Smile for the Camera (Harry Styles x OC)

The Flight Home (Part 3)

    Once we're sat down, I can finally drop the sheepish smile I had plastered to my face to make the walk of shame more realistic. Smiles hunkers down and draws the small complimentary blanket up around his shoulders, turning his face into the window.

     I stay down for a second, then sit up to check on the stalker girls. They're still in their seats, not one has moved and not one has turned around. I'm tense for another minute, but when hellfire doesn't rain down upon us, I finally relax.

     The older gentleman beside us doesn't seem as if he knows what we just did, or if he does, he's respectful enough to pretend like he doesn't.

     I open my decoy magazine and angle my body towards Smiles. We sit, frozen, for another minute before a duping delight smile spreads across my face.

     "Did we just pull that off?" I whisper.

     "If by that you mean my genius plan, then, yeah, I think we did," he responds, wearing an identical smile when he turns to me.

     I watch him let the blanket slide down his torso as he sits up a bit. I clear my throat. "I don't know about 'genius.' Maybe 'bird-brained' or 'careless'..."

     "Hey!" he protests, feigning offence, even though there's a grin on his face.

     The older gentleman to my left puts down his book and turns out the little light he had on to read by. He tilts his head back and closes his eyes, folding his hands over his stomach to sleep. Almost all of the other passengers have adopted similar sleeping positions and the only lights in the cabin are dim blue lights that are only just enough to see by.

     "Why don't we try to sleep?" I suggest. I open the complimentary blanket and bury myself in its softness.

     "And who's going to take first watch?" he asks, only half jokingly.

     I push his shoulder playfully and pull his blanket up for him. "Neither of us. You'll be fine, just sleep with your head down."

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      I honestly tried to sleep, I did. But fifteen minutes later, I was still buzzing from our insane stunt and paranoid that we were being watched. I didn't sleep well on the flight to America simply because I was alone and anxious about something happening to me or my belongings while I was dead to the world. This time, it's more than that. This time, I also have to worry about being photographed with Smiles and making the headlines.

     Sure, it'd be cool to see myself on a magazine cover, but I can see the physical and mental toll this life takes on Smiles. It'd be cool for a while, but I'm a private person and I'd want my quiet life back eventually. Thing is, you can't reverse fame. Once people know your name and face, you can never quite disappear because someone always wants to keep up with you.

     If I was made a spectacle for being seen with Smiles, I would never be able to take that back because, as they say, the internet is forever. And I would most likely be labelled a call girl for only being seen with him once for a plane ride and then never being seen with him again. I don't have much of a reputation in my everyday life, but if someone ever recognised me as the call girl that was once seen with Harry Styles, I think I'd die.

     It may be important that Smiles isn't recognised, but now, I'm also invested in not being spotted.

     I lift my head and glance at Smiles. His eyes are closed, but when there's a light thump from somewhere in front of us, they fly open. I watch him search for the source of the noise for a second before realizing it's of no consequence and giving up. His eyes wander for another second before flicking to me and settling on mine.