"Charlotte." He states, nearly a whisper. I see emotion transpiring within his eyes that I cannot read. For a second, I stand in shock, but eventually pull myself together, my limbs numb and shaky, and walk towards Harry.

I feel no sadness now- only anger. He put me through that- he made me stand through that entire rose ceremony and waited 2 minutes before giving me my rose? What the fuck was he playing at? And what sort of decent human would do that to another, especially after getting to know them so closely in such a short amount of time, treating them so nicely up until a certain point.

When I reach Harry I don't smile. I don't lean in to hug him or kiss him on the cheek. I take the outstretched flower and mumble a curt, quiet 'yes' as he asks if I will accept the rose. I turn away without another glance and take my place back on the risers.

I'm barely aware of what's proceeding around me as the three girls not chosen step down, issue their farewells, and walk out. As everybody assembles in the middle of the room around Harry to celebrate, I take one step forward off the riser, but otherwise remain completely still. I feel no desire to celebrate with everyone else because there is nothing to celebrate. I don't exactly feel great about being Harry's very last option- a last resort he needed to take extra time to select, because it was so hard to decide between me and 3 other girls he's barely ever spoken to.

I'm embarrassed and I'm angry all at the same time. As girls continue to talk to Harry in the rose ceremony room, I stalk out, disgusted with his behaviour. How could he treat me so sweetly one moment and then humiliate me the next? Multiple times?

I storm up to my room and, to avoid any producers, decide to take the long way around instead of cutting through the living room. I can't handle being talked to right now. All I want to do is shower and get into bed.

I knew I was stupid for starting to get attached to Harry. In a friendly way or not, caring about him in any manner has landed me here- feeling like shit after he's basically rejected me in front of 16 other girls. I swear that I will not allow myself to become attached again- there is obviously no point. I thought that maybe Harry was an actual decent guy- obviously, I was wrong. I don't want to feel this upset over a guy ever again and I won't. I know now there is no use in trying. I will act for the sake of my money and that will be the only reason for any interaction with Harry.

As I take the long way upstairs I realize I've never been in any of the rooms in the particular hallway I'm walking down. They've always been locked every time I've tried to enter. However, as I reach the end, I find that one door stands ajar. I can hear electronic noise coming from within and notice a few flashing lights.

I glance back quickly to ensure the way is clear and then, too upset to reason with myself, enter and close the door behind me.

I survey the room and find that I have no company. Against almost every wall there are large computer monitors with keyboards in front of each and desks with chairs. I get closer and find that one screen remains on.

I sit in the chair in front of the screen and find that a video editing program of some sort is open. I see that footage is uploaded underneath the cutting are, and realize it's footage of us. This must be where they edit the show together.

I gasp at my unexpected discovery. I can see everything that the cameras have captured over the past week. I'm about to get up and leave, but suddenly, an idea enters my head.

Harry seemingly put me through hell tonight for no reason... I have no idea what I've done to make him hate me so much. Maybe with this footage I'll be able to find something, anything, that caused Harry to dislike me in such a vehement fashion. If I know what it is, I can prevent myself from repeating the same mistake in the future. I don't ever want to go through the same experience as tonight.

Slowly, I reach for the mouse and start to scroll back through the countless hours of footage. I figure I'll start with the day after I visited Harry in his hotel room. The very first video taken that morning is Harry entering the mansion, around 8. I see girls already downstairs start to swarm around him and soon more run in from upstairs.

I remember this morning- the morning that Astrid woke me to tell me that breakfast was ready. I look through all the footage and find some where the camera's been zoomed in on Harry, Astrid glued to his side. Obviously no one was intentionally filming them at the time, but both had been wearing their mics and the camera had just happened to focus on them after being set down by a crew member.

I press play and watch intently.

I see Astrid run up to Harry and hug him.

"Harry! Oh my god, it's so good to see you!" She embraces him roughly and I see his eyes bulge as she squeezes him. I smirk at this gesture. He pulls away quickly, mutters a reply, then proceeds to glance around.

"Hey, you've not seen Charlotte, have you?" Harry asks Astrid. My breath catches and my eyes widen. Astrid looks annoyed at the mention of me, but keeps a smile on her face nonetheless.

"Um, I think she's upstairs." Astrid quickly answers, before starting to blab about herself again. I don't pay attention to what she's saying and instead I watch Harry as he looks past her at something off camera and then interrupts her-

"Do you think you could go and tell her to come downstairs?" He asks hopefully, looking oblivious to whatever Astrid had been saying before. She hesitates before answering and now it's obvious that she's annoyed, but she doesn't argue.

"Sure." She responds curtly. Harry thanks her and I watch as she huffs and stomps off screen.

Slowly, my eyebrows begin to pull together in confusion. The time now reads 8:30 in the morning... about the time that Astrid came into my room and told me that breakfast was ready.

