Chapter 52

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“Paris!?”

“I know,” I laughed, taking a bite of my sandwich. It was Monday and I was sitting at a lunch table with Gabby, Kristen, Sophie, Evie, Sam and Tom in school. Several people were staring in our direction, as they had been doing a lot lately. We had all of a sudden become the table which everyone stared at, and eavesdropped at a lot. It was kind of intimidating. I felt like I had to whisper everything I wanted to say. But I guess it was weird when I thought about it. Gab, Kristen and I were the girlfriends of three members of one direction. It was still insane to know that. I sighed, returning back to the conversation. Thankfully it was just between us girls, as Tom and Sam were engrossed in another topic.

“Wow,” Soph sighed, nods surrounding her in agreement. “So when are you going?” She asked.

“For Valentine’s day,” I answered, receiving silence in response. My eyes fell on Gab and she blinked twice.

“You're gonna' do it!” She cried. Everyone else laughed out loud, including me. I hoped no one else had heard.

“We might not,” I quietly said, though I barely convinced myself.

“Right, because you're going to go to Paris with your world famous boyfriend for Valentine’s day and...cuddle,” Kristen raised her eyebrows, clearly being sarcastic with me.

“Carl, you don't have to do it. It's up to you when you think you're ready!” Gab added. I nodded slightly, biting down on my bottom lip.

“But...I think I am,” I whispered after leaning in. I didn't want anyone around us to hear. Beside me, Sophie put her arm around me.

“Well if you're ready, then if it happens, it happens. You'll be fine,” she smiled. I had to stop thinking about it. It had been two days since Harry's party, since Lee's catastrophic rage, since Harry had asked me to go away with him. Which meant that tomorrow it was Harry's birthday. Eighteen years old.

***

“I can't believe we're late!” I cried.

“It’s just ten minutes!” Gab assured me. “Where the hell is this bus!?”

We were standing outside waiting for the bus to take us to a new restaurant in town which Louis had booked for Harry's birthday. Considering the bitterly cold weather and icy wind, I found it a bad idea to wear a short dress and no coat. Thankfully, Kristen and Gab had had similar thoughts so we were all standing here shivering.

“Finally!” Kristen called and I looked to see our extremely late bus arriving. We jumped on, receiving a confused stare from the bus driver and several tuts from elders sitting at the front. What? We didn't look that bad! No, we didn't look bad at all! Taking a seat in the middle, I sat down, rubbing my arms to try and get the slightest bit warm. Seriously, how dumb could I be to come out at the beginning February without a coat? The answer was very.

The bus began to drive again and I pulled out my phone, sending a quick text to Harry.

- soooo sorry we're late! We'll be 10 mins! Happy Birthdaaaay!,xx

He replied a few minutes later and I smiled after reading his text.

- no problem, I'm just sitting here with my legally alcoholic drink, don't worry, your cherry coke looks delicious ;) .xx

“So are you looking forward to Paris?” My eyes snapped away from my phone and I looked up to see Kristen smiling at me.

“Oh my god, yes,” I laughed.

“What are you guys going to do?” Gab asked from the seat in front. “Besides the obvious.”

“Gab!” I complained. “We're...not! And I don't know; he won't tell me.” I sighed. They exchanged a quick glance and then Kristen began to laugh quietly.

“Well, I for one am extremely jealous.” She announced.

“Me too,” Gab nodded.

I laughed and turned my head to look out of the window. It was pitch black outside and it had only just passed half six. Harry had offered me a lift but who was I to make him go out of his way on his birthday? Gab and Kris had felt the same about Niall and Liam so we'd just told them my mum was dropping us off. I didn't know how we would explain the hypothermia, though.

We soon jumped off our stop and clutched at each other’s arms to try and keep ourselves warm. It didn't help very much. We turned a corner onto a surprisingly busy London street. Soon enough I realized the crowd were standing outside our restaurant, waiting for us, as the boys were already inside. Did they really want pictures of just us? Just their girlfriends? I didn't know that was how they worked.

