Maddie's perspective
Time seemed to stand still whilst I was wrapped in Harry's strong embrace, whether hours had passed or just minutes, I had no idea. All I was aware of in those moments where the feel of his hands tentatively exploring parts the less risqué parts of my body. His soft lips hungrily pressed onto mine, and the overwhelmingly tantalizing sensation of his tongue massaging my own.
Eventually, our kiss naturally came to an end, and as Harry drew himself up to his full height, he brushed his lips softly across my forehead in a gesture that instantly reassured me that he wasn't looking to make me just another notch on his bedpost. Which, from what I have read and been told, is already pretty intricately engraved with the ghosts of his past partners, but that I meant something more to him.
The sweet and tender motion soothed the fire burning furiously in my veins and left me feeling peaceful and safe. Something I don't think any man has made me feel before, with the exception of my dad, my brother and Clark.
"Wow," Harry breathed as he exhaled a puff of air past his teeth and ran a hand through his messy hair.
"That was some first kiss Mr Styles."
"Haha! Erm, I have a little confession to make Trouble. Technically, that wasn't our first kiss." He replied in his deep, even, northern accent, confusing me entirely, and I looked up at him with a muddled expression on my face.
"Erm.. Unless you've been kissing me in my sleep, I think you'll find it was. Or are you trying to count the kiss before I pulled away as a single incident?" I questioned him
"No, no, no! As adorable as you are when you're sleeping, even when you're snoring actually, which is quite impressive. I prefer my women conscious thanks! My ego is still a little bruised that you don't remember, but, you kissed me in the ocean the other night. As a thank you for jumping in to save you." Harry told me, blushing slightly.
"Fuck!" I exclaimed, way too loudly considering how close I still was to the microphone.
My expletive bounces off every wall in the empty arena brazenly echoing its way back to us. In my horror, I buried my head in my hands. It wasn't just a dream. I think a part of me had known that my imagination just isn't good enough to conjure up those kinds of feelings, but honestly, when I try and picture Harry and me in the ocean that night, all I remember is my dream from the plane, nothing concrete springs to mind and there is a blurry haze surrounding the entire image as there often is when you're trying to remember a half-forgotten dream.
I felt Harry's long fingers prying gently around the edges of my hands, trying to pull them away from my face which is burning so hotly that I am surprised he can bear to be so close to it at all. I resisted him as best I could, but my injured hand was starting to protest at the uncomfortable position, and I had to submit and lower my hands eventually, keeping my gaze fixed firmly on them as I did so in order to avoid Harry's eyes.
"I.. I had a dream, on the plane here... where we were kissing in the sea, but, I didn't think it could possibly be true. Surely I'd remember that?" I said in a quiet voice feeling my cheeks flush furiously, god I bet I look like a tomato under this damn spotlight.
"Ha! Yeah well, I thought you would have too, I guess alcohol has wonderful amnesiac like properties for you" he chuckled back
"I guess so. Shit. I'm sorry, Harry." I mumbled apologetically, absolutely mortified that A) I had kissed him at all when I was so drunk. And B) that I had the awfully bad manners to then forget the incident entirely the next day.
"Don't be sorry. I won't be forgetting that kiss in a hurry or this one. Or this one.." He said, taking my face in his hands again and peppering my face with tiny bird-like kisses between his words "Or this one. Or this..."
"Mr Styles. I am fairly sure that this is inappropriate workplace behaviour." I giggled, interrupting him as he planted one last fat sloppy wet kiss right on the end of my nose before releasing me and stepping back, looking mighty proud of himself.
Jumping off my stool, I staggered slightly as I leant my head on Harry's broad shoulder and furiously wiped the lingering wetness from my nose onto his T-Shirt. Sticking my tongue out at him as I backed away.
"How rude! I'd be careful waving that thing about at me Trouble."
"Yeah? Why? What you gonna do?" I teased him and holding my ground and squaring my shoulders slightly as he stepped towards me.
"Let me show you." were the last words he captivatingly whispered as his lips fell back upon mine.
