HARRY

The sound of Rome is the first thing I heard. Faint voices, beeping cars, and music wafted in through the open balcony doors. A scent of honey filled the air and raised me further from my depths of sleep. I tried to rollover, to pull the covers up and hide myself from the morning but I couldn't move. There was something on top of me.

My eyes shot open as Thalia breathed a heavy sigh and nuzzled herself further against my chest. Holding my breath, I gently ran my fingers across her skin to make sure this wasn't still a dream.

God, she was beautiful. I could lay here staring at her for the rest of my life.

Sunlight streaming in from the gaps in the curtains fell across her body in an angelic way. It lit up the highlights in her now frizzy hair and created a glow on her tanned skin.

Being careful not to wake her, I reached over and grabbed my new phone. There were several missed calls and texts from my mother paired with a handful of texts from Gemma and Niall. After carefully composing texts to each as to why I wouldn't be back in London just yet, I headed to Twitter. The fans and media knew I was still in Rome, but thankfully hadn't discovered the reason behind it.

“I thought pop stars were supposed to sleep in on their days off,” Thalia mumbled, stirring quietly.

“I’m sorry did I wake you?” I immediately set my phone down and wrapped my arms around her tightly.

“Only a bit,” she mumbled into my chest. She then looked up, resting her chin on my chest so she could see me properly. “How did you sleep?”

“Best sleep I’ve had in a while. You?”

“Agreed. Shit what's the time?"

"Half past eight," I replied as she sat up slowly. Her eyes were glazed with sleepiness and her hair was practically standing on end. "Got somewhere to be?”

"Eh kinda," she said rubbing her eyes. “I was planning to pack up my paintings and clean my studio at some point.”

"Want some help?" I asked, playing with a loose string on Thalia's pajama shorts.

"You sure you're up for it?" She asked skeptically . "It's going to be a lot of heavy lifting."

"I'm told manual labor's good for me...helps build character."

"Oh cause you don't have enough character already?" Thalia teased.

"Nope."

"You said it was half past?" She asked, leaning slightly to glance out the window.

"Yep.”

"We'd better get out of bed then." She broke into a warm smile as she turned back to look at me.

"I don't think I can. I think my body's morphed itself to it.”

"The shitty ikea bed is consuming you!" She cried before leaning over running her fingers over my chest. However this quickly turned into a tickle war and a few minutes later Thalia was straddling me in a tangle of sheets.

"Thalia!" We both froze at the sound of Greta's voice. The floorboards creaked outside the door and I quickly took hold of Thalia's hands to keep her still. "Francesco and I are going to work. Can you go to the market today?”

"Yes I'll go!" Thalia called back, relaxing before rolling her eyes at me in mock annoyance. "Have a good day!”

"You too! See ya Harry!”

My eyes widened before I called, "by Greta, nice meeting you!”

A moment later we heard the door shut and Thalia, who's cheeks had flushed pink at Greta's words, slid off me. I watched her wander over to her dresser, admiring the way she moved.

"You told her I was staying?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows playfully at her.

"No but she knew I wasn't going to leave you on the front stoop," Thalia replied, grabbing her brush and attempting to tame her hair.

"But they were okay with it?”

"I guess, why does it matter?”

"They just seemed a little protective of you," I shrugged.

"They are," Thalia agreed. "I was the poor little English girl they found in a pub."

"This story gets sadder every time you tell it!" I accused.

"Maybe I should just start making up new stories," she laughed.

"You should, though you're pretty good at lying so people might actually believe you."

"An unfortunate side effect," she smirked. "I blame Maeve."

I let out a laugh as Thalia began rummaging through her small wardrobe. I couldn't stop staring at her.

"What's the weather like?" She asked, pulling out a dress. I let out a sigh before tearing my eyes from her to sit up and peak out her window. The street outside was already bustling with activity which explains why we had woken up so early.

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood," I sang, turning back to her with a smile.

Thalia broke into a laugh as she slipped into a floral sundress. She certainly wasn't feeling shy this morning. She hadn't even bothering trying to hide her body or lacy underwear from me as as she dressed. I stared openly, wanting to burn this image of her in my memory forever. After shooting a glance at herself in the mirror and running a running a hand through her hair she grabbed a pair of sandals.

