are we out of the woods? | h.s

ii

~ looking at it now

it all seemed so simple

we were lying on your couch

i remember... ~

i sat down in a chair i had found in the back of the room and looked over the heavy, silver, miniature blimp in my hands. michelle obama had her hands on this exact blimp just minutes earlier. if i tilted it just right, i could see the smudges her fingers left behind. my career had taken me so far that i received an award from the president's wife. whoa.

"congrats again ella."

someone said as they passed by me, and i glanced up quickly to smile and thank them. surprisingly, for this being such a big award, i didn't get many people coming up to me to congratulate me for what i had gotten. it didn't hurt my feelings, but it still made me excited to see that some people were happy for me. i ran my finger over the engraving of my name, a small smile spreading over my lips. if no one else was, i was happy for me.

"um, excuse me,"

i lifted my eyes off the award to look at the boy in front of me. he gave me a quick smile while he cleared his throat, pointing over to the chair next to me.

"do you mind if i sit here? there are no other seats available."

i looked up and down at the boy. i recognized him immediately; the one and only harry styles stood in front of me, his perky curls draping over his forehead and his little body looking even smaller in the baggy khakis he had on, along with the dark blue blazer. i had never met him before, but i knew of him.

"the seat''s free," i said, setting my award on my lap. "you can take it if you want."

"thanks."

he let out a soft sigh as he crouched down into the chair, shaking out his hair before pushing it out of his face.

"i'm harry by the way."

he turned towards me and gave me a half smile, and i noticed he had two very distinct dimples in his cheeks. i stuck out my hand and returned his smile.

"and i'm ella."

i shook his hand, feeling the warmth of his hand through his nice, firm handshake.

"you're part of one direction aren't you?"

"that i am." he laughed and pulled his hand away, lifting his thumb up to scratch his jaw. "congratulations on your award, by the way."

"oh thank you, it's not a big deal."

harry let out a loud chuckle, shaking his head. i looked over at him with raised eyebrows. what did he find so funny in that? he leaned towards me on his chair, licking his lips as he shoved his hand towards the award.

"are you kidding me? it's an award from the president's wife. that's amazing."

his eyes glanced back and forth between my own, his green eyes glimmering with excitement. he must have a drink or two, with the pink flush that tinted his cheeks. i felt my cheeks start to turn to the shade of his.

"you know what's really amazing?" i said, giggling and brushing my hair off my shoulder.

"what?"

"your tie."

he looked down, giving himself a chin too many as he tried looking down at his bow tie. i laughed as he continued to try for another minute before finally giving up. he looked back up at me and laughed a short, vivacious giggle. i was in a really great mood now.

"well thank you," he continued snickering. "but if were talking about apparel, your dress is definitely the most amazing."

i had an easier time looking down at my dress than he had looking at his tie. my dress was one i had found in the back of my closet, i think i even wore it to my junior year of homecoming. there might have even been a stain on it where i had dropped ketchup into my lap.

"thank you, but you flatter me."

he shrugged and leaned back into his seat, still keeping his eyes on me. this guy was smooth, smoother than many of the other boys that tried to flirt with me. was he even trying to flirt with me? i couldn't really tell, but his smug smile gave me kind of an idea. i liked that idea.

"you flattered me, so I was just returning the favor."

god, he was smoother than the peanut butter i had in my cupboard at home. i let out a quiet laugh and crossed my legs, hoping to keep the rest of me calm enough to keep up the casual conversation. jesus ella, get your emotions under control. every time a cute boy with some smooth talk gets near you, you melt into a messy pile of admiration.

"well," i said, keeping my voice calm compared to my frazzled thoughts. "the favor has been returned."

he nodded and we sat quietly for a while, watching the other celebrities walk around and come off stage after retrieving their awards. every once in a while people would come up to me and harry and greet us, congratulating him on a brilliant performance and me for receiving the award. both of us were happy for each one, but no one really said anything else.

"hey,"

harry said, clapping his hands together after i was starting to rest my eyes. i almost jumped out of my chair so fast that i would have crumbled straight onto the floor, but luckily all i did was jerk my eyes open towards him.

"do you want to get out of here?"

i just looked at him, the inside of my stomach becoming fuzzy. harry just asked to leave with me? alone? just the two of us? he took my silence as i not understanding him, so he took a sip of his water he had gotten minutes earlier before he continued.

"i've already preformed so i have no need to be here, and since no one is here begging to speak to you, i thought we could head out to my place."

"wait a minute," i said, furrowing my eyebrows. "i've been talking to you for like, twenty minutes."

he showed no change in emotion.

"and? i trust you. you should trust me too."

i thought about it for a second. he was right, i had no reason not to trust him. however it helped me feel better about answering knowing i left my phone on airplane mode to save battery during the show. if i needed to call 911, i could.

"alright. let's head to your place."

we both got out of our seats simultaneously, both of us smiling at one another. i grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair and followed harry out towards the back door, my heart beating faster and faster with each step. and then, just when i thought it couldn't beat faster, i felt harry wrap his arm around my waist to keep me close to him. oh.

"sounds good to me. ive got some great cable television."

hey guys, i know it's taylor's song but i didn't really feel like writing as her so i chose a different name, oops. love ya honey buns, hope you enjoyed !