Party Day.
The day I've been both absolutely anxious and excited for, having absolutely no idea what to expect of it. Sabrina hadn't let a single detail slip from her lips over the past two weeks of planning, really sticking to the little surprise aspect of it she had. She knew me better then absolutely anyone, so if anyone could pull off the perfect 18th 'Suprise' Birthday Party for me, it was her. She handpicked every last detail of it, down to outfits both her and I would be wearing.
Sabrina dropped by my home a few hours earlier, informing me on a few details I needed to know for the party, specifically my dress up and transportation details. She had even sent along a stylist for me that I would have immediately turned away if it hadn't been for her insistent nagging. Sabrina notified me that they were only there for hair and makeup, and they were only allowed to follow the instructions she had given them prior to now unless I said otherwise.
I was currently being glammed up, my hair being curled into loose waves, while the top half was being sectioned off and tied into a small bun at the top of my head. Light makeup had been applied to my skin, very minimal just to my liking. I had on some mascara, making my brown eyes pop a bit more than usual, as well as some light blush and brow pencil. It was simple but extremely effective.
Sabrina had informed me earlier that she picked out my outfit herself, calming my nervous drastically with just that bit of information. She had never failed to choose an outfit out for me that I didn't love immediately, and I doubted this time would be any different.
The stylist, whose name I learned to be was Lou, laid the outfit for me the moment she finished my hair and makeup, ushering me quickly into the bathroom so I could change. Sabrina had chosen to put me into a pair of light wash high waisted denim jeans with a simple oversized white t-shirt on top. She included a 2 chain gold necklace set, which really seemed to tie the outfit together, however, she must have forgotten to include a pair of earrings, so I took it upon myself to shuffle through my own jewelry box and choose a small pair of gold hoops.
Glancing at myself quickly in the mirror, I couldn't help but think I looked good, smiling at my reflection in the mirror with the realization. The fit was casual and comfortable, but not overly so. It was honestly so me and I couldn't have been happier with it, it somewhat setting the mood for the rest of the night.
"Gracie, honey" Lou knocks on the door, grabbing my attention away from the mirror "Your ride is here."
"Okay, thank you!" I answer back, giving myself one more glance in the mirror, quickly shaking my head back and forth to break down some of the curls, before turning to open the door. "I really appreciate everything you did Lou" I smile at her as I grab my purse with my phone and house keys (two things I now refuse to travel anywhere without them) "You work miracles" I laugh.
"Aw no," she chuckles lightly back, waving my comment off, "I barely did anything. You're a gorgeous girl Gracie. Have a fabulous birthday, you deserve it", finishing her compliment with a kiss on my cheek before pushing me away towards the door "Now hurry, you don't want to keep your loverboy waiting."
"Loverboy?" I question, sending her a confused look before I turn the doorknob of the front door, "I don't know anything about a lover b-" I don't get the chance to finish because as I open the door to a sight I hadn't expected, the words fall short in my throat.
"Gracie", Harry smiles, sending a nod of acknowledgment at Lou before taking a few steps my way, nearly less than an arm's length away at this point. "I insisted to Sabrina that it's only right that I drive my girlfriend to her own birthday party."
Flashback to a couple days ago, after Louis had offered to help me convince Harry to be my fake boyfriend, I hadn't had the time to check-in and ask about the progress the two had made. I assumed after not hearing from him these past few days, that it was a failure; that Harry had refused to help and left me to do the honorable thing and tell Zayn the truth; I was actually extremely single and too afraid to admit it to him because I was confused with the past feelings I had for him and how that reflected onto now.
Yet, here Harry was, standing at my front door, dressed in an outfit that almost coordinated with my own; a matching plain white tee put with a contrasting pair of black ripped jeans, a red bandana tied around his neck, and a black pair of sunglasses nestled into his brown curls to complete the look.
"Uh-huh" is all I manage out, the shock of seeing him at my home still so surprising.
"We better get going" he continues, looking down at the silver Rolex on his wrist, "Sabrina will have my head if the birthday girl is late for her own party" he jokes, a dimple indenting into his cheek with the sly smile he gives me. "Shall we?" he nudges his head towards the direction of his car, a white Jeep Wrangler, extending his hand out to me "'Brina told me your favorite car was a wrangler, so I thought we might as well take mine there, yeah?"
I just nod, too focused on the hand he had extended my way, not exactly knowing what to do at the moment. Never had anything remotely to the sort had happened between the two of us like this, unless you count the shirt incident. But even that didn't compare.
