Bring It Back

why don't I begin again?

Harry Styles Breaks Twitter Silence With First Post in Ten Months

november 16th, 2016

Although she hadn't necessarily wanted to go back to Leeds in the first place, leaving her hometown is a lot harder than Norah originally expected. Or maybe she just isn't interested in going back to London, where she'll have to deal with school and everything that waits for her back there. Or, in other words, Harry.

She hasn't spoken to him ever since their awkward car ride to the train station, and although Norah would like to say that she hasn't thought about him either, she knows that isn't true. She can go most of the day without a single mention of his name appear in her mind, but the minute her head hits her pillow at night, she's trapped with nothing but warm green eyes and his familiar husky voice flooding her memories. It's pathetic–she's pathetic. But for some reason, she can't seem to stop thinking about him.

"Why don't you just text him?" Liz suggests for the millionth time since Norah has returned to London. The two of them are cramped next to each other on an ugly orange couch, the only form of seating available in the tiny studio Liz uses for her radio show. Thankfully, she's managed to switch her timings from six in the morning to nine pm, so she usually has a lot more listeners, although tonight is a bit of a dead one.

"It's not that easy," Norah rolls her eyes at her best friend. "It's not like I can just whip out my phone and text him 'I miss you, let's be friends again, or possibly more than that, because I'd really like to kiss you, and also have sex with you. But also get to know more than just your body.' You can't just say something like that, Liz!"

"You kind of just did," Liz reminds her. "Honestly, Nor, what do you have to lose? You like him, he definitely likes you. He's just too afraid to say anything because he isn't sure whether or not you feel the same way. I say, go for it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"An innocent, naive question from an innocent, naive girl."

Liz snorts. "Are you sure we're talking about me right now?"

Norah ignores her and continues, "The worst that could happen, dear Elizabeth, is that he reminds me, the same way he did when Layla walked in on us, that we are just friends and nothing more. Well, we were friends."

Liz opens her mouth to interject, but Norah isn't finished just yet. "Or, say something actually did happen between the two of us, and then the media found out–which is just about inevitable, if you think about it, really–and then I freak out, and he freaks out, and that's that, we never talk again. So yes, Liz, the worst really could happen. I could go on for days if you'd like."

Liz rolls her eyes at her, and then says, "You're such a drama queen, Norah. I can tell that you're still into him; for Christ's sake, the entire world can, judging by every magazine article right now that's coming out about the two of you. Besides, if you don't fuck him, someone else will, so I suggest you hop on that as quickly as you can."

"Oh my God, Liz," Norah hisses. "Shut up. Someone will hear you!"

"Who, my millions of adoring fans?" she deadpans. "Please."

"You never kno–"

"Come on, Norah," Liz tells her, "be honest with yourself for once. Do you like this guy or not?"

Norah's about to come up with some excuse about how Liz is being ridiculous, of course she doesn't really like him, but then she realizes that not only is she tired of lying to her friends, she's tired of lying to herself. And so, before the taunting voices in the back of her head are able to talk her out of it, she sighs, "Yeah. I think I do."