The Assistant

Chai tea. Hmm. A chai tea latte. Nora really wanted a chai tea latte. The urge was overwhelming as she stepped out of the office building on her lunch break. Starbucks was just down the street and she could easily walk there. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to eat for lunch, but she was sure on her life that she needed to get herself a chai tea latte before she exploded.

She’d been in and out of meetings all day long with her boss, who pretty much kept her around to be his lackey-bitch on most days. But the pay was fantastic – something she could not argue with. Who knew she would ever stay in that line of work? Not her, that’s for sure. And now she was assistant to one of the top executives in a trading firm in lower Manhattan. What did she know about trading anyway? Not a whole lot, but she wasn’t hired for her knowledge of the stock market. She was hired because she could take orders well. She kept the smile on her face even when she wanted to take a machete to her bosses head. Perfectly poised Nora. And she would stay that way unless she couldn’t get her fucking chai tea latte.

Nora’s feet moved a little bit faster once she saw the famous coffeehouse in the distance. When she stepped foot inside, she was relieved to find that the line was not very long and she was helped in no time. The moment she wrapped her hands around her drink, she was set. She got what she came for and now she needed to set out on the task of finding something to eat for lunch.

As she spun on her heels to head for the door, she was stunned into place as her eyes blazed into a set of green eyes that she never in her life thought she’d ever look into again. The shock she felt almost caused her to drop her precious chai tea latte to the floor, but she gripped onto it at the last second, avoiding a disaster.

“Nora,” he breathed, his voice still low and sexy, his eyes wide with the same feelings of shock and awe that she was feeling.

“Harry,” she choked out helplessly.

“Oh my god,” he said as his whole face livened up. Nora was left completely speechless by his presence.

“My god. You look… fantastic,” he said as his eyes dragged up and down her body, which was dressed in a well-tailored white dress shirt and a black pencil skirt with matching high heels.

Nora stood completely frozen in front of him, shocked and speechless. He chuckled at her lack of words, shaking his head.

“I hoped if I ever saw you again there wouldn’t be any leftover awkwardness,” he said, smiling widely at her.

“No, no,” she breathed, finally finding her voice.

“She speaks,” he joked with a jovial smile, showing off the crater he called a dimple on his left cheek.

“I just… I never thought… what are you… what are you doing here?” She asked him, breaking her eyes away for just a moment as she looked around the small coffee house. There weren’t any bodyguards or fans chasing him down. It baffled her for a moment.

“Louis… he bought a flat here. I came to stay for a while. I was just out… you know… just savoring New York,” he said, keeping that smile on his face.

“And you ended up in lower Manhattan?” She choked out.

“I was just exploring,” Harry said, shrugging passively.

Nora heard a little while back that One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus. Only after Zayn left the band to pursue other musical interests. But that wasn’t actually what brought them to their hiatus. They continued on as a four-some for quite some time before going on their much needed break. She knew one of them might end up in New York at some point, but she hoped they’d never run into each other. And even more so, if it were one of them, she hoped it wouldn’t be Harry.

Seeing Harry now after three years was almost paralyzing. Of course she followed his life since she left him. She couldn’t find an excuse not to, even when the pain in her heart was sometimes too unbearable to take. She watched as he dated a gorgeous model and eventually broke her heart when she wanted things he could no longer give her. But she also watched as he dated an up-and-coming singer and was seemingly the perfect boyfriend – a man she wished he was back when she had him. He seemed to have learned from his mistakes and proved her wrong in the end.

He was handsome and successful and sweet and really, any girls dream. The years had been good to him. The unkempt head of hair she remembered was now pulled up into a well-manicured man-bun, and it made him look sophisticated and sexy. He seemed to be even more physically fit than before as his white v-neck proved, hugging him in all the right places, as well as the tight black jeans that clung perfectly to his hips and legs. He was an attractive, attractive man – no longer the boy she knew back then.

She felt so much in those moments as she watched him, cataloging everything about him – his eyes, his smile, the way his face still looked the same, yet older and even more handsome than she remembered.

