"So, I take it you guys worked everything out?" Audrey chirps in the morning, grabbing a banana. "From the sounds of it..."

"Shut up," I mumble, embarrassed. Harry and I went for multiple rounds last night. We were both truly deprived of each other. So deprived that I didn't realize anyone else would hear us. 

"That's good," she smirks, taking a seat next to me. 

My phone buzzes and I see a text from one of my group chats.

Girly girls:

E: Holy shit, I think Bitchzilla's leaving

S: No way!!! What??

E: Louis told me they broke up?!? Ellie! What's this about?

Me: Yeah, haha. We talked about it last night. 

E: And that's it?

S: OMG proud of you!!!

Me: Yep. They're done-zo. Glad she's actually leaving. Couldn't stand her.

I'm added to a new group chat and the texts flood in from there. 

Band + groupies:

Liam: Let's celebrate the departure of Bitchzilla

Niall: Agreed!!!

Sophia: AMEN

Zayn: Whatcha have in mind?

Harry: Bitchzilla? Who came up with that?

Everyone collectively texts my name.

Me: haha :)

Niall: Where are we going!!??!?!

Liam: Um... I know! Everyone have an overnight bag packed by seven.

Me: No, please tell me what to bring.

Liam: Ladies, bring your sluttiest dresses and a bathing suit. 

Eleanor: Oh God Liam. 

Harry: Hell no

Niall: Hmm... do you guys think my red dress is slutty enough?

Zayn: Shut up

Liam: Don't worry, we can always go shopping there. Just bring necessities.

I grow curious as to where we may be going, but it's obvious no one's going to say. Instead, I show all the messages to Audrey. She stifles a laugh as she reads through them.

"Wherever you're going, it sounds like a blast. You can always raid my closet but why do that when you can buy something there?"

I scoff. "Yeah, how can I pack if I don't even know where we're going?" 

"You definitely need a sexier swimsuit though. You can't let Harry see you in that thing you have."

"What!" I yelp. "It's not that ugly."

"Sis, my grandma owns something similar." 

I roll my eyes and smack her arm. "Fine, I'll buy one there, okay?"

She smugly smiles, proud of her convincing abilities. 

I genuinely don't know what to expect. An overnight bag could mean anything. Where would we even travel to? The options are literally limitless.

Hopefully, we won't be gone too long.

"Fuck," I groan. "I can't go. I have work!"

"Ask Drew to cover," she says nonchalantly.

"No, I feel bad!" 

"You've changed," she laughs. "The old you wouldn't even hesitate. C'mon, just ask. I'm giving you permission as his girlfriend." 

"I don't need permission," I remind her. "Especially not from you." I pull out my phone, ready to text him. Then I realize maybe it'll be harder to say no over a phone call. 

I dial his number and he picks up after the second ring. "Hello, my queen."

"Uh, you know this is Ellie, right?" I confirm, taken aback by his nice greeting.

"Yes I know," he says flatly. "I have caller-ID. You're my queen and I'm merely your slave."

I roll my eyes so hard they may get stuck in the back of my head. "Then what's Audrey?"

He thinks about it before answering, "my damsel in distress."

I snort, earning a questioning look from my friend. I wave it off and continue. "You're funny. Uh, speaking of, I have a favor to ask."

"Yes, I'll cover your shift tomorrow," he sighs.

"Wh- How'd you know that's what I was gonna ask?" I look over to see an innocent Audrey chewing her banana.

"She told me beforehand."

"Of course she did," I glare at her. She simply shrugs in response.

"Enjoy your spontaneous trip to who-knows-where. I hope you don't end up dead. Just remember you owe me!" He fits into one sentence.

"Okay, breath, jeez. Yes, sir, I am forever indebted to you. Love you! Thanks!" I hang up the phone, wiping the goofy smile off my face.

"You're cute when you aren't mean," she comments. I stick my tongue out at her. "Real mature."

