Years Ago

"I'm sorry."

"you're an idiot, Harry Styles," she had laughed at him, and his heart pounded at the sight of her, so beautiful and young and his best friend that he couldn't take it.

He had wanted to kiss her. Oh, how he had wanted to kiss her.

It was nearing Christmas, and it was snowing lightly, providing a dusting on her hair and on her shoulders and he had swiped the snow off, pointing out, "it's late, we should go home."

And she had smiled at him and said, "but i like hanging out with you."

And Harry Styles had sworn that he hadn't loved her more than anytime else in that moment; how her eyes had shone and how the snow brought out the gray flecks in her eyes and how well he knew her to know that she was serious so Harry Syles did something stupid, but he never regretted it.

He had kissed her.

He had kissed her when they were fourteen, and it was both of them's first kiss, and really, Harry wouldn't have wanted it to be with anyone else because even though he was fourteen and young, he really, really loved Bailey Williams and that's all that mattered to him.

Now, Harry was sitting there, watching as flour fluttered around Bailey's shoulders like snow and he couldn't help but think of their first kiss, and he wanted to kiss her again, oh, he really wanted to kiss her again.

And she had just him that she loved him still, and he still loved her even after all these years apart and really, couldn't he kiss her?

So he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her and closed his eyes and Bailey kissed him back, her hand moving up to touch his face gently and he couldn't help but take a step forward and scoop her up and place her on the counter and continue kissing her.

Gasping, she pulled away and looked at him. "You must have really missed me," she commented dryly and Harry's confidence rose and he nodded.

"I've missed you," he said. "I would always think about you."

"AndI would think about you," Bailey replied. "I couldn't get you out of my head."

"I wanted to come visit you, but I couldn't," Harry whispered, and Bailey shushed him with another kiss.

"Shh, Harry, it doesn't matter, you're here now, and that counts for something."

And Harry grinned and he kissed her again because really, he couldn't help it. "And I'm not leaving again."

...

And now, it seems, that asking out a girl is even harder at age twenty than it was at age fifteen, which was when Harry asked out Bailey the first time.

"Hey, Bay?" He had asked, fingers twisting together nervously as butterflies tickled his stomach. He had chided at himself for thinking this way, this was Bailey, his best friend , they've known each other since birth and he had kissed her a few times in the past year and the point of him asking her out was so he could kiss her properly, and whenever he pleased.

"Yeah?"She had asked, turning around and furrowing her eyebrows.

And Harry swore his heart thumped in his chest,because God, she was so beautiful. "W-Will," he stuttered.

Bailey had smiled, completely unaware of the turmoil going on in Marsh's head and heart. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Er- yeah," he has said absently, much more concerned with what he had to say than what he could say. "But- will yougooutwithme?"