10K+ words for youuu! long chapter but i couldn't find a decent way to split it hahah
Stella.
It was halfway through December and winter was hitting New York in full force.
Logan and I were hurrying through the streets of Brooklyn, having come all the way out here for the thrift shops. He had such a good eye for fashion that I blindly followed him along to every store he wanted to go to. He gave great fashion advice and half of my closet I had bought thanks to him. The other half was stuff Erin passed down to me.
We were currently in one of his favourite thrift shops and I was scanning the clothing racks. I had a cute flannel hanging over my arm to try on since I had ripped my previous one. Harry was chasing me through his apartment and I hooked it on the doorhandle of his bedroom, ripping it completely.
I didn't really have time to mourn it since he ripped off the remainders of my clothes after that before throwing me on the bed and fucking my brains out. The flannel was long forgotten until I had to go home in yet another one of his sweatshirts because my own clothes were ready for the dumpster.
So I found a cute blue checkered flannel to replace that one, and was checking out a pair of jeans now while Logan tried on some sort of hat.
"Stell, give it to me honestly... can I pull this off?" He held it up and I was about to say no, but then he put it on and he just looked good. He always did. I pressed my lips together, "I hate how you can make that look good. Erin will put in on her story and in the next few days all of New York will go out to buy something similar."
"I'm a trendsetter, baby." He smirked and I rolled my eyes, walking around a little more before my eyes fell on a white t-shirt.
"Oh my god." I muttered as I quickly yanked it out of the rack and opened it up, my eyes wide. Logan peered at the shirt over my shoulder, "What is it?"
My smile grew wide as I held the exact same t-shirt that I had taken out of Harry's closet about two weeks ago. The white Rolling Stones one with the rips in it, "Oh my god. Harry has a shirt like this but it's all torn up. And he said he loves it but doesn't wear it anymore because of the rips, so I took it home and I wear it all the time. So now I can give him this one." I quickly checked the size and the price. It wasn't cheap and the store clerk claimed it was some sort of vintage shit, which I rolled my eyes at but paid for either way.
"Aw, look at you buying clothes for your man." Logan teased as he bumped his hip into mine at the cash register and I playfully rolled my eyes, "He's not my man. And it's only fair, I stole that other t-shirt from him."
"Has he borrowed something from you?" Logan asked while the store clerk put the receipt in the bag and wished us a nice day. Logan suckled on an apple-flavoured lollipop as he put the beanie over his head and left the store with me.
I drew a breath as I looked at him, "When he had food poisoning in my apartment... I gave him Jeremy's university jumper."
Logan stopped on his tracks, looking at me with wide eyes, "What?"
I shot him a weak smile as I shrugged, "Maybe it was about time that I washed it, don't you think?"
"But... but that was t-"
"I know." I softly mumbled before we continued walking. Logan had a puzzled look going on as he kept staring at me as if waiting for me to have a mental breakdown, "I couldn't just let him freeze, Logan... He had quite the fever, he was really sick."
"I get that. And I think it's nice that you cared for him, but wasn't that jumper important to you? Does he know?"
"No."
"Stell..." He tried and I sighed, "I know. But how do you tell someone something like that? I know the look he'll give me, it's not one that I want to see from him right now. Things are going really good so far."
"Cute." Logan teased again, dropping the subject from before, "I like him, by the way. He's sweet to you and really nice to Erin and me. Like he fits in quite well. With Zayn... bit of a different story but alright, they'll get there."
I chuckled, "Yeah. I know they're both trying to get along for my sake, which is honestly all I can ask for."
Harry had been hanging out with me and my friends a few times in the past week, which also included Zayn. I tried to reconnect with him after he came back from the UK. I showed up at his place a few times, invited him out for drinks and called him a bunch. He didn't say anything about his mum or what he had done back home. And I didn't ask. It wasn't my business.
"Any place else you want to go?" I asked when we were walking through Brooklyn. There was a little bit of snow on the street and the Christmas decorations were all up. I loved New York in these times, the city felt so cosy. Logan scrunched his nose up, "Yeah, let's get the fuck out of Brooklyn."
I laughed at his words, "Hey, my former living-place."
"Ah, Stell, there's a reason you joined us in the East Village. It's much nicer in Manhattan." He slung his arm over my shoulders as we headed into the subway together to get back to Manhattan and drop off our stuff. Logan and I lived so close together that we saw each other on most days. His apartment was just a few blocks from mine and we often even ran into each other in the coffee place or the grocery store.
I had to admit I had always liked living in Brooklyn though. It wasn't as central New York as Manhattan was, but it was a cosy part of the city that I had always felt at home in.
When Logan and I were watching our step in the East Village, trying not to slip on the icy sidewalks, his phone rang. "It's Erin." He cheesed before answering, "Hey, bitch."
I snickered at his nickname for her and Erin was squealing on the other end of the line, telling us to come to Rockefeller Centre for the ice skating rink that was there every winter. In the first weekend, New York citizens could skip the queue for the rink. She was already there with Zayn and waiting for us.
"Erin, you're gonna have to wait in the cold for a bit. Stella and I are in the East Village, it'll be a bit. Rockefeller Centre is quite a drive." He warned and she seemingly agreed and just told us to hurry the fuck up and get our asses to Rockefeller Centre and on the ice with her.
"Cab or subway?" I asked as I tightened my scarf around me. Logan scrunched up his nose, "Cab. Definitely cab."
He lifted his hand to alert a cab driver, who came to a stop in front of us. We hastily got in and I let out a sigh of relief at the warmth of the vehicle as the driver turner in his seat, "Where to?"
"Rockefeller Centre." Logan smiled at him and he nodded before starting his drive. I warmed my hands together in the car, "Look, it's so pretty outside."
