Harry's POV

I open my eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the light streaming through my bedroom window. I'm about to roll onto my stomach when I realize there's something beside me. Or someone. The events from last night come flooding into my mind and I realize Langley is sleeping beside me. I notice I have my arm wrapped loosely around her waist, holding her close to me. I look down at her, and bring my arm up to brush the hair away from her eyes. She's still asleep, her head tilted up slightly, lips parted a little bit. I smile to myself; she looks so beautiful. I put my arm back around her waist and pull her a little closer, trying not to wake her. This feels right. Perfect.

Wait, no. Don't go there, Harry. You said no drama this time. For mum.

I remember everything that happened in Bradford, the reason we decided to move to Holmes Chapel. Me. Fights, drugs, partying. And girls of course. My mum got tired of it all, and when she had to bail me out of jail that pretty much did it. She decided we were going to go somewhere new and start over, somewhere I wouldn't have this bad boy reputation. I had to admit, it got a little tiring sometimes.

That's another reason I kind of ignored Lana on my first day. After Josh threatened me, I realized that being involved with her was also going to mean drama. I came here to get away from all that, didn't I?

Then again, maybe she's worth it.

But I can't do that to my mum. I can see that this is her attempt at a last chance. It was my second day and I'd already been to a party, where I really wanted to beat the shit out of that Josh guy. What a prick.

As I battled internally with myself, I felt a hand on my stomach, right around my tattoo.

Lana's POV

I woke up, but kept my eyes closed. Shit, this is what I call a headache. I tried to roll onto my back, but something stopped me. I looked down and opened my eyes to see an arm draped over my waist, holding me quite close to someone. My eyes slowly traveled up, wanting to see who it was. They stopped, halfway up, seeing the most amazing butterfly tattoo. I brought my fingers toward it, touching it gently with the tips. I traced the outside of it, paying attention to the intricate detailing. It was beautiful.

Suddenly, I heard someone chuckle very quietly. I kept my hand where it was and didn't look up. Harry?

As I slowly tilted my head up to face him, my heart rate quickened. My eyes met his, and pieces of last night slowly came back to me. When I say slowly, I really do mean it. What was I doing here? This wasn't my bed...whose clothes am I wearing. I start looking around, then to him, then down at myself, trying to piece it all together. When I look back at him again, he's smirking at me. Probably knows I don't remember. I noticed his unruly curls, his half open eyes, his bare chest. Damn, he looks good in the morning. I stare at him for a few minutes, and he stares back. When I realize what I'm doing I remove my hand from the tattoo, and quickly look away. Thankfully, I didn't blush this time.

"Good morning, love."

I look back at Harry, who is still smirking at me. I find my eyes wandering, as I notice two swallows tattooed below his collar bone. My eyes travel to his left arm, where I find many more tattoos. How did I not realize this before? Hmm, apparently Styles is a badass. I realize how much I'm staring at him and quickly look back to his face and shut my eyes again. How did I get here?

"You were a little too intoxicated to go back to your parents, so I brought you here." Oh, apparently I said that out loud. Did I mention the morning voice? Sexiest thing I've ever heard. I opened my eyes and looked at him again. I could get lost in those green eyes of his.

"Thanks," I say, voice cracking. Man, my throat was dry. I put my hand to my throat and he chuckled again.

"Yea, you also threw up. Twice. So your throat might be a little sore. There's some water on the bedside table there," he said, pointing behind me. My eyes go wide. I didn't move. What? I puked! In front of him? Please tell me I was alone.

"Umm.." I start, my voice small. "Were you, you know...there? When I.."

"Puked? Yea. Someone had to hold those gorgeous long locks of yours back," he said, smiling at me, revealing his dimples. Great. So I'd gotten totally wasted the second day of knowing him, crashed in his bed, thrown up in front of him, and now we were cuddling. Fantastic. His arm was still draped around my waist, but I felt oddly comfortable. Even still I was embarassed. I looked away from his face, staring at his tattoo again.

"I'm sorry. I feel so stupid," I whisper. I feel a lump in my throat. Really? Now I'm going to cry on top of it all?

He rubs my back gently and kisses my forehead. "Don't worry about it Lana. I'm just glad you were here so I could take care of you. Do you need anything?"

