Before She Falls

Chapter 30

The time is 11:34pm and Zayn and Liam are passed out on the floor. Harry had moved up to lie next to me on the couch after the boys had fallen asleep. Louis is currently stretched out on the other couch, either intensively watching "Friends" on the television or already fast asleep, I can't tell from my position.

"So how's being the 'new girl in Harry Styles' life' going?" Harry quotes Jason Kennedy from E! News.

"Shut up" I elbow his side. "I wasn't aware you had so many other girls."

"I don't" Harry's tone sucks the playfulness from the conversation. "They're all just rumors, ya know."

"Kendall?" I question. I've been waiting to ask him about it since her name was mentioned on television with Harry's.

He looks over to me, "She's not necessarily a rumor."

"So what is she?" I bring my eyebrows together to show my confusion.

"A Management deal" Harry sounds annoyed more than anything.

"What do you mean? Like Modest?" I ask and Harry nods his head a couple of times.

"Long story short, her people and my people came together and made a deal. Her family's show needed more views and I was the person to do it" Harry moves his hands above his chest while he talks. I realize he tends use his hands while he's speaking when he's trying to really get his point across.

"So like a fake girlfriend?"

"Kind of. We went on a couple 'dates' but not anywhere private. There always had to be a ton people around us to see us together and take our pictures, which was the whole point of the deal, of course. After the ratings went up on the show, Management told us the whole thing could end and I flew to New York the following week and that's when you came to visit."

"They're smart" I reply.

"Who, Modest?" Harry quickly responds.

"Yeah" I answer and his nose scrunches as if he can't believe what I just said. "From a marketing stand-point."

"Well yeah, the deal brought in thousands for us" Harry brings his hand to his head and combs through the front of his hair.

"Does it bother you?"

"What?" He continues brushing his fingers in his hair.

"Being labeled by everyone as a 'womanizer' and supposedly having all these different girlfriends. Does it get to you sometimes?"

"Sometimes" he turns his head away from me to face the ceiling. "It's just ridiculous, some of the things people say about me."

"People do say you're the charming one though" I turn to my side to see his lips curl into a wide smile. "And that's true." A chuckle escapes Harry's lips.

"People are always going to be mean" Harry sighs and drops his arm and wraps it around me. "And I guess that's why I'm not sure if I like all the publicity on you."

"What publicity? It was a couple pictures and my name" I tell Harry, it's not like I've all of a sudden struck fame or anything. I can't read Harry's facial expression, but he seems a little stunned by my response.

"Well first it's your name and the pictures, then your twitter, and girls start tweeting at you, then the paparazzi are obsessed with you because the fans are, and then you have more bullshit on you than you can handle" Harry inhales once he concludes his small rant.

"I can handle it" I tell him sternly. There hasn't been a situation in my life where I haven't been able to handle it. My father left us high and dry and guess who handled it. "What makes you think I can't?"

"I don't think you can't" Harry shifts himself on the couch, "I just don't think it's something that you should have to deal with. It gets tiresome after a while."

"They already know who I am. And as long as I keep hanging out with you, they'll know who I am" I state my point and I can hear Louis's faint snoring over the light hum of the television.

"I know" Harry replies. "I just don't want to push you away with all of this unnecessary shit."

"You're not pushing me away" I giggle. "I don't care about all of that stuff."

"You say that now..." Harry trails off and I hear the concern in his voice and I see it in his green eyes, but I can't help but be annoyed by it. He didn't need to pity me. "I just don't want my fame to be an annoyance to you."

"Liam's my cousin. Fame's been annoying since the day you guys started the X-Factor" I remind Harry. "It's okay. I get it."

Harry dips his head down and his lips collapse on mine. He hooks his arms around my back feverishly and he pulls me closer to his chest. I wrap one of my hands around the nape of his neck and let the other one rest in his hair. His lips move faster than I'm expecting and his tongue slides into my mouth right away like he's been waiting to do it all day, which might just be the case. Harry's arms flex against my back and I use my tongue to play with his. He moves his lips from my mouth to my neck slowly, taking the time to suck slightly on my skin. This feeling is what I've been craving for what feels like months. Ever since Harry first kissed me, I want to kiss him every time I catch a glimpse of him. There's something so hypnotizing about this fluffy-haired, leanly muscular, emerald-eyed dork.

"Maybe you two should go into Kat's room" I hear Louis's voice from the other couch and I immediately detach my lips from Harry's.

Harry's eyes widen and he releases a fairly loud chuckle. I can feel my cheeks burning and my breath is heavy from the kissing. I try my absolute hardest not to laugh at Louis's comment.

"Let's go" I mumble and pull myself from the couch and wait for Harry to do the same.

Once he's standing, he pulls my hand forward, leading me swiftly towards Nicola's old bedroom. I'm surprised he still remembers where it's located in the house. We reach the room and Harry closes the door behind him.

"Are you wearing that to bed?" Harry asks as his eyes scan my current outfit; dark-denim shorts and a loose-fitting white top.

I shake my head, "Are you wearing that to bed?" Harry's dressed in a black soccer sweatpants and gray pullover.

"I don't have to" Harry says with a cheeky smile on his face.

I shake my head at him and grab a pair of gym shorts from my suitcase. I grab the doorknob and turn it slowly.

"Where are you going?" Harry says quietly while peeling his shirt from his torso, revealing the tattoos that I've missed for the past couple of weeks. His stomach is looking a bit more defined than the last time he was standing in front of me shirtless, tanner too.

"To the bathroom" I point towards the room across the hallway. "I have to change for bed."

"You can just change in here" Harry laughs and motions for me to come back into the room.

I close the door and move towards the bed. I climb onto the mattress and use the blankets to cover the bottom half of me. I begin to remove my shorts as I hear Harry chuckling from the other side of the room.

"What?" I ask and when I look up, Harry's already stripped down to his black boxers. I force myself not to stare and carry on with wiggling out of my bottoms.

"Why are you so afraid of changing in front of me?" Harry says making his way over to the bed.

"Well unlike you, I don't prefer to be naked all the time" I say, smiling at him through my eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Harry tilts his head down flirtatiously.

Then suddenly, his hands grip onto the blanket on top of me and rip my coverage away. I automatically pull my legs into my chest in a pathetic attempt to hide my bare lower body. I pull my big t-shirt over my knees and successfully protect myself.

Harry shakes his head and before I know it, his body is hovering over mine and his mouth is finding its way from my collarbone to my lips. And I couldn't be more thankful to be half-naked in my cousin's old bed with someone who reminds me what it's like to actually feel butterflies.