Unexpected
Chapter 24
*Harry’s POV*
As soon as we got to the hotel I went to my room and locked the door behind me. I pulled the rectangular box out of my pocket and laid it carefully on the table next to the only bed in the room. It made me feel sick to my stomach knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep tonight with Chloe wrapped safely in my arms. I’d grown used to having her close to me.
I looked around the room and found a piece of paper and a pen and sat down at the small desk in the corner. I wrote late into the night, skipping dinner and going over my words hundreds of times. I’d gone through about 10 drafts before I got one I was sure would win her back. I shoved the paper under the box on the table and pulled my suitcase up onto the bed.
I shifted through all of the clothes I had brought with me for the tour and pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down shirt. Dressy but not too much. I set them aside for the party tomorrow and closed my suitcase.
After looking through all the channels on the TV and finding nothing of interest, I unlocked my door and stepped cautiously out into the hallway. I looked up and down it and saw no sign of Chloe. Zayn and Niall were sitting between the doors to their rooms chatting. They looked up when they saw me and motioned for me to come join them.
“I think we’ve figured out the guest list for the party,” Zayn informed me as I took a seat next to him.
“Yeah? Who?” I asked, trying my best to sound cheerful. I think I did a pretty good job.
“The Little Mix girls, Cher, Eleanor, Olly Murs, Nick Grimshaw, Lou and Lux, and all of our siblings,” Niall answered.
“That’s a lot of people,” I told him.
“It’s her birthday, man. She deserves it. Especially after your misunderstanding with her,” Zayn said.
I sighed. He was right. She did deserve something big.
“We’ve already gotten permission from the manager of the hotel to use the rec room from 7 to midnight,” he continued. “Dress nice.”
I nodded. I already had my clothes out. I had no idea how I was going to occupy myself until 7 tomorrow night, though.
“How about we all go out and walk around the town until the party starts?” Niall suggested as if reading my mind.
“Good idea. Hey, why don’t we get mobbed by fans while we’re at it?” Zayn joked.
“Let’s go bowling,” Niall said.
That doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea.
“Sure,” Zayn agreed.
We talked a little while longer and I went back to my room and crashed for the night.
*Chloe’s POV*
I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until Tess woke me up the next morning.
“Chloe, get up. We’re going bowling, get dressed.”
I rolled over and looked at the clock. 11. Crying really makes me exhausted. “Is Harry going?”
Tess looked at me like I was crazy and sighed. “Yes, Harry’s going.”
“Then I’m not. I’ll stay here and watch movies.” I wasted no time rejecting the invitation to go bowling. There’s no way I’m going to be in the same car as that boy and have to spend time with him pretending to have fun at a bowling alley.
“Come on, Chloe. It’s your birthday!”
Only when she said that did I realize she was right. I hadn’t even realized it was my birthday. I thought for a second before answering.
“I’m just going to stay here.”
Tess let out a heavy breath and walked out the door. I couldn’t find a comfortable way to fall back asleep so I just watched movies until everyone got back around 5:30.
“Hi, Chloe,” Zayn said, following Tess into the room. “Happy birthday!”
“Thanks.”
“You should have come with us,” Tess said. “It was fun.”
I shrugged. “I had fun watching movies,” I answered her.
She sighed a little and walked over to the TV. She pushed the button on the side to shut it off.
“I was watching something,” I objected.
“Chloe, I know you’re mad at Harry and you feel betrayed. And, frankly, it’s bullshit.”
I stared at Tess as if she’d gone crazy. She ignored my look and threw one of our suitcases up on top of the bed she and Zayn shared. She unzipped it and pulled out a familiar dress. She held the dress up and I stared at the green material. It was the one everyone had said I looked amazing in when we went shopping.
“What’s that for?” I asked, sitting up in the bed.
“Put it on,” she ordered, throwing it at me.
“Why?”
“Did I tell you to ask me questions? Go get dressed,” she demanded.
I looked at Zayn who just shrugged his shoulders. I decided it would be a good idea to not piss Tess off so I went to the bathroom and took a shower. I dried my hair and slid the dress on. For the second time, I felt the material fall perfectly into place right above my knees. I walked out into the room and saw Tess shuffling through our shoe suitcase.