Obviously sensing the confusion I was facing at the moment, Harry takes it into his own hands by reaching forwards and wrapping his fingers around my own, sending a small smile and goodbye wave to my stylist, before pulling me in the direction of his car.
"What the hell is going on" I mutter, more so to myself, as Harry continues pulling me to the passenger side of the luxury car, only releasing my hand once he has to open my door. However, instead of getting in, I stare at him like he grew a second head.
"Gracie get in the car" he whispers under his breath, the smile, which I assumed to be fake at his point, still on his face.
"I'm confused."
"I'll explain it later" he answers in a hushed voice, obviously keeping the show as my boyfriend on for Lou's presence. I still don't move, despite his answer, racking my brain as to what Louis could have possibly said to make him agree to this.
Sensing that I had no intention to move, Harry wraps his hands around my waist, a small shriek escaping my lips as he does so due to the surprise, hoisting me up onto the elevated seat of the jeep. Quickly buckling me in, because he must have assumed that I was too incapable to do a simple task myself, Harry snaps the belt into place and then proceeds to walk onto his own side so that he could do the same.
"You smell nice" I finally muttered, turning my head to the side so that I could look at him.
"You're dumb."
I gasp, eyes widening a bit at Harry's comment "That's not very nice!" I slap at his chest, "You shouldn't talk to your 'girlfriend' like that" I almost snicker. The curly-headed boy beside me immediately groans in response, taking a hand off the steering wheel to facepalm on his forehead, "Now you decide to go along with it" he sighs while pushing my hand off him, "What the hell was that back there? You were making me look ridiculous."
"I didn't think you would actually ever agree to go along with it in the first place!" I nearly shriek, taking Harry by surprise and causing him to wince at the sound. "I thought I was having a stroke and my brain was playing moments of what could have been when you started to hold my hand" I laughed a little bit, shaking my head at my lap "Don't worry though, I got it now...I think."
"So" I continue, taking a hand up to tuck the loose strands of hair that have fallen in my face behind my ear, "Louis told you what happened?"
"He kind of had too if it meant getting me to agree to do this" he replies frankly, "Who's this ex of yours anyway," he asks, somewhat uninterested.
"Not sure you would know him," I shrug, placing my hands in my laps, "His name is Zayn."
"Malik?" Harry immediately butts back, this time interested in my answer.
"Yeah, you know him?" I question, tilting my head to the side in confusion as I watch his facial expression morph into one of irritation.
"Course I know the bugger" he laughs at me, my confusion only growing, "complete dickhead he is too. Not sure how the two of you got involved with each other, but now I know that I'll at least have a little bit of fun tonight making him jealous."
"Excuse me" I nearly choke, coughing a bit from how much air I just swallowed gasping, "He's a nice guy..." I trail off, biting my lip down as I try to think of a way to compliment Zayn.
"You and I both know that's not true" he almost laughs, one filled with dry humor, "I think the words you're looking for are 'Brainless' 'Twat'" he puts a hand out, framing each word with a hand as he speaks. I can't help but laugh at his commentary, knowing that whatever run in Harry had with Zayn wasn't a pleasant one.
"Sounds like the two of you get along very well" I smile a bit, directing my grin at him, his own head turning to face me returning a similar smile. "Yeah, you could say that" he nods, agreeing as he turns his attention back onto the road.
"I just need to make sure we make this believable," I say, focusing my own attention back out the window "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, of course," I insure, feeling stupid that I hadn't said that in the first place, "but I really don't feel like having my cover blown at my own party, you know?"
"Got it" he answers simply, seeming done with the conversation. But instead of taking that as I sign to sit quietly the rest of the ride, my nerves get the best of me and kickstart my rambling. "So...." I say, taking a short time to offer him a chance to shut me up "Where are we going?"
"I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that until we get there" he replies simply, keeping his focus off me.
"Okay," I nod, allowing him to have that, "do you think we should like rehearse what we're gonna do or-"
"If he comes up to us" Harry cuts off, shutting me up quickly "then just let me do the talking. Seeing as where it got us last time you opened your mouth, I think it's better if you just leave it to me."
I nod, taking in the point he has before going to open my mouth again. "Yeah, yeah good thinking. But, like, what if-"
"I think we should start practicing now" he cuts in, sending me a hard stare, "no talking unless I say so, 'kay?"
