The Bachelorette
12 Become 10
Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold
Clara's POV
"How are you feeling, dear?" Lou asked me as she began to work her magic on my ordinary hair.
"Nervous, as always." I responded, running the tip of my thumb nail over my bottom lip, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My make-up hadn't been done yet but Lou would attend to that after she did my hair. Images of yesterday's group date flashed in my mind. The fun I had at the beach shoot, the laughs I let out on the dancefloor with Liam and Zayn, the sparkle of Harry's green eyes when I got close to him. I felt a spark crackle when his hand touched my waist and the way he looked at me... I wanted a man to look at me like that every day. So why did I give the rose to Liam? Truthfully, Liam was a great guy. He was up for everything and he done everything to get my attention during the date. He wasn't exactly the best dancer but when I was in his arms, I felt safe. And that's what I wanted in a relationship. To feel safe. But Harry made me feel safe too. God, why is this so hard?
The cocktail party was going to begin in under an hour and tonight, I would have to send two bachelors home. Louis and Liam were safe because they had both received roses but for the other 10 guys, their chances in getting through rested in my hands.
"Just take deep breaths, Clara, OK?" Lou told me as she finished my hair. The top-half was pinned back, allowing my bangs to fall freely, with silver pearl clips and the bottom-half lay in loose curls down my back. I took deep breaths as Lou moved to my side, applying the first layer of make-up on my face. Lou Teasdale was my closest friend while being on this show. She was there for the girly chats because trust me, I needed a break from all the testosterone and the good-lookingness. I needed some downtime with another female. It let me breathe a little better because when I was around the bachelors, my heart raced at a million miles an hour. Lou was around me all the time. She was there to do my hair and make-up for each date and did touch-ups in between filming. She was the only person that I had allowed to come to my bachelorette pad. I knew I would need her during this experience, to help me through my emotions because this was going to be hard on my heart and my head.
"Who are you going to talk to first tonight?" Lou asked me as she worked on my eyes. My first thought was Harry, so I could reassure him that I felt something for him. But I needed to talk to some of the other guys. Some of them had hardly spend time with me and I needed to give them that chance.
"I'm going to steal Niall away first, I think. And we'll see how things proceed after that." I said, my eyes locked to the mirror in front of me. Niall seemed fun and I'd only spoken to him twice during this first week. I wanted to get to know him more, see if there was a softer, more romantic, side to him. But I would need to talk to Harry tonight. I would make sure of it.
Forty-five minutes later, my hair and make-up was done and Lou helped me put on my dress for the cocktail party.
I slipped on matching nude heels that heightened me 3 inches and ran my hands down the front of my dress, flattening it out, making sure there were no creases or crinkles in the fabric.
"All ready?" Lou asked.
"Yes, let the party begin." I plastered a smile on my face and walked out of my bachelorette pad with Lou beside me, getting into a sleek black car that would drive us to the mansion. Here we go, Clara. I whispered in my head, getting ready to see the bachelors again tonight.
0*0
Harry's POV
Clara hadn't arrived yet so it was just us guys. I lounged on the couch, throwing one of my legs over the other as I sipped my cocktail. I didn’t exactly know what was in the drink but it tasted good, that’s for sure. I was nervous about the rose ceremony. Ever since Clara had given Liam a rose on the group date, my heart had been pounding with anxiety. I knew she and I had a connection. I had felt it. I still remembered how the red dress perfectly hugged her figure and the way her green eyes sparkled, piercing into mine with a poison I craved more of. I only met this woman a week ago and I was already attracted to her on an extremely deep level. Clara, what are you doing to me?
“Oi, guys, she’s here!”
Louis’s voice brought me out of my thoughts and I stood up from my spot on the couch, gripping my glass in my right hand, adjusting the collar of my suit jacket with my left one.
I followed Louis outside and saw Clara walking across the grass towards us, her cocktail glass in her right hand. She stepped up onto the patio, gripping the skirt of her beautiful dress with her left hand. She looked absolutely gorgeous, smiling as she greeted us with a sweet “Good evening.” We all wondered if anyone was going to steal her away or if she was going to grab one of us to talk in private. It turned out to be the latter.
“Niall, would you like to have a chat?”
