"You nervous?"
"No," Luz replied, a little too quickly to sound believable. Sighing, she rested her head against Harry's shoulder. "Maybe a little. Maybe more than a little."
Harry carefully wrapped his arm around Luz's shoulder. He knew she didn't love doing public appearances like this, but this was a big deal for him, and he both wanted and needed her support tonight. Luz, though nervous, was happy to oblige.
They were on their way to the Oscars because Harry had worked on a song that was nominated tonight and was asked to present. When he initially got the call, he was ecstatic, picking up Luz and spinning her around the room while she quietly worked on her computer. Luz had yelped, startled by the fact that he had picked her up off the bed and spun around with her in his arms, but she was quickly shut up by Harry's mouth on hers as he hastily pushed her stuff off the bed to make room for the both of them. Harry had been invited to award shows before, but only for music ones, and being a part of a nominated film at the Oscars was a big deal, even if it was in a small way. So Luz cleared her schedule and asked Harry's stylist to help her find something to wear, pushing aside her slight discomfort for these kinds of events to support her boyfriend.
"You don't have to walk with me if you don't want to," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "I know this isn't, like, your most favorite thing in the world."
Luz lifted her head up a little so she could look at Harry. "If you want the spotlight all for yourself, just say so."
"Me? Never," Harry said. He could tell that she was making attempts at humor because they were slowly inching closer to their destination, and Luz always tried to make jokes when she was trying to distract herself from feeling something. "It would be a little selfish of me to deny the world of seeing how spectacular you look, lovey. Of course I want you to walk with me."
"Shut up, you terrible, terrible flirt." Luz sat up and shoved Harry's shoulder, but he just continued to grin and look her up and down.
Harry Lambert really did do a number on Luz. She wore a simple gown tonight, something that had become a staple when she had to get dressed up and go to an event with Harry. She wasn't big on anything over the top or loud the same way Harry was, but Lambert seemed to understand that, elevating Luz's tastes in a way that was elegant and fashion forward, and this time was no different.
Lambert and Luz, who had become quite close over the years as she sat in on many of Harry's fittings and meetings to go over looks and outfits for various things, came up with a black dress with a unique neckline that accentuated some of Luz's... assets. Harry had no shame in admitting how much he loved his girlfriend, both on the inside and out, and he just about died when he saw Luz for the first time tonight. She was still stubborn and wouldn't let him see what she was wearing until the night of, which drove Harry absolutely mad, but he had a feeling Luz got a kick out of seeing him react to her the way he did.
The car came to a stop, and it was finally time for them to walk the red carpet together. "Last chance to back out," Harry said to her.
Luz took a deep breath, shaking out any nerves she had about stepping out of the car and into the spotlight. She took Harry's cheeks between her hands and kissed him. It took Harry by surprise, but he was quick to kiss her back, his hand coming up to cup the back of her neck. Feeling Harry's lips against hers calmed all her nerves in an instant. Here it was just the two of them, she just needed to take this feeling with her on the red carpet.
She pulled away and wiped her thumb across Harry's mouth to remove any of the lip gloss that he was now wearing. He pressed a gentle kiss to the pad of her thumb, the gesture so sweet and so gentle, it made Luz blush.
