not in love || l.s. ✔︎

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A/N: I'm dedicating this chapter to KITTEN LOUIS. (James Corden is my hero.)

This is part 2 of Harry's bachelor party!

HARRY / PRESENT

While Zayn was true to his word and didn't hire any strippers, he did invite a bunch of people who could get me in a lot more trouble.

This coke-fueled binge-drinking fest was far from the woodland Utopia that was our stag and doe. For starters, most of the people there didn't know or forgot that I was getting married. These weren't the invite-to-your-wedding friends. These were the delete-from-your-contacts-and-pray-that-the-press-never-finds-out-you-know-each-other friends. There was a DJ from Minsk that had sex onstage at SXSW, heirs and heiresses to various family fortunes whose antics would make Paris Hilton blush, the rageaholic club promoter whose never met a photog he didn't like to punch, the world's most subscribed YouTuber who could only function on a truckload of amphetamines, and professional hangers-on who turned fandom into a competitive sport.

Being at a party with this crowd was like swimming in a tank of piranhas, you had to stay still, lay low because if they smelled blood, they would devour you until there was nothing left. But laying low was impossible on this occasion since I was the man of the hour and wearing Louis' painfully tight pants. I kissed Kristy Kastenmeir, heiress to the Post-It fortune, and she immediately cupped my balls. "Nice outfit, Harry."

Dirk, the club promoter, didn't waste any time and started talking business—appearances, special events. "Have you had your birthday in Vegas yet? We should definitely do your birthday. Circe du Soleil acrobats, tigers, pyrotechnics, you know, something tasteful."

Eddie Zap, the YouTuber was telling me how calm he was after he started doing birkram yoga. His hands were shaking so bad he splashed me with vodka.

Zayn was going over music selections for the night with Alexei, the DJ, and Louis joined them. Neither of us could look at each other after what had happened in the bedroom.

The boys had invited just about every degenerate in the tri-state area and beyond. When I heard a knock at the door I didn't think it could get much worse. I was wrong. Standing in the doorway was a ghost from my past I thought I would never see again. Eleanor. I could smell her sickeningly sweet cotton candy perfume meters away. She was in a barely-there cocktail dress, teetering on stiletto Louboutins.

"Hey gorgeous," she kissed Louis' cheek. He met her wink with a wry smile. "Sorry I'm late, my flight was delayed. Harry, you minx!" She wobbled over to me. "Congrats! I can't wait for your big day! Edwin sends his best."

I was speechless.

Louis threw an arm over Eleanor's shoulder. "She's my date."

"Harry, I hope your fiancée doesn't mind, but my dress is white. I know it's bad form to wear white to someone else's wedding but I look really amazing in it and--"

I grabbed Louis' arm. "Can I speak to you for a second?"

We went off to the opposite corner of the suite while Eleanor glided over to a group of venture capitalists.

"You can't bring her to my wedding."

"Why not? She's my friend."

"After everything that's happened? How could you think I'd be okay with this?"

"I didn't cheat on you with Eleanor," he said flatly.

To me the gruesome twosome were one and the same. I couldn't look at Eleanor without seeing her brother's face.