LOS ANGELES

It's 3PM and I haven't sat down since Ty dragged me out of bed at 5 this morning.

I've bought Harry his underwear and I ended up choosing an extremely expensive face cream set for Giselle. The shop assistant said it was made with the stomach contents of a whale. She delivered this information in a slightly excited, breathy manner, as if rubbing whale puke all over your face is most exciting thing you can possibly do.

I'm fairly uncertain about this, but given the huge price tag and the glamorous looking woman who was eagerly purchasing it next to me, I decided to just go for it. I was in a rush and I didn't have a clue what I would buy a supermodel. If this is the 'in' thing she'll like it, right?

I haven't had time to stress about it anyway. I got lucky and managed to get into a conversation with the other buyer about her favourite restaurants, rather I allowed her the chance to brag about where she'd been. I steered the conversation round to places in New York and she recommended one called The Jungle so I quickly tracked it down and phoned ahead for Harry's date.

I have to say, the owner displayed an unprofessional level of excitement at the thought of Harry Styles visiting, I would have thought a classy restaurant would have been more discreet.

In between all of this I've had countless phone calls for interviews and events to be added to the huge diary I have to lug everywhere. With each thing I add, I have to check if I need to arrange a car to pick Harry up and if it fits in with the rest of his schedule for that day. I receive a breathless phone call from Ty, who sounds just as busy as me, to remind me to make sure Harry has meals delivered throughout his day and to contact the major designers to make sure Harry has different outfits for each interview and event.

My head is swimming with all the new information and I keep worrying I've overlooked something.

After dashing to collect the clothes from Harry's LA home and being interrogated for an annoyingly long time by his housekeeper, I'm finally at the soundcheck, feeling tired, overwhelmed and as if I've fùcked up somehow.

After checking the guestlist and making some completely unfunny joke about my surname being Lovelace the burly security guard ushers me into a side room telling me to wait.

And wait.

I've been sat here for 45 minutes and no one else has come in the room. I've given up stressing about Giselle's present and the New York restaurant so I pull out my phone. I have no texts or notifications on twitter or facebook (yay me). There's a whatsapp message from Glen telling me he thinks he might be pansexual, which I ignore, and an email from Star asking me why I lied to Mum about working for Harry Styles, which I also ignore.

I flick though a couple of apps on my phone, enjoying the chance to sit down and rest.

Listverse is my go to website when I've got nothing to do, so I load it up and click on the first link; Top 10 extremely disturbing brutal murders. I can't lie, I find stuff like this equally gross and fascinating. I scroll down the list, completely absorbed.

I'm just reading about a guy who murdered his wife then slept in a bed next to her corpse for a year when there's a polite little cough behind me.

I spin round to find Harry looking at me oddly.

"Oh... Hi..." I quickly shut down my phone and turn towards him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting... Although it looks like you found your own entertainment." He raises an eyebrow and sits down next to me on the small couch. "Hey, you're not getting ideas to do away with me are you?"

"Why were you looking at my phone?" Years of being Glens friend has made me protective of what little privacy I can get.

"I wasn't but I couldn't help but notice that rather grisly picture when I walked in. Do you like reading stuff like that?"

"I don't know, it's interesting I guess. Aren't you fascinated by it though? Why some people can be so dark and twisted?"

"Not really." He shrugs. "There's enough darkness in the world without me focusing on it, I prefer to give my energy to positive things." He leans forward and I'm suddenly acutely aware that his leg is touching mine, he doesn't seems to notice and I try and ignore the warm pressure of his knee against mine, so I try and distract myself by looking at his mouth. That's worse though. He really does have the most beautifully shaped lips I've ever seen.

"So... That was my day. How was yours?" I drag myself back to the conversation, realising I haven't been listening.

"Yeah, everything was fine." I quickly reel off a list of what I've done.

"That's great Lennon." He smiles at me. "Did you manage to-"

Suddenly a small dark haired woman opens the door, glancing down at her clipboard.

"Harry there you are! We've got the MTV crew coming in 20 minutes, no one can find Niall and Louis has disappeared too! I swear, looking after you boys is like trying to safeguard 5 toddlers!" She smiles exasperatedly and glances back down at her notes. "Can you just make sure you're in the stadium in 10 minutes please? And if you find the other two tell them the same and that I'm going to kill them!"

