I Would • Harry Styles

chapter 6

It's been a few days of me purposely avoiding The Beans out of nervousness to see Harry. I don't feel shameful of our passionate encounter, but I'm also just trying to date around right now. I have to fulfill my Gramma's wish for me to go on nineteen dates. I'm only young for so long.

She called me shortly after my rendezvous with Harry. I couldn't ever admit my actions to her, but I said that things were going well and I met someone special but I don't know what it will be yet. My brother was shocked that I had already been on three dates in one week. I explained to him that it is important to prioritize academics and get some dates out of the way before classes start. He just laughed and told me to keep it up. 

Emma was so shocked when I told her what went down right before she got back. She couldn't believe that Harry had started flirting with me or that I got enough confidence to actually flirt back. To be fair, I have major game and no follow through. 

In the days since, I've been watching The Vampire Diaries, which is being removed Netflix on September 3rd, and I am so pissed. But it's fine because it gives me an excuse to have a TVD marathon. I have been relating to Elena a lot because she is torn between two hunks, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. To me, Stefan represents all of the dates I have left, and Damon represents the dangerous option of seeing where Harry takes me. Stefan is reliable while Damon is exciting. I'm torn, but deep down I know what I have to do. 

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It's the first day of school. I am a freshman at Temple University in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I wake up at six am, still exhausted and with mascara smudged under my eyes. I immediately go to the bathroom and take a long shit, hoping it isn't a precursor for how my day will go. I brush my hair and put it into a messy bun. I opt to cover my mascara smudges with concealer rather than clean it off, and apply more mascara to my top lashes. After brushing my teeth, I put on chapstick and I am done in the bathroom. 

Emma was awake even before me and is in the kitchen making herself some coffee and toasting a bagel. She is already dressed and has on skinny blue jeans, a white crochet tank top and slip-on Vans. 

I go back into our room and look at my options. I find some light wash skater jeans and an oversized black tee shirt. Then, I put on my Scooby Doo socks from Hot Topic and my pink high top Converse. I look at myself in the mirror and slowly let my hair out of the messy bun I had put it in earlier. My hair is wavy and falls down over my shoulders nicely. 

Emma's class is at 8:30 and mine is at 8:00am. Luckily, I only have one class today. Emma has two though, conveniently back to back, but regardless we spend our days mainly apart. I go out into the kitchen, and see that Emma is done eating but had toasted a bagel for me too. I grab it to go as we leave our apartment and start the walk to school. 

We part right in the middle of campus by the bell tower, feeling comfortable after having a tour and finding our classes last week. I hug Emma goodbye and go on my way to my first class: Introduction to Architecture. I am so excited to be taking a class for my major in the first semester. Apparently, that's not common, but I get to take Intro to Architecture, Drawing 1, and Sustainability this semester. 

I enter my classroom ten minutes early, so I'm still early, but not the first one there. I sit towards the front and center. As much as I hate sitting in the front, I want to make an impression and show my interest. Five minutes before class, the professor arrives. The rest of the students trickle in, all chatting about how they had to find the classroom. Finally, the professor stands at the front of the room and introduces himself as Ryan. Just before he starts to talk more about himself and the class, another student comes through the doors. I pay no attention. This person is late and doesn't deserve to have class interrupted because they're late. It isn't until they sit right next to me that I look at them. 

He puts his bag down and turns to me with his hand out. 

"Harry," he says. 

I don't think he recognizes me. It's only been a few days. Could he have forgotten me that quickly? 

I shush him and mind my own space, trying to focus on Ryan. Ryan starts to talk about himself, telling us all that he is from Kentucky and wanted to move farther North to suit his liberal views. After attendance, he goes over the syllabus. That took a while. Class is only an hour and we went over the different chapters and projects we'll be doing this semester. Ryan wishes us all a happy day and dismisses us. 

Harry gathers his things, but it seems like he's waiting for something. I get my bag over my shoulder and grab my Hydroflask. I thank Ryan and go on my way. Harry catches up to me and walks beside me. 

"Hey, what's your name? And why'd you shush me in class? I was just trying to be nice."

I stop and turn to him, letting him see my face. He takes it in and I can see the shocked look on his face. 

"So you see me now, but you didn't recognize me in class? Especially after getting to know me pretty intimately?" I question him. 

He just stood there next to me in the hallway, his jaw agape, and his hands in his hair.

"I'm so sorry Margaret. I don't know how I didn't recognize you, love. But might I say, you look different when your hair hangs down over your face," Harry explains to me.

He takes his hands to my face, tucking my hair behind my ears, and smiles looking at his work. I am beyond confused. At first, he doesn't recognize me, and then he starts acting all cute. What??

He looks at me with those brooding green eyes and I feel like he's undressing me in his mind. Even with these baggy clothes on, he knows the shapes underneath. 

Finally, he speaks.

"Margaret," he says, snapping me back to reality. 

"Yes?" I ask innocently, looking up at him. 

He asks me, "Miss Margaret, would you like to go on a proper date with me?"

I froze. OMG. What the fuck? I let what he said sink in and think about what I really want. I may as well get another one of my nineteen dates checked off the list, and what better day than today, right? What better person than Harry? God, this is not going to plan. 

"Sure," I say. "I'm free for the rest of the day. What do you want to do?"

"You," he says with a devilish look. He quickly corrects himself saying, "I was thinking we could just walk around campus together and get something to eat."

Although the first option was extremely tempting, I am still a virgin and I don't want to do anything crazy with someone on a second date. And if you're thinking, "Oh you're a virgin but you let him give you head on the first date," then you should shut up and stop slut shaming me, bitch.