*Harry Styles*

I pulled out of Olivia and collapsed onto the bed, breathing hard. I could hear her soft pants as she lay next to me.

"You know," I said, after a few minutes of silence as we tried to catch our breaths, "we should cuddle."

Olivia laughed. "What?"

"That's what people generally do," I pointed out, propping myself on a shoulder as I turned to face her, supporting my head with my hand, "after they have sex."

"That's what couples do," she raised her eyebrows, looking up at me.

I noticed her lips bruised from our desperate, hungry kisses, parts of her skin that was exposed above the blanket covered in the marks I'd left on her, her skin flushed, the blush spreading all the way to her breasts, her messy hair spread out against the pillow. I don't know why I'd never noticed how beautiful she was before. Not hot. I always thought Olivia was hot. But looking at her now, carefully, looking at her, I noticed how pretty she was. There was more to this girl than just her body, which was basically the first and only thing people noticed about her.

"And we're not a couple, are we?" I questioned.

"We're friends." she mumbled. "And by 'cuddle', if you mean round two, Harry, then I'm going to have to refuse."

I widened my eyes in mock hurt. "What?"

She laughed, and I watched as her entire face lit up. "I'm tired."

"That good, am I?" I asked her.

"Please, I did most of the work." she rolled her eyes. "Even when you were on top."

No I widened my eyes in almost real hurt. "That's not true."

"Yes it is," she said, sitting up. The blanket fell down to pool around her hips, revealing her bare upper body. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, as she threw her head back and arched her back and stretched. I licked my lips slowly as I watched her, before remembering what she'd just said. She turned to me and grinned. "Your performance is dipping, Styles."

I frowned, more hurt. "No, it's not," I mumbled defensively, looking down. I heard her chuckled and I looked up again.

"I'm joking, Harry." she said.

"Whatever." I muttered.

She laughed again and then surprised me by lifting my face to meet her eyes. "I think you're great." she told me, and I couldn't help but grin. She gently poked my dimple with her index finger.

"The best you ever had?" I winked.

She dropped her hands. "I don't think we should go that far..." she sighed.

I narrowed my eyes at her, and she laughed for the third time. "We're going to have to wait and see?" she winked.

"How long do you want to wait?" I asked her, sitting up myself.

"You're so impatient." she commented.

"Whatever," I said. I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Next time I lay my hands on you, Harper, you'll be singing an entirely different tune."

I pulled back , satisfied as she shuddered.

"So," I said, getting off the bed to put on my clothes. "Do you have any particular plans for today?"

"No," she told me, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Why?"

"I'm taking you out, today, that's why." I told her, as I finished buttoning up my shirt. I reached for my boxers and put them on.

"Where?" she asked me.

"Erm...that's up to you." I told her, smiling at her.

"Harry..." she mumbled hesitantly.

I rolled my eyes. "Harper, I wish you'd stop worrying all the time." I said. "I'm not asking you out."

"Who's worrying?" she grumbled. "Fine. But where?"

"How about," I said slowly, "I take you to the fair that's happening in the evening at the amusement park?"

"Behind school?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah." I said. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good." She shrugged. "Not a date though, right?"

"Who's worrying?" I mocked her, smirking.

She took a pillow and threw it at me, which I easily dodged by ducking down. "Shut up," she mumbled, and I laughed.---*four hours later*

*Olivia Harper*

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time. My light blue summer dress hit just above my knees. My hair was curled slightly at the bottom, falling in soft curls around my shoulder. I ran my hand through it once, feeling the soft texture of it between my fingers. I quickly put on my wedges, and walked out of my room, shutting the door behind me.

"Going somewhere, Olivia?"

"Fuck," I mumbled under my breath, and turned around to find myself face to face with Linda.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm going out with Ha--" I broke off, when I realized she didn't even know who Harry was. "With a friend. I'm going out with a friend."

"Not Alexandra, I assume?" she asked me.

"Alexandra?" I asked, frowning. "Oh, you mean Lexi? Erm, no. She's not the only friend I have."

"Who are you going with?"

"How does it matter?" I asked her, rolling my eyes. "Look, I'm getting late and--"

"Who," she repeated slowly, "are you going with?"

I glared at her. "It's not anyone you know."

"Can I know his name, at least?"

"Gosh!" I sighed, exasperated. "His name is Harry Styles." And I fuck him on a daily basis.

"I've never heard of him before." she said, crossing her arms.

