Hoax

Chapter thirty-seven

Harry Styles 

In truth, I needed to kiss her.

I had to.

It was like an instinctive impulse that I needed to act upon.

She looked simply stunning, standing there in that dress and I just had to kiss her.

It was quick thinking on my part to pretend I was doing it for the Gucci people, when in reality I was doing it for myself.

We're now in the car, on the way to the Gala and I'm both nervous and excited.

I sense Estelle is pretty nervous too because she hasn't spoken a word to me since we left the hotel.

She's looking in the opposite direction, out the window, and is using her nail to fidget with the skin around her thumb.

After five minutes of silence and watching her do that, I impulsively reach over and grab her hand, pulling it from her lap.

She shoots her head over, looking at our intertwined hands and then into my eyes.

She looks like a frightened bunny.

I'm not holding her hand for any reason other than stopping her from making herself bleed.

"Stop fidgeting" I reprimand her, though keeping my tone light. "You're going to make yourself bleed if you keep picking at the skin"

"Sorry" She says immediately, though makes no effort to detach her hand from mine.

I smile at that thought.

"I always do that when I'm nervous...or grind my teeth...or bite my nails, but since I'm wearing lip gloss, that's not really an option" She starts rambling in typical Estelle fashion. "I need to chill out...I'm like, super nervous to do the carpet...I haven't done one since the Golden Globes and-"

"You know what you also do when you're nervous?" I interrupt her with a question.

She looks blankly at me, so I answer my own question – "You ramble"

I watch her lips tilt into an awkward smile – "I know, sorry...I'm just worried..."

I actually let a small laugh escape my lips.

This girl, an award-winning actress, is nervous for a Gala? – "About what?"

"What if the pictures turn out badly? Or what if I trip and fall over my own feet? I am clumsy you know?!" Her voice is slightly hysterical.

"Chill the fuck out, Stell" The words fall from my mouth before I can stop them.

I pretend not to notice the way Estelle's eyes shifted when I unintentionally used her nickname.

"None of that's going to happen...and anyway, I'll make a pact with you" I start, trying to make her calm down even a little. "If you fall over...I will fall over too"

She cracks a smile – "What!"

"I will...I will fall on the carpet next to you, if you fall over by accident" I state.

Estelle laughs and I feel a newfound warmth spread across my chest.

"Don't because that's almost convincing me to purposely fall over..." She states with a dimply grin.

I tut, feeling relieved that her anxiety has at least somewhat subsided.

That said, I feel her hand start to fidget undermine, when the car starts to slow down outside the museum steps.