Taste (H.S. / A.U.)

Chapter 27

ELOISE DUPONT

She rolls her neck, long black hair draped across her shoulders, shimmering in the sunlight. "So you had sex right?"

I shake my head furiously as Jade's ludacris question while my ears popped. Somehow after the late night flight back yesterday and the quick rest before Jade rudely awoke me, my body hadn't relocated itself correctly.

"Well, you stayed the night, was practically absentee from your phone, and then the Instagram post happened. So what was it then?"

I raised a brow at Jade while the nail tech pulled my hand back to her, I didn't even mean to slightly tug it away. "Instagram post?" 

Jade blew her breath out of puffed cheeks, "Elle, you got laid and that's fine, because no one is judging you. I just want details honestly." 

Jade was in the process of sharpening her nails, a thick layer of emerald green coating over the elongated almond shape. Meanwhile I was just getting my normal nails buffed out with a natural manicure. I was often told to have my nails done so it looked professional for appearances, however, I hate wearing gloves in the kitchen and do not want to risk a chipped nail in a dish.

I wasn't in the realm of wanting to discuss the frivolities of my adventures with Harry, because there was something special about not talking about it yet. Perhaps the memory of having it all to myself was something I cherished. After having a life with Chase that was shared without my consent, having something that wasn't with anyone else felt a little too unique and beautiful. I told myself that it was no one's concern of what did or didn't happen that night.

That was a great theory, however, I forgot how persuasive my best friend is. She had been prodding ever since we got to the to the nail salon, which was her idea of a good time at ten am for some reason. I barely had time to sleep and look like a normal human being this morning before being whisked out the front door for the last day Argentina before we head off to Thailand. Ricky was already packing and getting everything ready, because he spent so much time out in the sun yesterday he had to nurse his sunburnt skin back to health today in the shade of indoors.

The woman nudges my hand to put under the small light on the table, the final steps being done as long as I don't bump it or ruin it before the light sets. She gets up to walk away and put the polishes back while I look at Jade, already finished while taking a photo of her fresh set. "No details, nothing happened. We were just two friends who needed a relaxing day of not touring, not cooking, no screaming fans, and just a hang out. After that I was tired so I crashed at the hotel, no funny business, and then viola I am back."

"Viola? No way. That's too simple. You slept in his hotel, he posted extremely cryptically about you, and you might actually be glowing from your recent dick-down service, so I am just going to imagine the worst until you tell me. Was there handcuffs, chains, and whips?" I shoot an aggressive look to Jade who doesn't even notice while her face is still directed at her phone. "Oh, bee-tee-dubs, you are currently most hated woman on Earth."

Jade swiped quickly and flashed her phone to me, scrolling through an insane amount of comments that were all directed towards whoever was in a photo, the post from none other than Harry Styles. Some comments were nice, but a majority were jealous, hatred, envious, and weird ones. "What did he even post, I don't feel like we took a photo together." 

We didn't. I took a few of him, he took a few of me, both at the gardens, the aquarium, and around the city, but none that I could think of that we took together. It made me curious what he would have posted about the day and our time together, because I still lived in a state of worry wondering if the night of chaos turned our friendship into a mess of regret.