DANI
"So who was that hottie that you snuck into the employee bathroom earlier?" Mickie asked.
I looked up at her as I finished my paperwork and laughed at the curly haired girl, "Of course you saw that."
"Are you going to spill or...."
I rolled my eyes and stood up to gather my things, "You know I really don't understand why everyone is so interested in what I do with my private time."
She follows me out to the parking lot, "Technically it wasn't your private time today. Did you guys have sex?"
"Why do you care so much?" I ask her as I chuckled.
"Oh, come on, you know I live vicariously through your sex life since I don't get any action ever."
I give my friend a look, "Mickie, the only reason for that is because you never put yourself out there."
She waves me off, "Yeah, Yeah, I don't need a pep talk, I just need to hear what went on in the bathroom. You usually don't scout at work."
I unlock my old Jeep for us to climb into and I exit the parking lot, "Fine. Um... well you know that guy I slept with like two weeks ago?"
"The baseball player or the sex god?"
"Okay, 'sex god' might be a little too much, but yes him."
She snorts, "What about him? Was that one of his friends?"
I sighed knowing exactly what conversation this is going to get me in, "No. Last weekend when I told you I didn't sleep with anyone.... well I lied."
Her head whipped to mine and her brown eyes went wide, "What the fuck, Dani?! You've never lied to me!"
"I know, I'm sorry. I was just trying to avoid this conversation, but it seems to be inevitable."
"Dani, you're kind of scaring me. Is everything okay?" She asks with narrowed eyes.
I let out a breathy laugh, "Yeah... everything is actually really good."
"You have the biggest shit eating grin on the planet. Spill!"
"Fine!" I laugh at her excitement, "Okay, so last weekend I ran into Harry-"
"Sex God?"
"Yes. So we ended up having sex again and it was fucking mind blowing. The guy gave me three orgasms." I can't help the smile that is forming on my face as I remember that night, but I quickly look away as I see Mickie watching me closely. "So it was really great, but then we parted ways and this girl that really likes him came up to me and threw her drink at me and slapped me."
Mickie gasped, "No fucking way! What did you do? What did Harry do?"
I sighed, "Well I ran away. I don't do that whole fighting whilst drunk thing, and I sure as hell won't fight another girl over a guy. Harry tried to chase after me, but I made Andrew leave before he got to us."
"So then what?"
"Then I saw him today and guess what: Mr. Styles, that dick who always sits at table fourteen and requests Mary, is his father."
Her jaw drops, "Ew, oh my god, is he as big of an ass as his dad?"
"No, not in the slightest." I say quickly, defending him as if I've known him forever, "He's nothing like his father. That's why I volunteered to take his table today, because I saw him sit down with Harry. We don't have each other's phone numbers or anything so I haven't been able to call him and tell him not to worry about that girl. I don't hold any of that against him. I was gonna see if he would have a moment to talk, but when I went up to the table he looked so miserable with his father. Every time I went back he would get ruder and talk down to him, and I almost snapped at him once after he said something to him in front of me.
"I just felt so bad for him, so I kept an eye on him and when I saw him get up to use the restroom I followed him. He was just leaning against the wall trying to get away from him so I brought him into the bathroom for more privacy. I was just going to talk to him, but he kept giving me this look all day today and I couldn't stop myself from kissing him." I glanced over at her to see her looking at me with a weird expression on her face.
"So that's all you did? Kiss?" She asked knowingly.
I sighed, "No, he fingered me while I gave him a handjob and then let him come in my mouth, are you happy now?"
She burst out laughing at my sudden annoyance at her persistence and a moment later I joined in.
"Yes, I am happy, thank you Dani." She says as we calm down, "I'm a little annoyed that you kept all this from me, especially since you actually like this guy."
I don't say anything to that, mainly because I haven't said those words out loud yet.
She looks over at me and sees my face, "Oh, come on, Dani! I've known you for three years now and heard every little detail of every guy you've fucked and never have you slept with the same guy twice, never have you hooked up with someone while you were at work, and never have you spoken about a guy the way you have about Harry."
I let out a groan, "I know, I know... I've just never felt this way about anyone. I've never even had a crush on a guy in my whole life so this is all new for me. I haven't even said it out loud."
"Then say it." She responds simply.
I look over at her and see her determined gaze trained on me. I let out a small laugh but she presses, "I'm serious. Say it out loud. See if you like the way it sounds."
