Cliché || H.S.

Chapter 5

I wake the morning after the concert feeling lighter than I have in the past two weeks. Harry and I had a lot of fun last night. More fun than I've had in awhile. Besides the awkwardness about me giving him what definitely came across as a pity invite to my house, the night went smoothly. He was a perfect gentleman, more than I can say about any of the guys that I've actually gone out with. 

While we wait for a studio light to get fixed, Safia, Harry, and I are sitting on a prop couch. I'm fighting off sleep, having stayed up way too late last night. Safia and Harry have been chatting, and I listen in and out of their conversation. "Lil sent me a picture from last night. How did you score seats like that so last minute?" Safia asks, and I listen more intently. I had the same question, but I totally forgot to ask him.

"My friend Kendall got them for me. Travis is kind of a... friend of the family you could say," Harry informs, and now my interest is piqued, but I stay quiet. Safia, however, does not, "As in Jenner? As in your ex girlfriend?" Leave is to Saf to be straight forward. My stomach tightens while I wait for a response. I can feel Harry practically squirming, uncomfortable by the change of direction.

"Um, yeah. I guess she is," he says. You guess? Part of me feels dirty. It feels wrong getting tickets for our date because of someone else he dated. But it wasn't a real date, I have to remind myself. I shouldn't care, but I can't help but listen more intently. Even with him admitting it, Safia is far from done with him, "do you make a habit of talking to all your ex girlfriends?"

Harry's swallows what I assume to be the lump in his throat before answering Saf, "If we ended on good terms then yes, I guess." Safia stares at him unamused. "You seem to guess a lot," she states with a sense of finality. She goes back to her phone, clearly done with the conversation. Harry's eyes shoot between the two of us, uncertain of what just happened.

A lot of their conversation doesn't sit well with me. He really keeps in contact with all of his ex girlfriends? The lightness that I felt this morning is non-existent now. I cake it up to the fact that him being in contact with this girl could undermine this whole process if he's not more careful. And I'll be seen as the poor lonely girl who was cheated on because she wasn't good enough. 

The rest of the day dragged. Usually Harry and I joke our way through, but I wasn't in the mood. We had to suffer through three more lighting malfunctions, so by the time we wrapped our last scene of the day I was dying to get out of here. Once I changed back into my own clothes, I did a once over of the room to make sure I wasn't leaving anything behind. As I turned to the door, a production assistant poked her head in the room getting my attention, "Nina asked me to send you to her office," she states, all business before turning back the way she came. You have got to be kidding me.

I check my phone before entering Nina's office and the time reads 8pm. Today was a thirteen hour day, and if this meeting goes long I might lose it. I take a calming breath before walking through the large wooden door to find Harry already sitting by her oak desk. Nina is speaking in hushed tones with her assistant but sends her away when she sees me coming into the room.

"Please, have a seat Lilian," she gestures to the chair beside Harry before continuing, "this should be quick and then you two can be on your way." I let out a relieved sigh. Harry chuckles beside me, and I realize how obvious my relief must have been. Nina doesn't acknowledge me and starts talking, "I'm very pleased with you two, the pictures and video at the concert are getting a lot of engagement. There are some mixed reactions, but quite a few people aren't buying it. Saying that you guys are only hanging out with each other because you're doing a movie together," Nina is all business, glancing between Harry and I like she's looking for an explanation.

"In a way we are," I tell her, "I'm not sure what more we can do." Nina looks exhausted by my response. "I suppose there's nothing more you can really do, but trying to ramp it up a little is what I'm saying. Throw in a kiss or something. At least hold hands for crying out loud. You're both very capable actors, and a lot is riding on you two doing your jobs," Nina calls her assistant back into the room which I take as our cue to leave. I thought the deal was that we just had to raise speculation, but now we have to try and prove it? That definitely wasn't part of the deal. Six months and this will all be over, I remind myself. It doesn't change the fact that I want to hit something. This day couldn't have felt any longer.

Harry stands from the leather chairs with me and we walk towards the thinning parking lot. If he's bothered by Nina's remarks, he isn't showing it. I'm content with remaining silent, but Harry breaks it, "Did I do something wrong? You seemed off this afternoon."

I really was avoiding this conversation but there's no point in lying now, "you need to be more careful. If people are supposed to think we're together but you're off with your ex girlfriend how does that look?" Harry looks a bit taken aback.

"I wasn't running off with her," he says defensively, "we're friends so I texted her and asked for a favor. Why do you care what people think so much anyways?" His tone makes me angry. Who does he think he is, being so condescending towards me? "This job means everything to me. And those 'people' and what they think have the ability to make or break my career, which I actually care about," I speed up my walk, trying to get to my car as soon as possible. He speeds up his pace with me.

"I'm sorry, Lil- wait up," he reaches for my arm and spins me towards him. I plant my feet and cross my arms over my chest. If my face doesn't look mad, at least my body language does. "I didn't mean that you were wrong to care what people think. I guess I just kind of forgot that this could be more than just playing into Nina's game. I'll be more careful, okay? I don't want to mess this up for you." He looks genuine but I'm still skeptical.

"I'll see it when I believe it," I tell him. He seems satisfied with my answer, even though I wasn't accepting his apology. Actions speak louder than words, and until he proves himself I don't trust it. We walk in silence for a moment before Harry speaks up, his voice barely above a whisper, "Hey Lil?"

"Hm?"

"Um, for research, what's the best date you've ever been on?" The question catches me off guard, especially following the lecture I just gave him. The saddest part is that I don't even have to think about it, "I'm not sure I've really ever been on an actual date. So I guess I don't have one."

"What do you mean you've never been on a date before?" Harry wears a shocked expression, practically yelling the question. "Well in high school my parents were pretty strict, plus I was a theater kid which left me with limited options. Then in college hookup culture was all the rage. I did have one guy take me to dinner, but he was definitely expecting sex afterwards. After that I moved to LA and learned that the guys were slimy pretty quickly, so I tend to stay out of the dating scene. So that leaves me with none, unless you count ours," the truth behind my words almost makes me feel sorry for myself. How can you be 24 years old and never gone on a real date?

"That's it," Harry begins, reaching for both of my hands, "leave Saturday open. Lilian O'Brien, I am going to show you what a real date should be." His green eyes go huge, and I can tell he's excited about this. My chest warms at his reaction, but I still know all of the implications of our date. "So should you tip off the paparazzi? Or should I?"

"Nope, no paparazzis, just you and me. You can just take a photo and post it on Instagram or something later. Or it can be our little secret. Deal?"

"Okay... But I'm still watching you Styles," I can't help the smile that creeps across my face, the anger from earlier beginning to dissipate. I don't know why, but it's almost impossible to stay mad at this guy. It makes me feel weak. Harry offers to walk me the rest of the way to my car and I told him there was no need, but he insisted. Said he wouldn't have me walking by myself at night. It's sweet, I've never had a boy walk me anywhere beside their bedroom before.

Once we get to my car, Harry opens the door for me and I climb in. "Goodnight Lilian, drive safe," he says before shutting my door for me. Before he can get very far I roll down my window and call out to him, "wait," he stops and turns back to me, "what's the best date you've ever been on?"

His face breaks into a smile before he raises his voice across the parking lot to me, "the other night I took a girl to a concert not knowing if she liked the artist, but she knew every single word. I think that was my favorite." He doesn't wait for me to respond before turning on his heel and walking to his own car, leaving me completely stunned.