Behind The Camera

Chapter Eighteen

I woke up slowly and felt Simon's arm still around my waist.

I felt different this morning. Maybe it was the fact that we had stayed up talking until the very early hours of the morning, but I felt really comfortable around Simon now.

And I wasn't complaining that we'd fallen asleep cuddling, however I wasn't sure what to do now that I was awake. Should I move away? Or stay put?

I didn't have much time to think about it as I felt Simon stir and start to wake up. He pulled me closer but then something seemed to change his mind and he slowly pulled his arm away.

"Sorry it's um. I'll be honest, I thought you were Talia." He said, his voice scratchy from sleep and I put my arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

"It's perfectly fine. What kind of fake girlfriend would I be if I wasn't here for you?" I joked and earned a small laugh from him.

He pulled away and locked eyes with me, giving me a small smile.

"So is it okay for us to have a little cuddle? I've missed this type of stuff." He admitted as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"I think that's acceptable. Just platonic cuddling though." I added as I snuggled into his arms and matched my breathing with his.

"Obviously. Purely platonic." He said as he traced patterns on my back with his fingers.

***

It was Saturday night when I was supposed to see Simon again. We had plans to go to Harry and Freezy's flat for drinks, which I was technically getting paid to go to with Simon.

I figured tonight was the night that Harry and I would end up talking but I'd been surprised that he hadn't tried to text me or reach out throughout the week.

Simon on the other hand had been texting me all week, almost as if he were my real boyfriend. I smiled to myself as I got out of my Uber and he came to meet me.

He gave me a small kiss and kept his hand on my lower back as we walked into Harry and Cal's apartment.

I'd never been here before and it was a lot smaller than Simon's flat and more modest in design, which made sense since Harry and Cal are a lot more laid-back than Simon and KSI.

Harry greeted us as we walked in and gave me a friendly hug in front of Simon. It was close enough for me to smell the alcohol on him and I looked up at him with concern but he was so drunk that he didn't notice.

"Simon, Hailey. Lovely to see you both." He said before walking off to a corner of the room that I could only refer to as a stoner pit.

Cal was there too and gave me a lazy wave with a joint in his hand. I waved back and Simon and I made our way over to the kitchen to put our drinks in the fridge.

I briefly wondered why I was needed tonight since nobody was outside of Harry's flat to see Simon and I together and we didn't have any plans after this.

I shrugged it off and reminded myself that it was possible that Simon just wanted to spend time with me. Just the thought of that possibility made me smile to myself and brought me back to reality, the gorgeous tall blonde guy standing in front of me.

Simon and I joined in on a few drinking games throughout the night, getting more touchy with eachother as the alcohol worked it's way into our system.

We made our way over to the stoner pit, which is where Harry had spent most of his night so far and sat down together, Simon's hand resting on my thigh.

Another joint got lit and passed around and we both took a few puffs. I couldn't help but cough as the smoke entered my body as I hadn't had a joint in quite a while.

After a few puffs I passed it on to the next person and sat back into the couch, already feeling the relaxing effect take over.

I wondered briefly where Lexi was but decided that it really wasn't my business to know. They had a contract and so did I. And I was actually enjoying this little contract so far.

Getting to spend quality time with Simon definitely wasn't a bad thing, but maybe developing feelings for my fake boyfriend could turn into a problem in the future.

I decided not to think too hard about it tonight and just enjoy the feeling of his hand on my thigh, slowly edging up further throughout the night and making my heart race.

It didn't take long for the alcohol and weed in my system to mix and put me in a very different state than I was used to. I was still in control of myself but I was a lot more relaxed and confident than I normally would be.

I got up and went to the bathroom, stumbling around slightly while trying to find it and laughing at myself when I looked in the mirror. Everything was funnier right now.

I went to the toilet and washed my hands, looking around for a towel or something to dry them on when Harry walked in.

"You know you should really lock the door when you go to the toilet." He said looking down at me.

"And youuu Harry, should have something in your bathroom for people to dry their hands on." I slurred out as I made the bold step towards him and grabbed the front of his shirt.

I dried my hands on his shirt and tried to ignore the warm skin that I could feel on the other side as I looked up and gave him a smug grin.

He matched my smug grin and seemed to one-up me by pulling his shirt off, slowly letting it fall to the floor.

I knew that I shouldn't look and that I should keep eye contact, that we were challenging each other and that right now he had the upper hand.

But I couldn't help myself, letting my eyes admire his body for just a second, but a second was all it took.

"Where's Lexi tonight?" I asked him, quickly trying to change the subject entirely.

"Don't care." He said as he took another step closer and carelessly flicked the lock on the door. The gesture meant a lot, we both knew it did and it was undeniably hot.

"The real question here Hailey, is where Simon is and if you care." Harry challenged me and I was completely flustered.

I did care about Simon, the last week had cemented that in my mind. But here I was with Harry again, feeling like Simon was a million miles away even though he was in the other room.

"But right now... I don't care." Harry said as he leaned down and slowly, carefully placed his lips on mine.

I didn't back away, I couldn't.

Instead I kissed him back.