Except... that's not why she'd come to my room. Harry had sent her to come get me because he wanted to see me... There had been no breakfast ready. Once she'd seen that I was sleeping, she'd figured that she could keep me from seeing Harry by lying...

I look over some other footage and, sure enough, find the camera which films in Kiana and I's bedroom. I see from up in the corner myself under the blankets. Astrid enters and I can hear our exchange word for word, including my multiple offers to accompany her downstairs.

She tells me to stay put and I watch her exit, leaving me to sleep even after Harry asked for me. My brow furrows further and I begin to frown. That bitch...

I hurriedly switch back to the camera I'd been watching previously and skip forward a couple minutes. Thankfully, Harry still stands within full view and after a couple seconds Astrid returns. Harry looks to her expectantly, but seems confused when she shows up alone.

"Charlotte?" Is all he asks.

"Well, I went up to her room. She was sleeping, she said she had a late night." Astrid tells Harry. He smirks slightly, no doubt at the fact that he was the reason for my late night.

"Yeah, and?" He pushes, still looking around. Now I assume he's searching for me.

"Well, I told her that you were asking for her- I said: 'Charlotte, you have to come downstairs Harry really wants to see you'" Astrid lies through her teeth as I grit mine. Seriously?

"But she said that she didn't care and all she wanted to do was sleep. I told her again to come because you really wanted to see her, but she just told me again that she didn't care if you wanted to see her or not. I'm sorry, Harry. I could go try again if you want, but she didn't seem to want to talk to you..." Astrid relays the misinformation in the most fake voice I've ever heard. She bats her eyelashes as Harry stares at her.

"Charlotte said that?" He asks in disbelief. I see hurt transpiring across his features. He looks confused and disappointed now. Astrid just shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders. "Oh... ok. Thanks anyway." Harry murmurs sadly before turning away from her.

I pause the footage.

I now know why Harry is mad at me. I feel as though I should no longer be angry with him now that I've discovered why he treated me in such a terrible way tonight, but for some reason, my feelings haven't changed in the slightest.

Sure, what Astrid told him would have hurt him at the time, but I seriously didn't take him to be so stupid as to believe her. He must know that I would have come down to see him if he asked for me and I didn't think he would trust Astrid so blindly, especially after knowing her to have stolen my letter during our little competition the day before.

Even if Harry had believed Astrid and not doubted her at all, which appears so, he hadn't even tried to talk to me about it. Instead, he's chosen to ignore and humiliate me instead of working it out like an adult. Plus, I don't like the fact that he assumed I could even be so mean in the first place. Did he really think I was capable of saying I didn't care about him? Especially after how we'd had such a nice time the night before?

Seeing this footage may have given me the reason for Harry's disdain for myself, but it doesn't work to alleviate any of the anger I feel towards him. If he's upset with me, he hardly approached it in the correct way. I could have explained exactly what happened, but no. He chose to act like... like a child.

I want to storm out of the editing room, but I know I need to save this evidence. Evidence of Astrid's misdemeanour and my innocence.

I check to make sure no one has entered the room and quickly edit together the footage of Harry asking Astrid to get me, the footage of Astrid and I in my room straight after, then the footage of Astrid subsequently lying to Harry. I create it in a new project, save it in a separate folder, and then rummage around the room desperately. I need to take the clip with me somehow.

I search the drawers of each desk lining the walls and finally locate a USB drive. Quickly, I plug it into the computer, transfer my folder, and eject it. I grasp the USB tightly in my hand and quickly delete my project from the computer.

With a sigh of triumph I get up out of the chair, push it in, and carefully exit the editing room. I leave the door open as I found it and quickly walk down the hall. Thankfully, there are no producers, cameras, or other contestants. However, as I round the corner I do see 3 producers talking, blocking my path to the staircase. I don't want to risk them asking what I was doing for so long in the hallway so, instead, I double back the way I came and decide to take the other route.

As I'm walking back through the rose ceremony room, I stare down at the floor instead of ahead of myself, attempting to figure out what I just witnessed. I have so many questions and I'm so, so angry- dumbfounded, really.

I'm barely paying attention to my surroundings and after taking a couple steps, bump into someone on their way into the room. I assume it's a producer and begin to look up so I can mumble an apology, but instead I find I've been confronted by piercing green eyes.

I lose my breath for a moment, but then the anger takes back over and I take a step back. Harry only stands and stares at me. He doesn't apologize, he doesn't even try to tell me why he acted like such an ass. He stays put and looks me up and down silently. I can't tell what he's thinking, but I don't care. I know I'm supposed to act all loved up around him if I want to stay any longer, but I just can't after what happened tonight. I'm heated and I want him to know it.

Instead of speaking, I glance behind me to make sure no one is present and thrust the USB out towards Harry. He looks down at my hand and stares at the object, but makes no further move to grab it from me.