"You look like Holly Golightly," I said, biting my lip in attempt to hold back a smile.

"Good, she's one of my fashion idols," Thalia replied shooting me a wink. "I've taken to wearing longer dresses in Rome. More access."

I blinked at her in confusion, "I'm sorry you've lost me. More access?"

"Women have to have their shoulders and knees covered before entering the old churches."

"Huh. That's not where I thought that was going."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "It's a sign of respect."

"I didn't think you went to church?"

"I go to look at the art," she answered guiltily. I let out a laugh as she wandered slowly back to the bed to grab her jewelry from the nightstand. "The churches have some of the best art."

"That's because they're holy places," I said, reaching out and running my hands across the soft fabric of her dress and up towards her waist. I wasn't sure if I should do this but I couldn't help it. She was too damn beautiful.

Thalia snorted before combing her hands through my hair affectionately. "The Church took all the money they conned from the good people and commissioned the master artisans. The art made the churches appear holy which drew in more people to con."

"Always the cynic," I muttered, closing my eyes. Her touch and voice were like a drug, relaxing my body and calming my mind.

"I have to balance your goodness somehow," she chuckled. "Now, come on you bum. We'd better get going."

She dropped her hands and pulled me crashing back to earth. "Now? It's nine in the morning!"

"Exactly! Think of all the time we're wasting! It'll take us a half hour just to get to the studio."

"A half hour?" I cried, grabbing my shirt and pulling it on.

"Welcome back to the world of public transportation!"

I rolled my eyes as Thalia ran out of the room. After quickly dressing, I headed out to the kitchen to find her reading the grocery list Greta had left for her.

"Ready?" She asked before shoving the list into her bag.

"Breakfast?" I asked hopefully.

"We'll get it on the way. C'mon!" Thalia grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the apartment and down onto the medieval streets. We walked lazily through the winding roads, passing small shops, churches, fountains, and friendly Italians before Thalia pulled me to a halt in front of a small cafe.

"This is my favorite. Just wait." Thalia gave me a gentle tug before stepping into the smallest cafe I'd ever seen. "Ciao Antonio! Come stai?"

"Thalia! Bene, bene!" Cried the man behind the counter. He looked about our age and had broken into a large smile on seeing Thalia. "Come stai?"

"Molto bene," she smiled. "Un cappuccino y...Harry what would you like?"

"Uh same," I answered. I doubted they'd have my usual bullet coffee or even understand me if I attempted to explain how to make it.

"Due cappuccinos," Thalia corrected, shooting Antonio a smile before looking towards the pastries. "Y un ciambella y un mela."

"Si si, ecco qui," he said, handing her an apple and what looked like a donut.

"Here, try this," Thalia said, handing me the pastry. "It's my favorite and it will ruin you forever."

I shot her a skeptical look before biting into the fluffy pastry. It seemed to melt in my mouth and I looked at her with wide eyes before explaining, "Oh my god."

"Best thing ever right?" Thalia asked, handing me a small cup of cappuccino.

We sipped our coffee while standing at the counter chatting with Antonio. I found this to be very odd but apparently it was an Italian custom. After quickly finishing our breakfast we headed back out onto the crowded streets to catch the bus.

We were able to snatch two seats in the the back of the crowded bus. I pulled out my phone to update Tom, just in case we needed some extra security.

"Where's this place we're going again?" I asked.

"Well my studio is at il Piazza dei Cenci," answered Thalia. "So we can either go there first or to Villa Borghese."

"What's that?"

"A museum I want to take you to."

"When did you decide that?" I laughed.

"This morning," she smiled at me excitedly. "It has my favorite sculpture by Bernini and no trip to Rome would be complete without seeing it."

"Bernini...he was pretty important right?" I asked innocently. Thalia shot me a look as her jaw dropped in horror.

"Pretty important?" She cried. "He was only one of the greatest sculptors in the world!"

