Gardens Of Eden (A Harry Styles Story)

50. The Gala

A/N: It's been a minute, I know! Thanks so much for waiting, I included lots of photos, aaand decided last minute to make a sexy new banner, which you'll find at the end of the chapter! Hope you enjoy!

'Maybe it's just too hard to see what's right in front of you, while you're out there frantically searching for it.' 

Susane Colasanti

Aside from a couple late sleepovers, I barely saw Harry the following week as he prepared for the big event. Truthfully, I was almost as excited for it to be over as I was to go in the first place. Crowds made me anxious.

Danielle came home from her fitting the night before the Gala and I began cleaning up the paperwork and to-do lists I'd worked on all day, listening as she told me about her shoot. 

"The colours for this Fall are so gorgeous, they're like jungle colours." She grinned, "My makeup was all gold and orange like a tiger, it was so much fun."

"That sounds amazing! When do I get to see the photos?!"

"Sometime next week, but they won't be used until the end of August." She shrugged. "Everything is done way in advance."

"That makes sense," I realized. 

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" She fell back on the other couch, wiggling her eyebrows. 

"Not as excited as you should be for your first date with Zayn." I teased. "We're all driving together right?" I turned the conversation back.

"Yep, he's taking me to a restaurant not far from there," She gushed.

"You gonna jump him?" I asked slyly. I know how she felt about him, and it was all over her face as she groaned.

"Oh god, I want to. I've never wanted to more, actually. But I don't think I can."

"No?"

"Not yet. I need to know if I can trust him first. My sexual life has been missing that." We shared a look at her dark joke, but I nodded, knowing where she was coming from. My experience at the Garden had been horrible, yes, but I got off easy compared to Danielle.

"He'll wait." I smiled at her. "It'll be good for him too."

We laughed at the joke before she changed the subject back to me. 

"So... have you had any more weird calls?" I looked at my phone, which was face down and on silent.

"I think I have to change my number..." I said, not wanting to discuss it, but giving in when she pressed. "They've been coming in a few times a day, last night someone left a two minute voicemail of just them breathing." I looked down, ashamed that I hadn't told her.

"Oh my God, Eve that's really serious. What if you have a stalker?" I thought back to the bearded man.

"I reported it, I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do."

"Just write everything down, with dates. Don't you ever watch cold case files? The creepy calls are always how it starts!"

"What? No, when do you watch cold case files?"

"Usually right before bed because I'm an idiot like that. But don't change the subject! Have you told Harry?"

I sighed. "Yeah, he knows, we're going to get a new number this weekend. And I spoke to Jamie and Alvin. They said they have a pretty good case against the Garden, they just need to find enough proof to back up the allegations." I had half a mind to just go find it myself... now that Dunville was gone, it didn't seem like such a task to raid my old orphanage... maybe pay Avery a visit while I was at it. I seriously had been meaning to check in on her, amidst my own drama.