titles ; styles

03

"Funny seeing you here. Although, I have to say that I'm not surprised," the man chuckled. "I didn't think I would see you again. Seems like you've been avoiding me."

"I- um, I haven't-" I stutter looking up him as he moved closer to me.

"Tay, relax. I'm kidding." His laugh bounced off the walls in the rather empty room we were in.

"Oh. Yeah." I breathed.

"I've been back to the coffee shop that we met in and you haven't been there. I have been kind of disappointed. I wanted to see you."

I felt my cheeks go hot and I smiled, looking down at my shoes so my hair would hide my face.

He reached over and pushed the hair back behind my ear and said, "You don't talk much, do you? I think I've only heard you say two words and one of them was your name."

"Sorry," I frowned. "I'm just awkward."

"You never asked for my name, Tay." My frown grew deeper as guilt grew deep in my stomach. "It's Harry."

Harry. Finally a name for a beautiful, beautiful face.

"I like that." I smiled, looking back up to him.

He was smiling back down at me when I met his gaze and I noticed the dimples indented in his cheeks. He reached out and grabbed my fingers in his hand and said, "Well I like Tay."

I could feel myself blushing again when someone walked into the room and said, "Taylor, I need you to explain this painting for me. I don't get - oh, hi."

Harry drops my hand and walks towards her, holding his hand out for her to shake. "Harry, Harry Styles. You must be Tay's mom."

My mom slightly leans around his tall stature and looks at me standing wide-eyed in the place he left me next to Van Gogh. She straightened back up, looking back into his eyes and said, "Yes. Nice to meet you Harry."

"If you don't mind, I can help explain that painting to you and then I'd like to take your daughter out." My mouth went dry at his last words and I could barely hear my mom allowing him to as my heartbeat took over the sense.

They walked out of the room and into another as I just stood immobile in shock.

What the fuck just happened?

--

"Is there anywhere in particular that you would like to go?" Harry asked as I sat in the passenger seat of his car. I wasn't really sure how I got here or why I was here, but I was, so that's cool.

"No, not really." I replied.

"Would you like to get something to eat?"

"I don't care." To be honest, I wasn't a very big food person. I didn't like it.

"I guess I'm just going to surprise you then." He smirked and looked back towards the road, turning up the radio in the process.

The silence was comfortable, but I was freaking out on the inside. I am sitting in a car next to someone who is likewise a stranger, a very beautiful stranger, and he was taking me to some place that I didn't know. It's not that I didn't feel safe with him, it's just not a normal situation.

He pulled onto a side street and parked his car. "Come with me. We are going to walk a little bit. It's close."

I nodded to him in return and unbuckled my seatbelt. "Wait," he said once I reached for the door handle.

He got out of the car and ran around the front to my side. I laughed to myself as he opened up my door and held his hand out for me.

"Thank you," I laughed as I stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"No problem love."

He didn't let go of my hand as we started down the street and it gave me a sense of warmth in the rather cold January weather. We walked about three blocks past a scattered amount of people before he dragged me diagonally across a busy street.

"Are you crazy? You could've killed us doing that shit!" I said once I caught my breath. There's obviously cross walks made for a reason, but he was laughing hysterically with his eyes squeezed shut. "How is this funny to you? Is me dying funny?"

"No, of course not. You were just so scared and you're cute when you're mad." Harry continued laughing for a good 30 seconds or so before finally calming down. "I'm sorry I almost killed you."

"Sure you are." I jokingly rolled my eyes at him.

"I really, truly am, Tay," he sang, rather loudly I may add, causing a few looks from people passing by. He threw his arms around me and swung my body back and forth making me squeal a little bit.

"Okay, okay. I forgive you."

"Good." He let his arms fall back down to his sides and turns his back to me, walking in the separate direction. I jog a little to catch up with him when he says, "I'm glad you're starting to talk to me. You have a nice voice." I didn't say anything in return, just smiled taking in the compliment.

We soon walked into a small park that was nearly vacant. Probably because it's a little cold to be out in a park. There were large statues placed near the middle that were clearly legs and Harry starting grabbing onto them and swinging around them.

"Please do not touch the art!" I yell over to him, thinking I was clever, and he stumbles to a halt.

"Who do you think you are?" He lets go of the statue he was on and walks towards me, looking rather mad. "People used to climb up Marilyn Monroe's legs and you're telling me to not swing on legs that don't even have the rest of their bodies?"

My heart sunk and my voice was quiet as I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Tay," he interrupted, "I'm joking." His bright smile broke out across his face as he tipped my head back up with his finger. "Relax, babe. Come sit."

He grabbed back onto my hand and brought me to a bench on the edge of the sidewalk and sat down, dragging me down next to him.

"I like it here," he said.

"I've never been here," I replied.

"I come here a lot. There's usually not a lot of people so it's really peaceful."

"It is."

We sat in silence for a few minutes just staring at the statues and the trees and the people on the streets who were oblivious to the beauty not 100 feet away from them before Harry broke it by saying, "Tell me about yourself Tay."

"There's nothing special about me to know Harry."

--

"Mom, leave me alone. Nothing happened." I whined. She hasn't left me alone since I walked in the door once Harry dropped me off.

"Did he know you were going to be there? Is he stalking you?" She pushed.

"No, it was just a coincidence. Now please leave me alone. I need to study. I have a history test tomorrow."

"Fine." She closed my bedroom door and I sighed in relief, falling back onto my bed.

I was with Harry in the park for hours. I didn't even realize how long it had been until it started to get dark. We just talked about life and art and writing and I feel like I can call him more than a stranger now.

He's even more of a masterpiece than I thought.

I didn't really open up as much as I should have. I'm just scared that I will scare him away if I do, and I don't want to scare Harry away. I want him to be around for a long time.

I cut off my thoughts before the wandered too far by rolling over and pulling my laptop over to me. I pulled up the history assignment I needed, but didn't want, to do and started working on it when I felt my phone vibrate against the mattress. I groaned and reached behind me, grabbing it off the bed and looking at the home screen.

It was a text from and unknown number with a picture attached to it. I furrowed my eyebrows and slid my phone open to the text. It was a picture of the back of my head with The Bedroom in the background.

"I can't tell which is more beautiful. H.x"