"Take it. " I seethe. Alarm flashes across his face and hurriedly he receives the USB. "Watch it." I bark before stomping past him hastily without another word. My heels click dangerously loud against the wooden floor as I storm off to my room.

I don't bother looking back at Harry, instead quickly heading upstairs. I remove my dress, shower, and get into bed. I don't know what we'll be doing tomorrow, but I couldn't care less. I fall asleep in the worst mood I've been in since arriving in LA.

Sure, Harry will see that he was wrong, but now I'm too disgusted by his actions to ever think of forgiving him or developing friendly feelings for him in the way that I may have been starting to. I now have a solid reason to stop from getting attached, and I'm looking forward to adamantly following my 'money only' ideology.

***

I awake in the morning to pounding on the door of my room. I hear Kiana groan next to me and I swear I have de ja vu. If Astrid is going to come barging in and lie to me again, I know there's no point in getting up at all.

Thankfully, I don't see Astrid poke her head through the gap in the door. Instead, I see a worn out looking producer speaking into a microphone.

"Girls, get up. The date cards just come and we need to film you opening it." The producer grunts, although I can tell she's trying to soften her voice for our sakes.

Both Kiana and I nod in sync and slowly rise from our beds. I can't be bothered to get ready now, but I know I'll be expected downstairs soon, so I only tie my hair up into a bun and change out of my shorts into leggings.

Kiana and I rush downstairs and take our usual spots on the couch in the extravagant living room. We're fitted with our mic's and soon the cameras are rolling and Jessica is running in from the door, pretending to have just received the date card.

"It says 'Lets dive in for love...' Alright, so, people on the group date are..." Jessica starts and she continues to read out 7 names "... and Charlotte." She finishes. I have to refrain from rolling my eyes in distaste. So soon after last night, there are many places I would rather be than with Harry. I would rather be back in New York, or even spending time with all the girls in the mansion.

Instead, I display a jubilant smile across my face and clap in pretend glee. Everyone rubs me on the back and congratulates me, but really, I would switch my place out with any one of them on the drop of a dime.

I know that I have to continue to develop my relationship with Harry if I want to stay on the show and make it past week 3, but right now, barely 9 hours after the events of last night transpired, none of that matters to me. I don't want to be around Harry. He displayed a part of himself that I didn't think existed.

Part of me is disappointed at this revelation. I was hoping that, for once, I'd met a guy who was not a total asshole. I hadn't pictured myself getting engaged to Harry by the end of the show, obviously, but I'd hoped I might have been able to make a good new friend. Clearly, I was wrong.

At this point, I'm not really sure if he can do something, if anything, to win back my favour in the same way that he had it just 24 hours ago.

***

When the producers finally dismiss us and give us an hour to get ready, I let out an exasperated sigh and watch the girls not picked for the date with envy. These last few days I've been dying to escape this mansion, but now I would give anything to remain inside.

Kiana and Tanya are both coming with me on this date, so I hope that I will at least have a little fun, even if Harry has to be there with us. I know that I should, but I really don't plan on talking to him much at all today. If he watched the tape I gave him last night, he'll already know that he's in the wrong. There's no doubt he gathered I was upset- from the look I gave at the rose ceremony last night and the way I'd stormed away after handing him the USB, I'm extremely sure he knows he's done considerable damage to our relationship- just friends or not.

I'm interested to see what his character will allow him to do today. If he really does realize that he hurt me last night, I wonder if he will try to apologize and make it up to me somehow, or if he will ignore me just as I've elected to ignore him.

I trudge up the stairs to Kiana and I's shared bathroom, put on a little bit of mascara, eyeliner and a bit of concealer. I feel no need to make myself up as I did last night.

However, I do feel as though Harry deserves to feel at least a little bit of the pain that I felt just a few hours ago... I wonder how I might be able to set him off today. I already know that he likes me, or used to like me, judging by the overtly sexual comments he was making in his hotel room and by the fact that I'm the only person he kissed within the first two days of the show.

I know exactly how to get to him. I rummage through my suitcase and look through the assortment of swimsuits I've packed. I gathered from the date card that we'll be doing some sort of water related activity. I pick out the skimpiest bikini I can find- black with extra straps surrounding my hips and rib cage. It barely covers both of my breasts and I know it's perfect for an event like this.

I put it on, then pull on a T-shirt, shorts, and a pair of converse.

Soon, I'm downstairs with all the other girls and we're being ushered into big, black SUV's. I'm reminded of the first group date and pass the time staring out the window of the car. I know we must be heading to a beach when the landscape outside starts to turn from metropolitan to coastline quickly.

I'm glad we'll be at the beach for the day- I've always liked swimming- I'll just have to find a way to avoid Harry, if that's at all possible.

