Conceited [H.S.]

FIFTY-TWO

HARRY STYLES

My eyes stay focused on Andrea as she enthusiastically tells Jo a story from her shift earlier today as the last fifteen minutes before midnight continue to count down. Midnight seems as if it's been taking fucking hours.

I make sure to keep ahold of her waist as the alcohol in her system has started to impact her balance slightly. She isn't belligerently drunk to the point where she is no longer able to stand on her own two feet, but just enough for her to sway off balance every now and then.

The most she's ever had to drink around me was maybe a glass or two of wine, but it's nice seeing this side of her. Being around hundreds of people that I don't know in this type of environment may be utterly terrifying at times, but if it means getting to know her and her friends then I don't mind. Even though I've noticed a few people trying to sneak photos throughout the night, it's the closest to normal I've felt in a long time.

Jo has been friendlier than usual since I ran into her. Not that she isn't nice to me, but she's been extremely kind tonight. I was sure that she had caught us, but to be fair, we didn't even fuck in the bathroom. Though I'm sure my face didn't say that after I was left to do my best to get rid of the hard on I was left with.

Even if we were caught, Jo has done a perfect job of making it seem as if we weren't. Either that or she was a bit too intoxicated to connect the dots.

Oliver may have had a stick up his ass when I first got here, but he's becoming less of a wanker as time goes on. Pretty sure I've even made him chuckle a few times, not that he would ever admit to it.

The three of them have done their best to make me feel comfortable and welcomed, and most importantly, they've made sure that I've had the time of my fucking life while I'm here.

I can't remember the last time I was laughing as hard as I have been tonight when I wasn't surrounded by the few people I've allowed myself to get close to.

Her smile is absolutely captivating me as she continues to gush about how funny one of the patients she had today acted. Although I can't understand this specific part of the story considering it's all medical terminology at the moment, I could care less. I'd take being temporarily lost in the story any time if it meant being able to see how enamored and passionate she gets when telling a story, even when she slurs a few of her words together.

It's been hard to pay attention to any of the handful of conversations I've been a part of tonight, especially when I had Andrea standing right next to me. She's had me wrapped around her finger since I met her, but after kissing her for the first time in weeks, it's as if she managed to find a way to take my infatuation with her to another level.

From the moment she gave me the wake up call from setting that boundary in the first place, I knew for a fact that she had a hold on me that I would never be able to fully comprehend. I had never second guessed my actions, or my words quicker than I did then. I wondered if there was something that I had done wrong, immediately I was wracked with this confusion of wondering where the abrupt change came from. I had thought we had been on the same page, even with the accidental feelings beginning to get involved in our strictly sex and friendly relationship.

As soon as I started to come to what could be considered a small bit of acceptance for knowing that she's becoming more than to me than one of my closest friends, she pulled away. The only thing that's stopping me from fucking saying it is the fact that neither of us has allowed ourselves to share some of the most important pieces of who we are.

I still have parts of my life that I've kept from her, and she still keeps certain parts of hers to herself. I haven't shared any bit of the music I've written in the past few months with her, and she's still tentative about sharing pieces of her past and her family with me.