Beating Heart

//when he looks at her, she swears she can't breathe//


//Julianne//

A nervous sigh left my mouth as Perrie glided the hairbrush through my hair, she insisted on helping me get ready. She wanted me to put on a fancy dress but honestly I wanted to feel comfortable.

We decided on a simple soft green dress, it wasn't tight - rather flowy. Shoes aren't necessary since we'll be inside the whole time. Perrie's dressed in a cute grey dress that stops a few centimeters past her mid-thigh.

"Harry is excited to see you. He'll probably act all tough and not show it, but trust me." She laughs a little as she steps in front of, observing my appearance.

I flick my hair over my shoulder as Perrie heads to the door. "Don't be nervous." She says, glancing over her shoulder before I begin to follow behind her. I give her a soft nod. I'm not nervous, I'm scared.

My feet struggled to keep up with Perrie as she scurried into the dining room. She stopped in the door way to wait on me. I hide my face as I looked down at my feet the whole time, completely embarrassed over nothing.

"Where's my girl?" Harry's voice caught my attention and I felt my spine shake, my entire body is knocked off the tracks, now uneasy and nervous. "Right here." Perrie steps aside and just a few seconds after, he appears beside her.

A wide smile spread over his pink, plump lips as he laid his sparkly eyes on me. "Good evening, my love. How'd you sleep?" Harry strolled over to where I'm standing, in the middle of the kitchen.

He reached me and quickly took ahold of my hand, lacing his long fingers with mine. The reality of his height shocked me - he was a good six foot, broad shoulders and a perfectly muscled, toned body. Tattoos tainted his tan skin, but they suit him well.

"Really good, actually." I reply softly as my eyes trail down his body. He's wearing a plain white t-shirt, which is very thin and is allowing me to see even more tattos - and tight black jeans. He wore a pair of brown boots, his fingers littered with rings and a few chains hung around his neck. The cross caught my eye first.

"I imagine so." He chuckles lightly with a smile, stepping just an inch closer. "How about we go join everyone? Dinner doesn't have much longer." He insisted.

Without waiting on my answer, which was going to be an agreement, Harry turns on his heels and pulls me behind him. His eagerness is surprising to me, at least I get to see him though so I don't dare complain.

"There she is!" Niall gave me a smile as Harry drug me into the dining room. He took me to my chair, right beside Niall, and he pulled it out for me. I sat down with clammy palms and shaking limbs, this is going to be interesting.

Harry pushes my chair up with ease - I'm not the lightest person so I assumed he'd struggle, but I soon reminded myself of what occured last night.

"Harry doesn't usually join us. You're bringing him out of the woods." Zayn speaks as he glances my way, breaking the silence. A few laughs fill the space and I look towards Harry - who's sitting at the end of the table - he rolls his eyes and gives them a light smirk.

"Literally." Perrie grins over in Harry's direction. "Where's he at?" Harry knits his eyebrows as he licks his lips absentmindedly. Everyone stayed quiet, which wasn't what I expected at all.

I turned my head to see what Niall was doing, but I was met with the back of his head. In the doorway I saw Liam standing there - hands balled into fists and his eyes fixed on Harry.

"I didn't chicken out, Styles." Liam says coldly, heartless eyes and straight lined lips. I hear the sound of a chair sliding on the floor. My eyes shift to the opposite direction and all I see is Harry's shirt covered abdomen.

"Easy guys, the ladies are here." Louis cuts into the tense air, his tone seems pretty serious right now. I keep my focus on Harry, I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I doubt Liam could harm him, but I'm still worried.

"I'm not dealing with your bullshit tonight. Get out." Harry spat, lacking any emotion but anger. "Can't we just be civil?" Perrie sighs in annoyance, I'm starting to wonder the same thing myself.
"I don't have an issue with-" Liam is cut off by a rather pissed off Harry, he doesn't appear pleased at the moment. "What the fuck do you mean? Every time you get near Julianne you fucking think you have the right to put your hands on her." Harry takes a few steps away from the table, while still keeping his distance.

"Don't drag her into this." Niall looked over at him but I know he didn't see it. His eyes are focused on Liam, while mine are close to being filled with tears.

"I don't know why you think you run shit 'round here. This little game you've got goin' on better stop." Harry's exhales are quick and fast, he's definitively not in any kind of happy state.

"I only try to help you out. Your little bitch is always breaking the damn rules." Liam throws his hands in the air like he's innocent - the same hands that have been around my neck.

"She can do whatever the fuck she wants, and she certainly doesn't have to bow down to you." My heart started to panic as Harry walks closer to Liam. I turn in my chair so I could see - my vision is blocked my Harry's back. He stood only an arm's length from me, but I assume that was his point, or at least I hope it is.

"But you'll want her to bow down to you, huh?" Liam retorts, clearly amused by Harry's statement. "She doesn't have to, but you do. I'm the god damn Alpha, you better remind yourself of that." Harry has raised his voice now, scaring me a little.