We arrive after half an hour and all the girls start running out of their vehicles to a man I see standing in the distance on the sand, already in a swimsuit, no shirt covering his upper body. I already know, even from so far away, that it's Harry. I can tell by the little scribbles of black ink that cover his chest and arms. I wonder if any of the other girls have discovered his tattoos yet.

As I move closer to him, walking instead of running with the other girls, I gage their reactions. Some of them are surprised- I can tell by the way their eyes widen in shock, but nobody makes a comment. The tattoos only seem to hinder them for a split-second before they continue their journey across the beach to Harry.

I know that I should look as if I'm excited, but I lag at the back of the group as they all crowd around Harry, exchanging hugs and greetings. I can't be bothered to say hello to him and I don't even want to think about hugging him, so, instead, I remain silent on the outskirts of the circle starting to form.

"Hello, ladies!" Harry exclaims, grinning widely so his dimples indent his cheeks deeply. All the girls swoon, but I look away. I feel as though his smile, that I was beginning to like so much, is fake.

"It's lovely to see you all again! Today, as you can see, we'll be at the beach! So, why don't we all get in the water!" He exclaims animatedly. All the girls cheer and I know I must join them for the sake of the cameras. I raise my arms with them but make no noise, only putting on half a grin and looking to Kiana in pretend excitement.

All the girls rush down to the water and deposit their things on nearby beach chairs, each individually covered by large umbrella's. While all the contestants rip their clothes off and run to the water immediately, I take my time. I pull my large sun hat from out of my bag and carefully place it on the chair where my bag lays. Slowly, I shimmy out of my shorts and pull my black shirt over my head. I'm left in my bikini now. I scoop up my hat, place it on my head, then start to make my way to the water.

I'm the only one left up on the beach instead of in the water, so I walk alone across the sand while everyone has already entered the waves. I strut confidently towards them- I've always loved this bikini- and catch the eye of the one person I'd been hoping to.

I see Harry turn slightly to talk to another girl, but while he does, he catches sight of me. I don't want to sound stuck up, but I know exactly what to do to gain a man's attention. I know he's watching and in a calculated motion, I pick up my pace by the slightest, letting gravity take it's course and appreciating the very little support that my bikini top offers. I flip my hair over my shoulder and put on a smile as I jog towards Kiana and Tanya in the water.

I slowly turn my head and meet Harry's gaze. He's still gawking at me. I see Amber attempting to talk to him, but he doesn't pay her the slightest attention. We're still making eye contact, but I've dropped my smile now. My expression is blank and emotionless as I watch him and will him to look away with my harsh stare, but he doesn't. He continues to observe me.

I decide it's useless to gaze at him now, so I return my attention back to Tanya and Kiana in the water. I want to really torture Harry, so I toss my hat to the nearby sand, duck under the water quickly, and then rise back up to the top. I run my hands through my hair slowly, letting the water run down my body, and arch my back.

I discretely turn back and, sure enough, Harry still stares at me as if his life depends on it. I smirk at the fact that I can control him so easily and hope that I will be able to carry out my plan- that is, to entice him indescribably and then deny him any contact.

I redirect my attention from him to Kiana and all of us spend around an hour splashing and playing in the water. I notice Harry approaching me several times, but whenever I sense him nearing, I swim far away to another group of women. I do not want to talk to him.

When everybody is tired of swimming we make our way back to shore and I find, miraculously, a volleyball net has been set up on the beach just in front of the water.

"Anybody up for a little game?" Harry asks enthusiastically, escorting Jade to the net. Everybody trips over themselves volunteering to play on Harry's team, but I want nothing to do with the game. However, I know I'll have to participate. I'd just prefer to be on the opposing team. That way I can beat Harry.

Soon enough we sort ourselves into teams. Harry has been chosen as one captain, Tanya as the other. Thankfully, Tanya elects her team members first and calls out my name before any others. I know Harry had been planning on calling me over and I'm thankful for Tanya's intervention.

We line up and get ready to play. Of course, Harry places himself on just the other side of the net from me as I stand right up close to the side of it. I know he's going to try to make conversation, so I prevent any eye contact between us and make sure to keep all my attention glued to the volleyball.

We play for a while and the ball doesn't come to me often. However, eventually, it's set up by another girl for me to spike. I'm not at all tall, but I jump and I'm able to hit it down forcefully over the net to the ground on the opposing side. Lucky for me, Harry stands right where the ball decides to pummel towards the ground. It hits him square in the stomach, forcing him back a couple steps.

"Sorry. " I remark sarcastically while all the girls swarm around him, checking for any sign of injury.

As I turn away from the camera I afford myself a small smile and make sure no one can see. I know my apology won't look completely genuine on the show but, if they're planning on making me the 'sweetheart' as the producer informed me on the first night, I'm sure they'll cut it out.

I remember- I can check if they cut it out or not. I'll have to take another trip down to the editing studio in my spare time once I get back to the mansion.

