Pictures surfaced in the media the following day of Louis leaving Cirque Le Soir with 'a mystery blonde', but I was relieved to discover that my attempts to keep my face hidden from the cameras had worked, and I was completely unrecognisable. There were a couple of stories in the tabloids speculating about mine and Louis' 'hook-up', 'one night stand' and 'possible fledgling relationship' but as there were no clear photographs of my face, and therefore nothing to go on, the stories focussed more on Louis' apparent drunkenness, his new-found freedom and the two month break in the On The Road Again tour. One amateur gossip publication tried to claim they had inside information that I was a stripper called Olivia, whom Louis had hired for the evening, but this wasn't entertained even for a second by the One Direction fandom and was belittled and ridiculed on Twitter until the story was eventually removed. Only Sarah and Callie knew that I was the girl in question, and once the initial shock of seeing myself in a national newspaper had worn off, we cackled gleefully at my accomplishment of being photographed with Louis fucking Tomlinson without anyone else realising who I was.

Louis texted me every day that week, and found the whole 'Olivia' claim hilarious (once he had made sure I wasn't upset by any of it). By Friday I was a nervous wreck again in anticipation of the house party at his place. I wasn't sure how many people would be going or what the dress code would be, but he had already dropped into conversation the invitation of staying over, and told me to bring a bag with me if I wanted to - with the stipulation of 'no pressure.' I knew where things were likely to lead, and I was fine with this. It felt less like a one night stand now I had spent a couple of evenings with him, and had been texting him in between. And to be perfectly honest, I'd had enough of upholding my morals and was in the mood to let my hair down for once and do something a little out of character. The fact that Louis could have any girl he wanted, yet had maintained an interest in me despite me turning him down twice, gave me the self-justification I needed.

He hadn't mentioned Sarah at any point when we had been discussing the party over text, and I didn't want to ask if I could bring a friend along. I spent the night before flipping through my wardrobe with both Sarah and Callie at my side, trying on outfits that would hopefully knock him dead but also look casual and effortless. We settled on a pair of black skinny jeans, black ankle boots and a soft, loose, fine-knit jumper that skimmed my waist, with a pair of discreet silver hoop earrings and a couple of chunky rings on my fingers. When Friday night finally arrived I spent an hour getting myself ready, curling my hair into chunky waves and applying some neutral make up to look natural yet polished. I drank a small glass of wine while I waited for my nails to dry, and then called a cab to Louis' house in Barnet (he had texted me his address). I took a small bag with me containing a few toiletries and a change of clothes for the next day, and threw couple of condoms in there too, just to be on the safe side. 

By the time the cab pulled up outside a large detached house with wrought iron railings and a set of wooden double gates, my heart was thumping in my chest again and my hands were clammy. I wiped my palms nervously on my jeans before paying the driver, and then climbed out of the car clutching my bag and walked up to the gates. I pressed the security buzzer, and after a couple of seconds a familiar voice greeted me.

"Olivia! Come on in."

Before I could answer with a sassy retort the gates began to open slowly, and I quickly adjusted my top and walked forward with trembling legs onto the driveway, catching sight of the security camera positioned just above me that must have been linked to a video monitor inside the house. Of course, I reasoned. Louis was a multi-million pound star. His security would obviously be top-notch. As I approached the large, grey front door, set back between two beige pillars, it swung open and Louis beamed out at me, leaning casually against the frame with a bottle of beer in his hand.

"You made it," he smiled.

"Of course," I smiled back. "I wouldn't want to be the first girl to stand you up, would I? Even if I am the hired stripper for the evening,"

He chuckled softly as he stood to the side to let me in. "Promises, promises." 

I hesitated awkwardly in the hallway while he shut the door behind us, and then he leaned forward to give me a kiss on the cheek. At the last second I turned my face so his lips landed on mine, and felt his mouth curve into a smile as he lingered there for a couple of seconds. He was cleanly shaven so his skin was soft and smooth, and his cologne smelled fresh and citrusy, and irresistibly sexy.

"You look great," he said when he pulled away, and I felt my cheeks burn at the compliment, and at my own forwardness. 

"Thanks," I replied a little breathlessly, and his eyes twinkled, presumably at the obvious effect his words had on me. 

