Prince in the City [Harry Styles AU]

Chapter 17

can y'all believe when i was updating this chapter, i accidentally posted chapter 19 instead of this one?? i realized like a minute after i published it and yelled "OH SHIT" before going back and deleting it and re-publishing this chapter. smh. talk about spoiler alert.

anyways, enjoy the CORRECT chapter!! :-)

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Chapter 17

Prince's POV:

Normally, I wasn't one to commit any spontaneous acts. Shifting to New York City for a year had been the most spur-of-the-moment thing I had ever done, and that was quite a big step. And being out and about in New York meant that I had to be extremely careful to make sure my identity remained hidden, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. Bottom line is, I wasn't much of a spontaneous lad and was careful in what I did; it's what I knew to do growing up in the palace and something I tried to enforce ever since moving here.

That said, what I did last night threw my careful act out the window.

Really, I hadn't planned on kissing Vera. It quite literally just happened, what with her cheeks slightly flushed from the wine and a tired smile on her face, she had looked absolutely beautiful and I couldn't help myself when she mentioned the word date and I suddenly told her I'd kiss her if it was a real date. Truthfully, I was slightly surprised when she went along with it, but so utterly grateful because kissing her was an experience unlike any other. It was heart-pounding, head-spinning, breathtakingly wonderful, and I really fucking wanted to kiss her again.

But when I woke up the next morning and remembered the bold move I had acted yesterday, I suddenly felt a wave of nerves wash over me. I was unsure of how to go about this now, because choosing to kiss Vera meant changing the relationship we had established since I had gotten here. We had become such good friends, and I hoped to God I didn't just risk that by kissing her. But I liked her—a lot more than I had anticipated to. Vera was funny, independent, smart, kind. . . The list could go on, because her beauty wasn't the only thing that attracted me to her.

"Jesus Christ," I groaned, hands reaching up to rub my eyes as I pulled myself out of bed because, yes, the moment I woke up my thoughts had been consumed by the dark eyed beauty that lived upstairs.

So, to clear my head, I called Dave after drinking some morning tea and told him I fancied a run in Central Park, and he showed up about twenty minutes later in sweats to accompany me, which I couldn't help but grin at. With sunglasses to shield my eyes, a beanie to cover my hair and a sweatshirt on, I was unrecognizable as Dave and I arrived at one of the many entrances of the city park. It was a cool morning as we jogged down the pathway, other early risers doing the same as Dave and I both had headphones in our ears, a Kanye West song deafening me to the outside world.

As I jogged, I soon realized it did quite the opposite of clearing my head; instead, I found myself thinking more about Vera and the pleasantly fruity scent that followed her around, her big warm eyes, and lips that felt soft and smiled beautifully. Trying not to think about Vera was proving to be quite difficult, it seemed. I would say that my viewing of her as a friend to something more happened overnight, but I knew that wasn't the case. My feelings for Vera, whatever they may be, were definitely some that had been developing over time ever since I met her. It was only when I decided to kiss her last night that I was now confronting them.

Reaching the car after an hour or so of jogging, I breathed heavily, leaning against the door as Dave handed me a water bottle and I all but drained the whole thing, finding relief in the cool liquid against my throat. The sun was high up in the sky, little to no shade provided where we had parked the car as I could feel beads of sweat running down my face and neck. Regretting wearing a sweatshirt, I got in the car with Dave, grateful for the tinted windows as I pulled off the sweatshirt and tossed it in the back, leaning against the seat as the air conditioner blasted cool air throughout the vehicle.