The game goes on for another half an hour and I take every chance I can to score points against Harry. I know I've embarrassed him quite enough in front of all the other women by the time the game is over and I'm happy with myself.

After that I know the producers want Harry to split off for one-on-one time with each woman. I have no intention of being present when he asks a girl to leave and talk, so I hurriedly rush to the beach chair containing my belongings, picking up my hat on the way, and pretend to be occupied applying sunscreen to my legs.

I can feel Harry's eyes on me from across the beach and I know I've dodged a bullet. He was definitely going to ask me to go talk, but I have no intention of spending time with him until I absolutely have to.

Soon, Harry has walked off with Amber and Kiana and Tanya have joined me up on the recliners. Another half an hour passes and I don't see Harry again. I'm starting to truly enjoy myself- after all, we are spending a day at the beach with free catering, which includes food and drinks.

However, after a time, Tanya's eyes begin to widen mid sentence and I know Harry is coming. There's no way I'm going anywhere alone with him, so as Tanya starts to explain that he's walking over, I quickly spring up and hurry in the opposite direction to the bar. I know he can't come after me and just walk past Kiana and Tanya, so I figure I'm safe for now.

When I arrive I order another drink and find Perrie sitting daintily atop one of the wooden bar stools. We make polite conversation for a while and I'm halfway done with my drink when, just as Tanya's had, Perrie's eyes widen in awe.

"Harry?" I ask, affirming my suspicions. She can only nod and I take that as my cue to leave. I abandon my drink at the bar and rise from my stool, careful not to look at Harry. I walk off even further and find the washrooms a couple hundred meters away from the bar. He definitely won't follow me now.

I take my time using the washroom and when I return I see no sign of Harry. I sigh in relief and make the long trek back to the beach seat containing my things. Tanya and Kiana are no longer there, but I'm relieved. I need a little time alone before I can start socializing again.

I go to put away my hat and see something in my bag that hadn't been there before. It's thin, white and rectangular. I pull it out curiously and discover, to my great dismay, a hotel room key. It reads 'Fraser Suites' and when I turn it over, I see very clearly the letters 'H.S' written in black sharpie.

I let out a scoff of disbelief and whip my head around, searching for the damn perpetrator. I spot him a couple hundred feet away, near the water with a group of 3 other girls. He isn't looking at any of them and instead stares at me intently. He's just watched me discover his card...

He doesn't look away and I can tell he's waiting for some sort of confirmation, validation. However, he's going to get no such thing. I can't believe his audacity- he thinks he can just slip his room card in and I'm going to risk my place on the show again just to come and see him, after everything he did to humiliate me? No, I don't think so.

I maintain eye contact and only glance away for a second to locate a producer. I spot one only a couple of feet away and call her over, all the while staring back at Harry. I can see a slight frown take over his face as the producer named Emily walks nearer.

"Something you need?" She asks. I don't meet her eyes. Instead, I hold Harry's gaze as I answer. I hold up the key card in my hand and stretch my arm out towards her, making  my exact intentions extremely clear.

"I think that maybe one of the producers dropped this, I just found it in the sand near one of the chairs." I lie. She receives the card from me, but I still refuse to look at her. Now Harry's frown is very prominent and he's taking steps towards me and away from the group of women babbling around him.

"Oh, ok, thank you!" Emily responds, taking the card from me and stuffing it in her pocket. I'm still watching Harry. A deep pout sets over his features and I can tell, even from here, that his cheeks are heating in embarrassment. I hope he knows exactly what he's done to upset me and I hope he feels as badly as I did last night.

I sigh in annoyance and lay down on my chair, covering my face with my hat and closing my eyes. I know Harry won't come over and talk to me now- not after the way I just rejected him so explicitly.

I spend the rest of the date undisturbed. I sleep through most of it and the camera's leave me be. I can't bother to try 'advancing my relationship' with Harry right now. In a couple days I'll be ready to participate in the festivities again, but today, so soon after being absolutely embarrassed at the cocktail party and rose ceremony, I have no problem keeping completely to myself.

Soon the producers call us back to our SUVs and I ride all the way to the mansion without thinking of Harry once. I know we have a couple hours before we'll have to go for the cocktail party portion of the date, so I just return back to sleep. I've barely felt this content for the entire time I've been here, but now I feel relaxed as ever. I think after rejecting Harry I feel slightly better, although I still hold no forgiveness in my heart for him.

***

I feel like no time has passed at all before Kiana is shaking me awake, yet again. After she's left the room, I groan in distaste. I'm looking forward even less to the night ahead. At the beach, I knew I could ignore Harry, but now I understand I need to talk to him at least once- the producers need something to work with. I wince at the thought of acting like everything's ok in front of the camera's. I don't rule out the possibility that Harry will believe that everything has magically mended itself in the couple hours since I rejected him at the beach- I wouldn't put it past him.

