"Have you gotten all the things here?" Harry checks the items in the trunk one last time.

"Yes. Our bags and the food and drinks are all here." I point to each item.

Harry closes the trunk with a thud and heads for the driver's seat. "Alright, let's go."

This afternoon, we're going back to Harry's house. Since his drunk incident, the guy has not left the apartment to go clubbing anymore. The alcoholic drinks were left in the apartment and now, we're just leaving with the remaining produce, food, and drinks in the fridge. Harry insisted that we just throw out the leftovers but growing up in a family where we were taught never to waste food, I plead a case that I'll turn it into something delicious. Thankfully, the guy agrees and now they're all safe in the shopping bag below me.

The car comes out of the parking area below the condominium building and exits the guarded walls of the complex. It's cloudy today and the road is miraculously not congested thanks to it being a weekday afternoon. Rock songs play in the music player of the car and I see Harry tapping the steering wheel as he matches the beat of the music.

It's refreshing to see Harry so relaxed, and so in his element. His face looks much lighter and his arms don't have that tension as it grips the wheel. Cutting the drinks and being with other people seemed to have improved my boss's wellbeing.  My heart is swelling right now knowing that one of my former idols is getting better and I have a small part in it.

The car comes cruising down the streets of London while I look at the window to admire the view. London is such a beautiful place to be in. It's a mixture of old and new architecture all in one place. You can see buildings hundreds of years old besides shops that have just been built recently. Old statues dot the place as well as massive steel buildings making this place a concrete jungle of old and new.

"The shopping bags are there at the trunk, right?" Harry initiates the conversation.

I peel my eyes off the window and look at the front to see Harry looking at the mirror, waiting for my answer.

"Yes, it's in the back. " I nod.

"Alright. We'll be nearing the parking area soon. Let's stock up before we get back to the house. Anthony will be there to meet us at Waitrose." Harry turns back to face the road.

"Okay. "

I thought that we were just heading home. We're also going to the grocery? Wait, Harry's going to the supermarket with me? Wouldn't he be caught by people?!

Various thoughts run at full speed inside my head as we come to a red light. Harry loves his privacy and I know that once he steps foot in a public place, people will immediately recognize him. Not only that but there's also a large chance that they will want to take pictures with him and we'll get mobbed. How will we do this?

This thought solidifies itself once I turn to look at the window. Some pedestrians are looking at this elegant sports car that is in front of them. How will Harry make sure that we can get away with it properly? He did say Anthony will be there. I don't know how celebrities obscure themselves when they're going out in public but I'm afraid that Anthony will not be enough to fend the people off.

The stoplight turns green and we speed away, leaving the passers-by to go along their way. The car cruises along the streets until we arrive at a long stretch of an old white building with portico columns supporting the front. Harry maneuvers his way on a free spot beside the curb in between two cars. My boss turns off the engine and picks something up in the passenger's seat. It's a black baseball cap and heavily tinted shades.

Harry takes off his rings and puts on the cap and shades. Now that I'm looking at him closer, his whole outfit matches our mission of blending in for today but still managing to be uniquely him. The guy's wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans, and sneakers. With his cap covering his whole hair and shades covering his eyes, Harry looks more like a random person walking and not himself. Just a little more handsome than others.

"Do I still look recognizable? " The guy turns to me.

I shake my head and Harry turns to look at the sidewalk. From what I'm observing outside, not many people frequent this vicinity. Maybe this is why Harry chose this place? My boss turns to open the compartment in the passenger's seat and procures another set of dark shades and a baseball cap.

"Here, wear this and tie your hair," Harry hands me the pair and I take it, confused as to why I need to wear it. The guy notices my face and adds, "It's to protect your identity in case of photographers recognizing. Heaven knows they'll concoct a wild story relating you to me. Also, while we're walking outside, walk a few steps behind so they won't assume we came together."

My eyes furrow and my lips pout slightly in thought, digesting the information he just gave me. I understand why he's doing this measure and it's for good reason. The glasses and the cap will protect my face and keep my anonymity. I do agree with this thought since I don't want to be at the center of attention either. 

