Knowing You
A Year Under The Belt
Harry breathed heavily twice but then glanced to the left at the still lit cake. I turned my head, my cheeks getting flushed with a rosy color. I leaned forward, collecting my hair so it wouldn’t touch the fire. I blew a single breath, making the candles on the cake go out in an instant. When they did, there was clapping surrounding me. I smiled, hugging Ed who was on the other side of me as someone who worked at the lounge came over and started to cut the cake.
“What was that?!” Casey said through her teeth, dragging me away from the cake and couches. Her grip on my arm had finally loosened from when she grabbed me and yanked me away from sitting with Harry.
“What was what?” I questioned.
“That look you were giving him!” She hissed, “You were staring at him for ages after he even finished talking.”
“Ok, it was like five seconds.” I defended, waving my hand in a dismissive manner.
“Gia, seriously. Everyone else might not have noticed but I know you better than you know yourself. I haven’t seen you look at someone like that since Rob.”
I crossed my arms and tutted, “Do you really have to mention that creep at my birthday party?” I rolled my eyes, “I didn’t look at him like anything, promise. Harry is just very friendly and I think I’m turning out to be his friend, that’s all.”
“Gia.”. She insisted, “Trust me, I know what that look was. I just think you should watch yourself around him. You’ve heard about how he gets with almost every girl.”
“What if I don’t think that’s true?” I countered.
“I don’t care if you don’t think it’s true, Gia. You know that it’s true.” She snapped, “Besides, I think Niall likes you… you were hanging all over him in the pool.”
“You know I can’t swim.” I defended, “He was just helping me get to the others. Why are you grilling me like this? It’s my birthday party and I’m single… so I was talking to some boys, sue me.”
“You’re not just talking to any boys, Gia. These boys are famous. They are Harry Styles and Niall Horan. You don’t know what they’re about. I just want you to be careful. Not every star is like Ed.”
“I’m done with this conversation.” I said, waving my hand again. I turned and walked back towards the couches. There was a free spot next to Wendy and there was a free spot next to Harry. Even though yesterday, or even ten minutes ago, I would have chosen Wendy to sit next to, I found myself sitting next to Harry. Casey noticed this as well, plopping down next to Wendy with squinted eyes towards me, giving me a glare.
Who was she to judge about how I look at boys? I know she’s just trying to be protective and a good friend but that conversation was going too far. She was suggesting that I stop talking to them just because I don’t know them. But if I don’t talk to them, I’ll never get to know them! And fuck her for bringing up my ex-boyfriend Rob at my birthday party, which was not cool.
Harry’s shoulder was touching mine as we were squished on the couch. I sort of wish I chose to sit next to Wendy but it’s too late to take that back. I rolled my eyes, turning to look at Harry. He saw me out of the corner of his eye and turned to give me a small smile, “Are you tired?” He asked, leaning back.
I nodded to him, biting my bottom lip and plopping my head back against the cushions of the couch. Harry leaned forward, bringing his lips to my ear. He cupped around his mouth with his hands as I waited for his private whisper to me. You look tired. But you still look hot even so. That’s what he said in my ear. I closed my eyes for a brief moment as I felt his lips brush the skin just in front of my ear as he spoke.
I found myself smiling. I few eyes around the circle of couches landed on us, wondering what he was saying to make me have such a cheeky smile on my face. His curls tickled against my cheek and forehead as he drew back. The smirk on his face showed evident that he was quite content with his actions.
“Hey, Ed.” Harry said after a few moments, “What do ya say? We all ditch this place and head back to yours? Gia, here, has just admitted that she’s tired. And I’m knackered.” Harry smirked, elbowing me lightly in arm.
“My apartment or my house?” Ed said, raising his eyebrow.
“Apartment.” Harry responded.
“Are you spending the night with me?” Ed asked, turning his attention to me.
Shrugging, I tilted my head, “It would be best if I spent the night with you. Mum and dad will think I’m crazy if they see the sight of me. I look completely rotten.” I let out a huff of air.
“Then you can stay with me.” Ed said, nodding his head.
Harry cut him off, leaning in to my ear again, whispering to me, “I thought I said that you look hot.” His deep voice vibrated throughout my head and I even felt it shock my body.
Ed stared at us blankly, forcing me to wipe the smile off my face awkwardly. He pointed to Harry, making Harry lean away from me, setting his hands at his side again and stop whispering to me, “If she’s sleeping at my apartment…” Ed began, talking to Harry, “Then you’re not getting anywhere near there, got it?”
Harry put up his hands defensively, “Come on, Ed! We’re all good friends here!” He was turning on the charm, making Ed lighten up a little bit.
“He’s harmless.” Louis said, laughing.
Ed nodded, “I know, I guess you guys can come over in the morning or something.” He then smiled at the curly boy. I was confused… do the boys really think this is the real Harry? All charming and innocent in the long run? That’s not what I got out of him. What I gathered is that Harry is actually very dirty and naughty. He’s been touching me all night, and when I’m rarely out of his sight, he managed to find me.