"Yeah, I understand that but-"
"No. No talking" he shushes not a second later, bringing a finger up to his lips.
The rest of the ride proceeded like that, any chance I took to open my mouth to say something ended with a hard glare from Harry, which kept me silent for a while. I was somewhat bored, no idea how long the ride would take while mindlessly clicking away at my phone every now and then until I moved on to fidgeting with the radio.
That didn't last very long either because after clicking through at least 50 stations, unsuccessfully finding anything that interested me, Harry smacked my hand away. "My god Grace, can you not sit still for five minutes?" Harry barks, eyebrows furrowed down in frustration as he takes over and chooses a song himself.
My whole face lights up the moment I hear "Time of my Life" from my favorite classic, Dirty Dancing, blast through the speakers.
"What are you doing." Harry snaps, turning his head to glare at me.
"This is my favorite duet! 'Cause I've had the time of my life And I owe it all to you" I sing along, shuffling along in my seat at some sort of attempt at dancing in place. "C'mon Harry, you have to sing too, it's a called a duet for a reason" I urge, bouncing in my seat.
"I'm not singing with you" he responds back, a static straight face on his face, "I'm not encouraging this type of behavior."
"Noo" I disagree immediately, putting a hand on his arm, which he immediately shrugs off "Please, you have to. It's my birthday" I insist, pulling the Birthday card on him as a last resort.
"Just remember you're the one thing I can't get enough of, so I'll tell you something. THIS COULD BE LOVE" I sing out, pushing at Harry to join me in the chorus part. "Follow up now" I smile, jutting my arms out from side to side, before turning in my seat as I point at him, gesturing for him to join in on the next line.
I felt like I was frozen in that position for the longest time as our eyes locked, a frown on his face making me realize he probably didn't know the lyrics to this song, even though it was a classic.
I let my body slouch and open my mouth to tell him it's okay until a small huff falls from his lip
"I've had the time of my life, no I've never felt this way before - Gracie stop staring at me, I'm not singing by myself - Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you."
My grin spreads from ear to ear as I hear him join in, although it is a bit monotone sounding, knowing that I was practically guilting him into it but that didn't make any less enjoyable.
I clap my hands together, throwing my head back as I laugh, overjoyed by Harry's participation. I didn't really expect to, but I was more than thrilled that he did. He shakes his head at me as I begin singing my next part.
"With my body and soul, I want you more than you'll ever know" I grin.
"So we'll just let it go. Don't be afraid to lose control" Harry picks up.
"Yes, I know what's on your mind. When you say 'Stay with me tonight'.'
"Just remember you're the one thing" he grows louder as we get ready to sing the chorus again
"I can't get enough of" I pickup.
"So I'll tell you something" he shouts as I join in with him" this could be love!"
I'm unable to finish the rest of the song because of how hard I'm laughing and how overdramatic Harry had become with his execution of the song. It was the happiest I'd ever been around him and I wouldn't ever let him forget this or live it down.
"I'm not doing that again until your next birthday" he chuckles beside me, hitting his blinker as he turns into a familiar venue, the sound of the beach around of us evident.
"If you say so" I sing-song out before giving my surroundings a quick once over "My party is happening at the country club?"
"Yeah, that's where Sabrina said everything is happening" he confirms.
"Sweet" I grin, excitement and anxiety building as Harry pulls the Jeep into the nearest parking space. I quickly grab the door handle, throwing the car door open and getting ready to run into the nearest building.
"Grace" Harry calls out, tearing my attention away from the way I was running and almost causing me to tumble, "you're going the wrong way."
"I knew that" I call back, switching my direction again.
"Nope," he says again, nodding his head towards another direction.
"Goodness gracious" I mumble to myself, before getting ready to blast in that direction.
"Are you really that oblivious?" Harry shouts as I put more distance between us, "that's the direction of the ocean you twat. You plan on going for a swim and deciding to come into the actual venue anytime soon?"
"I'm so confused" I scream at no one in particular, "you're making me feel stupid" I pout, as I shuffle my way back to him, this time with much less enthusiasm. "Two minutes in and you're already making me look foolish."
"That's all you Spinach Noodle."
Oh my god.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.
"You better wipe that grin off your face right now, or else I'm never saying that again" Harry groans, as he begins walking off in the opposite direction, "the party's this way."