Nora’s heart flourished in his presence as a memory flooded her mind. It was twenty-sixteen and her parent’s farm, her childhood home, was devastated by Hurricane Matthew. The entire grounds of the farm incurred widespread flooding caused by torrential rain. They lost most of their cattle when the barn collapsed. But what was even worse was the storm took out half of the house – the house she spent all of her formative years in. The family set up a GoFundMe page for her parents to get them back on their feet. And one day an anonymous million dollar donation came through on the page. A million dollars. Nora knew it could have been anyone, but she only knew five multi-millionaires. Even so, she knew exactly who it was. Harry.

“Can we… do you have some place to be? Can we sit down – catch up?” He asked, looking hopeful.

“I, uh… yeah, sure. I’ve got a little time,” she found herself saying before she really even thought it through.

What were they going to talk about? What did they really have to say to each other? But as Harry led her to a table in the corner, she knew there was no place she’d rather be then right there with him. It was so good to see him.

“Wow. I would have never thought…” Harry said, smiling at her as he took another look at her business attire.

“You would have never thought what?” She questioned, smirking at him.

“You’re so… put together. All business,” he replied, continuing to beam at her.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said with a shy smile.

“Please, do. What have you been doing with yourself?” He asked, wide-eyed and truly focused on her.

“Well… I, uh… I work at a trading firm down here,” she explained and his eyes widened in an impressed look.

“Oh, no. It’s nothing big and fancy. I’m an assistant to a very powerful man. Imagine that – me being an assistant,” she said, smiling bashfully as she rambled about her career that paled in comparison to his.

“That’s great, Nora. You look fantastic,” he gushed, his smile truly beaming.

He sure was one to talk. He was absolutely gorgeous. Her stomach turned thinking about all the nights she spent rolling around with him in bed. It felt like a lifetime ago, but being in his presence brought all the intimate memories to the forefront of her mind.

“You don’t look half bad yourself. The years have been good to you,” she countered, smirking slyly at him.

“Yes, because I was so hideous before,” he joked, giving her a wry smile.

“No. Never hideous,” she said quietly, her smile falling from her face as she looked at him.

She shook her head lightly after her eyes washed up and down him again. And she swore she caught the blush that peeked up on his cheeks from her words. It was endearing.

“Uh, how’s life? Do you… are you seeing anyone?” He asked and she was certain he was blushing now.

“No. I, uh… no. I live with a roommate – Valerie. But uh, no boyfriend,” she said, feeling a rising discomfort over the subject.

She’d dated a few guys over the past three years, but nothing really stuck. Her job pretty much took up most of her time and she hadn’t really had the energy to put into a relationship, so she stayed single for the most part.

“I uh, I’m not seeing anyone either,” he said, lowering his vision to the table. This she already knew. But then again, it was easy for her to find out things about him. She had Google for that.

“So, I heard you might be doing some solo work,” she said, determined to break away from the awkward tension.

“Um, it’s not so much solo work as it is writing and producing at this point,” he said, looking a bit uncomfortable, yet excited.

“And deprive the world of your beautiful voice?” Nora quipped, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Ha. Yeah, I suppose at some point I’ll get back into recording,” Harry offered, smiling bashfully at her.

She loved seeing that side of him. She rarely ever got a glimpse of humility in his expression before. It was quite refreshing to see it now.

“And the other guys?” Nora asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“They’re good. All working on their own music,” he told her with a nod of his head.

“Wow. I am so proud of you guys. When I heard indefinite hiatus, I’m not going to lie, I was pretty devastated. But like, I mean, you went non-stop for five years straight, right? How old were you when you started?” Nora asked curiously.

“Sixteen,” Harry said quietly.

“Yeah, wow. I mean, that’s crazy. How does it feel to have a life now?” She asked, smiling widely at him.

“It’s different. A bit lonely,” Harry said, and she swore she saw the most subtle of lifts of his eyebrow at the end of his sentence.

