Golden Hour [H.S]

Seven

This chapter is a continuation of the previous one. If you haven't read it yet, please make sure you do so that you aren't confused! 

Harry sauntered onto set with flushed cheeks, struggling to maintain the arrogance he was famous for while his mind replayed the embarrassing moment from ten minutes ago. If you had no idea what had just happened in the star's dressing room, his demeanour would appear as if he had simply been running late and left his dressing room in a hurry.

But Marigold knew better and Harry could see the smart comments and stupid jokes forming in her mind simply by the smirk curling at her lips. She was already sitting on one of the soft armchairs set out for their interview, making polite small talk with the reporter while they waited for him to join them. The woman was dressed smartly in a silk blouse and pressed trousers, her blonde hair slicked back into a perfect bun and wearing minimal makeup - looking exactly how he imagined a reporter for Vogue to look like.

As he slowly approached them, attempting to appear casual, Harry braced himself for having to act like Marigold didn't irritate the fuck out of him. Clouded remnants of his dream suddenly flooded his mind, images of Marigold's naked chest making him stop dead in his tracks as he rubbed his face in his hands in an attempt to clear his thoughts.

Lack of sleep was no doubt affecting him today and he made a mental note to have an early night because he couldn't handle another day of Marigold tormenting his every thought.

Taking a deep, steady breath, Harry forced himself to think about the importance of this interview going well and slipped into the professional model persona that everyone expected of him. Ignoring the awkwardness between him and Marigold after their last encounter, he greeted the reporter with a charming smile and introduced himself with a handshake.

"Apologies for being late, I'm Harry. So lovely to meet you." His tone was light as he watched the woman smile at his politeness, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

"No worries, today has been pretty hectic. Marigold has been keeping me company in the meantime. I'm Lillian, it's a pleasure to be here with you both."

As everyone settled into their seats, Harry heard Marigold scoff slightly, no doubt finding amusement in Harry's nonchalant attitude while knowing exactly what had made him late to the interview. However, he forced himself to ignore her, hoping that if he didn't interact with her more than necessary, this whole thing would be over quickly and he could get back home to Clover.

"Alright, so this whole interview is going to be a little lighthearted. I wanted to make this more of an informal conversation to gauge how you guys get on together and give the readers something a little different." Lillian explained, shuffling through her notes as she prepared herself to start.

Both Harry and Marigold sighed at her words, having to refrain from groaning as they realised it was going to be hard to act friendly in the way everyone was expecting them to be. Their eyes briefly met, a silent conversation happening between them almost to warn the other not to fuck this up for them - the consequences of a bad article most likely resulting in them being fired.

Marigold had been briefed by Elio and given a crash course in media training so that she was better prepared to answer questions in a way that would construct a positive public image that would garner a large fanbase. Harry, however, didn't need to be briefed as he had done this countless times before. He might be an asshole to everyone around him but he always conducted himself flawlessly in interviews, expertly answering questions so that the reporters remained focused on his career rather than his personal life.