For one of the few times in my life I sashay with confidence into the busy canteen.  Admittedly, I might have dressed up more than I usually do for college and applied a tad more make-up but there is no doubt in my mind the reason I feel like a million dollars today.  My gorgeous new hair style has been turning heads all day.   

Olive has grabbed our usual seat and I practically glide over to her with my head held high and a brimming smile.   

"Hello, how's things?" I greet her overly cheerfully.  

"Good, how are you?"  She narrows her eyes at me.  Her elbow rests on the table top, index finger against her cheek and her chin is supported on her fingers as she studies me.

"I've had so many compliments about my hair Olive you would not believe.  If you are not fully booked up between now and the end of term I will be very surprised."  My hands gesture animatedly to exaggerate my sentiments.  

She doesn't respond but instead regards me in complete silence then leans back on her chair, clasping her hands together on the tabletop in front of her. 

"What?"  I ask as her silence is confusing me.

She simply replies. "It's Thursday." 

"Yes it is." I nod in agreement but still feeling confused as to its relevance.

A look of disbelief crosses her features.  "But you are calm and happy and, I can't quite believe I am about to say this, you are practically bouncing!" The 'b' of bouncing smacks from her lips. 

"Yes, so, I am happy today and it's all down to you, hairdresser extraordinaire!"

"Right.  Much as I would love to take sole credit for your vivaciousness today, I think there's more to it than that."  She responds skeptically.   

"No, just happy." I cock my head to the side and rest my cheek on my shoulder, smiling at her.   

"This happy you speak of can only be attributed to one of three things."  She sucks her cheeks in and wiggles her head from side to side knowingly. 

"No, it's only my hair but carry on, I am sure you are going to enlighten me anyway."

"One, you didn't go to Summer Haze yesterday, two, you did go but Mr Mysteriously Moody wasn't in or three, you did go and something happened.  Which is it?" She is blunt and to the point, folding her arms and cocking her eyebrow.

"This has nothing to do with Summer Haze, I'm just happy that's all but if you want I can do miserable, up to you?"  I answer nonchalantly, my happiness dampening down by the second at her persistence at bringing him into our conversations every time we meet.

"Don't turn on the sass with me Missy Lil, did you go or not?" She raises her eyebrows at me and keeps them there knowing full well I will succumb to her questioning.   

I sigh and roll my eyes.  "Ok, I did go in the end, Mum made it difficult for me not to."

We then proceed to have one of our rounds of quick-fire questions, stare-out competitions.  She asks the questions and I am expected to answer.       

"And?"

"And what?"

"Did you see him?"

"Yes I did."

"Did he apologise."

"Yes he did."

"Did you apologise."

"Yes I did."

"And."

"And what?"

"Oh come on, the suspense is killing me, what happened, tell me!"

"Why do you assume that anything happened?"  She really is making this into something bigger than it needs to be. 

Her volume increases as she becomes more and more exasperated with me.  "Because, new hair style or not, You. Are. Still. Bloody. Bouncing!"  She throws her hands up in the air in frustration.

I giggle at her actions then bite my lip in seriousness once more.  "He invited me in for tea."

She snorts loudly, "Oh really! Lil how la de da and refined."

"Heyyy, he didn't have to." I frown defensively. 

"Tell me, tell me, tell me, what's he like?"  She leans closer to me from across the table, eager for information.

I nod as his image floats into my head, "Nice actually."

"Nice?  Nice?  My dad's prized collection of miniature motorbikes is nice, my mum's selection of patterned silk scarves are nice."  She glances at me expectantly. 

"Ok, he's-," I consider some words to describe him, "a gentleman, and very attentive, intense but in an interestingly kind way.  I don't know how many other words do you want?"

"So, not frustratingly annoyingly moody anymore?"

"Well no, not yesterday, he was-."  I pout my lips trying to find a word.

She raises her eyebrows in waiting. "He was-?"

"He said my hair was nice."

"Woah, what!"

"Yes."

"There's that damn word again.  Your hair quite frankly is magnificent even if I do say so myself."

"Olive, the word is irrelevant.  I hardly know the guy and he complimented my hair.  I mean, I'm flattered but don't you think that's a bit much." 

She looks at me intensely.

I huff.  "Why are you staring at me like that?  You look just like he did."