"So?" I asked her. "We just became friends."

"Call him over," she said. "I'd like to meet him."

"WHAT?" I asked, staring at her like she'd just given birth in front of me.

"Call him over," she repeated. "For dinner tomorrow."

"Look, woman--" I quickly caught myself. "Look, we're not dating. I'm not calling him over to meet my family."

"Olivia, do you have to argue every time I ask you to do something?" she sighed.

"Listen, I'm leaving." I said, and hurried down the stairs without waiting for a response, and ignoring her calling out my name.

I rushed out of the house quickly to find Harry standing next to his car, looking down into his phone. He was wearing a plaid shirt, with the top two buttons to reveal a plain white tee underneath, and pants. Most of his wild curls were hidden underneath a beanie, a few locks visible from underneath. He looked up in time to see me approaching, and smiled at me, his dimples showing clearly. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi, there." he said. "You look nice."

"Always do," I smirked, as he held open the car door for me. "Louis' car? Again?"

"Unless you wanted to walk…”

I laughed as he shut the door after I got in and walked around the car to get in himself. He looked over at me as he started the car. "All fine at home, then?"

I grimaced. "Same old." I told him.

"Is Dylan still pissing you off?” he asked me.

“He calls every day, but only one time.” I chuckled, only half amused.

“He’s not really familiar with getting a hint, is he?” Harry rolled his eyes, and I laughed.

We drove in about ten minutes of silence. It wasn’t an awkward silence where there was a constant need to keep up a conversation. It was comfortable. It was strange, how I felt so comfortable with Harry. Sometimes, though I'd never admit it out loud, I felt really glad we'd decided to make this deal. Harry was a good friend to have. And I owed him. If it weren't for him, my situation with Dylan would have been a very different and far worse story.

I looked over at him. He was watching the road ahead of him, his lips moving slightly. He was tapping his finger against the steering wheel in a slightly broken rhythm.

“Are you talking to yourself?” I asked him.

He looked at me, as if breaking out of some sort of trance. “What? No,” he said, shaking his head. “I was singing…”

“Singing what?” I asked curiously.

Harry shrugged. “Just…a song.” He shook his head.

“I didn’t know you liked singing.” I said.

“Gemma and mum think I sing really well.” He told me.

“Do you?” I asked him.

He shrugged again. “I don’t like to blow my own trumpet,” he said.

I giggled. “That sounds so wrong!” I said.

Harry laughed. “You’re a pervert.” He said.

“Okay, I think I should be the one to judge how well you sing.” I said.

“Why?” Harry asked me.

“Just like that,” I told him. “Come on. Sing a song.”

Harry grimaced. “No way.” He told me. “I’m not going to sing.”

“Don’t be such a…just sing.” I said.

“No.” He shook his head.

“Why are you so shy?” I asked him.

“I’m not shy,” he said, “and I’m not singing.”

“Ass.” I murmured. “I’m going to make you sing for me one day, I promise.”

Harry smirked. “We’ll see.”

---

*Harry Styles*

I parked the car behind the ground, and got off. I held the door open for Olivia and waited as she hopped out of the car, straightening her dress.

“You don’t have to hold the door open for me all the time, you know,” she told me, as I locked the car. “I’m not incapable.”

I laughed. “I’m just trying to be nice.” I said. “Someone has to make up for your rude behavior.”

“I’m not rude!” she said defensively, as we walked to purchase or tickets.

I smirked. “Sure.”

She grumbled under her breath and l laughed.

After purchasing our tickets, we decided to walk around for a bit before going on any rides. I noticed how good she looked today. She never wore too much makeup, but it was still lighter than usual. Her hair was slightly windblown, but even then, it fell perfectly around her shoulders. Usually, the dresses she wore were short, low cut, hugging her body tightly. This dress hugged her body too, but it seemed to do so in the right places. The colour was an extremely light blue. I didn’t know how, but she looked like an entirely different person today.

But I’d already come to realize that. Olivia was very different from how I’d perceived her to be. There was more to her than just drinking and partying. I knew she didn’t like people to see a softer side to her, but I knew it was there. Once or twice, I’d catch a glimpse of it, before she would hurriedly hide it behind her tough exterior once more.

“Look how happy everyone is,” I said, smiling as two kids ran past us. “It’s like…no matter what is going on in your life you can come here and forget everything, even if it’s for just a few hours.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Olivia sighed. “To forget about everything?”

