Reign || Harry Styles

09: Inhale // Exhale

Harry's stomach seemed to brawl at the sound of her voice saying his name. It felt almost too good, too melodious in the complex labyrinth of his ears.

She indeed, remembered him.

"You remembered my name," Harry stated bluntly, smiling to mask his bewilderment by the fact that

   she

      remembered

         him.

Jean let out a small, amused chuckle. "How could I forget those profound chartreuse green eyes?" she spoke, the last few words descending into a whisper.

"Didn't know these mundane pair of eyes made such an everlasting impression on you," Harry replied, the traces of his words released into the air like puffs of smoke that hovered around them.

Jean wasn't taken aback by his remark. Instead, her gaze burned into the cornea of his eyes, the fire so violent and intense. She was doing that thing again where she scoured into the window of his soul, searching for something that Harry couldn't quite put his finger on.

Zayn was even more bewildered when the two pair of eyes didn't peel themselves off of each other. He sensed a frigid tension in the air, a result of the cold, silent atmosphere between the two individuals. Scratching the nape of his neck, Zayn spun his brain to come up with something to break the ice.

"So . . . uh, the first photoshoot's gonna be, like, in the pool. Yeah?" he trailed, his coffee-coloured eyes focusing on Jean while watching Harry's clenched jaw from his peripheral vision.

Jean swiftly tore her eyes off of Harry's and smiled sweetly at Zayn. "Of course," she spoke, her voice as silky as satin sheets. "Shall we get started, then, Mr. Styles?"

She then walked pass Harry with that regal strut of hers. There was no silk robe swaying as she moved, but it was still extremely gracious how she walked. Such confidence, such poise, such epitome of faultlessness.

Just seeing her walk over to the pool, was enough to spark the fire in Harry's chest.

She was so impeccable, beautiful in all her alluringly wicked ways.

And Harry wanted her. Right there. At that precise moment.

There was an urge welling from inside of him.

The urge to push her against the wall, stripped off of any pieces of clothing, feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest under the pressure of his body as the smell of her perfume intoxicated his brain. And Harry wanted her. Right there. At that very precise moment.

But no, he couldn't. Harry was bound to someone else.

     Harry didn't care.

Harry loved Elsie.

     Harry wanted her.

Harry told himself that Elsie was the only thing that mattered.

     Harry told himself to pull out the stick that was too far up his ass.

Elsie was selfless.

     Jean was breath-taking.

It seemed like all the forces in this world were telling Harry to leave Elsie and chase after Jean. Because almost everything about Jean was so much better, more riveting than Elsie could ever be.

Jean was

   intoxicating,

      intriguing,