She looked up when I exited the bathroom. “Good, you’re out. Put these on,” she told me, tossing me a pair of black heels.
I silently sat down on my bed and slipped the shoes onto my feet.
“Come here,” she ordered, waving me back into the bathroom. I looked questioningly at Zayn again but only got another shrug.
I followed Chloe into the bathroom and sat on the counter.
“What?”
“Close your eyes. I’m going to do your hair and make-up.” Her tone had softened a lot as she pulled out our make-up bag and took out what she wanted. I shut my eyes and let her do what she wanted.
About 20 minutes later, I had smokey shadow on my eye lids and perfect curls cascading down my back. I looked into the mirror, stunned.
“How did you do that?” Out of all of the years I’d known Tess, I had no idea she was capable of such art.
She shrugged. “I just have a knack for beauty,” she answered with a smile. She looked at her phone and her eyes widened. “We have to go now,” she said, pulling me out of the bathroom and over to Zayn who handed me a piece of black cloth.
“What’s this for?” I asked.
“Tie it over your eyes,” he told me. I looked at Tess and she nodded.
“Why?” I tied the ends together behind my head and completely covered my eyes so I couldn’t see anything.
“You’ll see,” she answered.
They grabbed my hands and led me out of the room. I took small steps so I wouldn’t trip over the high heels on my feet. I heard the ding of the elevator and followed them inside.
One of them pressed a button and the elevator descended. I kept quiet through all of this, trying to hear any whispering or noise that may give away what was happening but I had no luck. Everything was silent.
The elevator stopped and they pulled me out and led me down a hallway. I could tell we passed through the lobby since the floor changed from carpet to tile. The only sound was the noise of my heels clicking against the floor.
“Here we are,” Zayn said. I felt him untie the ends of the blindfold and pull it away from my eyes.
Tess opened a door and we walked in. There were no lights on so I reached over and found the light switch. I flipped it up and was met with many people.
“Surprise!” They all yelled. I was taken aback by how many people there were. I took a closer look at the occupants of the room and found that I recognized most of them.
What surprised me most, though, was Harry standing off to the side of the room with a bouquet of red roses in his hand.
As soon as we got to the hotel I went to my room and locked the door behind me. I pulled the rectangular box out of my pocket and laid it carefully on the table next to the only bed in the room. It made me feel sick to my stomach knowing I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep tonight with Chloe wrapped safely in my arms. I’d grown used to having her close to me.
I looked around the room and found a piece of paper and a pen and sat down at the small desk in the corner. I wrote late into the night, skipping dinner and going over my words hundreds of times. I’d gone through about 10 drafts before I got one I was sure would win her back. I shoved the paper under the box on the table and pulled my suitcase up onto the bed.
I shifted through all of the clothes I had brought with me for the tour and pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down shirt. Dressy but not too much. I set them aside for the party tomorrow and closed my suitcase.
After looking through all the channels on the TV and finding nothing of interest, I unlocked my door and stepped cautiously out into the hallway. I looked up and down it and saw no sign of Chloe. Zayn and Niall were sitting between the doors to their rooms chatting. They looked up when they saw me and motioned for me to come join them.
“I think we’ve figured out the guest list for the party,” Zayn informed me as I took a seat next to him.
“Yeah? Who?” I asked, trying my best to sound cheerful. I think I did a pretty good job.
“The Little Mix girls, Cher, Eleanor, Olly Murs, Nick Grimshaw, Lou and Lux, and all of our siblings,” Niall answered.
“That’s a lot of people,” I told him.
“It’s her birthday, man. She deserves it. Especially after your misunderstanding with her,” Zayn said.
I sighed. He was right. She did deserve something big.
“We’ve already gotten permission from the manager of the hotel to use the rec room from 7 to midnight,” he continued. “Dress nice.”
I nodded. I already had my clothes out. I had no idea how I was going to occupy myself until 7 tomorrow night, though.
“How about we all go out and walk around the town until the party starts?” Niall suggested as if reading my mind.
“Good idea. Hey, why don’t we get mobbed by fans while we’re at it?” Zayn joked.
“Let’s go bowling,” Niall said.
That doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea.
“Sure,” Zayn agreed.
We talked a little while longer and I went back to my room and crashed for the night.
