Scarlett’s POV
“Oh! There’s Danielle.” Liam waved to a girl in the back corner of the pub we were at and started walking over there. The five of us followed him, passing through the tables. I noticed that all the guys had their heads bent low, and, not used to my newfound fame and appeal to the opposite sex, I forgot to do the same. I cringed as I heard a wolf whistle to my left at the bar. “Hey, beautiful.”
I was at the back of our little procession, and being me, I couldn’t just ignore him and keep going. I didn’t want to seem rude, so I stopped and turned to the man, forcing a smile. He looked to be early twenties, and he had three or four friends in his entourage, who had all swiveled around in their chairs to look at me. “Hello.” I said. The friend to his right clapped him on the back.
“What’s your name?” He asked, smirking. It was different than the smirk Harry had—it was all cockiness, as opposed to Harry’s, which seemed to be only a fraction cocky, the rest playful and shy. I tried to brush Harry out of my mind, which proved impossible as I glanced over to the table where the girl—Danielle, I think Liam had called her—was sitting. Harry was burning holes into me with his eyes, and I again felt the butterflies.
“I’m Scarlett.” I answered, looking at him and doing my best to keep my tight lipped smile.
“Well, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I’m Dave.” He extended his hand and I reluctantly shook it. I heard his friends snicker a bit.
“Nice to meet you, Dave.” I was about to turn to leave, resisting the urge to say, “Actually, I really don’t want to talk to you,” when he spoke again.
“Maybe I could buy you a drink? And after that, we could—”
“Oi, fucker, are you talking to my girlfriend?” I heard the voice from behind me, its Irish accent unmistakable. I smiled a little, a real smile, as I realized what he was doing. He was giving me an out—an excuse to get away from Dave. I turned around to see Niall glaring at Dave, and I grinned up at him.
“Hey, babe.” As I spoke, Niall moved his eyes away from the bar and towards me, smiling. He slung an arm around my waist, to keep up the couple illusion, and started walking me towards the table, shooting one final scowl towards the bar. I waved over my shoulder at Dave, whose friends were poking fun at him. When we got out of earshot of them, I sighed. “Thanks.”
“No problem. You pretty obviously didn’t want to talk to him, but you’re too nice to just walk away. Sorry about calling you my girlfriend, by the way, and the very unfortunate placement of my arm right now, but it was the only way I could think of. I could have gone with brother or something, now I think about it.”
I laughed. “It’s fine. Anything to get me away from him.” We reached the table and plopped down in the chairs, Niall detaching himself from me. I had Harry on my left and Niall on my right. I was across from Danielle, the girl who had saved the table, and Liam, who had his arm around her and was whispering something in her ear. I assumed that they were a couple, which was affirmed by Liam.
“Hey, Scarlett, there you are. This is my girlfriend.”
The girl reached her hand out across the table and I shook it. She smiled brightly at me. “Hi! I’m Danielle. Nice to meet you.” Her gaze shifted between me and Niall. “So, uh, Niall, is this your date?”
Niall blushed, and I looked over at Harry to see him smirking. “Um, no.” Niall stuttered.
“Some slimy guy at the bar was flirting with me, so Niall saved me with the whole boyfriend charade. Which I’m very thankful for, by the way.” Niall looked at me gratefully. Harry just sat there smirking.
“Exactly.”
I turned to Harry while Niall talked with Liam and Danielle. “Hey. How did you like the show?” I asked. He just nodded once and stared right at me. I waited, and arched my eyebrows, willing him to go on, but he just kept looking right into my eyes with his green ones. “Okay, Harry, so we’ve determined that you’re a master at holding eye contact. Now will you just say something, for fuck’s sake? You’ve been quiet this whole time.”
He smiled, finally. A real smile, not his smirk. “Hi, Scarlett. You were fantastic tonight.” His voice was scruffy and low.
I grinned. “Thank you. Damn, what does it take to get you to say something?”
“I like to play hard to get.”
“You’re going to be really damn hard to get if you don’t say anything at all.”
“Hey, it works sometimes.” He grinned at me and I rolled my eyes.
“See, you probably don’t even need to play hard to get, do you? Aren’t you an international teen heartthrob? You have the ladies falling at your feet.”
He laughed. “I though you said you didn’t know the band.”
“I have a phone, and I have internet. I did a bit of googling. One look at your Twitter page affirmed it. There were, like, millions of girls tweeting about how much they want to sleep with you.”
He ran his hands down his body in what I assume he thought was a seductive manner. “What can I say? I understand the appeal.” He tried to stifle his laughs, but failed.
Before I could answer, a waitress came over. When she saw the table, her eyes widened, and she nearly dropped the menus, but she tried to act as if nothing was wrong. After we ordered our drinks, and she shakily told us the specials, she blurted, “Oh my god, you’re One Direction.”
