Just keep breathing

Chapter 86

Katie's perspective

As we make our way through arrivals at Heathrow, I try my best to keep my head down and stay a couple of paces behind Harry, it's three o'clock on a Monday afternoon, and the airport is fairly busy, we were lucky in Paris, well it was part luck, part good planning by Harry.

Still, we managed to escape being spotted for the majority of our trip, except for one small group of schoolgirls who caught us at the top of the Eiffel Tower yesterday. They were very sweet though and were way too busy being starstruck by Harry to notice me at hiding over by a telescope pretending to be engrossed in the views out over the city.

Judging by the high pitched screams that assault my ears as we make our way towards the airport exit though, our luck has very much run out.

"I'm sorry babe, I guess someone must have gotten wind that I was flying in today," Harry apologises unnecessarily

"Don't apologise, please. It's really not your fault," I say, flashing him a nervous smile

"Why don't you go on ahead, and I'll follow behind in a couple of minutes?" I suggest not wanting to force a joint photo op on Harry after everything I already put him through when Michael went to the press.

As much as I hated the situation with Sarah, it did do exactly what Jeff had said it would and get the press to back off of me.

As far as they are concerned, Harry is back to what they expect from him and is dating the blonde model from LA. I am just a distant memory in a long stream of supposed Ex's they've written stories about since he rose to fame.

Reaching out, I try to take the handle of my bright pink suitcase that Harry, ever the gentleman, insisted on wheeling through the airport.

"You don't have to do that," He replies simply, manoeuvring the suitcase away from my outstretched hand

"Are you sure?" I ask him nervously, my voice coming out as barely more than a whisper

"After everything with Michael.. do you really want to be publicly connected to me again?"

"Darling, it's not about what I want, or my image or whatever, It's about when you feel ready," Harry says, coming to a stop just before the main exit and pulling me to one side.

"I'm not ashamed of you, I'm proud to have such a strong, beautiful woman as you by my side, and now that you're coming on tour with me, well, you are going to be seen. People are going to come to their own conclusions.

I'm not planning some big announcement or anything, and, If you'd rather not deal with this today, then I totally understand of course, but, it's going to happen sometime, and I knew that when I asked you to come with me." He shrugs, running the pad of his thumb across my jawline as he cradles my face in his hand behind a large stone pillar.

Taking a deep breath, I gaze up into Harry's eyes, searching them for some sign of trepidation to contradict his words.

Of course, it did occur to me when he invited me to go on the tour, that there would be a good chance I would be seen, but I guess I had thought I could just blend in with the rest of the crew and stay out of sight. The small army of photographers and fans outside are starting to make me realise how naïve that was though.

Harry's fans are desperate for any sightings, any pieces of information about his private life that they can get, and they'll recognise me immediately no matter how hard I try and stay out of the way.

"It'll be alright baby I promise," Harry says, taking my hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze

"OK," I mumble, trying to syphon off some of his strength through our connected digits and squaring my shoulders.