Fallen

Chapter 1 - (October Nights)

The icy wind hit the exposed skin on Autumn's face and neck, sending chills down her spine and her hair whipping about in a tangled mess. She tried to tuck it behind her ears to settle it, but soon gave up and let it fly aimlessly around her head. Trying to keep warm against the chilly October air, she bounced both of her knees up and down, feeling the backs of her jean-clad thighs rise up and then hit the hard wood of the bench she sat on over and over as she did so.

She shivered again and looked around, at least as much as she could through the whirlwind of her hair. People walked past her on the sidewalk in sporadic bursts, some chatting animatedly with each other in groups, some holding hands and talking quietly, some walking solo, the collars of their coats up to brace themselves against the biting wind and their heads tilted down. No one hardly spared a glance towards the old park, nestled in the midst of the London streets. It had always seemed a bit oddly placed, but lay perfectly equidistant between both of their apartments, making it the perfect place to meet.

A sigh fell from her lips; well, at least it was perfect whenever he decided to show up on time, which in this case was twenty minutes ago. It was starting to really get cold, and not to mention a tad bit creepy as the sun began to set. Maybe she could head over to that coffee shop down the street and wait inste-

"Boo!"

Autumn involuntarily yelped as someone pushed against her shoulders. While her heart attempted to restart itself from the scare, a familiar laugh sounded from behind her.

"Styles!" she scolded, turning around to hit him on the stomach. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"I know!" he laughed. She glared up at him, and he sighed and ruffled her already messed-up hair, smiling. "Aw, come on, you looked so nervous already; I couldn't help it!"

"Well I wouldn't have looked so nervous if you had shown up on time!" Her fingers combed through her hair, and she stood up to turn and face him, unable to keep a smile from itching onto her lips.

"You can't stay mad at meeee," he cooed, pulling her into a hug.

"Ugh," she groaned. But, sighing, she finally wrapped her arms around him, too.

"Knew it," he chuckled.

"I'm only hugging you because I'm cold," she protested, her voice muffled by his coat. She pulled back and looked up at him, one eyebrow raised over his soft green eyes.

"Mhmm," he nodded sarcastically. She hit him in the stomach again, eliciting another laugh from him in response. "Alright then, let's head over to your place."

"My place?" she exclaimed, dropping her arms from around him. "You made me wait out in the cold for you just so we could go back to my place?? I could've just stayed there!"

"Well I wasn't sure!" he defended. "Besides, I was only late because I was with Claire."

Autumn rolled her eyes and started walking down the sidewalk in an attempt to hide the disgusted look on her face.

"Autumn," Harry sighed before catching up to her. She didn't answer, but it was hard to ignore the feeling of his gaze burning into the side of her face. "Seriously," he started. "Why don't you like her?"

"I never said that," she mumbled, keeping her gaze forward.

His gaze fixed on her again, and she finally gave in and turned to look at him; he obviously didn't believe her.

"You're a horrible liar."

She held her ground for another minute, then finally sighed and looked to her feet, concentrating on the motion on stepping one foot in front of the other. "I don't know," she shrugged. "She's just... she's just not you, Harry."