Golden

7

I returned into the ballroom, overwhelmed by the thunderous dance music that seemed to be shaking the entire building and the increased volume of cheerful chatter and drunken laughter amongst the guests. After a few drinks, everyone seemed much more loose and free; dancing and mingling without much fear of judgement or awkwardness. Harry was directly behind me, following closely and not straying too far from me like a shadow, as if almost trying to remain unseen by everyone else. I briefly wondered if all the excessive attention he constantly received ever bothered or unnerved him. But before I could harp on that thought for too long, he caught my eye and smiled broadly at me.
"You good?" He asked me over the loud beat of the dance music.
I smiled back and nodded, feeling an unexplainable sense of comfort in his presence as I answered over my shoulder, "I'm great."
We stepped up to the bar once the line dispersed and Harry asked me, "What were you drinking?" He pointed at my empty glass and I was momentarily distracted by his giant rings that bore his initials on them.
"Old fashioned," I replied, silently admiring his choice in jewelry. "Ever have one?"
"Tonight will be my first." He grinned like a Cheshire cat. "You're taking my virginity."
I smirked back. "What an honor."
Harry ordered for us and took his phone out of his pocket, reading a short message on his screen. He quickly replied as he snapped his head back up. "My friend Mitch left."
"Oh." My heart started to sink. "Did you...do you need...do you want to leave?" I asked warily, feeling an empty sensation infiltrate my chest.
Harry shook his head as the bartender returned with our drinks. "No. I don't want to leave at all."
We clinked our glasses together, keeping eye contact as the brims of our drinks touched.
I knew it from the first Old Fashioned,
We were cursed...
"Shall we find your friends?" Harry motioned towards the ballroom floor that was already swarming with dancing bodies. "Do you know where they would be?"
A pit formed in my stomach at Harry's question. I had abandoned Finn and fled in such an unexpected blur, that everyone thought I probably left the party completely. I wondered silently if they were even here anymore or decided to bail when they couldn't find me. My chest constricted with sadness, thinking they were all probably very upset with me for disappearing on them, especially after coming here was my idea in the first place.
"This way, I think," I guessed, trying my best not to look as guilty as I felt. I guided him towards the last spot we had all congregated at. "They might be by the-"
I spun back around to watch where I was going to avoid running into anyone and halted immediately. Two dark, grey, almost black, eyes stopped me dead in my tracks. I felt my breath escape me and everything around me seemed to slow down until the room stood entirely still. It felt like I was falling down the rabbit hole; a painfully long, terrifying trip.
"Hello, Lucy."
His sickening voice, dripping with conniving prowess, felt like a punch to my stomach. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't move.
"I thought I saw you."
It was him. As much as I had known I wasn't just imagining his figure on the top of the staircase, seeing him again up close only made everything more real; more excruciating; more unbearable.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" I asked weakly, unable to even hear my own voice above the loud music.
"I'm always going to find you." He leaned down and pressed his lips against my ear. I was frozen in fear and couldn't do anything except feel his hot breath against my neck. He pulled back slowly, smiling so wide that I thought it would fall off his putrid face. He was writhing in pleasure at my pure terror.
"Hey, is this one of your friends?"
I snapped back to reality, realizing that I was still standing, Harry was still behind me, and that this wasn't just a nightmare that I could wake up from. I turned to face Harry, trying to compose myself to not raise any alarm.
"Uh..." My head was spinning. Harry watched my face intently and I saw his eyes flicker with slight protectiveness. I cleared my throat, trying to finish my sentence. "He..."
I wanted to leave him.
I needed a reason...
"I'm John Danvers," he cut in, leaning across me to shake Harry's hand. He brushed against my shoulder; the first touch we shared in so long. It made my skin crawl. "Producer and...well, Lucy and I know each other very well."
My vision was going dark around the edges as my heart pounded fiercely inside my chest. Harry glanced down at John's extended hand for a brief moment, as if contemplating whether or not to shake it or shove it away. After a moment, Harry's politeness took over and he gripped John's fingers tightly in his own. I watched Harry's knuckles underneath his shiny rings turn white from grasping John's hand so hard.
"Harry." He introduced himself pithily. Harry's usual friendly and charming demeanor had vanished. He was cold, terse and somewhat hostile as his body stiffened behind me.
"I'm glad to finally meet you, Mr. Styles," John said as he removed his hand from Harry's unyielding grasp. John was attempting to put on his own charm, but he came across aggressive and pushy, more like a shady car salesman than anything. "I've been trying to get a meeting with you for weeks; but I can see that you're a very busy man."
