25 Days With Mr. Arrogant - A Harry Styles fanfiction

CHAPTER 26:

I arrived at "our spot" shortly after six, after an hour of practically becoming sick at the prospect of seeing Harry again. But Victor had convinced me, assuring me that if I didn't I'd regret it later on in life, and part of me deep down knew that there was some validity to that. I considered dressing up somewhat, and almost put on a skirt with leggings and flats - I almost even curled my hair and applied makeup to my lips and eyes - but I decided that arriving with an appearance that wasn't me would make me just as much of a liar as he. So instead, I opted to wear the usual - a pair of jeans with shabby gym shoes, a simple tee-shirt zipped under a hoodie. My hair was down tonight, however, brushed after a shower and left to air dry. It dried in its natural state, with slight waves, and wasn't all that hideous. I wore only peppermint lip balm as a form of makeup. I didn't look as homeless (as Harry had so affectionately pointed out in the past) as I usually appeared, and I looked almost - just almost nice.

But when I walked through the frigid cold back to the small, empty lot and saw his figure standing in the same position as when I'd met him over a month ago, I felt suddenly self-conscious about my outward appearance. He was leaning against the back of his car, the streetlight above casting a soft glow over him as he staring into space. When he saw me, his head jerked in my direction and turned his body such that it was facing me. I was physically shaking - and I mean shaking in a near-violent manner as I neared him, and I was terrified that my heart would explode within my chest at any given moment. But I tried to appear calm, casting him a tight-lipped, probably awkward smile.

"You came," he spoke up quietly, his voice low and laced with uncertainty. "I didn't know if you would."

"I didn't know if I would either," I admitted with a shrug, shoving my hands into my pockets and avoiding his syrupy gaze. Shifting from one foot to the other, I sighed heavily. "But here I am." I paused, laughing to myself. "Looking like shit, per usual."

I expected him to throw back a smartass remark agreeing with my statement, pointing out my obvious flaws and mocking me with an unmerciful fury - but he didn't, and instead I felt my heart skip when his response echoed softly between us.

"You look beautiful."

Regardless of the fact that his voice sounded sincere and void of any sort of sarcasm, I still refused to believe that he'd utter such sweet words to me. Shaking my head, I let out another dry laugh. "Don't be an ass, especially not now, Harry."

"You look beautiful," he repeated, stepping forward and never once breaking our eye contact. "You always look beautiful."

My mouth parted on its own accord, my heart hammering erratically and my fingers clenched into fists in the confines of my pockets. We stood there, in the cold and dimly-lit back parking lot just staring at one another, and it was without a doubt one of the most intimate, frightening experiences of my life. He looked so handsome, as he always did, with his deep gray wool coat and dark pants. His lips gleamed familiarly under the light, and I felt a wave of sickness wash through me as his tongue swept out quickly over it.

"Alex," his deep voice broke my fixed gaze on his lips and I jerked my head up to meet his eyes. They were so soft and held an almost pleadingly-sad look to them, and I wanted to do nothing more than run. Or kiss him. Or both. He shook his head at me slowly, his eyes reflecting something reminiscent of pain. "I know you are angry with me, but I - I didn't... I didn't tell you for a reason."

I stared at him expectantly, and when I didn't offer a verbal response, he sighed, looking away for a quick moment before locking his gaze back on mine.

"I didn't tell you about the band because I didn't want you to treat me any diff- "

"I would have treated you differently," I said evenly, staring him directly in the eye. "I would have treated you with more respect because you would've been honest with me."