I sigh loudly and drag myself out of bed. I slip on a black body suit, the middle cut out and replaced with criss-crossing strings covering my cleavage. I pull on light blue jeans, a tan trench coat, and black heels. I feel as though this will do for tonight. I'm sure many women will be wearing dresses, but I can't be arsed to care too much about my appearance right now.

I look presentable enough for television and that's all I care about. I couldn't give a rat's ass about what Harry thinks- I already know he finds me attractive, he's made it obvious, so there's no point putting in the extra effort.

I quickly reapply my concealer, mascara, and a little bit of eyeshadow. Soon I'm being ushered out of the house, into the limo, and I'm off on my way to what I assume will be another hotel. My days are quickly blending together and becoming insanely repetitive. I didn't anticipate this side effect of being trapped on this show for so long- and it's barely been a week and a half!

We arrive after half an hour of inching through traffic and, as I guessed, step out to find another tall building in the heart of the city. We are not lead up onto the roof this time, but instead to one of the upper floors, lavishly decorated and warmly lit. I see 3 couches all arranged around a large, wooden coffee table. small lights dangle from the ceiling, spanning the entirety of the space.

The couches face away from a large wall, completely made of glass, which overlooks the, admittedly, beautiful cityscape. I spot a small bar in the corner and promptly a tiny smile crosses my face.

I hear an excited chatter break out across the girls and I know what's coming before I see it. Someone clears their throat loudly and I wince in disgust as all the girls squeal and take off in the direction of Harry.

I roll my eyes while looking down at the floor, making sure no one can see my action. I quickly match pace with the other women and find that we're assembled around the comfortable looking couches. I'm more excited about sitting on this furniture than I am about seeing Harry.

I take a seat while only a few others do around me. It takes another 5 minutes for everybody else to calm down. Harry remains standing, hands clasped behind his back as he surveys us all. I refuse to make eye contact with him and refrain from looking up at him until the producers call out for the cameras to start filming.

I let a tiny grimace cover my face, then, with much difficulty, stare up at Harry in pretend awe. I let my eyes go wide and don't let my stare drop. Thankfully, he's not looking at me and I'm not forced to make eye contact. However, as he begins his scripted sentiments, his gaze slowly shifts from the left of the room to the right where I'm sitting. He doesn't hold any one woman's gaze for more than a second or so, but when he gets to me he refuses to look away.

I have to use all my effort to stop from rolling my eyes again and instead force a shy smile to cover my features as he stares at me. I try to convey what I think looks like longing in my eyes, as I can see the cameras on me in my peripheral.

Finally, his monologue ends, the girls cheer, and someone immediately stands and grabs his arm, escorting him out of the room. I let a silent sigh of relief pass my lips and sink back into the soft sofa, Tanya and Kiana on either of my sides.

People start conversations and I listen silently, not making an attempt to contribute to their discussions. I'm barely listening anyway- that is until I remember the bar on the other side of the room.

"Ladies, I'm going to grab a drink- anyone want anything?" I ask them sweetly, standing and looking down at them- my audience including Tanya, Kiana, Amber, Perrie and Jade.

They each list off their orders- mostly wine, like myself- and I walk jubilantly over to the small bartender I see standing in the corner. Nothing has looked so beautiful to me in a long time.

I walk quickly, take a seat on one of the leather cushioned stools, intending to wait for my drink to be poured. I recite all the other girls orders, instructing the two attendants to deliver them to the group, and stand by as my glass is filled.

I take an indulgent sip, stalling before having to walk back to the women assembled around my spot on the couch. I finally feel a semblance of peace for the first time the entire night- it's been around an hour since we arrived.

I'm facing the bar now, sitting and swivelling slightly. I take a deep breath, content for a few moments, barely catching the footsteps approaching from behind me.

Suddenly, there's a light tap on my shoulder and someone's humming cheerfully from my rear. Slowly, large hands move to my shoulders and I feel the cold metal of rings graze the surface of my skin. I cringe slightly and have to force myself from shrinking away. I take a second, mentally preparing myself, then turn, a huge grin displayed across my face.

"You have to stop doing that!" I exclaim, referring to my first night in the house, lightly pushing Harry away from me in a joking manner, letting my hand linger against his chest for a couple extra seconds.

"Can't help m'self." He explains, wearing a bashful expression. "I was wondering if you wanted to go talk somewhere?" He asks. Without missing a beat I try to let the same awestruck look enter my eyes and respond promptly.

"Of course." My eyes light up and I hop jubilantly out of my seat at the bar, making sure to grab my glass of wine and take it with me.

We start to walk towards a hallway that I hadn't noticed before and, taking the initiative, I grab his hand with mine and intertwine our fingers. For a second his hand is rigid, as if surprised, but quickly it forms with mine and squeezes tight.

I have no idea if he's surprised at my sudden change in behaviour and I hope with all my being he knows this is just an act.

