A Moment in the Crowd

Chapter 3: You just called me love

Harry:

I sit in a shockingly crowded little coffee shop, which is apparently quite famous in Canada, across from the beautiful brunette I'd so admired in the car.

"The first thing anyone needs to know about Canada," Lily explains, "is that Tim Horton's is and always will be better than Starbucks."

She chuckles to herself, but stops abruptly when she realizes that I didn't join in. She looks embarrassed, and admittedly, it's rather cute. I smile at her to reassure her that it was still funny.

"I must admit their teas are better than any place in North America. But it would never compare to British tea, love." 

This time I laugh to myself, and it's Lily's turn not to join in. She looks shocked.

"What's wrong?" I try to get a read on her blank expression.

"You just called me love."

"Oh - was I not supposed to?" 

"No, no. It's fine really. How's that tea coming?"

"It's delicious... love" I try to catch her eye and she looks up at the emphasized word.

It was a lame ass attempt at teasing her, but I can't explain how she causes me to react.

I smile at her for what feels like the hundreth time since we met just a short while ago. For a split second she's completely unsure of whether or not I'm actually teasing, until she sees my smile and returns it politely. 

"So, have you ever been up the CN Tower Mr. Styles?" She inquires playfully.

I enjoy the way she can be both comfortable and nervous. I can tell she's in shock at what's just happened, but I love that she's always showing parts of her quirky personality. I can't help but want to know more about her.

"No I haven't Miss... I've just realized I never got your last name?"

"Delcourt. It's French - pronounced more like Delle-courre" She says her last name, revealing a perfect French accent.

"Do you speak French?" I'm in awe at how sexy the French sounds. Damn it couldn't she speak German or something?

"Yeah, my family's French on my Dad's side. That's why we moved to France a while ago." I remember her saying something about France back in the car.

"When did you move there?" I feel so nosy bombarding her with all these questions.

"When I was eleven. It was kind of a shock for me. But I got used to it, learned to love it, then left it to come back to Canada."

Her expression becomes more serious and she looks almost sad. It seems like a touchy subject, one she had clearly touched lightly on in the car.

"I'm sorry, love - Fuck. That one just slipped out I promise."

I mentally kick myself for sounding like such an idiot. Fuck if I could help it I would. I can't even begin to comprehend what her presence is doing to me. I don't remember feeling this nervous since primary.

She laughs at my fuck up, and I can't help but laugh with her, and our simultaneous laughter causes me to laugh even harder. I can't even remember the last time I laughed so much. 

"Well, we should definitely go see the CN Tower. But I'm not going up with you. I'm terrified of heights, and I've already been a couple times myself." She shivers to herself. 

She looks genuinely happy in this moment, but I can tell that she's not joking about the heights. Her eyes widened instinctively when she mentioned going up. 

"I'm serious, I cried on the Eiffel Tower."

I can't help but burst out in a new fit of laughter at that revelation. The thought of this gorgeous girl, somewhat shy, somewhat reserved, crying at the top of the Eiffel Tower gives a comical image I'll never forget. 

"Shut up! It's not that funny." She manages to get the sentence out between fits of her own laughing.

We walk back to the car together, although I instinctively check my surroundings carefully. I'm always afraid someone will spot me and eventually the few people that do will grow into a crushing mob like the one near the hotel. With my tea in hand and Lily's cold drink in hers, we manage to make the short distance from the coffee shop to the SUV.

A few girls back at the shop had courageously asked for a picture with me, and Lily offered to snap a few. She seemed so sweet to the girls asking for my picture, and it makes me wonder if she was that way because she too thought of herself as just another fan.  

I know she isn't though. 

"To the CN Tower, Mr. Driver!" She shouts as we buckle our seatbelts in unison.

The chauffeur looks at Lily through the rearview mirror, casting a cold glare in her direction. She lowers her head slightly, but only to hide the smile creeping across her face. 

"So am I supposed to go up alone?" I can't help but ask, putting on a sad tone to the question. I want nothing more than for her to come up with me.

"No I'm not actually going to send you up alone, that's boring. Plus I'm sure I'll survive. But I'm not walking on any glass floors." She cringes again. 

I can't help but crack a grin, and she stares at me for a moment while I do. I give her a questioning 'What?' look and she shakes her head implying that it was nothing. 

When Lily turns to rest her head on her hand, elbow supported by the car window, I can't help but stare at her again. She admires the passing cars, thinking about God knows what, while I admire her selfishly.