Asylum For Aisling

Chapter 20

I pulled Harry behind me, glancing over my shoulder now and then to make sure he was still there. I felt warmth spread from the tips of my fingers to my heart. The feeling of our fingers entwined was pleasant. The expanse of his hands engulfed mine.

"Aisling, where are you taking me?" Harry piped up from behind me.

Once again, I looked over my shoulder to his smirk, "Well that would ruin the surprise and I simply cannot have that!"

He rolled his eyes and I turned my head forward to concentrate on my path. Harry's thumb rubbed soft circles along my finger as we walked in a peaceful silence. I smiled to myself at the contact between us like a little school girl. I shook my head at the silliness of it.

"Come on slow poke. You're lagging on me! What happened to your mile long legs?" I yanked on our hands so that we were now walking side by side. I glanced over to him to see him already looking at me. He rolled his eyes again and offered a grin.

"You know, rolling your eyes can cause headaches. You might want to keep the movement to a minimum unless you want to suffer that fate." I laughed at his shocked expression.

"They do not!" He exclaimed, shaking his curls.

"Do too!" I laughed.

"You're insane." He joined in on my laughter.

"Well I am in a loony bin. What did you expect?" I used my free hand to shove him lightly. I laughed even harder as he rubbed at the spot with a fake hurt expression on his

face.

It had been a while since I had been so carefree and genuinely happy.

Once Harry and I let some pent up emotions out of our systems, it was like some of the stress and hardships were brushed aside letting us breathe easy. I sighed in content at the feeling of bliss that coursed through my body. The last time that I enjoyed someone's company, it had been with Pandora, but now I had Harry. At least for now.

"Want to go to Movement for a bit? It's been a while since I've been." I asked.

"Sounds good. I just hope that you don't get too discouraged when I beat you at everything in there." He shrugged innocently and grinned at me.

"Is that a challenge, Styles?" I arched an eyebrow at him.

"How about this: If I beat you in a race, then you have to do whatever I say?" His proposition intrigued me, but I wasn't about to agree with it quite yet.

"What kind of race? Like sprints?"

"Yeah."

"So, if you win, I have to do whatever you say?" It sounded ridiculous to me.

"Yeah, and I say that if I win, you have to go on a date with me." He spoke confidently.

"A date?" I raised my eyebrows again and scrunched my nose at the thought.

"Yes, a date. You and me." He pulled on our entwined hands to stop us. He took the tiny step that was between us and closed the distance. He loomed over me, but lowered his head so that we were eye level. "That's all it is: A date with the one and only Harry Styles."

His peppermint breath washed onto my face and I inhaled sharply at the scent. I leaned in closer until our lips were almost touching before breathing, "And if I win, I don't have to go, but you have to do whatever I say." I leaned back, pulling our hands apart, and began to walk off.

His chuckle was shaky, so I knew that I had gotten to him. He caught up to me easily, grabbed my wrist, and spun me around. He got back in my face, noses brushing, "And what do you say that I have to do?"