With that she shuts the door and Harry stands up. I watch as he pulls his lean body into a stretch and smiles down at me.

"I know you tired and to be honest, you don't need to be here tonight, but I thought you might like to meet the other boys and watch the show." He holds out his hands and pulls me up. "Come on, Louis has got some of his friends here tonight, you can hang out with them while I get this MTV thing out the way."

He guides me down the corridor with his large hand pressed to the base of my spine. We're almost at the end of the hall when a man steps out of the nearest door.

He's possibly the most beautiful guy I've ever seen and I realise immediately who it is, although his pictures don't do justice to the reality.

"Have you seen Louis or Niall?" Harry asks him.

"Yeah, Louis is in there, he's coming in a minute." The boy gestures to the room he's just left then glances at me.

"This is Lennon, my new PA." Harry smiles and I nod at the guy, trying not to stare at him. He's not my type at all, he's far to pretty, but he's so attractive it's ridiculous.

"Hey, I'm Zayn." He smiles almost shyly and holds out his hand. I grip it loosely, worried about having sweaty hands.

"We better head down there hadn't we?" He addresses Harry.

"Yeah, I was just going to sit Lennon with Louis' group..." Zayn frowns and Harry trails off.

"Will she be ok? I mean, they're Louis friends and they're already half drunk." Zayn grins.

"Oh, you'll be ok won't you Lennon? There not that bad, they can just get a little rowdy, I thought you'd prefer it to sitting on your own..." Harry frowns and I nod nervously. "Do you want me to come in with you?" He asks, stepping forward.

"No I'll be fine and you're already running late."

"Ok, someone will come and get you and you can watch the show."

I watch as they rush down the hall. As they reach the corner Zayn turns his head to look at me and gives me another smile.

The room is tiny, with just a couch and a few beanbags and are five guys sat around laughing, I recognise the one in the middle as Louis. For some reason I feel oddly intimidated and I stand awkwardly for a second before they all suddenly notice me at once. There's a pause as they assess me before Louis leans forward.

"Are you ok love? Are you lost or something?"

"No, I... Er. Harry told me to wait here." I mumble self-consciously, aware of all the eyes on me.

"Ah I see. He didn't mention he had company tonight." Louis laughs and winks at me.

"Oh no! I mean, I'm his new PA." I flush at the realisation he thought I was a groupie, vaguely wondering if it's a regular occurrence for Harry to bring girls backstage. It fits in with what Star told me about him I guess.

"Oh right! Sorry!" He grins impishly. "My bad. Harry did mention his new PA was quite hot, I should have guessed." He laughs as I squirm. "Come sit down, Lennon, isn't it?"

I nod shyly and sit myself uncomfortably on a beanbag, yanking at my dress and trying to sit in a position that doesn't display my knickers to room. Louis introduces the other four boys to me before standing up.

"I guess I better head to the stadium, are the others already down there?" Louis asks me. I nod and he stands up with a sigh. "You'll be ok here, it won't take long, just help yourself to drinks or food." He gestures to a small spread of sandwiches and cakes on a little table then turns back to his friends. "Seriously don't mess about this time or management will kill me, and don't get wasted. And don't make Lennon feel uncomfortable." He warns them. They laugh and crack a few jokes as he leaves the room, shooting me a kind smile in the process.

A few hours pass as I drift in and out of the conversation around me. My phone ran out of battery ages ago. Zayns worries were unfounded as  boys don't really seem interested in including me anyway, they seem more concerned with draining the large amount of alcohol they've been left with.

This can't be what Ty meant by meeting interesting people.

They begin to talk about some club they went to the night before and I listen in, feeling more than slightly bored.

Suddenly it hits me, the reason for the vague feeling I've had all day that I've messed up.

Harry wanted to go out after the show tonight. And I haven't arranged anything.

I feel a tight knot in my stomach as I curse under my breath.

"Hey, are you ok?" I look up the find the nearest guy looking at me. "You look a bit stressed."

"Yeah.. I'm fine." I mumble. Crap. How am I going to find somewhere for him to go in strange city? I can't even google it.

"Hey, what did you say the name of that club you went to last night?" I ask.