"Whatever you say, damsel," I giggle. She doesn't question the inside joke, instead joining me in my laughter. 

Now I anxiously wait.

~~~

Seven hits much later than I want. I'm nervously waiting for my carriage to lead me to the unknown destination. 

Not one, but three, cars pull up to my place. They all park in the closest parking spots, not a far walk. 

They all run toward me when they're out. I brace myself for impact. Niall's the first one, followed by each piling on to the hug. I nearly lose balance from the tackle.

"Can't... breath..." I squeak. They all let go, strategically backing out. I take a deep breath in an attempt to get the wind that was knocked out of me. 

"You guys scare me sometimes," Harry huffs, joining me by my side. 

"Hi," I smile up at him.

"Hi."

"Ew, so much PDA! Get a room!" Niall yells. Sophia takes the liberty of smacking him. He rubs his arm, pretending to be in pain. 

Harry and I intertwine our hands together, and he carries my duffle in his other. He easily picks it up and makes a questioning face when he realizes how light it is.

"I'm probably going to buy stuff wherever we're going," I explain. He smiles and nods, leading me to his car. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Wish I knew."

"Uh uh uh! It'll be a fun surprise, trust me!" Liam yells from his car, Sophia around him. 

I notice the car setups. Zayn, Niall, and Louis and Eleanor are taking Zayn's rental car, Liam and Sophia are taking another rental, and Harry and I are riding solo in his Range Rover.

"How come no one's riding with us?" I ask, watching his muscles flex as he tosses my bag in the trunk. He effortlessly shuts the door and slings an arm around me.

"I may have threatened them not to," he grins proudly. We walk around to the passenger side door, no longer visible to the group.

He pushes me against the car and meets his lips to mine. I kiss him back with full force. He grins and opens my door for me. 

"So chivalrous," I hum before getting in and strapping my seatbelt. 

He bows before closing the door and walking around. He gets into the driver's seat and starts the car. His hand rests on my thigh, only moving to adjust the radio and gears. 

"Okay, so if you don't know where we're going, where are we driving to?" I suspiciously ask. I don't buy that Liam kept this a secret from everyone. 

"Airport," he smugly responds. 

Of course, that's not helpful in any way, shape, or form.

"Wait, we're flying somewhere? Do I need a passport? I didn't bring it." I panic.

He looks deep in thought. "I don't think so? He would have mentioned if you do... Uh, lemme call him."

"I'll do it," I say, pulling out my phone and dialing his number. "Hey bud, do I need a passport?"

"Nope," Liam responds. "Just you and your beautiful self."

"Awe, you flatter me," I say sarcastically. "Thanks."

I hang up and relax. Okay, so the odds are we're going to another state. That's good. How scary can it be?

"God, I'm so glad that Trina stuff is over with," he says out of the blue. His fingers rhythmically tap to the music.

"You're telling me." I'm ecstatic she's gone. She was a thorn in my side and honestly, I don't care where she is, as long as she's far away from us.

"Don't tell me you were jealous?" He dramatically gasps. 

I roll my eyes. "You chose the worst candidate to fake date."

"Would it kill you to admit you were?" He grins, giving my leg a squeeze. 

"Yes," I huff. "Fine. I was a little jealous, but her personality could have maybe made up for it? Yet you chose the bitchiest-"

"She's still my friend," he warns me. 

"As long as she knows that."

This time he rolls his eyes, but playfully. 

"Hmm, I've rubbed off on you," I laugh. He smiles and nods in agreement before going serious again.

"I've missed your eye-rolls and everything else."

I reach over and pinch his cheek. He swats my arm away but gives my hand a kiss before letting go. Such a simple act, but it gives me major butterflies. 

We pull up to a smallish airport that seems all too familiar. It's the same one we went to when we went to England. 

"Private jet?" I ask excitedly. He nods, wary of my enthusiasm. 

I was expecting a plane or something, but this is even better. Now we can be all coupley without drawing suspicious eyes. 