I couldn't help admiring her as she broke into a mini lecture on the triumphs of her favorite sculptor. Rome had inspired her. It had ignited something in her.

"Alright, alright!" I laughed, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. "You've convinced me."

"Good we'll head there after we finish packing, as a reward."

We fought our way off the bus and headed down the street with Thalia leading the way. She kept her arm linked through mine, leading me like a blind man as I stared distractedly up at the insane architecture.

"Quick! Through here!" Thalia whispered, spotting a tourist group up ahead.

She pulled me down a side street, walking quickly with her head down. It felt as if we were fugitives hiding from a crime rather than a celebrity and his girlfriend hiding from fans.

No Harry, not girlfriend. Thalia. Just Thalia.

"Maybe you should call Tom?" She worried, bursting through my ridiculous thoughts. "Just in case. It gets crazy around here after lunch and we don't want to get caught up in a mob."

"How much further is it?" I frowned.

"Just through here."

We made our way up to the front entrance of a large orange building that had to be at least a century old. Thalia dug out her key and unlocked it, pulling me through the threshold just as the tourist group rounded the corner.

"Always an adventure with you," she smiled mischievously before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the stone steps.

Thalia's studio was located on the uppermost floor. After climbing up three flights we paused at a landing, allowing me to catch my breath and Thalia to unlock yet another door.

"What's the matter?” She teased. “One month off and you’ve already lost your stamina.”

“Oh trust me Thal, staminas not the issue.”

“It better not be.” My stomach flipped as she broke into another smirk. “Come on Haz, one more flight.”

“Is it a requirement for studios to be in the worst places?” I asked as we headed up the narrow stairs to what appeared to be an old apartment. “First it was the basement, now it’s an attic.”

“You tell me, didn’t you have to make a studio out of a mattress in a hotel once?”

“Touché,” I nodded before letting out a long whistle.

Every inch inch of the small space seemed to be covered. Paintings hung half haphazardly like wallpaper, newspapers and paint tubes littered the floor, and sketches had been pinned to the ceiling due to lack of space. Six large windows lit up the space and provided glimpses of the medieval city below.

Thalia pulled some music up on her phone and after a quick tutorial on how to box up framed artwork, we set to work.

“How many paintings have you done?” I asked, admiring the canvas and frame she was currently packaging.

“Twenty on commission, about thirty for the show.”

“What show?” I frowned.

"The show that's hopefully going to pay for this trip," she laughed. A few strands of hair fell out of her bun as she set the painting in the crate next to the others.

"When is it? I'd like to see it."

Thalia paused before admitting, rather guiltily, "I haven't planned it yet."

"Why not?"

Thalia grabbed her water and took a swig before tossing it to me and shrugging, "because I still have to find a gallery to host them."

"What about the space you hung last time?" I asked, recalling her last art show I had been to. She glanced around as I took a long drink.

"That's only for students."
"Huh."

Thalia shot me a bemused smile before disappearing into the back room only to reemerge with another stack of work.

"How are you getting your paintings back?" I asked curiously.

Thalia shrugged. "Ship 'em?"

"I can take them back if you want."

"What?"

"I can take the paintings back," I repeated, moving to help her with her precarious stack. "I'll be flying out Sunday and will have a whole plane to myself. Seems silly to have you pay to ship them when you could pawn them off on me free of charge."

"I'm not pawning them off and your services are anything but free," she mused.

"Of course it's free."

Thalia shook her head before poking my side and saying. "I'm not talking about money. You don't operate in money you operate in favors."

"And what's wrong with that?" I chuckled.

"Because you end up guilt tripping people into going along with whatever scheme you have!" She cried. "You're as bad as my siblings."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Thalia rolled her eyes and handed me the bubble wrap.

"C'mon Thal. You know it's a good idea."

"And you're sure it's okay?"

"I offered didn't I?"

She let out a sigh in defeat. "Alright, you win."

I let out a cheer in triumph before going back to work packaging her artwork. Thalia switched her music over to a new playlist and after three spectacular duets and another completed crate I had worked up the courage to voice an idea.

"You know you could come too," I said slowly. "On the plane back to London...if you'd like."

