How Long?

Louise sat nursing her sprained ankle. There was light bruising on her left leg and an egg size bump on her head. She could hear Harry yelling in the other room. They were in Botswana and yesterday Louise had a little accident.

The princes were due to make an appearance at a Marathon to raise money for Help for Heroes, a charity that helps injured servicemen. The day started out like any other day, the three of them got dressed. Harry and William were to make some speeches, shake some hands. Louise was supposed to be in the background and she was more than happy with that. When they reached the venue there was a lot of crowd there. A lot more than anyone anticipated; hundreds of journalists, many locals and tourists. Harry was not comfortable leaving Louise alone, he and William decided to put Greg, one of William security detail to be with Louise.

Things went fine for the first hour or so. When the speeches started Louise started exploring the place, talking to some locals. As the event continued the crowds begin to multiply. The place turned into a sea of heads and security around the princes doubled. Somewhere around that time Louise realized that she had strayed too far away from the stage and Greg was nowhere to be found. She tried to find her way around to the princes and their entourage. She could see Harry on stage; his eyes darting around the crowds looking for her but the throngs of people kept pushing her back. The next few things happened too quickly for Louise to comprehend. Someone announced that the Marathon was about to begin and the crowds should clear the path. The security at the event started pushing the crowds back, away from the area and with all that confusion and commotion Louise lost her footing and found herself lying face down on the dirt. She hit her head pretty hard and for a few seconds saw stars in broad day light.
People were literally walking all over her. It was single most scary things that happened to her. God bless his soul, Bertie found her within minutes and took her to safety.

After that, in simple words, Harry lost his shit. It was the next day and Harry still hadn’t dropped the whole thing. Poor Greg had apologized, he even went on to say that once they go back he will resign but Harry was still on it. Right now the brothers were having a go at it.

“You shouldn’t have talked to Greg that way, Harry. It was extremely unprofessional” William said in a calm voice.

“UNPROFESSIONAL! What your security did or in this case didn’t do was unprofessional. She is hurt William. She could have been seriously injured. She could have possibly died”

“You are overreacting Harry”

“I am not. He should be fired and you know that. Does it have to me or you getting hurt to see that he is an incompetent ass?”

“Greg has been with me for over a decade. He is good at his job. Yes, he made a mistake but that doesn’t entitle you to talk to him like that. You have no right”

“I have every right! When it comes to Lou’s safety I have every right, Wills” Harry said banging his hand on the table.

He was angry, beyond angry for the carelessness Greg showed and he was angry at himself for putting her in such a situation. He should have known better and yet he didn’t see this coming. In all honestly, he wanted to punch the guy.

“Can you two not talk about me like I am not in the next room” Lou said coming out of her room. It pained a little when she walked and there were some scratches on her knees but it was not as bad as Harry was making it out to be. Yes, the experience was terrifying but it was not entirely Greg’s fault either, she was to blame equally.

“How are you feeling now?” William asked.

“I am better, thanks for asking. So, when exactly are we leaving” Louise said checking her watch.

“Didn’t Karen said we will leaving by 10”

“You don’t have to go. I think it’s better if you stayed in and just rest a bit” Harry said.

“No, that’s not necessary, I feel just fine”

“I will be more comfortable if you just stayed in”

“What are you saying?” Louise asked not liking where this conversation was heading.

“I don’t want to be a part of this conversation. Just so you know Lou, I don’t agree with him” William said before leaving them alone.

“What is Wills talking about?” Louise asked.

“I don’t think you coming with us, is such a good idea after what happened yesterday” Harry said.

“Am I being grounded?” Louise asked.

“Lou, be serious. You got lucky yesterday, I just don’t want to risk your safety again” Harry said in a
firm voice.

“Are you even listening yourself? I am fine. I won’t lie, it was bad and I was scared shitless but it’s not
a big deal and I am okay now”

“It is a big fucking deal! You are my responsibility, I got you here and if I am not there to keep you safe then you are not going. End of discussion”

“What do you expect me to do? Sit here and wait for you two for the next few days we are here?”
Louise asked raising her voice a little.

