my sister's boyfriend's bestfriend ⋆ a harry styles fanfiction

14: better swim before you drown

There were many traits of Harry's that I have grown to admire over the past few weeks being his roommate. His charm, his pancakes, his magnetic singing that I listened to through the walls whenever he sang in the shower. However, his impatience was not one of them.

"Let's go!" He groaned, his voice echoing in the foyer.

"I'm coming!" I yelled back, hoping my voice would travel through my doorway, down the stairs and into his earshot. I fumbled with my sweater, trying to pull it over my head without tangling my hair. I begrudgingly glanced at myself in the mirror before following Harry downstairs. I look disheveled. I had no time to wash or brush my hair so instead it sat in a messy bun perched on top of my head like a birds nest. I blended two dots of concealer under my eyes in hopes it would cover yesterday's mascara that left a smudgy grey cast around my eyes. Good enough.

I turned on my heel and began my descent down the stairs. With each step my heartbeat drummed faster. I had no idea where we were headed—Harry had been maddeningly cryptic, offering no clues beyond the simple instruction to bring a sweater. Typically I hated surprises. A symptom often experienced by control freaks such as myself. But for some reason tonight, it felt exciting. Exhilarating.

"Bloody finally" Harry sighed as I made my way into the highway.

His impatience was palpable, but so was his excitement. I hadn't seen this side of Harry yet. I hearing about his wild adventures from Eleanor and Louis prior to my big move to London. It surprised me when I moved here and he didn't seem to do anything but go to and from the studio. Perhaps I was finally getting to know him. Really getting to know him. He looked at me with that infectious grin of his, the one girls screamed for at every interview and appearance. Something inside me ignited at the sight. Without hesitation he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door.

"Come on we don't have all night"

His fingers, calloused from playing the guitar, intertwined with mine as we stepped onto the darkened street. The street lamps illuminated our path as Harry led me to his car. I assumed a boy like Harry would've driven a sports car, something flashy and expensive. Instead, we stopped at Ford Thunderbird, befitting for my grandad. It's cherry red interior looked almost black under the night sky. I stared at Harry dumfounded as he inserted the key to unlock the door. I realized there were probably no remote keys in 1974. As I opened the door, it almost felt foreign getting into the passengers seat, not having some security guard shuffle me into the back of a dark SUV. It felt even stranger watching Harry buckle himself into the driver's seat. The car rumbled as he twisted the key into the ignition.

"Ready for an adventure?"

His eyes met mine. I felt the corners of mouth curl up into a smile. Before I could answer Harry's foot slammed onto the gas pedal sending us racing through the street, that once seemed so familiar but was now nothing more than streaks of lights and shadows.

-

The cold London air blasted through the rolled-down windows sending my hair into a frenzied dance. Harry had insisted on driving with all of the windows rolled down promising that it would 'jolt me awake'.

He wasn't wrong.

Any semblance of tiredness was left packaged on my doorstep waiting for me when I returned home.

Suddenly, Harry's hands gripped the wheel and steered us onto a narrow dirt path. My eyes widened as he successfully pulled off the stunt without crashing us into a tree. What the hell is he doing. The path we drove was barely visible, overgrown and seemingly unused. I wasn't entirely sure if a car was even supposed to be there. But Harry's eyes remained locked on the path ahead of us as if he knew exactly where he was going.