Half A Heart › New Edition ✔

Chapter 26

Harry's POV

The rest of the drive to Simon's house is quiet. It's obvious that Cassie is annoyed with me for "keeping such vital information from her." What did she expect me to do though? It's not like I was just going to walk up to her and say, "Cass, I'm taking you to lunch at my boss' house because my managers called and are pissed about something that I've done recently. They probably want to make you go away 'for the sake of business', no matter how I feel about you." There was no way in hell I was telling her that.

"Cass, I like when you smile. You've got a beautiful smile," I say trying to cheer her up since we're nearing our destination.

"Don't flatter me, Styles."

"Babe..." I draw.

"Harry..." She copies me.

"You can't be mad at the person driving the car, it questions your safety."

"If you crash my car there will be one less member of One Direction," she shoots back.

"Harsh," I gape.

"Not harsh, just true," she says and I can see her starting to loosen up.

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

I try to stay as serious as I can because I know that I'll get a smile out of my next line. "I think you want to get rid of me so you can have Niall. Everyone always falls for that accent."

She laughs. "If I were going to get rid of you I'd probably go for Zayn. Actually no, Liam would be the easiest to get. Right?"

I laugh at her and play along. "No, I think Niall would be the one for you. He isn't as involved in a relationship as Zayn is and he's got cooler hair than Liam."

"Cool hair is an important factor to note when getting into a relationship. I don't know why I picked you," she teases.

"Hey now. Just because my hair's gotten a bit long doesn't mean that it's not cool."

She laughs again leaving a very pleased smile on her face. She looks at me and keeps her gaze until I finally pull in front of Simon's gate. The long stop draws her attention elsewhere and I notice a slight change in her facial expression when I buzz the intercom. I can't stop to reassure her now thought because I need to focus on getting us inside.

I look directly into the camera that reveal it's self and wait. After a few seconds the gate opens and I pull inside, down the long driveway to Simon's front door. I turn off the engine and look at Cassie. I give her a promising smile and a nod before getting out of the car. She gets out before I can let her out like a gentleman, like she always does. Normally I would joke with her about it but I can't right now. I ignore my urge and focus on what lies ahead. Here goes nothing.

Cassie's POV

It's safe to say that I'm freaking out at this point. Harry's just pulled my very old and incredibly inexpensive Beetle into the driveway of this gorgeous mansion making me feel under prepared once again. I feel inadequate compared to what I see right now. It's obvious to me that I am no where near the standards of what people expect from someone in the Hollywood industry. This house seems like a crazy thing to compare myself to but it makes a valid point; people with money have things of higher value and this house is a hundred dollar bill while I am a penny.

"Cass," Harry says, stroking my arm. "Hey, look at me." I look into his eyes. "You have nothing to worry about. Okay?"

I nod and take in a deep breath. Harry takes one of my hands in his and leads me up the steps to Simons front door. He rings the doorbell and we wait for the large white double doors to open. I can feel my stomach turning in on itself as my anxiety raises higher and higher. Harry squeezes my hand the tiniest bit and then the door opens.