The Brightest Dark (Harry Styles) BOOK 1

Chapter 54

"You're a really nice person you know, it's hard to find your kind in LA," my hands wrap around the hot cup of coffee, warming myself.

"Well I'm not originally from here, I was born and raised in New York," he smirks.

"Really? Aren't New Yorkers meaner than LA people?" I ask.

"Yea, but you get quite used to it," he shrugs.

"How do you end up so good?" I chuckle.

"My parents home schooled me," he shrugs.

"Wow, must have been tough making friends," I state.

"It was, but I moved out here and I've gained multiple friends. People are more outgoing here," he nods.

"I'm surprised, I've never been so social before."

"Well it doesn't seem like it now though," he winks.

I laugh and sip my coffee, not too sweet and very minty, just the way I love it. His brown eyes search my face, trying to complete a puzzle.

"So what is a pretty girl like you doing here at night?" He frowns.

I hesitate to answer, "I got in a fight with my bo-ex boyfriend."

"Oh, you guys just broke up?"

"No, we broke up a year ago, but I went to have dinner with my friends and he brought his new girlfriend. Let's just say she was being a snob so I said something about it," I stifle a laugh, shaking my head.

Just imagining him with that girl makes me laugh. How could he deal with her? Maybe she's just another gold digger being ever so sweet to her boyfriend then a bitch to anyone who comes in between.

"Oh, that sounds scary," he chuckles.

"Yea and my ex yelled at me in front of the whole restaurant. Not a pleasant night for me."

"He's missing out," he sits back, crossing his arms.

"On what?"

"On a beautiful girl who seems to know a lot about the rights and wrongs of this world," he answers.

I stay silent, not because it's true, because I really don't know all the right or wrongs, otherwise I would have left Harry along time ago. I've let him go physically, but inside of my heart I keep him tightly with me and it's killing me gradually over the period of time I stay away from this green eyed love of mine.

"I don't know everything," I shake my head.

"No one ever does, but you know what's right in a situation. The only problem is that you can't control your feeling towards something wrong," he speaks like a poet.

"How do you know so much?" A small smile turning up on my lips.

He scratches the back of his head with red cheeks, "I've dealt with many break ups."

"Ah," I nod, "you're one of those relationship gurus."

He snickers, "something like that."

"What's your name guru?" I lean forward, my head resting on top of my fist.

"Stiles, Stiles Stilinski," he grins, "how about you?"

"L-"

"Lina," That revolting boy barges into the coffee shop, soaking wet.

"Great," I mumble under my breath.

"Harry Styles?!" Stiles shouts in a whisper.

"Yup," I roll my eyes.

The tall, lean body of Harry's towers over me. I don't even bother to stare at him, the sight of him will just make me angrier.

"I should have known you'd be here," he exhales out of breath.

"Well you found me, wonderful," I say with the least of enthusiasm.

"Look I'm sorry what happened back there," he apologizes.

The boy Stiles stands up from his seat and gives me small smile. He's definitely caught on as he stares between Harry and I.

"I'll leave you two alone," he walks off behind the counter.

"Who was that?" Harry sits down in the seat that Stiles once had.

"A friend," I scoff.

"Lina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell like that, I just didn't like how you were being rude to Victoria. How would you have liked it if I was being rude to Kian?" His eyes don't leave mine at any moment, "you would beat my ass."

I chuckle lightly, "I don't like her attitude towards me."

He smiles, "I know and I don't like Kian for being a dick to me. Yet I still treat him as a human being."

"Is she waiting for me to apologize?" I roll my eyes.

"She left early, she got pretty upset with what you said," he tells me.

"Good," I shake my head.

"Lina," he exhales, "you're so difficult."

"I've heard that before," my voice monotone.

"It's because you're stubborn," he states.

"You are too, don't act like this is just my fault. You should have said something to your girlfriend when she was critiquing me harshly," I raise my voice a bit.

"If I did, she would have gotten mad at me. She has anger issues," he adds.

"Just like you, maybe you two are meant for each other," I smile to myself.

"Seriously Lina?" He frowns, "I'm trying to apologize and you can't get that through your damn head? You're unbelievable."

Harry stands up from his seat, those eyes finally taring away from mine. Before he can leave, I grip his forearm. He turns with peering dark eyes.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly.

"For what?" He tries to get more from me.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch," I let out a breath.

The air I exhale is inhaled by him, "you're not a bitch. You're just a blunt person and I can't criticize you for it because I am too. Apology excepted, how about mine?"

The corners of my mouth turn, "yours is excepted for now."

"For now?" He smirks.

"Depends how nice you can be to me," I laugh, letting go of his arm.

"Well thanksgiving is coming up, why not show you all the thanks I have for you," he blows a teasingly gay kiss.

"I'd like to see this fail," I snicker.

"How so?"

"We can't go a day without fighting," I watch his face sadden.

"I'd think not," he argues.

"We can't even agree on the same thing," I point out.

"Let's make it a bet," he smirks wildly.

"What happens when the other wins?"

"If I win I get to take you out to a nice movie night," he states.

"Okay and if I win, you have to go up on stage at one of your concerts and tell everyone how much of a loser you are," I shrug.

"Damn, that's some cruel stuff, lov-Lina," he stops himself.

"Something you've already learned about me," our eyes glue together.

"More than anyone else knows," his voice goes hoarse causing the smile on my face to meet my eyes.