When I first saw you
From across the room
I could tell that you were curious
‘Perfect’ – One Direction

Bella’s POV

It had been a week since the concert and six days since Bella had bumped into Harry in the city. It was all she could think about now. She was distracted every single day she was at work. Even the smell of the cakes and pastries, which always made her eyes glint with hunger, didn’t make her salivate. All she could think about was hugging Harry and how fantastic he smelt. Like honey…so sweet… Her thoughts trailed off, spiralling down into a blank mind.

Today was Valentine’s Day. Couples came and went, buying the specials on offer just for the romantic holiday. It was a hot day so her hair was up in a bun. It didn’t help that the bakery wasn’t the coolest place. Bella tightened her apron by pulling at the knot she had tied just above her waist behind her before helping the next customer.

During her fifteen-minute break, in which she was allowed to have something to eat herself, she received a text from her father.

From Dad: Amanda loved the perfume and necklace :) Thanks, Bells, for your help. Love you x
To Dad: It was no problem, I knew she’d love both things :) Enjoy the rest of your Valentine’s Day with your Valentine!

Her father was so happy in his life and that made Bella happy. She wished her mother would do the same. Bella had brought up the subject to her mother many times but Jo wouldn’t hear any of it so Bella stopped. The more she tried, the more her mother grew agitated. Ashley was out with a bunch of her friends but Bella had no idea what they were doing. They’re either at the movies or at the beach. As she ate her puff pastry, her mind flashed back to when she told her sister she met Harry.


“You did not meet him!”

Ashley’s face was bright pink. Bella didn’t know if it was from anger or shock. It was probably both. She sighed as she leaned forward from her spot on her bed, opening her hands and trying for the second time.

“Yes, I did.”

“No, you didn’t!” Ashley yelled.

“He said to say hi to you. And for me to give you his love. He hoped you had a great birthday and a great time at the concert last night.”

“You’re just saying that! You can’t just bump into Harry Styles on the street! There’s no way…”

“Do you want proof, Ashley? Because I got two photos with him.” Bella said innocently, taking out her iPhone and going into her photos folder. She tapped her finger on the first one and she couldn’t help but smile as she stared at the screen. I look OK…a little surprised but overall happy. She thought. Harry had a gentle smile on his face and she could see his hand resting on her shoulder. Bella turned the phone around to show her little sister the screen.

“There? You see? And don’t say it’s Photoshopped, cause it’s not.” Bella spoke sternly.

Ashley grabbed the iPhone from her sister’s hand and stared at the screen in shock. Her brown eyes became huge and her mouth fell open. Bella didn’t know if she was angry she didn’t meet him too or if she was too shocked to say anything.

“Oh My…” Ashley gasped. She really acted like a little girl in that moment. Two seconds of silence followed before Ashley screamed. It was like a banshee. Bella covered her ears and laughed. Jesus, was I ever that loud? Can I still be that loud?

“Ash, ssh! Our neighbours will be thinking someone’s being murdered.” She tried to say over her sister’s screams. Ashley finally calmed down and looked at the second picture.

“You actually met him! You met Harry freaking Styles!”

“Language, little sis.”

“You’ve said a whole lot worse.” Ashley scoffed.

“Yeah, but I’m 7-and-a-half years older than you. I’m allowed to swear. You, on the other hand, are not.” Bella said, snatching her phone back. Her bedroom door opened and their mother appeared, her eyebrows furrowed over her brown eyes.

“What in the world is going on in here? Ashley, were you screaming? Bells, what did you do to your sister?”

Both sisters answered at the same time. Ashley cried “Yes!” and Bella yelled “Nothing!” Jo sighed and began to close the door when Ashley told her to stop.

“Wait, Mum! Bells met Harry!”

“Ash!” Bella gasped and covered her face with her hands. Oh, God… The girls’ mother once again looked puzzled.

“Harry who?”

“Harry Styles, Mum! From One Direction! Bells met him today!” Ashley smiled. Bella lowered her hands to see her mother staring at her. She bit her lip and waited for her to speak. Or does she want me to explain first? Bella asked herself. From the look on her mother’s face, she knew the answer to the question she asked herself was yes.

“I bumped into him in an alleyway near Pitt Street after saying goodbye to Dad. I don’t know what he was doing there. Maybe the hotel he and the others are staying at are close. He recognised me from the concert and I asked him for a picture. He obliged. Then we went our separate ways.”

Bella decided to leave out the part where Harry gave her his number. They didn’t need to know that. At least, not yet. The process repeated of showing her mother the pictures Harry took.

“Well, lucky you, then. Is he cute?”

“Mum! Of all the things I imagined you to say, I didn’t think it’d be that.” Bella said.

