The Lyre: Harry Styles Fanfiction

You And I

(Harry)

I walked into the kitchen to find Olivia and Lydia eating pineapple and blueberries.
No one else.

"Good morning", they said almost in unison.
"Morning", was all I croaked out through my morning voice.

Olivia didn't look up from her fruit, "Coffee's on the counter and we've made sort of a mini buffet over there", she pointed to some platters on the stove.

I grabbed a biscuit and asked, "Has anyone been here or come over this morning?"

Olivia paused from putting a piece of pineapple in her mouth, "No", then took a bite.
"Mm", was all I voiced. I leaned against the countertop and started eating some scrambled eggs, grateful that she didn't enquire. Olivia was always good that way. She knew when to give someone space.

After a few minutes of eating and talking, I thanked them for breakfast and stepped out onto the back patio, walked down to the beach and looked over to Tom's neighbor's house.
Across from it, a guy was standing on the shore, letting the waves splash over his feet.

I walked closer to him.
"Hey", I yelled over the waves. He turned his head and answered back, "Hey"

"Do you know who lives there?", I pointed at the gigantic house, all white except for the black accents around the windows.

"Yeah. It's mine" he said, watching me.

"Oh, hey, man, I'm a friend of Tom's, your neighbor right there", I thumbed toward his place, "I'm Harry", I held out my hand.

"Oh, yeah, okay", he replied and politely shook it, "Zayn"

"Good to meet you", I said with a smile.
"Yeah, uh, I've owned it for about a year now, but still haven't gotten around to meeting the neighbors", he said, turning to look at the houses, "Kaly, my fiancé, she's much better about that kind of stuff", he said with a shrug.

"Well I hope we didn't bother you last night, we were up pretty late"
"Oh, nah, man, I wasn't even here. I stay at my house in the city a lot. No worries"

"Oh, good", I smiled again, "So, ah...can I ask, I met a friend of yours last night at Tom's party, her name's Lila? She said she was staying at her friend's house", I gestured once again to his house, "your house, I now know", I said and searched his face.

His body was facing the ocean, but he now turned, fully facing me.
"Lila?", I saw his guard go up,
which I understood.

I'm a stranger, he shouldn't trust me, I get being protective of your friends.

"Yeah, she's been a very close friend of mine for a long time.", he said very flatly.

"I get it, man, you don't know me, you should be hesitant, I respect that", I said quickly, trying to get him to see that I'm not some creep.

He stood there, studying me once again.
"I just thought she was really cool", I said, trying to fill the awkward lack of his response, " And it doesn't hurt that she's drop dead absolutely gorgeous", I added with a smile.

At that, Zayn half smiled and shook his head, like he's heard that a billion times about his friend, which I was sure he had.

"I didn't know she was going to come stay over here last night", he smiled, "So she made her way over to the party, huh", he smiled like he wasn't surprised by her just showing up at his place and just letting herself in OR her letting herself into a stranger's house to their party.

"Yeah, I-I...is she....can I ask you, is she seeing anyone or...", I raked my fingers through my hair, fidgeting, "....I mean, she told me that she doesn't date, but I was just wondering if she was trying to brush me off politely".