“Well, I’m proud of you… and all the guys. You deserve some time to yourselves after everything you’ve gone through,” Nora continued on, ignoring his last word. Lonely.

“Thank you,” he said, looking rather timid about it. And she made a mental note – a bookmark in time. Harry Styles was never one to get shy before. He was always the one boasting about how good he was, how much better he was. It was a whole new side of him.

“How long have you been working in the trading business?” He asked her, shying himself away from the center of attention and Nora made another mental note.

“Uh, almost two years. Paul actually gave me a really amazing reference. It was a big help in me getting the position,” she told him.

“No way. That’s fantastic. You’re a rock star though. I’m sure you had everything to do with getting hired,” he said, smiling proudly at her.

“I’m the rock star?” She questioned, smirking widely at him.

“Figuratively speaking,” he chuckled.

“I suppose,” she said with a smile, looking down at her watch.

“Shit,” she hissed when she noticed the time.

“What?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowing in question.

“I’ve got to get back. I’m only on my lunch break,” she told him quickly as she stood up from her chair.

“You have to go?” He questioned, looking stunned at her abruptness.

“Unfortunately, I do,” she told him with a sullen frown on her face.

“Okay. Uh, like I said, Nora. You look fantastic,” Harry said, getting up as well.

“Really, so do you,” she said, smiling at him.

“It was so good to see you,” he told her, and she noticed how distressed he looked at the thought of her leaving.

“Likewise,” she said, hoping it wasn’t going to be an awkward goodbye.

Quickly Harry pulled her into a hug and she allowed herself an extra moment or two to really enjoy the feeling of it. Allowing her mind to catalog the intimacy of it all – the way his face burrowed into the nape of her neck, how tightly he wrapped his arms around her, how comforting it was that he still smelled the same after all these years. But most importantly, how warm and content it made her feel. It brought on so many memories and feelings. She wasn’t sure what to think.

“Really, Harry. It was so good to see you. I hope you’re well,” she told him as she pulled away.

“I hope you are as well,” he told her with a small smile. And she realized he was completely disappointed that she was running out on him. But there was no way she could be late. Her boss wouldn’t allow it.

“I’ll see you around, Harry,” she told him as she backed away from him.

“I hope so,” he told her with a small nod of his head.

One more wave and she was gone. Again.

…

It had been four days since she ran into Harry – four days and every day she subconsciously hoped she’d run into him again on that tiny island. But it didn’t happen. She hadn’t felt the same since she saw him. She felt almost hollow, like a part of her was missing.

She didn’t get his phone number. She didn’t have any way of getting in touch with him. She supposed she had desperate ways of finding him – like stalking the internet to see if the fans knew where Louis’ new apartment was. But she knew she would never do that. A part of her wanted to, but she knew she wouldn’t.

When she arrived home from work that Friday, all she wanted to do was forget about all her cares, all her responsibilities. It was a long week and she just wanted to relax and be the young twenty-five year old woman she was.

“Nor?” She heard her roommate’s voice come from the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Nora called out as she sifted through the mail on the dining room table.

“Come to the kitchen!” Valerie shouted.

“Ohh-kay,” Nora said as she headed her way.

When she turned the corner into the kitchen, her eyes immediately fell on the biggest bouquet of red roses she had ever seen in her life.

“What…” She breathed, stopping dead in her tracks.

“They’re for you,” Valerie said as she smiled, leaning against the kitchen counter as she too looked at the monstrosity of flowers.

“Who the hell…” Nora gasped, wide-eyed.

“There’s a note. Or more so a letter,” Valerie said and pointed to the bottom of the bouquet. Nora noticed a reasonably sized white envelope with her name on it taped directly to the vase.

She slowly stepped forward, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she pulled off the envelope. Looking over at Valerie, she shrugged her shoulders and gave her an I-don’t-fucking-know look, before Nora looked down at the letter in her hand.

“Open it,” Valerie urged.

Nora’s fingers almost didn’t want to move. She was so afraid of what the letter might say. She had an idea and she was so afraid because of what she thought it meant.

