Do You Remember? ☼ Harry Styles A.U.

𝙾𝚗𝚎

"Do you remember how we met?" I asked him softly, his lost eyes looking back at mines. He shook his head apologetically.

"You could maybe... refresh my memory?" He murmured.

"It was on a sunny day of June 2017...

~

It was a sunny day of June 2017. I had broken up with my two year boyfriend and my state of mind was completely unbalanced. I might've slept for a couple more hours, shed a couple more tears and consumed three or four more ice cream pints on my own. You know, Luca and I were very close and I expected us to last and tie the knot but chance wasn't on my side of the plate. He always told me that long distance relationships can actually last, that love is a sacred bond that no certain number of kilometers can break. Yet as you know as well, I'm pretty naive and I hate this side of me. No matter how many times you tell me my naivety is me expressing my right to be human, I still can't help but deprecate myself.

I decided to pay him a visit and had been saving up for months. I stopped renting movies, stopped my weekly meal at the restaurant, thinking that penny over penny they would accumulate until I can finally afford a plane ticket. Now that I think about it, I should've pampered myself with the money I saved up but what can I really do about it? I came back home with the images of him with another woman, the smell of her perfume diffused in his room. It was intoxicating Harry, it really made me crumble to my feet the instant I was back in the suburbs of London.

My best friend Emily was very supportive. She showed up at my flat two days after my return, her hands directly concealing my eyes. I remember her light giggles as she told me she had a surprise for me. I remember protesting and grumbling, saying I wasn't in the mood to step outside of my doorstep but Emily was insistent. As much as it had bothered me then, I'm thankful for it now. The moment her hands had slid off, I came face to face with a blue bike. I had never really liked biking, neither had I ever mentioned biking in front of her. She affirmed that going places will take my mind off Luca and cycling will also help me catch up on all the ice cream I've been eating — which wasn't wrong at all.

We went on a biking trip around the city that same day and Harry, you'll never believe how freeing it felt. I managed to get Luca off my mind for at least two hours and I was smiling, really smiling. My thighs burnt at the lack of exercise and my chest was heavy in no time but I didn't really care. The wind was blowing through my hair and Emily was cycling in front of me daring me to catch her. I hadn't believed I could but I did. I remember my hand gripping at her shirt, both of us falling on the ground with exuberant squeals. I might've even scraped my knee against the asphalt but I was ecstatic. I felt complete. Little did I know I was going to feel even more whole in a couple of days.

Emily and I did that everyday. Going out on adventures, cycling around town and bruising ourselves senseless. It was fun, even though I'd go back to the thought of Luca the very instant I'd step out of the shower once back home. The adrenaline would dissipate and in would seep an unwelcome fragrance of cheating and broken hearts.

The day you and I met, it was exactly the 23rd of June 2017. As usual I had taken the bike to cycle in the sun and Emily came with me. We had decided to bike down town and then leave our bikes on the side of the road to enjoy a walk amongst people, but in the middle of our promenade Emily's mother called. Perhaps was it something about brunch with the family, or any appointment she had to catch. Anyhow, she couldn't stay. She unlocked the chain from around her bike and left, while I decided to remain outside for a couple more hours and shop for a couple of clothes. It was the day I felt confident enough to buy myself that yellow summer dress you say you like on me, too.