My face falls slack in an attempt to hide how much happiness just burst through my body at his small comment, but I still fail to conceal all of it. "It's a birthday miracle" I mumble to myself, a stupid grin still stuck on my face, as I lift my hands up to the sky to scream it louder "IT'S A FREAKIN BIRTHDAY MIRACLE."
"Oh my god. Does anyone ever call you irritating" Harry almost whines, rubbing a palm to his forehead in newfound frustration.
"Daily, thank you. Mostly your sister Sabrina. And everyone at work. And my family. And strangers sometimes" I trail off, skipping up beside him as we near the large front doors of the country club. A new rush of nerves flushes through my body as Harry reaches forward for the door handle. A sweep of panic even flashes through my mind at all the possible ways this evening could pan out; the options consisting of me either having the time of my life or it possibly being the end of it.
"Harry, I'm nervous."
"What?" he turns his around in my direction, the door handle still in hand, "What do you mean."
"I mean," I say again, trailing off for a second before looking him honestly in the eyes "I'm nervous. What if tonight goes completely wrong and I hate it and I make myself look even more stupid then I have already tonight, and don't even get me started on Zayn...Oh my gosh, I forgot about him for a second... What if he finds out this is actually fake" I motion with a hand between the two of us before bringing it back to tug on the ends of my hair, "and he decides to get revenge by acting like he doesn't know, but he actually does, and then out of nowhere, BAM!" I shout, taking a deep breath before speaking the last few words "he kills me and everyone I love."
Harry stares at me for a second, eyes looking up and down my face, before speaking. "You done know?"
I nod.
"Okay," he nods, taking his hand off the door so he could face me fully. "First thing first, like I already told you, don't worry about Zayn. I'll handle all of that. I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you just stand there and look pretty, let me do the talking with him 'kay" he nods, waiting for me to do the same.
I nod again.
"Second" he lifts two fingers in display "You don't need to worry about the party because Sabrina planned it. She's basically a pro in this kind of stuff. She does this all the time so she knows what she's doing. And from what I've seen from the number of times you've arrived at the house, uninvited should I add-
"I don't show up uninvited!"
"Yes you do - now if I could continue, this time without interruptions?" I nod at him to continue, crossing my arms "From what I've seen, you two are pretty close. Don't overthink it and just enjoy it instead. You deserve it." he finishes, a short moment of silence sitting between the two of us before he lets out an awkward cough, "Now can we go inside? You good?"
"Yes, I'm good. Thank you for that. Who knew you could give reassurance" I nudge, smiling a bit, "Never would have expected that of you."
"Don't expect it again" he motions through the door, "Birthday girl first, I suppose."
"Why thank you very much" I curtsey my imaginary skirt, walking in front of him and through the door.
The first thing I see as I walk through is another door. The room I thought I was walking into was in reality not a room at all. Instead, the door led through a small hallway with another exit door produced on the end. Kind of unnecessary, all this extra walking and hallways, but that's beside the point. Just rich people things.
Once reaching the exit door, Harry once again held it open for me and promised that this was the real entry to the party.
This time I saw the lights. Strings of Edison lightbulbs hung high above each table, attached to a wooden log at each end. They wrapped around the area of the outside setup, creating a beautiful glow on the surroundings. Tables among tables were set up, each one designated for a different purpose. The one that caught my attention first though was the one with all the food. Sweets piled up, nearly overflowing the table, types ranging from sugar cookies, scones, meringues, chocolates, and more.
Placed more towards where I was standing currently, near the entrance of the party, was a table covered with a lacy pink sheet, a beautiful white birthday cake beside a large boutique of flowers placed on top. Behind it, little fairy lights were hung, draping down on the curtains. A leafy header framed the wall as well.
In the far background, behind the large open dance floor, the ocean could be heard and seen, waves crashing on the boulders that lead down to it.
"This is beautiful" I murmur, more so to myself, a wave of shock taking over at how much Sabrina had outdone herself.
"Yeah" Harry agrees, nodding, "Sabrina did pretty well."
"Pretty well?! Are you seeing this? This is beyond amazing" I exclaim, nearly jumping up and down in excitement "I have to find her right now so I can tell her right now".
"I'll help you. I need to find Lou, and the two are usually together" he replies, putting a hand on the small of my back to guide me in the right direction. "They should be in the back."
The two of us make our way across the dance floor and towards the farther tables, where Sabrina's head of curly brown hair catches my eye, along with Louis. The sight would have been a normal one if the two weren't climbing on top of each other in a very PDA make out session.
