Secrets / Black & White / Playing for Keeps

“Meeting the band?” Lara asked.

“Yes, meeting the band.” Ben repeated. “There’s a charity function on tomorrow night. It’s a black tie event… the usual dinner and presentation kind of function.”

Lara picked at her scrambled eggs as Ben turned his attention to the newspaper he was reading.

“You’ll meet up with Janie a few hours before so you can get spruced up. There will be media in attendance so we need you looking your best.” He said without looking up. She didn’t bother arguing; in fact she was welcoming the makeover. She was happy to hide behind a layer of makeup and a dress that would probably stand out more than she did.

“By the way Julian has a few words to say to you and Harry about your Hyde Park escapade. What was all that about?”

“We were just having a little fun that’s all.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I thought it was gold. The photos turned out really well, but you’ll find that Julian’s not so thrilled.” Ben rubbed his forehead. “But then again, I feel delirious. Remind me not to drink Redbull vodkas ever again.”

He unsteadily stood up and disappeared into the bathroom where she heard him rattling around, presumably for painkillers.

Lara finished her orange juice and gave up on the scrambled eggs. She glanced at the open newspaper and noticed that it was open at the gossip section. She saw the now familiar picture of her and Harry’s park date. Media outlets across the world had picked up on the story and now a day later she was to make her first proper foray into the public eye.

The team of stylists arrived at the flat and were soon scrutinising Lara. She sat in the chair allowing them to play with her hair and discuss what their next move would be.

“You have beautiful long hair, I’d hate it cut it, but I think it might need a trim.” Janie conferred with the hairstylist who agreed.

“And you are in desperate need of an eyebrow wax.” They laughed quietly and Lara blushed. “Don’t worry love, you’re going to be the belle of the ball. You won’t even recognise yourself.”

Lara wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. A couple of hours passed and she was waxed, plucked and preened to within an inch of her life. Her hair had been trimmed giving it a much needed lift, and they were just beginning to apply her makeup.

“It sure takes a lot of work to look like the belle of the ball” Lara noted.

“It’s not just you, every girl has to go through all of this. Except for the boys. They just step into a suit, run a comb through their hair and are ready to go. Harry has been skipping the comb part lately though.” Janie said with a giggle.

They decided to leave her hair hang loose with a slight wave, and waited while she slipped into a beautiful coral coloured long gown. When Lara finally stepped in front of a mirror she let out a soft sigh.

“Oh.”

“Is that a good oh or a bad oh?” Janie asked.

“A good oh.” She breathed. “What a beautiful dress.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, you know. Harry’s not going to know where to look first.”

Lara kept staring at the reflection, transfixed by the stranger that gazed back at her.

“You scrub up well.” Ben said approvingly as he took a swig of red wine.

Harry arrived with Julian not long after, clad in a smart looking black tux. He must have remembered to comb his hair, because it looked nice and tidy. Lara stared at him shyly.

“You look smashing.” Julian cried. Lara felt a surge of disappointment when all Harry did was nod. Janie was right; it was as if he didn’t know where to look. She felt him appraising her but he did not meet her eyes.

“Are we ready to go?” He asked looking nervous.

“Yes, let’s just finish our drink and we’ll get going.” Ben said even though he was the only one drinking. Harry swiped Ben’s glass of red wine and downed it quickly.

“Thanks mate.” He muttered walking off and leaving Ben staring after him with his mouth open.

“Okay kids, before we go, let’s just be clear.” Julian said watching Harry with a worried look. “The paparazzi and reporters will be out in force outside the venue. The nosiness won’t stop there. Once you’re inside, you have to stick together. Enjoy your night- together. I don’t care who’s around, you’re to sit together and engage with one another.”

Harry had sat down on the couch with his head down.

“Harry are you listening?” Julian continued.

“Yes.” He said barely audible.

“I don’t know what you were both thinking during your little park escapade. You managed to get away with it, but in future just stick to the brief.”

“Okay, let’s not start the night of with a downer” Ben spoke up brightly. He had refilled his wine glass in the meantime. “Let’s have a great night. Be good. It’s all for charity after all.”

Lara heard Harry grunt as he rose from the couch and headed to the door. They made their way downstairs and into the waiting limo. Lara felt her heart skip a beat when she discovered the limo was full of people. The members of One Direction sat inside watching as she delicately entered the car making sure not to crush her dress.

“Guys, this is Lara.” Harry said. “She’s my date for the night.”

He flopped onto one of the seats, opting not to sit next to Lara who had settled next to one of the boy’s dates.

“Hi, I’m Perrie.” The blonde girl smiled.

