Spotlight on Nobody

- 41 -

~ Almost (Sweet Music) by Hozier ~

One thing about Leo: he's humble. Perhaps a bit too humble, I think as we roll up to his house in the Los Feliz neighborhood of LA. A few weeks ago, I had asked him where we would be staying when we got to LA, to which he responded – and I quote – "I have a little place to crash."

"Little, my ass," I mutter under my breath as Logan puts the car in park. A charming but not-at-all-small Spanish Colonial looms in front of me, the smooth white façade painted pink by the sunset, complimented by the warm terra cotta tiles on the roof. Rounded arches grace the dark wooden doors and windows, making the house look like a face scrunched up in a smile. A camphor tree, massive in size and beauty, shades the left side of the house, spreading branches all the way to what I assume is the backyard.

I hop out of the car before either Logan or Leo can open my door for me, and dash to the front entrance. After a day in transit, I am in desperate need of a shower and food, in that order. Even though I trust Leo has kind and non-judgmental friends, I want them to meet the best version of me, and that includes not smelling like B.O. with my hair tangled in a rat's nest.

The lights in the house are on, and I swear I can see the flicker of fire light dancing across the walls in the front room, meaning that someone built a fire. As foreign as it is to me, my insight on the life of fame and fortune these past few months leads me to believe that Leo has a staff of people who have prepared the house for his return. Any other day I would find this ludicrous, but the idea that there may be warm food and freshly washed sheets waiting just around the door has me sprinting even faster.

As I'm bounding up the front steps – admittedly already panting due to my deficit of daily cardio – the large front door suddenly swings open, a familiar face grinning at me widely.

"You must be Nell," he says in a charming British accent.

Luckily, I skid to a stop before I barrel into him. For a second I stare at him completely dumbfounded. However, I quickly recover and turn to Leo.

"Oh, fuck you," I say to him through an exasperated laugh. Leo bursts out laughing at my reaction to his friend.

"Really? Harry fucking Styles?" I exclaim, still staring at Leo. I know, this is not the common reaction when meeting a man of Harry Styles' caliber but come on. The fact that Leo tried to make it seem like tonight was just a chill evening with some old friends and then pulls this on me? Truly, I'm not mad; in fact, I think it's rather funny that Harry Styles just opened a door for me like a mother who is excited to see her kids return home from school.

"Usually, people are much more excited to meet me," I hear Harry remark from behind me. I turn back, realizing I've been quite rude, but I just couldn't help it. I can still hear Leo's laugh floating from behind me, probably both amused at my reaction as well as Harry's.

Harry Styles is standing in front of me. I finally let it sink in. Harry fucking Styles. As the gravity of the situation begins to sink in, I feel my cheeks heat up, a blush coloring my features. But then I notice the absence of butterflies in my stomach; there's no goosebumps on my arms; I'm entirely lacking the unattractive pooling of nervous sweat that I am unfortunately prone to. I relax into the realization that though I may be star struck, Harry doesn't make me nervous. I'd like to think that it's because being with Leo for this long has acclimated me to celebrities, but I have a feeling it's more because I only have eyes for Leo. I only care about impressing Harry to the extent that I want him to approve of me as a partner for Leo. I feel no ounce of attraction towards this pop sensation.

"She's quite immune to the allures of fame," Leo states from behind me, walking up the steps and wrapping his arms around my waist.

Finally, I find my voice and sputter smartly, "Quite the opposite." I lean forward. "I'm only with Leo for the free stuff," I whisper with a conspiratorial wink to Harry. Leo squeezes my waist, a screeching laugh escaping my lips as he tickles me. He releases me and I step forward, finally extending my hand to Harry.