"What the fuc-" I slap my hand over Harry's mouth.
"What he meant was, what the fudge!" I screech instead, almost jumping up and down with how happy I was for the two.
"Louis" Sabrina whispers to him, the two looking like deers stuck in a headlight "I would run if I were you." Louis simply nods, obviously paralyzed in fear while giving Harry a scared look, before blasting off in the opposite direction.
"You better run you small twat! Just wait till I get my hands on you. Gonna wrap my hands 'round your neck and not let go till I hear it snap '' Harry roars, shooting a glare at a cracking up Sabrina, before launching off in the direction that the other British boy had escaped to. I try my best to attempt at hiding my laughs for Harry's sake, only releasing once I see that he's out of earshot.
"Sabrina!" I screech, almost tumbling over as I throw myself at her. "This place looks amazing, you are amazing, these lights are amazing, the food looks amazing, oh my gosh you outdid yourself" I beam.
"I told you, you just needed to trust me. I know you better than anyone. Obviously, I'm going to throw you an amazing party." She laughs, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. "I'm so happy you like it."
"Like it?" I scoff, "more like love it. I can't believe you went through all this work to plan this for me."
"That makes me so happy to hear" she beams, releasing me from her grip, taking a step back to admire me for a second. "Gracie, you look gorgeous. I really should take up fashion school, your outfit and makeup look fantastic if I do say myself."
"Thank ya very much ma'am," I say while tipping my imaginary hat at her "I could say the same about you." Sabrina had on a tied crop top, a pair of Levi high waisted light wash jean shorts and a large light brown jean jacket cardigan. On top of that, she had a cute straw hat placed upon her head, brown curls flowing naturally, which really tied together with the beach theme she had going on.
"Why thank you very much" she tips her own hat back at me, "So I'm assuming you're going to ask me about ya know" she coughs, referring to how I caught her and Louis.
"Duh" I deadpan, suddenly slapping the side of her arm, "When the hell did that happen and why am I just finding out?" I joke, but not without the twinge of seriousness.
"About 2 minutes before you and my brother walked up on us" she shrugs, obviously unaffected by the exchange, "we're just friends though, it's no big deal."
"I don't remember us ever making out like that because we're 'just friends'" I stare, arms crossed my chest in a 'cut the bullshit' kind of way.
"You're right" she contemplates for a second, "maybe we should change that" she quirks up an eyebrow while puckering her lips.
I interject the gesture with my palm, "Yeah no" I stop, putting a flat hand to her lips "I don't want my date to suspect anything" I joke, moving my hand back down to my side.
"No way, he agreed to that!" Sabrina cackles, stumbling a bit when I smack her again, this time aiming for her chest.
"Ow, my boob" she mumbles, rubbing her chest.
Louis all of a sudden comes running towards us, the shaggy headed boy seeming out of breath and winded from the running he's done to escape Harry. He clutches his knees for a second to regain his composure before lifting his head to look at us "I heard someone say boobs."
This time both Sabrina and I slap him.
"Get out here you filthy boy" Sabrina scolds, glaring at him before a smile begins to tug at the corner of her lips. "If you say so" he smiles, leaning in to peck her lips once more before Harry's voice interrupts the two.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER."
"Oh shit, I really do need to get out of here" he stumbles, tripping completely and landing flat on the floor, only to quickly push himself upward and in the opposite direction of a fuming Harry Styles.
"So....just friends?"
-
The party has been running smoothly and so far I've been having the time of my life. Sabrina invited a close-knit group of people who I hadn't even realized I was friends with until now. Co-workers were also invited and nearly all of them showed and wished me a happy birthday, which I appreciated.
She even invited Taylor, the girl who we had met nearly a month or so ago at the bakery after the unfortunate coffee spill incident with Rylee. She was a super sweet girl, although a bit strange, going on and on about her endless meme collection, some of which I found a bit concerning. Nonetheless, she was a very entertaining individual.
"Oh my gosh Grace you have to see these people who are attacking me on this app" Taylor yelps, grabbing my attention away from Livi, a coworker of Sabrina and I's at Little Bites. I quickly excuse myself and thank her for coming, before she wishes me Happy Birthday again and heads off in the opposite direction.
"What app?" I question, confused by the sudden interjection.
