Peaches 'n Cream {h.s.}

t w o

It was the day of my party and I was contemplating climbing out of the window to ensure that I wouldn't embarrass myself around Harry. Harry Styles. The infamous British Barista. Why did I care so much about what a guy that made me coffee once thought of me? I didn't even know the reason, but all I knew was that if he ended up not liking me in the slightest - even just casually - then my night would just go down hill from there.

I fiddled with a loose thread on the sleeve of my knit sweater and attempted to distract myself from my continuous thoughts about him by making sure everything was in place ready for when the guests arrived soon.

Kate thought it would be best if we held the party at our shared apartment; but I knew that was just a disaster waiting to happen. I knew that after the party there would be a huge mess and do you know who was going to clean up that mess? Me, as per usual.

Kate always payed rent on time; cooked food; bought groceries from time to time and didn't bring any guys home to loudly hook up with in the room next to mine. However, she never cleaned up after herself and it drove me up the wall. Whether it be food wrappers or dirty socks laying around, the girl needed to realise that we didn't have a maid to clean up after us.

I looked over to the "snacks section" - a.k.a. our cheap Ikea table pushed up against the back wall with all food on top - and grimaced at all the chips; sandwiches; cupcakes; basically all the food; already knowing that I would be cleaning up the remnants of it all from the carpet once everyone left.

"Stop being so anxious Jane," Kate said slinging her arm around my shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze, "we're all going to have fun and laugh and get drunk and it'll be amazing!"

"Says you," I shrugged her arm off me and walked over towards the makeshift bar in our kitchen, "I, not only have to worry about being a good party host, but I also have to make sure I don't make an ass out of myself in front of the British Bari- I mean Harry."

The party hadn't even started and there I was already pouring myself a plastic cup of beer to the rim to calm myself down. If I continued drinking every time I got nervous then I would be smashed by the end of the night; and most likely be classified as an alcoholic.

"Look," Kate took the plastic cup away from my grip and and took a sip herself before she continued speaking, "if things get awkward just be thankful you don't work with the guy. And you could totally make up an excuse during the party to go and talk to other people since it's your party and he's a guest."

Kate was right, there was no reason to be all anxious about him being there. This was my night; my chance to be free and happy and feel wonderful surrounded by my friends! I was turning twenty for Christ's sake!

"You're right!" I exclaimed smiling at Kate, "I can totally do this!"

There was a knock at the door and my face stiffened.

"I can't do this, I won't do this." I took the plastic cup back from her hands and took a long sip that ended with a loud gulp in my throat.

"Fine Jane, drink away all your anxieties!" Kate said throwing her hands in the air sarcastically as she approached the front door, "You're more confident when you're drunk anyway."

I turned away from the front door awkwardly when I heard Kate open it and pretended to be really interested in the fairy light we had hung up in the living room to make the apartment look more "party like" or whatever. When I heard the high pitched voice of a woman I turned around to see Jenna Cohen, the owner of Just Peachy, and also my mom's closest friend.

Jenna always smelled of this vanilla perfume that my mom gave her when she turned thirty-nine and I didn't know if she kept buying new bottles or the one bottle lasted her three years. Either way, whenever she walked into a room it instantly smelled of the perfume and now our apartment smelled of vanilla instead of detergent and beer.

"Oh Janey!" She screeched, opening her arms and pulling me into a tight hug. "Happy birthday darling! Don't worry, I won't tell your mother that you'll be drinking, we all deserve to have a little fun when we're young." She said with a cheeky smile with an added wink when we pulled apart from our embrace; she always was more of a "cool aunt" figure than just a "my mom's friend" one.

Pretty soon more people started filing into the party; some who worked in the shops surrounding Just Peachy; close friends from high school; people who I met through Kate when she would go to frat parties and drag me along. There were good vibes going all around and my cheeks felt slightly sore from all the smiling and laughing I did and I felt a slight buzz throughout my body from the amount of alcohol I had already consumed.

Once the party was in full swing, loud music playing in the background amongst the collective rumble of chatter; I was socialising like crazy. I hopped from one group of people to another; talking about how college or their job or both was and going; hugging every person I said "Hello" to. I went through the same routine every time, "We haven't caught up in forever!" "We have to catch up soon, okay?" "Oh I missed you so much!" and felt like I had already memorized the conversations before I moved to the next.

But the reason why these people and I didn't catch up much was the same reason why I didn't like being dragged by Kate to random frat parties; I wasn't keen on meeting new people. It's not that I was anti-social - wouldn't've be working in retail if I was - it's just that I didn't want to hear how successful these people were and what major they were doing in college; I didn't want to know about their amazing jobs and how they knew what they were going to do with their life because I frankly had no clue what I was going to do with mine yet.

"Jane!" I heard my name being shouted by a male voice from across the crowded apartment and saw an arm poking out from the top of the heads of other party goers, signalling me to come closer.

I stepped around chairs and - what I hoped were empty - plastic cups on the floor to reach where the hand had gestured me to. It turned out to be a very tipsy Travis who had his arm snaked around who I assumed was his girlfriend. He was slightly swaying and his bearded cheeks were shiny with a very strong pinkish tint to them.

"Has Styles arrived yet?" He half shouted at me, trying to be heard above the music and the loud voices of the other party guests.

"Who?"

"Harry, British guy at the café, has he arrived yet?" The question finally registered in my brain and I realised that I hadn't seen Harry the entire course of the party. "I want him to introduce him to a few people here so he can make friends y'know?"

Oh I knew. Kate asked Travis to bring Harry because she wanted me to properly meet him, but I was most likely to embarrass the hell out of myself in front of him like an awkward teenage girl who's never talked to boys before.

"No sorry I haven't seen him." I replied trying to seem nonchalant about the subject of Harry.

Almost as if the universe was trying to tell me something, I heard a sharp knock break through the music and the low sound of chatter.

I took a huge gulp from the half full plastic cup in my hand - my fourth one so far - and excused myself from Travis and the girl whom he had basically wrapped himself all over, to go and answer the door like a good party host. When I reached the door and hesitantly wrapped my hand around the door handle I took a deep breath before I pulled it open to reveal none other than the guy who had been invading my thoughts ever since I had seen him that Monday morning.

Thoughts of warm sweaters; dimpled smiles; evergreen forests; clumsy tattooed hands; a smooth low voice that was like the sound equivalent of chocolate. He stood their; all tall and and slightly slouching; wearing what must've been the tightest jeans in the world paired with a pair of dark brown boots; a black knit sweater that made me feel warmer just looking at him; and a beanie that covered this dark curls.

"Um, hello again." He said with a timid smile, his eyes wandering away from me a few times awkwardly, "My names Harry."

A/N: I will try and update this story more often I'm sorry it took so long!