“Here they are!” One called, and they all turned to face us, flashes shooting at us every second. Dear Lord, I genuinely did not know how the boys did this every day; I was surprised they hadn't become blind! Speaking of which, I closed my eyes slightly to shield the bright lights. Holding onto each other for reassurance, we slowly made our way towards the entrance of the restaurant, smiling slightly at the photographers. We didn't want to get on their bad side, after all. I just wanted to be next to my boyfriend as soon as possible.

“Jesus, that was insane,” Gab breathed after we entered. I nodded in agreement and then turned to face the waiter before us. Wow, I could already tell that this place was fancy.

“Good evening, ladies. Your party is situated in a separate room located at the back of the restaurant. Would you care to follow me?” He spoke fluently, a natural Italian accent rolling off his tongue.

“Okay!” Kristen beamed, and he led the way. I raised my eyebrows and mouthed 'fancy!' to each of them. Gab let out a small laugh. Following him, we all walked together until we were taken to a large, isolated room which was pretty dark but lit amazingly with warm lights. It looked unbelievable. As we entered, I saw everyone else there chatting. Georgia, Megan, Zayn, Louis, Niall, Liam, and Harry. Megan eyes found us first.

“Hi girls!”

Everyone's heads turned towards us and I smiled cheerily, meeting everyone’s gaze before finally stopping on Harry's. Gab and Kris began to walk over but I just ran instead. Harry quickly stood up, noticing I was heading in his direction, and opened his arms out. I threw mine around his neck and he pulled me tightly against him, planting a sweet kiss on my lips.

“Happy eighteenth birthday!”

“Thanks Car!” he beamed, pulling me down onto an empty chair beside him. Had he really saved that for me? I wanted to cry. I clutched tightly at the bag I was holding beside my own and handed it to him.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Your presents!” I brightly said. His face turned to shock.

“Car, you didn’t have to,” he breathed.

“It’s just a couple of things, and a card,” I smiled. “Which, by the way, I was very proud of.”

In response he immediately opened the bag but didn't go for the presents, instead, the card I had made. He burst out laughing and I grinned after seeing his face. Scooting closer to him, I looked at the card. I had used the simple wonder-works of instagram to edit loads of photos of us and had put them into a collage. We had only known each other six months and already had so many memories, shown in the pictures here. When I first met him in Heathrow airport. The first time we had been to his apartment, which only reminded me of spin the bottle. I felt my cheeks flush. There were more, though. A ‘fan’ photo from when he turned up at my dance school and I had to act like I wasn’t going out with him for the day. A picture I had taken of us at Hepton park. Photos from my birthday party, oh, what a night. The famous twitter picture Louis had posted from our food fight. A picture I had taken of him on tour. A picture of us at our first date. Photos of us on new year’s eve in Holmes Chapel. A picture of us from my cheer leading competition. And finally, pictures from his party just last weekend. Basically, a lot of memories.

“This is amazing,” he breathed to himself.

“Let's have a look!” Louis cried so I stood up, feeling a blush creep onto my face which I didn't want Harry to see. Everyone was standing up and going to look at the card though so I distracted myself by looking at the floor instead.

“Carly!” I looked up to see Georgia and Megan in front of me.

“Hi!” I cried, pulling Georgia in for a hug first. I then hugged Megan tightly.

“How are you?” I whispered so that only she could hear. She smiled and nodded slightly.

“I'm okay, Carls. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found me, though. Thank you so much,” she hugged me again.

“I'm no saint,” I laughed. “I'm glad you're okay.”

“What about you?” She asked.

“Ah, no biggie. Just a couple of cuts, which is technically my own fault for wearing death-trap heels,” I laughed, trying to lift the mood. Thankfully it worked, as she laughed and then was talking to me like she had forgotten the whole thing. I was glad; I wanted to forget about it too.