"One day I really want to spend Christmas here." Logan looked at all the decorations, "Like just with our friends, you know? Not always go home to our parents."
I nodded, "I know, me too."
"Are you going to DC on Friday?"
"Thursday." I corrected him, "But yes. I think Erin leaves for Long Island on Friday. When are you headed to Cleveland?"
"Thursday too. Early flight?" He asked hopefully and I shook my head, "No, evening. I still work the morning."
He pouted at me, "I fuckin' hate the airport."
"I know." I snickered, "JFK?"
"Yep. You?"
"La Guardia." I smiled and Logan sighed, "Lucky bitch. You'll get through customs like nothing, at JFK it's such a hassle. Especially during the holidays."
"Are you coming back on boxing day?" I asked and he nodded, "Yeah. You too, right? We can maybe hang out then that night."
I hummed, "Sounds good. Hey, should I invite Harry?"
"To Rockefeller Centre? Yeah, why not." Logan nodded and I pulled out my phone, texting Harry that I was on my way to go ice skating with my friends. He texted back not even a minute after, hesitating a little but agreeing to meet us there.
The city was busy on the weekend, everyone doing their last-minute shopping for the holidays. Someday I really wanted to celebrate Christmas here, maybe invite my parents over if I could ever afford a nicer apartment and could give them a place to sleep. Now it was a bit of a hassle if they always had to rent something out since I had no spare place to sleep, and for them it quickly turned into a really expensive trip then.
I smiled widely when I saw Erin and Zayn standing next to the large Christmas tree near Rockefeller Centre. I jumped out of the cab and hugged them tightly as I fixed the beanie on top of my head. With the shopping bag in my hand and the cross-body little purse hanging across my chest, I greeted both my friends as Logan also joined in.
"Oh, there's Harry!" I waved at him when I saw him coming out of another cab. Zayn's face fell a little, "He's here too?"
I breathed out, "Yeah." And then I turned around to greet Harry, wrapping my arms around his neck as he held my torso, a dimpled cheesy grin on his face, "Hey."
"Hi." I beamed, quickly kissing him, "How's your day? You look nice." I saw his long brown coat, his wide fit jeans and his boots that he wore today, along with a thick scarf, pink mittens and an equally pink beanie. Harry chuckled, "Thanks, so do you. And nothing special today, how about you? What's the bag?"
I quickly pulled it behind my bag, "I'll show you later, it's a surprise."
He raised his brows, "Did you buy sexy lingerie or something?" His hand squeezed my waist and I rolled my eyes, "No, not that kind of a surprise." I grabbed his hand, "Come on, let's get on the ice."
As we all walked up to the ice skating rink, Harry tugged on my hand a little, "Stell..."
"Yes?" I asked as he slowed us down a little and nibbled on his lip, "I, uh... I've never gone ice skating before."
My eyes widened, "Really? Never?"
He looked almost a little embarrassed, shaking his head, "Nope."
"You'll be fine." I reassured as I squeezed his hand, "It's not that difficult, besides I fall all the time so you won't be worse than me. Trust me, it's not that hard."
He slowly nodded, "Alright."
"Were you doing anything special when I asked you to come? Not ruining your Saturday, am I?"
He shook his head, "No. The guys were over but I kicked them out."
I frowned, "Harry, you don't have to ditch your friends for me."
"I know, but I wanted to." He simply shrugged and I chewed the inside of my cheek. Besides seeing Louis that one time, I hadn't met any of his other friends yet and Harry didn't mention them all that much. I always assumed he had a small circle because he hardly mentioned any other person at all in general.
"Or you could've brought them." I tried and he huffed out a laugh, "Them? Ice skating? Sure."
We indeed were allowed to skip the queue for all the tourists once we showed our identification that we were New Yorkers. We got let into the back area of the rink where there were lockers for our shoes as we picked out skates.
"What's your shoe size?" I asked as we saw all the aisles filled with skates. Harry trailed behind me, "Ten."
I stopped and raised my brows, a small smile on my face, "Of course." I mumbled to myself as I handed him his skates. He was laughing from behind me, "What're you thinking, love? Is it true what they say then?"
I bit my lip to hide my smile as I ignored him. I had complimented the size of him enough that his he was tooting his own horn constantly, and he was arrogant enough about it already. I picked my own skates, a size six which was tiny compared to Harry.
"Wait, I'll help." He offered to lace up my skates as the perfect gentleman he was and I smiled as I leaned back on the bench while he had his tongue poking between his lips in concentration, making a little bow with the laces, "All good."
"Thank you." I smiled, accepting his help to get up my feet, "Ready?"
"I think so." He nodded and we both waddled to the entrance of the ice skating rink. Our friends were already on it. Erin was doing some spins, Logan was on his ass and Zayn was laughing.
"Wow, Erin is fucking good at this?!" Harry sounded shocked and I laughed as I took my first steps on the ice, "Yeah, she used to figure skate. She's amazing." I was a little wobbly on the ice because it had been a year once more since I had done this, and I held my mittened hand out for Harry to take, "Come on, bambi." I teased and he rolled his eyes, "Don't rush me."
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as I watched him take a few tedious steps on the ice, searching for his balance. I skated around him in circles a bit as he got used to the feeling of them, "Okay, so stop stepping like you're just walking," I advised, "and really glide your feet forward."
Harry looked at what I was doing and nodded, "Okay, so..." he pushed his foot forward and accelerated in speed a little which made his brows raise, "Fuck! I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" He laughed, "Stell, are you seeing this?! I'm doing it!"
I clapped my hands, muffled from the mittens as I watched him clumsily skate, "Yeah, you're doing it."
Some kids were skating really fast and doing races, making Harry curse out when they flew past him and broke his concentration. Erin came to a stop in front of us, out of breath already from all the tricks she had been doing, "Was this a good idea or what?"