I shake my head, knowing if I speak that the tears will start to fall. He puts a finger under my chin and tilts my head up to face him. "What's the matter, love?" I close my eyes, trying to control myself. I felt so embarrassed. Why did he seem so comfortable? We barely knew each other.

He wraps his arms around my waist and doesn't ask again. He just pulls me closer, still rubbing my back, making circular motions with his hands. We stayed like that for what felt like hours, when he suddenly broke the silence.

"You know, we have school today. We've already missed first hour and half of second, but we can go for the afternoon if you'd like?" He asks, not moving.

I pull away from him slightly and start to sit up. The pounding in my head only gets worse, and I feel my stomach lurch. I lay back down quickly, closing my eyes. I will not vomit in front of this extremely attractive boy again. I hear him laugh a little.

"Guess not, then?" I shake my head. Why couldn't I speak? I decide to try and make conversation before he thinks I'm being rude and kicks me out of his house.

"So, how'd I drink so much?" I ask, looking up at the ceiling.

"Well, to be honest, you really didn't," he said, moving a little. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He had propped himself up on his elbow.

"The pounding in my head begs to differ," I say, resting my hand on my forehead.

"You're probably just dehydrated, Lana. You really should drink this water," he leans over me and reaches for the glass on the table beside me. I hold my breath, hoping he doesn't hear my heart beating a million miles per second. He pulls back, sitting up, and puts his hand behind me to make me do the same. He slowly lifts me, and I carefully bring myself into a sitting position. I keep my eyes closed, trying to control my stomach. This was not fun. I slowly open my eyes, and he holds the cup out to me and I take it, slowly lifting it to my lips. He doesn't release it, or my back, helping me take a sip. The cool water feels nice against my throat, soothing. I take a few more sips, then start chugging it back.

"Slow down, love," Harry says, taking the cup from my mouth. "Let's see how your stomach handles it, first."

I turn to look at him. I'm about to tell him I'm fine and not to treat me like a child when my stomach lurches again. My eyes widen and my hand flies to my mouth. Harry quickly takes me off the bed, leading my to his bathroom. I kneel in front of the toilet as whatever contents are left in my stomach make an appearance. He holds my hair back, gently stroking my back. When there's nothing left inside me, I sit back, leaning against the giant soaker tub that sits beside the toilet. The cool metal feels good on my now clammy skin. He kneels in front of me, stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Harry," I whisper, "You should just take me back to my house. I can take care of myself. You don't have to miss school because of me."

He sits down beside me. "I know I don't have to. But who am I supposed to sit with in biology? The stress of trying to find a new seat is just too much for me."

I smile at him and see him return one. I love those dimples! "Thanks."

He helps me up, but I feel like my knees will give out at any second. "I think I'll just sit here for a bit. Just in case," I say, slumping back down, bringing my knees to my chest.

He sighs and proceeds to put one arm behind my back and the other under my knees. He picks me up slowly and brings me back to the bed, laying me down carefully. I can feel my eyelids drooping. As I hit the pillows, he pulls the blankets back up around my shoulders. I'm about to say thanks, but sleep takes over and the darkness quiets me.


*********

I wake up to sunlight streaming directly onto my face. I suddenly remember throwing up in front of Harry, again, and falling asleep on his bed. I look around and see his alarm clock, showing that it is now 2:43. Great, I missed a day of school. Who goes to parties in the middle of the week?

That's when I remembered the party. Bits and pieces started coming back to me. Being in Harry's house before going to Josh's, dancing with Harry, Josh and him almost getting into a fight. What was that? I sit up slowly, afraid of what my body will do this time. I find the pounding in my head gone, and the only pain in my stomach seems to be from hunger. I throw the covers back, swinging my legs off the side of the bed and getting up. I go into the bathroom, throwing my hair in a messy bun and trying to fix my make up. I also decide to steal some of his mouthwash. When I realize it's as good as it's going to get, I head downstairs. I turn the corner, going into the kitchen trying to find Harry. He's not in there, so I turn back the other way, going into the living room. I spot him sitting upright on the couch with a notebook on his knee. There's a textbook in front of him, and his brow is furrowed from concentration. He doesn't hear me, so I tiptoe up behind him and lean down close to his ear.

"Boo."

He jumps up, knocking over both his books. He spins around and his hand flies to his heart, looking at me with wide eyes. I smile innocently and put my hands behind my back. This boy looks good with no shirt on. He raises his hand to move his wild curls out of his face as he starts walking around the couch, slowly coming towards me.