My friends, teachers, and the people who know me in the Philippines may see the news and I'm not ready for them to learn that the once high achiever in high school and active in college friend became a maid or housekeeper, whichever it is. I'm not ready to be thrust into the limelight on grounds I have no hold on.

I follow Harry's order and tie my hair in a messy low bun then put on the shades and cap he gave me. After that, I check myself in the mirror and fix the stray baby hair flying away.

"That's good. Let's go. " Harry approves my current look. We stay for a second until my boss chooses to go out and I follow suit. The car is then locked and we walk towards the street on our left side.

Looking at the people, I see that no one is paying us any attention and I love London right at this moment. The majority of the people mind their own business and don't talk to you directly. I follow Harry walking around a couple of streets, long strides easily connecting the distance.

Checking from behind, I see no people paying us attention except for some girls, looking here and there probably because, despite most of his features obscured,  his figure and vibe still look cool. Even if he's trying to blend in, Harry's whole body exudes a confident aura that stands out among people. And now as I realize it, I look at myself and sigh. Since Harry said this morning that we were just going back to his house, he allowed me to wear just my normal clothes for the day so I opted for a white hoodie, gray jogger pants, and my trusty gray Chucks, thinking we're heading straight back home. Now I feel like I look homeless behind him begging for money.

After crossing two streets, we reach the supermarket. Waitrose is one of the higher-priced supermarkets here in London easily recognizable with its sign that carries the name written in green font. It has expensive brands and products inside that are all tasty. Harry loves this place and makes me go buy all of his groceries at this supermarket.

Harry and I take the push cart outside and enter the glass doors. I notice Harry tipping his cap a little bit closer to his nose, taking care of not getting caught. Thankfully, since it's only past three in the afternoon, not that many people are here and we're left alone.

We enter the fresh fruit section and Harry starts filling the cart with apples, strawberries, and other fresh fruits. I follow the guy as he chooses what more to put inside. As I observe him, it worries me that at any point, someone goes up to us and recognizes that it's Harry Styles doing his grocery. Yet, it also saddens me knowing that this is the struggle that high profile people face every time they go out. 

When going to public places like a local grocery, outlet, or restaurant, your awareness of your environment is always heightened. Now I understand why celebrities frequent high-end or exclusive places. You're not only paying for the quality, you're also paying for your privacy and some sort of semblance of normalcy.

"You okay? " Harry breaks my train of thought while he pushes the cart to the vegetable section.

I shake my head and put on a smile. "Nothing, nothing. "

If he knew something more, Harry didn't prod but drops the topic quickly. We proceed to put various herbs and vegetables in the cart then move to the dairy section.

"What's your favorite snack? Or sweet?" Harry inquires, looking at the cartons of fresh milk, not even bothering to look up.

His question stuns me for a second. Why is he asking me this in the first place?

"Uh, I like seaweed flavored potato chips and uh, chocolate." I place yoghurt cups in the cart, ones that Harry likes for breakfast.

My boss nods, pushing the cart forward. I follow behind, looking casually from side to side. The shoppers pay no attention to us except for a few old ladies holding a confused expression. Harry's outfit looks normal but what they're probably finding odd are two people wearing shades. I understand because who wears shades inside the grocery?

In my periphery, I see a familiar tall muscular guy, walking around with a bottle of water in hand. It's Anthony and I break into a huge smile. It has been a long time since I last saw him and excitement fills me up knowing he's in close proximity.

"Why are you smiling? " Harry looks at me, tilting his head down.

I look up at the guy and nod in Anthony's direction. "I just saw Anthony. "

"Oh,  he's finally here," Harry follows my gaze and nods towards Anthony who nods in reply. We walk along the aisles until Harry stops in the cereal aisle. "Yari, can you get me some crisps? The sea salt flavored ones. A bag of Cheetos and Doritos too."

"Okay." I nod, starting to walk to the aisle.

"Get a bag of crisps and bar of chocolate that you like too. It's on me." Harry adds while he scans for an item in the cart.

My eyebrows furrow and I shake my hands. "No, it's okay. I'm good."