Out of instinct, I grab Niall's elbow and pull myself close to him. He looks over at me and gives off an apologetic half smile.

"You don't scare me with all your Alpha talk." Liam mocks, picking with more of Harry's nerves. I want to get up and tell him to go away and stop bothering Harry but that clearly isn't my job.

"Take a step closer and I swear to God I'll fuckin'-" Harry's voice abruptly stops. His body turns to face me and I nearly scream from complete fear as I see the glowing emeralds. He stares at me for a moment before releasing a heavy huff.

Harry shuts his eyes and takes in a few deep breathes, my grip on Niall tightens as I closely watch. His eyelids lift and a sigh of pure relief slips past my parted lips as I notice his eyes are back to normal, or at least I guess that is referred to as normal.

His eyes soften as he leans down to me, his large hand extending to my cheek as the other grabs on to the back of the chair. I flinch from the sudden warmth on my cold face. His thumb wipes away a fallen tear - I didn't even notice that I began to cry.

I don't want him to see me break down, but at the same time I didn't care because I know he'll be here for me. "I'm so sorry. I ruin everything." Harry mumbles as he tilts his body closer to me. I shake my head gently at him, he hasn't ruined a thing.

"What's the matter?" He asks in a soft voice, even though everyone can obviously hear him. Inhaling slowly, I get my words together - I pray he won't be upset with me.

"I.. I.." My throat closes up suddenly, my nerves are exploding under my skin. Harry gives me a small smile before dropping his hand and leaning his head down towards my mouth, his ear just an inch from my lips. His hair tickles my face and I can't help but smile.

My nose is filled with the scent of cologne, I could drown in it. "I don't want.. you to get hurt." I barely open my mouth as I tell him what's bothering me. He chuckles just a tad as he angles his head so his lips are now at my ear.

"Nobody here can hurt me, darlin'." his lips peck against my lobe and I feel the wild blush rising to my cheeks. He stands himself straight up and runs a hand through his messy hair. I look past him and see Liam has left the room, thankfully.

Harry gestures for me to turn around and I gladly oblige, after releasing poor Niall's arm from my death grip. "Fuck, your nails are sharp." Niall laughs out, slicing the tension. "Language, Mr. Horan." Sara groans from the other end of the table, keeping the laughter going.

"My apologises." Niall holds his hands up in surrender. I smile gently at them, it's nice to feel and see a little joy every now and then. "Let me check the potatoes. They should be done." Sophia stood from her chair and made her way into the kitchen.

Harry's foot bumped mine under the table and I glanced over at him out of impulse. I caught his stare at me so I shifted my head back in his direction.

"Are you alright now, sweetheart?" He leans his arms on the table the close the already small distance between us. I just now realized how close my chair was to the end, how close it is to him.

I nod a few times, not strong enough to speak. "I have a feeling Julianne will be up all night." Perrie smirks at me, I believe the same thing. "I bet, she just woke up an hour ago." Zayn says, laughter laced in his tone.

"Harry ought to take her for a walk.. It's quite lovely at night around here." Gemma speaks for the first time since I arrived at the table. My eyebrows lift at her suggestion, but I highly doubt that will happen.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged it off quick. I wanted to scream out my answer - a walk outside of these walls would be amazing. Yet, I don't open my mouth.

"Unless she wants to, of course." Harry's change of heart makes me smile, my eyes roaming over to meet his. "What would you like to do, my love?" Harry reached over to my knee and picked up my hand.

He was subtle with his move, keeping our intertwinrd fingers hidden under the table. "C-can we wa-walk? It sounds.. n-nice." I bite the inside of my cheek nervously, hoping he was being serious when he said I could decide.

"It does sound nice. We'll go a little bit after dinner." He nods lightly, giving my hand a squeeze before spreading his lips into a bigger smile.

"Speaking of dinner, its ready!" Sophia sings out as she skips into the dining room. Harry's hand parts from mine as he stands. I was going to do the same but that's when I noticed only the guys stood up from their chairs.

"I'll bring your plate to you, lovey." Harry's soft lips press into my temple as he quickly leans down to me. I madly blush as he walks into the kitchen. Perrie grins at me, clearly happy about all of this.

Is that man mine forever? If so, I certainly don't mind one bit.

"He's never been this happy." Perrie says, catching my attention. I look up to see her glancing from Gemma to Sophia - clearly conversating with them. "Love makes you feel wondrous." Sophia sighs happily.

Love?


***


The cool air nipped at my skin as I stepped over the threshold of the back door, we changed into more casual clothes but I guess I wasn't ready for the cold breeze. Harry took notice I assume as I watch him pull off his flannel shirt. He hands it to me with a soft smile.

"The wind is getting violent, and quite cold." He says as I gladly slide my arms into the oversized piece of clothing. I get it adjusted and Harry laughs softly to himself as he steps in front of me.

"Here, let me button it up a little." He starts in the middle of the shirt and hooks about four buttons. The sleeves fall past my hands and I sigh, of course I'm already embarrassing myself. I push the sleeves up to my wrists, hoping they will stay in place.

