A Single Daffodil [Harry Styles]

Pals.

Sophia 06:34 am
Stayed at Niall's last night. He was at the party last night too!! No clue where Jayden is. Probably with Liam? Text me if you need anything, mi amore! I'll be back at the hotel in an hour!

I rolled onto my back and dropped my phone onto the pillow next to me. This, followed by three missed calls from Jayden, were the first things I woke up to this morning.

Not that I slept, really.

It was that kind of thing where I was laying in the dark long enough that it was hard to say whether or not I actually fell asleep. I spent most of the night cringing into my pillow every time I thought about last night's events. Stepping on Louis. Causing a scene with the waiter. Running away from Harry. Hiding behind a building from Harry.

I pulled the covers over my face and cringed again.

I didn't even want to look online to see what kind of trash was written about me. I bet several "close" sources reported to the media about me being an attention whore or that the whole waiter accident was me acting out because Harry had a girlfriend.

Oh God. Harry had a girlfriend.

I sat up and moaned. Was there a chance that maybe last night wasn't real at all? A nightmare, perhaps? Could I borrow a time machine from that Doctor Who fellow and just rewind everything?

At some point, I rolled out of bed and changed out of my pajamas and into a loose pale blue sundress and beige sandals. I could either sit in here and think about how ridiculously awkward and strange I acted last night, or I could explore the town and find the nearest cafe. It was almost noon, and I was ravenous. 

Just as I was brushing out my hair, there were three hard raps at the door. I stopped fiddling with my hair nest and looked over at the door, wondering if I imagined it. It couldn't have been housekeeping because I had the 'do not disturb' sign on the doorknob. It definitely wasn't Sophia since an hour for her, translated into three hours. She was never on time.

I dropped the hairbrush and walked over. It was probably Jayden coming home from an "epic" night with Shawn White and/or Liam and he was here to tell me all about it. I wasn't against the idea of lending an ear if it meant we could eat fish and chips while doing it.

I shouted at Jayden as I walked over to the door. "Jayden, I thought I gave you my spare key so you wouldn't have to keep--"

I let out an inaudible gasp when I swung the door open. I blinked a few times and rotated the door handle in my grip just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Vita." He said in his gravelly, British accent. 


I stared at Harry, completely motionless. I was cornered. For a brief moment, I seriously considered jumping out my bedroom window but then realized it wasn't really worth killing myself over.

But know that I did consider it. Briefly.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain my posture. So, how was this all going to play out? What did he expect me to say? Was I suppose to hug him? I didn't know what our boundaries were.

"How did you know I was here?" My voice sounded somewhat strangled, but what did you expect? I was completely caught off guard by his presence.

He quirked a small smile, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. "I have my ways."

What he probably meant to say was, 'I googled where the USA Team were staying and knew you'd be here too, duh.'

I knew I should have gotten an Airbnb. 

"Can I come in?" He asked politely, nodding to the room behind me.

"Oh yeah, um, sure." I stepped out of the way to let him in. When I closed the door behind us, I tried to prevent a visual cringe from appearing on my face. I was being so awkward.

"Wow, now this is an extravagant hotel room." Harry's back was facing me as he surveyed the room. I didn't respond at first, mostly because I was staring at his back muscles through his flimsy white t-shirt. He really was bigger. And stronger-looking too. It's amazing what a year did.

"Yeah, it's pretty swanky alright." I nervously made small talk. "You should see the players' rooms. You'd think they were royalty or something."

Very small talk.

Harry finally turned around to face me. His eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth wasn't exactly smiling, but the corners were turned up. His face was angled down, so his green eyes were just slightly hidden beneath his long eyelashes. I gulped.

"I can't believe it's you." He said finally, his words came out like a soft chuckle. "And that you're here. In London."

While I've yearned to look into his beautiful green eyes, I couldn't find any confidence in myself to do it now, so I tactfully avoided his stare by shifting my gaze at the window behind him. It was bright and sunny outside.

I leaned my body against the nearest wall, folding my arms behind my back. I shrugged. "I'm surprised you recognized me. My hair has been off-putting for everyone."

There goes that small talk again. I was useless.

"No. Not for me." He replied. "I'd recognize those blue eyes anywhere."

My shoulders dropped. My heart was pulsating rapidly beneath my chest and my normal breathing pattern suddenly non-existent. I had to clench my hands into tight fists to stop them from shaking.

He wasn't allowed to say things like that to me. Not when he had a girlfriend.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm starving," He looked awkward suddenly, probably realizing what he said might have not been appropriate, under our given circumstances. "And I'm dying to catch up with yeh. How about we get something to eat?"

"Is that a good idea?" I asked. "I mean because you're...well, you're you and you know, there will be people taking pictures and..."

I can't believe there was a time where I could actually speak normally to Harry. It used to be effortless and easy. Now it felt almost laborious and complex like I was learning a new language.

My neurotic blubbering made Harry grin. "I know a couple of spots off the radar, Vita. You're in my town now. Remember?"

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