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06. Just tell me what you Think

"God, I don't even know where to begin, Elle." A nervous sigh leaves his lips, as he lets his hand run through his hair.

"Then just... say exactly what you think." My eyes lock with his, a curious look in them. "Remember we used to do that a lot... Ask each other what we were thinking. And we'd always answer truthfully. So, what are you thinking right now Harry?"

A soft smile forms on his lips, as he hears me mentioning our shared past. I watch as he nervously plays with his fingers, his mouth opening to start talking.

"I'm thinking about how grateful I am to have you sitting right next to me. To get another chance at having you in my life."

I can't help but smile at his comment. Now that I have him sitting right next to me, I realize that I am beyond happy to have another chance at having him in my life as well.

"What happened back then, is a lot to explain. And I don't know if you will understand all of it. But I hope you do." He sighs before he starts to explain. "When I met you I was at a complicated point in my life. And you saw me how I really was. You saw me. The real me. And you liked me. The real me."

"What do you mean by that?"

His laugh fills up the room. "You still don't know? I thought Sarah might've told you, but –"

"Told me what?"

Harry laughs, his head shaking from side to side, while I could do is wonder what was so funny.

"Do you not read any newspapers or magazines at all, Elle?"

"Uhm, noo?" What kind of question is that supposed to be?

My eyebrows furrow together as I try and think about what he was going to tell me.

"When I first met you, I was in a band called One Direction." He pauses for a second, waiting for my reaction. I have heard of them. But I never truly knew who each of the members was. "We won a talent competition when I was 16 years old, and pretty much got famous overnight. Suddenly instead of going to school, we went on tour. Only that the tours didn't stop. We pretty much spent 4 years on the road. And at one point it started to take a toll on you."

My heart drops, once he pauses for a second. How could I not know about this? I feel stupid. Stupid for having been so mad at him and stupid for literally starting to work in the music industry and not knowing about this. I couldn't even imagine what that must've been like. And I can't believe he never told me.

"Then in 2015, I came to Australia. I came about a month earlier, to explore the country and just enjoy my time before the tour started. The only difference was, that this was going to be our last tour. After that one, we went on a hiatus in 2016. And now every one of us is focusing on a solo career. So much, for the background information. I hope you are not too confused."

"No, no, god no Harry. It's just- well it's a lot to understand and digest. I mean I never even knew all this." I swallow hard as I ask him what's been on my mind ever since he started talking. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, that's the whole point. Everyone I met, everyone I knew, only liked me for my name. They liked me because I was Harry Styles, the guy from One Direction. You meet a lot of people who only see a kind of – media perception of you. They know my name but not the person behind the name. And then I met you- and you well, kind of blew me away." A smile forms on his lips, his dimples showing ever so prominent. I feel the hotness creep up my cheek at his sudden compliment. "When I first talked to you I was scared that maybe you knew who I was, and you were just really good at lying. Until I got to know you better and I realized that-" He stops talking, his eyes locking with mine.