"A great idea." I beamed while Erin looked at Harry, "Everything okay, Harry?" She teased and he nodded as he stared at his own feet, trying to keep his balance on the ice, "I'm doing great."
I chuckled as I held onto his hand and we slowly skated a circle around the rink. Harry nearly fell but I held him up and he then softly nudged me against the side of the rink, standing in front of me and caging me in. He had a flush on his cheeks from the effort he was putting in so far.
"You're doing good." I assured him and he hummed, dipping his head to kiss me. His lips felt cold against mine and I kissed him back before he pulled back, "Thanks to you." He muttered before kissing the tip of my cold nose.
I giggled at the action and then frowned a little as I looked behind him, "Isn't that... Louis?" I questioned and Harry's eyes widened, "What?!"
He turned around with such speed that he seemed to forget he was on the slippery ice, and it sent him falling straight to his ass with a thud. I clamped my hand over my mouth to hide my laughter as Harry scrambled back up to his feet, his back to me as he stared at his friends who were on the rink as well.
Louis was doubled over in laughter after seeing Harry fall, hiding it far worse than I did. This time Harry's cheeks were an actual pink from embarrassment and he refused to look at me as three guys approached us, one being Louis who had a very smug look on his face.
"Hey g-" Louis started with a smirk, expertly skating around but Harry cut him off, "What the fuck are you doing here?!"
He shrugged his shoulders, "You said something about coming here and didn't invite us so we decided to invite ourselves. And glad we did, didn't want to miss this for the world. I knew you'd be shit at this, this is good comedy."
I just knew Harry was sending him a death-glare at that comment.
I locked eyes with the guy who was with Harry that night at Crimson and cleared my throat, still standing behind Harry as I shot him a wave, "Hi again." I then tuned to the third guy, short brown hair in a quiff and a stubble on his chin and bright blue eyes, "I'm Stella." I guessed I'd introduce myself since Harry wasn't making that effort.
He smiled back and pulled me in for a small hug even if we both were at risk of falling down, "Nice to finally meet you, I'm Niall."
"Ooh, Irish." I remarked at the sound of his accent and he laughed, "Yep, yep."
"Liam was it, right?" I then turned to the familiar guy from Crimson and he nodded, also hugging me, "Hi Stella."
Harry looked less than amused to see his friends showing up, glaring harshly at them as I stood next to him. The mood quickly turned awkward and it was honestly all due to Harry. His mood completely shifted when his friends turned up and everyone was kind of staring at him. He was the glue between me and the boys standing in front of him and I hesitated a bit before taking a hold of his hand. With the both of us wearing mittens, I squeezed a little to get his attention, "Maybe we can all get coffee together after this?"
He tensed his jaw and didn't look at me, "Stell, could you leave us for a minute?"
I dropped his hand and stared at his side profile, eventually dropping my eyes as I forced a smile to his friends, "Sure. I'll see you later."
I gave myself a kick to the ice as I skated away, fighting back the immense frustration I felt. It really felt like Harry was embarrassed of me or that he didn't want his friends to know me. I didn't want to be besties with them but he made it so awkward all the time whenever they were around and it left my stomach in knots.
Zayn, Logan and Erin were all standing together on the other side and welcomed me as I approached them.
"Where's Harry?" Logan asked with a frown and I shrugged, "Ran into some friends of his." I bumped my shoulder into Zayn and he put an arm around me, "Are you cold?"
"I'm good." I smiled back and he nodded before his eyes drifted over the ice skating rink. I knew he saw Harry's friends and they all saw him, and there was an obvious tension there. I wasn't sure if he knew Niall and Liam as well, but it seemed that way.
Zayn was still rubbing my back to get me a little bit warmer but his eyes were on Harry, who glared back at him. Even from the distance I could tell Harry was scolding his three friends who decided to show up. He made hand gestures in the air, nearly falling over a few times as he snapped at them and they just rolled their eyes and shook their heads.
It left a bad taste in my mouth that Harry was so keen on keeping his friends separated from me. I wasn't sure why. He knew my friends, why couldn't I know his? What was he so set on hiding?
Erin was amazing us all with the tricks she did on the ice as we all stayed by the side and cheered and clapped for her. It didn't take her long to get a bit of an audience and I was snapping pictures and videos of her to put on her social media page.
"Aren't you good at ice skating?" Zayn questioned as he rubbed his hands together for warmth. I snorted through my nose, "Not at all."
"Really? You'd think so, with your ballet background."
"I mean, I'm flexible." I shrugged, "But don't put me on ice. I used to have nightmares about ice skating, that I'd fall and that someone would skate over my fingers and they'd be cut off."
Zayn let out a laugh, "The chances of that happening are like..."
"Really small," I nodded with a smile, "I know."
Zayn's smile fell a little and he cleared his throat as he nudged my arm, "Harry incoming." He nudged his head in the direction of the side where Harry was waddling over to us while holding onto the edges of the rink. I rolled my eyes, "Judging by his speed, we have about an hour until he gets here."
He sputtered out a cackle, "I love it when you're salty. He's looking a bit like bambi on ice."
"He really does." I agreed as I eyes Harry, a frown on his forehead as he tightly clamped his fingers around the bars surrounding the rink, baby steps in coming over here, "I'm surprised he hasn't broken anything."
"He's still go time." Zayn whispered teasingly.
I grinned along and saw Harry's friends on the other end of the rink, seemingly arguing with one another. Louis and Niall were childishly shoving at each other's chests until they were both on their ass on the ice and Liam looked like he was out with his two toddlers and regretting all life decisions.
When Harry was closing in, Zayn moved a little closer to Logan so I could be alone with Harry. I waited for him with my arms crossed in front of my chest and he had a frown on his forehead as he moved slowly and supported himself on the edge, "Fucking hell, I'm never ice skating again."
