salute [h.s]

was i supposed to tell the PM to shove off?

december 24 - making a childhood holiday wish come true

1D Fanfic/Salute Extra

Harry/Piper (with a bit of Louis/Eleanor)

*

"Are you really not going to tell me where we're going?"

Harry took his eyes from the road for a moment to give Piper a sneaky little smile, full of hidden meaning and veiled intent. He had been tight lipped since he had arrived at her flat, forcing her to leave behind her book and get in the shower. She got out, scrubbed clean, to find the most gorgeous dress she'd ever seen hanging on the front of the open bathroom door. Long and sleek, it was a rich navy blue that fit her figure, with a boatneck collar and long sleeves. It was gorgeous and, checking the tag, it was also expensive.

He wouldn't tell her what it was for, just that she had thirty minutes to get into it and get her hair sorted or they were going to be late. Late for what? He wouldn't say. While she got ready, she would ask questions every so often that he would neglect to answer. He busied himself making cheese toasties which they then ate standing in the bathroom, Piper's hair half pinned so she could blow dry it. It must have looked absolutely ridiculous. Harry was already dressed in his suit, a polished navy number with a double-breasted jacket and trousers that were impeccably tailored. His hair was swept off to one side, the curls resting comfortably on his shoulders. Watching him eat a cheese toastie was like watching Prince William eat a cheese toastie if ever a thing were to happen.

Harry zipped her into her dress fifteen minutes later, his knuckles grazing her bare back in a way that sent shivers straight down her spine. They were standing in front of the floor length mirror on the back of her closet so she could watch as his eyes drifted up and down her image, hovering appreciatively where the dress curved over her hips or rested just on the edge of her shoulders. With her hair pulled into an elegant chignon, her neck was exposed and it didn't take long for Harry's lips to end up there. "Watch it," she said warningly before he had the urge to bruise her skin like he usually did. "I don't know where we're going but judging by this dress, it's not somewhere that would take too kindly to fresh love bites."

Harry groaned but couldn't disagree so he detached himself from her and waited while she collected her shoes and a clutch. Waiting downstairs in the garage was the Aston Martin. It took some creative maneuvering to get into it wearing that dress but with Harry's help (a lot of Harry's help) they managed.

Piper had been watching the streets carefully as they drove, trying to figure out where they could possibly be going. A fancy restaurant perhaps? A work gala that Harry had to attend? A million things raced through her mind, some of them feasible, some of them definitely not. None of them were anything close to what the special surprise turned out to be.

Her eyes widened as they pulled into a valet line in front of the London Coliseum. Ahead of them, people were stepping out of cars, dressed in gowns and suits. They all looked very rich and important. She had a moment where she looked at her reflection in the side mirror and wondered if she could pass as one of them. She decided no.

Immediately the anxiety set in which was so stupid because Piper knew, she knew, that these people weren't inherently better than her, that they weren't out of her league, that she wasn't less in comparison. It didn't stop the way her stomach clenched and it felt like her feet were so heavy she couldn't move. She didn't want to get out of the car. She didn't want people to see her. She didn't want to be standing next to the perfection that was Harry Styles and feel like she was just the small little girl he was toting along out of pity. And it was just so stupid. Her brain was her worst enemy because her heart knew that Harry cared for her and liked her and that he would never in a million years have those sorts of thoughts. But her head was looking at all the fancy women and polished men and bombarding her with thoughts of wrong, misfit, unworthy, outcast and it was very hard to drown them out.