I apprehensively wait outside the Style's residence. Anne opens the door and pulls me in for a hug. She gestures to her maids to take the unopened bags from my hand. They take it upstairs so it'll be ready after makeup.

Gemma steps out behind her mom and gives me a small smile. I toss one back. I'm not sure how she's feeling about me. She doesn't seem as snarky as before, but I've been here for a total of two minutes. 

The older of the two introduces me to all the staff she hired for today. When they ask what I want to do with my look, I'm speechless. How the heck do I know?

Gemma puts her hand on my shoulder and whispers, "I got this." Does she though? 

Part of me is worried she'll make me look like a clown, but I doubt Anne would let her get away with that. I'm still confused at this sudden switch. Why is she being civil to me now? 

She guides the stylists on what to do for hair and makeup while I nervously sit in the chair. Some others get started on the girls. The stylist reassures me that I'll look amazing and all I can do is trust her word. 

"Anne, why didn't you tell me this was a masquerade party?" I ask, trying to stay very still.

"Because I knew you would reject the mask I have for you if you did," she yells back.

Oh gosh, how much is this mask?

I don't even ask, worried about the price. If she thinks I'd reject it, it must be way too expensive. 

Harry doesn't text me the whole day, presumably too busy getting himself ready. I try to act unbothered. 

"Hey, can you guys not tell Harry that I'm coming?" I ask while the stylist begins working on my hair. 

Both of the girls whip their heads towards me, giving questioning looks.

"It'll just make things weird. I don't want him to act differently because... he's my boss," I explain. Not exactly the truth, but whatever.

They both nod and Gemma says, "I gotcha." My ability to lie is getting much better. 

Once my hair and makeup are done, I'm sent upstairs to put on my gown. I'm led to a random bedroom with a maid, who helps with dressing. The room seems like a guest room. It's very generic and has no personal touches. 

During this time, I don't look at myself at all. It's too late to change my appearance now, so I'm hoping for the best. 

When I'm dressed and jeweled up, I stare out the window. I don't want to look at myself, scared of what I've become. Part of me still has a fear that Gemma sabotaged me. 

If you had told me I would be attending a freaking masquerade ball at a mansion last year, I'd slap you silly. I hate the person I'm becoming. The dress hugging my body costs more than a limb. I'm starting to become so... materialistic. 

I've even taken off my dad's necklace, knowing Harry would recognize it. He gets no hints tonight. We're going to see if this bond is truly strong enough. 

The door creeks open and my attention is directed towards Gemma. She's carrying a mask with her, presumably for me. 

She looks stunning. She's wearing a white dress that reaches the floor. Her hair is in an updo, braids wrapping around her head. 

She gently lays the mask on the bed.

"You look great," she says, giving me a once over. It's not a judgy one like the mean girls in high school do. 

"Thanks," I mumble, not knowing if she's being genuine. 

"You nervous?" She asks, standing directly behind me. I nod, unable to even speak. "Here, have some."

I turn around to see her holding a joint. I thankfully take it from her and take a small hit. The back of my throat burns on contact and I cough. When the burn passes, I take another hit. 

"Don't mess up your lipstick. Also, remember to load up on perfume," she reminds me. I notice the dresser has all different types of toiletries, sprays included. 

I hand the joint back to her, already feeling better. She goes out to the balcony and tosses it. 

"Why are you being nice to me now?" 

She looks back over to me. "I misread you and I'm sorry." 

I nod again and exhale. I'm not sure if she's being real or genuine, but I don't test it. I'll find out later. 

"Let me help you with your mask." She offers, grabbing it from the bed. It's a beautiful gold, with green embellishments. "I heard you and my mom had a fun time yesterday. Thank you for that," she says, tying the not.

"She's the one that I have to thank. She's amazing." I sigh. Part of me wishes I had a more present mom. I know she's doing what's best for us, but it still sucks.

"I'm heading downstairs. Come down whenever you want. Also, you look stunning babe." She smiles and leaves the room.

My heart swells at the niceness. It makes me miss Audrey more. We'd have so much fun together. 

I wait for time to pass before I head downstairs. It seems like mostly the females are wearing masks and the men aren't. This makes life much easier for me. 

When I'm going down the staircase, I catch my reflection in one of the mirrors lining the hallway.