All of us stared at the blonde-haired man as he stood up from the couch, his blue eyes sparkling behind his glasses, bright and wide. He agreed and she took his hand, leading him inside the mansion. I sat down in Niall’s spot and gulped down the rest of my cocktail quickly. I wasn’t exactly pleased that she had taken Niall away before me. I needed to talk to her. We had a great time on the group date yet she had given Liam a rose, instead of me. My fate here wasn’t guaranteed and it made me anxious, more than it should.
“Are you OK, Harry?” Liam asked me. I looked at him and my lip curled when I saw the rose pinned to the lapel of his grey suit jacket.
I wanted to have that rose pinned to my lapel. I had nothing against Liam. He seemed like a nice guy and he was an attractive one too but the spark I had with Clara seemed more deep. She was just laughing with Liam on the group date but with me, she had stared up at me like she wanted me to kiss her. I could still remember her hand on my chest, her red lips plump and perfect.
“I'm fine. Just…if Clara doesn’t come to me, I’m going to go to her.” I said bluntly, not wanting to reveal my intentions. I couldn’t trust every single bachelor here completely. One of them could stir the pot up or cause drama. I didn’t want to put myself out there right now. I wanted to show Clara who I was first before letting the other guys in. Because, at the end of the day, I wasn’t here for any of the guys. I was here to win Clara’s heart.
I heard the sound of heels clipping on the patio and I looked up to see Niall and Clara walking towards us. Niall looked pleased about something as he collapsed onto the couch next to Liam. I needed to say something now. I needed to take the chance before it was gone.
“Clara, can we talk?” I asked. She looked at me with those pretty green eyes of hers and smiled, tapping her fingernails on the side of her cocktail glass.
“I was actually just going to ask you the same question.”
I smiled and rose to my full height, walking around the table just as she took my hand in her smaller one. She wants to talk to me. It reassured me that she had the same thoughts as me, in coming over and having a talk. She led me away from the other bachelors, around the corner and deeper into the garden around the back of the mansion. We then began to ascend some stairs and I had no idea what Clara was up to.
“Where are we going?” I laughed. She didn’t say anything and just smiled as she pulled me along up the stairs. When we reached the top, I realised we were in a small private balcony that was attached to the mansion. Flowers bloomed around us and fairy lights hung from the small roof that shielded us from the sky. There was a soft couch with plush pillows placed on it as well as a small table in front of it. With my hand still in hers, Clara and I sat down on the couch, getting comfortable.
“I figured we could come here, somewhere more private, where none of the other guys can see us.” She said to me and placed her glass on the table. She rubbed my knuckles with her thumb and smiled nervously at me. I found it sweet she had taken me away to this secluded balcony. It was nice that it was just the two of us with no prying eyes.
“What did you think of the group date?” Clara asked.
“It was…fun. I loved pretending to pick you up in a red Ferrari.” I smiled and she giggled. That sound made my heart flutter.
“I saw the look on your face when I gave the rose to Liam. I could see you didn’t like it.”
“Not particularly, no. But it was your decision. I hold nothing against you.” I said kindly and I felt her fingers squeeze mine. Truthfully, I hated that it was Liam who had gotten the rose. Clara and I had shared such an intimate moment together and it felt like she had just thrown that out the window. But it didn’t stop the feelings I had for her and I knew she would form strong relationships with other guys in the mansion. I wasn’t the only bachelor here and finding love would be a journey not just for me but for them too.
“Thank you. And I took you away tonight because I wanted to talk to you more. I believe you haven’t told me a lot about your family.” Clara said, keeping one of her hands in mine. So I told her more about my family. How my mother and older sister were still in England so I was here by myself. I told her about what Gemma did back home and that my mother remarried, now extremely happy with her life. She listened to me intently, her green eyes studying my face curiously as I told her my life story. It was nice to just tell her about me and my values, what I loved about life. I forgot about the other guys and focused on being alone with Clara. She told me about her family and we compared our likes and dislikes, our interests. It was a wonderful conversation and it ended in the most perfect way.
“Well, well, well, I definitely find you interesting, Harry so…” Clara let go of my hand and turned her back to me. I saw her arm reach out to grab something and when she turned back around, there was a deep red rose in her hands.
“Will you accept this rose?”
“Of course, Clara.” I smiled and she pinned it to my lapel. I leaned over and gave her a hug carefully, not wanting to ruin her perfectly-styled hair. I kissed her cheek as I whispered in her ear.