I said an awkward goodbye to Casey and Wendy. I had thought before tonight that they would be the last ones along with Ed to be here with me on my birthday, but instead I was sitting with the boys and Ed. I looked around at all of them. I can’t believe that they came to my birthday party and stayed for the whole thing… something tells me that they don’t do this for every one of their friend’s little sisters.
“Go get your stuff, Gia. We should head out. I’ve got to go down to the front desk and write the checks and make sure everything is ok.” Ed told me.
I nodded, getting up and smoothing down my dress. I then started off towards the dressing room, only to be interrupted by Harry. No surprise. He leaned against the wall of the dressing room as I stuffed all of my things in my bag. I left a pair of shorts out, “I’m about to change.” I told him.
When he didn’t move, I rolled my eyes and pulled the curtain back so the other boys and Ed couldn’t see me if they walked past.
“If you won’t leave then I want you to turn around, yeah?” I asked him. He shrugged and twisted away. I then pulled my dress up and changed my bikini bottoms to a regular pair or knickers. I then quickly pulled my dress over my head and slid the straps from my top down. I grabbed my bra and was just about to slide it over my swim suit when Harry turned around and looked at me, “Harry!” I said, spinning him around again. I quickly pulled on my bra and let my swim suit drop. I bent down to grab my shorts and a sweatshirt when he slowly turned around again.
“Harry, what’s your problem?!” I almost shrieked.
When my eyes made contact with Harry’s directly, I froze. His eyes widened as he looked down my body. I stepped backwards, “Harry, get out.” I whispered. He didn’t. I watched helplessly as Harry moved forward, his hands pushed against my bare waist. It forced my hands to drop the items of clothes that I had been fisting.
His hand pushed against my hip bone as I was soon pinned to the wall. Harry loomed over me, his face towering over mine. His lips brushed my temple and I felt his front push into mine. I was confused. I pushed against Harry but he kept me firmly in place between his body and the wall. I looked up into his eyes. They were dark and distant, but looking down at my lips. He’s about to kiss me.
Eyes squeezed shut, I could feel his curly hair begin to brush my forehead… I can almost feel his lips already. I breathed in a deep gasp and pushed against Harry’s chest hard, just as his lips brushed my open mouth. Harry stumbled backwards just a little but then caught his balance a few feet away from me.
My chest was rising and falling at an alarming pace as I looked on at Harry. I felt like my throat was caught in my mouth as he looked up at me, “What was that?” I questioned.
“I—I thought you wanted me to kiss you.” He whispered.
“So you shove me against the wall when I’m half naked?” I almost screamed. I bent down and grabbed my clothes. I pulled my shorts up and threw my shirt on. I gave him one last dirty look before throwing the curtain open with my bag underneath my arm.
“Wait, Gia.” Harry stumbled after me into the open. I continued to walk away from him, not wanting to deal with this right now. I ran right into Louis, making me stop quickly. I tried to apologize but he just shook his head and walked away with disgust towards me. I shrugged my shoulders, but then groaned because Louis held me up just long enough so Harry could collide with me.
“I’m so sorry, Gia.” He said, spinning in front of me, blocking my path for Ed who was standing at the door waiting for me with the rest of the boys, “I—I didn’t mean too…”
A sudden sigh forced itself from my lips. I have to admit that I didn’t stop Harry until the last second. “It’s not like I denied wanting you to kiss me.” I whispered, covering my chest with my bag, “It just freaked me out a little bit because you were—different. And besides, I was practically half naked when it happened.”
“I know, I’m so sorry.” He said, lowering his head.
I stepped closer to him, pretending to hug him when I really was whispering in his ear, “As long as you promise that you’ll still be my friend, I’ve considered it forgiven.” The second I drew back from the curly boy, he pulled me back into a deep hug.
“Oh I will be, promise.”
***
After that scary encounter with Harry in the dressing room, I said goodbye to the boys pretty quickly and rushed out of there with Ed bearing behind me. He was still drunk out of his mind, forgetting that he was supposed to drive home. He tried fumbling with the car keys but I just snatched them out of his hand, “I’ll drive you git.” I said sourly, “You were supposed to stay sober, dumbass.”
“Watch your language.” He snapped, “I didn’t do anything to you. Why are you so testy right now? Didn’t you have a good time at your party? I really tried to make it special.”
I sighed, pausing in the car before turning on the engine. I turned to Ed and smiled, “I’m not mad at you, I promise. And I’m sorry that I’m acting like a bitch right now… Ed, you couldn’t have made my birthday more amazing even if you had Michael Jackson and the Beetles on your side… not just One Direction. I don’t know how I’ll ever make this up to you.”
“You don’t have too.” Ed slurred, “Gia, you’re my sister and I love you… that’s why I did it and I don’t expect anything else from you, got it? Besides, it’s not like I had to save up for this.” He smirked.
