No Control (Book 1)

43. Taken

We got ready the following morning and I washed and dried my hair and straightened it to make it sleek and shiny. It had been ages since I'd been out anywhere properly with Harry in public, so I was nervous about being photographed. I spent ages staring at my suitcase and eventually decided on a pair of cut off denim shorts and a white low cut vest top with some chunky jewellery to dress it up. I pulled some sandals on my feet and went to find Harry in the kitchen. He was wearing his trademark black skinny jeans and a yellow short sleeved shirt that was only buttoned halfway up, and his hair was down around his face. He looked like Harry Styles from One Direction, and my stomach flipped as he smiled at me and picked up his keys. I mentally kicked myself.

We went outside where his Range Rover was parked, and got into the front. We both slipped sunglasses on, and Harry fiddled with the stereo before pressing a remote control to open the gates and drove off. Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do came on and I reached over and turned the volume up.

"I LOVE this song," I said, and started to sing along while staring out the window. Harry stayed quiet, but a couple of times I caught him looking at me out of the corner of his eye. As the song started to build I turned it up higher and sang the words at the top of my voice. I let my mind wander back to the night we'd first met, where this song had been playing as we'd sat on the sofa talking at the house party in Primrose Hill.

"That song reminds me of you," Harry said, once it had finished and I'd turned the volume down.

"Wha...?" I said, turning to look at him with my mouth open, like a bozo. My stomach began somersaulting madly.

"The DJ played it at that party the night I came back from tour," he said, his eyes firmly fixed on the road. "It was on while we were sitting on the couch talking. It always makes me think of you whenever I hear it."

I literally couldn't speak. I couldn't take my eyes off Harry, or, it seemed, close my mouth.

After several seconds of silence Harry glanced over at me and chuckled, presumably at my gormless expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he smiled.

I shook my head wordlessly and stared out of the window. The truth was, that song made me think of Harry for the exact same reason, and because the words reminded me of the way he made me feel. My heart was pounding and my stomach was churning. I briefly wondered if this effect he had on me would last forever, or if eventually my heart would be able to beat normally when he winked at me, and my knees wouldn't wobble when he smiled that smile.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

"No," I said, finally finding my voice. I cleared my throat. "It reminds me of you, too. That's all."

He smiled at me, and we pulled into a parking space at the side of the road. He turned the engine off and turned to face me. "We might get spotted while we're out," he said. "People might start taking photographs and stuff."

"Yeah, I've already prepared myself," I said. "I won't do anything to set rumours flying, don't worry."

"I'm not worried," he said. "At least, not in the way you mean. I just don't want you to think I've gone cold on you or anything. I just don't want people speculating any more than they already are."

"We're just friends," I said, shrugging.

He gave me a strange look, then said, "OK."

We got out of the car and Harry put some change in the parking meter. We walked up the street side by side in silence, and went into Starbucks to get a frappé. The girl behind the counter beamed at Harry as she served us, and I couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. We went and sat at a table outside in the sun and sipped our drinks.