Fool Me Again | Harry Styles

3 | Mistletoe

Dinner was served shortly in the grand dining room, and the light banter and group conversation eased the tension, so I felt much more relaxed. Of course, everyone still knew that Harry and I had recently broken up, and I caught various casual glances trying to gauge the atmosphere between us, but it was tolerable, since no one would actually bring a touchy subject like that up.

Instead, everyone just shared old holiday tales and new holiday plans. I tried not to seem affected when Harry told everyone that he was flying to England the next day – on Christmas – to visit his family in Holmes Chapel.

He and I had been planning to visit them together, around New Year, and I was surprised to hear that he had moved his flight up. Not that it was any of my business anymore, but it made me feel extremely sad to think about the trip that I had so been looking forward to, that he was now going to take on his own.

When dinner was over, everyone headed back to the lounge for some cocktails, but I hung back to take the dirty dishes to the kitchen. It was instinct, really – I had spent a whole lot of days and nights at Harry’s house the past year, and if I hadn’t made an attempt at cleaning the place every now and then, his gorgeous abode would’ve ended up looking like a hermit’s cave.

“You know you really don’t have to do that.”

I whipped my head up just as I placed a large pile of dirty plates in the sink. Harry was leaning against the kitchen doorway, arms casually crossed over his chest, an amused sparkle in his eyes.

“I have cleaners," he said.

“Oh… You hired people.” I looked down again. “Thank goodness someone’s taking care of the place then.”

“I sort of miss you taking care of it.”

That made my heart jump. I cleared my throat awkwardly, and after a moment I headed for the door. I had to push past Harry to get out, but as I tried, he lightly placed a hand on my shoulder, halting me.

“Can we talk for a moment?” he asked softly. “Now that we’re alone?”

I was afraid my heart might burst out of my chest any moment. We were so close, and he was looking at me with that crease on his brow, and I could smell his aftershave, and for a good five seconds I couldn’t remember that he had ever hurt me.

“Oh my God.”

Both Harry and I turned our heads, startled, and saw Louis standing there. He must’ve been on his way to get something from the kitchen, but stopped in his tracks when he saw me and Harry in such a suspiciously proximate position.

“Is that what’s going on here?” he asked smugly, pointing to something above our heads.

I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. Shit.

Mistletoe. In the freaking kitchen doorway. How had I not seen that before?

I slowly lowered my gaze, only to find Harry already staring at me.

“Why’d you hang mistletoe in your house?” I whispered.

“We don’t have to if you don’t–”

“Nah-ah, the rules are the rules,” Louis said sternly. “Where’s your Christmas spirit? And besides – it looked like you were about to do that anyway.” And then, just like that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving us alone again.

I looked at Harry. He looked relatively calm. I was completely not. I knew I had to move away – yet I couldn’t. I felt frozen to the spot. I shouldn’t even have been contemplating it, but I suddenly realised that after a month of separation, there was nothing in the world that I wanted more than to kiss him.

Even if it was just because of some stupid mistletoe.

He looked at me questioningly, and when I – dumbfounded – showed no signs of response, he slowly took my face in his hands, gently pulled me close, and leaned down to press his lips to mine.

His mouth was soft and warm, and the smell of him was overwhelming, everywhere around me. It was like an electric spark and a tranquilizer running through me at the same time, and I melted into him. I opened my mouth willingly against his – just as I felt him start to pull away.

“No,” I whimpered, grabbing onto his strong arms, keeping him against me. And it only took that single gesture for him to know that he didn’t have to hold back anymore.

He instantly slipped his tongue into my mouth, pushed me back against the doorframe, and slipped one hand around to my back while he kept the other on my cheek.

He kissed me, and kissed me, and I kissed him back, until I was running out of breath and gasping in between, but I didn’t stop. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and pressed my body against his, and inside I could feel dangerous emotion building up, but I tried to ignore it.

My heart was hammering in my chest, my breath was shuddering, and as Harry ran his hands over my body, down to the backs of my thighs, a ball of fire started to grow in the pit of my stomach. He moaned softly, and I whispered his name against his mouth.

We were making up for lost time, and it felt sort of strange and surreal – one moment we’d been awkwardly making small talk, and the next here we were, heavily making out.

Tears had been burning at the backs of my eyes for a while, for a whole bunch of complex reasons – but when Harry suddenly murmured, “I love you,” before moving his lips down to my neck, they finally spilled over and ran down my cheeks.

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe him when he told me he loved me. But if he really loved me, would he have done what he did to me? Would he have broken my heart like that?

Before I could allow myself to get completely sucked in again and lose all my last traces of resolve, I pushed Harry back forcefully, moved out of the doorway, and rushed quickly down the corridor, praying he wouldn’t follow, for he must certainly have been confused.

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Mistletoe and Harry Styles.

Nuff said xD

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