The "Biggest" Fan (EN)

8.

After a short while, Harry kept glancing at his phone, looking a bit tense, and Lottie immediately noticed it. She tilted her head as if asking if everything was okay.

Harry nodded, "I'm just checking when I should head home. I doubt my bodyguard will be too happy if I call him in the middle of the night."

"I thought your bodyguard waits for you outside?" I asked, remembering the last time I saw a dark car with tinted windows, which I was sure belonged to Harry.

He furrowed his brows a little, then laughed as if I had asked something absurd, "He's only around when I'm in public. I think I trust you guys enough to be here without any supervision, don't you?"

"Maybe you trust us too much," I said with a mischievous grin, but Lottie didn't seem interested in our conversation.

"Stay a little longer, I'll take you home later," she said. It was already pretty late, but we had just started playing.

"No, Lottie, don't you know that celebrities can only be driven by their guards?" I felt the need to say something sarcastic, but she just rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the King of England," Harry explained to me, then turned to Lottie, who seemed to just remember that Harry wasn't an ordinary person and that he actually had people who drove him where he needed to go.

"I promise I'll take you straight home?" she grinned innocently, hoping he'd agree.

"Only if I really won't cause any inconvenience," Lottie shook her head, reassuring that everything was fine.

Not long after, we were all deep into the game. I had six properties, Lottie had five, and Harry somehow managed to snag ten.

I rolled the dice and, of course, landed on one of his properties again.

"Where's your smile? Is it because I'm about to bankrupt you?" He asked, all smug.

"No chance. I've still got plenty," I shot back, although my stash of money was looking dangerously low. Just like in real life, what an irony, haha.

"No, you don't," Lottie laughed, playfully punching my arm. 

"I totally do," I frowned seriously, though everyone knew she was right.

Just as I was about to make my next move, my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at the screen: a message from Jake.

Jake: Hey, any chance you're free next Friday night? Got an idea...

Me: Depends. What's the plan?

Jake: Let's just say it involves a crowd, a microphone, and a venue barely holding it together. The usual.

Me: You found a gig???

Jake: Uh... sure.

Jake: Let's call it that.

I frowned, feeling a mix of intrigue and caution. Jake's "ideas" had a habit of being... Well, sketchy at best. But honestly, at this point I didn't even care. I couldn't find myself anything better, and if that means that Skylar might be less pissed at me...

"What's up?" Lottie asked, her eyes flicking to my phone with obvious curiosity.

"Nothing, just Jake being Jake," I shrugged, pocketing my phone as casually as I could.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked.

"Means he found us a gig that'll either bring down the house or actually bring down the house."

Harry's smirk widened as he leaned back, looking amused. "Sounds like you should bring a hard hat... And maybe some bail money?"

Lottie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling too. "Maybe it won't be that bad?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. But hey, if the roof collapses mid-show, it just adds to the drama, right? Makes it memorable."

"Sure, no bad publicity, right?" Harry laughed, giving me a look that was half impressed, half exasperated.

"Okay, your turn," Lottie said, nudging the dice in my direction.

A while later, it was clear Harry was going to win. Lottie had long accepted it, but I wasn't ready to give up yet. But this time, I landed on Boardwalk, which now belonged to Harry and had a hotel on it, making it even more ridiculously expensive.

"Nooo," I groaned, while Harry did a little victory dance.

I counted my money. Then counted again. I was short by a hundred. "I've only got 1,900."

Lottie rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Looks like you'll have to sell me your precious Pacific Avenue."

"Anything but Pacific Avenue..."

"You have no choice. I'm not buying anything else from you," she crossed her arms, and I sighed desperately.

"It's fine," Harry said, "I'll take the 1,900. But you'll owe me."

"You can't do that," Lottie protested, annoyed.

"It's literally my property," he shrugged and took the cash. What a generous soul, huh?

We decided to end the game without a real winner, even though it was obvious who it was. Lottie yawned, clearly we'd played way too long.

"So... Shall we? I'll drive you home," she tried to keep her eyes open, "Don't know how I'll stay awake driving if we wait any longer."

"I can drive him," I turned to Harry, and he looked genuinely surprised by my offer, rubbing the back of his neck, his shoulders hunched slightly. I was slightly shocked myself.

"You don't have to," Lottie yawned again and shook her whole body, trying to stay awake.

"It's fine. I kind of feel like going for a night drive," I ran a hand through my hair. Not lying about that.

Lottie couldn't hide her happiness even though she tried. "I love you. Please don't kidnap him. And goodnight, I'm out," she waved goodbye and received a tight-lipped smile from Harry before she quickly disappeared into her room. Maybe she'll get a few hours of sleep before her morning shift, at least.

Harry looked at me, I looked at him. He shifted uncomfortably. Great, we're officially in "awkward silence" territory. I swear, If he tries to make this emotional, I'm throwing him out of the car.

The night just started... Next chapter tomorrow <3