It turned out that lunch was catered for us since we had just met Harry. He was planning on trying to mingle for the whole afternoon so he could get to know each of us a little. I couldn't imagine the pressure of trying to pick several women to send home after knowing them for only a day. That wasn't how love worked. It was one of the reasons I had never been interested in Most Eligible Bachelor, because the situations were too contrived to let real love happen over the course of time. Now that I was here and had met Harry - although he seemed untouchable by the fact that he was a world-wide superstar - and the other women, it was scary. 

Scary, because for the first time, I realized that people were going to get hurt. Sitting at home, watching this unfold on the television screen, viewers were detached and could trick themselves into thinking these people were just actors. Or thinking that, once someone was sent home, they would happily go back to their normal lives. It was simply out of sight, out of mind. But women legitimately had their hearts broken season after season, after being manipulated into thinking that they had the best chance of winning the bachelor's heart when he was actually trying to choose between so many people.

I'd been processing the scenario since Harry first appeared, and although part of me was still in shock - like, a big part of me - I could see the potential for so many things to go wrong. 

From my understanding, in the previous seasons of MEB, the bachelors only had limited amounts of time with the women, only when they went on dates or other planned activities. The fact that Harry was spending a day and a half of unstructured time with us was apparently a big deal. Still, everyone seemed overly eager to get his attention, not considering the fact they had a generous amount of time to at least make an impression. Those who were sitting close enough to talk to him at lunch monopolized his attention the whole time, and those who weren't close enough were whispering about it to the women near them and casting pouty looks in his direction.

Alcohol was flowing freely, with waiters coming around every ten minutes, it seemed. I had refused a drink at least seven times, and then finally went for a small glass of wine to help calm my nerves if nothing else.

When lunch had been cleared away, Harry stood up and addressed all of us. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to check out the pool. Have any of you taken a dip yet?" 

He suggested we meet poolside in half an hour. I wasn't sure what to think. Maybe he legitimately loved sun and swimming, but part of me felt like this was the swimsuit competition in the Miss America pageant, a chance for him to see what was underneath the clothes we were currently wearing. Was he planning on using this as one of his primary criteria for choosing who would stay? 

I changed into the two-piece that Allegra had practically forced me to buy. It looked good on me - I couldn't argue with that. Regardless, the cover-up was pulled over my head because I wasn't ready to flash everything to a bunch of strangers. I fished out a pair of matching flip flops and as I slid my left foot in, I noticed that the polish was chipping. "Shoot, I'm going to have to re-paint them later," I grumbled to myself. And then I laughed, thinking that Allegra had succeeded in brainwashing me with her standards of beauty. To be fair, my toenails did look nice polished in Essie Come Here coral. I could see myself wearing open-toed sandals for work, as long as they looked professional. 

When I stepped out onto the lanai, which was larger than my entire apartment, I was pleased to catch sight of the pool in the afternoon sun. It looked so inviting, but I wasn't ready to get in just yet. I found a lounger that was free and laid down while some girls frolicked in the water. Others opted for sunbathing, and some stayed in the shade of the lanai, sitting at the bar with their drinks, picking at their nails or whatever activity occupied people when they had no phone in their hands. It didn't look like all the women had come down to the pool yet, and Harry hadn't appeared either. I smiled inwardly, knowing that I was the only one who knew where he was staying.

I laid back and closed my eyes, thinking some sun would be good for me. I tanned easily, but I hadn't consciously worked on a tan in years. My cover-up was sleeveless so I could at least start on some color on my arms and legs. I reveled in this feeling, baking in the sun and not worrying about a single thing, not even what I was going to have for dinner because someone was going to cook it for me.

It wasn't long before I heard little squeals of Harry's name and high-pitched chatter trying to catch his attention. I sat up and found him surrounded by at least ten women, and he didn't look the least bit bothered. As he walked towards the pool, the women dispersed to let him through. Sheesh, it was like he was a rock star or something. Oh, wait, he was a rock star. 

When I finally took a gander at Mr. Styles in his own swimsuit, my mouth went dry. 

