unlike her // h.s [Completed]

XXXI

E.

"Okay, Harry." I grunt and help him on the couch. He gives me a lazy smile and curls up into a ball.

"Thanks." He slurs, awkwardly petting my hair. I take his hand and drop it to his side.

"Get some rest." I sigh and wipe his sweat off of my neck from where he had leaned against me.

"Rest." He hums and nods to himself. His eyelids flutter closed. "Sounds nice."

I sit on the floor next to the couch until he falls asleep. I press my lips against his hair and sluggishly walk upstairs.

xxx

H.

My eyes hurt once I open them, causing me to groan. I pinch the bridge of my nose and sit up. "Here's some Advil." Emery's voice chimes. She sits next to me and rubs my arm.

I open my eyes and turn to her. She hands me a glass and two pills. "Thanks." My voice strains as I down the pills and water.

"You look like Hell, Harry." She laughs and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Goodmorning to you too." I smile loosely and stand up. Blood rushes quickly to my head and I have to sit back down. She keeps a gentle grasp on me.

"Let's just sit up for now and I'll get you a bath running?" She offers, looking me in my eyes.

"I can make my own bath." I scoff and roll my eyes. The small gesture gives me a killer headache. "On second thought..." I rub my temples.

"Yeah." She giggles. "I'll get that started. Just..uhh. Sit there."

The water hitting the tub floor is loud in my head. There's clanking and movement upstairs. After a while, it stops and Emery's feet pad down the steps. "Come on." She tries to help me up, but fails. I chuckle and stand myself up.

"I'm sure I can walk myself." I retort and walk around the couch to the stairs.

"Didn't seem like that last night." Emery jokes and follows me up the steps.

I get undressed and slide into the warm water. Emery sits on the floor outside of the tub, facing the door. 'You okay?' She asks every once and a while.

"You're too good at this, Em." I say suspiciously. "Is helping drunk people your expertise?"

She laughs. "No, no. I just wanna make sure you're okay."

I start to wash my shoulders. "I'm more than okay."

"I know, I know. But there are cameras and paparazzi and fans..." She stops with a sigh. "I don't want people to think Harry Styles is an alcoholic."

"Getting drunk for a night won't do anything to my career." I state. "Paparazzi do whatever they can to make someone look bad under the dumbest circumstances."

"So I've seen." She becomes quiet.
"What do you mean?" I ask, folding the wash cloth over the handle in the shower.

"Nothing." She sighs. "You coming over here and you and I...ugh. We're both all over the internet."

"Okay?" I scoff and unplug the tub. "Can you hand me a towel, please?" I hold my hand outside of the curtain. She places a towel in my grasp.

"I don't want people to get the wrong idea." She murmurs and pulls herself to her feet. I stand up and wrap the towel around my waist. I step out of the tub.

"What's the 'wrong idea'?" I ask, putting quotation marks in the air with my fingers. She turns to me, crossing her arms over her chest. I feel droplets of water trailing down my torso, causing me to shiver.

She lets out a shaky breath as I step forward. "You know what I mean." She glares.

"No," I whisper and gently take her face into my hands. "Please explain." My face comes closer to hers and surprisingly, she doesn't pull away. "Can you demonstrate?"

She gulps and turns away. "You should, uh.." She clears her throat. "Get your clothes on and head to your hotel." She swings open the door and slips out of the bathroom. I drop my hands to my side and purse my lips.

On the counter, there are my clothes. Freshly cleaned and folded.

I slip them on, not bothering to dry off. I drop the towel to the tiled floor and pad downstairs to where she sits on the couch, her attention on the wall. "Emery. What's wrong?" I frown and lean against the couch.

Her wondering eyes looks up to mine. "I can't."

I huff and jump over the couch to sit beside her. "Can't what?" I question, turning to her.

She plays with the bracelets on her wrist. "I know what you're trying to do." Her voice wisps and she chews on her cheek.

"What is it that I'm trying to do?" I ask gently pulling her hand in mine.

She lifts her head up and smiles slightly. Her other hand ends up on my cheek. My eyelids flutter closed at her touch. Her prescence comes closer to mine and I open my eyes. "I just-" she pauses and shakes her head at herself. Her small hands pull my face closer to hers until our lips are only centimeters apart. She presses her lips against my cheek. "You need to go back to your hotel." She whispers as she pulls away.

I frown and pull my hand away from hers. "Okay."

"It's not that I don't want you here." She says quickly once she sees my expression drop. "Just look outside." She gestures towards the curtained windows. I stand up and make my way to the window. I pull back the curtain, revealing a small crowd of girls and paparazzi outside. Once they see me, cameras flash and screams emit. I quickly pull the curtains closed. I turn to her where she sits.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." She sighs and stands up. "It's not your fault."

"Yeah, it is." I groan.

"Our world's aren't mean to combine. I can't handle the cameras outside. I can't handle the news reports and the drama all over the internet. But you can." She grabs my hand in hers.

"So, you're saying we can't be friends?" I ask and purse my lips to keep from frowning.

"We can be friends, Harry." She laughs and nods reassuringly at me. "But I can't keep up with what you're doing to me."

"What am I doing to you?"

"Ugh." She groans. "The flirting and the looks."

"What looks?" I grin. She glares at me.

"That look."

"Oh. I get it!" I recall. "You must have a crush on me."

She huffs, her cheeks turning pink. "No." She replies sternly.

"You can't resist my charm." I wink jokingly. She rolls her eyes and smiles with a slight laugh. "I'll be on my way. I'll see you soon."

And with that, I walk out of her house.