Gemma was right, I do look stunning. My hair is effortlessly curled and my makeup looks amazing, thanks to the stylist. Even the mask matches my dress. It only covers my eyes and cheeks, keeping my lips visible. 

As I'm walking down, I see Harry and the members of his ex-band together. There are two girls there, presumably Eleanor and Liam's girlfriend. 

Once I'm completely down the stairs, Niall gestures to me while talking to the boys. My heart starts racing. What if they know it's me? Did someone tell them? Will Harry be mad? 

I act like I don't see them and keep walking. I focus on the appetizer section, heading straight there. My sight's set on a plate of finger sandwiches. I stuff one in my mouth, trying not to mess up my lipstick. 

Someone taps on my shoulder. I turn around to see Niall. "Excuse me miss, may I have this dance?" His hand reaches out and he slightly bows. 

Oh, so he must not recognize me. That's good, right? 

Unless he's pretending he doesn't. Only one way to find out. 

I nod, not speaking. My voice would give me away. As he leads me to the dance floor, I look over at Harry. I see him with his mask on now, but he's still recognizable. He's with his sister, looking bored. Gemma seems to be irritated by his company. 

We begin to dance. We elegantly sway to the music. I'm not skilled in ballroom dancing, but Niall's not the best either. He has two left feet. We don't do any complicated moves, keeping it sweet and simple. 

"You're very beautiful." He smiles sadly. "I'm a little surprised, I thought I had just met my soulmate. When you walked down those stairs, I couldn't stop staring at you. There's just something about you..." 

My heart swells at his words. That's one of the nicest compliments I've ever received. I smile back, giving sympathetic eyes. 

"Not much of a talker, eh?" He teases. "I have to say, you probably caught the eye of every man here tonight." 

I doubt it, but my cheeks still heat up. 

A dance formation begins with some premeditated routine, the men swapping dance partners. That's my cue to leave. I can barely dance as is, I'd be a mess trying to learn the new steps. I slowly slip out of Niall's sight. Once I'm hidden, I peep over to see his confused face. He begins dancing with another woman, his eyes searching the crowd. 

I decide to hydrate... with wine. I grab a glass from the table and chug it down. Some people give me dirty looks, but I couldn't care less. They don't know who I am and will never see me again. 

Anne sees me and gives me a wink before resuming her conversation with someone. She then makes her way towards me. "Ellie! How are you enjoying the party? I must say, you look stunning. I'm so glad you went with that dress."

"Thank you Mrs. Styles- Anne," I correct myself before she can scold me. "You look so beautiful! The party is honestly amazing. The effort put into it... wow."

"You flatter me, dear," she puts a hand on my shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I need to socialize." Her face fills with playful dread before returning to her usual cheery smile. I laugh and let her go, knowing I can't hog the host all night.

The wine's calling out to me. I reach for another glass but I'm interrupted. 

"Excuse me," I hear. 

"Fuck," I whisper under my breath. Why am I getting so much unwanted attention here? Is it that hard to blend in with the crowd?

I turn to see Louis this time. What the fuck? Why is his whole friend group pining after me? More importantly, why isn't he approaching me? I'm convinced they're playing some sick game with me. "Can I have a dance?"

I nod and let him lead me to the dance floor. The choreography has faded and everyone is with individual partners once again. I'm relieved, mostly because I don't know the routine. Plus, the idea of dancing with strangers gives me knots of anxiety in my belly. I already don't fit in, I don't need to step on some rich guys toes to prove that. 

"Won't your girlfriend get mad?" I gesture towards Eleanor. She's talking with a group of girls, Gemma included. The only reason I even recognize the masked girls is because their dresses are so beautiful they're engrained in my brain. 

She glances over at us and smiles before returning to her conversation. Does she not care that her boyfriend's dancing with a random girl?

"Ellie, I know it's you," he grins, his blue eyes lighting up. 

Fuck, cover blown.

"How?" I bite my lip nervously. If he can tell, does that mean Harry can as well? Maybe this is all just a plot to get under my skin. 

"Oh please. You're telling me that all five of us noticing you, out of everyone, was just a coincidence?" He smirks. "I don't think there's any other girl that would happen to." 

My heart races again. "Does Harry know?" Do I even want to know the answer? 