"Just like he did huh?" Her mouth is open, her tongue pushing behind her front teeth in contemplation.

"Yes, just like he did." I state again, annoyed at the route our conversation has taken. I dislike attention on me and prefer hearing about Olive's latest escapades.   

"Why wouldn't he stare at you, why wouldn't anyone stare at you?  You really have no idea how beautiful you are do you?"  Her hand covers mine and squeezes it.   

I close my eyes and flinch.  "Thank you but don't."

"Oh, so it's ok for Mr Mick to compliment you but not your Bestie?"  She makes a face and pokes her index finger against my arm. 

"No of course not, I just, you know-"

"No, I don't know, you've gone from practically High School Musical dancing across the canteen into hiding mode in that shell of yours again and stopped bouncing.  I shall remind you what I think, there's something between you, I know it."

"Don't go all OTT.  It was simply lovely not to be at each other's throats for a change and just chat."

"Hmmm, I've got to go but something tells me Mr Mick will be inviting you in for more than tea in the coming weeks."

"Oh Olive behave, it's not like that.  He's got a girlfriend, remember."

"We'll see." She has that wicked looked in her eye. "Oh before I go I almost forgot, I saw Dylan about his man 'do' today and he reminded me 24/7 have a gig in a few weeks.  The tickets go on sale tomorrow but he's already reserved us two, hope that's ok?"

"Yes great, thanks for sorting.  You're not here tomorrow though are you?"

"No, it's work placement day at the salon in town."

"Well after what happened last time with the ticket office selling them by mistake, I'll make sure I pick them up first thing and pay for them."

"Great, thanks Lil, we don't want to be sneaking in through the back again do we!"

"Certainly don't!"

"Now start bouncing again, I like it when you bounce!" Her laugh follows her as she walks away leaving me with a smile so wide again I feel as though I've conquered the world. 

However, after she disappears and I sit alone to finish my lunch, my mind plays back our conversation.  Her words "Mr Mick" come back to me and stick in my thoughts.  I feel guilty at deceiving her and it doesn't sit comfortably within me.  But I promised myself and Harry that I would keep quiet.

I am so undecidedly torn. 

She is my best friend and I've never lied to her.  We've been through everything together since we were eight.  She is loyal, trustworthy, heartfelt and protective.  She is my support, my rock, my soundboard, my honesty, my confidence booster.  She was there for me when I was bullied at primary school, she comforted me through my devastation when my grandma died suddenly and when I fell hard for my first, him who cheated on me, she held me whilst I cried, bitter and raging against the world. 

She listened to me question, analyse, and then re-question over and over again why he did it, what was wrong with me, that I was unattractive and boring and every other negative word that was in my vocabulary.  She listened, never passed judgement, cuddled me and told me I was beautiful and would be fine.  She said my prince would come one day and love me unconditionally and that prince would be an exceptionally lucky man indeed. 

To the outside world she is confidence personified but underneath, doubts in her ability to achieve constantly fester and that is what drives her to succeed.  She has said so many times before that it is my friendship that keeps her real, keeps her feet as much on the ground as they can be with her flamboyant tendencies.  She says I balance her and calm her when she needs it.  My biggest fear is that if I lie to her, she will never forgive me and it will break us forever.

So is keeping quiet really worth possibly ruining all that? No, it certainly isn't.

But then I think of Harry.  Of course, I don't owe him anything, I hardly know him, but I did promise I would keep schtum. 

Something I'd forgotten until recently is that the property rental agreement has a clause outlining tenant confidentiality.  He's already admitted that only his closest loved ones know where he is so, if his whereabouts got out, the only finger that would be pointed would be in my direction. 

If the agreement conditions were breached, that could have serious consequences.  He was charming yesterday but I've seen how his mood can be.  My family could suffer financially if they had to pay the money back.   It's not just my parents, the house is jointly owned by my mum, my aunt and my uncle.  My uncle especially needs the regular income after his business went bust last year. Being who Harry is, it could get nasty if he decided to pursue it further and sue.  These famous types have the means to always take things to the extreme to prove their point.  Drastic I know but altogether possible. 

I mull it over all afternoon but it isn't until I am driving home from college that I decide once and for all.  He is only here for five more months and then he will leave.  I will not tell her.  She never needs to know.