You Make My Heart Race

"I'm going to show you a series of images and we're going to see how you react to these images."

Harry nodded. When his friend Nick Grimshaw had approached him about doing the Heart Monitor Challenge he had been a bit apprehensive, but at the end of the day he had decided to go for it. After all, he was a media trained musician and (now) actor. He had had years of practice of suppressing his emotions and reactions. He wasn't the sixteen year old solo act on X Factor anymore.  He also knew Grimmy quite well from  years of personal and professional interactions and knew his friend wouldn't take the challenge too far. 

Nick's voice brought Harry out of his brief reverie. "We should start with the man who's made you you a movie star. Sir Christopher Nolan. Tell me about your relationship with him." This was an easy one. Doing promo for Dunkirk meant he had heard variations of this question countless times in the past few months.

Harry gave his more-or-less prepared response. Nick followed up with a few pictures of Harry's famous footwear over the years, which again was delightfully easy for Harry to talk about. It even brought out a few giggles. Honestly, now that it was happening, he wasn't sure what he had been apprehensive about.

Just as Nick was reaching for the next image, Harry caught movement out of the corner of his eye as the door to the room opened. In stepped a young man Harry had never seen before, and in the moment Harry really wasn't sure where to look.  This lad was fit. Smaller than Harry, to be sure (Harry had never really realized how hot that could be until this very moment), and an intriguing mix of lean muscle and soft curves. 

"Grimmy, you aren't filming yet are you lad?" the man said in a distinct Yorkshire accent. "This is rather important I'm afraid..." But apparently it wasn't too urgent, for his voice trailed off as he turned to stare at Harry.

In fact, everyone in the room was staring at Harry, and it wasn't hard to know why. An alarm had started going off on the heart monitor he was hooked to, and a glance at the monitor revealed his heart rate was steadily rising. "Ninety," Nick murmured, eyebrows raised. "Ninety-two. Ninety-seven. One hundred. One hundred and two."

Harry face felt hot. He looked down at his hands, willing himself not to think about the beautiful creature standing a few feet from him, but as one of Nick's technicians turned off the monitor's alarm feature, a small hand rested on Harry's forearm.

"Are you okay, there, mate?" Harry looked up without thinking and found himself lost in a pair of the most gorgeous blue eyes he had ever seen. There were little crinkles in the corners from where the man was smiling at him - an expression of warmth and endearment with just a touch of amusement.

"I...I'm fine..." Harry forced out, his voice sticking in his throat, mouth dry. He chanced a glance at Grimmy and felt his flush magnify by ten when he saw the words "ONE TEN" form on his incredulous friend's lips. 

Harry made a last ditch attempt to recover his pride. "There...um...there's something wrong with this thing I think...I..." Finally the embarrassment overtook him and he ripped the electrodes from his chest and stood quickly. "I can't...I need a break." He made a wide circle around the source of his increased pulse and kept walking quickly until he found himself alone in a hallway.

He was just starting to get a grip on himself, taking deep breaths and focusing on the least sexy things he could think of, when a familiar accent spoke behind him. "Are you sure you're alright mate? I'm Louis, by the way."

Louis. Why had Harry never noticed how lovely that name was before? "Oh...um...yeah...I'm Harry," he mumbled, a flush rising back to his cheeks.

Louis let out a loud laugh, and Harry thought it was the most charming sound he had ever heard - almost as charming as the way Louis' whole face lit up with mirth. "Of course you're Harry. Pretty sure a person would have to have been under a rock for the past seven years not to know who you are, mate."

"Oh." Harry had the bizarre thought that it was completely unfair that this beautiful man had known who he was but not vice versa for all this time. 

"Anyway," Louis continued, "If I'm right about what happened back there...and I hope I am, or this is going to be fucking embarrassing...I'm really flattered." 

Harry drew in a deep breath. "R...really?"

"Of course, lad. You're Harry Styles. Pretty sure there's not a man or woman alive who wouldn't like to be a cause of your pulse rising. Again, assuming I'm right..."

"You're right." Harry realized suddenly that he had probably answered a little too quickly, but Louis didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was smiling even more broadly than before. 

"Well...well then." This time it was Louis who was at a loss for words, it seemed, though he was clearly radiantly happy. "Should we like...exchange numbers then?"

"Yeah, I...I'd like that," Harry answered, but neither made a move for their phone just yet. Instead they stood looking at each other like their eyes had been opened for the first time, and Harry knew that his life was never going to be the same.

Grimmy was never going to let him live this down.