Unrequited

Chapter 14

I jerked away from Harry, instinctively crossing my arms over my chest and feeling instantly nauseous as I peered into the darkness to see who the voice belonged to. “Well? What are you both doing out here!?”

“You could’ve picked a better time, Lou!” Harry fumed. 

“Hi there Charlotte!” Louis said brightly, ignoring Harry’s frustration. He was painfully aware of my humiliation and was going to use it to his own advantage. He kept his distance but I could see the superior look on his face as he knew he’d caught us red handed. “Hi,” I mumbled. I had no brain capacity at the current moment to organise my thoughts on whatever it was I had just experienced with Harry; I was entering into a state of silent hysteria at the fact we’d just been caught. I was desperate to cover myself but I knew I couldn’t put my dress back on straight away or it would be soaked. I wished I’d thought things through before jumping into a fountain, in the dark, on someone else’s property, in the company of a reputably flirty boy band member while I was supposed to be attending a party for the benefit of those less fortunate. A ‘charity ball’ sounds somewhat of a civilized event; one may imagine couples dressed to the nines with silk gloves and fur collars gliding around a dance floor, maintaining an impeccably elegant demeanour. I had never imagined a charity ball would consist of me galavanting around in the dark and swimming half-naked in a fountain with an equally half-naked Harry.

“May I ask for the third time kids: what are you doing in the fountain?” smirked Louis.

“What does it look like we’re doing?” 

“Do you really want me to answer that Harry? It looks downright suspicious to me!”

“We’re taking a swim Louis. The party got boring, we went for a walk,” Harry explained in bored tone, nodding his head from side to side in rhythm with the last sentence. “There’s nothing suspicious about it.” Louis looked skeptical. “Then what’s Little Miss Deer-in-Headlights looking so shellshocked for?” Harry glanced at me as though he’d forgotten I was there. “Little Miss Deer-In-Headlights is a little embarrassed...she would have much rathered you had found her in her black lace underwear, not this set. However I do quite fancy it myself,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. This snide comment snapped me out of a my brief paralysation and I whacked Harry on the arm. “Little Miss Deer-in-Headlights has a name, thank you very much boys.”

“Ah, she’s found her voice!” Louis chimed. I glared at him, my anger arising purely from embarrassment. “In a moment I’ll find my ability to break bones, Louis so I’d pipe down if I were you.” Louis put on an exaggerated look of terror which only increased my desire to fly at him. “No, but in all seriousness,” he said, shaking his hair to the side, “You need to get out of there. You’re going to be in a bit of a huge pickle if anyone finds what you’ve been doing - especially if it’s someone with a camera.” I dropped my head into my hands and let out a little groan. “My Mum’s going to kill me, Harry!”

“She’s not going to find out, Char. And even if she does, I’ll explain to her it was all my fault  and there’s no need to be mad at you.” I spread my fingers a little to look at him. He spoke to me calmly and sincerely and had placed a hand on my forearm, tugging it away from my face. “But you’re both soaking wet. You can’t just put on your clothes and go back to the party; there are heaps of photographers in there,” said Louis. “I can see it now; ‘STYLES’ DRUNKEN SWIM WITH MYSTERY GIRL’, ‘HARRY DIVES IN TOO DEEP: pictures on page 5’,” he announced, extending his arms to indicate huge newspaper headlines. 

“Charlotte and I already addressed that problem Louis. Zayn told me there’s a back door near the bathrooms - he took some girl back there before.” He then turned to me, taking hold of my wrists under the water. “Don’t stress Charlotte, it’s alright. We’re not going to get caught and even if we did - we’ve done nothing wrong, okay?” I nodded reluctantly, not feeling entirely reassured but somehow a little stronger with Harry’s support. He pushed himself up out of the water and stood dripping wet on the concrete. He shook his hair and held out his hands to help me out of the fountain. “Here, love,” said Louis shrugging out of his jacket, “We can’t have you running around someone’s garden in your bra!”