“Oh sorry.” Harry said. He gestured to each person. “Liam, Sophie, Zayn, Perrie, Niall, Louis, Eleanor.”


Lara smiled and greeted each of them but noticed that the responses were mixed. The girls seemed friendly but the guys a bit more reserved. Zayn greeted her casually without giving her a second look. Liam smiled warmly and nodded, but she wondered if it was more out of politeness than anything else. Niall grinned and reached over to shake her hand. And Louis looked disinterested.

“That’s a gorgeous dress Lara.” Sophie commented approvingly.

“Who’s it by?” Eleanor asked.

“Er, I don’t know.”

“Ooh you’d better find out. They always ask.” Perrie chimed in.

Lara looked at Harry who was gloomily looking out the window. She wondered why he was in a bad mood, especially after telling her that he was okay with going along with this charade. She clasped her hands in her lap and listened to the group chatter. At one point she caught Louis eyeing her intently. She smiled uncertainly but he instantly looked away.

It was not long before they pulled up to the event. A red carpet stretched out and the paparazzi were all waiting with cameras poised.

The group exited the car, and stood in pairs, except for Niall who joked around about not having a date. Harry linked arms with Lara and they allowed security to guide them toward the chaos of the red carpet. The blinding camera flashes went off immediately and Lara tried not to stumble as Harry almost pulled her along.

"Smile." Harry muttered.

A reporter appeared out of nowhere and stuck a microphone in front of the couple.

“Harry would you like to introduce your lovely date?” She asked with a toothy grin.

“This is Lara Ballantyne.” Harry replied.

“That is a beautiful dress Lara. Who is it by?”

“Tonight I’m more focussed on helping to raising funds for this wonderful charity.” She said with a smile, as though she had rehearsed the line.

“That’s er… very commendable.” The reporter nodded. An awkward silence followed before Harry spoke up. He took Lara’s hands and stepped back to look at her.

“She’s a knockout, don’t you think?” He took his time looking her over. She clutched his hands and looked up at him as his eyes roamed from her head to toe. Her breath hitched as he winked at her and flashed a charming smile.

“She is gorgeous. You’re a lucky man.” The reporter agreed. Harry ignored her as he pulled Lara close and they proceeded to enter the venue. Lara marvelled at how Harry just seemed to turn on the charm, and turn off the charm when he needed to. This was further proved when his arm automatically dropped and they walked separately to their table.

Once everyone was seated the presentations began and dinner was promptly served. Lara chewed thoughtfully as she surveyed the table. Once again the boys had barely addressed her since the beginning of the night. They were keen to get stuck into the alcohol and were onto their second bottle of wine. The girls engaged her in small talk. She was annoyed when she realised she hadn’t been told if the group were aware her relationship with Harry was for PR only, but since Harry had introduced her as his date, she felt like she had to stay in character.

Harry barely spoke to her though, preferring to drink wine and joke around with his bandmates. There was an easy camaraderie between them and she realised that they were genuine friends, not only workmates.

At one point he leant over her to speak to Perrie who sat next to her. His shoulder pressed against hers, his face only inches away. She couldn't help but stare at him, the dimple in his cheek when he smiled and his intense green eyes that seemed to shine when he smiled. He and Perrie laughed, and Lara realised she had missed the joke, she had been so preoccupied with looking at him.

“You okay?” He asked after a while. Lara nodded and he turned his attention to the others once again. Before dessert was served, a few people approached the table to speak to the boys. Lara recognised James Corden, but not the others. Harry stood to speak to them, and he made a point of introducing Lara.

“Stand up.” He muttered to her, and she heard Louis guffaw in the background. She stood and politely greeted them.

“How long has this been going on then?” James asked with a smile.

“We met a couple of months ago, but we only started seeing each other in the past week or so.” Harry said without faltering. Lara smiled as he snaked his arm around her waist.

They spoke to a few more people and as the night progressed his embraces and touches began to become more obvious. He rubbed the small of back, his hand touching her bare skin. The first time she felt his hand she had almost jumped, but was quick to regain her composure.

It didn’t help that the group were on their sixth bottle of wine. Lara, who was not used to drinking, had had one glass of wine, but had then switched to mineral water. Harry, on the other hand was onto his fifth glass of wine, and apparently the joke was that it didn’t take much alcohol to affect him.

Harry was lightly touching her arm, tracing patterns onto her skin as he chatted to yet another person who was questioning their relationship. The official photographer of the night chose to approach them at that moment.

“Can I please take a photo?” He asked.

“Sure.” Harry said. He pulled her even closer and the flash went off.

“How about a little kiss?” The photographer asked with a hopeful smile.

“Well, now you’re just being cheeky.” Harry said.