Thalia paused, tape and bubble wrap in hand, to stare at me open mouthed. "Harry..."

"It's a free trip and I wouldn't mind the company," I added, avoiding her eye as I continued with my task. "But I know it's short notice and-"

"Aren't you flying into Holmes Chapel?"

"Well I don't have to. We can stop in London...it was just a suggestion."

"I know but I don't want to inconvenience you," Thalia said. She was still standing with the tape and bubble wrap in her hands looking lost.

"You're not an inconvenience Thalia," I stated flatly. "We'd be flying over London anyway. You don't have to answer now, I would just need to know before Sunday."

"So, by the end of the day tomorrow?" Thalia said slowly. "Question, is it impossible for you to plan ahead of time?"

"We are planning ahead."

"You're intolerable," Thalia said, shooting me a look and breaking into a smirk.

"Excuse you, I'm awesome."

"And so humble," she teased.

"Precisely!"


***


"Are you sure about this?" I asked, as we strolled up to the impressive villa. Thalia had warned me that this was a tourist hot spot and, although we had strategically planned our tour for the last available slot, there still was a chance we'd be recognized.

"Are you sure?" She replied. "You're the one that has to deal with the press."

"They're going to put us both on blast."

"Look, I'm going in with or without you," she replied stubbornly. "I refuse to leave Rome without saying goodbye to Galleria Borghese."

I rolled my eyes and followed her inside, Tom close at my heels. The interior of the villa was just as Thalia had described. Frescoed ceilings and lavish wall ornamentation was almost enough to distract me from the famous art hanging within.

"Here it is," Thalia whispered, linking her arm through mine. "The main gallery."

We moved around the space slowly, Thalia taking up the role of tour guide as she delved into the names, dates, and history of the notorious pieces. In any other situation, with any other person, I wouldn't have been nearly as interested. But Thalia's excitement paired with her talent of story-telling kept me enraptured.

"And this," Thalia whispered, as we rounded the next corner. "Is Apollo and Daphne. It was sculpted by Bernini in the early 1600s."

Thalia guided us over to a bench and we sat down as I stared open mouthed at the life-sized price.

"The Greeks say Apollo offended Cupid and as punishment Cupid shot two arrows. One hit Apollo, instilling passionate love for the nymph Daphne. The second hit Daphne, instilling in her a hatred for Apollo. Apollo chased and chased her, all the while professing his love. Just as he caught up with her, Daphne's father took pity on his beloved daughter. The moment Apollo touched her, she transformed into a laurel tree. Apollo was devastated. So he wears a laurel wreath around his head so that his love will always be with him."

"That's a horrible story," I frowned, tearing my eyes away from the statue to look at her.

"That's Greek mythology," she laughed.

"Poor fellow, though I admit it's relatable."

"Relatable?"

"Oh yeah," I nodded, thinking about how I would probably chase Thalia to the ends of the earth as well. One could argue that's what I was doing now. I turned to see her staring at me, a small frown creasing her brow. I gave her a small smile and said teasingly, "for a while there I wondered if someone had hit you with the arrow of loathing."

"Well," she said, a smirk breaking across her features. "I don't have any intentions of turning into a tree so I think you can relax."

I bit my lip in an attempt to contain my laughter as we both turned back to the statue. We sat in silence for a minute as I attempted to focus on the piece with as much concentration as Thalia was. But while she might have been analyzing the statue, thinking of it's sculptor, or picking out the hidden symbology, every thought I had found it's way back to her.

"Do you think you could do that?" I asked her, forcing myself to keep my eyes trained on the delicate transition of Daphne's fingers into leaves.

"You're joking right?" Thalia scoffed.

"I bet you could."

"I can't sculpt for shit. Nope I'll stick with drawing and painting thank you very much."

"You didn't think you could paint either," I pointed out.

"Yeah but sculpting...that's like a whole different realm."

I nodded my head before turning to look at her once more. "You only work in 2 Ds then?"

"Yeah. 3D is one D to many," she replied with a completely straight face.