"Lune... Although if you're thinking of going there you should know it's reservation only." He replies.

"Ok.. Sorry, my phone has no charge, do you have one I can borrow to make a reservation?"

He googles the number for me and I step out into the corridor to make the call.

At first the woman on the other end is snooty and tells me that there is no way they can possibly fit me in tonight. The minute I mention Harry's name everything changes and she can't be accommodating enough. I roll my eyes as she simpers down the phone.

Just as I'm wrapping up the call I spot the dark haired woman from earlier rushing toward me.

"Lennon? The boys are on in 10 minutes. Harry asked me to come and get you."

Five minutes later I'm stood at the side of the stage, watching the band getting ready to go on. They seem nervous and excited, all of them moving around to psyche themselves up as the opening bars of Best Song Ever start up.

Harry gives me a quick smile before he runs out on the stage first to a deafening wall of screams. The other boys follow quickly, Louis giving me a cheeky wink before he departs.

And that's it. For the two hours I'm swept up into the magic of it. It's part a music concert and part a comedy show, Harry winding the crowd up as the other boys playfully tease each other. Suddenly for the first time I understand their fans devotion to them, their individual personalities and affection for each other is so evident it's like they truly become themselves on this huge platform. It's not just the music, it's them and their playful antics. It's like watching a group of best friends hang out together and it doesn't feel like they're performing, it feels like a genuine, unique moment.

I watch fascinated and the time passes in seconds. It doesn't feel like long enough before Harry announces it's the final song. When the crowd playfully boos I feel like doing the same. The whole thing was electric, I want to watch it all over again.

Before I know it they're back in the wings.

"Did you enjoy it?" Harry asks breathlessly.

"That was amazing." I answer genuinely.

"Thanks." He flashes a dimpled grin and wipes his face with a towel. "We're going back on in a sec for the encore, did you manage arrange to something for tonight?"

"Yeah, it's-"

"Harry back on in one minute." A guy next to me interrupts.

"Ok." Harry smiles as the crowds screams for more become deafening. "Zayn was supposed to come out with me tonight but he's changed his plans, do you fancy it?" I nod eagerly, I really do enjoy Harry's company. "Great, if you go backstage now I'll have a shower then-"

He's interrupted by Louis rushing past with a whoop, slapping Harrys back as he goes.

Harry laughs and runs back on stage after him. I wonder where he gets his energy from but the thought quickly leaves my head as I get wrapped up in the performance in front of me.

•••

The club has just enough carefully selected people to appear busy without being overwhelmed. I'm sat on a huge comfy couch overlooking the veranda where groups of glamourous people are stood around a pool, looking out at the city skyline as they sip cocktails.

It's a world away from the sweaty, overcrowded basement clubs in London I go to with Glen. 

Just to confirm this this thought, Kim Kardashian sashays past with a crowd of people around her. She's tiny in real life and I take a sly snapchat of her to send to Glen, I know he'd never forgive me if I didn't.

At this point Harry appears and sits down next to me. I notice a couple of girls who are hovering nearby shooting me filthy looks as he does.

"I hate these sort of places." He mutters, glancing round at the groups of people posing.

I get him, despite how luxurious it is, it's not the sort of place you come to relax.

"Then why did you want me to arrange it?"

"I have too, management orders. I have to be seen in a few high profile places while we're on tour to generate more press."

"I'm sure your fans aren't going to forget about you if you're not papped leaving a club." I lean forward and sip at the cocktail he's bought me.

"Yeah, that's what I say." He shrugs. "I don't mind it so much though, I always have too much adrenaline to sleep straight after a show. I just kinda wish I could relax properly."

"Well there are other things you could do..."

"Like what?"

"You could wear a disguise and go somewhere quieter."

"What like a fake mustache and wig?" He laughs.

"Yeah! I read somewhere about a celebrity who..." I trail off noticing a grimace on Harry's face. "What? What's wrong?"

He gestures towards a corner of the room where a crowd of girls are staring at him. In the centre is a pretty blonde girl with an elfin type face. She's whispering something to the girl next to her and they both begin to giggle. I recognise her from the hasty research I've done on Harry over the past month.

Crap. Now I'm in trouble.

