Witness

I wasn’t just going to make an appearance at this benefit. Oh no. I was going to make a splash.

Anne delivered a flyer to my front door the next day (despite the fact that I didn’t answer out of fear and instead cowered behind my kitchen counters, only realizing it could be her at the last minute and glancing out the window as she walked away), the bright green paper detailing the time, place and cause. Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, 6:30, for the sister school in Gulu, Uganda.

It was a warm day for being early October, temperatures still wavering around seventy. I could hardly believe it as I went for my morning run, surprised that Harry hadn’t popped up at ‘half-ten’ with a scone and some coffee to apologize. I decided he must have been arriving tactfully at 6:30, which meant I would have to arrive more fashionably at 6:45. 6:50. Better yet, 6:55.

Not that I cared too terribly much. Not at all.

I just was annoyed with the fact that my closest friend in Holmes Chapel had disappeared off the face of the Earth for two whole without so much as a goodbye. In the weeks we’d spent together running all over the Cheshire countryside and watching bad British dramas on my new T.V., I’d almost come to expect better out of him. I’d been a good friend to him, hadn’t I? Aside from the incessant lying about nearly every aspect of my life – which was against my will, might I remind – I’d done everything right?

As I got ready for the benefit, I contemplated all the things I could have possibly done wrong. I did lie to him about moving to Holmes Chapel, I thought to myself as I brushed my hair into loose waves. And he did catch me in the lie about working at the Red Lion, too, I added as I slipped into one of the nice dresses I’d brought along, the white one with the sleeves that slipped off the shoulders just so. But I’ve always been nice to him, I mentally whined as I stepped into my shoes. And he’d always been so nice to me… I thought…

Walking out the front door, I came to a decision. I’d done nothing wrong. No matter what, Harry Styles owed me an apology. And I’d damned well better get one at the benefit.

I trekked all the way to the school alone in my dress, partially worried that Harry would pull over in one of his parents’ fancy cars and tease me about being a cavewoman and ruin my plan. The watch on my wrist said I would arrive promptly at 6:48. Just casually enough to arrive early enough to enter my name in the raffle, work the room, and show Harry exactly what I was made of before sitting down for dinner at my table of perfect strangers – right before he could make it over to apologize.

Oh no. I was going to make him stew. The same way he’d made me stew.

The parking lot at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School was jam packed with cars, making me feel a little self conscious as I walked down the street. I’d never even learned to drive – having lived in the city my whole life, I’d never needed to. I also wasn’t used to such a small school – mine had been outrageously large and the one I was approaching looked like it would only house about a thousand kids.

I had to remind myself that one thousand people was roughly one fifth of the population of Holmes Chapel before I walked inside.

When I reached the door there was a group of photographers. This was going to be big enough of an event to make the newspapers, I assumed. But then I paused that thought – did Holmes Chapel even have a newspaper?

“Did I miss the photo shoot, gentlemen?” I teased as I traipsed up to them, swinging my skirt in what I thought to be a hilarious fashion.

They looked at me strangely before allowing me to pass through the door. Apparently I was not material for whatever newspaper catered to the parish.

Hmph.

Signs pointed me in the direction of the auditorium at the end of the hall. And for being such a small school it had quite a large auditorium, with dimmed lights replaced with strands of Christmas lights going all around the room. Two-thirds of the room was set with round tables in white table cloths with beautiful centerpieces and a dance floor, while the remaining third was dedicated to raffle and silent auction items. Needless to say, I was decently impressed.

“Lilia!” I suddenly heard Anne calling, her figure appearing in front of me like a puff of smoke before her arms slunk around my neck. “I’m so glad you could make it. Harry couldn’t stop talking about how he needed to see you.”

I resisted the urge to smile. “I’m sure I’ll find him on my way around.”

“He’s been pretty busy tonight, but I’m sure he won’t be able to miss you in that dress,” Anne complimented, my resistance to smiling faltering at her words. “You look stunning.”

“Thanks,” I hummed through a blush, trying to maintain my confident resolve. “I’m going to go take a look at the raffle, if you don’t mind!”

And with that, Anne ushered me over to the tables before disappearing just like she’d appeared. Suddenly, I was left to my defenses in the seemingly endless sea of people milling about the prizes, ready to put on my very best act. I wanted to look around to see that Harry really was watching, but I was fearful that he would catch me seeking him out and that would entirely defeat the purpose.

I was asked if I was “Lilia, the new American” exactly 10 times in the first five minutes. I kept track. And despite my internal desire to shout at them about gossiping, instead I was charming.
If Harry was Holmes Chapel’s little celebrity then god damn it, I would be their Princess Kate.

“Why are auction baskets targeted to men always about grilling?” I joked with some of the men gathered around a rapidly rising price of a grill themed basket. The laughed in appreciation, one clapping me on the back.

“Have you met my son Isaac?” one asked, a silver fox if you would have asked for my opinion. “He’s got to be about your age. Isaac!”

As he scanned the room for his son, I allowed my eyes to look for Harry as though I was helping him. And just as Isaac was found in the crowd and headed our way, I found him. Standing in a circle of people all clearly demanding his attention in his uniform of dark jeans and a navy blue v-neck. But his attention was not with him.

He was staring right at me.

“Isaac! This is Lilia George, the new American!”

I snapped my gaze away from Harry, trying to act as if I hadn’t seen him. And I may as well not have – for the six foot tall man now standing in front of me was quite possibly the most distractingly gorgeous men I’d ever seen.