"Is that an overnight bag?" he asked, pointing to the small bag in my left hand. "Do you want to leave it in the cupboard by the stairs for now?"

"Um, yeah, that's great, thanks," I replied, and he took it from me, looking rather pleased with himself about something, and stowed it safely away.

"Come through and meet everyone," he said, inclining his head and starting to walk down the hall. "I'll get you a drink. What would you like?"

"I don't mind," I said, feeling suddenly shy. "I'll have anything."

We entered a large, spacious kitchen where about twenty people were gathered in small groups around a rectangular island unit, holding glasses or bottles of beer. My heart missed a beat as I recognised Lou Teasdale, One Direction's hair and makeup artist, standing with a glass of wine in her hand chatting to a pretty, slim, blonde girl that I recognised with a jolt as Lottie Tomlinson, Louis' younger sister. I managed to keep my face straight and look away before they noticed me staring, my insides now trembling fiercely with excitement.

Be cool, I urged myself, silently. Just be cool! 

"I've got white wine, red wine, rosé," Louis offered, peering into the fridge. "I've got beer if you'd prefer, or what about Pimms, with some lemonade? Or I've got a couple of different types of vodka, Jack Daniel's..."

"White wine would be lovely, thanks," I replied.

"Any preference?" he asked, and I detected a hint of nervousness in his voice that made me think that just maybe he was feeling a little skittish around me, too. This thought put me at ease. "Pinot, Chardonnay...?"

"Um, Pinot, if you have it," I answered, timidly, hoping I wasn't being too fussy. "But only if it's open. I like most white wines."

He smiled as he poured me a glass of Pinot Grigio, and handed it to me. "Just help yourself to anything you want," he said. "There's loads in this fridge, and I've got more in the utility room."

I took the drink from him and he clinked the rim of his beer against my glass. "Cheers," he said. "It's good to see you again. And nice to be able to hear you properly, for a change."

"Good to see you, too," I replied, nodding my head. "I've been looking forward to it."

Wait, what? That wasn't cool - rewind! 

He smiled, almost a little shyly, and looked down at his bottle. "Yeah, funnily enough, so have I."

I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't thought my comment was embarrassing or lame, and felt a tingle of excitement at the smile on his face. The Louis I had seen in interviews and videos always seemed so confident. It was strange (but amazing) to encounter this shyer, more humble Louis. I was graced with a sudden moment of understanding that as much as I may have assumed to "know" him as a fan, I actually only "knew" the persona created by the media and One Direction's PR team. I knew nothing of the real Louis Tomlinson, and I was struck by a jolt of excitement at the idea of finding out more.

"Lou," he was saying, addressing Lou Teasdale, who looked up from her conversation with Lottie with a smile. "This is Jess that I was telling you about."

"Oh hi, Jess," Lou smiled, stepping around Louis to give me a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to meet you! Louis has told me all about you."

I inwardly squealed at this news, but attempted to keep my face straight. "All good, I hope?"

"Is there anything bad?" Louis winked at me mischievously.

I was tempted to reply with "Just wait and see later," but I wasn't confident enough to come out with such a bold statement in front of Louis' friends, and in truth I would have felt a little crass with such an obvious come-on. Even if I was thinking it.

Instead I just smiled sweetly at Louis, which seemed to have the same effect, as his eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed me, and I caught a hint of a smirk on his face that let me know that although I hadn't said my dirty thoughts out loud, he was definitely on that wavelength already. My stomach pinched in anticipation, and I took a sip of my wine and turned my attention back to Lou to disguise my flush of excitement.

Louis introduced me to Lottie and her boyfriend Tommy, and we spent half an hour chatting about hair and makeup, while Louis stood to the side and talked football with Tommy a couple of his other mates. We were in the middle of a discussion about sea salt spray when Oli appeared and informed Louis that one of their friends was currently being sick in one of Louis' upstairs bathrooms, and had apparently made a mess of the bath.

"Fucking hell," Louis moaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "It isn't even ten o'clock yet. What's he playing at? What's he been drinking?"

"He found some of that Ouzo in the drinks cupboard," Oli replied. "He was knocking it back earlier and I don't think it agrees with him."