I glance at Harry. He specifically asked me to find out where Taylor was going to be tonight and make sure it he wasn't going to cross paths with her.

"Don't worry Lennon." He sighs quietly. "It's impossible to avoid her all the time."

"It can't be that bad-" I watch as one of the girls breaks away from the group and casually walks towards us.

"Harryyy!" She flashes a row of perfect teeth. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

She's addressing Harry but staring at me and I can't help but shift uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Nice to see you Abigail." Harry smiles and stands to give her a half hug.

"And who's your little friend?" She smiles at me patronisingly.

"This is Lennon, my new PA. How's everything going with you?"

They talk for a few minutes, Abigail spends the majority of the conversation observing me before flouncing back to her friends. The minute she gets back they form a circle around her and begin to talk.

Harry gestures for me to follow him to the outside area. He's stopped every couple of seconds on his way out, unsurprisingly he knows absolutely everyone and he makes a sweet effort to include me in the conversations he has with them.

"Well. I guess I've given them something to talk about." I say when we finally find a quiet spot outside.

"What, Taylor's group? Don't worry about it, at least while they're talking about you they're leaving someone else alone."

"Are they really that bad?"

"Nah, not for the most part. I really like some of them, but when they're together they seem to think they have to reenact mean girls."

"Why? Didn't you only date her for a couple of months?" I seem to recall that all of Harry's dating history doesn't extend beyond a couple of months.

"Yeah. But I kinda think it was maybe my fault, I let her get too attached because I didn't want to hurt her by pushing her away. She's quite intense and I shouldn't have let her think I was so serious." He leans back against the balcony and shrugs. This seems quite kind of him, from what I've read she's publicly humiliated him at every opportunity but he doesn't seem bitter at all.

I watch him as he engages in a conversation with a man nearby. From what I can gather the man is a small time producer who Harry met a couple of years ago, but Harry has remembered the name of his wife and other details about him. He's so charming and funny when he talks to people, you can almost see them light up in his presence.

Suddenly I become aware that Taylor's group has moved outside. Harry notices it too and leans down to me in a side whisper.

"We might as well leave Lennon, this night is turning out to be boring anyway, I've showed my face, given the paps a few shots, so we can go. You go first and I'll be down in a minute. I'll meet you in the entrance."

I look for a way out that won't take me past Taylor's group but the other side of the pool is taken up by the DJ booth. I sigh to myself, I can handle a few dirty looks I guess. I edge my way through the crowd and as I near them they stop talking and turn towards me. As I'm passing I hear one of them mutter something and a titter of laugher.

That's when it happens. I see the foot stick out but it's to late, I twist to avoid it but I can't and as I trip over I do an awkward turn and fall towards the pool.

I'm plunged into the water and I fumble to stand upright, spluttering in shock.

I stare around in disbelief. Everyone is staring at me in silence and I feel my cheeks flame with humiliation.

Taylor's face displays utter shock too, so I know it wasn't her and to her credit, she rushes to the side of the pool and leans down holding out her arm and asking if I'm ok.

The entire place is silent as I stare up at them. I spot a dark haired girl on the edge of the group smirking to herself and that's it. I see red and begin to wade clumsily to the edge of the pool.

"You stupid bitch!" I yell at her, pulling myself upwards. I can only imagine what a state I look as I hoist myself upwards shouting at her.

She looks panic stricken at my fury and turns to run. Finally I'm up and I start towards her, Taylor places her hand on my arm and begins to apologise but I push her away roughly.

I run as quickly as I can to her friend, dripping water everywhere. I grab her dress and yank her towards me, swearing like a sailor. With my other hand I grab wildly at a handful of her hair.

There's a loud ripping sound as the fabric of her dress tears in my hand and the her bra is exposed. She struggles to cover herself with one hand and push me away with the other.

I'm vaguely aware of the silence around me as we grapple with each other but I'm so furious I don't care.

Suddenly I feel arms wrapped around me.

"Lennon." I can hear suppressed panic in Harry's quiet voice. "Stop. You're going to get us in a lot of trouble if you don't stop."

"SHE... PUSHED.. ME.. IN THE BLOODY POOL!!" I try to pull away from Harry but at that second security arrives and suddenly I'm being manhandled by several security guards and pulled back though the club as Harry protests.

