Charlie’s POV:

I woke up the next morning in my new bed at Liam’s flat to the sound of pans clanking in the kitchen. I roll over to look at the clock on my nightstand and see that it’s almost 9:00. I groan as I stretch my body out underneath the sheets and curl up deeper into my comforter.

After we had left Heath’s place last night, the boys helped me carry all the boxes up to Liam’s spare bedroom. I was too exhausted to start unpacking, so Harry told me he’d come after work to help me put all my things away. He gave me the day off today because he thought I needed some time to relax, which I didn’t have any problem with.

I heard a knock on my bedroom door and I look up to see Liam standing in the doorway.

“Hello, Riley, I hope I didn’t wake you up! I just wanted to let you know I made you some breakfast. It’s in the oven when you want it.”

“Thanks, Liam. I appreciate it.” I mumble sleepily and he smiles.

“Any time. I’m going to work now, you get some rest and I’ll see you later today.” With that, he shuts my door and I close my eyes, falling asleep in less than a minute.

I wake up around noon and decide it’s finally time to get out of bed. I roll off the mattress and pad over to my bathroom. Stripping out of my cami and sleeping shorts, I turn the shower on and wait for the water to warm up.

I look in the mirror and check out the bruises on my face. To my relief, the larger ones on my cheeks have decreased in swelling and are starting to fade. Sadly, the ring mark is still quite purple, but to good news is that it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. I lift my head to see the finger marks on my neck have also faded considerably. It was probably due to Harry forcing me to ice my face for an hour while we relaxed in Liam’s flat last night. But I was thankful he made me because I bet this would look a lot worse than it does right now.

Once the mirror starts to fog, I jump in under the hot water and my body starts to relax even more. Once I’ve shampooed, conditioned and shaved, I turn the water off and wrap myself in a gray towel hanging next to the tub.

I walk out of the bathroom and my anxiety starts to kick in as I try to look for a change of clothes in the boxes stacked in my room. I finally found a pair of skinny jeans and a plain black t-shirt and I threw them on before walking towards my bedroom door. That’s when I noticed the small note taped to the wood.

Riley,
I hope you enjoy your day off. Make sure you get a lot of rest because I have a very special night planned for us. I’ll be by at 7:00 to pick you up. Your unpacking can wait until tomorrow.
-Harry xx

P.S- you look so cute when you sleep :)

My face starts to hurt from smiling as I read the note. He must’ve come in earlier this morning and taped it to my door before he left for work. I get excited thinking about what we’re going to do tonight as I walk towards the kitchen.

I didn’t realize how hungry I actually was until I opened the oven to see the plate of food Liam had left for me. My mouth watered as I put the plate in the microwave to heat it back up. I still wasn’t used to where everything was in this flat yet, so it took me a while to find a fork.

As I was finishing shoveling the remainder of food in my mouth, the doorbell rang. I sat still for a minute and listened. I jumped as the person rang the bell the bell again. Shit, why was I so nervous? I shuffled quickly to the door and peered through the peephole. I gasped when I looked directly into a big, blue eyeball staring back at me.

“Rileyyy! We know you’re in there! The boys told us you were home for the day! Open up!” I breathed a sigh of relief as I unlocked the door and was welcomed by the faces of Eleanor and Perrie.

“Sorry! I got a little freaked out for a second.” I laughed and they walked in to the living room.

“S’okay! We were just coming over to..” Eleanor stops talking and stares at me. I get confused as both their jaws drop as they look at me.

“Riley..your face..” My hands go up to my cheeks, completely forgetting I had no makeup on.

“Oh! Y-yeah..sorry.” Perrie walks over and pulls me into a big hug.

“Don’t apologize. We’re just glad you’re safe now.” I smile as I hug her back and feel Eleanor come around and hug me from the other side. Wow, these girls were incredibly nice.

“What Perrie said. You’re in good hands now, don’t worry.” I sigh and I feel my throat start to hurt as I force back a couple tears. I’ve only known these people less than a month and I already feel like family. We pull apart from our embrace and I grin widely at the girls.

“Well, I hope you weren’t doing anything important right now because we’re kidnapping you. Harry texted me earlier and said he wanted us to take you out shopping for a new outfit for tonight. I’m assuming you two have a date?” Eleanor wiggled her eyebrows and I blushed.

“Yeah, he says he has some special night planned for us. He didn’t tell me what we were doing though.” I tell them and they both sigh.