Finally, her fingers turned the letter over and ripped into it, pulling out a piece of paper. She knew, as soon as she got a better look at the handwriting, it was Harry’s unmistakable scrawl. And it made her stomach lurch.

Nora’s eyes scanned over his words quickly, not registering even one of them as she did. All she felt was fear knowing he was giving her now what he couldn’t back then – flowers and love letters.

She had to take a deep breath before she actually began reading it.

Dear Nora,

I know this may be three years too late at this point, but with everything in me, I want to be the man that can give you everything you want and need. I want to be the one giving you flowers and love letters, because you deserve someone like that. You were right about me all along. I was a boy. I had so much growing up to do and I couldn’t be what you needed. I understand that now. It took me a long time to deal with all my feelings for you and now after seeing you again, I understand that they never left me. I still feel as strongly for you as I did then and I was too stupid to see it until it was too late, until you already gave up. I just hope that now I’m not too late. I hope I can make the last three years up to you. If you’re willing, meet me at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park at 10:00 am on Saturday morning and I will tell you and, more importantly, show you how I feel about you. If you don’t come, I will understand and try to find a way to move on.

Until then, thinking of you,

H. xx

Nora’s tears were blurring her eyes so much that she could barely make out the words at the end. Oh, Harry.

“Who is it from, Nora?” She heard Valerie’s urgent voice. Nora looked up at her as she quickly wiped her eyes.

“Whoa. Are you okay?” She asked, registering her emotion.

“It’s him… he…” Nora stammered.

“Who? Who is he?” Valerie asked confused and Nora was immediately reminded that Valerie had no idea who or what she was talking about.

Nora and Valerie had only been friends for about a year and a half. After Nora left tour three years ago, she didn’t really speak of Harry again. She didn’t tell her friends about the famous pop star she fell in love with or any of the circumstances leading up to it. She kept that part of her life hidden because it was too hard to talk about.

“The one that got away,” Nora breathed, looking down at the letter again.

“What?” Valerie asked wide-eyed.

“Or more so, the one I pushed away,” she said, reading over Harry’s words once again.

“Uh, spill,” Valerie said immediately.

“I don’t usually talk about him,” Nora said quietly.

“Well, he just sent you a massive amount of roses that take up most of our kitchen counter and a letter that has brought you to tears. I need to know about this mystery man,” she demanded, her tone still friendly.

“Just… it’s complicated. And I don’t want you to flip out or think I’m a freak,” Nora told her.

“Why would I do either of those things?” She asked, looking at Nora skeptically.

“Because he’s famous,” Nora admitted, looking up at her again. Valerie’s eyes immediately went wide with her admission.

“Oh my god. Who is he? Brad Pitt? Robert Downey Jr.? Johnny Depp?” She gasped.

“No, none of them. Who do you think I am? A gold digger?” Nora laughed out loud at the older men she decided to guess.

“I like older guys,” Valerie retorted, shrugging her shoulders passively.

“Uh, it’s Harry Styles,” Nora confessed, feeling her stomach lurch.

“What? Like One Direction?” She asked, her eyes still wide and questioning. Nora nodded her head, almost feeling a weight lift off her shoulders now that she was finally talking about him with someone.

“What? Spill. Now,” Valerie stated firmly.

“Three and a half years ago I got a job as their assistant and went on part of their tour with them—” Nora began.

“Was Zayn still in the band?” Valerie interrupted.

“Yeah. Jeez, I didn’t realize you were a boy band fan,” Nora replied, smirking wildly at her.

“I’m a fan of boys,” Valerie countered, causing Nora to laugh.

“Continue,” Valerie said, looking at her contently.

“It was just really complicated. Harry and I started… well, sleeping with each other,” Nora started to explain, her cheeks flushing immediately.

“Ahhh,” Valerie screeched excitedly.

