Adore You Too [H.S]

12 // Strawberries On A Winter Morning

a/n: hi. welcome back.

* * *

"So, will you be joining me in California?" Harry asks as I apply a top coat to his nails.

"I don't know." I sigh. "I need to find a job. It's unfair to Jess if I'm unemployed for too long. I felt guilty for quitting my job, now I feel even guiltiest for not searching for a new one."

"I've already told you my take on that," he reminds me of his previous offer. "That offer is still on the table, you know?"

"And that's really sweet of you to offer, but I just..." I sigh once again, switching the hand of his I held. He took his rings off, and I tried to focus on that. His fingers strangely looked so different without rings. "I don't want to feel like a distraction while you're working. You're going to be so busy...filming music videos seems so stressful already and I wouldn't want my presence to add to any of that."

"Lili," Harry begins, his voice sounding very serious, "Now, I mean this is the nicest way possible, but...what the hell are you talking about?" He seems to force out a chuckle. "A distraction?! Come on."

"I know how stupid it sounds, but..."

"It's not that you sound stupid," he reassures me. "It's just crazy to me that you actually feel that way. You will never be a distraction...never a bad one, at least. And I wouldn't have invited you if I didn't want you to come."

"You say that but..." I sigh yet again. "It felt weird when I went to work while you were here, and I wouldn't want you to feel the same when the roles are reversed."

"But you going to work gave me the opportunity to explore. Wouldn't you want that?" To be completely honest...I would. It would be so much fun to be able to explore California. But I wouldn't want to do it alone. The idea of that terrified me. "When was the last time you went to California?"

"A long time ago," I say, exhaling deeply. "Years ago."

"Was it a family trip?"

"Sort of."

"See...wouldn't it be so fun to be able to explore around by yourself? You'd get to do what Lili wants to do," he continues to try to persuade me.

"I'm not too sure I like the sound of that," I mumble looking down. Harry furrows his eyebrows, looking deep in thought for a moment. After doing so, his face finally softens and he lets out a sigh of defeat.

"You don't want to go, do you?" He asks sadly, sounding almost exhausted.

"Can I be completely honest with you?"

"Always." He nods slowly.

"Not really." I slip my bottom lip between my teeth, nervous for his response. I didn't want to because I didn't want to spend time with Harry, because I would be crazy not to. And it wasn't that I didn't want to go to California, because I wanted to more than anything. It was the fact that while Harry was out shooting his music videos and doing his other work stuff—which I had no idea how all that worked—I would be sitting alone in his house. I didn't know why that bothered me...I was fine with him staying here when I had to go to work. But a lot of the time, Jess would be home before I was. That wouldn't be the case if I were to stay with him in California.

"Okay," he says simply, nodding as well. And that was it. I'd expected him to say more, or possibly try to beg me more...but he didn't. He wasn't going to push me into doing it, and I was grateful for that.

* * *

I wake up, the blinds open, causing light to flood into my bedroom. Jess and I hardly ever open the blinds, unless it's summertime, so I knew for a fact that this was an act of Mr. Styles.