Holy hotness, Batman! How did this man have the perfect everything? Just a few minutes ago, I was grumbling about how he probably wanted to check all of us out in our swimsuits, and now here I was, ogling those sculpted abs, which were even more mouth-watering up close, his toned legs that were, to be honest, the most beautiful legs I'd ever seen on a man, his form fitting swimsuit and his tight little-

"Harper!" Brittany said loudly. "Are you even listening?" 

I took off my sunglasses and looked at her in a daze. No, I wasn't listening. My eyes were feasting on Mr. Happy Pants over there and I had no idea you even sat down.

"I'm sorry, Brittany," I laughed. "I zoned out, I guess." 

"I wonder why," she cackled, nodding her head slightly towards Mr. Styles. "I was just asking if you wanted to go for a swim."

"Umm, not just yet. Maybe a little later," I said. 

"Come on, you goof," she insisted. "It's hot out here. Let's cool off. Besides, Harry's in the pool, so maybe we can get to know him a little." 

"You just want to know his sausage," I shot back with a smirk. 

"That, too," she giggled. "Come on, you can be my wing man." She pulled me, literally pulled me out of my lounger and I almost fell flat on my butt because I could barely scramble fast enough to stand upright. 

"That's not what I signed up for," I retaliated, lifting my cover-up over my head and tossing it on the lounger. "And I think that maybe you don't understand the wing man concept. There are no other men here, unless you want me to dunk a few of the women. I'm surprisingly okay with that," I laughed, thinking of Dove and Salma in particular. The water did look inviting and I figured I didn't really care whether Harry was eyeing us up or not. I was here for the experience and not for the man. Especially now that I knew who he was and, all hotness aside, he really wasn't what I was looking for. 

I actually started wondering if I was supposed to pretend I was interested in him until he eliminated me. Then, was I supposed to muster up fake tears on camera to make it seem legit? I wondered what happened if someone on the show just really wasn't attracted to the bachelor. Statistically speaking, it would be impossible for all the women here to be compatible with Harry or any other bachelor, for that matter.

As I walked to the pool's edge, I looked up and sure enough, Harry was staring at me. When he caught my eye, he raised his eyebrows in approval, at least I think that's what that was. I just looked back down and descended the ladder into the pool. Brittany had already abandoned me in favor of a soaking wet pop star. So much for being her wing man.

I swam a little and then moved closer to the pulsing throng of women mobbing Harry. I heard a girl named Allison ask, "So Harry, have you spoken English all your life?" 

The other women tried to hold their laughter while Harry just chuckled and politely answered, "Yes, it's the national language of England." Dove was nearby, practically hanging on Harry's arm, laughing in a patronizing way.

"Oh right, I forgot," she said, becoming more ditzy by the moment. "I was thinking you were from Ireland." 

I had to turn around and swim far away before I burst into laughter. The other girls giggled, too, but I was close to swallowing massive amounts of chlorine before I could fully stand up and catch my breath. I hoisted myself up and stood on the edge of the pool, coughing and sputtering.  When I could finally breathe again, I dried off a bit and laid back down.

While I laid there sunning myself, I took the time to look at the other women, checking out their swimsuits. There was a pretty cool variety. I gawked when I spied Oluchi, who looked like an African queen with her long, slender legs and fabulous hair. I observed her for quite some time, actually. I wondered how on earth she kept her skin so soft and smooth. Allegra was always fighting against ashy skin. I wondered if it would be rude to her about her skin care regimen. 

Natalia was wearing what I would consider a very cute bikini, red with white polka dots and a tiny flouncy skirt. Regardless of the style, she made it look like she was posing for an issue of GQ. Allison, despite her lack of common sense, had definite fashion sense. She got out of the pool and laid down in one of the cabanas; her stomach was so flat I thought she might disappear into the thing. And Victoria? She was wearing an orange bikini; it was Harry's favorite color, and it looked so good it made me want to punch her in the throat. I'm just kidding. Kind of.

Harry got out of the pool and sat next to me. "Don't like to swim?"

A cameraman zoomed in on the two of us. I was starting to get used to it, but it was still awkward - I just wanted to be myself, but I felt like I had to do something special for the cameras.

"No, I like the water just fine. Just no room to do laps. You know, with the human amoeba floating in the middle."

