Harry's POV:
My eyes adjusted to the light cascading from the window to my left and I felt a certain heaviness overwhelm me as I began to wake. My hands tightened around a familiar waist when I realized Charlotte was laying against my chest, her hair splayed all around her. Her even breaths chilled me as they hit my bare torso and I wondered if she had any idea how much of an effect she'd had on me.
As if on cue, I could feel her breath shallowing as she started to stir.
"Good morning sunshine," I breathed out, running a hand lazily through her hair.
"Geez, do you always wake up at the ass crack of dawn?" she remarked, the morning not being kind to her.
"It's nearly 9," I replied, glancing over to the digital clock on my right.
"Exactly my point," she huffed, slowly dragging herself to sit up. Before she could go anywhere, I was pulling her onto my lap.
"Not a morning person, no?" I asked, pulling her head to rest on my chest, secretly wishing we could just fall back asleep like this.
"You should know me well enough to know that by now," she mumbled against my skin. Sometimes it took everything I had in me to remind myself that this was real. That she was real and this wasn't just all a dream.
"I know, I just like giving you a hard time," I chuckled as she pressed lazy kisses against my neck. Quickly, I was craning my neck and looking up at the ceiling to give her more access. I nearly winced at her absence when she pulled away to mumble again.
"I haven't even brushed my teeth yet and I'm kissing you," she chuckled. "You don't know what you do to me, Styles." Before I even had time to process what I was doing, my hands were reaching to cup her face and pulling her up to meet my gaze.
"Do I look like I fucking care? Kiss me," I huffed, itching to feel her lips against mine. Thankfully, she'd obliged without so much as a word and I wondered how someone's morning breath could be such a comforting taste. Her hands were needy as I tugged on her bottom lip with my teeth, reaching behind my neck to grab my hair and trying to pull me as close to her as she possibly could.
Moments like these made me wish that everything else in the world could just disappear, leaving only us. I dreaded the thought of anything breaking our current touch and pulling her away from me.
"Harry..." she spoke breathily against my lips, one of her hands making their way against my chest. "It's early and I'm sure you have things to do today..." I ignored her excuses and continued with my lips against hers, my tongue running across her bottom lip just as she parted them for me.
"We shouldn't get all worked up..." she continued, her hips beginning to rock against mine, sending a wave of electricity through my body. She could barely carry out a full sentence and I felt satisfied at the fact that she was just as affected by this as I was.
"If I remember correctly, you started this," I huffed, pulling away to meet her stare. Her eyes flitted from mine to my lips and I already knew how this would be ending.
"Yeah, and now I'm starting to think maybe you should finish it," she remarked, her body shifting on top of mine so suddenly that I hadn't had time to stifle the low moan that was escaping me.
"Only if you're good for me," I'd whispered, leaning down to graze her ear with my teeth, taking notice of the goosebumps that were now littering her neck and shoulder.
"I- I'll be good, I promise," was all she could breathe before I was throwing her over my shoulder, despite her protests, and carrying her to the shower.
--
After our "shower," which didn't consist of much showering, Charlotte and I had made our way back to my bed where she laid against my chest much like she had earlier this morning when we'd woken up.
I was so thankful that Charlotte had been up for some experimenting in bed, because after the first time I'd tasted her, I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep calm around her. I needed control in those situations, but I knew how much she'd valued being the one in control.
However, her love for surprises didn't go unnoticed by me, and that was a situation where she definitely didn't have control. I was hoping that she'd enjoy letting go for a bit, and after the first night when we tried it, I knew I was right.
She'd had absolutely no problem allowing me to have all of the control; she was almost relieved to give it up, and I relished every moment of it. I loved being the reason she was feeling nothing other than pure ecstasy, the reason she forgot about all of her worries and only experienced pure bliss.
My thoughts were interrupted as Charlotte lifted her head, my chest instantly chilling at the loss of contact.
"Do you have anything to do today?" She asked. It was Sunday and I didn't have plans, but I was desperately wishing she would come clean about knowing how to play piano. With the revelation last night, I'd wondered if maybe she was keeping other things from me as well for fear that I might find out and ask her to be in the band.
Which was my goal, after all. If we needed a keyboardist and one was standing right in front of me, who would I be to pass up that offer?
"Not really, I really need to figure out that piece before rehearsal tomorrow night since we don't have a keyboardist..." I dramatically huffed, hoping she remembered what'd happened last night.
"Do you think smoking is gross?" she blurted, trying to change the subject and inadvertently answering my internal question. I think she liked having secrets to herself because it made her feel more in control.
"No, I thought I answered that last night," I replied.
"Well I want you to know that it's not something I do often... Just when I'm stressed, okay?" she continued, worry washing over her face.
