No Control (Book 1)

5. Change My Mind

The music suddenly got louder and then a shout filled the garden. "JESS?!"

I jumped back, away from Harry, my heart thudding. I quickly walked round him and looked around the side of the trellis towards the back door. Callie was hanging out of the open door, squinting into the darkness. "Jess are you out here?"

"I'm here," I called back, walking towards her. "Where have you been? You disappeared from the kitchen."

"Yeah James saw one of his friends so we went over to say hi. I saw you fall over into Harry Styles though. That was bloody hilarious."

"Thanks!" I laughed indignantly.

"Yeah, she really fell for me," Harry said, stepping out from behind the trellis.

Callie practically fell out of the back door. "What....?"

"I bumped into Harry out here," I explained.

"Again?" Callie asked, open-mouthed.

"Yes, quite literally," Harry said cheerfully. "She tipped her drink over me again."

I closed my eyes and silently wished for the ground to open up and swallow me. Callie was looking back and forth between the two of us, trying to read the situation, but must have come to the conclusion that I was far too calm for anything more than a conversation to have happened. "I have to get off," she said, and gave me a wink, which meant she was off to take James back to her place. "I feel really bad deserting you after dragging you all the way here" - she lowered her voice - "especially as Harry Styles' car is waiting for him outside so he'll be leaving any minute" she raised the volume back to normal conversation level again "but I'll call you a cab now if you like? It shouldn't take more than five minutes, and I'll wait with you until it arrives."

"Don't be silly," I said. "Go now. I'll call a cab myself. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of, errr... well I wouldn't call it true love exactly, but..."

"A good shag?" Callie laughed.

"If you put it so bluntly," I smiled. "Go on, he'll be waiting. And BE SAFE!"

"Yeah, yeah," Callie muttered, giving me a hug. "Tell me everything tomorrow," she whispered in my ear, and I knew she meant about Harry.

"Will do," I whispered back. "I mean it Callie, are you going to BE SAFE?" I said, louder and meaningfully.

"I've got condoms," she breezed. "You sure you'll be OK?"

"Yes, honestly, I'll ring for a cab now," I insisted, "GO!"

"Bye Harry Styles," Callie called over my shoulder, and waved.

"Bye Jess's friend," Harry called back.

I looked back at him and said "I'd better make sure she finds James. Nice chatting to you again."

He looked a bit confused, but said "Yeah, see you."

I walked back inside with Callie, and we found James waiting in the hall. We exchanged goodbyes and I gave Callie another hug. "Call me tomorrow, don't forget," she said.

I watched them walk down the path, hand in hand, and get into the back of a cab. There was another car, a black Range Rover, waiting behind it. I assumed it was Harry's car, waiting to take him home.

I downed the rest of my drink and set it down on a table. The alcohol had made me so much more forward than I thought I ever would have been when confronted with Harry Styles, and I couldn't help wondering if I had just made a huge fool of myself by practically throwing myself at him in the garden. Had I misinterpreted his friendliness for flirting? I felt my cheeks burn at the thought of it. He had gorgeous women falling at his feet every day. What on earth made me think he would flirt with someone as plain and ordinary as me? 

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to call a taxi, praying silently it would arrive before Harry decided to get in his car and leave. As I scrolled through my contacts looking for the local cab firm's number, I saw the black Range Rover indicate and pull away down the street. I breathed out a sigh of relief. He must have already got in the car while I was talking to Callie. At least I could wait in the hall until my taxi arrived without having to face him after flirting so outrageously. The poor guy was probably thankful for an opportunity to slip away from my clutches.

I found the taxi firm number and swiped my finger across the screen to call them. As I lifted the phone to my left ear, a voice said softly in my right ear "You're not leaving are you?"

I squeaked in surprise and turned round to see Harry's face inches from mine. So much for not having to face him. "What are you doing here?" I asked bluntly. "I mean, didn't your car just leave?"

Harry smirked. "I thought you weren't a crazy, obsessive fan?"

I rolled my eyes. "For your information, my friend told me your car was waiting outside, and then the only car outside drove away. It doesn't take Inspector Clouseau to work it out."

"Yet here I am, still," Harry reminded me, still smirking.

I didn't have an answer to that. "So are you leaving?" he asked again.

"Um, yeah, I'm just calling a taxi," I said.

"Do you have to go so soon?" he asked. "I was thinking about having another drink. Maybe you could have one with me, and maybe not throw it all over my shirt this time? Y'know, just for a change." His eyes were twinkling with mischief and his tongue darted out between his lips before he pressed them together into a fresh smirk, his gaze still fixed upon me.

I hesitated. Why would he be asking me to stay, if not because he wanted me to? If he was trying to escape me he could easily have let me leave. In my left ear, a woman answered the phone, "White Leaf Cabs." I paused. I had always been terrible at making decisions. "White Leaf Cabs," repeated, with a hint of exasperation.

I looked at Harry, my eyes drawn to his smooth, full lips. Maybe I hadn't been mistaken just now. It seemed like he may have been just about to kiss me in the garden, before Callie shouted me. And even if the opportunity to kiss him never came up again, I was absolutely certain I would never ever have the opportunity to hang out with Harry Styles from One Direction ever again. It was time to man up.

"Sorry, wrong number," I said breathlessly into the phone, and swiped across to end the call. 

I look up into Harry's face as his smile widened. "Drink?" he offered, gesturing towards the kitchen.