"No," he scoffs, "he's all broken up that you're not here. I think I'm the only one that knows." He spins and dips me, then we resume swaying. "You should put all of us out of our misery and tell him. He's being a downer."

Hm, at least he's a little affected. "Poor Niall, he's really trying," I laugh, changing the topic. 

Louis grins, knowing his poor naive friend doesn't realize who I am. I look around and see Zayn dancing with a random girl, definitely earning jealous glares from other females. Liam is with his own girlfriend, socializing with the crowd. Niall and Harry are both out of sight. It's much harder to keep tabs on everyone when they're separated. 

Then, Gemma approaches me with Harry.

What is she doing? Did she tell him? 

"Louis, if you don't mind." She smiles knowingly.

"Yeah Louis, I'm sure your girlfriend would like to dance with you," Harry bitterly mutters under his breath.

Louis throws me a smirk and backs off, going to his girlfriend. I have a moment of panic then fake a smile, although my heart is anything but calm. 

"Harry, this is a good friend of mine. Would you mind keeping her company tonight?" Gemma smirks, winking at me. She even pulls me into a hug for added dramatics. 

What's she doing?

"Gemma, what are you doing? You already know..." he starts before she smacks his arm. "Okay, fine." His sister satisfactorily smirks and ruffles his hair before leaving us alone. 

I need some more wine. 

He shakes his head to fix his hair. "Ah, the girl from the staircase. How surprising we meet," he smiles with full dimples. "I see you've danced with half my friends." He grabs my waist and I hold his shoulders. He has a playful smirk on his face. "You know, it's not right to lead a poor fellow on. The blond lad has had heart eyes for you since you came out."

I throw on a smirk of my own. "Then let him have me," I say, not worrying about my voice giving me up. We can't dance in complete silence, I was bound to speak at some point. 

Even with the mask on, I see his eyes darken. 

We dance to the music, our bodies in complete sync. It's simple, just swaying, but it's the most magical dance I've ever done. Then I realize it's our first dance together. A small smile plays at my lips, savoring every moment in his arms. 

Harry begins to close his eyes. I wait until he's fully immersed in the dance, then I slip into the crowd, leaving him dazed and confused. As much as I want to dance forever, I'm addicted to the adrenaline, the wonder of whether he knows it's me or not. I just need to see if I'm as eye-catching as Niall claims I am. 

I pass a waiter and grab a glass from his tray. I take it like a shot and put the cup back. He laughs in amusement. "Out of all my years as a server, I have never seen someone do that. You must be having a tough night."

"If only you knew," I grin. He smiles sympathetically before making his rounds around the crowd. 

I make my way to my next victim, Zayn. He'll be a piece of cake to dance with. It's funny how he's always trying to get with girls, yet he doesn't have an ounce of desperation on him. 

This time, I tap him on the shoulder. He's chatting with some guys and not dancing, so I'm not interrupting any intimate moment he may be having. He turns around and smirks at me. "Well, hello there." His seductive voice would have anyone else on their knees. Not me though. I have my eyes on a certain curly-headed brunette. 

Zayn doesn't act like how Niall and Louis described. He doesn't even hint that I've caught his attention, but I know better. I saw his face and I'm well aware he was gawking with the rest of them. 

He pulls my body close to his and begins to dance. It's different with him. He's obviously trying to seduce every girl he dances with. There's barely any space between us and it makes me a little uncomfortable. Not to mention, a chick is giving me a harsh stare from across the dancefloor. 

I bear with him long enough to ensure Harry's seen me. When I feel his glare on me, I decide to kiss Zayn on the cheek. He smirks as I pull away, but I can feel his frown when I ditch him without warning. He doesn't bother to run after me, having a long list of girls waiting to dance with him. 

I don't even bother with Liam. I don't want to cause problems with him and his girlfriend. She doesn't know me and that would make things super awkward. 

Louis bumps into me. "Dance with me?" I ask urgently. He nods, looking around. I try to drag him to the floor before he changes his mind.

He notices Harry watching my every move. "Oh hell no, I don't want him to kill me."

"Please. You know he wouldn't," I beg. He reluctantly agrees, grabbing my shoulders. 

We begin dancing but with enough space for Jesus in between us. I can't disrespect his relationship with Eleanor like that. 

"What game are you playing, Marsh?" Louis whispers in my ear. 