“You planned bringing me up here, didn’t you? And giving me a rose?”
“Maybe.” She whispered back but I could hear the smirk in her voice. This was a great development in our relationship. I was guaranteed to stay here for longer, now that there was a rose pinned to me. Hopefully, my one-on-one date would come soon. I had my fingers crossed for it.
0*0
Clara’s POV
Nine bachelors stood on one side and three others stood a little further to the other side. Louis, Harry and Liam were safe tonight but the other nine men, their fate rested with my decision on who to give roses to. I only had seven of them so I had to farewell another two bachelors. The more the numbers decreased, the harder it was for me to decide who to send home.
I picked up the first rose off the silver platter and clutched it in my fingers. I looked down at it, softly biting my lip. I knew who I wanted to stay here in the mansion but actually calling their names out was more difficult than I had thought before I embarked on this journey. I knew I would break hearts and shatter feelings. It was all expected but it actually happened was the sad part. I looked up at the nervous bachelors and called out the first name.
“Niall.”
He stepped forward with a smile and accepted the rose. He kissed my cheek and joined Harry, Louis and Liam, standing a step above them. I picked up the second rose and called out the next name.
“Angelo.”
The process was repeated and after accepting my rose, he went to stand next to Louis. The third rose went to Chris and the fourth one went to Jake. Then I picked Zayn who, even though he was as quite as a mouse, looked happy and he still intrigued me. I liked a guy with mystery behind him. I could see there were many aspects of Zayn I had yet to discover so it was easy for me to send him through.
I ended up sending Mikey and another guy, Ben, home. There had been no connection there, no spark and the worst thing I wanted to do was to string them along when they had no hope. So to me, I was doing them a favour.
I was happy with the guys I had left and I had already decided on who would go on the next single date. I knew he would happy when he would find out that it's him. I looked forward to spending more quality time with him and seeing where our relationship could lead. I really did like him and I hoped he liked me too. I guess I would find out on the one-on-one date.
Clara's POV
"How are you feeling, dear?" Lou asked me as she began to work her magic on my ordinary hair.
"Nervous, as always." I responded, running the tip of my thumb nail over my bottom lip, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My make-up hadn't been done yet but Lou would attend to that after she did my hair. Images of yesterday's group date flashed in my mind. The fun I had at the beach shoot, the laughs I let out on the dancefloor with Liam and Zayn, the sparkle of Harry's green eyes when I got close to him. I felt a spark crackle when his hand touched my waist and the way he looked at me... I wanted a man to look at me like that every day. So why did I give the rose to Liam? Truthfully, Liam was a great guy. He was up for everything and he done everything to get my attention during the date. He wasn't exactly the best dancer but when I was in his arms, I felt safe. And that's what I wanted in a relationship. To feel safe. But Harry made me feel safe too. God, why is this so hard?
The cocktail party was going to begin in under an hour and tonight, I would have to send two bachelors home. Louis and Liam were safe because they had both received roses but for the other 10 guys, their chances in getting through rested in my hands.
"Just take deep breaths, Clara, OK?" Lou told me as she finished my hair. The top-half was pinned back, allowing my bangs to fall freely, with silver pearl clips and the bottom-half lay in loose curls down my back. I took deep breaths as Lou moved to my side, applying the first layer of make-up on my face. Lou Teasdale was my closest friend while being on this show. She was there for the girly chats because trust me, I needed a break from all the testosterone and the good-lookingness. I needed some downtime with another female. It let me breathe a little better because when I was around the bachelors, my heart raced at a million miles an hour. Lou was around me all the time. She was there to do my hair and make-up for each date and did touch-ups in between filming. She was the only person that I had allowed to come to my bachelorette pad. I knew I would need her during this experience, to help me through my emotions because this was going to be hard on my heart and my head.
"Who are you going to talk to first tonight?" Lou asked me as she worked on my eyes. My first thought was Harry, so I could reassure him that I felt something for him. But I needed to talk to some of the other guys. Some of them had hardly spend time with me and I needed to give them that chance.
"I'm going to steal Niall away first, I think. And we'll see how things proceed after that." I said, my eyes locked to the mirror in front of me. Niall seemed fun and I'd only spoken to him twice during this first week. I wanted to get to know him more, see if there was a softer, more romantic, side to him. But I would need to talk to Harry tonight. I would make sure of it.