I eagerly get out of the car, not even worrying about my bag. It's super light, Harry can carry it. I join the rest of the group waiting outside. I'm practically bouncing with excitement. 

"Someone's excited!" Niall points out. I furiously nod. I barely travel, let alone in a private jet. It's the luxuries in life that get to me. 

"Thanks for the help." Harry catches up and hands the bags to the staff. I thank him and he responds by wrapping his arm around my waist.

Eleanor and Sophia share a look, wiggling their eyebrows. 

I always forget it's rare to see Harry acting affectionately. He always is with me, but they're not used to it. Of course, they always react when he does something cute, making me embarrassed. It does distract me from the butterflies I get, so that's a plus. 

"Shall we?" Louis asks, looping his arm around Eleanor. We begin piling in, Harry not once moving his arm from around me. I lean in closer, taking in his smell.

"So where are we going anyway?" I attempt to try again once we're all seated.

Liam disapprovingly shakes his head at me. "Tsk tsk. Ellie, you'll know in due time."

"Tsk tsk," I annoyedly mock. Harry pulls me into his side and I rest my head on his shoulder. Zayn smirks at us, but only I catch it. 

Niall sits on the other side of me. He's furiously texting on his phone and I can't help but look over and see who's on the receiving end.

"Who's Sydney?" I ask quite enough so only the two of us can hear. His head snaps up from his phone. He narrows his eyes at me before locking it and setting it on his lap.

"She's no one, you nosy girl."

I open in my mouth out of defense. "Excuse me! Not my fault you're texting like a maniac. It makes a girl curious, okay? Now tell me! I wanna know!" I sit up, much to Harry's annoyance. "Please!"

Niall sighs in defeat and leans to my ear like we're sharing a secret. "She's my soulmate."

"Shut up!" I scream, attracting everyone's attention. I sheepishly smile at them until they redirect their attention. "You found her?" I whisper to him.

He eagerly nods, his eyes bright as ever. "I did!"

I smack him on the arm. "Why didn't you tell me? Does anyone else know?"

He rubs the sore spot. "Well, I don't know. I don't think she'd want people to know yet. And no, no one else knows, so you're the first."

I beam and pull him into a side hug. "Wowow! Where?"

"Uh, remember a couple nights ago we went to that club?"

I furrow my brow, trying to think of all the girls he interacted with. "Yes..."

"She was the waitress who brought our drinks."

Realization dawns on my face. "Oh! Oh wow, you were talking to her all night."

He nods sheepishly before continuing. "Yeah, she's great. I just... I don't know. She didn't even know who I was."

"That's good, no?"

"Well, I mean, you got pretty intimidated by our lifestyle, and you knew what you were getting into."

I realize he's right. I at least knew Harry was rich and famous. As off-putting as it was, I'm glad I wasn't bombarded with the new information or I'd be running for the hills. 

"We'll talk about this later," I say, looking at everyone else on the plane. A smile breaks out into my face. 

Harry notices my happy mood and questions it.

"This is just where I met all of you. It's crazy how long ago that feels like." I remember the complete shock I was in. If you had told me last year I was on a plane with all the members of One Direction, I would have reminded you they broke up and probably hated each other. Then I would have called you crazy for even suggesting I'd willingly go.

Ah, those were angsty days.

"Some first impression," Louis laughs, reminiscing. 

"I was shocked, okay?" I defend. They all laugh, thinking about that day. "It was a lot of information."

Niall reassuringly puts a hand on my knee. "It was the start of something great." 

I smile, definitely agreeing. Times have been wild, but I appreciate every moment and wouldn't change it for the world. 

Even now, as I anxiously await on this plane, I have no real fear in my heart. I'm surrounded by people I love and trust. What more can a girl ask for?

A/N:

I apologize for the long, long wait! I started college so I've been a bit busy. I'll try to update more frequently.