Love and Fame (Harry Styles)

Chapter 31

I never wore lipstick or lip gloss; only lip balm to keep my lips soft and smooth. So when Lou did my after party makeup and said she wanted to try a bright red lipstick on me, I was skeptical.

"Isn't that a bit bold?" I asked as she decided which shade I would fit.

"That's the point," she chuckled as her choice fell on Dior 752, Favori Red. "If it doesn't work we'll just take it off."

"Okay..."

"Now, pout," she instructed and I did as she told me while she applied the color to my plump lips. When she was finished she stepped aside so that I could look at myself in the mirror. "What do you think?"

"I don't know..." I said and made a face. "I think it's a bit bold."

"But you look beautiful and it will go so well with your black after party dress," Lou said and waved my doubts away as if how I felt didn't matter at all.

Liam, Louis and Zayn hat gotten their shit together in time for our show and we had given one hell of a performance. People had been cheering for minutes after we had left the stage and we were all still buzzing from the whole thing.

And as if the evening hadn't already been perfect at that point, we won Favorite Pop/Rock Group/Duo/Band. We didn't win Single of the Year, but I didn't really care because the one we did win was the one I wanted.

That we won Favorite Group told me that people accepted me as a part of the boys, and that was incredibly important to me.

I had never accepted anything grander than a soccer award from a cup I had attended when I was twelve, so I had no idea how to receive the award we had won. I ended up just trailing behind the boys, allowing them to do all the talking.

Harry had had his hand on the small of my back as we were standing on the stage with the award in Liam's hands, and I had been incredibly aware of it. There had been cameras and eyes everywhere, and no one could possibly miss the fact that Harry and I were standing so close.

It wasn't that I didn't want to be close to him or that I didn't want the world to know that I loved him, it just felt a little too intimate to broadcast it to the world like that. But I had let it slide and had accepted the kiss Harry had given me before we left the stage again.

At the moment Lou was prepping all of us for the after party. She had quickly fixed the boys' hair before she had turned to me.

I was looking forward to the party. The people I had met throughout the evening had been lovely, and I couldn't wait to celebrate the award win with the boys.

"I don't know if I like it," I admitted as Lou continued by prepping my hair. She made a face and turned to Harry.

"Harry, love, can Talia pull off the red lipstick thing?" she called across the room, and Harry came over to give his judgment.

"Definitely," he said without a doubt in his mind and with a smile on his lips. "You look beautiful, love."

"Do you think she should keep it on?" Lou pressed and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, why not?"

"Then it's settled."

"Thank you for making the decision for me," I grumbled and Harry smiled, oblivious to my tone.

"Anytime, babe."

Harry left us and resumed his chat with Niall and Zayn while Lou continued her job on me.

The only piece of jewelry I ever wore was a matte steel watch with a black face, a gift from my brothers for my eighteenth birthday. So when Lou, Lydia and Caroline wanted me to spice up my black dress with rings and bracelets, I was a little overwhelmed. Everything kept getting stuck in my hair or clothes and I got more and more annoyed as the night passed by.

"Fuck this," I said in the end and removed the one particular bracelet that had been extraordinary difficult to keep from pulling my hair. "It's a pretty bracelet, but it's just not worth the pain."

"Just stop touching your hair all the time and it won't get stuck in it," Lou giggled and I shot her a piercing glance. She decided it wasn't really worth the fight and dropped the matter. "Fine, I'll wear it myself. I like it," she shrugged as I handed her the bracelet. "You can definitely tell that you're a tomboy."

"How so?" I said suspiciously, wondering if I should take the comment as an insult or not.

"You're so clueless when it comes to accessories and makeup and all those girlie things," Lou said and by the teasing smile on her pretty face, I could tell that she was only joking around.

"Whatever," I grumbled, but I had a smile playing on my bright red lips as I said it.

"Here you go, love," Harry said and swooped into our conversation with a glass of Champagne.

"Thanks, babe," I said, sipped the drink and draped my free arm around Harry's waist.

"How are my girls doing?" he said and kissed the top of my head as Lou and I still giggled over the fact that I was a useless beauty queen.

"Fine," Lou said with a shrug and I nodded.

"Yeah, are you having fun?" I offered and Harry nodded.

"You?"

"Definitely," I said and craned my neck to look for the rest of the boys. "How are Liam, Louis and Zayn doing?"

"They're battling their hangover with more alcohol," Harry said and I chuckled.

"That's a way to do it. What about Niall?"

"He's trying to convince Katy to marry him," Harry said with a shrug and I arched my eyebrows.

"What? Katy Perry?" I asked and Harry nodded. "Why?"

"Because he loves her," Harry said with a playful smile and Lou and I giggled again.

The night had been so perfect and I never wanted it to end, but eventually it did.

Harry and I shared a taxi with Niall back to our hotel, and made sure that Liam, Louis and Zayn came home safely as well. I hugged all of the boys goodnight before I laced my fingers into Harry's and followed him down the corridor to our hotel room.

We were both tired, but not tired enough to go to sleep just yet. So I kissed Harry as the door locked behind us, and he backed me up against the bed as he pulled at my dress.

We had had a few glasses of Champagne throughout the night, so as Harry was trying to gently lower me onto the bed, he lost his balance. We fell back against the pillows in a heap and started laughing uncontrollably.

When our laughter faded away, Harry looked me deeply in the eyes. He was so close to my face that I could feel his hot breath against my skin.

"I love you," he whispered and I reached up to kiss him gently.

"I love you too."

God, I did. I loved him so much that it was almost painful.