“Surprise, surprise, I can be cheeky. Are you going to answer my question or not?”

Bella didn’t know if she should tell her mother the truth. She’ll be really pissed if she finds out that I lied. So Bella told her the truth.

“Yeah, he is.”

“Ha, you’ve got a crush on him!” 12-year-old Ashley laughed. Bella regretted saying she thought Harry was cute with Ashley in the room. The teasing will start now…great… She groaned in her head. Their mother chuckled and she pressed a kiss to her eldest daughter’s temple before leaving the room. Bella glared at her sister who simply smiled back.

“Told you he likes you.”

Bella didn’t know what to say to that.


A ‘ping’ from her iPhone interrupted her thoughts. She looked at the screen and almost choked on her own breath at what she saw.

It was a message from Harry.

They had only texted once so he could have her number but that was it. This new message was longer and Bella had to make sure she was alone to read it. And she made sure no food was in her mouth either. With a deep breath, she opened the text and began to read it.

From Harry: Hey, Bella. Harry here. Just want to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day with whomever you’re spending it with. The lads and I are getting ready for tonight’s concert in Melbourne. I hope we meet again sometime soon :)

That was it.

That was the text.

It was the best text she had ever received in her life.

What a sweetheart! He wished me a happy Valentine’s Day! It surprised Bella that he had texted her that. His concerts were a big deal and needed a lot of preparation but he had found a minute to send her a message. Now that’s what I call a gentleman. She smiled to herself as she, for whatever reason, started to type a reply.

0*0

Harry’s POV

It was pleasantly cool in Melbourne but the sun was hot as it beated down from the sky. The concert was due to start at 7pm but it was only just past noon. The boys were going to go to Etihad Stadium at 2 o’clock to get ready. It was the fourth show tonight and the tour had kicked off well in Sydney a week before. All the boys thought the fans in Australia were very welcoming and enthusiastic. They couldn’t have asked for such support in a place so far from where they were originally from. It was the best feeling being so loved in such a way.

Harry stood by the window in his hotel room, the view of the city beautiful from his level. The stadium wasn’t far and he could see it, large and round, different to every other building he saw. It was good to be back in Australia. It was good to see the sun, considering England wasn’t known for its beautiful weather. He had been careful not to burn his skin because he wanted to get a little bit of a tan. His thoughts went back to the first Sydney show seven days previously.

He remembered the young girl called Ashley who turned 12 that day. She was so sweet and cute and he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wish her a ‘Happy Birthday’. He remembered how Ashley’s eyes were full of tears and her smile was wide. But what Harry couldn’t get out of his head was her older sister. God, she’s beautiful… Bella had stayed in his mind ever since he laid eyes on her at the concert. He found it so heart-warming that she had come with her little sister, to make her happy. He was sure his heart had melted in that moment. The meaning of her name matched her perfectly. Beautiful Bella. Harry repeated in his mind over and over. He still thought of her big hazel eyes when she bumped into him in the alleyway in Sydney. He had sensed that she was so nervous and he had done his best to make her relax. I would have told her she was gorgeous but that’s probably a little bit too forward of a move. There was something about Bella that made him think about her. He could see her face in his head. Her stunning brown locks tinged with red in the sun. One of his band’s songs suddenly had more meaning than it had ever had. She really does have that one thing…But what is that one thing? Guess I’ll have to wait to find out…

His phone buzzed, alerting him that he had gotten a text. Harry turned around and saw the screen lit up, the device lying on the large bed. He didn’t know why he had sent the Valentine’s Day text to her. He just wanted to send her some sort of message. In truth, he didn’t know if she would even respond. But as he approached his phone, he smiled to see that she had.

From Bella: Hi, Harry. God, this is weird, I mean, texting you. It’s like a dream :P I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day too, performing to your fans down in Melbourne, I know they’ll love you :) Bella

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle. He couldn’t imagine what it was like for Bella to be texting a star as big as him. Poor thing… He could see the look on her face while she sent the text, smiling shyly and possibly biting her lip. The thought of Bella biting her lip didn’t help Harry with his attraction to her. Is it attraction…or infatuation? Harry didn’t favour the latter, especially when it came to Bella. He truly was attracted to her. And not just physically.

“Why are you grinning at your phone?”

Harry looked up to see Louis standing by the door, his hair pushed off to the right-hand side, over his forehead. The other boys knew of Harry’s unexpected attraction to Ashley’s older sister but they didn’t know the full extent of what he wished to have with her. Harry wasn’t looking for a fling. Not with Bella.

When Harry didn’t answer his friend’s question, all the pieces fell into place for Louis. He smirked and folded his arms.

