Music Sheet (Harry Styles)

Chapter 25 ~ Harry

Chapter 25 ~ Harry

Apparently, she hasn’t seen the pictures from last night and that’s a relief. I know nothing happened, but I don’t want her to think I’m the womaniser the tabloids say I am. I don’t want to explain it to her either, not when I’m trying to get even closer to her. It’s not like I can push away all the women that approach me, I’m not the one hitting on people after all, but I can’t explain that to Hannah. So, the fact that she doesn’t know is for the best now.

Maybe one day, when the ground where we stand is not so shaky anymore, things like these won’t be a problem because she will know me by then; she’ll know not to believe what the media says. For now, I rather things be like this.

So far, things are going smoothly. I know she she’s not used to this because every time I touch her, she flinches, but I don’t stop. I keep making contact. I take her hands sometimes, or I brush a hair strand from her forehead, I poke her sides to tickle her and little by little, she’s getting used to that. She doesn’t look at me as if I’ve done something terrible anymore, just surprised.

After having lunch –and by lunch I mean eating a lot of pizza–, we play, trying all the arcade games the place has to offer. She’s not the best at games, but she is having fun. Hannah laughs all the time and hearing her gives me a warm feeling. Sometimes I find myself oblivious to the game and just stare at her, a stupid grin on my lips, mesmerised by her.

I know the lads would be laughing at me if they could see me right now.

“Uh,” someone coughs calling my attention and when I turn around I see two girls, probably both sixteen, looking at me with huge smiles and dreamy looks on their faces. “Oh my God, it’s you!” The tallest of them, the one with dirty blond hair, says in a high tone. She coughs again to clear her throat. “I’m sorry, I’m just so excited. May we take a picture with you? We’re big fans!”

“Please!” The short brunette adds holding tightly her phone.

I smile heart-warmingly as I leave the game forgotten and place myself between the two girls. In that moment I look to my right and I see Hannah staring at us with a straight expression. She’s forgotten about the game too. “Hey, Hannah. Can you take a picture of us?” I ask her and she blinks a couple of times.

“Uh, sure,” is her answer as she steps closer and the two girls hand her their phones.

I pass my arms around their shoulders and bring them closer as I smile at the camera. Hannah has lost her smile and her eyes are cold again, but a different kind of cold. She snaps a picture on both phones and then hands them back to the girls who can’t stop giggling. I smile at them the whole time and give each a hug before they go. When I turn around to look at Hannah, her eyes are sharp and I notice she’s not looking at me but at the girls who are still walking farther from us.

“You can’t stop being popular among girls, uh?” She mutters and I raise one eyebrow. She sounds cold and bitter and that wakes a sparkle of curiosity and mischief inside of me. “Though in these pictures you look better than the ones from the party. It was obvious you were drunk in those.”

I freeze at her words, realising she did see the pictures from last night, and she probably also heard the comments from the host, calling me a womaniser again.

Shit, I curse mentally as I ruffle my hair trying to find the words to explain it to Hannah.

“Uh, about last night I––”

“It’s okay, you have nothing to explain, Harry,” she cuts me off, but her tone and eyes tell otherwise. I know she’s not pleased with this situation. “I’m just glad I didn’t go to the party. It would’ve been awkward, right?” She tries to say it in a playful tone, but it sounds too sharp to get that effect.