“He can be such a romantic. I haven’t seen him like this since E-” Perrie starts to say something but Eleanor nudges her hard in the side. I look at her confused but Eleanor quickly changes the subject.

“Alright! Well, why don’t you finish getting ready and then we’ll be off!” Still confused, I nod and head back to my room. What was Perrie going to say? I shrug it off for now as I braid my damp hair down my back and apply some concealer and powder to my purple cheeks. I slip on a pair of black converse, grab my small clutch and head towards the living room. Eleanor and Perrie are waiting next to the front door.

“Ready, babe?” Perrie asks and I nod excitedly.

We drive in Eleanor’s car to a large shopping mall in London. They drag me to their favorite boutique and start to scavenge through the racks, trying to find the perfect outfit. I’m pushed into a bright changing room with a pile of clothes to try on. As I’m getting in to the first outfit, a white A-line skirt and a tight black scoop neck top, Perrie asks me a question.

“So Riley, how are things going with you and Harry? I mean, tonight is definitely a good indicator that everything is good, but tell us how you’re feeling!” I zip up the skirt as I think about my answer.

“It’s really great, actually. I mean, I’m really glad to be finished with my ex and be with someone who doesn’t scare the living daylights out of me.” I walk out and show them what I have on.

“I like it, but it doesn’t WOW me. Next!” Eleanor yells and I giggle. I try on a few more things as I tell them what happened that one night we all hung out together and I ran out. It was comforting that they agreed with me that I made the right decision. Although Heath was definitely in the wrong, it could’ve been so much worse if he knew that I had actually slept with someone that night he attacked me. I also was extremely relieved that they didn’t judge me on already sleeping with Harry.

I pull the final article of clothing I have to try on off the hanger and start to put it on. It’s a blue and purple floral print dress with spaghetti straps. I think this might be the one.

“I’m just so glad Harry doesn’t have a problem with taking everything slow. I was worried maybe he wouldn’t be okay with it.” Perrie spoke up.

“Don’t worry, Riley. I think he learned his lesson after that whole fiasco with Eva..” I stopped and listened as Perrie grunted.

“Perrie! Jesus..she doesn’t know yet.” Eleanor hissed underneath her breath. I walked out of the changing room to see her glaring at the blonde. They turned to me and Eleanor’s face lit up.

“Oh, that’s definitely the one!” I put my hands on my hips as stared at them.

“Who’s Eva? And what don’t I know yet?” I tried to make eye contact with Perrie but she looking around the room, ignoring my question. Eleanor on the other hand was trying again to change the subject.

“Nothing! But wow, you look great in that dress! You’re definitely buying that one.” She nodded before getting up to collect the rest of the clothing from my dressing room. I stood in her way, not letting her get past me.

“No, it’s not nothing. This is the second time today that you've done this. I’m going to ask again. Who is Eva?” She looked up at me and sighed before rubbing her temples.

“This was the ONE thing he told us to keep out of the conversations, Perrie. And you and your big mouth had to bring it up.” She glares back at the blonde who has an extremely guilty look on her face. Eleanor takes my hand and sits me down on the sofa between her and Perrie.

“Riley, you have to promise me that you will keep this a secret. Harry cannot know I told you this. He wanted to wait until you two were dating for a while before he told you.” I start to get extremely nervous at the seriousness in Eleanor’s voice.

“O-okay..you’re scaring me, what’s going on?” She closes her eyes and lets out a deep sigh.

“Harry, Louis and I all went to school together in Holmes Chapel. I had this friend, Eva, that Harry was absolutely in love with. He would send flowers to her home every day, write songs for her and buy her expensive gifts. He didn’t even really know her; she came over to my house one time when he and Louis were hanging out with me, and that was the beginning of Harry’s crush.” I looked at her with wide eyes as she continued.

“The horrible part was that Eva led him along, making him think she liked him too, when really she just liked the attention. She slept around a lot, but Harry didn’t care because he thought she loved him. One night, the boys and I went to a party at her house. She was trashed beyond belief and was hanging all over Harry. I was livid about this and dragged her aside telling her to knock it off, but she just told me she was messing around.” I can tell Eleanor is starting to get upset when she continues.

“When Louis and I weren’t looking, Eva grabbed Harry and took him to her bedroom. You can guess what happened then. She doesn’t even remember the night, but Harry wouldn’t shut up about it. He kept telling Louis and I that she was the one and that he wanted to start saving up for a ring. A fucking ring!! He’d only known the girl for a month! And she didn’t even like him! I couldn’t deal with it anymore, so I sat Harry down one night and told him that it was all a lie. He didn’t believe me and was so furious at me that we didn’t talk for months.” I lean back further on the couch as I listen, Perrie pulls my hand into hers.