“What do you want to forget about?” I asked her.

She shrugged. “A lot of things.” She told me. Then she looked up at me, and smiled slightly. “You know, I used to come here a lot as a kid. Mum would get me here all the time. My favourite was always the Ferris Wheel.” She looked back ahead, but I didn’t take my eyes off her as she continued. “I’m really scared of heights you know.”

“Then why was it your favourite?” I asked her.

“Because mum loved it.” She said. “She always used to tell me how she loved looking around from up there. Everything that’s so big and intimidating looks so small from that height, that it seems like you can just crush it between your fingers, and it’ll disappear. When she first took me there, I didn’t want to go. I cried and I made this huge deal out of it in front of everyone.”

“Then?”

“Mum said, ‘the things that scare you the most in life are the ones really worth doing.’” She said. “It’s sort of true. I still feel scared, when I got that high. But then I let the feeling sink in. You know…when you’re at that height, you just feel like you’re in control of everything that you can’t control otherwise. You can finally let go, even if only for a few moments.”

Suddenly, she looked over at me, looking slightly alarmed. She seemed surprised that she’d spilled all of this out to me. She blushed and hurriedly looked away, but I only smiled.

“Do you want to go on the Ferris wheel?” I asked her.

She chuckled. “No, I don’t think I can.” She shook her head.

“Come on,” I said, and I took her hand in mine. “It’ll be fun.”

“No,” she mumbled, looking away. “Harry, I—”

“Olivia,” I said, “imagine you were going with your mum. Think about how happy it would have made her. Come on.”

She didn’t protest again as I pulled her behind me, towards the giant rotating wheel.

As we stood in the line, I turned to her. “What about your dad?” I asked her. “He never came here.”

She shrugged. “Not really.” He said. “Coming here was sort of like…our personal time together—mum and mine. Dad respected that.”

We got into one of the capsules that slowly shut behind us. I sat down next to her, as the wheel starting rotating.

“Are you scared of heights?” she asked me.

“No.” I shook my head.

She smirked. “Are you scared of anything?”

“No.” I joked.

She laughed. “You’re scared of me.”

“Why will I be scared of you?” I questioned.

“I’m a scary person.” She said simply, as if it were very obvious.

I looked at her tiny frame, as she sat next to me, looking up at me with her big eyes. “Yeah, you’re really scary.”

“Please, I bet I could take you single handedly.” She teased, sticking her tongue out at me.

“I’d let you take me single handedly.” I told her tweaking her nose. “I’m a nice guy, I won’t want to make you feel sad.”

“Dick.” She mumbled. “But, really…what are you scared of?”

I paused before answering her question. What was I scared of? I looked out once. The ground was way beneath us now, but we weren’t right on top just yet. I looked back at her.

“Honestly…” I said, “I don’t know.”

“That’s not possible.” She shook her head.

“Yes it is,” I said. “I’m very macho.”

At that Olivia laughed loudly, throwing her head back.

“Look how far up we are.” I said. She looked out of the window, down at the town visible beneath us, and tensed slightly.

I leaned into her from behind and asked her softly in her ear, “Are you scared?”

She nodded. “A—a little.”

I reached down to take her hand hesitantly in mine, not sure how she’d respond. I felt like I was pushing it—her limits. She’d opened up this far, but at any moment, I knew she’d snap back into the same old, reserved, sarcastic Olivia. But at that moment, I was starting to get the idea that reserved and sarcastic was not how Olivia really was. This, how she was with me at this moment, that’s who she really was. And I liked it. It was sort of like uncharted territory, and the more she opened up, the more it left me gasping for more.

“I’ve got you.” I said quietly. She looked up at me, and some of the fear in her eyes seemed to fade away. To mu surprise (and relief), she squeezed my hand. She looked back out of the window, and then gasped.

“Harry, we’re on top!” she said excitedly.

I smiled, looking down from over her shoulder. “We are.”

“Look how tiny everything looks.” She said happily, our fingers still entwined. “Somewhere over there—” she said, pointing towards the right side—“is where Linda used to live. And look, my house is somewhere over there. And yours—I think yours is somewhere behind school—” she pointed towards the extreme left—“there, I think.”

I smiled down at her, not even looking at where she was pointing. I was only looking at her, at her face, which was lit up like a small child’s at Christmas.

“Imagine if were this tall,” she said. “I bet we could walk around town and crush everything.”

“You have a really violent imagination.” I said, and she laughed.