"Charlotte, it honestly doesn't bother me. But now you've gotta tell me why you're stressed," I remarked. I couldn't dismiss the annoying feeling of knowing she was upset about something and wouldn't tell me.
"It's nothing, just my usual state, ya know. Just a little worse than usual," she continued, a deep ache forming in my stomach, a need to fix it.
"Well, maybe I could take your mind off of it. I've been working on some chords that I think you might like and I wanna try something," I replied, desperately hoping she'd agree.
"Okay, but can we run to my apartment real quick? Need to grab a few things," she spoke, chewing the side of her cheek between sentences, not at all helping my worry over her.
"Sure, but you better make it quick," I laughed as we both made our way off of the bed.
Let me take it from you. Stop worrying.
My thoughts were starting to get the better of me. I needed to either get her to stop stressing or figure out how to stop feeling like it was my job. I had a feeling neither would happen.
We made the quick trip to her apartment, my stomach fluttering with a bit of anxiety as I worried about showing her the song when we got back to mine. I watched as she tried to be inconspicuous as she grabbed the pack of unopened cigarettes from her nightstand and shoved them in the pocket of her sweatshirt.
I found it funny that she was so embarrassed about it, when she had no clue that I'd also had my bouts with a nicotine addiction at times. I would tell her, but if she could have her secrets, so could I.
I found myself looking at her painting that I'd seen last time I was here. The one where she'd painted herself falling into the abyss - falling. The one I hadn't stopped thinking about since I'd first seen it.
"Can I touch it?" I hesitated before reaching after she'd given me a small nod. I turned the canvas over, seeing small words scribbled on the back. A poem.
"You wrote this?" I asked, a bit nervous that it was something I wasn't supposed to see.
"Yeah, sometimes I like to add poetry to a piece after I've painted it," she breathed, the honestly spilling out of her without a second thought. "It's usually terrible, though, so I write it where only I can see."
"Not good? Now that's a lie," I remarked, running my fingers over the words.
"Yeah , yeah," she responded before resuming her previous tasks at hand.
She also took time to stuff some clothes in a bag and water her plants, and I tried to hide my excitement with the fact that she'd decided to stay a few more days with me. I helped her with her bags as we walked toward the car after she'd locked up.
"You know you can have one before we go," I shrugged, nodding my head toward her pocket. "I promise it doesn't bother me," I chuckled. It was so funny to see her embarrassed.
"Are you sure? Most people can't stand the smell and-"
"You do realize I grew up in England, yeah?" I interrupted her. "I'd had my first cigarette before I'd kissed a girl properly. I swear it's not a big deal." I continued, hoping she'd get the picture. I heard her let out a sigh of relief before she was digging it out of her pocket as I placed her bags in the backseat.
She'd lit the cigarette and now had it perched between those pretty lips that I couldn't seem to get off my mind when I leaned next to her on the hood of the car.
"I should've figured you've had a smoke before," she chuckled, already loosening up.
"Yeah, well I wasn't really trying to let that one slip, but you were so fucking worried of what I'd think. Figured if you could have your secrets, I could mine too," I continued, my voice growing quieter the longer I talked, wishing I'd kept that part to myself.
"It's not a secret, it's..." she quietly responded. "It's just something that I don't want anyone to know," she continued.
"You do know what a secret is, right?" I laughed in response, hoping to lighten her mood, mentally kicking myself over the fact that I might be causing her worry.
"You know what I mean!" she howled, smacking me on the arm. "I don't want everyone pestering me about it or trying to get me to do something that I really don't want to do," she continued, now serious again.
"Well I won't tell anyone if you won't," I replied, watching as she squatted to put out her cigarette and walked over to the passenger door.
"We'll see," was the only response I could manage to get from her before we were making our way back to mine.
--
"Okay, don't judge me if it's not that good, first of all." My guitar was perched on my lap, my hands running over the strings as Charlotte and I shared a worried look, both for different reasons. I'd had a tune stuck in my head, but couldn't put words or even a melody to it.
"Here's all I want," I continued. "I'm gonna play and you just hum along. I can't find a melody or words and I really need help. I know you can do it," I reassured her, praying she would agree.
"Harry... it's not going to be good- I mean I'm not going to be good. You'd be better asking-"
"I'm asking you. Please. I know you write poems and they're not that different from lyrics. But if you just want to hum, that's fine. I'll figure out the rest, just try. Please?" I asked again. God, please just say yes, Charlotte.
"Okay... Let's hear it," she said hesitantly. There was no hiding my smile as it spread across my face.
"Okay, here goes nothing," I muttered before placing my fingers in the familiar position as I'd been doing all week when we weren't together.
As I played, I could see her bobbing her head along to the beat, her eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated. I played it the entire way through and she'd still yet to make even a noise. As I finished playing, she was already opening her mouth to speak.