"I insist," Harry looks up, a small smile dancing on his lips. "I'll be mad if you didn't get yours."

Harry's words freeze me up like a statue. This is the first time he has offered something like this.  Whenever I go to the grocery,  I only buy his food and though my boss offers some once I arrive back at his house, I never open any as I'm too shy to do so. Hearing it directly come from my employer's mouth is something I didn't expect I'd ever hear.

"Okay," I finally nod. "Thank you."

My head bows down and I turn away to hide my already flushed cheeks.

"I'll be in the condiments section. Let's meet there after you get it." I hear Harry call and I turn around immediately to nod, never looking up, then go back to my path.

The Harry that I first met is starting to appear again and my heart starts pounding with happiness. I know that he's still wearing this dark mask but I can see a smidgeon of his true self surfacing above. Walking to the crisps aisle, I spot a  free sample kiosk and quickly walk up to it. I've always loved free samples and today, they're giving out a new brand of strawberry juice.

The woman in charge of the station lets me take a sample and I drink the liquid,  tasting real strawberry coming through. The juice is delicious and I take another cup. I'm about to drink my third cup when I'm suddenly bumped forcefully and the contents of the cup are directly dumped over my hoodie, leaving a huge red stain on my chest.

Immediately, I turn around and take off my glasses, ready to glare at the person who did it. But behind me, I see two little boys, one older than the other, in their school uniform standing in front of me, and I soften my eyes.

"I'm sorry!" The taller boy bats his eyes, clearly remorseful for what he just did.

A woman suddenly approaches with a trolley, shocked at the scene. She must be their mom.

"Oh my goodness, Bret, Jamie, what did you do?!" The mom turns to her sons, a stern look on her face. She looks up at me and takes the napkin from the kiosk and tries to wipe the stain on my hoodie. "I'm sorry about my boys, miss. They were running when they saw this free sample kiosk and—"

I shake my head and offer her a smile. "No, it's okay, I don't mind.  Boys are a little hard to handle sometimes," I chuckle and politely take the napkin she's trying to wipe me. "It can come off easily. "

The woman takes a hold of her kids and makes them stand straight in front of me.  "Go say sorry to the woman. "

"We're sorry, miss." The boys say in unicorn.

I squat below to look at them at eye level and instantly remember my younger brother in their eyes.  Leon used to be rambunctious like this, always running in every direction of the grocery, and dad would always have a headache so I try to catch him to make him stop.

"I accept your apology.  Just be mindful next time of other people when you're in the supermarket, okay?" I offer them a smile and the boys nod. "We don't want to give your mum a tough time,  right?"

"We promise." The younger boys reply.

I stand back up and nod at the woman who's saying sorry again, understanding her situation. I leave the kiosk and walk further down the chips aisle until I look at my hoodie and groan. This will be a tough time to clean. Since I don't really want to walk around with a  huge stain on my chest, I take off the hoodie so I'm only in my black shirt. Then, I tie the hoodie on my waist, the stained part covered in the back. I take off my cap and bun as well since my scalp has been in pain for a while now due to its tightness.

There are not that many people so maybe I can go walk further without the disguise?  I hope Harry understands. So,  I put the shades in my pocket so I can comb my hair when I hear a voice calling my name.

"Yari?" A familiar voice asks.

I turn to the side and see Ellie with a push cart filled with food.

"Ellie?"

"Nice to see you here!" The woman comes up to me and gives me a tight hug. I take a few seconds to process the scene then turn to hug her. "I didn't know you do your groceries here too?"

Ellie unwraps her arms and goes back to her trolley. I scratch my arm in thought. "Uh, it's my first time here."

"Is it your free day today or do you just not wear any uniform anymore in your job? I thought you did?" Ellie cocks her head to the side.

I look from side to side if Harry's within the vicinity and I breathe an internal sigh of relief. He's probably still waiting in the condiments aisle. It's a good thing that he's not with me or else, I'd have to worry about him getting revealed too.