"You shouldn't have done that, Langley," he says, shaking his head. I start backing away, walking around to the side of the couch he was just on.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" I say, acting surprised.

He continues walking and I quicken my pace, preparing to make a run for the stairs. He anticipates this and starts running at the same time as me. I'm closer, but with his long legs he manages to black my exit, cutting me off. "Just a tad," he says. "You think you can get away so easily?" I start backing away again, looking for another way out of the room. I see another door, leading to another sitting area. I make a break for it, and Harry is right behind me. I start screaming and round the corner, making my way towards the kitchen. He's wearing socks, so he slides around a corner, slowing his pace. I run for the stairs and sprint up to his room. As I get in, I hear him running up the stairs. I stifle a scream and run into his closet, hiding in a corner.

"Lana, you realize how easy it will be to find you in my own house?"

I put my hand over my mouth to keep myself my laughing and to quiet my breathing. I hear footsteps, but then nothing. I assume he's gone to another room to look for me, so I open the door and slowly creep out. Suddenly I feel his arms around my waist and I squeal.

"Gotcha!" He says as he flings me onto the bed. I try and get up, but he climbs on top on me, keeping me pinned down. He leans forward, supporting himself on his hands, one on either side of my head. "Looks like someones feeling better?" he asks, a smile tugging at his lips. I nod, feeling my heartbeat speed up.

"I'm glad," he says quietly, eyes flickering to my lips and back to my eyes. As he starts to lean towards my face, I hear a phone start to vibrate.

"I believe that's yours," he says, waiting a moment before sliding off of me and going to my pile of clothes on the floor. I sit up, trying to slow my heart rate. He bends down, picks up my shorts, and pulls my phone out the pocket. "By the way," he says, handing me my phone. "You look way better in my clothes than I do." He winks at me as I take my phone and he exits the room. I feel my face flush as I look down, remembering I'm wearing his shirt and boxers. I quickly answer my phone, not bothering to check who it is first.

"Hello?" I say, breathless.

"Lana?" I hear El say, then not speaking into the phone, "She picked up finally. Where are you?" She says, speaking to me again. I hear Brooke yelling in the background, but I can't quite hear what she's saying.

"Yea, Brooke, calm down. Holy shit! Hey! No- why are you hitting me Lana's the one who ditched!" I laugh as I can clearly imagine the exchange happening between my friends.

"Eleanor!" I yell. "What's going on?"

"I think I'm the one who should be asking that, missy. Where are you? What happened last night and why are you not at school? Everyones talking about it, and at lunch we noticed that Harry isn't here either. Are you guys together?"

Shit. Everyone noticed? That's great. "Umm, yea actually. He brought me back to his place last night and took care of me."

I hear El repeating my sentence to Brooke, who tells her what to say next. "Yea, okay Brooke right. Like she'd ever-"

"El! Okay, if you and Brooke want to have a conversation, call me when you're done." I say, rolling my eyes.

"Did he kiss you? Did you sleep with him? Are you still at his house? What does he look like naked?" She babbles, getting much to excited for my hangover to handle.

"Slow down, El. We did not have sex. I passed out, and he stayed with me. I've basically been sleeping all day until about ten minutes ago."

"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. "Okay well, I'll let you get back to your boytoy. But Brooke and I are definitely coming over tonight so we can talk about this."

I was about to protest, but Eleanor hung up before I could say anything. I walked back downstairs and turned into the living room, assuming Harry had gone back to his studying. I stopped short when I didn't see him on the couch. I started to smell something delicious, so I turned and went into the kitchen to finding him standing there, still in sweatpants, flipping some bacon. He looked up when I came in.

"Everything okay?" he asked, flipping a few more strips.

I nod and walk over to the breakfast bar, sitting on one of the high stools. He turns around and leans on the counter beside the stove. "Would you like some breakfast?"

I suddenly remember how hungry I am. "Breakfast would be great," I say, getting up and going to the massive fridge. I take out the eggs and milk, placing them on the counter. "Where are the mixing bowls?"

He turns around, looking at the dairy I've set on the counter. He raises one eyebrow and asks "What are you doing?"

"Making breakfast. I thought that's what we were doing?" I say, confused.

"Well we aren't" He says, turning back to the bacon.