“What do you mean?” He held up his hands defensively.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Harry pointed at him before looking at Lara. “You okay with that?”

She didn’t have time to answer before his lips crushed hers. The kiss was over in a blinding flash, but it brought a surge of emotions with it. The scent of his aftershave, combined with the sensation of his soft lips was a heady experience. Lara unsteadily sat down, and looked up to see Louis shaking his head.

“Seriously?” He asked, to nobody in particular. Harry didn’t even look at him as he sat down.

“You have a little lipstick-“Lara said gesturing to Harry’s lips.

“I’ll get it.” He mumbled, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

More presentations followed, and the group was buzzed. Not long after the presentations ended, people continued to mingle as the dancing began. Zayne and Perrie disappeared outside to have a cigarette and Liam led Sophie to the dance floor. Niall and Louis were nowhere to be seen, and Eleanor had headed for the bathroom. Harry turned to face her.

“I’ll be back.” He said, leaving her to sit at the table alone. She sat there for what seemed like ages, ignoring the people who watched her curiously. This was why she hated these functions. Ben had always invited her in the past, and didn’t like to take no as an answer.

She had turned up to a few, but had always managed to sneak out once she knew he was intoxicated enough to not notice her missing.

As she self-consciously sat waiting, she also remembered why she had never accepted his offers to meet One Direction. What did she have to say to them? Nothing. She wasn’t a fan, and she wasn’t a social person at the best of times. She looked around trying to spot Harry returning to the table. Zayn and Perrie were back, but they were too busy whispering to each other to notice her. Tears threatened to fall, but she tried all her might to not lose it in front of everyone there. A few more minutes passed before Lara scraped back her chair and stood up. She headed for the bathroom, but took another turn and ended up at an exit at the back of the venue.

It led onto a balcony and she was grateful that she was the only person there. She took a deep breath of the night air, enjoying the breeze. It was not long before she heard footsteps and turned to see Niall. The blond boy smiled at her.

“What are you doing out here Lara?” He asked.

“Just getting some air.” Lara replied, thankful that the threat of tears had passed.

“I was looking for Zayn and Perrie, I thought I saw them coming this way.”

“They’re back at the table.” Lara said, turning to lean on the balcony again. But Niall didn’t leave, instead choosing to join her.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Just asking.It can’t be easy.” He said.

“What do you mean?” Lara asked uncertainly.

“For you and Harry.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy dating a celebrity.” She said with a fake laugh.

“Lara, I know. Harry told me that it’s a set up. Julian’s pretty good at those.”

“Oh.”

An awkward silence ensued.

“Do the rest of the boys know?” Lara finally asked.

“Harry told all of us. It’s not worth hiding it. We spend so much time together that we would probably see right through it anyway.” Niall said.

“Is that why the other guys seem a bit… unhappy?” She couldn’t think of a better word. All she knew was that she was being excluded, and she didn’t know how long she could last if it kept happening.

“You could say that.” Niall said carefully. ”They’re not fans of all of Julian’s plans.”

“Oh.” Lara did not know what else to say.

“Don’t worry about Harry. He’s just going through some stuff at the moment. He’s trying hard to keep it all together.”

“What kind of stuff?” She asked.

“Just stuff.” Niall said. “But don’t feel so down. It looks like you’re doing a good job.”

“Thanks.” Lara said.

“Want to come back inside?” He asked holding out his hand. She nodded, and he placed his hand on her arm and guided her inside. As she walked to the table, she bumped into Harry..

“Where are you going?” He asked breathlessly. Lara noticed he was slightly flushed, his curly hair messy, and the top three buttons of his shirt unbuttoned.

“Where have you been?” She asked.

“Just mingling.” He said, but it didn’t sound too convincing. He looked at Niall and gave him a pointed look. “I’ll take her from here.”

Niall shrugged and walked off.

“I waited for you-“Lara began.

“Yeah well, and I was mingling, wasn’t I?”

Harry shook his head and grabbed her hand.

“Come on.” He said gruffly as they returned to their table. Lara looked up to see Julian watching them from his table. He raised his hands as if to say “What are you two doing?”

Lara pretended not to notice as she sat down, a grim look on her face. She looked over to see that Harry’s expression mirrored hers. The rest of the group were back at their seats. Liam watched her wordlessly and as usual Zayn didn’t bother acknowledging her, preferring to look at Harry questioningly. Louis glared at her, his blue eyes regarding her icily.

She couldn’t help but sigh as she crossed her arms defensively. What was their problem? She wondered. She began to count down the minutes until she could leave.

She didn’t even think about counting down the months, because one year suddenly felt like a lifetime.

Notes