What Goes Around... || H.S. Harry Styles

3.

It's been a week since Tash attempted to build the chair that still sits in pieces on the floor of her workspace. It took three days for her to stop rolling her eyes at its half built form, splayed out still partially in its box, every time she went up there, dragging a stool from her kitchen table up the tiny ladder stair so she could work.

She had got a lot done today, despite her back hurting a little from sitting on a metal stool all day but she was feeling like she was finally starting to get back on track with her work and maybe, if the stars aligned, her life as well.

When her phone buzzed she didn't hesitate in responding 'yes' to her friend Alice, a girl she met at her yoga class who text her to suggest going out for a drink tonight.

*Excellent! Meet you at a bar called Tribute, just a couple of blocks from you, it's Jamie's friends place... He's cute.*

She rolls her eyes playfully at her friends message, her and her boyfriend Jamie had tried unsuccessfully to set Tash up a number of times, each date a little worse than the last until she had completely given up on meeting Mr Right or even Mr Right Now, this way.

Tash lightly curls her hair, she likes when it looks like it is half done, a little messy but not completely unruly, "a perfect representation of my life", she thinks as she exhales a laugh and throws on a pair of skinny jeans and boots with a silk lace camisole and thick, chunky cardigan that looks at least two sizes too big for her.  She layers a stack of rings on her fingers and chains around her neck and looks in the mirror. 

She imagines what the guy Alice was talking about would be like and debates taking off her jewellery, and replacing her knit for a leather jacket but shakes her head at her reflection. "This is me," she says acceptingly of herself, a small pocket of doubt causing her to wonder if anyone else was ever going to accept that as well.

Harry sees Jamie's grin before he meets his eyes and is already shaking his head as he pours a customer a beer.

"No." Harry says firmly as Jamie sits down on a barstool opposite where he stands.

"Mate, I swear you're gonna like this one, but..." Jamie starts causing Harry to groan, "you can't mess her round, she's had a bad run and I promised Alice you wouldn't," he says matter of factly as Harry shakes his head.

"I'm not looking for anything serious Jamie, you know that!" He explains for what feels like the hundredth time since he met him four years ago. 

He and Jamie used to be the same, both playing around, going to bars and clubs together and laughing about their sexual adventures or misadventures over a greasy meal every Sunday.   But slowly Jamie started getting tired of the same old thing, day in day out, and when he met Alice he fell hard.  Luckily for Harry he actually really enjoyed Alice's company and although she was constantly telling him the right girl would come along, she accepted him for who he was and what he had been through. She actually reminded him a lot of Nat which he would never admit to either of them and he found a strange amount of comfort in that.

"Harry, you've been saying that same line for years, maybe it's time to see what's out there?" He tried to reason but Harry knew what was out there, and he knew she wasn't here because of him.

"Just keep an open mind, is all I'm asking.  She's not your usual type but just.. be open, please. She'll be here with Alice later." He smirks as Harry sighs and passes his friend a beer.  Jamie had no idea why Harry's "type" was what it was or that Harry wasn't open, he was never going to be and he was fine with that. He had to live with it because he had done it to himself.  Being closed is his penance.

-

Harry doesn't even see them walk in, the bar isn't overly busy tonight but he all of a sudden had a million things to do.

"I know what you're fucking doing!" Jamie announces from the doorway of the back office Harry was sitting in, feeling the urge to sort out some paperwork. "Just meet her, if you're not into her, don't worry about it," he reasons, starting to get a little frustrated at his friend.  Harry was always easy going and carefree, he never got overly stressed even when things went horribly wrong at the bar and Jamie envied that nonchalance attitude.  When it came to women however, Harry was shut off and uptight, he acted as if it were a punishment and Jamie in the past had questioned his sexuality, trying to search for the answer as to why he would be so negative towards beautiful women.  The conclusion was always the same.

Harry pulls the beanie from his head and runs a hand through his curls, they are longer than they had ever been, falling in waves below his ear.

"Fine, but you're wasting your time," he grumbles pulling his beanie back on and feeling Jamie's hand on his chest as he tries to walk past.

"Mate, I know what happened with you and your girl in high school really messed you up, but she's not here and it's been seven years. You deserve to be happy now." Jamie says sincerely but Harry doesn't believe a word of it. She deserves happiness, not him.

"Yep, 'kay," he mumbled really not wanting to talk about her anymore.

Tash and Alice are sitting at a quiet table in the back, laughing about a girl in their yoga class breathing unnecessarily loud as Jamie leads Harry in their direction.  Tash's back is towards them as they approach and Harry's steps are lazy and reluctant, he wants to just meet his girl, make polite conversation and get back to work, or even just go home, now not in the mood to deal with his customers or staff. 

Harry's brows furrow as he takes in Tash's form, toned arms resting casually on the table, wavy chestnut hair that is balayage dyed slightly lighter at the ends and her delicate fingers covered in fine rings. He can't tell for sure, but she kind of looks like the girl he asked his barman about the other day.

"Harry, this is Tash Simms," he hears Jamie speak but his mind is catapulted into space as the girl in front of him turns around.  Her smile that seems to drop a little when she notices him, a cluster of fine chains hanging at different lengths from her neck, the thin silk straps of her camisole digging a little into her flawless skin, the most beautiful face he's ever seen and eyes with the depth of the Pacific Ocean that are watching him intently and he knows instantly, he's in big trouble.

Tash is as silent as Harry, his pink pouty lips and emerald green eyes pulling her into a sinkhole so deep she can't get out, she looks at his perfect mouth, strong jaw and adorable curls sticking out of his beanie. She can see the abundance of ink on his body, down his arms and on his chest through his worn white t-shirt,  a harsh contradiction to his incredibly sweet face that is easily the most handsome she has ever seen and she knows instantly, she's in big trouble.

Harry vaguely remembers Jamie saying a name he doesn't recognise and tears his eyes away from her to search Jamie's face, as if a little more time will clear the fog in his brain and make everything crystal clear.

"This is Tasha," Jamie says again, a little slower, glancing quickly at his girlfriend who has never seen Harry this unsure of himself as they both wonder if this was a terrible idea.  

"It's nice to meet you, Harry," Tash croaks, her face serious as if she's trying to decipher his thoughts.

"Nice to meet you... Tasha," he gets out, his mind finally catching up to his mouth.

A/N:

Double post because I wanted them to finally meet!

When Harry Met Tash! 

Are we all into it??

Can't wait for you to find out more about these two!

Love Ruby

xx