Isabelle’s P.O.V

I took a firm grip on the top handle of my suitcase and studied my surroundings. The airport was extremely crowded. People bustled around to the baggage claims or to catch a flight. A family of tourists speaking rapidly in Italian passed me by.

That’s when I saw her. She had long blonde hair, but it was tied up in a sleek ponytail. She was standing on her toes, trying to see over people’s heads. Her eyes were the brightest blue. “Kate!” I called out.

She saw me and shrieked with delight, running towards me, her arms extended. I let go of my luggage and hugged her tightly, breathing in her minty scent. “I’m so happy to see you!” my sister giggled. I grinned widely and squeezed her. “Me too!” I said, noticing her accent, “What happened to your voice?”

She pulled back and blew away a fallen wisp of honey hair, looking sheepish, “Well, living in London for the past ten years can do that to a girl.” I grinned again and pulled her in for another hug. “I’ve missed you so much!”

She chuckled, “Ditto baby.” Then she pulled back and grabbed my suitcase, “Let’s go get you settled in, hm?” I nodded, unable to keep the smile off my face.

Harry’s P.O.V

“Are you effing kidding me?”

I shook my head in disgust. My band mates stared down at me, along with my bodyguard, Paul. “Harry,” Paul said sternly, “It’s just for a little while. Just for the press, to keep them quiet about that little stunt you pulled at the bar. Please.”

I sighed, shaking my head again, “You’re asking me to hook up with some random girl. No way.”

“Harry,” Louis said irritably, getting impatient, “You do that all the time anyway.” Liam murmured in agreement, nodding his head. I rolled my eyes, and tried one last attempt. “Well, say I agreed to this damn thing, where would I find someone?”

“You’re Harry Styles!” Zayn exploded, “I don’t think it’ll be that hard.”

“Just find someone off the street,” Paul said, more gently, “Then bring her to us.”

“But don’t abduct her,” Niall added in a serious tone. “Fine,” I said gruffly, hoisting myself up off of the couch. I made my way to the doorframe.

“Where are you going?” Louis called out. “To my room!” I said loudly, “And don’t go effing bothering me in there either!”

Kate’s P.O.V

I opened the door and watched, amused, as Isabelle’s jaw dropped. I gently took her suitcase handle from her and began pulling it. She just trailed along. I looked back at her, grinning, “Like my crib?”

She laughed breathily, “Oh God, wow. Kate, how did you end up with this?” I shrugged, “The perks of working full time as an interior designer.”

Isabelle studied my blue walls and the pictures that decorated them, craning her neck to look into some other elegantly furnished rooms. Finally, we stopped at her bedroom. I grinned wickedly at her. “I remembered your favourite colour.” I opened the door, letting her step inside.

The walls were painted green. The bedspread was a flurry of shaded and traced green leaves. The two dressers were white, and so was the nightstand. Then Isabelle looked up, and I bounced on my toes. The ceiling was painted like the night sky. Her breath caught in her throat, and her hands went to her mouth.

“Oh my God!”

“There’s also a balcony,” I pointed to the far side of the room, where terrace doors were visible. They were made of glass, but there were blinds that Isabelle would be able to pull down over them. Next to the terrace was a mighty oak tree, so close that you could jump.

I smiled sheepishly as she hugged me, “I thought you’d like it.” She laughed, “I love it. These next twelve months are going to be spectacular!” suddenly she pulled back. “Let me see your room!” she squealed, and before I could say anything, she was out in the hall, peering through every doorway. Finally she smiled, and I knew she’d found mine.

I walked in after her. My room was purpled walls and a lilac bed. Two black nightstands stood beside my bed, and a single dresser was pushed off to the right. Isabelle jumped onto my bed, and I laughed as the fabric practically concealed her, except for her dark wavy hair. She studied my room frowning in distaste at something at my walls.

“Oh,” she sighed dramatically, “You’re still in love with them.” She rolled her eyes as I looked up at my five husbands. Liam, Louis, Niall, Zayn…and Harry. He was the only member that I wasn’t too fond of. I licked my lips, “Yes, well, they’re gorgeous.” Hey, even though I didn’t like Harry, that couldn’t mean he wasn’t hot, could it?

Isabelle groaned and fell back onto my over-pillowed bed. “Kate, you’ve really got to stop getting so obsessed.” I put a hand to my chest, “I’m not obsessed! I’m just…dedicated.” Belle laughed.
“Sure you are.”

“It’s true!” I said, and then paused, “Except Harry. Everyone loves Harry, but he’s just a big player. I pity the next girl that falls in his line of fire.” Isabelle murmured in agreement. “He sounds like a total tool.”

A blank expression occupied my face. “A what?”

Another laugh, “Never mind.”

Harry’s P.O.V

I woke up the next morning feeling like shit. I just couldn’t process what my band was asking. Date a girl, for the press? Seriously?
Well, I guess I shouldn’t talk. I mean, tons of girls were for the press. That’s mainly why I’d done it. I guess, the only reason I was so reluctant was because this time, I’d actually get to pick the girl.

Wait a second, I opened my eyes. That’s great news. You finally get to pick someone hot.