“Absolutely not, it’s just for today. I cannot guarantee your safety when there is going to be a million people there. We have no control over who comes and goes. I will feel better if you just stayed in”

“And what about tomorrow or day after?”

“We will figure that out later. Bertie is going to stay with you. You can ask him for anything you want”

“Oh, there is something I want. Would you please ask Bertie to arrange a ticket back to London for today, if possible?”

“What? Lou, stop it”

“No you stop it, I am not going to be sitting here while you two work. I was afraid I was going to become a nuisance so I rather go back. I am sure I can still crash at Natasha’s”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Louise, try to understand what I am saying…”

“I understand” Louise said cutting him off. “You don’t want me there and I am not going to stay in Africa to sit in on my ass for the rest of the stay. I came here for the experience” Louise said making air quotes. “Which, if I might remind you was our deal, not staying in a luxurious hotel twiddling my thumbs”

“Well our deal was not to get you killed” Harry spat back.

“Oh for heaven sakes, Wills is right. You are overreacting” Louise said throwing her arms in air in frustration. “It’s simple, either I am going with you or I am going back to London. Either way I am not going to be staying here”

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, willing each other to make the next move. Harry huffed in anger while Louise expression didn’t change.

“What is it then? Shall I dress for the airport or not?” Louise asked breaking the silence.

“Why the hell do you have to be so fucking stubborn?” Harry asked annoyed.

“That’s not really an answer…”

“Get ready we will be leaving in 20 minutes for the nature reserve”

----

The boys and their entourage arrive in a procession of black BMWs at the first stop. From there they all were ushered in where William and Harry posed with two orphaned cheetahs. Louise could feel Bertie shadowing her everywhere but for once she didn’t mind and let it be.

Next stop was Mokolodi, a nature reserve that benefits from Tusk’s fundraising. There was a lot of crowd gathered here and Louise could see Harry jaw clenched as he barked commands to Bertie and Richard before joining William. Harry relaxed after Bertie ensured he would not under any circumstances leave Louise’s side which made Louise rolls her eyes.

The boys shook hands with dignitaries; they were shown around a bit. Later, William and Harry were presented with an 8ft African rock python and the whole crowd which included a lot of media started taking the money shot of princes with the giant snake. Gamely, the boys agree to pose with it around their necks, which terrified William.

Louise was enjoying the scene, seeing how the brothers were good naturedly playing with the snake. She took out the camera and like everyone else, started taking pictures of the two. Thinking she was one of them, a photographer next to her, commented “You’d never get their dad doing that”. Louise laughed at the thought and agreed with him.

William was getting paler the longer he held the snake.

“You take the head” William said, passing it to his brother. “It’s really squiggly”

The snake stick out its tongue and Harry being the cheeky bastard he was slowly moved it back towards William’s face. The crowd erupted with laughter.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa” William said “don’t point it at me!”

Harry pulled its face back just before the snake peed all over William shoulder, to the amusement of the crowd.

“It must be very relaxed” Harry joked and crowd went into hysterics again. Harry looked at Louise and
gave her a wink.

The young Princes were then honored by having two snakes named after them. Which Louise found funny and made a mental note to tease them with it later. There was a small gathering inside and the princes didn’t waste any time and started working the room.

“You alright?” William asked Louise, getting away from the crowd for a second. Louise gave him a nod in response. “Good” He said.

A young girl asked if the Princes are twins.

“No, we’re just dressed the same” William explained to the girl.

“I told you not to dress like me” Harry was quick to add.

“He’s the youngest” William said, pointing towards Harry “and he has ginger hair” he added mischievously.

Harry then got hold of William’s head and pointed to a slightly balding crown which got giggles from the attendees.

Watching them together, Louise wondered what it will be like working with her brothers or even Harry
or William for that matter.

She had seen them together behind closed doors and knew it’s not always this hunky-dory between the two but she also knows how much they love each other and how good it is for them, they both keep each other grounded. Whether they publicly humiliate each other or help each other with their respective charities, it’s good natured and out of love.

