mutuality | wroetoshaw

forty eight

HERE WE GOOOO (p.s. I'm aware that the photo used in this chapter is of Harry and Katie - once again let's just pretend it is Tilly thank you xxx)

All had been normal until we'd landed back in London the following day.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Kon exclaims, catching quite literally everyone's attention as we're all waiting for Ubers home.

"What?" Josh asks, the first to do so, despite everyone looking over at Kon warily.

"Have none of you guys watched your new video yet?" He asks, clearly stressing out, catching my eye twice already.

"No. It only went up a couple hours ago, what's the issue? It's just a normal football video, no? Nothing too chaotic," Josh continues, but Kon is really putting people on edge now.

"I didn't edit this one — I — I let one of the newer editors work on it. I told him to just post it, I didn't have time to look through it. Matilda, you're in the background for literally half the video in Harry's jumper," he says, and I knew that things had been too coincidental. Things had been too good.

We had been too lucky, too many times.

"Delete it. Take the video down, I'm being so serious," Harry says instantly, taking several steps towards Kon, leaving my side.

"Do it," Ethan agrees, and soon enough everyone here is on the same page, all wanting to delete it.

I remain quiet, in too much shock to actually comprehend anything yet.

"It's deleted," Kon says, managing to do it from his phone. "But it's been out for hours — the views were on —" he starts, but Harry interrupts him.

"We don't need to know the views. Where the fuck are the Ubers?" Harry asks frustratedly, scratching his head.

"Are you okay?" Kirsty asks me, the first time I've actually properly been acknowledged yet. Faith and Freya are also near enough to hear Kirsty ask, coming either side of me.

"I, uh — don't know? Ask me tomorrow morning," I say truthfully, my head a complete mess at the minute.

"We love you. It'll be alright, whatever happens. The fans might not even put two and two together," Faith says, but I already know she's just being nice.

If I saw someone in my idols jumper, I would probably have some questions too.

"Tilly, Uber is here," Harry calls, coming over to me with his hand held out.

"Girls, I'll message you tomorrow, I promise. Love you," I say to them, saying goodbye to everyone else too, managing to avoid talking to Kon, because that was not a conversation I wanted to have right now.

Harry holds the door open for me, letting me climb into the back of the Uber first.

He looks at me and takes a deep breath, and I watch his chest rise and fall before he finally speaks. "Most importantly, are you okay?"

I look at him and the weight of what has actually happened sinks in. It takes everything in me to not just break down and cry in this Uber, so I just shake my head, looking up to avoid any tears from falling out.

"I'm so sorry, Til," he says softly, unplugging his seatbelt so he can properly sit next to me, arms wrapped round me as best as he can in a car, trying to give me a bear hug.

"It'll be fine, right? Tell me it will be fine," I sniff into his chest, knowing that he's the only person I need to calm me down.

"Til, I can't promise it'll be fine, but I can promise that I'll be here whatever happens. We will be okay," he whispers, stroking my hair reassuringly.