We walk for a minute or two before he opens a door and allows me to step through ahead of him.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask mischievously, turning back to him with an endearing smirk. I see his eyes light up at this comment and he hurriedly responds.

"Somewhere special- I haven't taken anyone here yet." He says, sounding almost hopeful. Is he attempting to win me back with these sorts of sentiments?

"Ooh, I'm excited." I murmur as we enter a small room. I'm faced with another window-wall hybrid, but this time notice that a door has been inserted into the bottom left corner and that a small patio is present just beyond the interior.

Quickly, the cameras following closely behind, Harry escorts me outside and I see a large, circular couch.

I take a seat and before I can protest, Harry has picked up one of the decorative blankets and wrapped it around me. I fake a laugh at his gesture and grab his arm, pulling him to sit down right beside me.

He looks into my eyes and I can see, clear as day- he's searching for my approval. Luckily, the cameras cannot catch this action of his, so I grant him no such thing. Instead, I look away promptly and admire the view before me. I still feel his eyes on me as I survey my surroundings, and feel his shoulders droop next to me in a sigh. He's nervous.

"So, what did you think of today?" He asks and I hear it- a catch in his voice, desperate for reassurance.

"Yeah, I loved it. I've always loved swimming and all that- I started out when I was young." I lie, willing myself to look back at him while letting a smile cross my face.

"When you were young- now was this in Canada, China or India?" He asks me and I can't help my surprise at his perfect recital of the countries I lived in, no matter how mad I am at him.

"I think, if I can remember, I started in China." I answer and he nods in amusement.

"Well, you looked very good-" He pauses and refuses to break eye contact. I know he's trying to compliment me indirectly- "At swimming, that is." He finishes his sentence after a couple more seconds. I know he's hoping for a blush to spread across my cheeks, or for a real smile to take hold of my face, but all I can force out is a grin and a fake 'thank you'.

"So what was it like living in China?" He asks, and I'm surprised to hear actual interest in his voice- I can tell he's not faking, but I don't care.

"Well, it was a long time ago, but I remember it was hot and there was good food." I remark, keeping the conversation artificial as he chuckles at my comment. Trying not to wince, I reach my hand out and rest it on his thigh, rubbing little circles into the soft material of his dress pants.

I see a small smile break across his face at my actions and attempt to stop from cringing. I have to do more for the cameras, but I know I'm leading him on, which is the exact opposite of my real intentions. I also know that Harry and I have barely had half a serious conversation the entire time we've known each other. I need to fix that- I know how the show goes. The producers always need some sappy moment to show during a couples one-on-one time.

Apparently Harry has a similar idea to me, because he starts speaking again.

"So, tell me about your family." He encourages, a smile on his face as he takes my hand in his. I refrain from pulling away and try to put on my game face. I wish he'd though of asking me about anything else except for my family, but it looks like I don't have a choice.

"Well, I have a little sister who gets on my nerves all the time, as little sisters do. She's only 2 years younger than me." I fake a smile while indulging him this information. "And my mum is just lovely, very strong and really sweet. She was always there when I needed her when I was younger." I finish my fabrication. Harry's eyes twinkle with interest and, for some reason, I know it's not fake. I don't want to further provoke him and end up making him like me more, because I want nothing to do with him, but I can't help it... I have to for the camera's sake and my own.

"And your dad?" Harry asks. It's an innocent enough question, but I left that out for a reason. I have no choice but to respond now.

"Well, my dad was really great." I start, pausing after my first sentence. I feel real emotion bubbling to the surface and try to keep it down, but this topic never allows me to stay completely stone cold. I see Harry's face immediately fall into a frown as I use the past tense. I take a deep breath and continue.

"When I was 15 he was diagnosed with skin cancer. They caught it at stage 1 and the doctors kept reassuring us they would be able to get it under control, but my dad didn't respond to any of the treatments..." I start to get choked up and my voice cracks on the last word, but I refuse to cry. Harry's grip on my hand tightens. I know he won't stop me from continuing to speak, I'm sure the producers told him not to, but for some reason I get the feeling that if he could, he would.

"Well, the treatments didn't work for the next year and then he, um, well, he passed... away." I finish my sentence as coherently as possible, halting any tears threatening to break lose. Harry looks concerned and confused- probably at my lack of emotion surrounding the topic.

"So, yeah, it was really tough. I had to take care of my mum and my younger sister after he... left, for a while, but it's ok now." I look up and try to smile reassuringly although I don't feel like doing so. I hate that I'm showing even this much emotion, especially at my dad's expense, but at least I'm furthering the likelihood of my staying on the show this way, although the circumstances are unfortunate.

