Hidden Identities // H.S

Chapter 69

Harry Styles

Jane and I immediately crashed on the bed when we got back from Niall's wedding. We stayed to the very end to help clean up everything, even after Niall and Lilian left in their car that I spent an hour decorating with the maid of honor. Tying small strings into cans is harder than it seems.

I snuck out of bed an hour ago, leaving Jane sleeping comfortably in between the sheets. I spent the first ten minutes outside, absorbing everything around me. I'm in Ireland, with my partner even though I call her my girlfriend sometimes in my head, and I watched my best friends get married to each other. Niall and Lilian have already expressed their liking for Jane, making all of this even better.

I couldn't want anything more.

They like Jane.

I like Jane.

I like being with Jane twenty-four-seven.

Okay. Maybe I would want just one more thing.

Staying at the cottage with Jane makes me want her to live with me even more. I can just picture all of it. Us living together in a nice apartment. Waking up to each other and going to sleep next to each other. We'd grocery shop together and bicker about who's turn it is to take out the trash. A home that we can both call ours. How much does Jane like dogs? I bet I could convince her on getting a dog.

I look down at the pan below me, my eyes widening as I remember the pancake on the pan.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." I whisper as I frantically flip over the pancake, revealing the dark brown side. "This is what I get for playing housewife."

"You talk to yourself when I'm not around, Styles?"

"Jesus!" I say loudly, nearly dropping the spatula in my hand. I take a quick second to stare at her from the bottom to the top, smiling at her messy bedhead. She's in an oversized gray T-shirt with shorts on. She takes the wristband from her wrist and ties up her messy hair, pushing back the loose strands.

Jane giggles, walking over to me and looking down at the pan. She sucks on her teeth, "Yikes."

"How about a thank you? A 'thank you for waking up early to make me breakfast, Harry.'." I kiss her temple, tossing the burnt pancake onto the stack. Jane furrows her eyebrows at the pancake, to which I reply, "Enough syrup can drown out the taste."

"I could smell the burnt pancakes through the closed door." She says, rubbing my back. "And you have the heat on a little too high."

"They're not burnt." I defend.

"Do you mind setting the table? I didn't get to do that yet." I tell her, pouring batter onto the pan.

She nods and heads for the cupboards. I flip over the last pancake, setting it on top of the burnt pancake. Jane pours both of us two cups of coffee and sets them on the table.

I set the stack of pancakes in the center of the table. I sit down across from Jane and we both stack a few pancakes on our plates.

Jane drizzles syrup across her pancake and begins to cut it into pieces. I sip at my coffee as I wait for Jane to take a bite. She slowly takes a bite from her fork and her eyes focus on a spot on the table. She processes her thoughts as she slowly chews.

"Is there something wrong?"

She gulps, forcing a smile, "Nope. I love my pancakes- - well done."

I furrow my eyebrows, picking up the pancakes on the plate and looking at every single one. Every single one is dark brown.