HARRY
"Okay, man. See you tomorrow." I called over my shoulder, throwing a wave back towards Mitchell, one of the production crew. The usual hectic bustle that always seemed to surround this set had dimmed along with the approaching end of day. It had been yet another long one, but smooth, many of the kinks and hiccups that came with a new production finally worked out. Now, it seemed like we all had our jobs down, our routines figured out, and things were finally running smoothly.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, scrolling through my messages. Two texts and one call from Marcia. A text from Markus. One from my mom. And a couple random emails from my label. Nothing that I had to get to immediately, for which I was thankful. I was tired, my muscles sore from a rather intense workout that morning, and was looking forward to a night in my room with a pizza and football.
"Harry!" A shrill voice called, causing me to close my eyes in irritation. I didn't bother to turn around as she chased me down, ignoring the rain as she gripped onto my arm.
"Hey Madison," I replied dully, glancing up from my phone.
"A few of us are going out to a club tonight," she explained, bouncing excitedly. Her large eyes peered up at me expectantly, pulling herself closer and pressing against me. "You have to come."
I didn't even have to consider my answer. "No thanks," I said with a shake of my head. "Not in the mood."
Of course, she pouted out her full lips, glancing up from under her lashes. "Aw, come on. We've barely gotten to hang out since shooting started. I was hoping we could...get to know each other a little more."
Her suggestive tone made it quite clear the means in which she wanted to get to know me, the way she was gently moving herself against me enticingly. Under normal circumstances, I would have taken full advantage of the situation. A beautiful, famous girl all over me? It would have been no hesitation. But for some reason, the idea of being fawned over my Madison Regis all night, the flashes of cameras as people recognized us, the blaring music of a club, was remarkably unappealing.
Stepping out of her grasp, I shook my head. "No thanks. I have other plans."
"Aw, come on-"
I moved away further, giving her a wave as I made my escape. "Thanks for the offer. See you later."
A gentle mist of rain began to fall just as I reached my car, sliding behind the wheel quickly. The soft scent of the leather interior invaded my senses, the dashboard coming to life with the turn of the key. I had the same car back home in Los Angeles, a newer model Audi, and loved it. There was just something to be said for the sleek craftsmanship of a good car.
I pulled out of the parking lot, angling towards the exit, when a figure standing under the cover of the entrance overhang caught my attention. She was blurred from the rain, coming into focus periodically with the work of the wipers. Her long dark hair was down, falling around her shoulders, her plump bottom lip pulled between her teeth. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was rocking her weight back and forth between her feet as she alternated between glancing towards the exit, and watching her phone.
Pulling up in front of her, I lowered my window.
"What are you doing out in the rain?" I called, causing her to startle. When she realized it was me, I could see a sense of confliction on her face that made me discouraged. Even now, after a few weeks of working together, Kate still kept me at arms length. I had turned up the charm, sought her out to the point of borderline stalker, and had tried all my regular tactics to get her to let down her guard. But nothing I did seemed to work, and even now she looked at me as though she was deciding whether or not to actually engage with me.
Finally, she gave in.
"Ashley had to go and do some errands, but still isn't back. She was supposed to pick me up."
A frown set on her lovely face, and immediately my own expression mirrored hers. For some reason, I didn't like that she was frowning. It didn't sit right with me, even after all the teasing and antagonizing I had dealt her. Somehow, this was different, and inexplicably I cared that she was upset.
I made up my mind immediately.
"Get in."
Her eyes widened, jumping up from her phone and back to me.
"What?"
"Get in," I repeated, putting the car in park. "I will take you back to the hotel."
She watched me with an open mouth for a moment, her usually busy mind in hyper drive.
"That's okay," she stammered, her hands fidgeting. "I'm sure Ashley-"
"I'm sure Ashley would appreciate you getting out of the rain and saving her a trip back to the set," I interrupted, giving her an impatient stare.
"Really, Harry, it's okay. You don't have to-"
I looked away from her, staring forward through the rain streaked windshield. I leaned my arm on the window edge, appearing to get comfortable.
