Last Girl Standing

With the soft moonlight covering her hair, Sadie had her head resting against Harry’s chest, while he ran his fingers gently through her hair. The pool chair they were laying on wasn’t the most comfortable, but neither of them cared. It was there last night before the final challenge that would decide the winner, and they were both content with being anywhere, as long as the other was with them.

Sadie was so nervous – both for the challenge and what would happen after.

On most days, she felt confident in her and Harry’s relationship. They were always happy when they were together, and even through all the drama that had taken place in the house, they had never let anyone come between them. Sadie felt like she was on top of the world when she was with Harry, and that nothing could ever bring her down, but sometimes she felt like the balloon was going to pop eventually.

Harry was a famous pop star, who was chased after by millions of girl, and while Sadie could compete with the 14 other girls in the Love Games competition, she wasn’t sure she could compete with millions. It was natural for her to worry, but she knew that Harry wished she didn’t.

He told her countless times that nothing would change when they left the house – that they would always be together – but as their time in the house was nearing its end, Sadie knew that reality would hit soon, and they couldn’t pretend they’d be alone forever.

As Harry ran his fingers over Sadie’s hair, again and again, he felt the tenseness in her body, and wrapped his free arm more tightly around her.

“Is everything alright?” Harry asked, his deep, smooth voice filling Sadie’s ear.

She nodded, as she nuzzled her head deeper into his chest. The soft smell of his cologne filled her nose, and she took in a deep breath. He smelled like spice and honey, and she just wanted to wrap herself in him and never move. She couldn’t, though, because there would always be things keeping them apart – tours, recording, talk shows, life.

Harry’s lips pressed against her forehead in a small kiss, which he let linger for a few seconds before pulling away. “You don’t have to lie to me, Sadie. I know you better than that.”

Sadie let out a small laugh, before pressing her harder into his chest.

“Are you going to tell me?” he asked, while he ran a gentle finger over her cheek.

“Maybe.”

He chuckled, before wrapping both of his arms tightly around her. He gave her a long squeeze and pulled her as close to him as he could.

“You know you can tell me anything.”

She didn’t want to tell him, but his body felt so warm and comforting that it made every one of Sadie’s walls crumble. With anyone else, it would have been easy to keep her thoughts a secret, but not with Harry. There was just something about him that made words form so easily.

“It’s just nerves, I guess,” she said simply, with her teeth tugging at her bottom lip. She knew he’d press for more details, and she was bracing herself for it.

“About the challenge?”

“About everything.”

His lips pressed against the top of her head, meeting her soft hair, and she could feel him smile against her. It was nothing for him to smile about, and she knew Harry well enough to know that she was going to be met with a very Harry-esque remark. He always did whatever he could to comfort her, and it was one of the things she liked most about him.

“You don’t need to worry about anything,” he whispered, his voice floating from her hair to her ears. “Whether we win or lose, it’s all going to work out. I adore you, Sadie, whether I’m here with you, in London, or on tour. I’ll adore you when we’re together, and when we’re apart. I promise, no matter what happens today or tomorrow or three weeks from now, you don’t have to worry about anything.”

He moved his lips from her hair, and rested his cheek against the top of her head. With his arms wrapped around her, he pulled her body more tightly against him, while she kept her hand at his side. Every second he had his arms around her only made Sadie feel safer.

When she first met him, she never thought that they’d end up where they were. He was loud, flirtatious, and the exact opposite of what she came to the Love Games house looking for, but there was something about him, and there was something about him when he was with her that just felt right to them both.