I walked around and gave everyone else a hug. It was great that we could all see each other together, it was often hard to arrange. I then sat back down next to Harry and he smiled, taking my hand under the table as people began to order.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered into my ear and I felt myself blush yet again. I wished that I could control that.

“Aw, thank you,” I smiled sheepishly. I tugged on his smart black blazer and pulled him slightly closer. “So do you,” I grinned, wrapping a curl around my finger. I then became aware of the people around us and so moved backwards slightly. Figuring that everyone else had ordered, I looked up at our Italian waiter and smiled.

“I’ll just have a Margherita pizza please,” I told him, elapsing back into conversation with everyone after Harry had ordered too.

“So Harry, how does it feel to be eighteen?” Kris asked.

“Good!” He laughed. “I feel older, and I'm legally allowed to drink!” He lifted his beer. Manly. In response, I lifted my coke that was waiting for me when I got here and winked at him.

“I'm loving my coke,” I announced, causing everyone else to laugh as they raised their drinks.

“Happy Birthday Harry!” Niall shouted and we all cheered, taking a drink. We then settled into conversations, chatting about everything, in all honesty. I didn't really speak to Harry on his own, in group conversations, sure, but every time we tried to start a small conversation we would both get distracted. The boys told us all that they were heading to America at the end of the month, which made me happy for them, though my heart sunk slightly at the same time. Last time, Harry had been gone for two months. Something told me that this time would be longer. Most of the time I only just got through my week knowing that I'd see him soon enough, but it would be different if he was thousands of miles away. We finished our main meals and as everyone ordered more drinks I stood up, the scraping sound from my chair causing everyone's gazes to look at me.

“Won't be a minute,” I smiled, turning around and following the signs for the bathroom. Opening the door, I walked towards the sink and set my bag down, reaching to open it when the door opening stole my attention instead.

Shocked to hear such a sudden noise, I quickly spun around to find Harry standing in the doorway. I felt my eyebrows pull together in confusion and I stammered slightly, craning my neck to try and see the sign he was covering.

“D - did I come into the men's bathroom?” I asked. He laughed quietly, charmingly.

“No,” he shook his head and then stood straight, closing the door behind him. I heard the sound of the lock turning under his grip and my eyebrows raised in wondering what the hell he was doing. My mouth wouldn't physically move though, I was too distracted by his perfectness. One second he was blocking the doorway, the next he was right in front of me, stealing my gaze.

“Care to retaliate?” I said. He laughed again. My God.

“What with everything that happened on Saturday-” he paused, tensing up slightly. He regained his posture almost instantly, though. “I barely seen you. I've missed you. I just had to see you for a minute, on our own,” he admitted, a smart smirk appearing across his face.

“Hence the girls' bathroom in this restaurant?” I laughed.

“Yes,” he agreed, moving the slightest inch closer to me. I mirrored his step backwards, which appeared to amuse him, as his eyes twinkled slightly. Oh, so that's what he was up to? Working the Harry charm? Well, I for one was certainly not complaining. I carried on moving backwards, playing along until my back hit the wall. He placed his hands either side of my face, a grin spreading across his mouth. I felt my eyes widen slightly which caused his smile to grow.

“Looking forward to Paris?” He murmured, though I barely heard him. All I could hear was the sound of my breathing coming quickly and rapidly.

“Mm-hmm,” I hummed, sliding my hands up his chest and wrapping them around his neck. He suddenly lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, completely distracted by him. He sat me on the sink and all of a sudden his lips were on my lips, and my mind spun, soaking up the ecstasy of his kiss. His hands travelled down my sides, stopping on my hips and pulling me slightly closer. I couldn't concentrate, he was making me so faint, I didn't know how-

“Hello?” A voice called from outside. Harry pulled his lips from mine though left his hands lingering at my sides.

“That's Gab,” I breathed, and suddenly jumped down. He laughed quietly, at which I assumed the situation, and so I fought the jelliness all over me and pushed him backwards instead.

“Hide!” I whispered, pushing him into one of the many empty stalls.

