It has been weeks since our night out with Harry and we are all thriving at our respective summer internships. Addy is working at CNN, Jon is working at NY city council, and I secured an internship at the United Nations. Although we are all doing to brunt work, it is satisfying to take the subway home at 5 pm with the rest of the working class. That's the best part of the city; it is filled with hardworking people with big dreams and when I walk down the street I can feel the energy all around. It's either ambition or anxiety, maybe a little bit of both- if you live in Manhattan and can afford a therapist there is a 100% chance you have one.
Today is my 21st birthday, but it is also a Sunday so we are going to hold off on celebrating. We haven't gone clubbing since the *incident* and I am still a little shaken. All I want is a nice quiet night at home with my two best friends and maybe a cake.
I was coming home from the gym and when I opened my apartment door I was greeted by a tall brunette.
"Hey, Lila! Happy 21st!!" Chris said from our living room couch with a tub of MY Ben & Jerry's in his lap. "Thanks," I mumbled as I beelined to my room.
Why is he always here? The man is like a fly that just won't go away. I'm happy that he makes Addy happy, but Addy isn't even home yet. I just hope he is gone before my mini-celebration starts. I took a shower and threw on my favorite sweatshirt with a pair of leggings.
I sat on my bed and scrolling through Instagram when suddenly my door burst open and Jon, Addy, Chris, and Alex came into my room singing happy birthday with a cake that was too small for the number of candles stuck in it. I smiled and they all cheered as I blew out my candles.
"What did you wish for?" I familiar British voice said. It was only then that I realized that Addy had Harry on facetime.
I beamed, "If I told you, I would have to kill you."
Despite my tinge of annoyance that Alex and Chris were at my celebration, Harry's virtual presence made up for it. It is so nice to know that he values our friendship enough to take time out of his busy schedule to sit with us on facetime. After we finished our slices of cake, we said our goodbyes to Chris, Alex, and ended our call with Harry. We ended our night by eating popcorn while watching Shrek.
Towards the end of the movie, I got a text from Harry.
H: Happy Birthday Lila! There is an envelope on your doorstep <3
I hopped off the couch, rushed to the front door, and ripped open the envelope.
I turned to Jon and Lila grinning from ear to ear, "We're going to LA bitches!"
~~~~
The summer was coming to an end and our internships were over. Luckily Harry timed our trip perfectly so we had a week between the end of our internships and the start of classes. Right now, Jon, Addy, and I are on a first-class flight to visit Harry in Los Angles. Thank God Harry's generosity did not extend to Alex and Chris because we definitely need this time to reconnect.
After collecting our luggage in the arrival terminal we saw a chauffeur holding a sign with all of our names and we followed him to a black SUV as per Harry's instructions. After what seemed like hours in traffic, we finally entered a gated area and we stared out the window in awe of the mansions of Hollywood Hills. Even when we couldn't see the homes, the ornate gates were indicators of the grandiose homes they guarded.
"Can you imagine living in any of these" Jon said gaping at a house that the driver later mentioned belonged to Ariana Grande.
"I guess we will find out what it is like for the next few days," Addy breathed out as she too gazed at the homes in wonder.
The driver pulled up to a large black wooden gate, it was very sleek and modern. He entered a code and the gate opened to reveal a long road lined with tall ferns. After driving for another minute or so we pulled up in front of a tall white home with a solid black door and glass balconies. The driver parked the car and began to unload our suitcases. Suddenly the door flung open and Harry bound down the front steps and skipped towards us grinning from ear to ear.
"My little friends are here! Happy belated Birthday Lila!" He exclaimed
"Younger by a couple of years, not little," Addy clarified as Harry playfully rolled his eyes.
Harry led us inside and we gaped at the high ceilings, intricate light fixtures, marble floors, and beautiful art the lined every wall. He showed us to our own bedrooms- the rooms were minimalistic with neutral tones, any pop of color came from paintings and sculptures. After setting us stuff down and freshening up we reconvened in the living room.
"Okay New Yorkers, what do you think of LA so far?"
"From what I have seen of it, New York is the move," Jon said while stuffing his mouth with the fruit Harry had laid out for us.
Harry sighed "Alright, we're going for a drive!" Harry announced and motioned for us to follow him. He took us into a large white garage with at least a dozen cars ranging from SUVs to convertibles. "Which one?"
"Lila can choose, she is the only one who is even remotely interested in cars," Addy said nonchalantly while looking at her phone- no doubt texting Chris.
I walked towards the convertibles and decided on a classic Mercedes. I hopped into the passenger seat and Jon and Addy slid into the back. Harry grabbed his keys from the wall and rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Does everyone have sunglasses?" he questioned with an unfamiliar edge in his voice, we all nodded. "Put these on too, to cover your hair," he said as he handed each of us a scarf. He proceeded to tie a scarf around his head. Harry looks like a 1950s film star with his large sunglasses, scarf, and his signature string of pearls. This man is more beautiful than all of us combined.
He scanned the group and began backing out of the garage with a satisfied smile.
"Sorry guys, I just want to be careful because the paps are relentless. You all are too kind and normal to have your identity exposed or harassed by my paps or even other fans," Harry sighed.
"It is 100% fine, I love feeling this glamorous, it's like we are going to be on the cover of Vogue. I'm ready for Rodeo Drive and a close-up," Jon joked and he struck various poses as Addy and I nodded in agreement.
"Rodeo drive I can do!" Harry said as he sped down his long driveway. Addy pulled out her polaroid and handed it to me so I could take a snapshot of all of us for the mems. The wind was blowing through our scarves and the radio was cranked up to maximum volume, what more could anyone want?
We pulled up to Rodeo Drive and it was crowded as anyone would expect. Several teenage girls who were walking down the street did a double-take as we rolled by. There was a low chorus of murmurs that seemed to flood the street and I glanced around in anticipation.
"It's us," Harry grumbled, "people are starting to notice."
Jon, Addy, and I continued to laugh and take polaroid pictures of the palm tree-lined streets. When we pulled up to a red light that is when we heard the first snap of a camera and it wasn't the one that belonged to us.
"F***ing paps," Harry groaned.
There was a truck on the driver's side and the passenger side of the car that both had paparazzi trying to get Harry's attention or spark any sort of reaction.
"Harry, who are your friends?"
"Harry smile for the camera!"
"Are you dating any of them?
"Harry are you dating ALL of them?"
As soon as the light turned green Harry sped away and made several sharp turns. He was gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white. Even when we finally lost them he didn't ease up on his speed. I glanced at a fear-stricken Addy and Jon in the backseat whose facial expressions could only be interpreted as 'we're going to die.!'
"Harry, it's okay... breathe," I tried to comfort him by covering one of his tense hands with my own. He visibly relaxed and we slowed down eventually coming to a complete stop on a quiet road.
"I am so sorry, I didn't think they would show up so soon," Harry sighed banging his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. "They aren't usually so aggressive, or maybe they are but it's usually only me so I don't care that much. I just wish they would let me keep some aspects of my personal life personal and allow me to reveal things in my own time."
"It's okay Harry, we understand and thanks to the scarves now the paps just have a picture of Harry and three random people," Addy reasoned.
"Yeah and we still saw Rodeo Drive and had a great ride," Jon continued.
"You don't have control of everything, but we had fun. Also if anyone were to discover our identities, it would be someone on Twitter, not the paparazzi." I joked. Harry cracked a small smile and nodded in agreement.
Harry revved the engine of the car, "Okay one last stop before home, I want to introduce you to someone!"
~~~
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