Harry sipped his drink coolly, looking uninterested and bored already. "I've been in California."
"Phones and emails don't work on the west coast?" John taunted lightly. His fake grin was still plastered on his face.
"I tend to stay offline when I'm not working," Harry replied tactfully. "Peace of mind for me."
"When do you think you'll be ready to jump back into the studio again?" John asked eagerly, still hanging over my shoulder as he questioned Harry. I realized I was holding my breath as his body hovered over me.
"I don't care to discuss business tonight, but I appreciate your enthusiasm for my work," Harry said flatly as his gaze seared through John. "And if I'm not mistaken, I believe you're crashing this event and aren't actually supposed to be here."
John's face went pale. He wasn't used to be spoken to like this, especially from someone who held so much power and influence like Harry. I remained silent as I felt John remove himself from my shoulder, shrinking back as Harry took a small step towards me the moment John retreated.
"I'd be more than happy to give you my publicist's number and you two can set something up when I'm feeling up to it," Harry continued, perfectly professional. "But right now, I'd really like to just enjoy this lovely evening with Lucy." He suddenly reached out for me, grabbing my hand in his and tugging me away from John and pulling me safely back towards him.
John blinked, too stunned to be angry to argue, which I knew he was exceptional at. "Of course."
"And if I were you, I'd head out before anyone sees you and recognizes you," Harry told him; a gentle but firm warning. "I would hate for it to get back to the executives that a producer crashed their talent-only event when they were very strict about the rules and policies."
John nodded wordlessly. For the first time since I had known him, he was speechless and without a snarky comeback or a manipulative turn of the narrative. He was backed into a corner himself, entirely foreign territory to him.
"Have a good night." Harry lightly put his hand on the small of my back and guided me towards the front of the ballroom.
After we were out of earshot and the rattling of my heart against my ribcage had slowed, Harry gently tugged my arm, signaling me to stop walking.
"Hey, who...who was that guy?" Harry asked, carefully scanning my face for any detection of dishonesty that I might try to pull.
"A producer," I answered automatically. I had gone over this scenario thousands of times before in my head. I knew it was only a matter of time before I saw John again and he inevitably would approach me. I always had wondered if he would get me alone in private to torment me or if his uncontrollable arrogance would overtake him and he wouldn't care if he humiliated me in public when others were around to witness it. Tonight proved that he indeed didn't second guess harassing me in front of hundreds of people at an event he wasn't even supposed to be at.
"Yeah, but...how do you know him?" Harry prodded. I noticed that he still held onto my wrist.
"Long story; maybe for another time," I said with a small smile, even though I felt like I was going to throw up.
"Do you want me to have security-"
I shook my head, trying to appear unbothered despite my pounding headache. "Oh no; it's fine. He's...he's harmless," I lied effortlessly.
Harry's eyes appeared darker than I had ever seen them. His jaw clenched, as if holding back from saying something.
"But thank you," I said, truly meaning it. I reached out and touched the top of his arm. "I appreciate it."
He didn't even know how much I actually appreciated it.
His expression softened as he nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but a sudden tap on my shoulder caused me to jump so high that I nearly threw my drink across the room.
"Jesus, you scare easily," Ethan said with a loud laugh as I faced him. "I can't believe you're still here. We all were placing bets on if you left or not." He looked over his shoulder and called, "Finn, you won." He turned back to me. "Finn was the only one of us who said that you didn't bail."
The rest of the group, except for Quinn, was behind Ethan and everyone was chatting away happily, still enjoying themselves, except for Finn. He was watching me from behind Ethan, looking unsettled and concerned. I smiled at him and he smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I just stepped out for some air," I explained simply, readjusting my dress that I nearly leapt out of.
"Yeah, that's what Finn said." Ethan smirked. "But we all thought that you definitely ditched after he tried to kiss you or something and you rejected him."
"Don't be stupid." I rolled my eyes, blushing fiercely. I sipped my drink, wanting my thoughts to stop racing. "That would never happen."
Ethan chuckled again and peered over my shoulder as his glassy eyes got wide. He leaned down and asked me lowly, "Is...is that Harry Styles standing behind you?"
"Oh!"
I stepped to the side and beckoned Harry forward. He strolled up, running his fingers through his hair before offering Ethan his free hand.
"Harry," he greeted him with a sincere smile that was the exact opposite of the introduction he gave John.
"Oh, shit, man," Ethan sputtered out, unable to contain his excitement. "You're actually Harry fucking Styles."