"I'm not leaving you here in the rain. So you may as well get in, and save us both who knows how long of sitting here like this arguing."
Her lips thinned in irritation at my demands, and I could see her assessing her options. There was a chance that Ashley was nearly here, and would pull up any moment. Maybe that was why I felt so rushed to get Kate in the car with me. Like there was an invisible clock counting down the seconds I had to get her alone, before yet another interrupting tore her away. I looked at her expectantly, raising a brow at her.
Surprisingly, she shoved her phone in her pocket, and ran out into the rain. She raced to the passenger side, pulling open the door and sliding into the car with a huff. Once inside, she ran her hands through her damp hair, before wiping them along the legs of her jeans.
Her whole body was tense, and I knew it was entirely because of me. To know she was this uncomfortable being around me, alone with me, bothered me. I didn't know why, but it did. More than just because I didn't want to lose to Markus.
I watched as the water decorated her white shirt with its effect, just enough to give a hint to the pale blue bra beneath. The corner of my lip turned upwards at the sight. She avoided my eyes for as long as she could, before turning to me in defeat.
"Thank you," she said softly, before puling on her seatbelt.
"You're welcome."
The drive back to the hotel was heavy in her silence. Her blue eyes were trained out the window at her side, watching the world slide by, distorted from the rain across the glass. She seemed to have relaxed marginally since first getting in the car, but had made no attempt to speak to me or acknowledge me in any way.
It looked like I was going to have to be the one to break the ice. But for some reason, I wasn't quite sure how. I was an expert when it came to talking to girls. I always knew what to say, how to say it, and how to look at them when I did. I was never unsure around them, but for some undeterminable reason, I suddenly felt just as nervous around Kate Garrett as she seemed to feel around me.
"So," I said, before clearing my throat. "How do you think filming is going?"
She turned to me, and intrigued expression on her face. And for the life of me, I couldn't figure out the meaning behind it. Which irked me to know end. I wanted to know what she was thinking.
"Good," she finally said with a nod. "It's still kind of surreal to see it all coming to life like this."
I opened my mouth to make a teasing comment; something about seeing me play out the scenes she had created about me years before, but I held my tongue. Something stopped me, because I knew it wouldn't be taken as flirtatious teasing. It would cause her to shut down, to continue to block me out, and do the complete opposite of what I wanted to achieve in this moment.
Instead, I went with casual honesty.
"It really is a great show," I replied, my eyes on the road. "I mean, from what we've shot so far, I think it's going to be amazing."
Casting a glance to her from the corner of my eye, I found that inquisitive expression back on her face. This time, I couldn't stop myself from asking her what she was thinking.
"What?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"Come on, Garrett. We've got another twenty minutes on the road before we get back to the hotel. We may as well get to know each other a little." I paused, adjusting my grip on the wheel in a nervous gesture. "We've been working together for weeks, and have barely talked at all."
To this, she snorted. "Oh, we talked. Or, more like you make mocking comments and I tell you off."
Her response took me back, causing me to turn and look directly at her.
"I don't always make mocking comments," I defended, my mind quickly retracing any interactions we had exchanged in recent weeks.
"Oh, yes you do." She countered confidently. There was no longer any trace of the nervous, hesitant girl who had first gotten into my car in her posture. She was back to her defiant little tiger self. "It's always something about how my original book was about you, or teasing me for watching you. Which, by the way, is only because you are acting and I am watching the scene, not because I am watching you. You may be used to everyone obsessed your every move and thinking you are infallible, but I'm not one of them."
I felt my jaw fall slack for a moment, before snapping it closed again. There was no venom in her voice, no vitriol in her stare, but a strong conviction on her assessment of our interactions. Despite her tone, she didn't even seem to be angry at our encounters. She was simply stating a fact.
I cleared my throat again, trying to figure out what to say. It was rare that someone rendered me speechless, but she had. I didn't like it.
"Does it bother you that I tease you?" I heard myself ask, before immediately wishing I could push the words back into my mouth and swallow them whole. Fuck. I didn't meant to say that out loud.