Forty-five minutes later, my hair and make-up was done and Lou helped me put on my dress for the cocktail party.
I slipped on matching nude heels that heightened me 3 inches and ran my hands down the front of my dress, flattening it out, making sure there were no creases or crinkles in the fabric.
"All ready?" Lou asked.
"Yes, let the party begin." I plastered a smile on my face and walked out of my bachelorette pad with Lou beside me, getting into a sleek black car that would drive us to the mansion. Here we go, Clara. I whispered in my head, getting ready to see the bachelors again tonight.
0*0
Harry's POV
Clara hadn't arrived yet so it was just us guys. I lounged on the couch, throwing one of my legs over the other as I sipped my cocktail. I didn’t exactly know what was in the drink but it tasted good, that’s for sure. I was nervous about the rose ceremony. Ever since Clara had given Liam a rose on the group date, my heart had been pounding with anxiety. I knew she and I had a connection. I had felt it. I still remembered how the red dress perfectly hugged her figure and the way her green eyes sparkled, piercing into mine with a poison I craved more of. I only met this woman a week ago and I was already attracted to her on an extremely deep level. Clara, what are you doing to me?
“Oi, guys, she’s here!”
Louis’s voice brought me out of my thoughts and I stood up from my spot on the couch, gripping my glass in my right hand, adjusting the collar of my suit jacket with my left one.
I followed Louis outside and saw Clara walking across the grass towards us, her cocktail glass in her right hand. She stepped up onto the patio, gripping the skirt of her beautiful dress with her left hand. She looked absolutely gorgeous, smiling as she greeted us with a sweet “Good evening.” We all wondered if anyone was going to steal her away or if she was going to grab one of us to talk in private. It turned out to be the latter.
“Niall, would you like to have a chat?”
All of us stared at the blonde-haired man as he stood up from the couch, his blue eyes sparkling behind his glasses, bright and wide. He agreed and she took his hand, leading him inside the mansion. I sat down in Niall’s spot and gulped down the rest of my cocktail quickly. I wasn’t exactly pleased that she had taken Niall away before me. I needed to talk to her. We had a great time on the group date yet she had given Liam a rose, instead of me. My fate here wasn’t guaranteed and it made me anxious, more than it should.
“Are you OK, Harry?” Liam asked me. I looked at him and my lip curled when I saw the rose pinned to the lapel of his grey suit jacket.
I wanted to have that rose pinned to my lapel. I had nothing against Liam. He seemed like a nice guy and he was an attractive one too but the spark I had with Clara seemed more deep. She was just laughing with Liam on the group date but with me, she had stared up at me like she wanted me to kiss her. I could still remember her hand on my chest, her red lips plump and perfect.
“I'm fine. Just…if Clara doesn’t come to me, I’m going to go to her.” I said bluntly, not wanting to reveal my intentions. I couldn’t trust every single bachelor here completely. One of them could stir the pot up or cause drama. I didn’t want to put myself out there right now. I wanted to show Clara who I was first before letting the other guys in. Because, at the end of the day, I wasn’t here for any of the guys. I was here to win Clara’s heart.
I heard the sound of heels clipping on the patio and I looked up to see Niall and Clara walking towards us. Niall looked pleased about something as he collapsed onto the couch next to Liam. I needed to say something now. I needed to take the chance before it was gone.
“Clara, can we talk?” I asked. She looked at me with those pretty green eyes of hers and smiled, tapping her fingernails on the side of her cocktail glass.
“I was actually just going to ask you the same question.”
I smiled and rose to my full height, walking around the table just as she took my hand in her smaller one. She wants to talk to me. It reassured me that she had the same thoughts as me, in coming over and having a talk. She led me away from the other bachelors, around the corner and deeper into the garden around the back of the mansion. We then began to ascend some stairs and I had no idea what Clara was up to.
“Where are we going?” I laughed. She didn’t say anything and just smiled as she pulled me along up the stairs. When we reached the top, I realised we were in a small private balcony that was attached to the mansion. Flowers bloomed around us and fairy lights hung from the small roof that shielded us from the sky. There was a soft couch with plush pillows placed on it as well as a small table in front of it. With my hand still in hers, Clara and I sat down on the couch, getting comfortable.