I shake my head while I laugh at the weird request but with a piercing look I obliged, "Fine... I, um... I like him."
"I'm sorry who do you like?" She shoots me cheeky smile.
I laugh loudly, "Harry! I like Harry!"
She doesn't say anything, but the giant smile that forms across my face is enough for her. I pull up to her apartments and watch her gather up her bags.
"If you want, I think my roommates are planning a party tomorrow night." I say as she opens the door and climbs out.
"Yeah, I might stop by."
I roll my eyes knowing full well she will not be making an appearance, "Alright, have fun watching Netflix."
"Have fun with your new boyfriend!" She calls to me as she shuts the door.
"He's not my boyfriend!" I yell out the open window as she waves me goodbye and steps into the apartment complex.
†††
I sat on my bed trying to work on my psych essay while the music blared downstairs. I had originally planned on partying tonight but the stress from all the homework that was piled on this weekend, my work schedule hogging most of the time, and the fact that I got my period this morning kept me away. It wasn't the end of the world, my cramps weren't that bad now that I started birth control, but I definitely felt weak. I wasn't really in the mood to be around a lot of people anyways so this was fine by me.
As I was searching for a source in one of my textbooks my door flung open. I jumped a little at the sudden intrusion, thinking I locked my door, and my hand flung to my chest. It took me a second to process what had happened as I looked at the familiar curly headed boy stumble into my room.
"Harry?"
He spins around, realizing for the first time that he wasn't alone. I don't have any makeup on, my hair is pulled back into a messy bun, and not one of the cute ones that look effortless, the ones that you half-assed and have strands flying out everywhere. I don't have my contacts in so I'm wearing thick-rimmed glasses and I'm wearing plaid pajama pants and a ratty band t-shirt. There's no time to feel self conscious, however, as he moves towards me and trips on something. I jump up and catch him before he falls to the floor.
I take in his appearance and notice the slight bloodshot eyes and the glazed look. I realize he's drunk for the first time since I've met him. I barely notice the fact that I am completely comfortable in his presence. This sort of thing would've freaked me out if it was anyone else, but, like always, Harry instantly calms me.
I keep him steady and he stands back straight laughing. A look of amusement crosses my face as he cups my face and looks at me with a giddy expression.
"Dani, I found you."
I look away and blush, not being able to hide the smile on my face. When I look back he's gazing at me fondly, his thumbs stroking my bare cheeks. I feel slightly uncomfortable getting this type of attention so I playfully push him away and go to sit on my bed. His eyes glide down my body as he takes in my appearance.
"Fuck, you look so adorable." He says with a smile and a shake of his head.
I roll my eyes, "Yeah, right. You're drunk Curly."
"Drunk words are sober thoughts, baby girl."
We look at each other for a moment, smiles across our faces as we revel in the other's company. Harry is the first to break our comfortable silence, "Why are you hiding up here?"
"Why are you hiding up here?"
He bursts out laughing, "Is it that obvious?"
"You don't seem to be looking for a bathroom, and you don't have a girl with you... so I figured the next possible guess would be you were trying to get away from the party down there." I answered as I clicked the trackpad of my laptop to come back to life.
He hums and starts to look around my room, "Yeah, there was a girl downstairs who was rather aggressive and wasn't really taking no for no."
I frowned, "You think as a woman she would understand that."
He just shrugged, but continued to look around until he finally remembered I never answered his question, "Wait, so what are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be hosting your own party? I'm gonna assume you live here and this is your room, instead of you just coming to a random party and doing homework upstairs like a weirdo."
I snorted and looked up from the textbook I was highlighting, "Nah, it's more my roommates party than mine. I have too much homework and I work all day tomorrow and Sunday and I already agreed to go out to the bars tomorrow night with everyone, so I'm not going to have a lot of time this weekend to get it done. Plus I started my period and I didn't really feel like being around a ton of people."
He turned to me as he fiddled through my bookcase, "Do you need any aspirin? Chocolate? Hot water pad?"
I laughed, "That's sweet, but I'm okay now." He nodded and turned back to my book collection swaying a bit at the sudden action, "You know, most men would've ran when I mentioned my period."
He huffed, "Don't know if you could call those guys men..." I laugh lightly and he looks at me again, "I've got three sisters so I've been pretty desensitized."
I laugh as he stumbled over the word desensitized, barely able to get it out in his state and he just flashes me a cheeky smile. He picked out a random book and started reading the back. We stayed silent for a couple of minutes before my curiosity got the best of me. "Why didn't you go for that girl downstairs."