"Promise me you won't run off?" Harry teases with a smirk as he motions for me to walk alongside him. I accept the offer and dig my bare feet into the ground. Harry insisted for me to wear shoes but I'm used to walking in the woods barefoot, doesn't bother me.

"I won't." I smile to myself as I watch my toes sink into the damp grass. "You won't run away or you won't make a promise?" Harry gets a laugh from himself. "I won't run." I hear a small laugh sneaking out of my mouth.

It gets quiet now, Harry's focused on what's in front of us while I'm worried about the ground and my pounding heart. I wonder if he can hear it, since he.. ya'know isn't fully human.

What if he changes and tries to eat me? Oh, wow Julianne, that is pathetic. I roll my eyes to myself and continue with my stupid thoughts.

What if Harry just left me in the woods to die, what if this is there way to get rid of me? Oh please, they could have killed me weeks ago if that was their intention.

Liam. What in the world is his problem? How come him and Harry can't stand each other, gosh I hope it isn't because of me. I wonder if they were having bad blood before I came around.

I wish someone would explain this topic of "love" the girls were mentioning earlier at the table. Could it be possible? Could someone actually be in love with me?

"You seem distracted. Everything okay?" It wasn't exactly Harry's voice thay broke my trance into pieces, it was the fact that his hand grabbed mine and laced our fingers together. I shivered lightly at the cold metal of his rings touching against my skin.

"Just thinking." I mumble, not certain if it would be okay to tell him what was going on inside my head or not. He hums lightly at my words, his eyes burning holes through the side of my head.

"We can talk, love. Never be afraid to let me know what's bothering you." Harry spoke, stepping closer so our arms were squished together between our bodies.

"Just.. I.. Does.. does Liam.. Why doesn't he like me?" I stammer terribly, eventually getting my words out to him. We are now heading through the dense woods, our distance from the house heavily increasing. Harry sighs pretty loudly, obviously not tol keen on talking about that.

"It's not that he doesn't like you.. He just.. gets too.. well, basically, he's an ass." Harry bluntly says, I believe it entirely though. "He likes you.. It's just he has a bad past. It's hard to trust him around pretty women." Harry shrugs lightly.

My eyes widen at his words - there's a story I'm afraid I don't want to know about.

"He'll be dead and rotting in Hell before he does that to you, angel. Don't worry about it." Harry goes quiet after that, a sign that maybe I just don't need to hear anything else.

We kept walking, deeper and deeper into the forest. Harry's presence is making my heart race. Perhaps love is a real thing after all.


**


//Harry//

The moon sits high in the sky, stars accenting the dark night. The wind is still chilly, it will most likely be a rough storm coming in a few days. Julianne and I are taking a break from walking, it's been about three hours now.

I smile lightly to myself as she plops down on the ground, leaning her back against a tall pine tree. I stand a few feet in front of her, giving me space to look down at her pretty face.

"S'getting late. When you're ready to go just let me know, love." I say as I stick my hands in my front pockets. She doesn't reply to me, we haven't spoken since she questioned me about Liam.

My eyes drop to her spot on top of the grass. Her hair is still tucked in to the flannel, her knees are at her chest and her arms are tightly securing them in place. The back of her head is against the wide trunk of the pine, those pretty eyes are sealed.

"Is everything alright, love?" I sigh softly as I squat down in front of her. Her eyes open, but her gaze stays on the stars. Her shoulders shrug at me, obviously something is on her mind.

"Ha-harry." Julianne mutters my name so beautifully. "Yeah?" I reply in a soft tone, much like the one she continues to speak with. "How.. how old are you?" Her words cut through me, I expected her to be curious - but I didn't imagine it to happen this early.

I swallow the thick lump forming in my throat as her eyes find their way to mine. My heart picks up speed, I'm afraid that it wilm fly out of my chest if I don't calm myself down.

"Twenty three." I partially say the truth as I await her reaction. She keeps her eyes wide open and placed on mine, while her lips sit in a slight frown. God, I hope I'm not upsetting her. "What year were you born?" She furrows her eyebrows slightly at me.

Fuck - I feared this part the most, I don't want her to be afraid or creeped by the truth. I lick my chapped lips as I stare into her icy blue orbs - she's going to be the death of me someday.

"Ninety four." My voice is rather shaky, a clear sign that I'm hiding something from her. The drop of her eyebrows and the narrowing of her eyes tells me she knows something isn't right.

"Pl-please d-don't lie." Julianne nervously chews on her bottom lip as she stares deep into my eyes, searching for the right answer - sending my body into a wild frenzy. "T-tell me.. What year were you born?" She repeats her question, this time a layer of fear is folded into her voice.

I inhale heavily, relaxing my muscles as I breath it out through my nostrils. Here it goes..



"Sixteen-ninety four."

Notes

Excuse any errors!

So.. Don't get too comfortable ;) expect the unexpected guys

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