“Still scared?” I asked her.

She looked up at me once more, and then smiled. Her eyes, normally a dull, dark brown, seemed suddenly warm and very close to the colour of chocolate, and her face was bright with excitement.

“No,” she said, “I’m not scared at all.”

---

“Stay here,” I told Olivia, as she sat down on the bench outside a tiny Chinese joint. “I’ll get the food.”

She nodded. “Hurry up, though,” she said, “I’m starving.”

“Are you sure it’s only food you’re hungry for, baby?” I smirked at her playfully.

“Mm, not really,” she winked, “but the longer we wait…the better it will be.”

I growled at her words and backed away, fighting the urge to take her then and there. God, she was so hot. “I’ll be right back.” I promised her. “And after we’re done with food…”

“You’re going to eat something else?” she asked me, smirking up at me.

“You bet.” I nodded, and then walked off. I entered the tiny store to order food for the two of us, reliving the day in my head, and waiting for what was now about to come.

“Styles.”

I turned around at the sound of my last name curiously, to find myself face to face with Dylan Matthews. Olivia’s ex.

“Dylan?” I asked. “What’re you—”

“Cut the crap.” Dylan snarled at me. He looked around at the few people that were eating in the store, and pulled me into a corner.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.

“I should be asking you that.” Dylan said. “What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend?”

I let out a huff of breath, annoyed. “God, this again.” I mumbled. “Look, Dylan, I don’t even know how to say this in a way that it sticks in your head. Olivia doesn’t want you. She’s over you, and I suggest you get over her.”

“You prick,” Dylan spat, “don’t you dare tell me what to do. Things between Olivia and me aren’t over till I say they are. Stay away from her.”

I raised my eyebrows. “WHAT?”

“Stay away from Olivia,” he warned. “Or I will end you. I’ll rearrange your whole goddamned face, pretty boy.”

I snorted. “You think that’s going to scare me?”

“I saw you with her today.” Dylan said. “You think taking her to that giant Ferris wheel, winning her toys, buying her cheap Chinese food—that’s going to make her like you? Olivia’s only going to use you to satisfy herself, and then she’ll throw you away like a rag doll.”

“Which is exactly what you did to her!” I snapped. “Used her for sex, used her because she’s hot, and then went around sucking face with some other chick, didn’t you?”

“That’s between me and her, you little shit.” He said. “Honestly, I don’t even know how her standards dropped so low? Harry Styles? Dude, your dad’s annual income is less than my dad’s monthly income. And your mother—”

“Don’t,” I warned, feeling white, hot rage curl in the pit of my stomach, “you dare bring my family into this, you asshole. This is about me, not about them.”

“Actually, this is about Olivia.” Dylan said. “Who you’re going to stay away from, if you value your own life.”

“You can’t tell me whether or not I should talk to her.” I told him. “Olivia and I are friends, and I will bloody well talk to her or hang around with her if she wants me. You know who she doesn’t want though, Dylan? You. She doesn’t want you. So you stay away from her, and stop bothering her.”

“I’ll kill you.” He promised. “If you don’t stay away from her, I’ll kill you.”

“Right, and that scares me so much.” I smirked. “Fuck off, Dylan. Move on. You guys are over.”

“We’re not over.” Dylan said. “I always called the cards in this relationship, Styles. It’s not over till I fucking say it is.”

And with that, he turned around and walked away angrily.

---

“What took you so long?” Olivia asked, as I walked out fifteen minutes later with food in my hand.

“Huge line,” I lied. I didn’t want to tell her about my encounter with Dylan. I was scared it would make her angry or worried. I figured Olivia had too many emotions to deal with anyway, and with everything she kept bottled up inside, she could probably do without having to worry about Dylan threatening to kill anyone who talked to her.

“God, I’m hungry,” she said, taking her food from me. “Oh, erm, by the way…”

“What?” I asked her, sensing her tension. I hoped she hadn’t had another run in with that asshole.

“Linda…” she said slowly, “well…I mean, she wants me to call you over for dinner tomorrow.”

My eyes widened. “What? Why?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Do you want to come?” she asked hesitantly. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t, I don’t want to—”

Stay away from Olivia. Or I will end you.

I smiled at her. “I’ll be there.” I promised.

Notes

idek what's happening guys, one minute this account is dysfunctional, and the next moment, it's fine. i'm uploading the chapter here too because i have more subscribers and shit here. please comment and vote! love you all. <3