"I am Harry fucking Styles." He grinned, amused at Ethan's enthusiastic reaction. "And you are?"
"Ethan. Holy shit. I can't believe it." Ethan was a huge fan apparently; which was something I actually didn't know until this moment. "This is crazy. You're, like, so famous."
Harry shrugged, looking amused yet slightly uncomfortable by his well known status. "Some would say that."
"And that's Jackson, his brother," I continued, cutting off Ethan before he could say anything embarrassing that he would later regret when he was sober. I pointed at Jackson, who stepped closer and shook Harry's hand.
"Love your stuff, man," Jackson said kindly, keeping it together better than Ethan. "Great debut record."
"Thank you." Harry seemed genuinely touched as he bowed his head slightly. "That means a lot."
"Tally." She waved politely from a distance, though her eyes were wide and her jaw was hanging open. She looked like she was too stunned to come near him and just held her arm in the air in disbelief.
"And that's...that's Finn." I swallowed hard.
Finn carefully pushed his way forward and stepped up so he was eye level with Harry. For a split second, I was terrified that something bad was going to happen. But after a brief moment, Finn smiled warmly and shook Harry's hand. "Great to meet you. We're all big fans of your music."
"Thanks," Harry said, returning the grin. "I'm a big fan of your music as well."
I cranked my neck to look at him.
He was?
"You are?" Finn looked as shocked as I felt.
Harry nodded. "Oh yeah. I've seen you guys play a lot of times."
"What?" I whispered to him under my breath. There was no way this was even remotely true. It couldn't be...
"At your bar," Harry confirmed as he motioned to Tally. "You played every Saturday night before you got signed to our label."
I was stunned. He had seen us perform? He had seen me sing? I felt incredibly vulnerable at this unexpected discovery. I sort of wish I didn't know this new information.
"I usually sneak in right after your set starts," Harry went on, further proving what he was saying to be true. "No one really notices me if I stick close to the back and keep my head down." He nudged me with his elbow. "They're usually all too busy looking at you." He paused, sipping his drink before adding, "I also tend to get entirely wrapped up in you when you're on stage."
I blinked numbly. He knew my most personal thoughts and confessional songs. I couldn't believe it.
"I tried a few times to talk to you after your shows, but..." He glanced at me, but I kept my eyes cast downward to the floor. I felt dizzy. "You always tend to disappear."
"So how did...how did you meet Lucy then?" Ethan asked, vocalizing what everyone else was thinking. I could feel all their eyes on me.
"We both stepped out for some air on the same balcony tonight," Harry explained simply. "Very serendipitous considering she was the one and only person who immediately came to mind that I wanted to meet tonight."
My face blushed. I continued staring at the ground as Harry said, "We had a lovely chat outside and got a drink."
I felt my blood run cold. Was he going to mention John?
"I'm glad I found her actually," Harry noted, intentionally skipping over the less than pleasant interaction with John. "These events aren't really always...comfortable for me." He looked at me again. Every time I felt his gaze on me, my skin seemed to ignite. "So Lucy really was a lifesaver for me."
I took a mouthful of my own drink, unable to even register any of Harry's compliments in my reeling mind.
"She's all of our lifesavers," Finn agreed, also watching me out of the corner of his eye.
I suddenly felt very exposed. I was debating on what my next move should be or what I should say, but suddenly Quinn reappeared, quickly strutting over to us. She latched onto my arm, her blonde hair accidentally hitting me in my face as she pressed herself tightly against my side and squealed in relief, "Oh thank God! I thought you ditched us!"
"No, I would never," I assured her as I glanced down at her dress. Did it get tighter and shorter somehow?
"I thought you had abandoned the 'Get Quinn Laid Tonight' mission and I was going to have to go home all alone," she pouted at me sadly. "You said you'd come back with a guy for me and-"
That's when her eyes fell on Harry.
As if by magic, Quinn straightened up and puffed out her chest as she eyed Harry like a lion eyes its prey. She licked her red lips as she scanned him up and down with a hungry smile.
No, I thought immediately. This can't be happening.
"Well, hello," Quinn purred as she unhooked herself from my arm and took a step towards Harry. I fought the urge to reach out and yank her hair back to avoid her getting any closer to him.
"Hi," Harry said politely. My stare was glued to his eyes, silently wondering if his gaze would explore Quinn's svelte figure, even though her dress left little to the imagination. But Harry remained looking at her face; his eyes never dropped.
"I'm Quinn," she murmured softly as she extended her hand to him. She kept her fingers downward, a subtle sign that she wanted Harry's lips pressed against the top of her hand.