I broke into another smile, feeling as giddy as a schoolboy. Thalia appeared as beautiful as ever as she stared up at the work of her favorite artist. Her already magnetic personality seemed to have multiplied during her time in the eternal city. Her playful smile came more easily and her bright eyes shone with excitement.

"Il Galleria Borghese sará la chiusura in cinque minuti. Si prega di mouversi verso l'uscita," a voice boomed over an intercom.

"Time to go," Thalia said, as Tom appeared out of thin air.

The hall had suddenly filled with noise as dozens of tourists made their way to the exit. I let Tom steer Thalia and I away from the Bernini, through the exit, and back out onto the grassy lawns. A few fans had gathered, their cameras held high for pictures or recordings. I waved to them as Tom continued to usher Thalia and I out of the park and towards the street.

"Hi Harry, I love you!"

"Ciao Harry! Ti amo!"

"Love you Harry!"

"Love you too!" I called, giving them a small wave before linking hands with Thalia.

"Can we get a picture Harry?" One of them asked bravely. She had run up and was holding her camera out for a selfie.

"Of course love," I smiled, pausing just long enough for her to snap a photo. There were only half a dozen fans and I hadn't seen them much this past month I'd been hiding away at the Villa.

"Thank you so much!"

"We love you Harry."

"Hi Thalia!"

Thalia gave my hand a squeeze as she smiled, "hello, how are you?"

"Good! Did you like the gallery?"

"Oh yes it's my favorite," Thalia beamed, moving a bit closer to me. A couple of them had begun walking next to us, their cameras held high. "Have you been?"

"No not yet."

"Love you Harry, love you Thalia!"

"Are you here on Holiday? Are you back together?"

Thalia's grip tightened.

"Harry can I get a shout out to my friend Kate?"

"Hello Kate!" I smiled at a blond holding a camera.

"Can you sign this Harry?"

"Thank you!"

"Ti amo Harry!"

They continued to follow us down the length of the gravel path, speaking in quiet, excited tones. While we were dating, Thalia had told me to never apologize for any situation we might find ourselves in because of my fans. This includes the time we were nearly killed fleeing a mob. But no matter how many times she had said it, I still felt guilty for putting her through this. Even if she could take it.

I was more than happy to stop and chat with the fans, to hear their stories and thank them for everything they've done. But that didn't mean I wanted to put Thalia through it too. She never asked for any of this.

"Can we get one last picture Harry?" A brunette asked as we neared the car.

"Here, let me take one of all of you," Thalia offered, letting go of my hand to take one of the girls phones. I shot her a look but she merely beamed at me in response.

"Really!" Cried the brunette. "Here, you can take it with this and I'll share it with everyone."

"Okay! All together now," Thalia called. I shot her another look as the girls crowded around me. "Smile everyone! That means you Harry...I want to see those dimples!"

I broke into a laugh despite myself as Thalia shot me a wink.

"One. Two. Three!" There was a click and Thalia held out the phone. "Perfect! You've even got the villa in the back."

"Thank you Harry!"

"Thanks Thalia!"

"It was great seeing you!"

"Great seeing you too!" I gave each of them a hug before taking Thalia's hand and leading her into the car.

"Bye Harry!"

"Ciao Thalia!"

"Love you Harry!"

"Well," Thalia sighed, melting into the seat as Tom pulled away from the villa. "That was an adventure!"

After a moment's silence I leant over and pulled her legs up to my lap, causing her body to slide close to mine.

"Harry!" Thalia laughed as I leaned over and kissed her forehead, thankful that we had left the fans and flashing cameras back at the villa.

"You're amazing."

"So I've heard," she smirked.

"I mean it Thalia," I said as I looked between those bright eyes of hers. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Harry," she smiled, tilting her head to the side and ruffling my hair. "Now, want to make a pit stop at the grocers before dropping me at my flat?"

"What!"

"Oh c'mon," she pleaded, wiggling her eyebrows. "I'll cook you dinner..."

Notes

I re-wrote this chapter at least a dozen times so hopefully you all like it! I thought I'd spoil you with some more Harry and Thalia chapters before the drama hits. Enjoy!