I forced a small smile and Harry straightened up, resting just one hand on the railing as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, "Are you having fun?" He asked.
I clenched my jaw together as I tried to keep myself from exploding at him, "Mhm." I mumbled through gritted teeth.
Harry tilted his head to the side, "Are you sure? You seem... off."
I refrained from rolling my eyes at his obliviousness, "Are you... embarrassed of me or something?" I sighed out and Harry lifted his head to see me, "What? No, of course not." He frowned.
"Then why are you so adamant on your friends not meeting me? They seem lovely and I wouldn't mind getting to know them. But you look like the thought of me having a conversation with them is about to put you six feet under." I snapped.
He pressed his lips together, "It's not you I'm embarrassed of, trust me. It's them. They're so... childish."
"Louis was nothing but nice when I met him." I retorted in a soft voice, "Look, I'm not going to pry, you don't have to give me an explanation, but it's giving off a weird vibe. I know we're not official or anything and I'm not even sure if we're exclusive, but that just sucked." I knew I was rambling now and Harry frowned deeper as he widened his eyes, "Wow, wow, hold up, wait," He held his hand up, "first of all, we are exclusive. I know I am and I hope you are too."
I drew a breath and nodded, "Yes."
"Okay." He nodded too, "Look, I'm sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable. I just don't really know how to do this. They don't know me like this, how I am with you."
"I don't want you to be a different person with me." I frowned back, "I'd hope you can be yourself. As you are around your friends."
Harry let out an aggravated sigh as he shook his head, "Why are we having this argument?"
"Because you don't want to introduce me to your friends." I muttered, "When I held your hand you looked like I had just confessed to murder. Is it really that horrible of me to want to know them?"
Harry's eyes softened as he looked at me and paused, slowly shaking his head, "It's not. You're right, I'm sorry."
I nodded, "Okay."
"Hey," Harry murmured, his mittened hands cupping my face to lift it, "Are we good?"
I smiled up at him, "Yes."
"Okay." He grinned back, "'M gonna kiss you now, I don't care who sees it. In fact, I want my friends especially to see it." He muttered before clearing his throat and then he cupped his hands around his mouth as to make a speaker, "LOUIS!" He shouted in such high volume, making me jump up. The shout echoed through the rink as Harry dropped his arms.
A small smile formed on my lips as I tried to fight it and Harry waved his hand high in the air to alert his friends, who were frowning at us from the other side.
"WHAT?" Louis shouted back and Harry rolled his eyes, "Idiot." He muttered under his breath. When he was sure they were all watching, he cupped my cheeks again and pressed his lips to mine. I smiled against him, fluttering my eyes close as my arms limply hang by my sides and I turned into putty in Harry's hands. The kiss was slow and soft and warm.
My lips parted against his, noses brushing together as I tried to stand up on my toes but the skates prevented me from matching his height any better. My hands grasped at his sides and we were so lost in the kiss that both of us jumped up when we heard a loud whistle. Our mouths separated with a little smacking sound and we both turned to see Louis with his fingers between his lips, cheering us on.
Niall and Liam were also skating our way, Niall having a bit more difficulty on the ice than Liam, which amused him. Harry shot his friends a look that I didn't really understand, but it had a hint of triumph in it as well as a glare, as if telling them to shut up about it.
Before anyone could say anything, Harry tugged on my arm, "C'mon, show me some more moves."
"I don't have moves." I snickered as we slowly skated away again. Harry clacked his tongue, "I beg to differ."
My eyes widened at his clear sexual innuendo and Harry snickered once he saw my blush, "I don't believe you, Erin hasn't taught you anything? Not even... I don't know, something like this?" He started wiggling his hips and almost fell over but kept his balance and then pushed his ass out like he was about to twerk.
I cackled out a laugh as I shook my head and Harry chuckled along, tugging my arm towards him, "Come on, dance with me." He smirked.
I hummed as my hands fell against his chest, "Harry, we're in public, I don't think we can dance."
His palm slid around my back as he nuzzled his nose with mine, "No? Hmm, that's a shame... Been a few days since I've heard you whimper out a Jesus christ after I've fucked you good."
My eyes widened and my lips parted when Harry reminded the both of us of my standard little curse after sex. It was something I didn't say voluntarily and by now it had become a bit of a joke. I hid my face in his shoulder as I groaned in embarrassment, causing him to laugh and squeeze my hips.
"I'll dance with you all you want tonight." I murmured as I lifted my head and shot him a small, teasing smile. Harry smirked back, dimple on display, "With me? Under me? On top of me?"
"Whatever way you want." I snickered, "Don't you like it when I'm on top?"
He licked his lips, "Fuck, yes. Riding me so good, gripping me so tight." Harry leaned into my ear to whisper, "I love your pussy."
I giggled in shyness as I bit my lip, "We need to stop before we start dancing in the middle of this ice skating rink."
"We would never." Harry gasped along, "There's children around. We're better than that."
"Way better." I agreed with a small smirk.
I took his hand and we skated some more, as I saw Zayn and Logan doing some race in the distance before Erin challenged me to do the same. She of course won but my strong ballet-legs did prove handy as I was a close second. I was out of breath after that, cheeks pink from the effort as I was sweaty.
Erin then tried to teach me some spins since I was flexible and it should be easy enough for me. It ended with me falling on my ass six times in a row until I decided that maybe spinning on the ice wasn't for me.
Harry teased me about it and in response I dropped his hand, making him fall down too without the support of me which amused his friends. It quite quickly turned into a game of making each other fall down the most and I'm pretty sure Louis lost.