"Uh, they didn't let me wear one because they're uh having uh, a party!" I ramble and hope that my lie will not be caught. "And and uh, I came here to buy some chips, uh crisps, for the party. They like, the uhm,  crisps here!  Yeah, they like the crisps here. "

"Oh, a party? That sounds lovely! Let me help you then." Ellie nods enthusiastically.

Phew,  that's a relief. Ellie follows me as I take the chips that Harry likes and a random brand that has a seaweed flavor in it. While I do so, I text Harry discretely.

Harry, uh, my co-worker is here, and is it okay if I can meet you outside?

I close my phone and look back at my friend,  hoping that Harry is nowhere near around.

"So Ellie, you do your groceries here? I thought you have work now? " I keep my voice level while I look around.

We turn down to another aisle and Ellie starts placing a pack of instant noodles in her cart.

"I work from home so it's easy," Ellie shrugs.  "I'm a Tesco girl but I came here because I saw in my feed that Harry Styles is here right now! "

My eyes turn wide as saucers.  Ellie learned on the internet that Harry's here? How many people know too?!

"He's here?  Can I see the post?"

"Sure," Ellie takes her phone and hands it to me. "Here. He's in a disguise but I know those lips a kilometer away."

I take my friend's phone and see an article that was posted an hour ago.  Clicking on the piece, I am immediately greeted by a photo of Harry coming inside of this grocery with the caption, Harry Styles Enjoying Day Out After Breakup.  Looking closer at the photo,  I can see myself walking about a short distance away.  The shades and the cap really did work.

"You like Harry Styles?" I give her back her phone. 

Ellie puts the phone back in her pocket and smiles widely at me. "Like is an understatement. I love the guy! I'm a total fan since X-Factor Days and it's rare to see him in public places so I went all the way from south of London to check him out. A lot of paparazzi and fans are here too. "

Oh my goodness,  Ellie is a fan!  How can I stall her from seeing Harry? But then, I feel conflicted.  I want my friend to see her idol but I want my boss to feel relaxed and feel normal too.  The guy has already faced too much this past few weeks. 

We walk along the sweets aisle and I pick a chocolate bar. As we walk further, I see Anthony coming towards our way. The guy turns to me for a second but focuses back on his path. Suddenly,  I feel my phone buzz. I check my phone and see that it's a message from Anthony.

Who are you with?

Quickly,  I type back a reply.

Long story.  Please keep an eye out for Harry? Paparazzi are waiting for him outside.

I was about to turn off my phone when I get another text.  This time,  from Harry.

Why do we have to meet outside?

"Do you know that he's also with a girl? " Ellie looks at me.

My eyes turn wide and my palms start sweating.  "How did you know that? "

"You might not have noticed in the picture earlier but there was this girl in the far back who's also wearing shades and a cap.  Same color! It looks suspicious," Ellie looks from side to side. "I'm trying to look for her too. Maybe she's Harry's new secret fling after Jade? I hope she isn't. Jade and Harry is the better couple. "

I turn my eyes down.  How did Ellie even think of this? Is this what fans deduce so quickly when their celebrity idols go out with anyone?  Now that I'm thinking about it, it is what they really do. I feel really disappointed now at myself for being once like this.  I sometimes jump to conclusions as a fan because that's what the media has molded me into thinking. Sometimes, fans believe what they want to believe in order for their thoughts to seem real.

But then,  how come Ellie hasn't known that the girl walking at the back is me? I think of the picture earlier and suddenly realize the difference.  I'm not wearing my hoodie nor the glasses and cap Harry gave me. I look down at my clothes and realize this. Wow,  just a couple of pieces of clothing can make a world of difference.

"Oh my gosh, Yari! " Ellie whisper shouts at me and makes me stop my tracks. "There's Harry! "

Looking up,  I see Harry in the distance in front of the condiments section holding his phone. Meanwhile,  I look around and see that the number of young ladies has increased. The news really is circulating fast.  I look back at my boss who has a focused look on his phone, waiting probably for something. Shoot! I forgot to reply to his text. Quickly,  I type back.

I'm here on your right with a co-worker from the part-time job. She knows that you're here because someone posted a photo of you online. I'll just pay for the crisps and give it to you back at the house.