The day came to an end without any incident which was relief to both Harry and Louise. They were all exhausted and went to bed early. The next morning they took a short flight from Botswana to Johannesburg where William and Harry was supposed to meet the England football team to cheer them for an upcoming match. Louise sat that one out as she really did need some rest after all those injuries but was too stubborn to admit it, so she lied and said she wanted to work on her paper instead. She was already sleeping when Harry and William came back from the event, later that night.

----

Louise and Harry sat next to each other as Karen and briefed them about the event they were attending today. It was Football Association reception at the Saxon Hotel for England's bid to host the World Cup in 2018 which was followed by a lunch. A lot of famous people were going to attend the event like David Beckham and London mayor Boris Johnson.

“I have your dress steamed and ready, Miss Tomlinson and the hair and makeup team will be here any minute” Karen said closing her folder.

“Hair and makeup?” Louise asked in surprise.

“I just assumed you would need some help getting ready for the event, so I arranged for them” Karen
said.

“Karen, Lou doesn’t need any help. She looks perfectly alright without any help…”

“It’s okay Harry” Louise said placing a hand on Harry’s arm. “Thank you Karen, that’s really thoughtful of you. I don’t think I need any help with the makeup but I might need some with my hair”

“You don’t. You have gorgeous hair” Harry said in protest.

“Oh hush you” Louise said.

“I will send her up as soon as she arrives” Karen said and left the room.

“You don’t have to do that, you know. I don’t see anything wrong with your hair” Harry said as soon as Karen was out of the room.

“Of course you don’t. You are a ginger after all” Louise said with a playful smile.

“Shut up. I am serious here”

“I know you are and so am I. It’s an important event, Harry. Didn’t you hear all the names that are
attending the event?”

“Oh, so you want to dress up pretty for Beckham. Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” Harry said
teasing her. He knew how massive of a crush she had on Beckham as a teenager.

“Sod off” Louise said flipping him the bird.

Harry put his head back and laughed at her reaction. “He is a father of three, you know” He yelled as she closed the door of her room.

“And yet he still looks better than you. What does that say about you huh?” She yelled back from inside.

---

It took Louise a little over an hour to get ready. The hair stylist decided to keep her hair up in a trendy bun and Louise was pleased with how she looked. After checking her reflection one last time in the mirror she clutched her purse and made her way to the elevators. Harry and William had already left for the event and she was meeting them there.

Bertie and Karen were waiting for her at the hotel reception. Karen noticed her first and gave her an approving smile. Louise was wearing a light-pink one shoulder dress that hugged her figure perfectly; it was a bit girlish for her taste but it went well with the occasion. The drive was short to the Saxon Hotel and they arrived in no time. Bertie helped her out of the car. Nervous, Louise ran her hands across the dress, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles.

“You look beautiful Miss Tomlinson” Bertie said giving her a reassuring smile.

Louise blushed at the compliment. “Thanks Bertie” She said shyly before entering the party.

The party was already in full swing. There were a lot of officials in suits and only handful of media which made it easier for Harry to enjoy. He and William were talking to a FIFA official when Louise entered the party with Karen. Harry had to do a double take, she looked breath taking. The dressed hugged her delicate body perfectly showing off her wonderful curves. The dress was just above her knees which showed off her spectacular legs that seemed to go on for miles. She had minimal make up on which only enunciated her brown irises. Harry excused himself and make his way to her.

Louise was smiled at some familiar faces at the party. She could, from the corner of her eye see Harry coming her way. He looked very handsome in a navy blue suit. He gave her a shy smile and Louise smiled back. Even after attending numerous events just like this one since childhood, Louise still felt nerves clenching her stomach.

Nodding to Karen, Harry directed Louise to William and the group of people he was engaged in a conversation with. A seemingly endless stream of introductions and polite mingling began almost immediately. Louise gathered from some of the pleasantries exchanged that all the official work was already over and the lunch will be severed soon. Louise tried to say the right things when addressed but quickly felt out of depth.