After a full hour on the ice, everyone was sick of it and we all went out for some coffee. The group was large now with Harry's friends joining us, and I could see Liam and Erin chattering as Logan seemed to get along just fine with Louis – as expected. The only one not interacting with any of them was Zayn.
I walked behind the others to get next to him, linking my arm in his as he kept his eyes low, "Are you okay?" I carefully asked.
Zayn pressed his lips together as he shrugged, "I don't know. I think I'm just going to take off."
"Zayn..." I sighed, "I don't know what happened between you guys but I'm sure none of them bear any ill feelings towards you... Do you dislike them so much?"
"Stell, you don't know the whole story." He muttered and I nodded, "I know. And you don't have to tell me either. But I'd really like it if you stayed."
Zayn glanced at me, a grimace of conflict on his face until he eventually breathed out, "Fine. Because it's you."
I smiled up at him and cuddled into his arm a bit, just as Harry looked over his shoulder to see me. His lips formed a tight line as he saw the interaction, but I hoped he knew he had nothing to worry about. Zayn and I were completely platonic and we always had been, never even a sliver of romance between us or sexual tension. But I was affectionate and I was tight with Zayn. He had been there for me in a difficult period and I owed him a lot of my current happiness. He was one of my closest friends.
The last thing I wanted was for him to feel uncomfortable around Harry and his friends, so I'd possibly have to be a bit of a buffer between them.
"What do you guys do for a living?" Logan asked Harry's friends after a bit of easy conversation, and they shared some looks before Niall cleared his throat, "I'm in ICT."
"I work at the gym with Harry." Liam spoke and Louis shrugged, "I'm in between jobs right now."
I felt Zayn sighing from next to me as he took a silent sip of his coffee, seeming either bored or completely done with this conversation. It was mainly Harry's friends keeping the chat going, asking me a bunch of questions while Erin and Logan shared some more embarrassing stories about me that made me blush and cringe.
I definitely did get the feeling that Harry's friends wanted to get to know me. They showed interest, asked me questions, teased Harry a little. They had a very brother-like vibe and it was nice, because it was a side of him I hadn't seen all that often.
"Is it true he threw up in your bed two weeks ago?" Niall eagerly asked and I huffed out a laugh, "Not in the bed, in the toilet."
Harry rolled his eyes at his friend, "I had food poisoning, I was sick." He scoffed as he defended himself.
"Harry's such a baby when he's sick." Liam snickered, earning him another glare from Harry as I hummed, "Yeah, little bit."
"Heyyy." Harry scolded and I playfully elbowed him before Niall continued, "Is it true what you wrote in your column about him?"
"Oh god." I mumbled under my breath as I felt my face heating up, "I should've never written that bloody column."
"It was literary gold." Niall assured me, "and quite fun to see Harry being handed his ass for once, might I add."
Harry glared at him but Niall completely ignored him, leaning over the table to me, "Was it that bad?"
I palmed my forehead in shame as Harry barked at him to shut up, "Niall!"
"Well, judging by the hickey on your neck, I'd say Styles stepped up his game now." Louis continued teasing and I hid behind my coffee mug as I slowly took a few sips in hopes they'd turn to another topic, which they eventually did. We sat there for about an hour, all just hanging out and it was fun. I had easy friends to get along with and I kind of liked that the two worlds got combined together.
One by one, people started to leave. Zayn was the first, and I suspected he just stayed for a while in politeness and because he promised he would, but the second it was fine to go, he got up and left. Erin was next because she had an event still tonight. It left me with Harry, Logan, Louis, Niall and Liam. Since none of us really felt like going home yet, we left the coffee house and moved onto another bar a few blocks over where Louis was a regular.
It was a regular dark pub with country music blaring through the speakers and some pool tables throughout the space. Now that it was nearing six in the evening, the darkness was falling over the city and New Yorkers were in full weekend swing. Niall was the first one to suggest we moved onto alcohol instead of drinking coffee or tea.
When he said let's drink booze, I assumed everyone would order a beer or something. I had not expected Louis to order every item on the list and get everyone two tequila shots as well. When the waiter came with the tray filled with shots, my eyes went wide.
"Cheers!" Niall exclaimed as he held up his shot and everyone followed his example. I toppled the liquid down my throat with a sour face, shuddering at the heavy alcohol as my body was not used to this right now. I loved tequila, but I usually only went for it in bad situations. When I drank to forget. This wasn't the case right now, but there was no arguing with Harry's friends.
After all of us downed two shots, Louis pushed a margarita in my hand, the rim lined with salt as I picked the lime out of it and squeezed it in the drink. I twisted the glass a little, the alcohol sloshing against the edges and nearly spilling, but I brought the glass to my lips and took a big sip.
"Who's up for a game of pool?" Liam suggested before turning to me, "Stella? You want to?"
I smiled as I nodded, "Mhm. It's been a while though so I'm apologizing in advance."
"I'm coming along too." Harry butted in and eventually everyone just agreed to play along. We moved to a table right next to an empty pool table and put our coats and bags and drinks on there before taking a couple of billiard sticks and passing them around. I had one in my hand while Liam positioned the balls in the correct triangle.
I felt Harry behind me, his large hand on my hip as he gave a soft squeeze, "Are you sure you know how to do this?"
I looked at him over my shoulder and smiled, "Yeah, I used to do this a lot with Logan."
"And she beat my ass most of the time." Logan grumbled as he walked behind us to get a sip of his drink. I chuckled at his words but shrugged, "True."
"So he's really bad?" Harry asked and I arched up an eyebrow, "No. I'm just really good."
I took the scrunchie from around my wrist and gathered my long hair, pulling it up in a messy bun on top of my head so it was out of the way for the game. Liam started, a hard knock into the white ball immediately sent the others in all possible directions. My eyes followed a few as it was now my turn, and I rolled my lips inside my mouth as I walked around the table a little to see what the best gameplan was.
