Wild Horses

SIX

"I guess it's gonna break me down, like falling when you try to fly..."

- Carrie Underwood; Starts With Goodbye

"This is pretty, no?" asked Clare as she held up a blue turquoise necklace.

Amber and Harry's keyboardist had been spending most of the morning wandering in and out of stores and boutiques, not so much as shopping as just looking and browsing, neither of them yet to have purchased anything.

"Ooh, that's gorgeous," agreed Amber. "I'm a sucker for turquoise."

With a smile, Clare held it up next to Amber's face. "Same color as your eyes."

Amber couldn't help but laugh. "Not quite."

"But close."

Reaching for the small price tag that hung from the necklace, Amber cringed when she saw the numbers that followed the dollar sign.

"Not quite in my price range, either," she remarked with a frown.

Clare smiled as she replaced the necklace on the counter atop a chenille scarf. As Amber turned toward a rack of tops, she heard a tiny giggle.

"What do you think?" asked Clare.

Amber looked over her shoulder to see a bright yellow pair of cat-eye sunglasses framing Clare's pretty face.

"Oh those are so you!" exclaimed Amber with a chuckle.

"I don't know if they're me," Clare grinned as she removed the glasses from her eyes, "but I might get them anyway. Harry would probably like them."

"Harry?" Amber raised a brow, joining her new friend beside the sunglasses display. "Really?"

"Yeah, he's got a small collection going of...unusual glasses."

Amber snorted. "Like Elton John?"

"Not that many," Clare laughed. "Or that wild. But I think he'd like these."

While Clare went to the register, Amber decided on a pair for herself, a little less extravagant than the yellow ones. She hoped they would help disguise some of the hangover she'd been trying to hide since she'd left the hotel. The pounding in her head had been nearly enough to call off the shopping trip, but she hadn't wanted to disappoint Clare, so after a quick cup of black coffee, she'd met the chipper keyboardist in the lobby.

After paying for her glasses and putting them on, Amber couldn't help but let out another giggle.

"What?" asked Clare.

"I was just picturing Harry wearing those glasses. And for some reason, it doesn't seem that outlandish."

"I know, right?"

"He's got a good sense of humor," Amber added as they left the store and headed down the sidewalk. "Plus, he doesn't seem to give a shit what anyone thinks. I wish I could be like that."

"Give it time," Clare commented. "It tends to rub off on people."

"You think?"

Clare nodded. "I know. And with you, it shouldn't take too long. He seems quite fond of you already."

Amber tried to hide her blushing as she smiled. "I'm fond of him too."

"I can tell."

Amber's eyes widened. How much had she revealed?

"Um...sorry, what?" she stumbled. "I mean...what can you tell?"

"I just mean that you seem to care about him as a person, as a friend, not just that he's Harry Styles. But I can also tell that you look up to him. You seek his approval."