Just keep breathing

Chapter 21

I can hear Harry talking on the phone quietly as I approach my bedroom door and wonder if I should wait and let him finish before I go in as I don't want to interrupt.

"Lou, have I told you lately how much I love you?" I hear him say. "You're an angel. Yeah, Toby has the address, see you later."

"You know, some women might be a little bit concerned to hear the man they've just spent the night with, telling another woman he loves her the very next morning..." I say as I enter the room, trying to look annoyed.

"Har Har. It was just Lou. I asked her to pack up some clothes for me. Toby's going to drop them by later."

"Oh, is he now, and what do you need clothes for Mr Styles? Did I forget that I invited you to stay longer?" I lean against the doorway and fold my arms across my chest, continuing to tease him.

"I might have pre-empted you just a little...But I'm sure you were going to ask though, right? If the clothes bother you, I can walk around naked. I'm sure Mel would get a kick out of that... " He shoots back, sauntering towards me, his big eyes staring down into mine.

I attempt to keep up my act, but as he tugs my arms apart and pulls them around his waist, I can't help the grin that spreads across my face.

"No nudity in front of Mel thank you, I think I'd rather be the only one in this flat getting to enjoy that. You can stay for tonight. But tomorrow I have to work, so you'll have to return to your mansion. I'm sure it'll be horrible for you."

"We'll see." He says with a wink and bends his head to kiss me.

He lingers a little longer than I would have expected, his fingers stroking my lower back. By the time he breaks away, I am dizzy, and I think I may have forgotten to keep breathing during that one.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to, you may well be an excellent kisser, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you sit around here until your tour starts up again. Where are you headed next?"

"Excellent kisser, huh? Good to know. " He winks at me. "Next stop is Singapore, the show is on the 23rd, but I fly out on the 19th for the VS show first. Then I have Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland then two nights in Tokyo which end the tour."

He checks off the locations on his fingers casually as if flying to the other side of the world is something everyone does all the time.

"Wow. That's a lot of concerts, a long way away. What's the VS show?"

"Victoria secret fashion show, it's in Shanghai this year, and they've invited me to perform."

"So you are going to go to China, to sing whilst the most beautiful women in the world walk around you in their underwear??"

"it's not like that." He says, pulling me to sit down on the bed next to him gently.

"It's a show, its great publicity and, well it's my job."

"I know." I pout, staring down at my feet. "It's just, according to the tabloids, you've slept with half the Victoria secret angels already..."

"Don't believe everything you read. Cliche I know, but true. If we're going to do this, you're going to have to learn to trust me." He says quietly.

"I'll see what I can do about that. But no promises. I'm not the most trusting of people I'm afraid."

"The only woman I want to sleep with is right here in this room."

I feel a finger slip under my chin as he pushes my head up to look at him and continues,

"Now! erm, do you think it might be ok if, instead of talking about rubbish in the papers, we make use of this big soft bed?"