He looked up at me, his brows furrowed, "You really need to ask me that?" I just stared at him waiting for a real answer, "I guess that means I hide it better than I thought... Dani, I didn't want her. All I've thought about for the past two weeks is you. I was pretty disappointed when I didn't see you here. Probably why I drank so much." He groaned as he leaned against my desk, nearly losing his balance.
My heart swelled at his admission and before I knew it I was cleaning up half my bed for him, "Harry, come here." I pat the now clear surface and look up at him.
He hesitates before he says, "I don't want to bug you..."
"What do you think you've been doing for the last ten minutes?" I tease. He breathes out a laugh but stays stationary, "Seriously, Curly, if you're going to stay in here might as well sleep off some of that alcohol."
He smirks at me and pushes off the desk. I watch him as he makes his way around my bed and takes off his shoes. I laugh as he stumbles trying to get them off, but he just sends me a triumphant look when he's finally free of them. He sits down next to me, not getting too close which I find sweet. Even though he's given me six orgasms he is wary of getting too close to me in this type of setting. Nothing sexual will be happening with us tonight and I find myself increasingly happy he stumbled into my room tonight. This could be a potential turning point for us if we were to step into unfamiliar territory.
"What are you working on?" He asks, his voice deep and soothing as he leaned in just slightly to see the words on my screen.
I find myself staring at his lips as he speaks. I realize too late that I haven't answered his question and look up at his eyes to see them beaming down at me. He smirks at me letting me know he saw exactly what I was doing
"Um... I'm working on an essay for my experimental psych class. It's all about specific techniques that are being developed to help with the increase in anxiety and depression due to social media and our current internet landscape."
He stared at me intently as I spoke, "Shit..."
I laughed loudly at his clueless face, "Did your drunk brain understand any of that?"
He smiled sheepishly at me, "Some of it. I was just too busy thinking how hot it is that you're also super smart."
I rolled my eyes and picked up my textbook again. I felt Harry's eyes on me as I read and typed, but I found them oddly comforting. There was something about his presence that immediately calmed me. I had the sneaking suspicion that I had the same effect on him if yesterday was any indication. I remember the tension leaving his body the moment I had kissed him. I wasn't brave enough to ask though, not sure how flighty he would be about us. He wasn't the type to get into relationships and I didn't want to push him in case he ran. I also didn't want to take advantage of his loose lips while he was drunk. If he was going to tell me anything it was going to be with a sober mind.
"You're a psych major?"
I looked over to see him resting against my headboard, one of my textbooks in his hand as he fiddled through it.
"Yep, focus on child psychology. Finishing up my bachelors degree this spring and then hopefully I'll be accepted into the schools graduate program for my masters." I say as I find a particular source I need for my paper.
He hums, not speaking as he realizes I need to focus. It's another thirty minutes when I've hit a roadblock and he notices I haven't typed anything for a few minutes before he speaks up again, "That laptops ancient."
I smile as I look at the old computer on my bed, "Yeah, my foster mom gave me her old one when I was accepted here, and it was ancient then. I can't even use it without it being constantly charged."
"Why don't you get new one?" He implores.
I look at him and laugh lightly, "I'm saving up for one, but I really want a new MacBook so it's taking me a while. I don't really have all the money in the world. I'm lucky I've got a scholarship or I would be living in my car right now."
He frowned at me but didn't say anything. I don't know if he felt guilty for assuming I could just get a new one or if he was judging me for not having money. I looked away from his piercing green eyes and stared blankly at the bright screen in front of me. I jumped a bit when I felt his fingers glide over my cheeks. I turn my head towards him to see he is much closer to me now. His palm cups my jaw as his thumb caresses my face. There's a minute of charged silence between us as we stared into each other's eyes, both our breathes slightly heavier than before.
"Can I try something?" He asks hesitantly and without pause I nod.
I swallow as he brings his other hand up to the other side of my face. I notice the slight tremble in his hands as he steadies his grip on my face and realize he's nervous. My eyes don't leave his, completely mesmerized by the look he's giving me. I close them just as he leans in and our noses touch. He gently nudges mine and moves his lips closer to ghost over mine. My breathe hitches as his hands angle my head back so he can lean in all the way and capture my lower lip inbetween his.