"Harry, stop hovering." Louis rolled his eyes when Harry followed my every move, not budging more than a few inches from my side. I chuckled at his words and looked at Harry, "He's right, you'll have this stick in your balls if you stay this close to me."
I bent down, very aware that my jumper dropped down a little but there was literally no other way to play this game besides bending fully over the table. I pinched one eye shut as I rested the stick on my fingers and then I knocked into the ball, sending the full orange one into one of the holes.
I smiled widely as Liam hummed, "I feel like you're going to make me regret inviting you to this game."
I walked by him and patted his shoulder with a giggle, "Nothing's set in stone yet, you'll be fine." I assured him as I took my second shot, missing with just a few inches this time. I walked up to the table to drink some of my drink, watching Liam inspect the positions of the balls that he was supposed to shoot away.
"Stella, another drink?" Niall asked and I raised my brows as I looked at my more than half-full glass, "I'm good, thanks."
"Ah, come on, Harry told us you down drinks for fun!" He whined and I turned my head to Harry, "What?!"
He sheepishly shrugged, "Yeah, that one time in that club. You downed like two beers at once."
"That was on a dare." I snickered, "And that was beer, I can't do that with drinks like this!" I gestured to the margarita, "Are you guys trying to get me drunk, or what?" I teased.
"I could go for another drink, beer please." Harry spoke to Niall, who tilted his head to the side, "Really? You? Maybe you should lay off the alcohol for a bit, Harry, before you can't get it up again."
My margarita was about to fly out of my nose from how hard I wanted to gasp at those words. I sputtered out a laugh, coughing on my sip in the meantime as I clamped my hand in front of my mouth to silence the hysterical cackle coming from my throat. Everyone else was doubled over in laughter as well while Harry just shot Niall a deadpanned look, "I'm gonna fucking kill you."
He then turned to face me, "And you."
"I'm sorry!" I gasped out as I tried my best not to burst out laughing. I walked over to him and subtly squeezed his hand, "Sorry, I'm sorry. But that was funny."
Harry rolled his eyes and I snickered, "And hey, that's on you. I never wrote about that in my column."
"No, that was just about when he couldn't make you cum." Niall was on a roll with these comments and Harry growled from the back of his throat as he chased his friends through the pub while I giggled and shook my head to myself.
Liam wiped beneath his eyes to dry his tears that had escaped from his laughing fit, "Alright, Stella, your turn to shoot."
***
I was fucking drunk.
I wasn't shitfaced, but I was drunk. Tipsy, giggly, stumbling through the pub as every single thing anyone did made me sputter out laughs and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. To be fair, everyone was drunk.
We had been at the pub for hours. After ordering some food, we continued drinking and by now it was almost ten in the evening and everyone was definitely buzzing from the alcohol.
Harry was helping me put my coat on as I stumbled on my feet a little, and he snaked an arm around my waist to steady me, "Easy, Stell."
"I'm fine, I'm fine." I slurred slightly, focussing my attention on zipping up my coat which took me about three tries. Logan was piss drunk and hanging around Louis' neck, who promised to take him home and make sure he got there safely. The two of them got into a cab to get to Logan's place while Harry called one for us. Liam and Niall waved us goodbye as they also headed out.
Sitting in the moving car made me feel like I was in an amusement park and the driver turned, "Where to?"
I looked at Harry and he clicked his tongue in thought, a frustrated frown on his forehead, "My place is on... uh... fuck." He muttered under his breath as he licked his lips, "did I really forget my own address?"
I giggled loudly and the taxi driver shot us a bored look before I caught my breath, telling him the address of my apartment while Harry was still in thought. The first few minutes of the ride consisted of us giggling about everything and nothing, yet I could sense that Harry was slightly more sober than me.
"You're hilarious when you're drunk." Harry laughed at the stupid stories I was telling.
I licked my lips, "You know what else I am when I'm drunk?"
"Tell me." He smiled and I returned it before leaning into his ear, "Wet."
I could hear the taxi driver letting out an annoyed sigh but I ignored him. I was definitely quiet enough for him to not have heard me. Harry's smile dropped as he stared at my face and I shot him a sly smile, nibbling on my lip as I stared at his mouth.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved quick in crawling on top of him in the backseat. Harry's hands involuntary went to my hips as the taxi driver scolded me, "Miss, keep your seat belt on!"
I ignored him further, my focus solemnly on Harry who had his hands on my hips as he leaned into the seat of the car. I brushed my nose against his, "'M so horny." I whispered.
Harry let out a shaky sigh against my lips, fingers digging into my thighs, "Yeah?" His throat sounded dry as he focussed on me. The taxi driver was muttering profanities under his breath as I hummed, "Mhm. I want you so bad." I leaned into his ear, "want you to fuck me hard tonight." I whispered.
"Shit." Harry hissed as I pressed a tiny kiss below his ear, "Harder than before. Choke me, spank me, tie me up... I'm all yours."
"Miss, if you don't get back into your seat and put your seatbelt on, I'm going to have to kick you out!" The driver warned and Harry groaned in frustration. He threw a few dollar bills to the front seat, "Keep driving!" He barked at the driver, who simply shook his head and sighed out.
I nipped at Harry's bottom lip as I rocked my hips a little, "And I want you in my mouth tonight. What a shame I haven't gotten to taste you yet... Such a big cock in my mouth." I whispered seductively, grinding on top of him, "or did you forget I don't have a gag reflex?"
Harry's breath hitched in his throat as he shifted in the seat, "Fuck it. I can't wait." He leaned forward towards the driver, "Step on it." He instructed to get us home as soon as possible.
