Hunger

November (part 3)

Frankie had imagined some kind of negative reaction coming after Harry's announcement. But nothing particular happened. She stayed off social media, but her friends were all on everything, and they reported no major backlash. There was the odd meme of Harry and James announcing their engagement, and there were of course a lot of people, who weren't thrilled that he was officially off the market, but all in all, they slid through it without a hitch. It almost seemed too good to be true, but Frankie was certain it was because Harry's fans appreciated him sharing something so personal with them. Getting the news straight from the horse's mouth rather than trying to decipher the riddles and rumours. The tabloids had their own agenda, but Frankie didn't care about them. She cared about Harry's fans, and the way they saw him. She didn't want anyone to think badly of Harry, but least of all on account of him choosing her.

As they lay in bed at night, Harry was running his fingers up and down her arm. "How do you feel about everything, love?" He asked.

"I feel really good about the whole thing," Frankie smiled at him. "I think you did the right thing. Your fans appreciate and listen to what you say."

"It seems like they do, yeah. We'll see what happens when the album is released next week. Speaking of that, would you go to the release party with me?" He wanted her there, but she knew he would accept if she didn't feel like it.

Frankie bit her lip and traced his butterfly tattoo. "Mm-hmm," she nodded. "I will. But no red carpet right?"

Harry smiled from ear to ear. "No love, no red carpet."

"Then I should be fine," she grinned.

Harry tipped her head, so he could kiss her. "Oh you're fine alright," he whispered against her lips, before he pulled her on top of him.

***

Going to the release party meant Frankie needed to go see Shannon and Bella. She wanted to look good for the occasion, and she knew they would dress her to feel more confident. She wanted to be perfect for Harry, perfectly Frankie, that was the best she could do.

"There you are!" Shannon exclaimed when Frankie came in the door. "We've been wondering when you'd come by. I was hoping to look at some wedding dresses with you. Congratulations!" She smiled warmly and hugged Frankie.

"Yeah, it's been ages since we got to style a bride. You simply must let us style you," Bella joined in and air kissed Frankie's cheeks. "You look great, by the way. Must be that engagement glow," Bella winked at Frankie and they started walking towards their workspace.

They rummaged around looking for the perfect outfit for the release party. It was the kind of event where people would dress smart, but not gala-smart. Frankie had her heart set on wearing a nice pant suit, which Shannon and Bella applauded and started working with. They picked out an array of colourful suits in different styles, and Frankie knew they were going to be there for a while. She wasn't feeling adventurous enough to go for one of the very colourful suits, but there was a selection of darker suits she felt very drawn towards. 

"You know, you could wear a black suit with something eye-catching under, like a colourful top, just to make it pop." Shannon found a selection of tops in different shapes and colours. Some with a pattern, and some without. Bella worked on an idea for makeup, hair and accessories, while Shannon and Frankie tried the different suits. 

When Frankie had tried a long line of suits on, she finally found one she really liked. It was fitted, but in a way that actually made her look slimmer, and accentuated her waist. The pants were slim-fit chinos, that made her legs look longer and slimmer. 

"I really like this one," she said and smiled at Shannon in the mirror. "It's classic, but cool." 

Shannon agreed. "You look awesome in that. Let's see if we can match it with something."