“Why?” He laughed, closing the door and poking his head over the top. Why? I actually didn't know. Seeing no other choice, I sighed and ushered him to duck, which he thankfully did. I ran over to the door and opened it, finding Gab on the other side.

“Car? Why was the door locked?” She wondered.

“I don't know, you know!” I laughed, not looking at the stall. “It must have just locked when I shut it.”

“Oh. Okay. I need to do a re-touch on make up.”

“Right, yeah, me too!” I grabbed my bag and pulled out a clear lip-gloss as Gab did the same.

“Can you believe Harry's eighteen?” She asked beside me. I shook my head, not wanting to elaborate.

“So, Paris,” she grinned, and was cut off at the sound of the door opening. I sighed with relief as Georgia came up to us.

“A little birdie told me that you and Styles are off to Paris!” She said bubbly. Why? Why me?

“Yeah,” I whispered, trying to dodge the conversation.

“Are you-” Georgia began but Gab cut her off.

“She is definitely going to lose her V-card!”

“That's just what I was about to ask!” Georgia cried.

“V-card?” I asked. “What are we, American?” I then mentally slapped myself across the head after realizing that Harry could hear every last word we were saying, and was probably crying with laughter to himself right now. V-card. Virginity. Crap. I hadn't even told him yet. I hated life.

“You wish you were American,” Gab laughed. I actually did; I loved Americans. “So when are you going to do it? The Friday night? Or Saturday?”

“I'm thinking Friday,” Georgia answered before I could tell them to close their mouths. “I don't think Harry's going to wait much longer. Louis said since he booked the tickets he hasn't stopped talking about anything else.”

“What? The trip, or the sex?” Gab asked. Sex. It was such an awkward word. I felt like if I tried to say it at this moment in time I'd experience a Miranda moment of not even being able to say it aloud.

“...I don't know,” Georgia said. I raised my eyebrows and put my hand on my hip, figuring that they were having their own discussion without me now. It didn't bother me at all though; the less I said, the less Harry heard.
“Where is Harry actually?” Gab asked. “He wasn't at the table then. Have you seen him, Car?”

I straightened up.

“Nope.” Yes. He is right here, listening to everything you are saying to me.

“Do you want any tips?” I heard Georgia ask. “Because I completely know what you're going through. Oh, my first time, I was a nervous wreck!”

“I was too, in all honesty.” Gab agreed. I finally found my voice.

“Erm...thanks guys, but I don't really want to talk about it right now,” I managed.

“Okay!” They said in unison.

“We should go shopping this weekend though,” Gee added. “Oh! I was in Victoria's Secret last week; they've still got loads left from the January sales! There was this black bra-”

“Carly loves black bras!” Gabby cheered.

“I'm leaving,” I stated and pushed passed them towards the door, hearing them discuss lingerie. Were they serious? My boyfriend was in the stall two meters away! Not that they knew, but still! I had to get as far away from here as possible, and right now. I quickly sighed, realizing that I'd left my clutch against the sink.

“I’ll meet you guys at the table,” I quickly said, shuffling past them and back towards the bathroom. I opened the door and found Harry standing there, doubling over with laughter.

“I can't even-” I cut off, waving my hands and walking towards him, heading for my bag. As I passed him his arm winded around my waist and he pulled me backwards, causing me to fall into his arms. I innocently looked up at him to see him staring down at me through his gorgeous green eyes, holding back laughter. Somehow he reached over and picked up my bag, passing it to me.

“Thanks,” I shyly whispered, watching my balance and standing up. He slid his hand down my arm and clasped my hand with his.

“Let's get out of this bathroom before someone walks in and assumes the worst,” he laughed, and I joined in too. I sounded like a nervous wreck, though. That was just...great. He pulled me towards the door but stopped, turning to face me.

“For what it’s worth, I can't wait for next weekend,” he smiled, and my heart felt like it was literally melting. He was so sweet. Sending a wink in my direction, he grinned and added, “And I hope you buy that black bra.”

Oh. Fabulous.

***

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