Primrose Thrills (Harry Styles mature)

Chapter 1

I took a sip of my hot coffee as I gazed out of the window on to the quiet streets of Primrose Hill. It was a Sunday afternoon and I was taking some time out after a busy week at work; just me, myself and the world enclosed in the pages that lay open in front of me.

Life was good. In fact, life was more than good. I'd secured a good job that I enjoyed and for the first time in months had money to spend on myself, rather than solely on tedious bills and living expenses. I was seeing the world in a different light. The skies were bluer than ever and I'd begun to notice the freshness of the air around me much more often than I had done before. Primrose Hill was my London Nirvana, and it reminded me that city life wasn't just about sweaty overcrowded tubes and corporate affairs. I sighed contentedly, smiling to myself as my mind wandered back to the world of the book I'd become so engrossed within; eyes quick to find the place in which I'd left off.

Just as I settled and turned the page, the door to the small, intimate café flew open and banged shut, stunning the few people that I was sat amongst into silence. The figure stood there breathless; head completely covered up by a grey think-knitted beanie that pushed a few wayward strands of chocolate hair across his temples and cheeks. His coat was pulled high around his neck and his shoulders were hunched, as if doing his very best to keep his identity hidden. He kept his head down, yet I could see a slight smirk playing on his lips; evidence of his amusement at the startled scene he'd caused. I watched him for a moment, curious about his abrupt entry, wondering what the cause was for his sudden fluster and sharp rasps of breath. My heart began to drum rapidly against my chest as he stared right at me, his eyes soft and warm and so fiercely intense that I couldn't bring myself to look away from him until the room fell back into a relaxed murmur of chattering, and it was only then that I lowered my eyes to the page once more.

"Sorry, do you mind if I sit here?"
My eyes snapped upwards to meet the figure that had previously interrupted the stillness of the café. His fingers were already unbuttoning his heavy black trench coat and he'd pulled the chair outwards with his foot, ready for him to sit on. I looked around to see that all the other tables and chairs were occupied. I'd been too wrapped up in my book and daydreams to notice people entering.
"I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" I smiled, watching him as he grinned down at me.
"Not really" he joked, before slipping his coat from his arms and hanging it on the back of the chair.
It was only then that I recognised the person in front of me; an unmistakable perfect grin matched with an unmistakable charming presence. I could feel my eyes widen and jaw threatening to drop, so took a hurried sip from the mug in front in an attempt to disguise my surprise. I wasn't sure whether he'd noticed or not, but I assume from the amused look on his face that he'd caught my expression.
I rested the mug back on the table and cleared my throat.
"Dare I ask what the sudden entry was for?" I laughed, subconsciously circling the rim of my mug with my index finger.
"Paps." He rolled his eyes. "Can't escape them."
"Well that's the price you p-"
"-Pay for being Harry Styles. Yeah yeah, I know" he laughed. "If I had a pound for each time somebody said that, I'd be rich." I couldn't help but laugh at his remark. "How about you?" he continued. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh you know, same."
He grinned, reaching for his bag and pulling his wallet out. "Can I get you anything? As an apology for my unwelcome intrusion."
"No no, I'm fine thank you" I replied coolly, even though I was almost out of coffee.

Harry returned a few minutes later with a tray with two steaming mugs on and a plate of cake.
I frowned up at him, but he interrupted before I could say anything.
"Well you were pretty much out of coffee and I wanted cake and refuse to eat it by myself. Have you seen how big it is?"
I laughed as he placed the tray on the table. He was right- it was probably the biggest slice of chocolate cake that I'd seen in my life, covered in a rich brown butter icing with chocolate flakes on top. It looked like a heart-attack on a plate.
"Thank you very much" I smiled, pushing my empty mug to the side and taking the fresh cup from the tray. "You didn't have to."
He smiled warmly. "No I didn't, but I wanted to."
The hot pink blush that I'd be resisting rose to my cheeks, burning the skin as I looked up at him from beneath my lashes; overcome with a mixture of flattery and embarrassment that I'd let his words affect me so easily. No wonder so many women had fallen victim to his charm.