She considered my question as my nervous eyes appraised her.
Finally, she shook her head. "No, not really." She admitted, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. "I guess I'm getting used to your arrogance by now."
Again, I balked. "My arrogance? You think I'm arrogant?"
"Aren't you?" she challenged, angling her long legs towards me. "You always seem to assume to have control of every room you enter, and the adoration of everyone in it. You figured that by showing me who you were the first time we met, that I would somehow fawn all over you. If that isn't a form of arrogance, then what would you call it?"
I didn't know how to answer her question. In all honesty, I had never been called out so bluntly on my behavior before by anyone. Especially not a tiny, soaking went little hot head in the passenger seat of my car after I offered her a ride.
My jaw tightened, my eyes turning back out to the road.
"I would call it experience," I defended. "I've been in Hollywood for a while now, and you learn how to navigate people. I know how to assess a room, and adapt to it. I know how fans think, and what they expect of me. I know half of them want me to be like the wuss in your book, while the other half inundate my Twitter feed saying they want me to tie them up with whips and chains. I am used to how people react to me, and have learned how to use it when needed. Everyone wants me to be something, so I do it. If you call that arrogant, then fine. But it comes from necessity."
I surprise myself when my little speech ends. I didn't meant to rant on like that, and definitely didn't meant to tell her as much as I did. Fame was a balancing act, and one I had to learn pretty fucking quick. Eventually, the person you were just gets pushed to the background, and you are 'on' all the time.
Kate was silent for a long while. So long, that I finally had to look over at her to see if she had even been listening to me. I half prayed she hadn't been but when our eyes met, hers were much softer than they had been moments before.
"Doesn't it get tiring?" she asked, her voice incredibly quiet.
"What?"
"Always having to pretend to be someone else?" She elaborated without judgment. "Always having to figure out who people want, and be that instead of being yourself. Doesn't it get exhausting, all that pretending?"
I swallowed hard, looking away from her quickly. I replied in a tone much harsher than I intended.
"Isn't that what people want?" I challenged. "I mean, I'm an actor now. It's given me years of practice."
I didn't look her way again for the remainder of the drive. I didn't have to to know the look I would find there. Despite her temper, Kate was soft. She was gentle and genuine and real. She was too fragile for the bullshit world of fame and paparazzi.
She would feel sorry for me. The boy who had everything, but lost himself to gain it. And I didn't want to see that look on her face.
Turning the final corner, the hotel appeared in the distance. Even through the rain, I could see colorful umbrellas, rain coats, and boots huddled out in front. A crowd had gathered; probably no more than ten or fifteen people, but they were there.
And I knew why.
"Fuck," I muttered, rubbing a hand over my forehead.
"What?"
"Looks like our location got out to the fans," I explained, as Kate looked towards the hotel with wide eyes. "I figured it wouldn't take long before they worked it out."
"Wh-what does that mean?" she asked, her previous confidence faded.
"It means it will be a little hectic coming in and out from now on." I explained, before pulling over into a parking spot a block away. Pulling out my phone, I called the front desk of the hotel.
"Hi, this is Harry Styles. Yeah, there seems to be a crowd of fans gathered out front. Yeah? Okay, well, I'm not about to jump out and hand my keys to the valet with them all there. Is the underground parking clear? Yeah, I'll hold."
I held the phone to my ear, glancing over to Kate. She was sitting back against the seat, her eyes trained forward. Her hands gripped the door and the console, and I could practically feel the tension rolling off of her.
"Are you okay?" I asked, pulling the phone from my ear.
She nodded in a lie. "Yeah. I'm good."
"Lie."
She didn't even crack a smile. "Its just...I'm not a fan of crowds. Three or four people, fine. Anything more than that, I kind of freak out."
My eyebrows rose. "Seriously? Haven't you ever been to a concert?"
She shook her head.
"Not even mine?"