"Ah, is that it?" He said, throwing his head back in laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dove getting out of the pool and casting an evil glance my way. Ignoring her, I focused on Harry again, trying desperately to look at his face and not let my eyes wander to his tattoos. Or his abs. Or his pecs. "What do you do for a living, Harper?" He asked. 

Cue the waiter with the tray of booze. Harry and I both waved him off, but the women around us gladly accepted refills. Several were congregating close by, pulling chairs up to join in the conversation. I answered Harry's question with a proud smile. "I'm an advertising rep for Elite 21. It's the biggest advertising agency on the West Coast."

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm familiar with that name, actually." 

That was surprising. "Really?" 

"Yeah, they've spoken with my agent about maybe working with some of their bigger names," he said. "But I'm not really interested in being a spokesman for Right Guard just yet. I'm kind of loyal to Tom Ford." He shrugged and gave me a sideways smile.

"I don't blame you," I laughed, touching his knee. Just as fast, I pulled it back, not wanting to be overly familiar, like Dove. "But if you're ever open to doing some advertising work, you have to go with one of my accounts," I demanded. "I like to give products a professional look, a modern feel. I'm not into cheesy advertising at all. So I would make sure you didn't have to dress up in a silly costume or something like that." 

He shrugged, "I've done it in concert before, so wouldn't be the first time." 

"Really?" I laughed, trying to imagine what kind of costume he would have worn. "Well, I just landed a major Sony account, so maybe you could be the new face of the phone they're working on - they're projecting it to outsell the iPhone." I couldn't help but let a little excitement into my voice since it was the biggest account I'd ever gotten.

"Wow, you're good," he smiled. "Makes me want to buy one right now." 

"Well, I'll give you my card," I said, smiling back. "You know, in case you need a side job to pick up some extra money." 

Wait, are we flirting? In front of all these other women? 

I looked around and then back at Harry. "Well, I should give you some time to get to know the other women," I said awkwardly. I stood up and headed back to the cool water of the pool. There was a brief silence before everyone started talking at once, vying for Harry's attention once again. That was just weird - I suddenly felt like I was under a microscope and every single person there was analyzing everything I said and did, plus a camera man was recording it all. I hoped Harry wouldn't think I was rude for just getting up and walking away, but that was kind of intense.

I noticed one of producers walking around and chatting with the women. I think her name was Claudia. She stopped to chat with Dove and then they both looked at me briefly. What were they talking about? 

Whatever. I shook my head and swam a few laps since I had the pool almost all to myself. Then I got out and grabbed my towel from my lounger where other women were now squeezed together to give attention to the man of the hour. 

I hadn't noticed that Demi was missing until just now, when she came strutting out to the pool like a runway model, wearing spiky red heels and a sleek black swimsuit cover-up. Her now-black hair was brushed straight and neat and her makeup was flawless. She made her way over to the lounger right next to mine and said, "Hi, Harper." Then she slowly removed her cover-up, revealing a hot rockabilly style suit, which was black and white with pops of red to draw attention to her well-defined assets. 

A noticeable silence settled over the pool area as everyone stopped, jaws dropped and eyes glued to the mysterious woman who had somehow magically transformed from embarrassingly awkward geek to pin-up girl practically right before our eyes.

The style of her suit perfectly revealed her slender waist, her full chest, and her tight round tush. I was almost jealous enough to throw my towel around her and lie to her, telling her she had a hole in her suit. She slipped out of her heels and climbed down into the pool, smiling sweetly at me as she pushed backwards off the pool ladder.

What kind of game was she playing? 

I wandered to where a small group of women had congregated, near the bar. I listened in before joining the conversation, and the claws were out. 

"That Valerie girl, the one from the Philippines - she's such a snob," Lucy was saying. "She's my room-mate and she hasn't spoken one word to me. I said good morning, but she ignored me." 

Shailene chimed in, "Well at least your room-mates don't snore. That fat chick from Cyprus is like a foghorn." 

"Hey," I interrupted. "Be nice." I hardly knew Shailene, but I hated when people talked down about others. 

"Fine," she said, rolling her Texan eyes. "That healthy chick from Cyprus snores loudly." 