“He was a huge asshole. Like, ugh. He was an ass. But somewhere down the line he changed and things were kind of good with us. And really, I don’t want to get into the details, but after the first leg of tour I left. I quit because my feelings for him changed. I fell in love with him. And I… I think he was in love with me too. But I couldn’t… I just… he wasn’t the person I needed him to be. So I left. And I hadn’t seen him for three years. But I… I saw him on Monday. We ran into each other,” Nora continued to explain.

“You ran into each other?” Valerie gasped.

“Yeah. And we talked for a little bit, but I had to get back to work. And now… well, now you see the end result of our chance encounter…” Nora said, waving her hand at the bouquet of flowers.

“What does the letter say?” Valerie asked, looking at the piece of paper still clutched in Nora’s other hand.

“He wants me to meet him at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park tomorrow morning at ten. And that… that his feelings for me never went away,” Nora told her.

“Oh my god. Are you going to meet him?” She gasped.

“I don’t know,” Nora said quietly.

“You don’t know!?” Valerie gasped loudly.

“Well…” Nora said quietly.

“Holy shit. Oh my god,” Valerie breathed as she began pacing the kitchen floor and ultimately freaking out.

“You promised not to flip out,” Nora reminded her.

“No. I didn’t. Ohmygod,” Valerie argued, shaking her head.

“Harry and I have so much baggage,” Nora stated plainly, trying to talk herself out of the decision she already made to meet him.

“Okay. Let me ask you this. How did you feel when you were together?” Valerie asked, watching her.

“Like shit,” Nora told her truthfully.

“No. When it was just the two of you. When it was you and him, face-to-face. How did you feel? You said you fell in love with him,” she elaborated.

“I felt… I felt like nothing else mattered. But that’s not… that’s not what matters, okay. What matters is how I felt as a whole. And as a whole, I felt like shit,” Nora told her, shaking her head.

“And you don’t think he’s grown up in three years? Didn’t he date that actress chick?” Valerie asked, furrowing her brows in question.

“Yeah,” Nora breathed quietly.

“And you don’t think he grew up at all? You think he’ll be the same?” She pressed.

“No,” Nora admitted quietly.

“No, he didn’t grow up? Or no, you don’t think he’s the same?” She questioned.

“No, I don’t think he’s the same,” Nora told her.

“Then you need to give twenty-seventeen-Harry a shot,” she told her.

“Twenty-seventeen-Harry?” Nora questioned, smirking at her.

“Harry 2.0,” Valerie reiterated, smiling at her. Nora couldn’t help but smile back.

“Tell me you’ll meet him,” Valerie said in almost a pleading tone. Nora took a deep breath and let it out.

“Yeah. I’ll meet him,” she said finally with a nod, looking over at the large display of flowers once again.

He deserved the chance she never gave him.

…

Harry arrived at nine-forty-five at the fountain. Nora had been there since nine-thirty, hidden well underneath one of the archways of the terrace. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a grey t-shirt with a black peacoat over it – his hands pushed deep within the pockets of his jacket. He had black Ray-bans on and his hair was pulled into a bun again, making him look mature for his age. It was a good look for him – a really good look.

Nora watched Harry’s eyes dart around looking at every person around him and every person that passed – the statuesque fountain was already drawing large crowds at such an early hour. He looked nervous, like he would lose his mind if she didn’t show up. A small wave of anxiety blew through her when she thought of actually walking up to him. She was so nervous, because she didn’t know if they were compatible after all these years, or at all. She didn’t know if what they felt for each other back then was going to be enough for the people they were presently. Did he really change? Or was he the same selfish boy she knew back then?

Nora watched as two young girls and their mother approached him. Harry’s wary expression immediately turned up into a wide smile as he looked at the girls. For a second she thought he knew them, but when they turned to take a picture with him, she realized the little girls were fans. Nora watched him hug each of them and talk with them for a few moments, never taking the smile off of his face for one second. And when the girls and their mother walked away, his face once again filled with apprehension. And she felt a pull in her heart to him. He was so sweet and caring to those girls, even when there was a thunderstorm in his heart. In that split second she knew – she knew he changed for the better.