Instead of stepping on the gas though, he stomped his foot down on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the street, "Out of my cab!" He shouted. My eyes widened as Harry's darkened, and right as I thought he was about to snap, I burst out into giggles at the stupidity of this situation. Harry looked less than amused for a second but when he saw my bright smile and the amusement in my eyes, he started chuckling along.
I didn't want him to pick a fight, the cab driver was totally right kicking us out. We were being irresponsible horny twats in his car. I opened the door and climbed off of Harry's lap to get out of the vehicle and Harry followed after me. He hadn't even slammed the door shut completely before the driver drove off, shaking his head fiercely as he gripped the wheel.
I was laughing as I reached for Harry's hand to tug him on the sidewalk with me so we could safely walk the streets. I recognized the neighbourhood as the East Village and we weren't that far at all from my apartment. The snow crunched underneath our steps as we walked hand in hand and giggled in the aftermath of what just happened.
"You were about to ride me in a car, hm?" Harry teased as he pulled me into his side. The alcohol was still coursing through my veins but I was overall just in a very happy, smiley mood from being around Harry.
I was being so carefree around him and his presence along with the alcohol warmed me up tremendously. I laced our fingers together as I forced him to stop on the sidewalk. He frowned down at me, ready to ask me if everything was okay, but I pushed myself up on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, crashing our lips together.
Harry stumbled back into the brick wall of a building from the force of me but reacted quickly.
His arms circled around my waist as mine were in the nape of his neck and our tongues clashed and licked at one another. I pressed my full body into him and softly moaned in his mouth, fully throbbing between my legs just at the thought of tonight. A drunk me craved sex more than anything, and with Harry looking irresistible as always, I couldn't wait.
Our mouths were needy and desperate, Harry sliding one palm down to my ass quickly to tug me further into him. He eventually grunted from the back of his throat and pushed me back a little, grabbing my wrist and tugging me into the nearby alley next to the building. It was dark and secluded and I was out of breath by the time he pushed me up against the wall and pressed himself against me. He was panting against my lips, "You're so fucking desperate, my good girl." He cooed to me, "Want me to touch you in public, hm? You don't care who sees?"
My mouth was open for air as I quickly shook my head, making Harry fall forward to take my bottom lip between his teeth and pull it back a little. My hands were against his chest and I moved them up to his neck again, tangling in the hair that's resting there. I knew he liked it when I did that.
Our mouths were messy again as they moved together and we sucked on each other's lips and tongue for more. Harry sighed out through his nose as he slowly rutted his hips into me, "Fuck, 'm so fucking hard already. Driving me insane." He muttered in disbelief and I smiled sweetly up at him, "Think you're the only one who's struggling? Why don't you feel for yourself?" I was bold as I invited him to touch me.
Harry breathily chuckled, "Jesus – fuck... you're unbelievable... begging for me in public, huh? You want my fingers, baby? Deep inside of you?"
I didn't respond but pressed my lips back against his for more. I couldn't stop myself, it was as simple as that. I wanted him all the time. We broke apart for air but I sponged kisses down the side of his neck, leaving a wet trail on his soft skin as I moved over his pulse point in his neck where I felt his harsh heartbeat thumping against the skin.
Harry's breathing picked up a little as I continued to nip on his throat, sucking softly on the hinge of his jaw and he emitted a soft groan. His hands were on my ass again, pulling me into him as he had a rhythm of his bucking hips, relieving himself against my thigh.
I rolled my hips back into him, desperate for some relief myself and Harry noticed my restless hips quickly, "Are you turned on, baby? All nice and wet for me?"
"Yes." I whined in a whisper, resting my head against the brick wall behind me. The alley was deserted and the streets in general were quite empty due to the soft snow drizzling from the sky and the cold temperature. But I wasn't cold anymore. Harry's fingers were though, and I sucked in my stomach on instinct when he popped the button of my jeans and dragged the zipper down. His breath felt warm against my mouth as he snaked his fingers in. His lips continued to hover and brush over mine as he darkly chuckled, "Filthy," peck, "little", peck, "slut." He whispered against me.
I was wearing loose fitting jeans which made it easier for access. I couldn't actually believe we were doing this, but there was no way I wanted him to stop. I was fully horny now and knew I had soaked my underwear already, which would give Harry a tremendous ego boost. I really was a filthy little slut for him, and hearing those slightly degrading words sent a jolt of arousal through my body.
He flattened his hand against my belly, slowly sliding his palm down into my pants and underwear until his fingers found my heat. I bucked my hips at the cold touch of his fingertips against the part of me that was burning for him.
"Stella, fuck – " He moaned, "So wet... Are you aching for me?"
"Yes." I breathed out, my warm breath clouding in front of my face from how cold it was. Harry gave me a wet, sloppy kiss as his fingers spread my wetness around, "You couldn't fucking wait, could you? Your apartment's a fuckin' block away... Such a needy girl." He whispered.
His free hand grasped my jaw but then moved down to curl around my throat and push me further into the wall. I moaned, tightening my fingers in his hair as he traced his fingers up and down my slit, grazing my swollen clit every once in a while as he hovered his face over mine to see my reactions, "My good slut wants that fingerfuck, hm?"
Our open mouths touched briefly and teasingly and I slipped my tongue out, flicking his bottom lip and Harry moaned, pressing his lips hard against mine. Our tongues rubbed over one another, and I slipped my hands down into his coat to grab the sides of his jumper and pull him closer into me. Harry jerked his hips into my thigh as we kissed hard and he finally slipped a finger in.
I mewled against his mouth, the noise swallowed down by him as he slowly pumped the one finger in and out. I let out a gasp as he pulled back, head leaning against the wall. My eyes threatened to close but at the same time I was so desperate to hold the eye contact we had going on. It was so hot to see him staring at me like this. With his hand around my throat, he applied slight pressure to the sides and I turned absolutely feral.