"It's called Wattpad. Basically, it's an app for writers to publish their own stories, typically fanfictions. Other people can vote and comment on those stories, some of them even have millions of reads" she explains while tapping away on her screen "So I basically read and comment on all these stories and I've kind of racked up a fanbase. My username is @CyberBully123 if you want to follow me, but that's beside the point. Well anyway, sometimes people don't like what I say, and this one girl just wrote me a full out essay about how I'm anti-feminist" she shouts, eyes going wide "I'm like the BIGGEST FEMINIST EVER. I LOVE WOMEN. WHAT DOES SHE THINK SHE'S TALKING ABOUT" she nearly screams right in my ear.
"I believe you" I laugh, putting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to stop her from bubbling over "She probably just took a joke you said the wrong way."
"Heck yeah, she took it the wrong way" she glares, still furiously typing away on her phone, "I'm about to settle this for good though."
"Oh no no no," I say, shaking my head, "You're going to take this caprisun" I suggest instead, grabbing the drink out of one of the coolers beside me "And you're going to enjoy the rest of the night. And then, when you get home, you're going to sit down with a clear mind and write the best response ever, okay?"
She nods, grabbing the drink from me, and ripping open the capri sun, tossing the straw to the side as she starts to chug it "Yeah" she breathes, taking another large gulp of her drink "That's" drink. "probably" drink. "a" drink. "good" drink. "idea." drink.
I just stare at her for a second before nodding slowly.
"Can you pass me another one of those" Taylor motions at the crushed up Capri Sun plastic that has been disregarded to the floor.
"S-sure." I stammer, quickly fumbling for a drink to hand her, looking around the area for a reason to excuse myself.
"Oh!" I exclaim, giving Taylor an awkward smile as she violently chugs down her second drink, "There's Sabrina! She looks like she needs some help." I motion at her, shuffling away slowly as if trying to not get caught.
"I can help too if yo-"
"NO" I shout, coughing quickly to cover up the fact that I just shouted that "uh, no no it's okay there's no need for that. I think I can handle that. You just sit there and enjoy your drink, okay?"
Taylor nods in agreeance, reaching for the cooler to grab another two Capri Sun, taking the plastic between her teeth and ripping it off before she begins to chug it down again.
Now I have to actually find Sabrina.
I immediately start looking around, saying hello to friends I would run into every now and then, before moving on from one location to the next.
"Sabrinaaaa" I call out, clicking my tongue like I'm calling a dog.
"What is she, a pet?"
"Nah she's just my bitch. She usually replies with 'Bark Bark ' when I call her like that, but obviously, she's not around at the moment" I reply without turning around to acknowledge the person behind me.
However, after a failed attempt at calling Sabrina, I decide to turn around and properly address the person I had been speaking to.
Except I'm an oblivious individual and don't realize obvious things until they're literally sitting right in front of me.
"Oh hi!" I grin, plastering a fake smile across my face as I turn face to face to Zayn.
"Hi" he smiles slightly, cocking his head to the side "Happy Birthday Gracie, you look very pretty."
"Oh, uh, thank you. Thanks for coming, by the way, I appreciate it" my face heats up, flustered. I had no idea how to react when someone complimented me, it didn't matter if it was family, friends, or strangers.
"I hope eighteen is treating you well so far."
"Well so far so good. Haven't embarrassed me too much yet. Had a close call of almost throwing myself into the ocean, actually, I don't know why I'm telling you that. Fun fact, when I'm nervous I tend to ramble and then a bunch of stupid stuff comes out of my mouth, and I end up embarrassing myself more. For example, there was this one time when I was with Harry when we first met and I practically almost stripped naked in front of him, and it's kind of funny now looking ba-"
"What Gracie means to say is she's enjoyed tonight."
My heart nearly catches in my throat, a flash of panic coursing through my body before I realize who stopped my rambling.
"Jesus Harry, you just about scared the life out of me" I breath out, putting a hand to my chest to catch "Oh yeah" I shake my head, regaining my composure, "Zayn this is Harry, my -"
"-boyfriend" Harry cuts in, reaching a hand out towards Zayn "Pleasure to meet you."
"Oh actually I think we've met before" Zayn smiles, reaching out to shake Harry's hand.
"Really?" he quirks his eyebrow, contemplating the opposite boy's response "I don't remember. Must have not been very memorable..." Harry trails off, bringing his hand back and placing it on my waist.
"Hm, I suppose not" Zayn nods, shrugging it off before turning towards me, "I never had the chance to ask about how the two of you met in the first place? Seems like an odd couple considering your occupation" he directs at Harry.
