“I just bought a few shirts, they’re in the back seat, you can throw one on if you like,” Harry told me as I wrung the water from my shirt. I peered over my seat and I saw a plastic bag overflowing with items. “Actually, could you could you grab me one?” He asked, putting his keys in the ignition.
“Um, sure,” I muttered, leaning over the cup holder and grabbing the first shirts on the top. “Which one do you want?” I asked him, showing him my picks. One shirt was black with a design and then one with the Pink Floyd symbol.
“You pick,” he replied, but I saw his eye was caught on the black one so I passed it to him. “Thanks.” But his shirt, which was being pulled over his head, had muffled his praise. I’m not a prude, but I quickly averted my eyes after I saw his bare stomach, it just felt uncomfortable. If you want I can step out of the car, or you can crawl in the back. The windows are tinted.” I moved my eyes to outside the car, where rain was falling like bullets into the ground.
“Oh it’s fine, I’ll just crawl into the back,” I assured, sliding over the cup holder and falling onto the back seat.
“You okay?”
“Stellar,” I answered, only slightly sarcastic in my response. I stripped off my top and paused when I realized my damp sports bra couldn’t be helped. I then slipped on the Pink Floyd top, and it was a bit big, but that turned out to be a good thing. It hung loose so the water from my bra didn’t seep into the clean shirt.
When I was situated back in the passengers seat I shot Harry a smile. “Thanks for letting me borrowing it,” I said, giving him a warm smile as he started onto the road.
“You can keep it if you want,” he told me, giving me a once over, “ it looks good on you.” I felt heat on my cheeks so I gave him a thin lipped smile, and angled my face away.
“So,” I started, once I was sure my blush had lessened, “Where are planning to take me?” He gave me a grin.
“Somewhere you’d never think to go.”
“I thought you said you were going to be my tour guide, with an emphasis on touristy,” I reminded, but he shook his head.
“I’ll be your tour guide, but we’re taking the underground London tour today Katie,” he informed me. “Partly because nothing else is open and partly because it’s the best tour to go on,” he explained, pausing for a second, “but mainly because I can’t be recognized.”
“Ooh, I forgot, I’m with Mr. Fame,” I thought out loud, giving him a wistful smile.
“My name is Mr. Styles, and hopefully you’ll forget that part of me while we’re together.” He made a sharp left, and I realized for the first time that we going down a particularly rough looking street.
“Well it’s easy to forget, you don’t look act like your famous,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair and being happy to find it’d dried slightly from before.
“I was unaware famous is a personality.”
“It isn’t, but egotistical is. Similar things,” I blurted before I could stop myself. I wanted to wipe that past sentence away from history, because I reminded myself Harry must’ve known hundreds of celebrities.
“I’m torn between being offended and flattered,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the road. I realized in the silence of the car just how hard driving must’ve been, and I was instantly thankful I wasn’t in his place. The windshield was a blur of gray and a filmy white, the wipers only helping a little.
“Please choose flattered,” I replied, but my comment was lost in the air since it was made a minute after Harry had spoken.
“Since you’re asking so kindly,” he said airily.
“Well thanks.”
Seven minutes of driving later (I was precise since the discontinuation of conversation allowed me to stare at the clock) we arrived outside some boarded up building, and he cut the engine.
“I know what I wasn’t exactly nice but killing isn’t needed,” I joked, but I was curious of why we stopped where we did.
“I promised you the best tour, so I’m giving you the best locations,” he answered vaguely, pulling out an umbrella from the side pocket. “Stay where you are, I’m come around and get you.”
When he did get me, and I’d gone under the coverage, I started to rethink my confidence in umbrellas. The poor thing shook under the heavy rain, but it did its job, although nothing would help the water sloshing on my feet.
“Are we going in there?” I asked Harry, my voice hesitant because I’m not sure I wanted the answer. He didn’t answer out loud, but as our slow progression under the umbrella steered us toward a door with peeling layers, I got my answer.
“You’ll love it,” he promised, opening the door with a push, not even needing to twist the handle.
“We just met, how do you know what I’ll love?” I ask teasingly.
“It’s a place that’s hard not to fall in love with.”
As far as first impressions go I can’t say I was in love yet. The place was dusty, musty, and had a metallic tinge to the air. I couldn’t really tell what the place looked like, because the windows had been boarded up and little light came through, and if there were lights they weren’t on.
“I can’t say I’m loving it,” I admitted, and Harry chuckled.
