the room, but just as I was about to jump out and thank Liam, my saviour spoke up once again.
"Why haven't you told her about the trip and the letter?"
The footsteps immediately came to a halt. When Harry's voice sounded again, it was slightly hesitant. "I was waiting for the right opportunity."
"And when would that be, exactly?" Liam asked. "When you're just about to toss her onto the tour bus? Or when she goes down to work and gets a nasty surprise?"
Tour bus? Work? What the heck were they talking about?
Were they... Were they talking about me?
"I've been close to telling her a couple of times tonight," Harry sighed. "I just can't bring myself to say it."
Yep. Definitely me.
I knew the hide and seek story was just a cover up.
"She needs to know, Harry," Liam growled, his voice surprisingly harsh. "You can't keep putting it off."
"I'm not putting it off!" Harry snapped.
"So tell her!" Liam yelled. His voice was further away now, and I realised he must have moved closer to Harry. "As soon as you find her, I want you to tell her the truth."
"It's not that simple!"
"Why not?"
"Because she'll hate me!" Harry cried, his voice reaching the point of hysterics. After a few seconds, he spoke again, his voice much calmer. "I can't lose her trust, Liam. Not when I've only just earned it."
Liam was silent for a moment, and from the light footsteps I was hearing, I guessed he was pacing around the room. "Practice on me," he suggested. "Say to me exactly what you would say to Cassie."
Wait. What was he doing? Liam knew I was listening. Was he deliberately making sure I could hear whatever it was Harry had to reveal? Or had he honestly forgotten I was in the room?
Knowing Liam, it would probably be the former.
"Cassie," Harry sighed, and I held my breath for a moment. Had he found me?! When he kept talking, though, I felt my shoulders relax. He was just doing as Liam said. "Cassie, I'm so sorry," he continued. "I did something I shouldn't have."
"What, Harry?" I whispered. "What did you do?"
"The trip to Sydney is a necessity," he said sadly. "I mean, we're still technically on tour. We have to go." He drew in a deep breath, and after holding it for a while, he let it back out just as loudly. "I didn't want to leave you here for a week. I was selfish. I wanted you to come with us, so we could keep up our fake relationship. But Paul said your boss was strict, and she wouldn't give you the week off. So I... I spoke to her, and she...she..."
"She what?" Liam and I both asked at the same time, his voice audible while mine was almost silent.
"We always knew she didn't like the idea of you spending time with me," he explained. "She knows about your past, you told me so yourself. She doesn't trust me anymore than you did when you did when we first met. She didn't approve of our relationship, because she thought I would end up hurting you. And after speaking to her, I ended up doing something that would hurt you more than anyone else ever could. Everything those bastards did to you on the streets, that was nothing compared to what I did."
"Harry, what the hell did you do?" I hissed.
"I actually remember what the letter said. I remember every single word I typed. 'To whoever it may concern,' it read. 'I, Cassie Pritchard, would like to resign from my job at the Empire Hotel. I find that the work conditions are unbearable, and the employees aren't any better.'
"Cassie, I honestly meant to throw it away after I printed it. I got distracted, though, and when I came back to my room...it was gone. Next thing I knew, Paul was coming to see me when we got home from the premiere. He said he had just finished talking to your boss, and she had told him that you had delivered her a letter of resignation, so you were free to come with us to Sydney. Of course, she blamed me. She probably always will. But she doesn't know the letter was from me. Only the boys do." He paused for a moment, then he sighed. "I'm so, so very sorry."
After a short silence, Liam cleared his throat. "That was...that was good. Now you just have to tell Cassie."
"I can't, Liam," Harry said quietly. "Like I said, she'd hate me for it."
I couldn't take it any longer. I pushed open the closet doors and stormed out, heading straight for Harry, whose expression had suddenly become one of pure shock. Before either of the boys could stop me, I pulled back my arm and swung it at Harry's face, punching him square in the jaw. His head twisted around from the impact, and he stumbled back a few steps.
"What the hell is your problem?!" I yelled, inching forward to hit him once again. Liam caught my arm, though, and I shot him a fierce glare. "Both of you! You're both selfish idiots!"
"Cassie, I honestly didn't―" Harry began, but I quickly interrupted him.
"Don't you dare, Styles!" I yanked my arm away from Liam and stepped back in front of Harry, glaring down at him when he shrunk against the wall in fear. "My life was perfectly fine until you came along, and now you've screwed it up in the most unbelievable way!" I balled my hand into a fist again, preparing to hit him once more, but his eyes widened in helplessness and I lowered my arm. "And to think you used to inspire me," I scoffed. "You're nothing but a egotistical, cowardly jerk."
I turned on my heels and headed for the door, shooting Liam one last angry look before I left the room. "I don't want to hear from any of you ever again!" I growled, knowing they could still hear me. "Consider this stupid deal off."
And with that, I stepped out into the hotel hallway, making sure the door shut with a slam behind me.