I Need You Like A Heart Beat- Harry Styles

Chapter One

Harry's POV:

"Dammit!" The cuboard door slammed shut, the sound echocing through the empty apartment. My hands curled into tight fists, as I grabbed my jacket and ran out the door.

The cold air nipped at my ears and cheeks making them turn a deep red, the anger in my eyes seeming to ward off fans and strangers that passed by. My eyes darted from store sign to store sign, making me unaware of my surroundings and ultimatley causing me to run over a rather short girl.

"Oh dear," the girl spoke quietly as she sat on the ground, her purse and phone strew all over the sidewalk, her long brown, waist length hair blowing in her face making it hard to see who she ran into.

"I'm so sorry. Let me help you," I said trying to hide my guilt. I reached down to help the girl up, my recent anger suddenly vanishing.

"Thank you," the girl was now standing, her bag and phone in hand. She turned towards me ans started staring right at me intently, her slightly curled hair danced around her as she bite her lip and pulled her jacket tighter, protecting herself from the chilly wind. "You're Harry Styles," her voice rang out, so quietly it seemed she hadn't spoken at all.

"Haha yes I am the one and only," I joked back, holding my hands out from either side of me to add emphasize. She laughed, her large chocolate brown eyes and rather small nose crinkling. She then started to twirl a small section of her hair around her finger.

Man she was gorgeous. Her eyes seemed to draw me in, they seemed to hold a secret that only she knew. And her face, she barely had any makeup on, and she was still as gorgeous as ever. Surely she must have a boyfriend.

I must have been deep in thought for a while because when I finally snapped out of it she was standing in closer to me waving her hand in front of my face.

I came back to my senses and spoke again,"sorry, I was just caught up in how gorgeous you are," she blushed and giggled, smiling at the ground,"I'm sorry, I never caught your name."

"Laci," she said, again biting her lip slightly, I smiled.

"Well Laci, how would you like to go out to lunch with the famous Harry Styles?" I asked her, unsure of her anwser.

"Well Mr. Styles," her expression turned serious,"as long as you promise to not run me over again."

I laughed. "sure as long as you wear my jacket," I smiled back to her because I could sense that she was freezing. She took the jacket reluctanly and quietly thanked me.

We walked down the sidewalk arm in arm and headed around the corner. I suddenly noticed there were no paparazzi or fans around, I must have scared them all off because of my mood this morning.

"Where are we going?" Laci eagerly asked,"I'm starving."

"It's a surprise," I whisper back, my lips brushing up against her ear, and I suddenly feel her shiver. Was that a good shiver or a bad shiver?

We walked in silence the rest of the was listening to the birds chirp and the conversations of small groups hudled together to stay warm. Our silence ended when we stopped in front of a small italian restraunt, it was set back from the other buildings and wasn't well known around the common people.

"I've never been here before," Laci said quietly as we entered,"and I've walked these streets more times then you can count."

I chuckled. "Not everyone can know the places celebrities go to eat. That would take the quietness and intimacy out of our dates."

"This is a date?" Laci asks startled.

"Of course," I respond.

"So you take every girl you run into on the street in dates?" she chuckles. "You were pretty lose to running into a seventy year old woman a ways down before you ran into me," she was suddenly laughing hysterically.

"No," I laugh back, "only the ones that I want to get to know better," I wink and Laci blushes a deep red.

By now we had sat down at the nearest booth. The waiter seemed eager to serve us, as he took our orders within minutes of entering.

"I will have the caponata," I told the waiter, "and a glass of water please."

"And I will have the spaghetti aglio olio, and a glass of water also," Laci told the waiter.

"Alright I will be back in a minute with your drinks," the waiter replied as he rushed away behind he counter and into the kitchen.

"So Laci, tell me about yourself," I laughed.

"Well I am sixteen, I live in London as you can see," she held up her hands and looked around, making me laugh. "My parents and sister however live back in the states."

"So you're living here alone?" I was suddenly very anxious.

"No," she laughed, "I live in an apartment not too far from here with my two friends Margret and Alicia. And Margret is very protective, so don't get any ideas," she winked and I laughed.

"Why would I want to do anything with a woman that looked to be in her seventies," I teased back.

"Harry. I am appalled that you would not like to hang out with an older woman. You dated Caroline Flack didn't you," my nose scrunched up and my eyes squinted at her.

"Don't bring her into this. I made a huge mistake dating that wrinkly woman, so what it's not like you haven't ever dated the wrong person before."

"Actually,"  her voice suddenly softer than usual, "I did have a boyfriend back in eighth grade," she continued, her eyes tearing up, "he was the most popular boy in school, and I was considered a nerd. Well anyway he told me he loved me and that I was beautiful and all, but everyone at school would harass us. They would tell him that I was an ugly whore that should be dumped immediately, but he loved me and he didn't want to. Eventually the tormenting got so terrible that one night he hung himself from a bridge, commiting suicide," by now Laci was full out crying and I sprang out of my booth and slid into hers to comfort her. "He wrote a note," she said inbetween sniffles and tears, "it stated that it wasn't my fault that he had commited suicide, it was all the people at school that harassed us. But I knew that this was completely my fault, I should have broken up with him the minute the harrasingstarted. I was selfish abd I will never forgive myself for that. That's why I haven' dated anyone, whenever I'm with a guy the same feeling of guilt returns."

I didn't completely know what to say so I just sat there holding Laci letting her cry into my purple Jack Wills sweatshirt.

"I'm so sorry," I managed to say a few minutes after.

Our food arrived and we eat silently for a few minutes until Laci finally broke the silence.

"You're the first guy that I've gone out with and haven't felt guilty with. I don't know why but something about you is different than all those other guys, you seem way cooler and down to earth, and just really friendly and understanding."

I chuckled, "that means a lot to me Laci. to tell you the truth, you're the first girl that I've gone out with and felt like I've known you forever. You're just so easy to talk to and you're very understanding, yet you joke around too," I pause debating on whether I should tell her what I was thinking. I took a deep breath and said, "Laci I know what I'm about to say is crazy," I took in another deep breath, "I know I've only known you for a few hours, but I think I'm falling for you, and falling hard."

Laci was about to reply but I gotwhat seemed like a hundred texts in just under a minute. "I'm sorry Laci but excuse me a moment," I reached in my pocket and grabbed my phone and looked at the most recent text.

Louis: Haz babe, we need help. The stage where we are playing tonight. Come quick.

With that I sprang from my chair and stood before Laci outstretching my hand, "we need to go" I stated trying not to sound nervous.

"We?" she questioned.

"Yes, the boys are in trouble," Laci grabbed my hand and I threw a wad of bills on the table as we darted out of the restraunt.