The kiss is slow and different than any other one we had shared. This wasn't meant to lead to anything more. It was just a simple kiss. His lips were soft and his mouth warmed mine as we parted for a second and went back in for another one, this time a little more purposeful. Our lips embrace over and over, our heads moving as we see fit. My hand comes up to grip his forearm and rub circles into his hot skin with my thumb while his fingers thread through my hair as he moves his hands back slightly to cup my ears.
Our tongues move against each other slowly, so unlike our frantic movements we tend to gravitate towards. I get lost in his touch, the way he makes me feel, calming every sense in me. He's hypnotic in the way his lips move and his hands heat up my skin. I don't ever want this feeling to end, but our movements slow and our lips part more frequently developing into small pecks as we end our embrace. We were completely in sync from the moment our lips touched to our last peck, almost as if we were meant to share that moment.
I feel his forehead rest against mine and take a few deep breathes to calm my rapidly beating heart. My eyes flutter open to reveal his face still close to mine, completely serene. His eyes are shut tightly like he is trying to replay the last few minutes back in his head. I bite my lip in an attempt to hide the grin threatening to spread across my face, but as he leans away and open his eyes I immediately break out into a pleased smile.
A small smile graces his lips as his eyes look at me fondly. His thumb caresses the side of my face as he whispers, "Daniella."
My heart skips a beat as I hear him say my name, "No one calls me that."
He tilts his head, "Do you not want me to call you that?"
Our conversation is held through low voices and whispers, neither of us wanting to speak at full volume and ruin the moment.
"No, it's okay... I like it." I feel myself blush and I can't help but wonder what is going on. Never has another human being effected me this way, but I can't deny how I like this warmth that is spreading through me.
He grins cheekily, "Do you like it when I call you baby girl?"
I let out an embarrassed chuckle, "More than I really should."
"Does it turn you on?"
"Harry, stop." I try to sound forceful, but the stupid grin on my face negates my tone. He lets out a loud laugh as my face heats up, "Stop!" I laugh out.
"You're so cute when you're embarrassed." I flush even more and playfully push him away as he continues to laugh. "Never would've taken you for the shy type." He teases.
I roll my eyes, "I'm not shy. I just don't hear shit like that on a regular basis."
"What no one's called you baby girl before? Or is it the fact that I called you cute? Or is it the mind-blowing kiss we just shared?" He probed, his eyes never wavering from mine.
I narrow my eyes at him, but decide to answer his questions to see where this will go. "No one's called me a pet name that I enjoyed before you, no one has ever called me cute or adorable in my entire life, and no one's ever kissed me like you just did."
"I like your candor." He says to me as his hands slowly leave my face and graze down my body. One hand trickles down my arm and lands in my hand. I immediately turn my hand over and he starts absentmindedly playing with my fingers and palm.
"I should've guessed you were an English major." I teased.
He smiles and rests his head against my headboard, "Why's that?"
"Because you say things like 'I like your candor' or one time during sex you said something about me writhing beneath you. Like, who the fuck says writhe when they are dirty talking?"
He bursts out laughing and brings his free hand up to cover his face. He's completely adorable like this. An actual cupcake.
"You also seem like the type who's secretly a romantic. I bet you love Jane Austen." I continue to tease.
"I'm more of a Wuthering Heights type of lad."
I hum, "One of my personal favorites."
"It is?" He asks almost shyly.
I nod and give him a small smile. He sighs deeply and I can tell he starting to get tired, so I decide to let him get some rest. I turn around and grab my water bottle. "Here, drink some of this and get some sleep."
"Are you sure it's okay to sleep here?" He asks hesitantly. Sleeping in another persons bed is typically off limits for me and I have never had anyone sleep in my bed either. I can assume that Harry is the same way, but I can also see the hope in his eyes when I smile and nod.
"I really need to finish this essay tonight, and you look like you're about to fall asleep on me any second." I say softly as he nods and slinks down on my bed so his head is resting on my pillow.
"Thank you, baby girl."
I snort and bring my hand up to thread my fingers through his hair. He hums at my touch and I continue my movements until I see his breathe even out and I'm sure he's asleep. I look down at the boy laying in my bed sleeping soundly. I'm overcome with a serene feeling that I've never felt before and I find it hard to tear my eyes away from him, but I have to finish this essay if I don't want to be stressing out all weekend.
I turn my attention back to my old laptop, but every few minutes my mind and eyes shifted to the curly head of hair next to me.