What we become

2. I'm alright

Thursday afternoon I got in a quick surf after school. The weekend couldn't come soon enough. I loved the weekends, because it always meant a break from tedious Grade 12 studies and the unwanted pressure my parents put on me to finish my homework on time. Weekends were about surfing, friends and the occasional party. Jake Goodfrey was having a party on Sunday night, as Monday was a public holiday and his parents were out of town for the long weekend. His house was massive and located in Broadbeach Waters. But more importantly, the One Direction concert was on tomorrow night, and Jess had made it her mission to score us last minute tickets to their sold-out concert.

I was still soaking from the salty ocean water when Jess called me. I grabbed my phone and tried to answer it, but I was a moment too late. Jess had been insistently calling me, leaving 5 missed call notifications on my screen. We were meant to be hitting the shops again tonight for late night shopping, to find something cute to wear to Jake's party. I glanced at the time. It was 6pm. I wiped myself dry and knew I was running late, as always, caught up in the surf.  I threw my board in the back of my car, jumping out the moment I reached the shops. I tugged a white billowing top on over my damp bikinis and stepped into some short denim pants. I was rushing towards the entrance, reading a text from Jess.

Sorry E! Can't make it! Stuck babysitting for another 2 hours! Gonna hit the shops tomorrow during lunch break.

I fell backwards with the force of hitting something- or someone- and my phone went flying out of my hand. I knocked my head on a metal railing, but not hard enough to bruise anything more than my ego.

"Are you hurt?" I heard a worried voice say.

"I'm alright," I said as I slowly sat up, my hand touching my stinging head.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" 

That voice. That accent. I had heard it somewhere before.

"Neither was I," I replied, but my voice trailed off as I looked up into beautiful green eyes. Harry's eyes.

He knelt on the ground and held my face in his hands, looking into my eyes. "You hit your head," he said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, but I felt dizzy and faint. But that was probably just because Harry Styles was about an inch from my face, holding it in his warm hands as his gorgeous eyes searched mine. I could breathe his scent in, and I was certain I was going to pass out if he stayed that close to me. I pulled away and tried to stand.

"Here," he said, offering me his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. My skin tingled with pure electricity under his touch... surely, I wasn't the only one who felt it. "I'm Harry."

"Thanks," I managed to say, "I'm Ella". I was still feeling a little faint, then I realised I was breathing quickly and had to slow my breath down. I became aware that my white shirt had soaked through over my breasts, and my yellow bikini was showing though. How embarrassing. I turned my body slightly away from him and reached for the railing beside me to steady myself.

"Can I get you anything? Water? A lift to the hospital?" He was looking at me from underneath his long loose waves that had fallen over his face. He swept them back effortlessly. How could one human being be so perfect?

"No," I shook my head, feeling better now that I had calmed my breathing. 

"Please, it's the least I can do."

"I'm alright," I said again, then suddenly remembered my phone. I looked around for it.

"Here," he said, passing it to me. The screen was cracked, but it still worked fine. "Let me buy you dinner," he said. "And I can pay to get the screen replaced."

I shrugged my shoulders, "you don't need to worry about it," I said. "I swear, I crack my phone at least three times a year. I usually just leave it till it gets really bad and the screen goes black, then replace it when I absolutely have to."

"Really?" he asked and laughed, "Never heard of a screen protector or a case before?"

"I have," I insisted, "I just tend to break my screen regardless and take them back off."

"Maybe I can help you find a good one?"

"Honestly, it's ok... don't you have something better to do?"

"Honestly, I just finished up work. I'm kinda starving and I want to make it up to you," he said, probably so he didn't feel guilty. "I hear there's a good burger place here," he said tilting his head towards the shops.

"I know an even better one," I said, motioning back to my car. "It's not far from here, I could drive us there?"

"Maybe I should drive, you might be concussed."

I sighed heavily. "I'm-"

"-alright, I know." He said with a slow smile and I remembered our connection at the meet and greet the night before. "You're alright," he said slowly as he opened the door to a sleek, black BMW.