Before I know it I'm bundled out of the back entrance and into the back of a car. Harry climbs in next to me and we speed off quickly, passing the unsuspecting paparazzi in front of the club.

Harry is completely silent, he directs the driver to take us somewhere then leans back in his seat, closing his eyes.

I realise this is huge. I've just been to one of the most exclusive clubs in LA and caused a huge scene. At best I'm going to get a huge dressing down from Lydia. At worst I've lost my job.

But I don't really care. I'm blinded by rage, I don't care who that girl is or how famous she is, what gives her the right to do that? Who the hell did she think she was?

The car stops at on the seafront and Harry climbs out of the car. I wait a minute before following.

Harry is stood with his back to me and I'm not sure if I should say anything. His shoulders begin to shake and for an odd minute I think he's crying before it hits me that he's laughing.

"H-Harry?" I stutter, feeling confused.

He turns towards me and looks me up and down. The sight of me, dripping wet, I can only imagine what state my hair and make up is in, sets him off again.

"Aren't... Aren't you angry?" I ask, bewildered.

"No." He wipes his eyes. "No I'm not angry Lennon, but I didn't realise if hired Mike Tyson as my PA. That was pretty fierce." He grins and pulls off his jacket to drape around my shoulders. I stare at him in confusion and he walks towards a bench that's away from the streetlights. The area is completely quiet anyway, in the distance there's lights and bars but this part is quite secluded.

We sit down and he turns to me.

"That was hilarious, I was too stunned to help you for a second, not that you seemed to need anyone's help..." He gives me a wry grin. "But you need to learn to control your temper. You got lucky this time but next time might be different, you're going to meet a lot of people in this industry who aren't as nice as you think and will pull pranks to get one over on you and you have to learn to deal with them."

"But that's not fair, she tripped me into the pool! How was I supposed to react?"

"I know, but you just have to bite your tongue and make a joke of it, be the bigger person and people will remember it. I know it's utterly ridiculous, and you were well justified to react as you did, but the whole point is the image you put across. This industry is a game, think of any of the people you admire, guaranteed it'll be because they were gracious and calm, not because they lashed out and reacted violently."

There's a silence as we sit listening to the sound of the waves. I can see his point but I'm not going to apologise. It was that silly bitches fault, not mine.

"What do you mean I got lucky this time?" I ask finally.

"Well, the girl who tripped you is Janie James. She's more of a hanger on to Taylor's group, no doubt that's why she did it, she's trying to weasel her way into the group and somehow thought that doing that would amuse Taylor. It didn't. You should have seen Taylor's face, she was completely mortified." Harry chuckles. "Trust me, Taylor will want to cover this up too, the last thing she'll want is to be linked to it."

"But what about all the other people, someone's bound to tell the press..." I say weakly, suddenly imagine explaining all this to Lydia.

"Yeah, it'll make Hollywood enquirer and a few other ones that no one takes seriously. Janie won't speak out about it, it'd ruin her image and Taylor would be furious if she did. Any of the big industry names won't say anything, the rule seems to be that if it doesn't benefit you personally then you don't speak out about it. A few people will talk about to the press but without confirmation from anyone it'll be a non story. Frankly, it's too ridiculous for anyone to believe. 'Taylors squad push Harry Styles PA into a swimming pool', I mean, would you believe that?" He laughs and looks over at me. "Honestly you wouldn't believe what gets covered up in this industry. Some of the things I've seen are too far out for even Hollywood enquirer to believe."

I sit back and exhale, feeling slightly relaxed.

"You are going to be in trouble with management though." Harry sighs, deflating my relief. "I'll smooth it over but it's not going to be easy, Lydia isn't exactly your biggest fan."

"Oh you picked that up." I mutter.

"It'd be hard not too." He laughs then begins to rummage in his pocket, pulling out a couple of notes before walking over to the driver and talking to him in a low voice. The driver nods and exits the car, walking towards a food stand in the distance.

"What are you doing?" I ask when Harry returns.

"Well, I thought we could hangout here for a bit, that is if you're not cold?" I shake my head before he continues. "I can't be bothered with sorting this out with management just yet... Anyway I didn't get my relaxing night out." He grins cheekily.

