25 Days With Mr. Arrogant - A Harry Styles fanfiction

CHAPTER 14:

There was this one time, when I was about fourteen years old, that I’d thought that I’d truly been heartbroken. I’d been an awkward thing – even more so than now, with very little sense of any real self expression, but that was about the time I’d met and grown close to Cole. I was enamored with him – the flutters in my stomach wouldn’t subside when he was near, the aching in my chest worsened when he smiled, and a stupid grin was consistently plastered on my face in his presence. I’d liked him a lot, and he’d liked me too. Unfortunately, I was his buddy. His ‘lexie’. His friend. He usually joined me for lunch, but this particular time he was nowhere to be found. Only minutes later had he come strolling in, his arm wrapped affectionately around the waist of this pretty blonde girl with a large bust and a blindingly white smile. I was devastated. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep for nights on end; all because I was sure that I was suffering a slow and agonizing death. From a broken heart.

That was the last time I’d felt that dull, throbbing sensation resonating through my chest or the awful sickness tightened in my stomach. It was the last time my mind had been plagued with racing thoughts of what if what if.

Until now.

I sat within the cushions of Liam's oversized sofas, my body stiff and my eyes moving only to catch glimpses of Liam gliding from the kitchen to the living space with a hot pizza box and a DVD. My mind was elsewhere. I felt sick – I felt, God I didn’t know what I felt. I knew Paige was back at the apartment, giddily curling her blonde locks and applying a generous amount of shimmery eye shadow and fruity lip gloss and perfuming her delicate little neck. I knew she was slinking into a silky fitted dress, the front dipped low so Harry could peek every so often. So Harry could know what he’d be offered later in the evening. And seeing Harry leave half an hour prior, his green eyes looking everywhere but mine just about did me in. He sauntered out in dark jeans and a deep grey pullover, his hair hidden in a maroon beanie. The scent of his damn cologne and body wash – both which I knew all too well at this point – still lingered in the air long after he left. 

It made me want to vomit.

I tried to avert my mind to something – anything but the disgusting date my roommate and Harry were going on tonight. My mind wandered only for a moment as I observed that Liam's loft was almost identical to Harry’s – only Liam’s was much messier, with clothing thrown over random furniture pieces and half-eaten packs of skittles sitting open on the counter. I also tried to amuse myself by observing the attire of Liam instead; he was still dressed in those flashy blue track pants and fitted black hoodie. His hair was wild spilling in all directions, slightly disheveled, but the most noticeable difference in him was the lack of facial hair on his sharp features. He had absolutely zero stubble on his face, and I couldn’t help but notice that he looked good – if not better – when he shaved.

He noticed me staring at him and rolled his eyes as he sat down next to me, causing the cushions to sink in slightly. “Don’t look at me,” he sighed dramatically. “I’m a creature.”

“Please,” I snorted, watching him lean forward with a smile to set the box of hot pizza on the coffee table between us. “You couldn’t look bad if you tried.”

He scoffed and sat back, a can of soda in one hand. With a manicured finger, he pulled the tab open, letting a light sizzle erupt from the small opening. “I look awful and that’s that.” He paused, motioning to the pizza. “Help yourself. I’m sorry if you don’t like thick crust but it’s Harry’s favorite.”

His gaze darkened and my chest tightened. “It’s fine,” I offered with a small smile, reaching forward to rip a slice from the pie. “A pizza’s a pizza to me.”

Liam sighed, mimicking my motion and pulling a slice for himself. Reaching for the remote, he clicked on the television and the opening menu for the DVD. He pressed play with a sigh, making a face as the opening credits began. “Well I’m glad the pizza is alright because this movie is fucking ridiculous.”

I glanced over at him, “You’ve seen it?”

He nodded as he took a large bite from his slice, licking at some excess sauce from his lower lip. “Yeah,” he said between chews, his eyes flitting to the screen. “It’s one of Harry’s favorites, we’ve seen it at least a dozen times.”

I frowned slightly, taking a small bite out of my own slice. “Does he ever watch movies you like?”

“Oh yeah,” Liam replied, taking a deep gulp from his soda can. He sighed heavily and set the drink down, smiling slightly. “He’ll never admit that he likes ‘The Notebook’.”

I laughed against my slice of pizza in disbelief, swallowing quickly to avoid choking and looking at the lanky form next to me with wide eyes. “You’re serious?” I asked, bewildered. “Harry likes that movie?”