The Greenleaf Society - Harry Styles.

Chapter two: Goodness gracious.

As the introduction had finished, everyone moved on to talking amongst each other. Many choosing the ones nearest by. I, of course, talked to Leah.

On Leahs left side sat a girl named Phoebe. Incredibly beautiful, with her light brown hair styled in a neat bun at the top of her head. Resembling a ballet dancer, i thought.

Although I had never really been one for chatting easily with people I didn't already know, I could tell Phoebe was a kind person. In the sense of me feeling safe enough to break out of my shell a bit.

Leah was my exact opposite in that way, as she could talk to whoever about whatever she liked. Somehow, she had a way of always having made a friend at the end of every conversation. Something I truly admired about her. And, I won't lie to you, also something I envied about her.

Luckily, neither Leah nor Phoebe seemed to mind that I wasn't as chatty as them. Even though I mostly listened to them talk, they still made me feel a part of the conversation. Something rare but important. Every now and then, Leah would look over at me and smile softly. As a way of letting me know, she was proud of me.

You see, in a way, that was exactly why we were here. A couple of months ago, Leah had found an ad for, in my eyes, something incredibly weird. At least, that was my initial thought about this experiment. I mean, who wouldn't think that?

However, she continued talking about how it would be an incredible opportunity for us both. Growing up in a small town had been nice, of course, but eventually, you start to feel stuck. Especially when, as we are now in our late twenties. So we did think this experiment could be our way out, which was what eventually convinced me to sign up. That, and this could also very well be a way of me getting out of my shell. To be a bit more like Leah.

So here we were. In a new, giant house, with twenty strangers.

~

After having sat at the dining table for what seemed hours, the curiosity finally got the best of us. So we all got up and ventured around to discover what was now our new home.

On the other end of the table, opposite of where we were sat, was a double glass door leading us out to an orangerie. A gorgeous and light area filled with an array of plant life and colourful garden furniture.

On the opposite side of the glass doors was yet another door, leading into a cinema room. A giant velvet sofa in a navy blue colour took up most of the space. A sofa that very likely could seat us all. Impressive, really, I thought. The walls were coloured in a very dark green, except the wall in front of us, which was white. Possibly, used as the screen, I thought.

The next room, on the right of the cinema room, was a living space with white bookshelves. The floor to ceiling kind. They took up all of the space on the wall to our left. In the middle of the room stood a sofa and several lounging chairs surrounding it. All seemed very lovely and soft, I thought.

The second door in the room, opposite of the bookshelves, leads us out into the hall.

~

The grand staircase swiveled around the second floor and continued along to the third floor.
"Goodness gracious, this house is big." I whispered to myself. Or so I thought I had, but both Leah and Phoebe giggled before agreeing with me.
"I wonder which floor our rooms will be on." Leah said.
"Let's go look!" Phoebe answered. And then started half running up the stairs, with Leah and me following after, barely keeping up with her.

~

Luckily, our rooms were close by each other, and all on the second floor of the house.
Which made things quite easy for us this evening as we had agreed to get ready together for the party.
Neither of us really knew what it would entail or anything, but Alex and Harry had taken on the job of preparing the dining room, as well as the orangerie. Giving everyone the chance to relax a bit in their own rooms, if they needed to, or spend the time getting ready as we had chosen to.
Phoebe and I had quickly gone to our own rooms to pick up a few things, like outfit options and some makeup to bring over to Leahs room.

"Just throw your outfits on the bed." Leah said as she ushered us inside of her room.
"Alright!" Phoebe said as she did what she was told.
"How about everything else, you think?" I mentioned as I mirrored Phoebe's actions.

Leah looked around her room before answering.
"Maybe the bathroom would be easiest?"

~

After two hours of chatting, laughing, and getting ready, we were finally all happy with the results.
"Wait!" Leah said.
"Let's quickly get a photo of us all." Making the rest of us nod and get ready to pose next to her.

~

We made our way down the stairs to join everyone else in orangerie. Astrid stood at the entrance, from the dining room, with a tray of glasses filled with, what I presumed was some sort of alcohol. We all smiled at her and said thank you as we each grabbed a glass off of the tray. Many had already made it down here, making the room full of life. Which was nice. However, that also meant that we couldn't move that far into the room, so we stood at the step down from the dining room entrance.
It did give me a good overlook into the orangerie. I took a sip from my glass, a sparkly sweet taste, which was very much my taste. Luckily.
In the corner, opposite of us, was Alex stood looking at vinyls, possibly figuring out which one to play first. The one in his right hand was one I recognised, an album of Queen. The one in his left, I could not make out. Luckily, it was the latter he chose to play so as I could find out.

~

I had escaped the drunken girls and relocated to the much quieter living room. As much fun as the party had been, I sure did need a break from all the people. And all the noise. And especially all the alcohol.
Leah and I had always been up for a party whenever possible. And Phoebe seemed much the same. However, both of them were very fond of dancing. Something I wasn't.
So here I was. Just sitting by myself browsing through a random book I had grabbed from the shelf before sitting down in one of the armchairs. A very soft and squishy one.
I must have been very concentrated on the book in my lap, very impressive really since I wasn't exactly reading it. But a soft voice startled me slightly.
"Didn't mean to scare you." He said and added
"I won't hurt you. Promise." A slight grin appeared on his face.
"It's Charlie, right?" He said. I answered with a nod, giving back a small smile.
"I'm Harry."
"Why are you not partying with the others?" He added.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"I guess I needed a little break from it all." He nodded and started walking towards the armchair on my left. "How come you've left as well?" I asked nervously, looking down at the book still in my lap.
"I needed a little break, I guess." He answered, smiling as a way of letting me know he was teasing me.
"No, I noticed you left and wanted to make sure you were alright, is all." He said, making me blush slightly. Luckily, we were sat in a somewhat darkened room, I thought.
"I'm alright. Promise." I said and added,
"Sweet of you, though."
"Anytime." He said, with a smile showing off the sweetest dimples. I better be careful, I thought. Catching feelings for someone here would not be the bestest idea. I shyly smiled back.