"I'm sorry." Harry murmurs, looking me in the eye while tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "That's awful, but I know now that experience has made you into the strong person you are today." He says. Anger flares within me- what the hell is he talking about? He doesn't even know me, he doesn't know how my experience changed me. I keep a sad smile plastered to my face for the cameras, but his comment makes me irate. After all that he's done to me, I hate that I have to allow him into my life like this. I might have been more comfortable if he hadn't embarrassed me for absolutely no reason except for Astrid's words the other night, but he did humiliate me and I don't want to forgive him.

"Yeah." I respond lamely. I have nothing left to contribute.

"Thank you for sharing with me." He says. I feel as though he may really mean it, but I don't care. I nod my head.

"Mhmm." I mumble, looking down to the floor. He reaches his hand out and places his fingertips under my chin, before slowly tilting my head back up to face him. He starts to lean in, and I know he's going to kiss me.

Panic alarms sound within my head and my entire body goes numb with distaste, but I know this is what I have to do to stay. As his lips move against mine I try to picture the numbers in my bank account slowly totting up higher and higher and it helps me get through the ordeal.

When he's satisfied he moves away and grabs my hand, standing up and leading me off the couch, back through the door, and into the living room. I notice the cameras have disappeared, not a single one on us now.

"Bye." He whispers to me with a smile. I don't respond and return my expression to that of ice, before stalking away from him, yanking my hand from his grasp without a word. I don't bother to look back and see the shocked expression I know he's wearing. He's dumber than I thought if he thinks that all is forgiven.

I sit back down on the couch I had been resigned to before and maintain my position for the rest of the night. When Harry comes peaking around every so often to talk to the group, or escort off another girl, I stay firmly focused on something in the opposite direction.

Once the night has come to an end and I see Harry and Jade rounding the corner, hand in hand, I let myself breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, I will be allowed to go home and savour the rest of my night in peace instead of having to deal with the plethora of people getting on my nerves at the current moment.

I don't anticipate Harry's next actions, as he lazily walks over and perches himself on the very end of the couch, directly next to myself, forcing me to scoot up. I have to really try and stop myself from rolling my eyes. There was clearly no room next to me and still he elected to take the space beside myself. It's almost too desperate for me to handle, but with all 4 cameras pointed directly at us, I know I'm obligated to turn and smile delicately.

He drones on about how much fun he's had today and how he really feels all the connections progressing. I keep a dull grin on my face and tune out, deciding to think about something else- anything else that is not related to Harry.

He ends his long winded speech and I can sense the tension- every girl is sitting on the edge of her seat in anticipation, hanging on his every breath, as he prepares to announce the woman who will receive the rose of the night.

In the back of my mind, I know I want it. I need to stay on this show, I need to progress, I need to make money. At the same time, I can barely tolerate the thought of staying around and withstanding the hell that is this process, humouring all of Harry's romantic advances at the same time. I could barely hold it together tonight! But I convince myself that it's only so difficult now because Harry damaged my pride so recently- in a couple weeks it will become easier to fake it. It has to.

I feel Harry take a deep breath in next to me, obviously focused on the woman he's going to give this group date rose to. I wait for him to utter Jade's name, or Perrie's or maybe even Kiana or Tanya's, but instead he turns to face me-

"Charlotte, you shared a lot with me tonight and I feel like I really got to know you better. Will you accept this rose?"

I can't stop the look of surprise that takes over my face as I quickly turn to meet Harry's gaze. I know I only have half a second to correct my expression to that of happiness, but it's hard. Eventually I let a smile grace my features and shyly nod.

"Of course." I force out with a small giggle, as he hands me the long stemmed rose, at the same time letting his fingers linger on my skin for just a little too long.

A large grin covers his expression as he watches me take the rose and sit it in my lap.

"Well, that concludes a great evening. I'll see all of you ladies at the next rose ceremony, have a great night." He ends. All the women get in their hug, almost forming a line to say goodbye. I don't bother- instead I walk away as quickly as possible. I already know the camera's have been turned off and I can be free. I quickly reach behind myself and turn off my microphone- I don't want the producers getting any dirt on me.

I make my way towards the elevators swiftly while everyone trudges away from Harry and I just know he's staring at me- I can feel his gaze on my back. I look down at the ground, hugging my arms around myself, avoiding the thorns of the rose I hold in my fingers and let a frustrated expression cover my face- because that's what I am- frustrated.

I'm frustrated that I was forced to share facts about my family tonight against my will, I'm frustrated that Harry is able to treat me however he'd like to without any resistance from myself, and I'm frustrated that not only does Harry seem unaware of the damage he did to my pride, but he doesn't seem to care.

I'm anxious to leave. Suddenly, Harry's presence has become more daunting than ever. I don't want to be around him right now- I want to be alone. I don't want to have to pretend to enjoy talking to him or kissing him or even sitting next to him. I'm a proud person and his actions from the other night have done too much damage to ever let him redeem himself. 

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I know this was a long one! I hope you enjoyed :)

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