Labels || H.S. [#Wattys2020]

SIXTY-TWO

Hailey looked at both of them, trying to hide the disgust on her face, but ultimately failing. Louis could see right away what Hailey was thinking, and what this could mean for Reagan and Harry. As much as he hated himself for putting Harry in this situation, he was starting to hate this Hailey girl even more so. Quickly though he responded, "No, of course not. We just like to play along with whatever the paps publish in the tabloids, it's all a bunch of rubbish is what it is." He finished with a chuckle.

Hailey turned her gaze towards Reagan and Harry, both of them laughing along with Louis and trying to act normally.

"Really?" Hailey asked.

"You know how it is, Hailey." Louis said, walking towards her. "I mean, that's why you're here after all, isn't it?"

"What?"

"You know, to be Harry's new love interest. The paps will eat it up."

"So you guys pretended to be together?" Hailey said, turning back to look at Harry and Reagan.

Harry did not want to answer, in fact he just wanted to dart out of the room. As if he and Reagan weren't in a bad enough spot already. To have to answer this question, even if he didn't mean it? He felt as if he were just proving all of Reagan's thoughts true.

"No, god no." Reagan said, not hesitating one bit, "Those headlines were taken way out of context. Besides, I work here. Could you imagine the mess?" She said, smirking and crossing her arms in front of her chest. Harry thought she said it a little too easily, almost as if she could possibly mean it.

Hailey didn't look convinced though, especially by the way Harry was fidgeting. But she figured that for now she would let it go, "Yeah, you're right. I knew it wasn't true the moment I saw it." She added.

"Why is that?" Louis asked, his brow furrowed.

Hailey silently swore to herself, realizing that this was not the moment to act snarkily, she had a role to play after all, "Oh, well, you know. I always figured he was linked to girls just to start some publicity. Isn't that why I'm here after all?" She said pointedly to Louis.

Louis smiled eerily, trying to hold back his own comments. He was the king of sass after all, to have someone like Hailey strut in and challenge him irked him something fierce.

"So then, if you're not really dating Harry, then I imagine you're free?" Niall asked, clearly not reading the situation. He didn't notice the tension in the room, not like everyone else did. He was too lost in Hailey's hazel eyes and her floral smell. The tension itself was palpable, something that Liam could feel, even though he was nowhere in the middle of it. Niall though certainly did not notice the jabs Hailey was attempting to take at Reagan, nor did Harry for that reason. Both kind hearted boys believed most of what Hailey said, again, giving her the benefit of the doubt and trying to see the good in her. For Niall though it was more of being to hypnotized by her beauty than trying to look past the exterior as Harry tended to do.

"Just leave her be, Niall." Harry said, pulling his mate's arm and giving him a stern look.

Niall sighed, "Whatever." And trudged off, walking back to his guitar. They all watched as he picked it up off the floor and pathetically strummed a few cords. All of them too aware of the fact that this situation was off.

"Well, if we're done here," Reagan said, turning back to her work and pushing through the awkward lull in the conversation, "I'm sure you boys have an album name to come up with."

The boys grunted, only Harry quietly peeked at Reagan to see if she would give him any type of sign that things were okay between them. But she didn't. In fact she just typed away on her laptop, pretending she didn't feel Harry's gaze upon her.