Harry, for his part was a perfect companion to attend such an event with. William was too busy doing the work, with him being the president of the Football Association. Harry kept including Louise in conversations that really had nothing to do with her and whenever he felt her discomfort he placed a warm hand on her hip, often sending warm, reassuring smiles her way. He was just content to have her by his side. But Louise felt awkward, as though she had no purpose to be there which honestly speaking she didn’t.

Lunch was severed and Harry placed his hand on the small of Louise’s back guiding her to their table. His close proximity was still jarring for her but she pretended to be unaffected by it. It took them another twenty minutes before they reached their table as Harry had to stop and make polite conversation with almost everyone in the room. As they approached their table Louise froze and went pale. Harry could feel her body going rigid under his hand; he peered his eyes towards his table and saw William sitting next to the handsome footballer. Louise had not once but twice embarrassed herself in presence of David Beckham. One, when she was fifteen and second at the age of seventeen. Without going into detail let’s just say that both times a medical team was required. She obviously had spotted the footballer earlier but had kept her distance. Before she could run away, both William and David looked up and smiled. She could feel heat rising to her cheeks and her breath going shallow.

“Oh god, please not again” She thought.

Louise cleared her throat “Are we sitting here?” Louise asked, already knowing the answer.

“Seems that way” Harry said playfully.

The table had eight seats and luckily was Louise six of them was already filled and the remaining was far away from William and David.

“Come one. Nothing to be scared about” Harry said smirking. He pulled a chair out for Louise and she slide in. “Lucky for us there is a medical staff already here for emergencies” Harry said with a low chuckle.

Louise took the napkin off the table and placed it on her lap as the waiters placed the entrée in front of the guests. She was two bites into the dish when William started introducing Beckham to the people at their table. Now, she really wanted to run and hide. The first time she had been in the same room with David Beckham she had fainted after Harry had introduced them, which was after a very long and embarrassing panic attack where everybody thought she was dying. The story even ran in the Daily Mail. The second time was even worse, she had started hyperventilating fearing he might remember her from the first time and had ended up passing out on him. Beckham was not the only celebrity with whom Louise had embarrassing encounters with. She was quite famous for them, actually. There was an incident backstage at Sir Paul McCartney concert and the famous run in with Stephen Fry. In her defense, it only happened with people she genuinely admired.

“This is Louise Tomlinson” William made the introduction.

“You might actually remember her, David” Harry added with a cheeky smile.

“Actually, I do. I don’t think it’s easy to forget when someone lands on you in the middle of a party. I injured my back that time and actually had to skip a couple of practice sessions because of that”

Louise went crimson by the time he finished the story. William moved on to the next person but Louise heart was still beating wildly.

Harry gave Louise a sideways glace and his smirked vanished as soon as he saw her pale face. “Lou, you are not having a panic attack are you?” Harry asked in a low tense voice.

“Maybe” She said as she tried to take some deep breaths.

He cursed under his breath. Louise tried to get up, but Harry’s hand snaked around her thigh, not allowing her to run. He leaned closer; she could feel his breath under her ear. His hold became tighter and he started whispering soothing, nonsensical words to calm her down and it worked for the most parts. Her breathing came back to normal, so did the color on her face.

“Do you want to stay or do you want to leave” He asked in low voice.

“Let’s just stay” She said giving him a small smile.

“I can’t fucking believe you’re still freaking out about meeting him” He sounded annoyed more than his usual mocking self.

“Nor can I” Louise said honestly. She really thought she was over these panic attacks.

“If you want to leave…”

“I will let you know” She said giving him a reassuring smile.

The rest of the afternoon went pretty smoothly. Louise enjoyed being Harry companion though there were times when she felt a little out of place but Harry’s constant presence by her side never made her want to run away either. They got back to their hotel in the evening. William had dinner plans with FIFA officials whereas Harry and Louise planned to stay at the hotel, relax and maybe watch a movie.
After quick dinner, Louise took a shower and changed into night time clothes. She wore yoga pants and long sleeve shirt. Then she spent an ungodly amount of time coaxing her hair. Sometimes she wished to just chop it all off. By the time there was a knock on her door, she wanted to go bald.

Harry looked like he always did, good looking without even trying, his ginger hair in all their messy glory. It was just not fair she thought. Dressed in sweats and plain black shirt, in one hand was a stack of DVD’s and in the other a huge bag of popcorn.