“So she kept stringing him along, having sex with him at random parties but forgetting about it the next day. He and Louis stopped talking for a while too because he tried to knock some sense into him. Harry was so in love with this girl, it was terrifying. Then one day, he came to us and showed us a little black box and said he was going to propose on her graduation day. She was two years older than him. We both tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn’t listen.”

“Louis and I went to graduation just to be there when she told him no. And lo and behold, she laughed in his face and told him they were just fucking around. That’s when her boyfriend, some twenty-five year old DJ came over and they kissed right in front of him before leaving. He was heartbroken, but he didn’t give up. He would call her for hours every day, trying to get through. She got so fed up that she changed her number.”

“I was so scared he wouldn’t be able to move on. That’s why he moved out of Holmes Chapel the minute he graduated, to get away from her. He and Louis were going to open their shop there, but he couldn’t stand being in the same area as her. Even though he moved away from her, the effect she left on him stayed until you two met. He hasn’t had a girlfriend or anyone he liked since Eva. He would just take home random girls, different ones every night. Anything to make him forget about her. So, I can assure you that he will take it as slow as you want.” She grabbed my other hand and squeezed it as I look into her reassuring eyes. I tried to smile as I nodded.

“Riley, I can tell you that I haven’t seen him this happy in a very VERY long time. Already in less than a month, you have brought back a Harry I thought was gone forever. I honestly cannot thank you enough. You’re doing amazing things for that boy.” My heart leapt as she talked. I couldn’t believe what a horrible past he had, but it makes me so happy knowing that I was making a difference in his life.

“Thank you, that means so much. I just want you both to know that he’s also made a huge impact on my life too. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be living with a psychopath. So we’re helping each other.” They smiled and hugged me. I stood up and twirled around in the dress.

“And I think you’re right, this is definitely the one!” They both clapped and I jumped up and down like a teenage girl. I paid for the dress and we walked out of the mall and towards Eleanor’s car.

We get back to the complex around 4:00 and I thank them for the shopping trip. I go to open the door to get out when Eleanor stops me.

“Woah woah woah! You know we’re just dropping you off so we can go get our tools and such, right?” I looked at them confused.

“Uh, no?” They both laughed.

“Honey, we’re going to do you up real nice tonight! Perrie and I are giving you a makeover!” I was shocked but totally excited! I’d never gotten a makeover before!

“Really? You’d do that for me?” Perrie nodded her head.

“Of course we would! That’s what we do for a living, remember? And you have to look fabulous for your first date!”

“Okay! Well just text me when you’re on your way back over!” I jump out of the car and make my way to Liam’s place.

The girls arrive back in a half hour and start to prep me for tonight. I felt like I was some sort of famous person with the royal treatment I received! I got a facial, manicure, pedicure and a bunch of other fun things!

Perrie gave me a head full of soft beachy waves while Eleanor played up my blue eyes with some aqua eyeliner on my lower waterline and a smokey brown shadow in my crease. We finished the look off with a clear gloss on my lips due to “all the kissing” Eleanor said I’d be doing tonight.

It was nearing 6:30 when I put on my new dress and paired them with my favorite teal sandals. I accessorized with a gold heart locket, diamond stud earrings and a gold watch with a tan leather band. I walked out to the living room where Eleanor and Perrie were sitting.

“So, what do you think?” I twirled for them and they both jumped up and squealed with excitement.

“You look so amazing! Harry is going to die!”

“Riley! Wow! You look incredible!” I look over at the voice coming from the kitchen and see Liam standing in the doorway. He must’ve come home while I was changing. I beam at him.

“Thanks, Liam!”

“No problem, Harry really is going to be one happy guy. He was so excited today at work, he could barely focus!” Liam laughed and the girls and I chuckled.

“Alright, well Perrie and I are going to head out! We have to go visit our boyfriends! You have fun tonight and call us and let us know how it goes!” Eleanor pulls me in for one more hug and I thank them both ten more times before I let them leave. Once they’re gone I plop over on the couch next to Liam, who is eating his dinner and watching some television show.

“You do really look amazing, Riley.” I turn and look into Liam’s brown eyes.

“Thanks, it was all thanks to Perrie and Eleanor! I couldn’t have done this without them.” He smiled before dropping his head to look at his entwined fingers.

“Thank you.” I give him a puzzled look.

“For what?” He looks up at me.