“Just let me get some light in here, then you can judge.” I heard rustles and movement behind me, and in a slowly the lights came on. They were those old gymnasium lights, and it took them a few minutes to warm up, but I was quickly able to see what was in the abandoned building.
“An old merry-go-round?” I stated, although it came out as a question.
“Not just and old merry-go-round,” he protested, moving past me and over to a rusty controls panel. “A working old merry-go-round, refurbished by someone who left it in an old building to die.” With a push of a few buttons the lights came on, the music hummed, and it started up.
It was an interesting thing, that merry-go-round was. It looked like something straight out of the twenties.
“Are you in love yet?” Harry asked, shooting me a grin. I was caught off guard by his wide grin, but I pulled it together, meeting him by the control panel.
“I admit, it’s pretty amazing that it’s just plopped down here,” I replied, watching as the old lights twinkled and the horses moved up and down. That’s the thing that off set me though, the horses. They weren’t refurbished, and it was sad to see the animals in various states of decay.
“You want to hop on?” he asked, and I bit back a grin. “I can turn it off so you get on if you want?” he offered, but I shook my head, making sure my shoes were tied. I went to the edge of the ride and worked up the nerve to jump on. The things were pretty fast when you were trying to hop on them in motion.
When I finally got on I chose a horse on the outer layer, one with the least ware and tear. On it’s ceramic sash it read “Daisy”, and it was cream with speckles.
“How’d you find this place anyway?” I yelled over the music and the rain, Harry out of sight while the ride circled around the center point.
“A friend showed it to me on a rainy day,” he shouted back, and he paused as the rain fell harder and a loud pattering hit the building metal roof. “Although I can’t say it was quiet as rainy as this,” he pondered.
I slid off the horse, still gripping the gold pole it was attached to and waited for the ride to circle me back around to where Harry was. When I reached my exit of choice I hopped off, a bit unsteady, but overall a solid landing.
“Did you love it?” he asked, grinning up at the machinery. I waited to give him my response, thinking that it’s funny someone famous loved a run down fair ride.
“I liked it,” I put gently, unable to meet his eyes, “but the horses eyes peeling off creep me out a bit.” He laughed, and shrugged. Obviously telling I wasn’t as charmed with the place as he was. I felt bad, since he’d driven all the way out there, and Harry loved it. I felt like I was insulting it.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, because it was actually pretty amazing, but it didn’t wow me the way it should have.
“Hey, that’s okay, no hard feelings,” he said, as if reading my thoughts. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t start your tour off with a bang.” He really did sound sorry, not angry or disappointed like I would have if I’d been in his place.
“Well it can only get better from here,” I told him, and he smiled at me.
“Are you a half glass full person?” he asked, but he had a knowing smile as held my gaze. I held it, shocked to see how green his eyes really were, and then grinned. It was a lopsided grin that said I thought was I was going to say was funny, and I’d probably laugh at my joke.
“Well that doesn’t really matter when there’s enough water to fill a million glasses out that door,” I replied joking. In my opinion it was a good joke, witty and fun, but I understood the water was too easy to play upon. To my surprise he laughed though, a full, real, boyish laugh that caught me off guard.
“Well I admit, I wasn’t sure of what you liked before, but I think I have an idea of somewhere to take you,” he said, “but I want to run it past you first.” In case you think you wouldn’t like it like the merry-go-round. He didn’t say that, but it ran in my head.
“What do you think about seeing where my band practices?” he asked, and I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I sure wasn’t expecting that. “I know you’re not a fan, but it’s a pretty cool thing to see regardless.”
“Are you allowed to?” I asked, surprised to say the least.
“Pretty sure, besides, I promised you the best door right?”
“Well you did, but I’m confused on what type of tour I signed up for. I mean, you switched from touristy to underground and I’m pretty sure a tour of where a famous band practices fits in either of those,” I pointed out, and he laughed.
“You didn’t answer the question,” he reminded.
“It’s a yes from me.”
Authors Note ~ Ok, so I lied about updating soon, and I'm sorry, but I made this chapter a little longer. I'm focusing on four stories thi summer; Run Forest, The Mad Ones, Caught Up in the Act, and Antiquity, but I thought since this is only a short story I could finish up this story. There will only be about ten chapters, so it won't be that that time demanding.
Also, please don't hate my story because of my sucky updating skills, and don't restrain from voting or commenting in spite of my suckiness. I enjoy every comment and every vote and every read, so please do the two things you haven't already done. It takes one second to vote and ten seconds to drop a comment, so please, please do it.
xx,
Luce