Becoming Perrie Edwards // h.s

Chapter Nine // The Perils of Date Night

Sorry for the delay

 

And @rachelisgreat I needed to use this manip I found on the web but your lovely edits are coming next chapter, promise!

 

-Felicity .x

 

~*~

 

Chapter Nine // The Perils of Date Night

a r i a:


Harry comes over on Thursday. I'm delighted, until he wields a box of Nestlé chocolates and says, “From Zayn.”

Oh, well. I'm still delighted.

I step back and wave him in. I look like a gremlin, in sweats and a hoodie but that's Perrie's fault, I suppose.

“I was in the neighbourhood, told Zayn I'd drop these in for you.”

“Well, thanks, I guess.”

“Ooh, you're writing something. What are you writing?” He starts heading for my computer. I shout at the realisation that I'd been reading over my old fanfiction and dive to close the laptop.

“Um, just an old school essay I was revisiting.”

I think it's time I stopped writing Fanfiction and did something with my life.

“Ah,” Harry says, and eyes the kitchen. “Listen, I'm starving. Would you mind? Maybe some fruit?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Harry Styles is eating my fruit. Heh.

He picks up a plum, runs it under the tap and sinks his teeth into it. I stare at his lips a little too closely, watching the way the plum juice stains them a dark red and no, really, this is multiple levels of not okay.

“You have glass door to your kitchen,” he notes as he pushes it open. “Cool.”

“Yeah, it's really cool bashing into it every night at 2AM.”

Really. I have several bruises. And not the good sexy kind.

He opens my fridge and peers into it. There's nothing but leftover take out and some orange juice. “Um, have you got a vendetta against Tesco's?”

“I'm kinda scared to go in. Last time, I was kind of spotted in the nappy section and um...”

He barks a laugh. “That's what online shopping is for.”

Awkward silence.

“Um, so I'll be going. Thanks for the plum. And have fun on your Date Night.”

What.

I catch his arm as he turns to leave. “What the hell is Date Night?”

He furrows his eyebrows. “Surely you should know better than me. Every free Thursday. You and Zayn.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

“I'll be off then.” He offers me a knee-buckling smile and then starts backwards.

I notice only too late.

“Watch out for the—!”

Crash.

“I'm so sorry!”

“Oh very nice. Thank you.” I rush to scoop up the shattered pieces of the broken vase. “Perrie is going to murder me.”

“Is there a reason we're talking in third person?” Harry bends down to gather the sharper pieces for me.

Damn my big fat mouth. “Um, no?”
I pause. “Impulse?”

“Like your new hair?” He points to my bleached white, which is kept back in a ponytail.

“Yes, that was definitely impulse.”

“I liked you purple...”

There's a quiet silence as we look at each other. Then one of the pieces in our shifts and makes a scraping sound. We snap out of it, dump the shards on the coffee table.

“I can fix this,” I say, brushing down my hands. “My grandfather was a carpenter. Could you flirt some superglue out of Mrs Daines next door?”

Harry laughs. “Isn't she like, forty?”

I blankly stare at him. “Just your type.”

“That was one time,” Harry grumbles as he heads for the door, glancing in the mirror as he passes to ruffle his hair. “One cougar and you’re labelled for life…”

He returns fifteen minutes later with a tube of superglue in his hand. He looks fairly disgruntled.

“She tried to seduce me,” he pouts. “I was practically lying in her bed by the time I got the glue.”

I smile and hold out my hand. He places the tube into it and I get to work gluing the pieces back together while Harry looks on, eating my pretzels and absently rubs Prada with his foot.

“Done!” I say proudly, stepping back to admire the finished product. “Oh, but I'm missing a piece, I swear I glued it...”

“Found it,” Harry mutters, lifting his arm. And glued to it is the missing shard.

“Oh for Heavens sake,” I say with an exasperated sigh. “Come. I can get that off with some nail varnish remover. This used to happen to my brother on a daily basis.”

I refer to Noah, but since he'll think I'm talking about Jonnie, there's no harm done.

I drag him into the bathroom where Perrie keeps her beauty paraphernalia.

“So your brother broke a lot of things and you had to fix them?” He asks.

“Actually, I suspect he just sniffed a lot of glue,” I mumble, shaking some remover onto his skin.

“That can cause brain damage,” Harry frowns.

“Well then, that confirms it.” I grin up at him once the ceramic piece is free. Harry rubs his arm and chuckles sheepishly.

“I guess I'll really be off n—”

“Perrie?”

Zayn's voice echoes through the flat. I hear Hatchi barking excitedly and I freeze. How does this look? Damn suspicious is what it looks!

“Pez?” Zayn calls again. “Babe?”

The door to the bathroom creaks open and I yank my hand off Harry's arm. “Babe!” I say, cheerily. “Hey!”

“And what's going on here?” Zayn eyes Harry, half-amused, half-suspicious.

“I'm a clumsy oaf and I managed to get myself glued to ceramic.” Harry takes a step away from me. “I was just dropping off the chocolates, Z.”

Zayn claps Harry on the back. “Thanks, man. Don't you have to meet up with Alexa?”

“She's just a friend,” Harry tells me. “Nick's mate? She's pretty cool—”

“Why would Perrie care?” Zayn slings an arm around me, his tone light but holds a hint of warning.

Perrie doesn't but Aria does.

To save explanation, I kiss Zayn's mouth. His lips are soft and taste of nothing but it relaxes him. “Can I have a shower here before we go on our date?”

“Of course.” I step back. “I'll see Harry out and then I'll get changed.”

Harry offers me a wry smile and shoves his hands in his pockets as we stand on opposite sides of the front door. “Sorry. Didn't mean to get you in any trouble with Zayn?”

“You didn't,” I assure him. “Um, thanks for stopping by.”

His fingers reach out to touch my arm. A shiver trickles down my skin. “You seem different, Perrie.”

I smile nervously. “My bad?”

Harry opens his mouth as if to say something, but thinks better of it. Then he opens his mouth again. “There's a party...Alexa Chung's next Friday. I mean, you'll know people there — Eleanor, me, Nick. I think Jade was invited? But...I was wondering if you'd like to come?”

“I'd love to.”

Shit, what have I done?

“Perrie, where's the shampoo?” Zayn hollers. I wince at the noise.

“Text me the details!” I call after Harry as he retreats.