summer love ∞ h. s.

0.2

jasmine

I was speechless. I closed my mouth, not caring how wide my eyes had gotten.

He chuckled, and it sent shivers down my spine. "Sorry, love, I didn't mean to run into you. Are you all right?"

I blinked, trying to regain my composure. My heart was racing. "Y-Yes, I'm. . .I'm fine." Noticing that his hand was still on my waist, I cleared my throat and took a step back. "You're, um, you're Harry Styles," I said with a breathless chuckle.

He laughed, nodding. "Yes, I am. But I don't know your name."

I couldn't believe this. Harry Styles was actually speaking to me, willingly. "Um. . .My name is Jasmine. Jasmine Blake."

"Well," he said, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Jasmine. Prettiest face I've seen all night."

And suddenly, I snapped out of my trance.

Did he just hit on me? A girl he'd never met? What the hell? God, he was so cheeky! I'd heard he was a bit of a player, but I'd never paid much attention to rumors.

I cleared my throat again. "Um, thanks. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your show tonight?"

His brow furrowed; my distaste must've been clear, and that obviously confused him. "Did I say something wrong?"

I gave him a fake smile. "I appreciate the compliment, but I don't appreciate being hit on by a stranger. Go on to your show, Mr. Styles. I'm sure there'll be another pretty girl at the door dying for your meaningless flirtations." With that, I walked right on past him to catch up with Sierra and the hostess.

Both of them were shocked. Sierra's face twisted in anger, and she reached out to hit my arm. "What the hell, Jas? You just met Harry Styles and you freaking ruined it!"

I rolled my eyes, then glanced back briefly. His eyes met mine, and I could see something in them. It looked like. . .pain. But then he turned and walked away, hands stuffed in his pockets.

I turned back to Sierra. "Let's just eat. I'm starving."

As we sat at the table for two, the restaurant slowly emerged from the eerie silence my encounter had caused. Apparently, an altercation with Harry Styles isn't something that can happy quietly and without a ton of backlash. I knew it was probably already on Twitter and Instagram.

Sierra cleared her throat, opening up her menu. "So. What just happened, Jas?"

I laughed pathetically and shook my head. "I– I don't know. He hit on me, and it kinda just. . .pissed me off."

A waiter approached our table, smiling and holding a pad and pen. "Evening, ladies. I'm Christopher, and I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Dr. Pepper," I told him.

"Pissed you off?" Sierra hissed. "He's Harry Styles!" She glanced at Christopher. "Sweet tea, no lemon."

I shook my head. "And if he weren't Harry Styles, it would've been completely different. He might've even gotten slapped."

It was strange how celebrities could get away with practically anything. If some other random guy had hit on me like that, I would've rolled my eyes and walked off, and maybe one or two people would've noticed. But no. It was Harry freaking Styles.

I couldn't help but think about the look he'd given me before he'd left. It was. . .dark, like a terrible realization had hit him. A realization that hurt.

The entire meal was. . .exhausting. People kept giving me looks, dirty looks, judgmental looks, and I felt awful. I could barely eat. I only ordered an appetizer. Even Sierra was pretty quiet.

I hoped this wouldn't ruin the concert for us too.

∞

harry

"Harry," Louis said, "c'mon. It was just one girl. She seemed like a jerk anyway."

I shook my head, gazing out of the tinted car window at the passing buildings. What she said was really sticking with me. I ran a hand through my curls, sighing. I didn't even know what to say.

She was so. . .beautiful. Her makeup was perfect, yes, but it didn't cover her true beauty. Her skin was the perfect shade of ivory, flawless, with no blemishes. Her irises were a wonderful little green universe of their own, filled with forests and meadows and pastures. I wanted to gaze into them forever. And when she was dazed after realizing who I was, her innocent expression was just so incredibly beautiful that it took my breath away.

Normally, when I saw a girl who was cute, I'd take note of her body. . . But not Jasmine. I didn't even think to look below her face. Because her face was all I could see. Even now, it encompassed all of my thoughts.

I'd meant what I said, but it hadn't been enough. She wasn't just the prettiest face I'd seen that night; she was the most beautiful masterpiece I'd seen in my entire life. But I knew that would've sounded even cheekier.

When she'd gone off like that. . . It had shocked me. No girl had ever responded like that before. They'd always been incredibly flattered or freaked out. It was always a positive reaction. That. . .was completely different.

It was when she looked back at me that I knew I had to make up for that encounter. I had to find her after the show.

"She was different, Lou," I mumbled. "I gotta find her."

"What?" He laughed, shaking his head. "No, that's ridiculous. Just get it out of your mind. We have a show, Harry."

Right. A show.

Briefly, I wondered if she would be there. She had mentioned that I had a show to get ready for. . . She probably would be there. What if she had backstage passes? What if she was on the front row? Ah, shit. If I saw her while trying to perform, I'd lose my composure completely.

This was bad, really bad.

I needed to forget her.

But how could I?