Making grabby fingers, Louise grinned. “Tell me they are richly buttered”

“Of course, just the way you like it” He said handing her the bag and went to the sitting area out her room. “I bought a couple of over. Had no idea what you’re in the mood to watch”

Fiddling with the DVD player attached to the TV Harry ran a hand through his hair. His ginger hair was in an adorable mess. He caught Louise staring and his lips curved into a smile. Louise looked away flushing. “So, um, what did you bring?”

“Let’s see…We’ve got a wide range of movies. In horror we have of Saw movies”

Louise rolled her eyes.

“In comedy we have a Will Farrell movie. For action there is a Bourne film and then we have Legally Blonde”

Louise smiled a cheeky smile “Legally Blonde, really?” She said raising her brow.

Harry stared at her blankly. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Oh, nothing, I didn’t think you’d want to watch a chick flick”

“I am confident enough in my masculinity that I can watch a chick flick”

“You are kidding, right? You really want to watch it?”

His blanked expression slipped away and he chuckled. “I am joking; please don’t make me watch it. I send Richard to get the DVD’s and I don’t know what he was thinking”

Louise shook her head. “Wanker”

Louise walked to the kitchen area in their suite and dropped the content of the bag in a bowl. Harry walked up behind her and she stiffened. Tiny hairs rose on the back of her neck. She shifted so that she
was standing sideways. He tilted his head to the side.

“Just wanted the water bottle” Harry said cheekily.

“You could have asked” She said handing him the water bottle.

Harry looked like he wanted to say something else but changed his mind. “So, what movie you want to watch?”

“Let’s go with the Saw movies”

“A girl after my own heart” He picked up two DVD’s and headed towards the Television. “Jigsaw for the win”

Sighing, Louise shook her head again. Carrying the bowl full of popcorn Louise made her way to the couch. Placing the bowl on the coffee table, she went to fetch something to drink from the mini fridge.

“Do you want something else to drink?” She asked.

“Beer will do”

She got him a beer bottle and a can of cola for herself. Placing the drinks on the table she sat on the couch tucking her legs under. He sat beside her with remote in hand.
The movie started and the room went silent for a while. Except every once in a while when a gory scene came on Louise made disguised noises.

“This is just rubbish” Louise said in the middle of the first movie.

Laughing, Harry picked up now empty cans and took them to the kitchen area. He returned with a beer bottle and another can of soda for Louise.

“Thank you” Louise said,

Harry sat back down and the couch dipped a little, moving closer to Louise. “I live to service you, Miss Tomlinson”

She grinned in response.

Through most of the first movie, they continued to pick apart all the stupid moments, laughing and making stupid comments. Just before the first movie finished Louise’s phone rang. She leaned forward and saw Mandy name on the screen, unease raced down her spine. She had already received a long mail from Mandy stating how stupid and selfish she was for what she did to Max. She already knew her friends would hate her back in America.

“Not going to answer that” Harry asked.

Louise shook her head as she turned her phone off. “I think it’s rude to answer the phone when you have company”

“Since when?”

“Shut up” She said slapping his arm.

“Who is it?”

Sitting back, Louise nibbled on her thumb nail and focused on the TV, pretending not to have heard his question. Getting his cue, Harry didn’t ask again. She wasn’t really paying attention to the screen anymore. Harry got up to change the DVD. Louise told herself not to think about Max, Mandy, her family or anything that was going on in the real world. She was in Africa with Harry and she didn’t want to deal with any of it for now.

Harry’s fingers were suddenly wrapped around her wrist, causing her head to snap up. He was watching her instead of the movie. “What?” She asked.

“You’ve been biting your nail for the past ten minutes”

He lowered her hand to the top of her thigh but didn’t let go. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing” She said. “I am just watching the movie”

“I don’t think you are really seeing the movie”

Their eyes locked and her heart skipped a beat. “Who was it?” He asked again.

She tugged her arm back and he let go. “It was just Mandy and I don’t want to talk about it. Can we just watch the movie?”