Liam laughed, his arm still slung lazily around Danielle’s shoulder. “Yeah, we are.” Louis, Niall, and Zayn looked up from their heated conversation and smiled at her. Paul, who was sitting on the end, looked annoyed at the disturbance. The waitress’ eyes fell on me and her mouth dropped open. “You’re Scarlett Cross! From the X Factor! I love you so much, you’re like my favorite artist ever. Can I…can I have your autograph?”
I sat there, bewildered, before my face pulled into a smile. I wasn’t used to having people recognize me, and it still surprised me a bit whenever some stranger on the street called me by my first name. “Of course? Do you have a pen?” She nodded and wordlessly handed me a sharpie. I grabbed a napkin from the table. “Who should I make it out to?” I asked.
“Maisie, please. I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you.”
I signed it ‘To Maisie from Scarlett – nice meeting you!” and handed it back to her, grinning. She looked at it and sighed, tucking it into her apron, and took our orders. “I’m sorry for the disturbance. I’ll be right back with your drinks and to take your orders.” She walked over to another girl at the bar and showed her the napkin, which they both freaked out about.
I turned back to the table, my eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sitting with the most popular band in the world, and she asked for my autograph. What?”
Louis chuckled. “And I thought Niall was fangirling.” Niall shoved Louis’ shoulder and turned to look at me. “This might be a bad time to ask, but…can I have your autograph?” He teased. I elbowed his ribs, playfully, and started looking over the menu. Niall grinned, showing off his braces.
“Right after we do it, blondie.” I heard Niall laugh loudly. Danielle looked over at us, her eyebrows raised, and Harry’s face twisted into a frown before his smirk came back.
“Get some, Niall.” He said. Niall glared daggers at him and I ignored the comment.

***

We were on our way back from the pub, Paul navigating us through the crowded streets. I was sitting in the middle seat with Zayn, my drunk mind trying to pinpoint the exact feeling that I got when I was onstage. I was making large, sweeping hand motions, attempting to explain what it was like. I was halfway through my explanation when he interrupted. “Scarlett, you do know that I know exactly how you feel, right?”
It took a moment for that to sink in. “Oh. Oh, right, yeah.”
Niall chuckled at me from the front seat. “Scar, you really can’t handle your alcohol, can you.” I loved that he called me Scar.
“Oh, shut up, Niall. You had seven pints and you don’t even seem buzzed. I had four and I can barely walk straight.”
Harry piped up from the backseat. He was alone in the back, as Liam and Louis had gone home with Danielle. Liam had seemed grumpy when Louis hopped in her car, but he didn’t have the heart to kick him out. “I don’t think you could see straight, either. You were flirting with that awful looking lad at the bar after your second drink.”
I groaned, rubbing my temples. “I wasn’t flirting. He flirted with me and I was polite to him.
While Harry and I argued over whether or not I was actually flirting with the guy at the bar, Niall asked for my phone. Without a second thought, I handed it over to him, and he started typing furiously. He handed it back a couple minutes later. “Did you put your number in?” I asked. He nodded, giggling suspiciously. I returned to my argument with Harry when I felt my phone buzz. I looked at it and saw that I had a Twitter mention.
I unlocked my phone and stared at it.
@NiallOfficial: @Scar_Cross wow chill out I’ve only known you a week babe ! But yes, I will marry you.
Confused, I expanded the conversation, looking over at Niall, who was grinning and trying to stifle his laughter. Harry was looking quizzically at us from the back. I had very abruptly stopped talking when I felt my phone buzz. I looked and saw what Niall had been replying to. When he’d had my phone, he’d sent a tweet under my name. A tweet which had already been favorited 79 times and retweeted 102 times, thanks to my newfound fame from being on the show.
@Scar_Cross: oh my godd @NiallOfficial is soooo perfect I love him marry me <3
I looked up and glared at Niall, but couldn’t help cracking a smile. “You’re awful, Niall.” I started to delete the tweet when he stopped me.
“Wait, are you deleting it? No, don’t! It’s funny!” He whined, giving me the puppy-dog eyes.
As Louis had said earlier, no one could resist the puppy-dog eyes.
I rolled my eyes and stopped what I had been doing. I quickly followed Niall and Harry, and sent another tweet out. Zayn was looking between Niall and I, laughing loudly.
@Scar_Cross: @NiallOfficial Don’t you dare hack my account again, leprechaun! The wedding’s off.
Niall looked up at me and grinned. “Scarlett, you can’t call of our wedding, we were going to get married!”
Zayn and Harry looked at us in confusion before breaking into another fit of laughter. “I know, Niall, that’s generally what you do at weddings. I smirked at him, and he rolled his eyes, bending over his phone, undoubtedly to write a comeback to me.
@NiallOfficial: @Scar_Cross how dare you call off our wedding ! :( haha good luck at semifinals tomorrow !!