"Harry, you just said-"

"I meant, I'm making you breakfast. Now park your behind on that chair and watch me work," he says, taking out a bowl and putting it on the counter. I cross my arms and look at him.

"Harry, you have done enough. More than enough. Now at least let me make you breakfast. You already made the bacon, now I'm going to make you my famous french toast," I say taking the bowl and putting it in front of me.

"Famous?" he asks, amused. "You came up with the idea for french toast?"

"Nope," I say, popping the 'p'. "But I perfected it."

Harry's POV

I laugh at her confidence and stand back, letting her do her thing. I watch as she breaks the eggs, mixes the milk and starts to search the cupboards. I was about to ask her what she needed when she took the cinnamon out of the cupboard above the stove and set back to work. She didn't ask where anything was, she simply looked around until she found what she needed. I sat on one of the stools and watched as she dipped the bread, soaking it in batter, and placed two pieces in the pan. I had to admit, her confidence was surprising. She didn't seem as nervous around me anymore. Strange; it usually took a lot longer for girls to get used to me.

Her back was toward me as she worked in silence. Not an awkward silence, though. I took the sight of her in, admiring the way she looked in my clothes. She looked sexy as hell in my boxers. To be honest, I don't know why I gave them to her. I could have just gotten something from my sisters room. I never gave girls my clothes.

She flipped the bread on last time before turning aroud and sliding both pieces onto a plate and setting it in front of me. I quickly adjusted my eyes, hoping she didn't catch me starting at her ass. She searched until she found the syrup and placed it beside my plate, raising an eyebrow. Shit, did she catch me?

"Why thank you, miss."

She smiled, making my heart flutter. "How many can you eat?" she asked, turning back to the bowl and dipping more bread.

"As many as you can make," I say, dumping syrup on my plate. She turns around and narrows her eyes at me.

"Is that a challenge, Styles?"

I laugh and start eating. "I'll just eat two. Thanks."

She rolls her eyes and goes back to preparing two more. I put one of mine on a plate and set it beside me. "Lana, come eat."

She turns and looks at the two plates, then back to me. "No, I made those two for you. I'll eat these two."

I shake my head, chewing. "I'm not going to sit here and eat while you cook." I put my fork down.

"Harry, seriously just eat it you wierdo. It's going to get cold." She grabs the plate of bacon and holds it in front of me, so I can put some on my plate.

I put the piece I set aside for her back on my plate and take some bacon, putting a piece in my mouth. I leave the french toast, refusing to eat. "Then I'll eat it cold," I say, smirking at her. What was the word she used for it? Oh yea. Cute. Geez. I'd been called a lot of things by girls, but cute was not one of them.

She rolled her eyes again and continued making her breakfast. I pour two cups of tea and set one beside me, for her. When her french toast is ready, she sits down in front of me and makes her tea, dumping four spoonfuls of sugar in it. I stare at her and start to laugh.

"What?" She asks, stirring her tea.

"Would you like some tea with your sugar?"

She giggles and swats my arm playfully. "This is how I like it! It's too bitter otherwise." She takes a sip and starts eating her french toast, drowning them in syrup. I chuckle to myself and start eating. I had to admit, she knew how to make french toast. It was good.

"So, Langley. What kind of parents let you go to a party on a wednesday?" I ask, wondering how she managed to get out last night, and why she wasn't worried about her parents right now.

She shrugged. "My dad probably didn't come home and my mom won't notice I was gone. I can pretty much do whatever I want. Where are your parents?"

"They went out of town. They're gone until Sunday night."

"Oh," she said, sipping her tea again. "Where'd they go?"

"I think to visit my sister. She still lives in Bradford. And there's a few things they still have to take care of there."

She looks at me. "You have a sister?"

Oh, right. She wouldn't know that. "Yea, Gemma. She's three years older than me, so she chose to stay in Bradford."

"Why did you guys come here?" She asked, taking another piece of bacon.

I wasn't prepared for that. What do I say? How do I explain my past? Would she get scared and run out? Never speak to me again? Probably. I'm not the person she thinks I am.

"Umm..Just wanted a change I guess." I say, not looking at her.

