ALICE'S POV
After a few minutes, my anger and wild emotions are calmed by Harry's secure embrace. Now that I am no longer crying, I feel that my brain is clear. Thinking normally now, it suddenly occurs to me that I must smell rather bad from my jog. My 4 o'clock run seemed to have happened long ago. Even though it has been less than an hour, it seems like days have passed since Harry had come running out to the street.
The more I think about how I must smell, the more flustered I become. I begin to stir self-consciously in Harry's arms, attempting to wiggle out of his hold. My first few attempts are unsuccessful. After the third or fourth try, Harry finally loosens his arms but doesn't let go. He tilts his head slightly back and looks at me.
I can tell he is uncertain about how I will react now that I we are standing face to face. His lips pucker together as he searches my face for an answer. I give him a gentle smile to dispel any worries, and his whole body relaxes.
I can't shake the idea of smelling like sweat. In his arms, I feel so self-conscious. I know it isn't noticeable, but the thought nags at me. I shift once more, much more noticeably this time. As I open my mouth to speak, Harry also begins to talk.
"You first." Harry says, He takes a step back and lets his arms fall to his side.
"No, nevermind, it was dumb," I quickly reply. The thought of explaining to him why I squirmed out of his hold suddenly becomes too embarrassing to say out loud. My cheeks turn a light pink. "You go."
"What? No, what were you going to say?" Harry adamantly questions. Picking up on my flustered reaction, he is now very amused. I can tell that he is not going to let this go. "Come on. Tell me, Al."
I shake my head and stick out my bottom lip begging for mercy. Just as I expected, he continues to playfully push me to confess. "Tell me!" he begs once more.
As much as I wished he would drop it, I am amused at Harry's unrelenting interest in what I would say. I shake my head once more. Harry suddenly pins me up against the wall and begins to tickle me. "Say you'll tell me, and I'll stop!". I squeal with laughter and squirm under his hands, begging him to stop. "Say it! Tell me, and I'll stop!" he chirps once more
"Fine!" I breathe through my laughs, "I'll tell you, just stop!"
Obeying my request, Harry lifts his hands and stops tickling me. A goofy smile sprawls across his rosy lips. "See? That was easy, huh, Al?"
"You suck," I manage, still doubled over in laughter. "And that was so not even a fair fight!" I add, addressing his muscular arms. While I had never doubted Harry's strength, I had not expected him to have such defined muscles in his arms. The artful tattoos had always distracted me from his toned biceps.
"Stop gawking over my arms, and tell me!" I blush at Harry's statement; I had obviously been caught staring. "Do I have to?" I plead, sighing in frustration. Harry smirks and nods, "Unless you want to be tickled again." His flirty way of threatening me has my mind reeling.
"Fine." I finally give in. "I was thinking, I might- well, since I was running- maybe I'm gross and smelly?" My awkward words in combination with my unexpected confession catch Harry off guard and send him into a fit of laughter. His deep green eyes are squinted, wrinking the skin ever so slightly at the corner of his eyes, and his tongue rests on his bottom teeth. His giggly, lighthearted reaction makes me smile.
The more time I spent with Harry, the happier I felt. Something about being with him feels so right. His laughter had a certain charm about it, and his smile was enough to make my heart melt. The way I felt with Harry here right now was unlike I had ever felt before. He is different. Something about this is different.
"Of all the things you could be thinking about- and you are worried about smelling bad!" Harry mocks. He is still laughing, and I playfully pout in opposition to being made fun of. Harry walks over to the refrigerator and opens the door. "Thirsty?" he asks, gently tossing me a bottle of water. I eagerly catch it and unscrew the cap. I hadn't had anything to drink since I had left the hotel on my jog, and as I guzzle the water, I realize how thirsty I had been.
"God, Alice!" Harry jeers, remarking on my empty bottle. "I can go fill the bathtub up and give you a straw if you want more." Laughing, I roll my eyes at his words. "And then, you can shower because you stink!" Harry adds.
"Do I really?" I ask, the embarrassed concern written all over my face.
"No, I was kidding, Al," Harry chuckles. Relief comes over my body like a wave, and I feel silly for making a big deal out of it. "You don't smell at all, I promise. But if you are concerned about it, we can fix that," he adds, leaving the room. "Hang on," his voice echoes from the staircase and I soon hear footsteps and the creaking of the floor above me.
In another minute, Harry is padding down the steps and standing in front of me. "Here," he says. He thrusts a neatly folded grey t-shirt into my hands. "The bathroom is on the right," he says gesturing down the hall.
I thank him and quickly excuse myself to change. Flipping on the bathroom lights, I unfold the shirt. Right away, I notice a red heart that is printed on the left breast pocket. It is Harry's "lover" shirt. My heart swells and I swoon. I recall the countless pictures I had flipped through of Harry in this very shirt, and I remember how much I had adored the shirt then. I smile to myself. If only I would have known...
I lift my Nike running top over my head and tug Harry's soft tee onto my body. The faint musky smell of the shirt intoxicates my senses. The grey shirt clings loosely to my body, the soft fabric feeling heavenly against my skin. I hold my dirty shirt in my hands and walk back to the kitchen.
Seeing me now in his shirt, Harry seems enthralled. He makes no effort to conceal his smile. He is obviously pleased. "I thought it might look nice," he beams. Unsure of how to respond, I giggle at his unnecessary flattery.
The sudden gentle vibrating of my phone captures my attention. I notice I have 7 missed texts from my mom, and noting the time, I realize how late it is. "Crap," I mutter, "I was supposed to be back at the hotel 20 minutes ago. My mom probably thinks I'm dead."
"Oh, shit. That's no good. I could drive you?" Harry offers, walking me to his front door.
"Thank you, but I'm fine," I reply, opening my messages to text my mom back, "Besides, my hotel is right up the road, and I think that with traffic, I would be better off running anyway." Harry opens the door, and I quickly slide through the half-open entry. I scurry down the stairs of his front porch, and turn to face him on the sidewalk.
"Thank you for today, Harry!" I gush. Harry grins, "No, I believe you are the one to thank, Alice." As I turn to run back to the hotel, I abruptly stop. "Your shirt!" I yell, suddenly remembering that I had borrowed Harry's t-shirt.
"Just bring it back to me tomorrow," he replies smoothly. "You didn't think I would let you leave here without a reason to come back, did you?"
As I started back towards the hotel, I feel my heart pounding wildly in my chest- Harry wanted to see me again.
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The Run Away Girl || Harry Styles
Fanfiction"You are more than a fan, Al, you're my light. I need you like I need oxygen," He begged me, his green eyes glowing like stars under the moonlight. "I'll never hurt you, just trust me." And so I trusted him. But if I would have known what follow...
