The Collaboration

Friends

"So it goes, pa, pa, pa, pa, pa, count to three and then you sing the first line," she instructs, her fingers deftly pressing the keys of the piano.

Harry plays along on his guitar and sings for a bit, but as he finishes, he frowns.

"You sound great. No?" she asks, reading his expression.

"I don't feel the connection between the songs, there's no story, Swift."

"Are you saying you want to change the song choice, now?" panic creeps into her voice, and he smiles at her reaction.

"There's no story in this, and you know, we need a bit of romance. It's a duet, after all," he tells her, lifting an eyebrow.

"It's a mashup," she reminds him, all flushed, but still doing her best to remain composed.

There's something about the way her expression changes, the way she gets flustered when she's challenged by him, that he likes. Maybe that's why he's been enjoying teasing her so much lately.

"Ok, I've been thinking..." he begins, and she sighs, bracing herself for another of his impromptu ideas that so often catch her off guard. He stops himself then, hiding a smile, until she breaks the silence again.

"Go on," she breathes out, turning to face him, trying to stay patient. "Thank God for those dimples. If it weren't for them, I'd probably be fuming right now," she jests, deciding to hear him out despite all the work they've already put into the current songs.

He smiles triumphantly, his dimples becoming more pronounced.

"Now you're showing off," she remarks, and he laughs openly.

He loves this banter with her. There aren't many people who can keep up with his most playful side, and then he realises he has missed her terribly. 

He had kept her at a distance because it had been easier than actually admitting it to himself.

Even at their worst, they had always had this connection. They could argue, make up, and regardless of everything, they always felt this pull towards each other.

"Two Ghosts," he says abruptly, and she freezes on his screen. 

It is only fair that his most recognizable song about her plays a part. It is such a special tune, one he had kept hidden for years before finally releasing it after much convincing from his producer.

 It is also a piece of his heart he is not afraid to share with the world anymore, especially with her.

"Taylor?" he asks, worried.

"I, I, I don't know," she stammers, squinting a little.

"You wanted me to sing 'Style.' And you've spent more than a decade singing about me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Styles. Not all my songs are about you."

"But some are."

"A few."

"The best ones."

She has to smile at his display of cockiness.

"I think that instead of trying to sing about anything else, so it looks too obvious we are trying to avoid talking about what was, we give them what they want, it will be sort of like... closure," he explains, his expression thoughtful.

Closure? she asks herself. She wants closure, doesn't she?. For sure she does. It has been so long, and they seem to be in good terms now, and...