VALERIE // Harry Styles

III.

A few tequila shots and the sound of some stranger's horrible attempt at karaoke is exactly what you need when you get off work that Friday evening. Luckily, Steven invited you along with a few of his friends to have a drink just a few days ago and you gladly said yes. You and Steven have always gotten along so well and it made Rosa happy to see two so important people in her life be friends, so it wasn't weird that Rosa was staying home with Valerie, you knew quite a few of Steven's friends and they all seemed like cool people.

He told you beforehand that Harry would tag along as well so you could brace yourself to try this whole "let's be nice to each other for the sake of Val" thing you and Rosa talked about earlier. She said she has mentioned it to him as well and he seemed to be open to the idea. You could only hope he didn't just try to get her off his business and truly means to change.

Arriving to the bar you easily spot your little group of people and sliding out of the booth Steven greets you with a hug.

"So glad you are here!" he smiles at you and everyone slides further into the booth so you can sit at the end, saying your hello to everyone around the table.

The waitress comes up just a few minutes later and you order a tequila along with a beer.

"You are letting loose tonight?" Andy, a colleague of Steve asks with a smirk upon hearing your order.

"I deserve it and it's just the start!" you tell him making everyone laugh.

Your shot glass is emptied out and you've stared on your beer by the time Harry arrives to the bar.

"Hello everyone," he waves around and asks for a free chair from another table and pulling it to the end he is basically sitting next to you. "I see you've started the party, Y/N," he chuckles eyeing the shot glass and you just shrug your shoulder with a smug grin.

He is wearing a black shirt that's unbuttoned at the top, letting you get a glimpse of his tattooed chest and necklaces. You don't admit it to yourself but your eyes linger on his chest a tad bit longer than you intended.

Harry orders a beer for himself that arrives in just a few minutes and you notice how the waitress was basically was pushing her chest out while talking to him.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" she asks him with a charm smile, her red lips stretched almost up to her ears.

For your biggest surprise Harry looks at you upon her question.

"Do you want to have a shot with me as well?"

The girl looks at you with a dirty look that screams jealous and for a moment you don't even know what to answer.

"Um, yeah, sure," you nod.

"Then two tequilas, please," he tells the waitress before she walks away, glancing back at him one last time, but he pays no attention to her, clearly. "Hope you take it better than champagne," he teases you, but this time it feels more like a simple joke rather than an attempt to piss you off.

"We'll see," you tell him with an innocent smile. The change in him is obvious, it seems like he did take Rosa's advice and a new chapter is about to start where the two of you are not planning the murder of each other anymore every time you meet.

You take the shot with Harry easily, the alcohol burning down your throat and as any responsible, mature adult would do it, you wash it down with some beer. The perfect recipe for a killer headache in the morning. Your little group is having quite the fun, would have been a shame to miss this evening with them.

It seems like Harry is making a real attempt at being nice to you, he is your partner every time your glass empties out and you head to the bar to get another one.