“Pleasure,” Isaac greeted in a low lilt. “I’m Isaac Knight. I went here, but now I go to uni in Leeds.”
Isaac could be raking hay and would still be unreasonably successful for his good looks. His blonde waves framed his tan face, a spatter of freckles crossing the bridge of his well-sculpted nose. Not to mention the set of well-sculpted biceps that peeked out beneath the sleeves of his t-shirt.

Isaac was the perfect prospect to make Harry jealous.

As the two of us made our rounds looking at the baskets for auction, I felt Harry’s eyes on me the entire time. However, I found out quickly that Isaac’s personality didn’t exactly match his dashing looks. While I worked my hardest to be the bubbly princess I could barely manage, he insisted on debating the politics of the United States. Asking me who I was going to vote for absentee was a little much.

“Guests, please take your seats for dinner,” a voice came over the loud speaker just as Isaac was launching himself into a rant about John Kerry. He glanced between the speaker and me before opening his mouth again.

“Where are you sitting?” he asked.

“There’s assigned seats?”

Unfortunately, that was the case. And even more unfortunately, I was seated across the room from my captivating new friend. Even worse yet, I found my name on a place setting sitting directly across from the one and only Mr. Harry Styles, the apparent man of the hour.

His green eyes latched onto me all through dinner as I mingled pleasantly with our table guests. And as the meal came around, he chewed slowly as he listened to me talk about frivolous things like the centerpieces and how I was enjoying the weather. I even threw in a bit about Richmond, Virginia for good measure. I’d finally done my Googling.

“Ah, but Miss Lilia,” he finally spoke after taking a long sip from his wine glass. “Don’t you find the boys so much more charming here? I saw you having a word with Isaac Knight over by the raffle. What’s the gossip there?”

I swear the fire was visible in my eyes around the rest of the table. How dare he. Who did he think he was? The very first words he utters in my direction and they’re trying to stir up more dust on my already much-speculated life? But when his mouth curled into that winning smile, I couldn’t tell if I wanted to kill him or…

“Harry, can I have a word with you? Outside?”

“If I can take you away from your adoring public, that is.”

The table gave a stirring laugh. I didn’t. He’d made that joke before. Instead, I stood from the table and waited as he took his time to fold his napkin. And then, wordlessly, we went to the hallway.

“What was that all about?” I exclaimed furiously, gesturing back to the auditorium as the doors closed behind us. “Making more gossip for them to spew about me?”

“I don’t know, Lilia,” Harry murmured darkly, running a hand through his dark curls. I fought back the thought of how good he looked standing there in front of me, brooding in jealousy. “The two of you looked like you were getting on pretty well. Seems you’ve done well in my absence.”

My blood boiled. “You don’t get to turn this on me, Harry! You absolutely don’t!” I cried, my resolve breaking. “You’re the one who disappeared for two weeks without so much as a goodbye, leaving me wondering where you’d gone, what I’d done wrong! You have no idea what that was like for me!”

He paused, lips parted as though he wanted to say something but had lost the words. Instead, he looked at me with unreadable eyes, cheeks rising with a pink tint.

“So you did miss me, then.” His lips curled up just slightly and just for a heartbeat.

“God damn it, Harry, is this some kind of game to you?” I shouted angrily, throwing my arms out to my sides.

“It seems to be some kind of game to you,” he observed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Coming here tonight to make me jealous.”

He truly did have a way of seeing right through me.

“Well!” I huffed as I curled my hands into tight fists to keep myself from lashing out. “There’s absolutely no way of you knowing that, is there? You left me to figure this town out on my own and I have. Isaac is my friend. Are you happy now?”

“Isaac is a proper wanker and both you and I know it,” Harry asserted, raising his voice just a little. It had been my plan all along to make him jealous but now that I had, I’d begun to regret it.

“Well, you should have been here to advise me against it, then!”

“Lilia,” he sighed, removing a hand and pressing it to his forehead. “Something came up. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving.”

“You should be sorry!” I exclaimed. “You should have been here! You should have known how afraid I was in this stupid town without you! I needed you!”

The words were spilling out of my mouth then, completely uncontrollably so. I couldn’t catch them fast enough as they filled the air between Harry and I, displaying my true feelings for him. My heart skipped a beat as he ran his tongue between his lips, emerald eyes scanning me like I deserved al the time in the world.

“Why do you care so much?” he countered after a beat of pause.

“Because!” I exclaimed. “You can’t just disappear like that when maybe I fancy you too!”

And just like that, the space between us was closed and Harry’s lips were pressed flush against mine. Just. Like. That.

I didn’t realize it was happening at first, until he pulled away for a gasp of breath before going in again. My heart fluttered in my chest as I began to kiss back, our lips fitting together perfectly as he took me in his arms. I was kissing Harry. Infuriating, talkative, disappearing Harry. And I was positively melting.
It was everything a first kiss should be. A little overzealous but with positively sweet intentions, hands soft on my waist and lips grazing frantically but with purpose. And then, suddenly he was pulling away from me, pressing his forehead against mine.

“I’d forgotten I had to leave town,” he murmured softly. “I really am sorry.”

“You’d forgotten you had to go to Japan?” I murmured back, still breathless from the kiss.

“I was a little distracted,” he breathed in reference to me with a soft chuckle. “But maybe, if you’d like to go out on a limb and purchase a cell phone, I’ll call you next time.”

“Harry Styles, there better not be a next time.”

And we shared a laugh before he pulled me closer and kissed me all over again.