The Hired Girlfriend (Harry Styles Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty Two

• Chapter Twenty Two • 

Noel's P.O.V: 

        My eyes fluttered open and for a moment I forgot. Fragments of last night whisked back to me and I couldn't help but smile. None of it seemed to be real. It was like I had been reading a vivid novel this entire time. I gazed upon Harry still fast asleep beside me. Together, we were exploring new, uncharted territory. We were in love. It sounded incredibly naive, admittedly, but it I couldn't ever feel more safe or secure than I did now.

        I remember another moment. Every trail he left scorched my skin. Every breathless kiss took me further and further away from this world. Throughout it all we were laughing. It seemed as though we were intoxicated by each other. I can remember the first time he said it, 'I love you'. I didn't know what to say, I just wanted to hear him say it again. I made him say it probably one thousand times more after that. I remember forgetting how to speak or move, as though I were paralyzed. I remember his intense gaze, studying every square inch of my face for a reaction. He later told me that he had feared the worst. 

        I had always imagined the first time a boy told me he loved me. It would be a sunny day, out in the fields behind my house. We would have just devoured Sunday roast but still left a little room for dessert. As I'd run ahead, naturally he'd chase me. When he'd catch me, we would fall to the grass, giggling immensely. I'd stare longingly into his colourless eyes and he'd remind me that he would always chase me and never let me go, as he tugged me closer. As we'd look up at the disfigured clouds, he'd whisper, "I love you". Now that I've heard Harry say it, that phrase that I pictured had always sounded hollow, almost meaningless until now.

        I couldn't be more happy knowing that it didn't turn out the way I always imagined. It was our moment. I remember, while incapable of speaking, I repeated a famous quote in my mind and was delighted to know it was possible to feel this way. "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." In that moment I had never felt more alive.

        I remember he took a step closer. His warm hand cupped my jaw and he tilted my face upwards. His touch sent a wave of energy through my body. It was as though his touch was an awakening, alerting me that that moment was in fact, happening. I remember my cheeks ached by the end of the night from grinning so much. I remember the sound of my heart beating rapidly as I leaned up and captured his lips. At first I trembled with the amount of desire we both felt. As the kiss grew deeper, the intensity in my stomach magnified. We lingered breathlessly for a moment. I felt like a glutton, greedy for everything he had to offer.

        I remember when I recited the phrase I longed to scream. It was right after I kissed him. "I love you too", I whispered. We laughed for hours after that because he told me he didn't believe me. He thought I was just being polite so he didn't feel like a complete idiot. I then of course did call him an idiot, because why on earth would he think that I didn't love him? 

        I sat up and averted my aimless gaze towards Harry. In his sleepy state, he was breath taking like a notorious monument in a busy city. My giddy behaviour unintentionally woke him up. I watched as he woke up smiling, as if he remembered everything. We were both relieved it wasn't a dream. I couldn't help but admire the way his eyes looked so innocent. I also noticed how his porcelain like cheeks had a hint of rose on his tender skin. He clearly noticed me studying his face because he chuckled and flopped a pillow on top of me, muttering, "Okay weirdo." 

        "So what's the plan for today?" He asked with a goofy smile. Together we shared a priceless secret between us that no one knew about, nor could take away from us. It was exhilarating.