styled ・Harry Styles

09.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Harry groans while I laugh uncontrollably at the familiar tune playing through my speakers.

"I promise I didn't plan this, my library is just shuffling right now!" I say between laughs, trying my best to focus on the road.

"Can we please skip it?" He pleads, and I sneak a peek at him to see that he's grinning slightly too, at least a little amused by his own song playing in my car.

"Absolutely not, I fucking love this song." I say, which is 100% true.

I look over at Harry one last time before the lyrics start, and I see his smile grow bigger, matching my own as we sing out in unison:

"Tell me something, tell me something, you don't know nothing, just pretend you do."

After the first few lines of the song, I lower my voice a bit to hear Harry better, realizing this is the first time I've heard him sing in person. It's hard for me to explain exactly how this moment makes me feel. I always thought that if I was going to hear Harry Styles sing live, it would be just for a night in an arena packed full of people. But this feels so different than anything I could have ever imagined– in this moment, it doesnt feel like the Harry Styles is singing to me. It just feels like I'm singing in the car with my friend Harry (who also happens to have a very nice voice.)

I let him take the lead on the chorus, but I join back in for the second verse. I think we both understand the irony of the song, because when we get to the line "I've been praying ever since New York," we both look at each other and smile. I truly can't believe that we've only known each other for a little over a week, because something about Harry makes it feel like I've known him for years. From our first conversation on that plane to New York, things have just felt... easy with him.

Much to my dismay, we get to Harry's house quicker than I thought we would. He tells me his gate code and I drive up the long driveway to take him closer to his home. I put my car in park and turn towards Harry so we can say our goodbyes. He's already looking at me and says,

"I know I started saying this in the kitchen, but I really appreciate you and your parents opening up your home to me tonight."

He pauses as if he is going to say something else, so I wait a second to see if my suspicion is correct.

"Honestly... It- I feel like it's kind of weird for me to say this considering we haven't known each other very long," He says, fidgeting a bit with his hands, twisting his rings "but I really feel like the people on my team and in my inner circle are a small family to me, and you've fit into that dynamic so seamlessly. I truly am grateful that you decided to apply for this position and I am so excited to work with you." At the end of his sentence, his gaze finally travels back to my eyes.

"Thank you, Harry. The last week has felt like something straight out of a dream and I just feel so lucky to be here. I really appreciate how welcoming you've been."

At my response, Harry pauses a moment before smirking, "So, you dream about me?"

"What?" I say, confused at the sudden shift from our more serious conversation.

"I mean you said the last week was something out of a dream, and we've been seeing a lot of each other, so I'm just connecting the dots..." He says teasingly, the cocky smirk spreading across his face even more.

I playfully shove his shoulder and scoff once I realize what he means. "Oh give me a break, Styles. You wish that was true."

Harry doesn't say anything more, he just laughs and throws his hands up in defeat with a shrug.