“Okay” He murmured, but he dropped the subject.

The comments were fewer this time around and Louise’s eyelids started to fall. Each time she blinked, it seemed longer to reopen them. Harry sifted beside her and she sunk further into the couch closer to him. Her side rested against his, he was warm. She thought of scooting away but was too lazy to put the effort into it.

She drifted off during the middle of the second movie, when she opened her eyes it seemed like the TV had changed positions. She slowly she realized there was a blanket spread across her and her head was in Harry’s lap. She had found herself in similar positions before but this time her breath caught in her throat as her heart beat increased. There was a slight weight on her hip, it felt and looked like Harry’s hand.

Mentally kicking herself she weighed her options. She could roll off the couch and make a dash towards her bedroom or she could act like an adult and check if he was awake or not.

Surprising herself she chose option number two and rolled on her back which was a very bad move as his hand from her hip moved as she did and was now resting against her lower stomach.

Harry hand was resting just near her waistband. She felt heat coming out of her body as well as a ball of ice formed in her chest. How was it possible to feel so cold and hot at the same time? She thought.
Harry thumb moved and she bit her lower lip, hard. She thought he must have moved his hand in his sleep but then she felt it moving again, this time in a slow circle on her lower stomach. Her pulse increased as his thumb kept moving. After a minute or so she couldn’t take it anymore, she drew a deep breath, which did nothing. Oh god, this was really turning her on and she hated her body for feeling this way about Harry.

Finally, she tipped her head and looked up at Harry.

His head was turned to the side, away from hers. He was either staring the ceiling or he was sleeping, she couldn’t tell. But there was a slight smile on his face.

“Harry” Louise whispered.

“Lou” He said opening his eyes.

“You awake?”

“I am now” He said lifting his head, turning it side to side, working out a kink.

“I am sorry I slept on you” Louise said. She could still feel his hand on her stomach.

“I’m not”

She had no idea what to say to that so she changed the topic. “What time is it? Is William back?”

His gaze dropped to her face and slowly travelled to her mouth. Her entire body tensed.

“It’s after midnight and he came awhile ago”

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You looked comfortable” He said with a slight shrug.

Her heart was pounding now. “What time you leaving in the morning?”. They had an event or something that Louise brain couldn’t remember at the moment.

“Early” He said as his other hand scooped a few strands off her face and that hand lingered in her hair. “So, we probably will be leaving by eight”

“That is early”

He nodded, smoothing her hair. Her eyes closed, relaxing in spite the knots in her stomach.

“And you will be back after lunch. And we have Sentebale gala at night”

“Correct” He murmured and she felt his chest move as he took a deep breath.

“Two more days of this, then we will be back home” Louise said.

“You glad you came with us? I hope we didn’t bore you that much”

She smiled “You did but that’s okay Wills made up for it”

He chuckled “That was mean. I have tried very hard to entertain you”

“Did you?”

“Yes” His hand moved and she felt back of his hand brushing her cheek. Her eyes flew open. He was smiling down on her with his cheeky grin. “You enjoyed my company but you are not going to admit it. You are going to miss having me around when we go back”

She didn’t say anything because she didn’t wanted to think about going back. And then his fingers trailed her cheekbone and she forgot what she was thinking in the first place.

They stayed like that for several minutes. He traced the outline of her lower lip, never quite touching it but coming close, very close. She wondered if this was happening for real or if all this was just her imagination. Did she even want to feel this way again?

“You still talk in your sleep” He said.

“I do not”

“Yes you do”

She sat up and both of his hands dropped away. She twisted on the couch facing him. “What did I say?”

“Nothing in a language I could understand” He said with a chuckle. “It was cute, actually”

She glanced at the clock; it was past two in the morning. “Oh Lord, you should really get some sleep if you want to look good for the cameras”

“I guess you are right”

He stood up and then swooped down kissing her forehead. “Goodnight, Lou”

“Goodnight, Harry”

He made it to his bedroom door.

“Harry?” She whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks again for bringing me along” She said with a smile.

He started at her for a moment and then he smiled. “Thanks for coming”