We wait for the driver to return with the tacos he's bought before going to sit on the beach to eat them. The only light is from the moon and I'm glad because I'm so hungry I shovel the food in my mouth like a pig.

"It's funny you know." Harry says finally.

"What is?"

"Just having someone on my team who's clueless about the industry. It kind of makes me realise how insane it actually is."

There's a pause as we lean back on the sand. I never thought my job would lead to me laid on a beach in LA at midnight with Harry.

"What would you have done if you weren't famous?" I ask eventually. I don't know where the question came from.

"I don't know. The standard interview response is that was thinking about being a lawyer." He laughs. "But I really have no idea. It's impossible to imagine where other paths you didn't take would have led you. What would you have done if you weren't a PA?"

"I'd probably be unemployed and watching daytime TV in Glen's flat." I answer honestly.

"You're far to brilliant for that Lennon. I reckon you'd have made a decent wrestler, judging by tonight." I can hear the smile in his voice and I laugh.

"Well I don't think I'll be a PA forever, put it that way. In fact I'm not sure I'll still be a PA when Lydia finds out about tonight." I roll onto my stomach, unintentionally lessening the gap between us and Harry turns towards me, propping himself up on his elbow.

"What do you want to do after you've picked fights with half of Hollywood then?"

"Well, I kinda only have one think I've ever wanted to do."

"Which is....?"

"I just want to travel." I shrug.

"Well you're doing that now."

"Yeah, but not like this. I want to really immerse myself in other cultures, get lost in foreign cities, spend a year travelling round Africa, just see as much of the world as I can."

"Sounds rather romantic. I like it." He says softly. I look up at the curve of his lips in the moonlight.

"What about you, what are you dreams?"

"Me?" He shrugs and rolls on to his back. "I'm still working out what I want." He hesitates and looks at me as closely as the dim light will allow. "I guess... I guess I always think I want to fall in love. Then I think it happens and it's not what I expected or really wanted. I don't even know if what I want is too perfect to be real, I think my expectation is too high. I want to feel breathlessly, crazily in love. I want to wake up every morning and look at the girl next to me and feel like I'm on a huge adventure, like my soul is wrapped up in hers."

He stops suddenly and laughs and I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding.

"Ok that was pretty fücking lame." He says self-depreciatingly. I want to tell him it was pretty fùcking hot but I just smile instead.

"Lennon? Do you ever-"

"HARRY?" The drivers voice cuts across the night, stealing from me whatever question Harry was about to ask and I desperately wanted to hear.

"Yeah?" Harry calls back, standing up and dusting the sand off himself.

"Lydia called, she wants you back now."

With the simple words my heart hits my stomach. Crap.

Harry pulls me up and wraps his arm around my shoulders as we walk back to the car, telling me not to worry, he'll sort it out.

The drive back is mostly in silence and I feel the tension that mirrors my own radiating from him.

We walk slowly through the hotel lobby and into the lift.

Lydia is waiting outside my hotel room with an malicious grin on her face, she's so excited she barely notices Harry.

"Lennon, we need to talk." She snaps.

"I'll take it from here." Harry says, smiling at me. "Go and get changed and relax, it's been a long night."

I hear Lydia beginning to object, furious at being deprived of her chance to tell me off as I close the hotel room door behind. I sigh and lean back against it wondering what Harry was going to ask me at the beach. He's a lot more open than I expected him to be, considering we barely know each other yet.

I catch sight of my open suitcase with clothes spilling out of it and I groan. Why am I so messy? I guess I should pack it now as we fly out to New York early in the morning.

From the corridor I can hear Harry's calm voice and Lydia's persistently angry one. I'm going to have to be careful from now on.

Lydia would happily get rid of me at the smallest opportunity.

I guess I'm lucky that for some bizarre reason, Harry seems to like me.

***

Please let you thought of this chapter, because I've been editing it forever and I don't even know what's good or bad anymore, I'm just going ahead with it 😆

Anyway. The next chapter is Harry's date. And maybe Lennon has got an admirer too... 😜 Things are going to start heating up soon 🔥😆

I'm dedicating this to @lucygotapen for her funny little comments ❤️

I'm going to try and update again before the weekend, the next one is nearly written 😘