the article « l.s.

[chapter 2]

And there he was.

The first thing I noticed was his huge grin and I was immediately attracted to him. He grinned like a child at Christmas that was about to unwrap its presents. But I quickly saw that his smile didn't reach his eyes, as if it got lost on its way to his eyes. But his eyes were beautiful, almost breathtaking. One could say, I shouldn't be that surprised by his beauty because I have already seen multiple pictures of him. But standing in front of him was different. His presence was almost paralyzing, but I screamed at myself in my mind to stop this nonsense, so I quickly extended my hand for him to shake. I had to keep in mind that he was this spoiled, rude rich kid. When that reality hit me, this "moment" was quicker gone than it lasted. Suddenly I didn't feel that impressed anymore but kept a smile on my face nonetheless because I didn't wanna be like him and be rude. "Good afternoon, Mr. Styles", I said while shaking his hand gently.

We sat down and I let him know that I was going to record the interview, which he accepted with a quick nod.

"So, Mr. Styles, is it true that you are about to own 'Styles Enterprises'?"

"Yes, that's true. But please, call me Harry.", he said with an irresistible smile. That completely threw me off track and made me falter. But I was quick to continue and not let him notice it.

"Sure. Um, why did you want an article written about you?" He chuckled quietly.

"Because I want the world to know the real and new me. And I'd like to spread the news about my new job as the CEO of 'Styles Enterprises'"

"Speaking of which, many people don't believe you are the right person to properly handle this job. What's your opinion on that?"

"I always say 'Haters are going to hate' and, of course, I understand people doubting me, because of my complicated past. But as I said: I am a new me and I'll try to fulfill everyone's expectations", he said and winked. I certainly don't understand this guy and I probably never will, I thought to myself.

"You just said 'complicated past', may I ask you about it further?"

"Sure thing, go ahead."

"Is it true that you had anger issues? If so, why?" And I could see him tense, which made me smirk because now I knew I was the boss of the situation and was able to make him feel uneasy and maybe lose his temper. But he quickly recovered and smiled again.

"Yes, that's true. My anger issues appeared whenever I let the fame of my parents go to my head. In my teenage years, I wasn't able to properly handle all the attention. And therefore I hurt many people, including my family. But I have had therapy for two years now, which helps me with my anxiety and how I'm supposed to handle my anger."

"Mhm, I see", I looked at my papers and back up. "I think we all can remember your last temper tantrum in public. What happened afterwards, because all of a sudden you were gone for almost 3 years?"

"I went to therapy and learned how to control myself. And at this point, I want to mention that I'm genuinely sorry about what happened and I apologized to the pap, so there's no bad blood anymore."

"Okay-"

"Excuse me for interrupting, Mr. Tomlinson. Am I allowed to ask you something, too?"

I was quite confused but nodded. His charming smile grew bigger as he asked:" How old are you?" I frowned, but answered nonetheless:" I just turned 28, may I ask what's so important about my age?"

"Nothing, just asking.", he smirked, though I couldn't imagine why.

"So, let's continue."

"I'd rather keep on talking about you.", he winked and I just rolled my eyes.

Who did he think he was again?

"There were many rumors about you going around while you were in the public eye. Many said you were involved in substance abuse, were you?"

"No, I can assure you, I have never taken any drugs."

"Mhm, what about the rumor that you have impregnated a young girl during a one-night-stand. Have you?"

"No, I haven't. That's just pure bullshit, sorry. But many people want a piece of my fame, thus they make the weirdest stuff up."

"How come you say that with such confidence?"

"Because I have never slept with a girl.", he said bluntly and I felt a blush creep on my face, which I desperately tried to hide. What was wrong with me?! I didn't know it myself. This isn't how I'm normally acting around people I was interested in taking down. Harry wasn't any different from others, was he?

No, he certainly wasn't and I swore to not let his behavior go to my head.