"Oh, and I heard some interesting news about Joy," Brenda said in a hushed voice. My ears perked up, wanting to protect the younger girl from these catty older women. "I heard she's still in high school," Brenda whispered loudly. 

Shit. How did they know? I looked at the nearest camera and yes, it was close enough to capture what was just said.

"Come on," I said, trying to stop that idea in its tracks. "How could a high school kid get on this show. You know who I really wonder about is Salma. Doesn't she look...older? I mean like a lot older?" 

"She does," Brittany said, joining the group, along with Jamie, who was carrying a very large margarita glass. "She's pretty, but yeah, she's got to be at least forty. I wonder what's up with that." 

"Do you guys know nothing about Harry Styles?" Jamie said loudly and we shushed her. Apparently, margaritas made her voice ten times louder. "He has a reputation for going out with older women. When he was seventeen, he dated Caroline Flack. And she was 32 at the time!"

"Shhh! Eww, that's illegal, isn't it?" I cringed.

"Not over there, apparently. Or else they played it down really well. But everyone knows they were involved." 

"So you think they really brought some older women on the show?" Suddenly, I wanted to hear more dirt about Harry. I wasn't sure why, but I think it had something to do with the fact that I liked him a lot more than I thought I would. And that was very dangerous since I wasn't interested in a celebrity. Right? I said that before and I meant it. I wasn't interested in dating a celebrity. Maybe if I said it enough times, I'd believe myself.

"So, what else do you know about him?" I asked quietly. "Anything useful?" All right, now I just sounded like a stalker.

"Well, he dated Taylor Swift for a while, and she's written songs about him, so he wrote a song from their latest album about her."

"No kidding," I mused.

"And he's dated plenty of Victoria's secret models. He plays down his relationship with all the women he hangs out with but who knows? I mean, at least from what I know, he's really a giant sweetheart with a tender spirit. He loves his fans so much and he loves babies. There are so many pictures of him with babies and kids."

A few more women had gathered around at this point, wanting to know more about the charming celebrity in our midst.

Jamie continued, trying to be quiet but failing hilariously as she blabbed about Harry. "He's a mama's boy. He's got such a great relationship with his mom and sister. That's probably helpful because it means he knows how to treat women."  

"Not necessarily," said Ariana. "He could be a jerk on the inside. How can you tell unless you really know him?"

"Well, I guess you can't," Jamie said. "But his public image is all out there - he's sweet, silly, funny, friendly. He'd have to be really good at hiding his dark side, if he has one." 

"I have no dark side, I can promise you that." Harry's lazy voice broke into our engaging conversation. 

"Oh, Harry," Jamie laughed nervously, now realizing how loud she had been while spilling details about his life. "I'm sorry. I was just filling everyone in. I'm like...um well I hesitate to say your biggest fan because a lot of girls probably say that, but I've been following you since the X Factor. I was just letting them know how awesome you are."

"You can't say you're a true fan until you use the proper term," He teased, taking a seat next to her.

"Harry," she said, slapping her hand on his shoulder while she swayed just a bit. "I will proudly admit I'm a Directioner. I watched your audition, boot camp, every single video diary. I know who Kevin is and...." She hesitated for a moment and then, "And Rainbow Bondage Bear." She let out a loud cackle and the rest of us screeched, "What?!" And started laughing with her.

"Shhi..." Harry laughed. "Okay, you're the real deal," he said to Jamie. And then to the rest of us, "Rainbow Bondage Bear is a rainbow-colored bear that's at every one of our concerts, hiding in the scaffolding. I can't even remember where he came from. But I'll tell you what - when you have some free time, you should all catch up on some of the early days of the band online - watch the auditions, the video diaries and  you can see what a goof I was back then. I can't completely separate myself from the band, I know that. It's been a part of my life for almost six years now, and it's a part of who I am. But while we're here, I want you to get to know me. Sure you can ask questions about One Direction. But I don't want you to see me as anyone but Harry. Just Harry."

_______

This scene takes place during the day, so just imagine that swimming pool in the day time - it was perfect for how I pictured the mansion to be in the Northern California mountains, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. :D

Part 1 of a TRIPLE update just b/c I love you!!!

Thank you all for reading, voting & commenting <3 xoxo