The "Biggest" Fan (EN)

16.

"I could've driven there myself, you know," I said as I got into the luxurious car with tinted windows. Harry sat in the passenger seat in front of me, in a warm coat, though his trousers gave away that we were heading to a party. Beside him was a middle-aged man with the stony expression of someone who'd rather be anywhere else. He hadn't even acknowledged my existence, didn't even say hi, and I couldn't tell if he was being professional or just genuinely couldn't care less. He just drove silently, like a taxi driver, and by the look on Harry's face, this seemed perfectly normal.

Every few seconds, I caught the driver sneaking glances at me in the rearview mirror. Fuck, how awkward. He definitely didn't seem friendly, though maybe that was just me being paranoid. Why do these people always look like they're waiting for you to pull out a weapon?

Harry's eyes met mine in the mirror with his signature warm smile, instantly melting away a bit of the awkwardness. "You won't be able to drive home yourself anyway. Just enjoy the first-class free ride, Lou."

I shifted in my seat, slightly caught off guard by the way he casually called me that. It was oddly cute, so I kept my reaction to myself.

The driver was still giving me that same blank, watchful stare every so often. I wasn't used to talking freely with strangers around, so I decided to keep quiet for the rest of the ride. Harry, sensing this, didn't say anything either.

As we got out of the car, I said, "I think he doesn't like me."

"Bob?"

"No clue what his name is." I shook my head, and Harry nodded.

"He just hates driving me around when he knows I'll be getting shit-faced," he chuckled.

That didn't exactly reassure me, but if Harry says it's fine, it's probably... Fine?

"By the way, don't get too intimidated by Theo. He can be a bit much, but he's a great guy," Harry said.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," he answered with a mysterious smile that somehow made me more nervous than reassured.

"If he's not another vain pop star, I'll be fine," I joked, catching a quick, pointed look from Harry.

"Trust me, he's not. See any mansion around here?" He grinned, waving a hand at the house. It wasn't tiny — actually, it reminded me a little of my own place, though nothing compared to where Harry lived.

Inside, the music was loud, but not loud enough to make your ears bleed. Still, it'd been a while since I'd been to a party, and it was just loud enough to put me off a bit.

A sturdy guy stopped us, holding a little box. "Wait, we're supposed to leave our phones here?" I asked, not even trying to hide my surprise. I felt a bit unsettled by the formality.

"Yeah, sorry for not mentioning it. Just to avoid, you know, videos and stuff," he shrugged, casually dropping his phone in the box, "Unless, of course, you want girls taking selfies with me every two seconds."

"Thanks, no," I grimaced at the thought of squealing fans. I followed Harry's lead and handed over my phone.

The living room was full — maybe 40 people, dancing, chatting, and sipping drinks. I instinctively pulled back a bit, realizing I didn't know a single person here, but Harry placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and somehow, I didn't feel like an intruder anymore. How does he do that?

"There's my boy!" some guy shouted, walking over to Harry and hugging him. I felt a strange tightness in my throat. This had to be Theo.

"Long time no see! Nice party," Harry said.