Falling for Harry Styles

Chapter 58

The bakery was buzzing with life in the mid-afternoon hour. The speakers were blaring some up-beat almost techno-like music as I sipped at my coffee and looked around at the different types of people. Gemma and Perrie were immersed in a conversation, of which the topic didn’t interest me. My eyes scanned over to the table I sat at the first day I came in to this quaint little place. A small involuntary smile graced my lips as the memories flooded in.

“What’s that look for?” Perrie caught my attention and my eyes snapped to her smirking face. I shook my head in dismissal trying to fight the larger smile trying to break through. “Oh don’t give me that. That was a something smile.”

“C’mon, spill Natalie. You know we’ll get it out of you,” Gemma chimed in.

“Fine,” I huffed out in a chuckle with a playful eye roll. “This happens to be where we met.” They gave me looks, bidding me to continue. “Harry and I. He was here with the guys, sitting right over there,” I pointed to a large round table in the corner. “I came in with me mum the day we moved here. This was the final destination of our ‘exploring’. We sat right there,” I pointed again, indicating a smaller square table a fair distance away. “Me mum had gone to the toilet and he walked over and introduced himself to me. He was very gentlemanly when my mum came back and we literally sat there and talked for hours. She teased me when I went back home that night,” I smiled fondly at the memory.

“How cute.” I looked up expecting teasing smiles and was pleasantly surprised by the genuine ones I received.

“Like I said, I’m glad he has you.” Gemma took a deep, looking like she was contemplating to herself, before she continued. “I see the way he looks at you, like you’re the center of his universe. He hasn’t looked at anyone else like that before. His love life has always been… rocky. His relationships never really lasted and they were always physical. I was always afraid that the girls were only in it for the shag and he had his heart broken a lot when they walked away afterwards. He’s never really had a stable girlfriend.” Her eyes met mine then and they were sullen and nearly pleading with her next statement. She almost whispered the words “Please, don’t hurt him.”

I shook my head as I gave her a serious look in return, “I couldn’t. He’s been my rock for quite a while, especially over the last few months. I love him, more than I have ever loved anyone. I plan on keeping him around,” I smiled to lighten the mood with my playful statement.

“Alright, enough of the heavy stuff. Gemma where were you for dinner the other night?”

“Oh I went out with some old friends who came here for Uni. That was the only night they had free,” she shrugged.

“When are you heading home?”

“Tomorrow; I’m sure these two will be happy to be rid of me,” she gestured to me with a light smile.

“Oh hush up. You know we love having you,” I teased back.

“I know,” she smiled, looking much like Harry in that moment.

We sat around and talked for hours more, enjoying each other’s company. We discussed wedding details and plans for when the boys were on tour. I still kept my thought of going on tour with them to myself; I hadn’t quite made a decision yet. Eventually we said our goodbyes and headed off.