I shrug, enjoying the chase. The adrenaline is pumping through my veins and I love the sensation. Is that messed up? A little.

"If he kills me, you're responsible for my death," he reminds me, eyeing him again. 

I laugh, resting my head on his shoulder for a second. "You're ridiculous. You'll be dead, so who's going to testify against me?"

We stop, him contemplating an answer. "You're right... I'll tell everyone that it was you."

"You think they'd turn against me?" I playfully gasp.

Louis shakes his head at me, sporting a huge grin. We resume our dance and make small talk. I ask where Eleanor is. He tells me that she's hanging with some friends here. Well, he says the word "friends" lightly. Apparently, people like to hog her because of her relationship with Louis.

Eventually, I let him go. He needs to dance with his girl and I keep hogging him. Besides, she needs a distraction from all the gold diggers. I'm sad that we haven't hung out tonight, but it might blow my cover. I don't think she'd want to anyway. She witnessed me at the lowest of my lows. I can't even imagine how many tissues she handed me. Poor girl, no one should ever experience that, especially with a stranger. 

He wishes me luck with a kiss on the cheek and leaves me alone.

I spin around to leave the floor but bump into a tall figure. 

Harry.

"Well, you're a slippery one aren't you?" He chuckles, grabbing me to dance again. His mask is still on. It covers almost his entire face. 

"What can I say? They're all over me," I playfully sigh. Truth be told, I'm getting tired of being on my feet. 

We dance like before, perfectly synchronized. I try not to show my exhaustion. This time, I wrap my arms around his neck. As much as I hate to admit it, I feel more at peace in his arms than I have my whole time here. 

Eventually, he closes his eyes and places his forehead against mine. We stop moving and stay still. Everyone around us fades like it's just us two in the room. His grip is tight like he's afraid that I might slip away again. As fun as the chase is, I'm tired. I rather stay in his arms forever. 

He opens his eyes to reveal his darkened pupils. I lift his mask up to show his entire face. Our lips graze momentarily, then lock in a kiss. Sparks fly as if it were our first time kissing.

Harry's P.O.V 

When she walked down the stairs, I felt weirdly attracted to her. So did the boys standing next to me. She's an enigma from the first glance. The entire ballroom snaps their heads to the oblivious girl, who's keeping her eyes focused on the floor. 

I can sense the insecurity from here.

Poor Niall, he really wants to dance with her, nervously rambling about whether he should. I push him into the crowd, forcing him to try. "Worst case, you'll never see her again," I encourage. He doesn't appreciate my comment, trudging into the crowd like I've sent him to his deathbed. When he finally approaches mystery girl, his excitement is visible and all dread has vanished.

I hang around the others until they all begin to dance. I start to feel left out. I only want to dance with the one person who isn't here. 

Gosh Ellie, why couldn't you come?

I sulk and hang with my sister for a while. This way, the girls will stay away from me. Something about Gemma's a repelling force to girls. I put on my mask to hide my frown. 

Niall's successfully dancing with the girl. I grin for a second, proud of him for making an effort. I sigh again, complaining to Gemma about the fact that I'm alone. She eventually tires of me. In fact, she tries to get rid of me. 

When she sends me to babysit her friend, I'm annoyed. When I said I'm alone, I didn't mean I wanted someone to dance with. 

Surprisingly, it's the girl in the green dress. I've seen her dance with Niall and Louis already, I guess it's my turn. She's already scored with 3/5 members of One Direction and she probably doesn't even know it. I can already tell she's unique compared to the other girls here.  

"Take care of her," Gemma says as she pats my shoulder. She's a grown-ass woman, she can take care of herself. 

I look into the mysterious girl's eyes. Is that... No, it can't be. She isn't here. Unless...

Only one way to find out. 

I use all my charm and energy on this single girl. She's different, very arrogant and not interested in the people around her.

Yet she makes my stomach do flips.

Sounds like a certain girl I know.

When I touch her, everything's confirmed. It has to be Ellie. 

But she said she isn't coming. How could she even make it? Where'd she find the time to buy the dress? All these questions swirl in my mind, but I force them away. It's not the time to overthink. 

I close my eyes, feeling content as we sway to the music. 

Then, I feel her slip out of my grip, just as she did with Niall. I frantically look around for her, but it's like she's vanished into thin air! 