…

Anxious was an understatement. What Harry felt went so far beyond anxious, it wasn’t even funny. What he felt was painful – both physically and emotionally. Nora had to show. She just had to.

He’d never put himself that out there for anyone. He never let himself be that vulnerable with anyone, especially with the opposite sex. This was the epitome of the expression ‘a leap of faith’. He had faith that she’d show up. He just didn’t know if she’d take the same leap he did. He wanted her so badly to put all her faith in him, to realize she changed him so much. She helped him in ways she could only imagine. And he wanted to thank her. He wanted her – all of her. He wanted to show her he could be what she needed. She just needed to show up.

Harry pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the time – 9:57. His stomach turned. Please, please, Nora. He stowed the phone away in his pocket as his vision swept the grounds again, hoping and praying he’d finally see her. His head snapped back to the second archway of the terrace as his eyes registered her face. His heart swelled as he watched her. She looked absolutely stunning walking toward him wearing dark blue jeans with black knee-high boots, and a dark coat over a cream colored striped top.

Harry couldn’t help the riotous feeling inside his stomach and the wide smile that was displayed across his face as she moved closer and closer. She was there. She came for him.

“Harry,” she breathed with a bashful smile.

“Nora. You came,” he cooed, feeling the most joy he had ever felt in his life.

“I did,” she said with a nod, keeping the same bashful smile on her face.

“I… Nora, you have no idea… just…” Harry stammered, stepping forward to pull her into his arms.

They shared a timid hug before they both pulled back and he was able to look into her eyes again. He wanted to wipe away all the awkward feelings and just really get down to the reason they were there.

“Nora, I was so stupid. I want you to know I know that,” he started, shaking his head lightly, thinking back on how he treated her all along.

“Harry, we’re passed that, okay,” she breathed and his eyes snapped back up to look into hers again.

“Your letter… it… I don’t even know what to say,” she said, not giving any emotions away. Harry didn’t know if she was happy or upset over the words he should have said a long time ago.

“Nora, seeing you after so long… it brought it all back. It brought back the pain and the frustration of losing you. But it also brought back everything I felt for you and everything I should have said to you from the beginning. I just… I want a chance to make it up to you. I want to make you happy instead of being a hindrance in your life,” he told her truthfully.

“Harry,” she breathed and he could finally see the emotion on her face. She was nearly in tears.

“Nora…” He said, letting her name fall breathlessly off his tongue as he brought his hands up, gently cradling her face.

“Nora, I love you. And I have for a long, long time. I loved you before I could even admit it to myself. I was so stupid. I should have told you. I should have told you the night before you left. I should have told you,” Harry confessed, feeling the pain in his heart.

Nora just stood there staring into his eyes, her own displaying a look of astonishment. Harry wasn’t quite sure what she was feeling or thinking and it was eating away at him.

“I’m so sorry for everything I did. I just want to make it up to you so badly. Please, Nora. Please tell me you’ll give me another chance,” Harry pleaded with her.

Her eyes darted back and forth between his as his hands finally fell from her face, sliding down her arms before falling to his sides. The anticipation was absolutely killing him. She wasn’t saying anything and it was tearing him apart at the seams.

“Nora. Say something,” he said finally.

Not a split second later, she leaned up pressing her lips firmly to his and his heart exploded with love and happiness inside of him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest as their lips molded with each other’s. Harry was so happy. When they pulled back, they were both breathless and he caught as her shy eyes darted from his.

“Please say something,” Harry whispered.

“It… it took me a long time to admit to myself that I loved you, Harry. You weren’t the only one,” Nora confessed. Harry’s smile widened with her words.

“You love me?” He questioned happily.

“For a long, long time,” she confessed, nodding her head, using his same words.

“Oh, Nora,” Harry cooed, pulling her tightly to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her once again.

“I want to make this work, Nora. I love you,” he breathed into the hair on the top of her head.

“I love you too, Harry,” Nora breathed, gripping her arms tightly around him.

And somehow they both knew they’d be okay. It was their beginning. Their real beginning.

Notes

Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. xo