Langley's POV

I could tell he was hiding something, but I could also see he didn't really want to talk about it, so I dropped the topic. We talked about school and he asked me how I got so popular. The people I was friends with just made it their mission, and it just kind of happened. He asked me about Eleanor and Brooke and I explained our very interesting three-way friendship. We talked about Louis and Eleanor, and I started to realized that Harry and Louis would get along really well. I asked more about his family, but didn't venture much into his past. I had a feeling it was a touchy subject. We kept talking as we cleaned up and did the dishes; he washed, I dried, but not until after after some arguing.

I realized how comfortable I felt around this boy. It was strange. I'd known him barely three days and it felt like we'd been friends our whole lives. We joked and laughed, and when everything was cleaned up I remembered my conversation with El.

"What time is it?" I ask, reaching for my phone. He shrugs and puts away the last of the cutlery. 4:30? Wow. "I should probably head home. El and Brooke said they were going to come over. And I'm in desperate need of a shower."

He nods, looking...disappointed? "I'll go get your things," he says, making his way upstairs. I look out the window and see a car pull into my driveway. It isn't Brooke and El. It's not my parents. Who is that?

Harry comes downstairs then, distracting me. He hands me my clothes. "I'll just go change. Where's the bathroom?"

He shakes his head. "Don't worry about it, Langley. You can just give them to me later." I nod my head, not sure what to do. I take a step toward the door.

"Thanks, Harry. For everything."

He takes two steps towards me. "Anytime, love."

We just stood there, staring at each other, when I hear someone yelling my name and pounding on a door. I turn around and open the door, walking out in my bare feet. I look across the street at my house and see Josh standing there, pounding on the door and looking through the window. "Lana, I know you're in there!" He shouts.

I turn and wave at Harry before making my way across the street. "Josh? Josh, what are you doing?" I yell, walking across my lawn and onto the porch.

"Oh there you-" he stops, taking in my appearance. I remember what I'm wearing and how that must look. "What the fuck are you wearing?" He spits. "Where were you?"

I blink, surprised by his sudden outburst. "None of your damn business, that's where. What are you doing here?" I say, making my way to the door and fishing for my keys in my purse.

"Did you just walk over here?" Josh asks, ignoring my question. He starts looking around and stops. I feel him tense up next to me and follow his eyes. Harry is still standing in his doorway, door open, leaning against the frame. He waves when Josh looks at him. I gawk at him. Why would he wave? He knows its only going to make Josh pissed. Josh slowly turns to face me.

"Are those his?" He asks quietly, referring to my clothes.

I stare at him, not sure what to say. How do I cover this up? It's pretty obvious what's just happened. I take a step towards him, putting my hand on his arm. "Josh, nothing happened, okay? I passed out and he took care of me. Don't worry about it." I say, moving to unlock my front door. I look back at Josh, who is staring at Harry again. Harry hasn't moved either. I wish he would go back inside. As if reading my mind he gives one last wave and shuts his door. Thank goodness.

Josh keeps staring for a minute before looking back at me. "I want you to stay away from him Lana."

I roll my eyes. "Are you kidding me? You don't tell me what to do anymore, Josh. What are you even doing here?" I ask again, hoping for an actual answer this time.

"I came to see if you were okay. You didn't come to school. Lana, I'm serious okay? I've heard bad things about him. Just tell me you'll be careful?" He asks. He does seem genuinely concerned. I sigh at him and open the door.

"Okay. I'll be careful." I say, pulling him in for a hug. I take a step back, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "Did you get a new car?"

"Yea," he says, grinning widely. "Do you like it? Want to go for a ride?" he says, pulling me towards it. I laugh at his mood swings.

"I can't, Brooke and El are coming over. Maybe another time?" I say, not wanting to crush him. He nods, smiles and walks to the drivers side. I wave at him as he gets in and pulls out of the drive way. He was not giving up hope with us. I shake my head and walk inside as my phone vibrates. I slide my finger across to unlock it and see a text from Harry.

H: Everything okay?

I giggle to myself. He was so sweet.

L: Yea, im okay. thanks :)

H: I dont like that guy.

I roll my eyes.

L: I dont think he likes you either ;)

H: Im sure he loved your outfit ;)

L: lol yea that was a tad awkward. talking to my ex in someone else's boxers...

H: Glad im that someone else. See you at school, love. xx

I giggled again and ran up to my room, closing the door.

Notes

still no kiss! Harry is taking his sweet old time. what happens next?! couldnt tell you.
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