To this, she shot me a dirty look, and I rose my hands in defense.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, don't worry. They are making sure that the guest parking is clear of any fans. Once it is good, we will just pull right on by and drive in. We wont stop, and you don't have to go through them. Okay?"
She nodded quickly, and I could tell my little speech did nothing to ease her worry.
"Mr Styles?" a voice called through my phone.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"The underground is all clear. Just pull in, and a member of security will escort you into the hotel while a valet will take your car from there."
"Okay. Thank you."
Hanging up, slid my phone back in my pocket, before turning back to Kate.
"It's fine. We're going to pull into the underground, and security will take us in."
Again, she nodded. I wasn't even sure if she was listening to me.
I pulled out onto the road slowly, easing closer to the front of the hotel. I could see the fans assessing each vehicle driving by intently, watching for any hint that myself or the other stars were inside.
As if fate had a really fucked up sense of humor, the light at the end of the block turned red, backing up traffic. I was forced to stop only a few car lengths from the crowd, waiting like a sitting duck to make it to the underground entrance on the other side of the building.
Kate's eyes shot to me.
"It's fine," I assured her in my most soothing voice. "It will only be a second. They don't even know-"
"There he is!" a voice screamed, before a shrill wave of fan girl hormones broke through the rain. I looked up to see the a girl in a red raincoat pointing towards our car, her face alight with excitement, before the crowd started to surge forward.
"Fuck."
They darted between the cars, converging on us. There hands slapped on the window, phones against the glass snapping photo after photo. Screams and begging for me to lower the window, declarations of adoration and pleading to come and sign autographs filled the car.
I looked over to Kate again, and found her hyperventilating with her eyes closed. Reaching out, I took her hand in mine, squeezing it tightly. She gasped, jumping at the contact.
"You're fine. The doors are locked. You're just in here with me."
The traffic began to move slowly forward, and I gently lifted my foot from the break to follow. I had to ease carefully, as the fans followed, unhindered by the fact they were standing in moving traffic.
I turned the corner, finding half a dozen security standing guard at the entrance to the underground. As the car, and the crowd, approached, guards held back the fans so that we could enter without incident. Their screams faded as we descended, disappearing from their view around a corner where we were met with another guard, and a valet.
Putting the car in park, I only then realized I was still holding Kate's hand. I looked at where we were joined, my eyes slowly rising along her arm, to meet her wide blue eyes.
Neither of us move to let go. Her hand was so small in my, her body seeming so fragile in this moment, I felt this uncontrollable urge to protect her. It was a ludicrous feeling to have, since the girl hated my guts. But I couldn't help it.
Too soon, she released me, pulling her hand to her lap and looking away from me as a flush of color rose in her cheeks.
Shaking my head, I brought myself back to my senses as I slid out of the car.
I was immediately greeted by a man in a black suit.
"We are very sorry about this Mr. Styles," the man said. Glancing at his name tag, I found that he was the hotel manager. "The crowd began to form shortly after lunch. We hadn't quite figured out how to manage it before you approached."
I nodded, irritated by his excuses, before tossing my keys to the valet.
"Matthew, here, will escort you and Miss Garrett to your floor." The manager added, gesturing to the security guard.
I muttered a thank you as I followed the guard and Kate towards the elevators. The scream of the fans still echoed in the underground, and noticed that more than once Kate would look over her shoulder as if expecting a rampage to ensue.
Once inside the confines of the elevator, she finally relaxed. No one said anything as we rose to her floor, which was two below mine. I could feel the warmth of her body next to me, an uncontrollable urge to reach out and touch her. To make sure she was okay. I clasped my hands behind my back to stop myself from doing something stupid.
As the doors opened at her floor, she paused for a moment to look up at me.
"Thank you," she said softly, her blue eyes impossibly large. "For that. And, for the ride."
I wanted to say something more, but all that came out was "You're welcome."
She watched me for a moment longer, before stepping out onto her floor and disappearing with the close of the doors. The moment she was out of sight, I exhaled, leaning back against the wall with a thunk.
"Long day?" the guard asked. I had actually forgotten he was even there.
I snorted. "You have no idea."