"Well well well, you really are becoming quite the dirty stop out ain't ya?" Sammy drawled when I got back to our room later that evening. "At least you look dry, yep, no sign of seaweed. I take it that means you managed to not fall in any more oceans at least?" She continued as she appraised me, looking me up and down as I sat down on my bed opposite her.
"Something's different, though. Hmm... Hairs a little mussed, face is a little flushed. Eyes have a bit more sparkle... You were with a guy!" she deduced in record time. Crap.
"Hmm." I murmured non-committally in return as I stood and started rifling through my suitcase for my pyjama's and began to get ready for bed.
"Don't you 'hmm' me Matilda. Who were you with?" Sammy asked, obviously determined to extract the truth from me.
Shit, am I ready to start discussing this? Is there even anything to discuss? It was just a few kisses after all...
A huge man-mountain of a security guard had interrupted Harry and I as we stood wrapped in each other's arms in the arena, I'd done my best to ignore his not-so-subtle throat clearing, but Harry, ever the polite gentleman, instantly unwound himself from around me and turned to speak to the guy. Who I could see was tapping at the face of his watch in an impatient gesture.
"We're just on our way out now Rocko, thanks for letting us rehearse tonight, it's been a big help." Harry grinned back at the bulky man with a smile that could melt even the hardest of hearts. It would have been even more helpful without the interruption I thought sarcastically.
"No, bother H." The guard replied in a tone that made it clear that it WAS actually quite the bother. If it weren't, he wouldn't have felt the need to interrupt us at all.
With that Harry had taken my good hand in his and led us both out of the stage door exit to the rear of the arena, followed closely by Man Mountain, and out to where a car was waiting to drive us, well Harry technically. Still, it seems the driver was getting both of us tonight, back to the hotel.
We hadn't spoken much on the journey back, which was all of about five minutes long, as Harry was busy conversing with the driver who was clearly someone he knew well, but despite my not really being involved in the conversation, Harry never let go of my hand, stroking light circles across my skin as we zoomed down the darkened roads.
The second we had walked through the large glass doors of the hotel lobby, Harry had been instantly accosted by Mitch. Who appeared, seemingly out of thin air and spoke in a quiet, unassuming voice.
"H? Jeff's been looking for you, he needs to talk to us about some idea he's had for Argentina."
"Another one? I thought we went through all that yesterday?" Harry said, slightly exasperatedly
"You know, Jeff." was all Mitch replied with a shrug of his thin shoulders.
"I'm sorry Trouble, I should go see what that's about." Harry said, turning back to me, apologetically
"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked, I was tempted to throw back a sarcastic comment about my how I would definitely be at the arena tomorrow cos my boss is a tyrant, but something in his tired eyes stopped me.
"Sure. Goodnight." I replied, trying to keep my voice as level as possible and not grin like a Cheshire cat from ear to ear as Harry bent over my hand, sweeping a soft kiss against my knuckles.
"Goodnight." He whispered before turning to follow Mitch down the hall to the elevators and off to find Jeff.
So, you see, we hadn't had any chance at all to actually talk about what had happened between us. Or even to have one last knee-weakening goodnight kiss before I had found myself making my way back to me and Sammy's room.
How am I supposed to know what to tell Sammy, when I have no idea what's really happening myself?
Or even what I want to happen.
Don't get me wrong, tonight was... amazing. But at the same time... it was utterly bewildering and perplexing too, maybe even a little bit scary.
Kissing Harry felt like the most natural thing in the world, but, he's the star of the damn show, and I'm just a lowly part of the crew. Not to mention that I'm fairly certain Jeff and Paul would have a few choice words to say about the situation if Harry and I did become more than friends. This isn't what I'm meant to be doing! I'm meant to be here to follow my dreams! Not to end up in some insanely complicated relationship.
I've never even been in what you'd call a 'real relationship' before. The closest I've come to having a relationship in my life is with my guitar. I have no idea how to be anyone's girlfriend, let alone Harry freaking Style's girlfriend. Fuck-a-duck, what have I gotten myself into?