"Again." Her voice was stern and adamant, a firm crease forming on her forehead and I obeyed.
As I played the first few chords, she took a moment to warn me that I couldn't judge her and most certainly couldn't look at her. Another plea that I understood as a command, not daring to go against her.
She took a shaky breath before beginning to sing.
"I'm no good at swimming, I got no use for diving. Even in a scuba suit I'd still feel like I'm dying... I don't need to look for buried treasure on an island, I have you. 'Cause you're my jewel..."
The words were breathtaking, and it was becoming hard to keep my eyes off of her, her voice echoing through the room and in my ears.
"So call the search off, I didn't think I'd find you. Looked for every message in a bottle and caught lightning. I never have to go too far without feeling the light that comes from you. 'Cause you're my jewel..."
Her voice was angelic, and I wondered how she could think any differently. I felt like I was swimming in her deafening voice when she scared me by making a quick warning as I approached the chorus of the song.
"I don't have words yet, but I think this should be the melody..."
Quickly after, her voice was humming through the room once again, leaving my skin covered and goosebumps and my eyes pricking with tears that I quickly blinked away, praying she wouldn't notice. As she hummed, the sound of a rooster emerged from the backyard and we both glanced, wondering why a rooster would crow in the middle of the day.
She sang through the next verse, making me chuckle with the relevance of the lyrics.
"There's a rooster in the yard behind us, crowing at all hours of the day - he must be blind but he only has to get it right just once like I got it right with you. 'Cause you're my jewel..."
I'd stolen a quick peek as I noticed her shaking her head at the words that were flowing from her mouth, noticing her bright smile and flushed cheeks. Quickly she was humming through the chorus as the bridge approached and I wondered how many poetic lyrics she could come up with before I died right on the spot.
"Emeralds and rubies - they all mean nothing to me. The only pearls that drew me were your eyes..."
From my peripheral I could see her head dip upwards, her stare ever present on me, although I dared not to meet her gaze as she'd asked me not to.
"When they looked right through me, it shook me and it moved me. Something in my heart then crystalized... Crystalized..."
I knew she was singing to me and I wanted nothing more than to throw the guitar across the room across the room and have her in my arms, but inspiration struck me with lyrics for the chorus so I played on. As she finished the bridge, I interrupted her bliss.
"I think I may have some lyrics for the chorus, is that alright?" I spoke, still not daring to look in her direction, but I noticed the nod of her head out the corner of my eye.
"Diamonds are forever, but I've got something better. Yes I do..."
The words left my lips before I'd even decided on them and I came to the conclusion that writing a song with her was the closest to heaven I'd ever get.
"All the precious metals are just roses without petals next to you... 'Cause you're my jewel..."
I couldn't help the sudden urge to continue the song, desperately not wanting it to end.
"Chorus again, but you sing with me, okay?" I asked, before singing the lyrics once more.
As we both sang together, she took the liberty to harmonize with me and I was blown away. Where the fuck was this coming from and what other fascinating things had she been keeping from me?
My eyes closed as we neared the end, singing the lyrics with every fiber in my body, and hoping she'd understood how deeply they resonated with me.
We sat in silence for a few moments after we'd finished before I'd finally lifted my head to meet her stare, noticing her chewing on the insides of her cheeks.
"Charlotte... that was..." I was finding it hard to form words to describe how I was feeling.
"I know, it's not that good, but just remember that you're the one who asked me to do this." She interrupted.
"Not at all what I was thinking, love. It was breathtaking and I'm damn near speechless right now... And you can harmonize? Where the hell did that come from?" I asked, wondering if she would at least give me a glimpse of what she'd been hiding.
"Don't-" she drew a sharp breath. "Don't ask, okay? You know now, right? Don't make it any more than it is."
"Okay. Wanna do it again?" I asked, praying to whatever god there was that I'd get to hear her sing those words to me again. She drew a long breath before speaking.
"Yes and... you don't have to look away... Just don't stare." She insisted.
And so we sang it again.
And again.
And again until both of us were satisfied with all of the harmonies and I couldn't stand any longer to not have my lips pressed against hers.
We spent the rest of the day tangled in each other until we'd decided we were hungry and I insisted on cooking us dinner. The food was sizzling in the pan and I made a mental note to write more music so I could hear her sing to me again, in her words that she'd come up with.
I was just finishing up as I heard the faint chime of the piano echoing from the hallway, noticing the familiar melody that we'd both sang just hours earlier.
She wasn't very good at keeping secrets.
--
So the song that they wrote together is Jewel by Adam Melchor. He made a video singing it with Dodie that I'll link below that I think is just absolutely perfect for this chapter and what they'd sound like together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvbn3jjxFhE
In other news, how do we feel about Charlotte being musical?? I'm so excited for where this is going!
Thanks so much for reading <3