I grinned and sat up, searching around for my jeans and a t-shirt. I found them and quickly got dressed. Then I padded down the hall, praying that I didn’t step on any creaky floorboards. I made my way down the front hall to the door, slipping on a pair of black Converse and unsetting the alarm. With any luck, Louis was still asleep.

Outside, the chilly December air was whipping forcefully in my face, and I was glad that I’d brought along a fur-lined coat. I took a few steps down from the veranda and looked left and right, turned left, and began to walk.

The first people I’d seen were in a couple. The girl was smoking. Her dark red hair was tied up in a ponytail, with flawless skin. Her eyes were a honey colour. But then I looked at the guy. Tall, with a muscled build. I could’ve taken him, but what a waste of my time.
The next girl I saw didn’t qualify. She looked at least eighty. I couldn’t imagine that. Sorry.

Slowly, I made a full circle. I sighed: nothing. Well, nothing worth giving my attention to, anyways. I ran back up the steps, feeling cold, and opened the door. Louis was waiting. “And where exactly did you go at eight-thirty in the morning?”

I hunched my shoulders, “Hey, you asked. Doesn’t mean I have to answer.” In truth, I was embarrassed. If Louis actually thought that I’d been out looking for a girl, he’d think I was serious. I’m never serious. Louis rolled his eyes, “Harry, where were you really?”

“Out for a walk,” I said, as innocently as I could. Louis rolled his eyes again, figuring that he would never actually get a truthful answer from me, and stalked off towards his room, muttering.
And I stood in the hall, wondering how to make my next move.

Isabelle’s P.O.V

I awoke that same morning, the smell of buttermilk pancakes tickling my nose. My eyes fluttered and I sat up, bathing in the scent. Then I got up, quickly pulled on a camisole over my bra, and flounced out into the hallway. The smell wafted through the air. “Mm…” I muttered.

Downstairs, Kate was in front of the stove, and I grinned. She looked back and smiled, “Morning gorgeous. I made your favourite.” I returned her smile and pecked her on the cheek, “Thanks Kate.” She flashed me a thumbs-up before mounting five crepes onto a plate and gesturing to the table. I shook my head and reached for the fridge handle. I pulled it open and searched for the syrup, finally finding in and pulling it out.

“Kate,” I scolded, “Don’t treat me as if I’m royalty. By the end of the week, you’ll want me out of here.” She laughed and we sat down together at the table after retrieving the knives and forks. For a second, the only sounds were the scraping of the utensils on the plates, but then Kate spoke, “So how’s Toronto? How’s dad? How's dance going? You know I'm so proud of you."

I nodded, “He's alright, I guess. Still a little depressed. Dance is going really well. I feel like I'm getting better each day.
But what about you? Tell me everything about your life for the past ten years.”

Kate laughed, “You’ve visited me before, Belle. I moved out from Aunt Lily’s about two years ago. She still lives five minutes away. Then I got my job. That’s pretty much it.” I nodded, my eyes lighting up, “I have to go see Aunt Lily sometime this week.” Kate smiled, “I’ll mark it on my calendar. Mm,” she added, taking a bite of her food, “I really am a good cook.”

I laughed and bit into my own pancake, “Oh God, you’re so right. These are awesome.” Kate nodded, smiling, but then her eyes widened, “Shit. I had to go get milk from the store today. I’ll go tomorrow.”

I shook my head, jumping out of my seat, “Let me do it!”
Kate laughed, “Slow down there hon. Why do you want to go to the store to buy milk?”

“Because,” I said giddily, bouncing on my feet, “It’ll give me a taste of England. Please Kate? I’ll be fifteen minutes, tops.” Kate held up her hands, “Whatever. You’re nineteen. I can’t tell you what to do. But go tomorrow. I want to give you a tour today.”

“Okay,” I said, plopping back down on my chair, taking another forkful of pancake. Kate grinned at my puffed up cheeks, “Don’t choke yourself, Belle. I don’t want to get questioned by the police.”

“The po-po?” I joked.

“What?”

I laughed again, “Never mind.”


Harry’s P.O.V

“He wouldn’t tell me,” Louis whispered to my mates. I rolled by eyes behind the door, annoyed. “It’s not that big a deal,” Niall
shrugged.

“Yes it is!” Zayn almost cried, “Harry was serious about something. Harry’s never serious.” I almost laughed. “Who cares?” Liam said, “I think I hear him coming.” I had been quiet, so I knew that he’d just wanted to end the conversation, but I pushed through the door anyways, “Lads.”

“Harry,” they all echoed back. Niall grinned, “So Harry, have you thought about what we asked yesterday?” I shrugged, acting nonchalant, when really; I was a teensy bit excited, “I guess.”

“And?” Louis pressed. I shrugged again, “I’ll do it on one condition,” I said, putting my hands in my pockets, “I get to pick the girl.”

Liam groaned, “He’s probably going to go with the one with the biggest boobs.” I laughed, “You know me so well!”
The tension eased. My mates and I chatted about nothing in particular, maybe a few new songs for the upcoming album, but all the topics were light, and nothing they asked was hard for me to answer with complete honesty. My mind couldn’t help but to drift away to my future faux girlfriend. She’d be gorgeous. And I’d be a complete arse to her. That was how you got them to fall for you for real, right before crushing them.

I was ready to crush.

Notes

Voilà! So this is the first chapter! Please tell me what you think!