“You got a text from her, didn’t you?”

Harry pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes. Louis was always the one who teased him about flirty text messages to girls. Harry knew he took pleasure in annoying him about the subjects of girls, which had become not the easiest of things to talk for Harry, because of his previous relationships. Bella was like none of his ex-girlfriends. She was different. Harry had always been open to the possibility of dating a fan, as long as they weren’t too obsessive. Bella didn’t seem obsessive at all. She seemed nervous around him, to say the least. Their lucky meeting just happened and it started off very awkward. Not for Harry, for Bella. And he knew that. Harry tried his best to ignore Louis but in the past, sometimes it had gotten too much and he had simply stormed out of the room in an effort to get away from Louis.

“It’s only been a week since you first saw her and you’re already hooked on her.” Louis said.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Have you forgotten what’s happened in the past, Harry?” Louis raised an eyebrow.

“No, of course I haven’t. This is different.”

“How is it different?”

That was the moment when Harry had had enough. He gripped his phone in his left hand and ran his right hand through his curly hair.

“I don’t have to tell you everything, Louis.”

“No, you don’t. I just worry about you.”

“You don’t need to worry. I can look after myself. And you are not my mother.”

“Thank the Lord for that!” Louis laughed. Harry pocketed his phone and walked past his fellow bandmate. He didn’t want any more mockery or teasing. He wished he could see Bella. Right now, he only had the memory of her in his head. He hoped that would be enough until the next time they met. Whenever that was.

Harry hoped it would be soon.

It was five to seven and the concert was about to start. The boys stood backstage, ready to perform in front of thousands of fans. Back in Sydney for the first show, Harry had worn black clothes which had made him sweat more than he liked. He didn’t want a repeat of that so he had decided on a white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up so they fell halfway down his forearms. His black jeans, which he loved completely, accentuated his long legs and his stylish boots were perfect for prancing all over the stage and down the catwalk.

“So, how’s Bella? Louis told us you were grinning like a teenager at your phone this afternoon.” Liam said, practicing his signature microphone flip in his hand.

I am going to kill Louis! Harry thought. Does Liam have to bring this up just five minutes before we’re due on stage? Well, he had and Harry didn’t want him to say anything else. I have to say something otherwise they’ll never shut up about it.

“From her text, she sounds good.”

“Good? Just good?” Niall said.

“What do you want me to say?” Harry snapped.

“Maybe some more information.” Liam shrugged.

“You do not need to know anything else.”

“No, we want to know more.” Louis spoke up.

“Well, tough.” Harry said. Fortunately, one of their crew members signalled of them to take their places. None of the other boys could come back with another comment which made Harry feel relieved. He held his microphone in his hand, hearing the screams of fans outside in the stadium. It was finally time to put on another show.

0*0

The concert was a good distraction for Harry. But, as soon as it finished, his mind was filled with an image of Bella. In less than two weeks, he and the others would be in Japan. And she’ll be even further away. Harry didn’t know if he’d be able to maintain a long-distance relationship. On breaks, he went back home to Holmes Chapel in Cheshire. Australia was so far away but he couldn’t just ask Bella to come to England, even though he had the money to make it happen. Harry was a little lost about the subject of Bella and his fellow band members definitely noticed. I have to concentrate. There’s another show tomorrow. He didn’t want to come across as a guy obsessing over a girl. Too immature to do such a thing…

Then, Harry realised something when he was in the large black car with tinted windows on the drive back to the hotel. It was Valentine’s Day and he didn’t know if Bella was even single. She must have a boyfriend…I mean, just look at her… Harry secretly wished she was single. Then at least, he had a chance. But if she was with someone, Harry knew, whoever her boyfriend was, was a lucky man. He was so glad the other lads each had their own car. With his profession, Harry’s life was always picked under a microscope and the magazines wanted to know everything, especially his relationships. He always loved it when he had time to himself. Could Bella even handle being under the glare of the media? Would she even want to be with me? How would she react to negative responses from fans? Could she last without me for months while I go on tour? Those were just a few of the questions that Harry had to consider when deciding to date a girl. It was too much for his own brain to handle so he couldn’t imagine how Bella felt at the moment. He thought about sending her another text but quickly dismissed the idea. What can I say? He asked himself, rubbing his face with his hands.

That night, just like all the other nights since the 7th of February, Harry didn’t have a good sleep, his short dreams haunted by a brunette beauty with hazel eyes.

Notes

So I’ve added Harry’s POV as well. That will continue in future chapters. There’s a time jump next update, just warning you. Eight votes and over 600 views, and we’re only at the start of this story! Thank you so much for your interest in this tale of mine, it means so much to me!

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