“I figured we could come here, somewhere more private, where none of the other guys can see us.” She said to me and placed her glass on the table. She rubbed my knuckles with her thumb and smiled nervously at me. I found it sweet she had taken me away to this secluded balcony. It was nice that it was just the two of us with no prying eyes.
“What did you think of the group date?” Clara asked.
“It was…fun. I loved pretending to pick you up in a red Ferrari.” I smiled and she giggled. That sound made my heart flutter.
“I saw the look on your face when I gave the rose to Liam. I could see you didn’t like it.”
“Not particularly, no. But it was your decision. I hold nothing against you.” I said kindly and I felt her fingers squeeze mine. Truthfully, I hated that it was Liam who had gotten the rose. Clara and I had shared such an intimate moment together and it felt like she had just thrown that out the window. But it didn’t stop the feelings I had for her and I knew she would form strong relationships with other guys in the mansion. I wasn’t the only bachelor here and finding love would be a journey not just for me but for them too.
“Thank you. And I took you away tonight because I wanted to talk to you more. I believe you haven’t told me a lot about your family.” Clara said, keeping one of her hands in mine. So I told her more about my family. How my mother and older sister were still in England so I was here by myself. I told her about what Gemma did back home and that my mother remarried, now extremely happy with her life. She listened to me intently, her green eyes studying my face curiously as I told her my life story. It was nice to just tell her about me and my values, what I loved about life. I forgot about the other guys and focused on being alone with Clara. She told me about her family and we compared our likes and dislikes, our interests. It was a wonderful conversation and it ended in the most perfect way.
“Well, well, well, I definitely find you interesting, Harry so…” Clara let go of my hand and turned her back to me. I saw her arm reach out to grab something and when she turned back around, there was a deep red rose in her hands.
“Will you accept this rose?”
“Of course, Clara.” I smiled and she pinned it to my lapel. I leaned over and gave her a hug carefully, not wanting to ruin her perfectly-styled hair. I kissed her cheek as I whispered in her ear.
“You planned bringing me up here, didn’t you? And giving me a rose?”
“Maybe.” She whispered back but I could hear the smirk in her voice. This was a great development in our relationship. I was guaranteed to stay here for longer, now that there was a rose pinned to me. Hopefully, my one-on-one date would come soon. I had my fingers crossed for it.
0*0
Clara’s POV
Nine bachelors stood on one side and three others stood a little further to the other side. Louis, Harry and Liam were safe tonight but the other nine men, their fate rested with my decision on who to give roses to. I only had seven of them so I had to farewell another two bachelors. The more the numbers decreased, the harder it was for me to decide who to send home.
I picked up the first rose off the silver platter and clutched it in my fingers. I looked down at it, softly biting my lip. I knew who I wanted to stay here in the mansion but actually calling their names out was more difficult than I had thought before I embarked on this journey. I knew I would break hearts and shatter feelings. It was all expected but it actually happened was the sad part. I looked up at the nervous bachelors and called out the first name.
“Niall.”
He stepped forward with a smile and accepted the rose. He kissed my cheek and joined Harry, Louis and Liam, standing a step above them. I picked up the second rose and called out the next name.
“Angelo.”
The process was repeated and after accepting my rose, he went to stand next to Louis. The third rose went to Chris and the fourth one went to Jake. Then I picked Zayn who, even though he was as quite as a mouse, looked happy and he still intrigued me. I liked a guy with mystery behind him. I could see there were many aspects of Zayn I had yet to discover so it was easy for me to send him through.
I ended up sending Mikey and another guy, Ben, home. There had been no connection there, no spark and the worst thing I wanted to do was to string them along when they had no hope. So to me, I was doing them a favour.
I was happy with the guys I had left and I had already decided on who would go on the next single date. I knew he would happy when he would find out that it's him. I looked forward to spending more quality time with him and seeing where our relationship could lead. I really did like him and I hoped he liked me too. I guess I would find out on the one-on-one date.
Notes
It’s been too long, my lovelies! I’m so sorry it took so long for me to update! I was so focused on Always and I had writer’s block on this one so yeah but I am working on the next chapter! I hope some of you are still reading this! Please let me know if you are!
blankspace1 xx
Can't wait!!
10/15/16