"Woman I swear if you don't tell me soon, I will beat it out of you," Sammy said, interrupting my thoughts, fuck it. What's the worst that could happen?
"I was with Harry," I admitted shyly, and I could feel the huge smile stretching across my face, giving away any chance I had to hide what had happened from Sammy.
"AND?!" She almost shouted, jumping off her own bed and coming to sit next to me on mine
"And... he kissed me."
"AHHH!! About fucking time!" Sammy screamed in my ear.
Throwing her arms around my neck and knocking me flat on my back on the bedspread, which in this hotel is a strange kind of sunset orange which clashes horrifically with my bright yellow TPWK T-shirt. I squealed in shock as Sammy crashed down on top of me and fought to catch my breath under her added weight.
"I thought you were only going to beat me if I DIDN'T tell you!" I forced out through short breaths, Jesus this girl is heavier than she looks.
"Sorry!" Sammy giggled, quickly straightening up and allowing me to do the same. "I'm just so happy for you! This is bloody fabulous! I knew it! I knew that he liked you! Tell me EVERYTHING!" she ordered, making herself comfortable on the bed beside me.
At length, I ran through the evening's events, only omitting how strongly I had felt when Harry touched me, and his revelations about me having kissed him in the ocean the previous night. Those little details I decided, I would keep just for me.
"This is just... it's just... I don't have the words to describe what it is! But I'm so pleased for you Mads! And for him, it's about time he had a decent woman around for a while, the last one was a bloody nightmare I tell you."
At her words, my face fell, and my stomach seemed to do some strange turbocharged spin, like at the end of a washing cycle. I suddenly felt nauseous as hell.
Harry has been with or at least been rumoured to have been with, some of the most beautiful women on the planet. Singers and Models predominately, so to say he has a type would be putting it mildly, and to say that I don't fit into said type, would be the understatement of the century.
"Let me guess, legs up to her armpits? Blonde? A Victoria's Secret model I'm guessing?" I said unhappily and threw myself back against my pillows with a huff.
"Well... yeah, but she was nothing but a Barbie doll that breathed. Honestly, babe, you're twice the women she is."
"Yes, I'm sure I am given that I actually consume food and don't live off fresh air and the odd grape," I mumbled through my pillow, which I had pulled over my head to hide my hideous face.
What.The.Fuck.Was.I.Thinking? I'm not even close to being good enough to be going around kissing someone like Harry.
"Aww Mads no! I didn't mean it like that! She was an air-head! Nice enough I guess, but she had absolutely no personality, and sure, a strong gust of wind would have knocked her over, but what does that matter? Harry's crazy about you! Anyone with eyes can see that! Seriously, Maddie, the man has hundreds of staff at his command twenty-four-seven, yet he crawled out of bed in the middle of the night to go searching for you when you called him. And then, carried your drunk arse back home and put you to bed. All with a smile on his face." Sammy tried to reassure me, but the seed had already been planted, and I could feel it starting to take root.
"How did you guys leave things?" She asked, clearly trying to change the subject off of Harry's exes.
"Mitch was waiting in the lobby when we got back, so Harry had to rush off with him to see Jeff about something or another. He just said he'd see me tomorrow." I told her, pulling the pillow off my face so she could hear me more clearly.
"I'm so excited for you!" Sammy squealed again in an attempt to recapture our earlier mood. "One last question and I swear I'll let you get your beauty sleep."
"Go on then" I agreed begrudgingly. It was nearly two, and I was more than ready to let unconsciousness take over and hopefully send me some more vivid dreams.
"On a scale of one to ten, how good a kisser is he?" She asked, barely managing to conceal her obvious excitement.
"Twenty. At least. Now please let me sleep."
"Harry and Maddie sitting in a tree..K.I..."
"Sammy shut up!!" I exclaimed, throwing a pillow at her, which finally caused her to return to her own bed, turning the lights off on her way.
"...S.S.I.N.G."
"Can I have my pillow back?"