Harry looks up to his right and for a second we lock eyes, his face reading my pleading look. The guy looks back down and starts pushing the cart in the other direction.

"Harry looked at me, Yari!  Did you see that? " Ellie squeals and starts slapping my arm.

I give a forceful smile and feel my phone buzz.  It's a text from Harry.

Just leave the crisps and chocolate at a certain section. I'll get it there.

Quickly, I type back a reply while I follow my friend.

No, it's okay. I have my wallet. I'll pay for it. It would be suspicious to her if I didn't leave the grocery without anything.

"Wouldn't he think that we're weird or crazy fans for following him around the grocery?" I try to dissuade her from following but it's a lost cause.

Ellie turns to me with a matter-of-fact look. "Well we're not taking photos of the lad, aren't we? We're just observing from afar," Ellie pushes quicker so we can shorten the gap with Harry. "We're not like the paparazzi outside already waiting for him to get out and take thousands of shots. Aren't you a Directioner too? You told me one time. And he's your second favorite after Niall!"

I don't recall the conversation but maybe it was some time during an online chat.

"I am but I'm too shy, I think he wants to be alone." I try to plea back.

As we're walking, I feel my phone buzz again.  It's another text from Harry.

Okay then.  I'll just meet you back in the car.

I type back a quick reply, looking at Ellie if she has read the messages.  Thankfully,  she's still preoccupied with looking at Harry.

Not a good idea. We're still at your back following you and I heard from her that outside, paparazzi are waiting already. I'll meet you at the house.

I look up to see Harry stopping in his tracks.  We stop our tracks as well while Ellie takes pictures of Harry. From afar, I see my boss frown, probably seeing the photo and article already. After a few moments,  I get a reply from him.

Do you have enough money?

I check my wallet, careful not to let the shades fall, and check the contents.  My money's only enough to pay for the food and a bus ride from the middle of the city to one station away from the nearest stop at Harry's house. Waitrose is roughly twenty minutes away from that starting point and I'd have to walk the rest once I get out of the bus.

Sighing, I reply back.

I do. I'll just see you there.

After a few seconds.  I get his reply.

Okay then. See you at the house.

We follow Harry who is walking again and see that he's proceeding to the counter already to pay for the grocery. Directly behind him is Anthony who's not holding any cart anymore.

"Come on,  let's pay! " Ellie orders and follows to line up but is taken over by several other ladies and the nearby counters between Harry's line as well.

My friend pouts in frustration so we pay at the cash register a couple of stations away.  Ellie doesn't budge and looks back up at Harry while she pays for the grocery. I pay her for the chips and chocolate that I bought and we finish buying.

Once we're done,  I see that Harry's already carrying the grocery with Anthony and another that I didn't see earlier.  It's Eddie,  one of the new security in the house. We follow closely behind and I see Anthony looking back at me for a second.  I give him a shy smile and shrug.

"The guy's alone grocery shopping with his guards then. " I say out to Ellie.

Ellie purses her lips in thought.  "I bet the woman went away because Harry thinks the paparazzi are outside. She's probably back in his car. "

I nod at her and her imagination. Fans really do have this wide train of thought. Outside, we see several paparazzi along with other ladies following harry. I can't help but be sad because ever since he got my text, his dark mask is back covering his face again. His signature press smile is out when his name is being called. Little do they know about the true emotions bottled up inside of him.

We follow until we reach his car where more than a handful of paparazzi follow to take photos of him in a less than comfortable space away from him. I see his shoulders and arms tense as he turns back to ride the passenger's seat.

"Poor Harry. " I say out loud before I stop myself.

****
AN: The world is a scary place to live in right now. Besides the pandemic,  there's racism, terrorism and a lot more inhumane acts we have to worry about. I will leave links on the comments section below for information about the Black Lives Matter movement and my country's (The Philippines)  own problem,  the Terrorism Bill. It seeks to imprison and punish anyone who's not in favor of the government. Please know that you get to live your life less troubled because some people before us and/or currently with us dared to use their voice to speak of the injustice happening.