*Chloe’s POV*
I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until Tess woke me up the next morning.
“Chloe, get up. We’re going bowling, get dressed.”
I rolled over and looked at the clock. 11. Crying really makes me exhausted. “Is Harry going?”
Tess looked at me like I was crazy and sighed. “Yes, Harry’s going.”
“Then I’m not. I’ll stay here and watch movies.” I wasted no time rejecting the invitation to go bowling. There’s no way I’m going to be in the same car as that boy and have to spend time with him pretending to have fun at a bowling alley.
“Come on, Chloe. It’s your birthday!”
Only when she said that did I realize she was right. I hadn’t even realized it was my birthday. I thought for a second before answering.
“I’m just going to stay here.”
Tess let out a heavy breath and walked out the door. I couldn’t find a comfortable way to fall back asleep so I just watched movies until everyone got back around 5:30.
“Hi, Chloe,” Zayn said, following Tess into the room. “Happy birthday!”
“Thanks.”
“You should have come with us,” Tess said. “It was fun.”
I shrugged. “I had fun watching movies,” I answered her.
She sighed a little and walked over to the TV. She pushed the button on the side to shut it off.
“I was watching something,” I objected.
“Chloe, I know you’re mad at Harry and you feel betrayed. And, frankly, it’s bullshit.”
I stared at Tess as if she’d gone crazy. She ignored my look and threw one of our suitcases up on top of the bed she and Zayn shared. She unzipped it and pulled out a familiar dress. She held the dress up and I stared at the green material. It was the one everyone had said I looked amazing in when we went shopping.
“What’s that for?” I asked, sitting up in the bed.
“Put it on,” she ordered, throwing it at me.
“Why?”
“Did I tell you to ask me questions? Go get dressed,” she demanded.
I looked at Zayn who just shrugged his shoulders. I decided it would be a good idea to not piss Tess off so I went to the bathroom and took a shower. I dried my hair and slid the dress on. For the second time, I felt the material fall perfectly into place right above my knees. I walked out into the room and saw Tess shuffling through our shoe suitcase.
She looked up when I exited the bathroom. “Good, you’re out. Put these on,” she told me, tossing me a pair of black heels.
I silently sat down on my bed and slipped the shoes onto my feet.
“Come here,” she ordered, waving me back into the bathroom. I looked questioningly at Zayn again but only got another shrug.
I followed Chloe into the bathroom and sat on the counter.
“What?”
“Close your eyes. I’m going to do your hair and make-up.” Her tone had softened a lot as she pulled out our make-up bag and took out what she wanted. I shut my eyes and let her do what she wanted.
About 20 minutes later, I had smokey shadow on my eye lids and perfect curls cascading down my back. I looked into the mirror, stunned.
“How did you do that?” Out of all of the years I’d known Tess, I had no idea she was capable of such art.
She shrugged. “I just have a knack for beauty,” she answered with a smile. She looked at her phone and her eyes widened. “We have to go now,” she said, pulling me out of the bathroom and over to Zayn who handed me a piece of black cloth.
“What’s this for?” I asked.
“Tie it over your eyes,” he told me. I looked at Tess and she nodded.
“Why?” I tied the ends together behind my head and completely covered my eyes so I couldn’t see anything.
“You’ll see,” she answered.
They grabbed my hands and led me out of the room. I took small steps so I wouldn’t trip over the high heels on my feet. I heard the ding of the elevator and followed them inside.
One of them pressed a button and the elevator descended. I kept quiet through all of this, trying to hear any whispering or noise that may give away what was happening but I had no luck. Everything was silent.
The elevator stopped and they pulled me out and led me down a hallway. I could tell we passed through the lobby since the floor changed from carpet to tile. The only sound was the noise of my heels clicking against the floor.
“Here we are,” Zayn said. I felt him untie the ends of the blindfold and pull it away from my eyes.
Tess opened a door and we walked in. There were no lights on so I reached over and found the light switch. I flipped it up and was met with many people.
“Surprise!” They all yelled. I was taken aback by how many people there were. I took a closer look at the occupants of the room and found that I recognized most of them.
What surprised me most, though, was Harry standing off to the side of the room with a bouquet of red roses in his hand.
6/16/13