@Scar_Cross: Thanks and you too! See you later ex-fiance :)
Niall read what I had sent and shook his head. “Ex-fiancé, huh? Well, I’ll ignore that, Miss Cross, but that was very rude of you.”
I smiled cheekily at him. I looked back to Zayn and Harry, who were on their phones, reading our exchange. After a few moments of silence, the two of laughing quietly at their screens, Zayn spoke. “Oh my god, Niall, you’re such a fucking fangirl. Shit, mate.”
Harry groaned from the backseat. “And I thought you were flirting with the lad at the bar, Scar. You two are awful.”
I felt my cheeks grow hot, but Niall spoke before I could manage to. “What are you talking about, Harry?” He stuttered.
“You. Scar. Flirting. How much more simple do you need it, mate?” Zayn snickered and high-fived Harry.
“Shut up, wanker.” Niall’s cheeks were bright pink, and he turned so he was facing forward in his seat.
We rode in silence for a while. Paul cleared his throat when we pulled up to the back of my hotel. “This is where you’re staying, right, Miss Cross?”
I nodded. “Thanks, Paul.” I started to get out of the car but stumbled a bit. I started walking in when I heard the door open and close again and suddenly Harry was on my side, steadying me. I raised my eyebrows at him. “Is this the part where you act all gentlemanly and then you take advantage of me once we get upstairs?” He seemed angry until he realized that I was teasing him.
“I think you’re mistaking my polite gesture as flirting.” He raised his eyebrows at me.
“Oh, well I wouldn’t be the only one, would I, Mr. ‘Oh-Scarlett-you-were-flirting-with-that-guy-at-the-bar.’” I smirked at him.
He raised his hands in defeat. “Okay, fine. You got me. What floor?” He asked as we stepped into the lift.
“Sixteen.”
He pressed the corresponding button and we started going up. “It’s not true, you know.” He said, bluntly.
“What?”
“It’s not true, what people say about me. That I just sleep with girls all the time.”
“Oh. I know.”
“I just wanted to clear that up.”
“Consider it cleared.” We exited the lift and as I walked, I tripped a bit over my shoes. He caught me, and suddenly we were standing with just centimeters between us, one of his arms around my waist. He was a bit taller than me, so my eyes were just about level with the bottom of his neck. He was looking down on me, smirking. I couldn’t help but notice how good he smelled. Also how his chest seemed to be very defined. Also how impossibly perfect his curly hair was.
He seemed to notice my noticing. “You okay?” He asked.
“Um, yes. Just lost my balance. I’m okay.”
“Are you going to let go of me, then?” It was then that I realized that my arms were crossed behind his neck, and his grip on my waist had loosened.
“Yes. Sorry.” I pulled myself off of him and we started walking down to my room, my heart pounding, and those butterflies that had come up earlier still fluttering around in my stomach. I stared straight ahead of me, my eyes wide. I could feel him grinning beside me—no longer was a smirk playing on his face, now it was a smile. While we walked slowly down the impossibly long hallway, he asked me a question. “Hey, Scar, I meant to ask. What did Niall catch you in the middle of when he came to get you earlier?”
I blushed when I remembered what he was talking about. I decided to tell him the truth because, well, what the hell. “You know Brett Daniels, one of the other contestants?” He nodded. “I was…well, I was standing with him the way I was standing with you just then, and he kind of leaned in…I guess we were about to kiss. I’m glad Niall stopped me, though. I didn’t really want to.”
Harry chuckled. “Scarlett, you need to learn how to say no to someone.”
“I can reject people!” I mocked offense.
“No, you can’t. You talked to, like, five lads that flirted with you tonight even when you didn’t want to. The only person you actually wanted to flirt with was Niall, and you were shit at it.”
“I wasn’t—I didn’t—I’m not—” I struggled to find words as we arrived at my door.
He laughed again. “Face it, you can’t say no, and you at least like Niall a little bit.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Maybe I like someone else.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Really? Who would that be?”
“We’ll see.” I put my key into the lock. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Harry.” As I walked into my room he grabbed my arm.
“I didn’t get your phone number.”
“Oh, you can just get it off Niall—”
“I want it from you.” I sighed dramatically and reached out my palm, signaling him to hand me his phone. He dug it out of his pocket and unlocked it, handing it to me. I put myself into his contacts list—trying not to freak out at the list, which included Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift—and handed the phone back to him. “Happy now, Styles?”
He grinned. “Very much. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” I closed my door, giving him one final wave, and walked into my room, flopping on the bed. I managed the strength to stand up and change into sweatpants and a t-shirt and wipe the makeup off my face before I collapsed. Just before I fell asleep my phone buzzed.

From: Unknown Number
You still haven’t bought me that drink. x Harry

I sighed and drifted off to sleep, the events of the evening playing through my mind.