“For bringing Harry back.” My heart stops as I see Liam’s eyes start to water.

“I didn’t know him when all that stuff happened, but I’ve seen him here. And as much as I know he’s a good person, you bring out the best in him. He’s done a complete 180 in three weeks. I just…I can’t thank you enough. Harry is really important, to all of us. And it’s just so amazing to see him so happy again.” I can’t even speak words, I just pull Liam in to a big hug.

“He’s doing the same thing for me, Liam.” I feel him nod and we break our hug when I hear a knock at the door. I give Liam a wink and a pat on the shoulder as I jump up from the sofa and skip over to the door. I fix my hair quickly before swinging the door open. My breath stops as I take in the person standing in front of me.

Harry looks so amazing in a fitted sport coat with a crisp black and white patterned dress shirt, three buttons undone at the top to reveal his tan skin kissed with tattoos and a pair a fitted black jeans. His hair is done up in the same quiff as the time I visited his flat, but some of the curls fluff out right above his ears. He grins as he takes in my outfit and my new look.

“Riley. You look stunning.” I blush and look down at my feet as he walks closer to me. That’s when I finally notice the huge bouquet of bright magenta lilies in his grasp. He hands them to me and I can feel my cheeks start to burn as he leans in to place a kiss on my cheek.

“These are for you. I hope you like them.” He smiles and I can barely speak.

“They’re my favorite. Thank you, Harry.” I step to the side of the door to allow him to walk in to the flat. I go to the kitchen, remembering I saw a vase in a cabinet. I fill it with water and place the delicate flowers in the vase. I bring them out to the living room and put them in the middle of the coffee table. Liam and Harry are talking to each other as I walk towards them.

“Now, I’m going to assume you know to have her home at a decent hour?” Liam gives Harry a stern look and I giggle. Harry sighs before reaching out for my hand. I give Liam a quick hug before taking Harry’s hand and walking out the door.

We get down to his car and he opens the door for me before jogging over to the driver’s seat. He plops down and takes a long look at me. I smile as his green eyes shine in the street lights. He leans in slow and places a delicate kiss on my lips.

“I missed you today.” He whispers.

“I missed you too.” I reply back. He leans back over and starts the car up.

“Did you have a nice relaxing day?”

“You could say that. I slept in until about noon and the girls took me out shopping before giving me a full makeover.” He chuckles.

“You need to remind me to thank them both because you look amazing. Not like you don’t look amazing every day, but you get what I mean.” He turns his head and winks, causing me to laugh.

“So, where are we going?”

“Ah ah ah. That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” I sigh loudly and give him puppy dog eyes as I beg.

“Pleeeease? Harryyyy!” He laughs and motions for me to scoot over next to him. I comply and he swings his arm around my shoulder.

“Patience, love.” I stop asking as I rest my head against his warm chest. We drive for what seems like a half hour before we get to a lighted park outside of the city. I look around confused as I see groups of people making their way towards the gated entrance. I look at Harry and try to figure out what’s going on. He smiles, opens the door, and walks around to open mine. I get out and flatten my dress out as he opens one of the back seat doors and pulls out a picnic basket. I am still so confused as he takes my hand and starts following the throng of people into the park.

We follow a path lit up by yellow street lamps to a large amphitheater. I look around at the mass of people as Harry walks us down towards a tree on the side of the hill. He sits the basket down and looks at me.

“Harry? What is all this?” He opens up the basket and takes out a blue and white checked blanket, opening it up on the grass.

“Every Tuesday of the month, this park puts on a showing of old black and white films. They started this tradition about twenty years ago. I always come to this park at night to clear my thoughts and one night I found this and have been coming any time I am free. This is my spot.” He points to the tree and I follow his movement to a carving on the trunk. A big ‘HS’ is etched into the bark and I trace over it with my fingers.

“So, what do you think? Good first date?” My eyes are still on the carving as I breathe out an answer.

“It’s the best date I’ve ever been on.” I turn to look at him, his face lights up with happiness as he sits down on the blanket. I fold my dress under my bum and sit next to him as he pulls out the remaining items from the basket.

“I brought us champagne and some fruit with a special dip I made earlier.” He pulls out two sparkling long-stemmed flutes with the bottle of champagne, a few covered bowls filled with a mass selection of fruit and a Tupperware dish filled with what I can assume is the dip. As I dig into the fruit, Harry pours the bubbly liquid into a glass for and hands it to me.

“Oh my gosh, Harry! This dip is incredible! I didn’t know you were so good in the kitchen!” I take the glass from him as he laughs.