"Harry. Nice to meet you." To my surprise, Harry readjusted her hand and shook it carefully.
He kissed my hand, I remembered from the balcony instantly; but quickly shoved that thought to the back of my mind. It wasn't relevant.
Was it?
"Charmed." Quinn didn't falter. Her fingers lingered on Harry's for longer than was necessary for an introduction.
Quinn's blue eyes sparkled suggestively as she wasted no time and directly asked with no shame in her voice whatsoever, "Did you come here with someone?"
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear her hand out of Harry's. I wanted to take off running as fast as I could with Harry by my side.
But instead I just stood there with a smile on my face, choking back a loud shriek.
"My friend, Mitch," Harry said casually, finally letting go of Quinn's fingers. "But he left."
"Oh, so now do you need someone to keep you company?" Quinn closed the already small gap between them as I sidestepped out of her way. I resisted the desire to slam my shoulder against her, swallowing hard.
"Lucy has been doing a great job of keeping me company," Harry told her, to my upmost surprise.
"Has she?" Quinn raised an eyebrow at me, sensing a form of betrayal.
That made two of us, whether she knew it or not.
"She took my Old Fashioned virginity," Harry joked as he held up his drink, creating some space between himself and Quinn.
"How...sweet." Quinn shot me a look, silently asking if Harry was fair game.
He was, wasn't he? I had just met him tonight myself and knew he was recently single too, just like Quinn. Why shouldn't they hook up if they both wanted to? Wouldn't that be good for both of them to get over their exes? Especially since the whole point of tonight was to get Quinn out of her misery and into bed with someone else? Why shouldn't it be Harry, who was also getting over a breakup? Why should I care?
But I did. I cared so much.
Against every urge in my body, I gave in and nodded to her. Quinn took the immediate green light and I watched in horror as she twirled her finger around one of Harry's curls. He seemed unfazed. My stomach was in knots.
"Do you want to get out of here?" She asked him in a low voice, barely loud enough to hear.
I turned around and just then noticed that the rest of my friends had dispersed and wandered off. Finn and Jackson were at the bar again and Tally and Ethan were nowhere to be found, probably dancing or locked in a closet somewhere. I started to walk away, leaving Harry and Quinn to do whatever they decided to do, when I heard Harry call out my name.
"Lucy, wait!"
I spun back around, looking confused. Harry was staring at me.
Say something, I begged him silently.
He averted his attention back to Quinn, who was waiting for his reply. "Quinn, it was great meeting you and perhaps at another time, I would have taken your very generous and thoughtful offer, but..."
Harry quickly looked back at me. His green eyes undid me every time.
"But I have a girlfriend and I don't think she would appreciate any disloyalty from me," Harry blurted out. "That's not who I am."
I was floored and had to remind myself to keep my mouth closed.
He didn't have a girlfriend. I knew this. We both knew this.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Quinn was mortified, covering her face with her perfectly manicured hands as she took a step back. "I had no idea!"
"I didn't either," I said to her, watching Harry from a few feet away. His green eyes flashed with mystery as he pressed his lips to the brim of his drink.
"I hope you don't take my rejection to heart," Harry told her softly. "I just...my girlfriend..."
"You don't have to explain yourself or apologize at all," Quinn told him sincerely. "I'm a lot of things, but I am not the other woman." She held her head up high, bolstered by her morality and dignity.
I had to hand it to Quinn; she was really something.
"It was great meeting you anyway," Quinn said to Harry quickly with a small wave, wanting to avoid even more embarrassment. She walked over to me and whispered in my ear, "Thanks for trying. Fucking Harry Styles would have been legendary. I appreciate you trying to get the best of the best for me."
I nodded at her, feeling like I was in a daze. "I thought he was single," I told her honestly.
I know he's single, I should have said.
"I wish." Quinn sighed heavily, though she still wasn't entirely defeated. "But the bartender is my next choice, so I'll be back."
Quinn patted me lightly on my shoulder as she retreated back towards Finn and Jackson, who were still in line at the bar with their backs to us. I watched her leave and felt Harry move next to me, brushing against my side ever so slightly.
"Girlfriend, huh?" I smirked.
Harry laughed, rocking on his heels before his eyes went serious. "I kept your secret. You can keep mine."
John isn't a secret, I was about to say; but knew it was a lie.
Instead I nodded and lifted my glass to him. Harry followed suit.
"To secrets, Lucy Evans."
"To many more, Harry Styles."