Games We Play

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry

"Where do you even take a girl like Charlotte on a date?" I stressed, slightly under my breath.

With that blonde hair that reached just past her shoulders and fell perfectly down her back on any given occasion, her petite bone structure that made her look so innocent, and those piercing blue eyes that could make even the most stubborn man come clean in all of his deepest secrets, Charlotte Banks was a compelling mystery that I was determined to solve. But that wasn't why I was so intrigued with the beautiful girl. What made me want to get to know her even more was the fact that under that soft bone structure and 5'7" body, there seemed to be a brick wall built up. The looks she never failed to reserve for me were cold as stone and something told me she didn't confide in her friends with even her smallest worries. I wanted to get to know the girl behind that wall and I wanted to know why she seemed to build it higher whenever I was around.

"Mate, just take her out to dinner or something, I don't know." Liam's fed-up tone and eye roll brought me back to reality, where I was collecting plates to bring back to one of the tables I was serving. I sighed as I walked away from Liam to give the family their meals before asking them if they needed anything else {"no thanks." "let me know if that changes, enjoy your meal"}.

"Liam, are you not getting this? I have to do something different for her. Have you been living under a rock or do you just choose to ignore the fact that I've gotten a date with the girl I've been obsessed with ever since I met her?" Liam was spending his break the same way he always did: drinking a milkshake he stole from the back and talking to me while I worked. He sipped on the chocolate shake and rolled his eyes as I went on about my situation.

"What is it about her that's got you so whipped?" He laughed at me and stirred the red straw around in his shake before a serious expression took over his facial features when he caught on to the glare I was sending his way. "Okay sorry, sorry." He raises his hands in mock surrender as if he was afraid I would hurt him. Then again, I probably would have seriously considered it if another word about my love life came out of his mouth. After a few minutes of me wiping off tables near the one Liam had claimed for his break, the brown-eyed lad finally spoke up again.

"You could always take her to your place and cook her dinner and do a movie or something. That way it's just you two with no distractions. You could also make extra of whatever you cook that night because you know I love your food." Liam said seriously before winking at the end. I rolled my eyes because when wasn't Liam trying to get me to cook for him, but also because that idea wasn't all that bad.

"Okay there's a start. I could do that. But what if she's allergic to dogs or something?" I asked, thinking about my black lab.

"It will be fine. Luna is the most obedient dog ever. Just put her outside or in the spare room." He replied with no hesitation. I nodded as I thought about everything before texting Charlotte Banks.

Charlotte

Text from Harry Styles: Does dinner at my place work on Friday? Pasta? I can pick you up at 6? X

The notification I received from my phone made me throw my head back and groan. It was a reminder that I would have to voluntarily spend some of my free time with Harry.

"What's wrong?" Sophia asked from right beside me in the driver's seat of her beat up Lexus.

"Harry is asking me about the date I told him I'd go with him on." I said in an annoyed tone, which my best friend caught on to immediately and laughed.

"Come on, you have to get back in the dating field at some point. It's not like he's unattractive either. You just have to be open-minded on this one." She lectured me as we stopped at a red light and glanced at me when she was met with silence, "Please?" She added when she saw the doubtful look on my face. I sighed and looked forward as we started moving again.

"Fine. I'll be open-minded but only because you're begging me and your boyfriend is Harry's best friend and I don't need you and Liam sharing secrets to be passed on to Harry about me." I told her and wiggled my eyebrows at the end to warn her not to meddle with my love life. She laughed as we entered the parking lot for the dorms and we got out of the car, gathering our books from the classes we had had that day.

When we were inside our dorm room and had dumped all of our school books and work onto our respectful desks, I sat down and texted Harry back.

Text to Harry Styles: Pasta on Friday at yours is good. See you at 6. What should I wear?

I kept the message on the professional side, seeing as he had done the same.

Text from Harry Styles: Wear whatever you're comfortable in, doesn't have to be fancy. Are you good with dogs...?

Text to Harry Styles: I'll wear my sweats then...;) And yes I love dogs!

Deciding to show Harry this wasn't completely one-sided and that I had a humorous side, I added the winky face and an exclamation point to my text. I laughed at myself a little before remembering who I was texting and what we were texting about, before the dread for Friday night set back into my stomach.

It wasn't that I completely despised Harry Styles, it was just that he was one of those guys. And by one of those guys, I mean the kind where if you've met one of them, you've basically met them all. The cocky, self-absorbed guy that will catch your eye at a party, buy you a couple drinks, tell you you're pretty, and then have his way with you in the bathroom stall before leaving you high and dry. His 6'4" stature, curly brunette hair that could never be tamed, and bright green eyes made him very easy on the eyes, and combined with his unmistakably hot British accent, his body was practically a work of art. But his physical appearance and seemingly musical voice was all just a cover for the horny bastard he was underneath, and little did he know, I could see right through it.

To me, Charlotte Banks, dating someone like Harry Styles would be as easy as playing a game I had created myself, so maybe I could do just that.

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Hi guys! I hope you are all liking this story so far! Please bare with me as the characters are still just being introduced! I would love to hear your feedback! Also, I imagine Charlotte as Alexis Ren (as seen in the media at the top of the chapter) and of course, Harry's physical appearance is based off of the one and only Harry Edward Styles (cue the heart-eye emojis)!