I sigh, letting her play her games. She just needs to get it out of her system. When I walk towards the bar, Gemma stops me. "Where is she?" 

I shrug. "She ran off."

"And you're just going to let that happen?" She gasps. "That's not the Harry I know." I assume Gemma's aware that I know her so-called friend is actually Ellie.

Since when are they so close?

"She can live her own life," I sigh, partially in defeat. 

She grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me lightly. "Harry, this is how they get away. What's wrong with you? Don't you care for her?"

"I do, but-"

"No buts! Go get her before someone else does."

She's right. I begin to search through the crowds for her. When I see her dancing, basically grinding, with Zayn, jealously seeps through me. I send glares directed to him. I know Ellie, and she's playing one of her games. 

And she's sure as hell winning.

Zayn, though, is definitely scum. He probably doesn't even know it's her. How could he? 

I stay there, watching them. She plants a lingering kiss on his cheek before disappearing once again. 

I maneuver around, following her every move. I'm not letting her out of my sight again. 

She's with Louis now. They're a lot more modest, like a couple of friends sharing a dance, nothing more. I begin to wonder if he knows who she is. I don't think he'd dance with any other girls, especially not with Eleanor watching. He has to know. Maybe she managed to come with his help.

My glare softens as relief washes over me. At least I can trust one of my mates. 

She finally stops dancing with him, urging him toward Eleanor. I skillfully place myself behind her, making her bump into me as she finds her next victim- I mean dance partner.

A shy smile plays on her lips. "Well, you're a slippery one aren't you?" I grin, pulling her in to dance again. 

"What can I say? They're all over me," she teases. 

You're damn right they are.

We dance for a while. Her hands are dangerously near my curls, and all I want is for her to tug on them. I want to just bend down and force my hair onto her hands. I don't though. That would be weird and creepy. Besides, I don't think she knows I've figured her out. 

Time stops moving and so do we. I shut my eyes, praying that she wants this just as badly. If not, well, I'm a fool. 

I open my eyes to find her staring right into them. She lifts up my mask and brings her lips to mine. They linger for a moment, and I go straight for it, not being able to wait anymore.

Electricity jolts through my entire body. 

"Ellie," I whisper. 

"How did you know?" Her doe-like eyes are staring up at me. 

"How would I not?" I put my forehead against hers. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gemma cheering and throwing up a thumbs up. "Why did you lie to me?"

"You've been avoiding me. This is the only way to grab your attention. It worked, didn't it?" She has a small smirk. It sure did. 

Louis rushes up to us. "Hey, Ellie. Come with me!" He pulls her out of my grasp. We're both taken aback by his urgency.

Irritation gets me. "What the fuck," I hiss.

"Media," Louis yells as he drags her away. She flashes me a helpless look before following him. 

I look around the room to see some paps here. They're obviously here for my mom's charity event, but if they catch me with a girl they'll cover that instead and it's not fair to any of us.

Although Louis did the right thing, I'm still annoyed. Annoyed that this is how things always work out.

I put my mask back on, covering my scowl. 

"Excuse me, sir. Someone told me to pass you a message." An old waiter approaches me. "The girl in the green dress said 'meet me in your room for the afterparty'. " The poor man turns red. I can't help but laugh and thank him. 

Oh, Ellie, you're crazy.

My mum gets up on stage with Gemma by her side. I watch from the distance as she makes her speech. I look to the left to see Ellie standing by Louis and Eleanor. We make eye contact and she tosses me a smile.

"I want to thank everyone who was able to attend tonight. We managed to raise 50,000 pounds which is just over 65,000 dollars!" My mum beams. The crowd goes wild. Even Ellie is cheering. I can see she's very proud of this achievement. My mum continues by explaining the cause, but I can only focus on my soul. Her smiling face lights up the entire room.

I cannot wait for the afterparty. 

A/N:

Another one of my personal favs! Also, I know a lot of you guys are gonna be irritated by Ellie's personality. Here's the thing, she LOVES a good chase. Like most of us, she likes to feel wanted, so she'll subconsciously do things that'll distance her from him, and she feels good when he actually puts in the effort. I guess this chapter is a visual representation of her brain lolol. Just thought I should stand up for her. Vote and comment!