The "Biggest" Fan (EN)

21.

"Oh, so here you two are. We were wondering where you disappeared," Lottie greeted us with a raised brow. Besides her, Jake looked less thrilled — his face darkened slightly as he saw Harry and me returning.

"We tried to escape Harry's fans. They might've noticed him," I quickly mumbled the weakest excuse I could think of. Nice one, Louis. You're acing this act normal thing.

"Oh really?" Lottie's sarcasm was sharp enough to cut glass. "And why were you running too, Louis? Fans chasing you as well?"

Harry's grin widened mischievously before I could reply. "No, no. I found him lost backstage. Can you believe it? He missed the right entrance twice. If it weren't for me, he probably would've set up camp there for the night."

I glared at him in disbelief, asking him to stop talking before he said anything more unbelievable. I swear, his excuse was even worse.

"Oh yeah, that totally sounds like Louis. Classic," Lottie snorted.

"Wait, what? No! That does not sound like me!" I protested, whipping around to face her.

Still giggling, she shrugged. "Sure it is. Remember last week when you spent fifteen minutes trying to figure out why the toaster wasn't working, only to realize it wasn't plugged in?"

"See? Exactly my point," Harry added, clicking his tongue and throwing me a smirk. He's mocking me? Fine, his time would come too.

I threw my hands up. "I can't believe this." Muttering, I turned to Jake and Skylar, who had been silently watching this entire exchange like an episode of their favorite sitcom. "You'll never guess who I talked to backstage."

"Who?" Jake asked.

Before I could respond, two girls rushed over, their excitement practically bubbling over.

"Oh my God, it's Harry! Can we take a picture with you?"

Well, someone had to recognize him eventually. Harry smiled and agreed, letting the girls snap their photos. I had no idea how he coped with random people approaching him constantly. Exhausting.

As soon as they left, I turned back to the group. "We should probably head out before more fans show up. I'll tell you everything outside if you're free."

Lottie clapped her hands in delight. "Yes! Let's hit the town!"

The group nodded in agreement. I glanced at Harry, unsure if he was up for the impromptu plans. But he subtly brushed his hand against mine, and just like that, my nerves vanished.

"Running away from Bob sounds like a dream," Harry said.

---

The city was quiet after midnight. My feet ached from all the walking, but there wasn't anywhere else I'd rather be.

"Guys, we've got to go. Early work tomorrow," Skylar announced apologetically, earning a dramatic sigh from Lottie.

Derek waved lazily, looking like he'd been counting down the minutes until this moment anyway. 

Skylar stepped closer to give me a quick, friendly hug. "You'll tell me everything about that meeting tomorrow, right? And please... Don't sell us out. We need you. I need you," her voice dropped to a whisper towards the end, so soft I almost didn't catch it. Almost.

"Yeah, of course," I mumbled, forcing a smile as I let her go. Was Harry right? Did she see me as more than just a friend? Great — just what I needed. Complications.

"Well, well, that looked friendly," Jake said, stepping closer to me as Skylar walked off. His hand landed firmly on my shoulder, his tone light but laced with something I couldn't quite place.