“Oh, that’s right.” I laughed, “You’re a rich git now. Where is all that money when I need some new shoes? Or some new pants?” I said, sassily, starting the car and pulling away towards Ed’s apartment.
***
I helped Ed up the stairs of his apartment and opened the door for him. He staggered right off to his room without another word and slammed the door. It was a sign that he didn’t want me to bother him further. I signed, looking around his apartment. I’m beat tired and all I want to do I sleep. I threw down my bag and pulled the pull out couch out and spread some clean sheets from Ed’s dryer on top. I fetched some pillows from the closet and threw them down under me as I plopped down. I’m exhausted. It’s almost six in the morning and I’m just getting home!
***
My eyes fluttered open with the smell of food. I sat up groggily, looking to my left in Ed’s apartment. He was cooking something on the stove while some other people milled about the room. I concentrated on trying to decide who each person was and after a minute I realized the boys were here.
“Hey! She’s awake.” Zayn said, pointing at me. All the boys turned to look at me at once. I waited for someone to say something, but no one did.
“What time is it?” I asked sweetly.
“One Thirty.” Ed called from the kitchen, “Do you want a cheese sandwich?” He added.
“Yes, grilled.” I called back before throwing the covers off me. I was currently surprised that Harry hadn’t made himself comfortable in the bed next to me yet. I wouldn’t put it past him but I guess since all the lads are here and Ed too he was forced to restrain himself.
“Oh, god. Mum was expecting me home at eleven.” I sighed.
“She called. You’re grounded.” Ed called to me.
“Oh shut it.” I complained, “She wouldn’t ground me the day after my birthday.”
ONE YEAR LATER
“Come on, Gia! We are going to be so late for the party. I’m going to kill you one of these days!” Ed called from the kitchen of his apartment. I ended up moving in with Ed when he asked me in the winter because I had started an internship that was just down the block from his place. It was nice… normal to be living with my brother, but also fun because the boys were over a lot.
Liam is basically my best friend… he stayed with me all night when my fish died last week and that really meant a lot to me since most of the boys, including my brother just laughed at my emotional feelings. I smiled into the mirror. It was a cold winter day, but no snow was on the ground. I had on some jeans and black boots with a black top and my brown leather jacket. I kept my hair braided messily to the side and puckered my lips at my reflection.
“One minute!” I yelled to Ed. He gave me the spare room in his apartment to live in. I loved it because, even though it was smaller, it was off to the corner… no one would walk in here accidentally.
Zayn is a good friend of mine, treats me well and is there for me during banter when all the boys, including Liam are poking fun at me. He’s taken a liking to Wendy and I think they would be darling together if he ever asked her out.
Casey and Wendy are still good friends of mine. Casey acts weird around me sometimes now but I try to ignore it. There are numerous times where I’ve invited her to hang out with the boys and I but she’s said no. I always shrug it off but it’s starting to annoy me.
Louis… I don’t know about Louis. Some days he seems to be smiling around me but then other days I can’t help but see dirty looks shot my way when I’m speaking to someone, especially Harry.
Ah, Harry. He’s well… Harry. He’s still poking fun at me, trying to get with me a lot. Ed finds it annoying but I can’t help but smile when he tells me how pretty I am. We’ve never actually been together… like we haven’t kissed but I can’t count the number of times on my hand that we’ve come close. The closest was after a party last summer. His lips brushed mine but before he could fully kiss me, Niall had barged in on us.
And last but not least, Niall. He is still the sweetest boy I’ve ever met. I would never admit this to Harry because he would freak out about it but I’ve actually kissed Niall. I can remember the day. It was really hot and he invited me to go swim in his pool. Well I did, and I was holding onto him as he took me into the deep end. I remember closely if he asked whether I wanted him to kiss me or not. When I replied with a small yes, I felt his lips push against mine. I remember wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing my chest into his to deepen it.
“GIA!” Ed screamed. I looked at the clock, realizing that we were already an hour late for the party. I shrieked quietly and grabbed my phone before pushing my door open. I mumbled a quiet sorry to Ed as he gave me a dirty look and threw open the front door.
“Ed!” Louis slurred, already drunk at the party. He grabbed my brother, slinging his arm around his shoulders and dragged him away from the door we just entered. I shut the front door behind me and took off my leather jacket, hanging it on the coat tree next to me. When I finished hanging it up, I felt hands on my waist.
“Hey beautiful.” A deep and husky voice whispered in my ear. I knew it was Harry by the smell of him and the tickle of his curls against the back of my head as well as the voice in itself. I know Harry very well.
“Harry.” I smiled, leaning my head back to rest on his shoulders. I finally started to listen to the thumping of the music and now it was probably fueling the curly boy on. He finally let go of my hips and I spun around to face him, giving him a peck on the cheek before taking his hand, “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I know… it’s been like what? A week?” He laughed.
Notes
what are votes for and why do i have eight.help
11/27/13