"Oh! I can answer this one" I interrupt the two boys stare off, grabbing their attention off one another "So basically Harry is Sabrina's b-" a hand slaps over my mouth.
"I'm Sabrina's boss" he interrupts, correcting what I was planning to say, "well actually her father's boss. Sabrina just tends to be around the office a lot, and for some reason Grace always seems to be there as well" Harry cuts in, his large hand still covering my face, which takes both of mine to tear off and glare at him.
"I so am not with Sabrina all the time" I grumble, glaring at his neck because his eye level is too high for me to see.
"Yes, you are. Now be quiet the adults are talking." Harry hushes. "So basically she fell madly in love with me at first sight, and I actually found her to be quite annoying at first. Even thought she was on something at one point after she nearly threw herself out of my window to get my attention. Plus she never stops talking, but eventually, I began to fall for her just for those reasons. She's very different from most girls if you hadn't noticed, but I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing." he finishes, looking down at me once done and flashing me a genuine-looking smile. The dimple indentation even becomes noticeable.
"Yeah, she is a cool girl" Zayn agrees, giving me a similar looking smile, but I didn't pay enough attention to him to notice.
"You really think that?" I mumble, shock a bit obvious, which I attempted to conceal for the sake of our secret. Harry must have realized how genuine he sounded because instead of answering, his smile disappears, and focus returns to Zayn.
"Actually the reason I came up to you Grace, was to ask the birthday girl for the honor of a dance" he laughs, redirecting his question to me.
"It's too bad she already promised me the first dance" Harry shrugs, latching his hand into mine and tugging me closer to his chest. "Speaking of that dance, maybe we should get to it, yeah?" he suggests, pulling me in the direction of the dance floor.
"Yeah, of course, man. Maybe after then" Zayn says, looking to me hopefully, which only makes me sympathize with him more.
"Probably not" Harry answers for me, a good amount of distance put between us two and Zayn. But that doesn't mean I can't see his face drop from where I am.
Eventually, Harry pulls me to the middle of the floor, his head nodding towards the DJ hinting at him to change the song to a slower one, which he responds with a nod of understanding.
The Scientist by Coldplay begins to play.
"Don't you think that was a bit harsh" I murmur as music fills in around us. Harry simply shrugs, instead of offering an actual answer.
Once we meet the middle of the floor, he lifts my arm from my sides, wrapping them around his neck instead, his own hands doing the same but around my waist.
"I feel like I should warn you that I'm a bad dancer" I grin at him, warning him of my tendency to step on my partner's toes. "I used to do cotillion when I was younger, and one time my instructor was teaching us to box step, and I was so bad at keeping my feet to myself that I ended up sending my partner to the hospital with a broken toe."
"Hm," Harry nods in acknowledgment, his attention focusing elsewhere before it flickers back to me, "well then your partner must've not been a very good one, because all you're responsible for doing is following. Plus you don't really need to worry about that now because all you've got to do here is sway. Not much to it." he says simply.
With that, he gently begins to sway the two of us, pulling me closer to him in the process. The music sounds faint in the background, but still hearable.
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let's go back to the start
"Did you mean what you said earlier to Zayn" I mumble, almost too low to hear, "What you said about me?"
"Yeah, you really are annoying as hell."
I groan, lowering my forehead to lay on his chest. "You know that's not what I'm talking about."
"You actually never do stop talking either."
"Harry!" I attempt to swat at his chest, but he simply catches it mid-swing, placing a small kiss at the top of my palm before returning it to its prior part.
"I suppose you're bearable to be around" he gives in just slightly, but I know that's about what I'll get from him.
"I guess I'll have to settle with that, huh?" butterflies filling my stomach at his prior gesture, the feeling of it almost engraved into my hand. Harry simply nods, his chin resting at the top of my head as we continue to sway. Not much was exchanged during the dance, but it was a step in the right direction for us, whatever that direction may be. What I did know was that I liked the feeling I got when I was with him like that.
"If you keep this up, I'll even begin to start believing that we're actually together" I laugh, nudging him as the two of us pull away from each other just slightly at the end of the song.
"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing" he almost whispers underneath his breath, his hand still keeping a tight grip on mine.
"Uh, what" I stare, his response taking me entirely off guard.
"I mean that-"
"GRACIE!" Sabrina burst, shoving directly between Harry and me, practically forcing the two of us apart "Time to cut the cake!"