"More, more," I begged pathetically as he slightly choked me, "fuck me, Harry, please."
He seemed like he didn't even know what hit him at my pitiful request, his jaw dropping as he stared at me and pushed in a second finger. His cold digits inside my burning hot pussy felt like the best sensation I could ever ask for. I wanted to arch my back and cope with it but he was so harshly pressing himself against me that I couldn't move one bit.
I tightened my grip on his waist, nails digging in to ground myself as Harry licked at my lip, "This is what you wanted? Fucking driving me crazy with that dirty talk before, letting me finger you in public... filthy, filthy girl."
I cried out when he curled his fingers up to hit that sensitive spot inside of me that made me shudder and Harry hardened his stare as he moved his hand from my throat to clamp it over my mouth and silence me, "Quiet, don't make a fucking sound or I won't let you come. Letting me touch you in this dirty alley and pushing yourself up against me on the streets... maybe I need to teach you some manners, huh? This is for my eyes only, Stella... don't want anyone seeing you like this. Just me."
I could hardly focus on his words with his fingers fucking me so expertly. He curled them in motions, thrusting in and out and easily sliding in to the point where he felt like I could take more, and he pushed in a third finger.
My eyes widened at how full I felt and I whimpered into his palm as Harry licked his lips and kept his eyes on my face to closely watch my reactions, "Already full? Oh, baby, how on earth are you ever going to take my thick cock tonight..." He drew out and I let my eyes roll back and shut finally at just the idea of feeling him inside of me tonight again.
After having lied to him about my period a few weeks back, I'd had my actual period this week and we hadn't done anything sexual in a bit. Which is exactly why my body was begging for him like this. I was never this bold usually in the lead-up to sex, but the alcohol had a big say in that. Like in the club when I had danced and grinded against him the weekend before we had sex for the first time, this was the same thing except that I was far more confident around him now.
My hips rocked against his hand, feeling my orgasm building up and I hoped to god he would let me finish. I couldn't wait. My hands desperately held onto his sides, knuckles white and fingers hurting from my tight grip on his jumper until I took it a step further and slipped my hands beneath the fabric to feel his naked back.
Harry moaned out into the cold air when I raked my nails down his back. He exhaled a shuddery breath, "B-Baby, stop... I don't wanna come in my pants." He spoke in a strained voice as he sped his fingers up more to stimulate me further, "You can mark me up all you want tonight." He added, "Bite me, scratch me... I don't fuckin' care."
I dug my nails into the bottom of his spine as my pelvis jolted forward and Harry's fingers brushed continuously into my front wall and tickling my spongy g-spot as I grew wetter and wetter around his digits. Harry's mouth parted as he felt me clenching, "You're almost there, huh? I can fucking feel it, so tight around my fingers. So fucking warm..." He sighed blissfully.
My head was spinning as my legs grew weak, Harry pulsing his fingers inside of me hard and adding his thumb to the mix to circle my sensitive clit. I cried out into his palm, screwing my eyes shut at the added sensation as he watched my intently, "Dirty fucking slut." He whispered, "All mine, all mine, all mine."
I managed a nod in his grasp, exhaling sharply through my nose as my eyes watered and the pressure grew unbearable. I knew he had asked me not to scratch his back but I couldn't help myself when the tension in my belly exploded. He kept shoving his fingers up into me to curl and circle at the perfect pace, "Wished I had a third hand to fuckin' choke you, I know how much you love that... your favourite necklace." Harry whispered and my face scrunched up in pure pleasure.
"Come for me," He coaxed me in a shaky whisper, "Come for daddy."
My eyes shot open at the use of the word and as if on cue, my body shuddered and my pussy tightened hard around his three fingers. My orgasm shot through my body and made my hips buck into his hand as I whined into his palm, his body shielding me from the outside world as his fingers worked me through my high.
His legs between mine, he held me up when my legs shook and trembled, my nails digging into his back which he arched into me with a sharp gasp while his fingertips pushed into my cheek and I was pushed harder into the brick wall.
Everything felt so heightened as I came, releasing over his fingers while my walls fluttered around his three digits and he slowed them down. "Stella... baby." He whimpered as he rested his forehead against mine and panted hard, watching my face as I came. As he felt me calming down, his hand finally left my mouth and trailed down my body. He moved over my chest and then settled on my hip, finally letting me breathe out decently.
I sucked in sharp breaths of air for my oxygen-deprived lungs as little whimpers were still coming from my throat. Harry's fingers stilled inside of me before he slowly pulled them out, making me shudder. I felt cold and empty as he slipped his hand out of my pants. His fingers were soaked in my arousal but Harry didn't make me feel embarrassed about it.
I watched with wide eyes when he placed his wet fingers in his mouth, sucking them between his lips. His eyes closed and he moaned at the taste of me, which had to be one of the most erotic things I had ever witnessed in my life. I watched in mesmerisation as Harry licked his fingers clean, getting every single drop of my arousal off as he smacked his lips together.
I moved my palms up his chest until I could cup his cheeks, and then pushed myself up to kiss him. My tongue invaded his mouth, licking at him to taste myself as he pushed his tongue back into mine, my arousal between us and traded back and forth. It was fucking filthy but I loved it.
"Are you okay?" Harry checked breathlessly as he zipped my pants back up and buttoned them up. I licked my lips as I caught my breath and nodded, "Mhm, need a minute."
He groaned in protest, "Fuck that, need to get you home now. Don't fucking care if I have to carry you." As if to put emphasis on his words, he swooped me off my feet to pick me up bridal style while I held the shopping bags in my hand.
And he took me home.
//
Guess who's an idiot and got the dates mixed up for tickets to harry's concert so now i have none?? it's me :)