“Thank you. Next time, I’ll have to cook you dinner. I really love cooking.” It’s amazing how I keep learning all these new things about him. Things that make me like him even more.

We sit and chat while we wait for the film to start. Once we’re done eating, he packs up all the dishes and puts them in the basket. I scoot closer to him and he pulls me in close to his side. The film starts and I find myself starting to shiver. I kick myself in the bum for forgetting to grab a coat out of my room before leaving tonight. Harry notices my discomfort and shrugs off his sport jacket and throws it around my shoulders. I grab the lapels with my hands and cover my entire torso with the warm coat. I take a deep breathe in and the mouthwatering scent of cologne and Harry enter my nose.

We sit and watch the film, snuggling closer to each other, and every now and then we share a small kiss. I couldn’t be happier with my life at this moment. This has to be one of the most romantic gestures anyone has ever done for me. It was so simple but so heartfelt. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

The film ends and we make our way back to his car. We drive home in silence, listening to the soft hum of the car engine. When we pull up to the complex, I turn to look at Harry as he takes on my hands in his.

“This was amazing. Thank you.” I laugh and shake my head.

“Why are you thanking me for? This was all you. It was an incredible night. I had such a great time.” He smiles, his dimple on full display.

“I know we’re taking things slow, but would it be inappropriate if I asked you up to my place for a drink?” I blush at his politeness and lean over to kiss his lips.

“Not at all. Let’s go.” I open my car door and wait for him to walk around. He grabs me by the waist and we make our way through the lobby and up the lift to his flat. I walk into his open living room and feel completely at home. This was such a great space.

“Would you like anything in particular to drink?” He calls from the kitchen as I walk over to the plush couch and sit down.

“Nope! Whatever you have is fine with me!” I hear a few ice cubes clink into glasses and watch as he comes out holding two tumblers filled with amber colored liquid and a spiral of orange peel.

“Scotch on the rocks with a twist, huh? I like it.” He chuckles and hands me the glass.

“It’s a favorite of mine.” I laugh as we sit and talk. I ask him more about his love of cooking and he tells me about how he used to watch his grandmum cook for hours. She let him help when he was old enough and he’d been cooking ever since. We talked about his mom and he asked me about my family.

Our conversation covered everything. From first crushes to favorite bands and the most embarrassing things we’ve ever done. I made him play me another song on the piano, telling him I’d let him kiss me if he did. He was immediately okay with the idea. We shared a few more drinks and talked for hours into the night. Before I knew it I was fast asleep in his lap and he was sitting with his bare feet on the coffee table.

I woke up the next morning around 9:00 to the sound of Harry’s light snoring. I rubbed my eyes and looked up from my spot in his lap at the beautiful sleeping man above me. His head was leant back against the couch cushion, mouth slightly open. He looked like an angel, so peaceful. I sighed as I pushed a stray curl away from his forehead. He was so beautiful. He began to stir underneath my touch and looked down at me with his beautiful green eyes.

“Morning, love. Must’ve fallen asleep after that last drink.” My body shivers as he speaks, his raspy voice laced with sleep.

“It’s okay. I’m going to head back to my place though, we’re already late for work.” I get up and he nods. I put my sandals back on and walk towards the door. I turn around and glance back at Harry. He pulls me into him, his hands resting on my hips and I run my fingers through his disheveled hair.

“Last night was amazing. Thank you.” I place my hands on behind his neck and pull him in for a long kiss. My body inches closer to his as our lips move in perfect unison. I unlock our kiss and run my tongue over my lips, savoring the sweet taste of him on my mouth. He groans.

“Riley, you can’t do that. It makes me want to have you right here.” I giggle before I place a quick peck on his cheek and open the door.

“Soon, I promise. I’ll see you in a bit.” I blow him a kiss before I saunter over to the lift. As the doors close around me I give him one more smile and he closes his door. As the lift slowly makes it way to my floor, I lean my head back on the wall and try to take in what had just happened. The date, the tree, the stories and that amazing kiss. It was all perfect.

Harry was perfect.

Notes

YAY ANOTHER UPDATE! I apologize for taking so long to update! I've been sick all week and I had a busy weekend so I just couldn't find the time to sit down and write! That's why I made this update extra long as an apology! I hope you enjoyed it! I really loved writing Harry in this because he's just so damn cute!

Give me your thoughts! I want to get some more subscribers on this story so make sure you tell your friends/readers about it! :)

Love you all so so much!
-Natalie Xx