"I don't fucking agree with him either," Louis snapped. "He isn't staying here tonight, puking up everywhere. Will you call his mum and get her to come and collect him? Or tell her we'll put him in a taxi. I'll go upstairs and see to him now."

He turned to me apologetically. "Sorry about this, darlin'. I'll have to go and assess the damage. I'll be as quick as I can."

"Take your time, it's fine," I said. "Do you need a hand or anything?"

Louis shook his head firmly. "It won't be pretty. I wouldn't subject you to that - you'd never want to see me again! I'll sort him out and be back down as quickly as I can."

"She'll be fine with us," Lou chipped in, and Louis shot her a grateful smile. 

"Lots - can you answer the door if anyone else arrives," he called over his shoulder, and Lottie nodded as he disappeared out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Louis' mates are such chavs," Lou muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Who you calling a chav?!" Lottie interjected, poking Lou's shoulder.

"You're the biggest chav of them all," Lou teased, and earnt herself a playful shove from Lottie. "Seriously though, he'll be a while I reckon. None of them can handle their drink, especially when it's on tap like this. They don't know when to stop."

A chime sounded from out in the hallway, and Lottie put her drink down on the counter and disappeared in the direction of the front door.

"That can't be Andy's mum already," Oli said from next to me. "I've only just called her."

"Anyway, salt spray," Lou interrupted, with a dismissive wave of her hand in Oli's direction. "I've used a variety of different brands, and they vary so much in their results. It depends what kind of thing you're going for..."

We continued this discussion for another couple of minutes, and Lou pulled out her phone and began showing me photos of different looks and styles created by different brands. I was so engrossed in the conversation that I hadn't noticed Lottie had been gone a while, and almost jumped when she appeared back at my side again and picked up her drink.

"Ooh, are you showing Jess the beach pictures?" she asked, peering over my shoulder at Lou's phone. "Find the ones with the mermaid eye make up - I love those. I can't wait to have a go at that look myself." She looked up while Lou took her phone back and began to scroll through her photos. "Grab yourself a drink when you're ready, Harry. There's wine and beer in the fridge, and spirits on the side."

It took a moment for her words to register, and I felt my stomach jolt sharply at the name Harry. 

No, I reasoned silently. It won't be Harry Styles. This isn't a fanfiction. Harry and Louis are never pictured together outside of the band. Why would he be here?

Yet before I even looked up, somehow I knew he had just walked into the room; his long hair resting gently on his shoulders, his skinny jeans tight to his thighs, and his outrageously patterned shirt unbuttoned half way down his chest to reveal a few lone chest hairs and the infamous swallow tattoos. 

The atmosphere seemed to shift. Time seemed to stand still. Was I holding my breath? I couldn't tell. I couldn't even have told you my own name if you'd asked me. At that moment, all I knew as I lifted my head was that the main object of my obsession since 2013 was standing directly in front of me, and looking straight at me.

"Hi," he said, meeting my gaze with his forest green eyes and a lazy smile. "I'm Harry."

"Hi," I replied, the breath knocked out of my body as though I had just been slammed into a brick wall. "I'm Jess..."

---***---

It's been forever since I updated, I'm so sorry!! Please believe me when I say I have been planning these next couple of chapters in my head for weeks, and am so eager to write them down! You'll have to bear with me - I'm not going to leave any of my books unfinished, I promise, but updates might be slow over the next few months. Thanks for sticking with me so far! 

I'd just like to share these covers with you that have been made by some a fab friends of mine, and to credit them for their amazing photoshop skills! This first one was made by the lovely jane_lausten a few months ago:

And this one was made by the fabulous thecoralanter:

Both covers are absolutely amazing, so I wanted to say thanks to each of them for taking the time to play around with pictures and fonts to produce such fabulous art! (Those of you who know me will know my creative streak is limited to words and definitely does not extend to images!!)

So... how will the future be shaped now that Harry and Jess have finally met? Were their paths always destined to cross, albeit under completely different circumstances? Will Jess's feelings and obvious sexual chemistry with Louis overshadow her old fangirl crush on Harry Styles from One Direction? The book is all planned out, right to the very end, so I am intrigued to hear your thoughts! 😊

Please don't forget to vote if you liked the chapter! xxx