HARRY’S POV:
If there was one thing I knew about Anna’s dad, it was that he had damn good taste in hotels. And Champagne. Both of which we had been surprised to find when the car stopped. We were parked in front of A Four Seasons Hotel on The Upper East Side (Which, from what I could tell, was much more posh than most parts of New York City). Luckily, there weren’t any photographers outside the hotel and we were able to check-in fairly easily.
“That’s so much, Greg.” Anna said politely, handing him a few bills.
“My pleasure, Miss. Hollis. Mr. Styles.” I nodded and gave a polite smile.
“Tired?” I asked Anna as we went up the elevator to the top floor.
“Yeah…” She said quietly as I rubbed circles on her back. She leaned into me, letting out a deep breath. Suddenly, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing the Penthouse.
Yeah, I’ve been in nice hotels before. But it was always with the band. I never really did stuff like this on my own. And it definitely wasn’t something I grew up with in Holmes Chapel.
“Bloody Hell.” I muttered, admiring the piano, huge windows giving us an incredible view of the city, along with a fully stocked wet bar.
“Why do I have a feeling you’re loving my dad more and more by the second?” Anna joked, wandering into the bedroom and setting her bags down.
“Nah, just his taste in suites.” I laughed, tearing my eyes away from the Hudson River in front of me.
“So I was thinking of maybe trying to sleep for like, 2 hours max before we have to get ready to go to this Rehearsal Dinner thing.”
“Yeah, you look knackered. You want some company?”
“Love some. But no funny business. I’m seriously so tired. And I’m going to need all of my energy to be able to converse with my father and his posse tonight.” I chuckled, following Anna into the bedroom, which was just as impressive as the rest of the place.
“Right, no funny business. I would never think of it.” She smirked as she pulled of her jeans and jacket, getting into the big king sized bed. I stripped down into just my boxers and t shirt, lying down next to her.
“You’ll do fine tonight, and tomorrow too. I know it.”
.”Thank you.” She breathed, finding my hand under the covers and squeezing it tight.




‘Anna, Anna?!” I shook her gently, trying my best to wake her up without also startling her. Her long lashes fluttered a little, and finally her eyes opened, groggy and glassed over with sleep.
“Babe, its 6:30.” She let out a groan, burying her face in the pillow. “Come on, love, I’ve already showered. It’s your turn. If we don’t get you up now we’ll be late.” She slowly sat up, eyeing my damp hair and bare chest.
“Well aren’t you prompt.” She joked, lazily getting out of bed and shuffling into the bathroom.
“So.. I was thinking jeans and a t shirt?” I heard her shout from the bathroom, the sink running.
“Ha ha, very funny. But really, how dressy is this going to be?” I asked, shifting through my suitcase.
“Knowing my dad, pretty damn dressy. Whatever’s the nicest thing you have.”
“So we’re sticking with the jeans and t shirt idea then?” I laughed, finding one of my trusty blazers, a pair of chinos, and a button down. This was about as fancy as I got with out going full-on with a suit and tie.


An hour and 15 minutes later, Anna was ready. She was rummaging through her suitcase, looking for her other shoe, and cursing under her breath.
It gave me a moment to check out my girlfriend’s killer legs. She looked amazing, as usual, in a short back and silver beaded dress with an open back. Her hair was in its natural long waves and looks really sexy falling like that and I had this sudden urge to blow off the whole night and just ‘woo’ her. Or, you know, whatever…
“What?” I heard Anna say, catching my staring at her.
“Huh? Oh, nothing. You look great.” She smiled, stepping into her other shoe, making herself almost 4 whole inches taller, and still almost half a foot shorter than me.
“You look pretty dashing yourself.”
“Ohh, dashing? You really have been in London a while, haven’t you?” She scoffed, grabbing her phone and a small black bag,
“Ready for this?” I asked, sensing her hesitation.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. But… sure, why the hell not. If anything, we’ll get a damn good meal out of it.”
“That’s the spirit!”

ANNA’S POV:
About halfway through getting ready, I had decided to give this weekend, my father, and Meredith the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t want to be so negative all the time, Harry didn’t deserve it and neither did I. But the closer and closer we got to the restaurant, the more nervous I was becoming.
Just like he had in the car, Harry reassured me everything was going to be okay. But when we stepped out onto the sidewalk right outside the restaurant, my head was spinning.
“Just remember; damn good meal”. Harry’s joking did actually manage to help a little.
“Anna!” My father’s booming voice came out of nowhere and I was startled, looking around until I saw him walking towards me, hand-in-hand with who I’m assuming was his soon-to-be-wife.
“Dad.” He was smiling, which was more than I could say about the last time I saw him.
“How are you?” He asked, embracing me into a hug.
“Um, yeah – I’m good. Thanks” I hugged back, trying to act normal.
“Anna, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Meredith.” He finally said, gesturing towards the blonde woman next to him.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” I held out a hand, which Meredith ignored, pulling me into another hug and into a cloud of perfume and hairspray.
“It is SO wonderful to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you!” Really?
“This is my, uh, boyfriend, Harry.” I said, introducing him to Meredith. Harry was great, shaking hands with my father cordially, smiling politely.
“Well, we can talk more later but apparently we’re needed with the caterers.”
“Wait, Dad! Is Max here yet?!” Leading up to this trip, the one thing that had gotten me through it and I continued to remind myself that it was worth showing up, was the idea of seeing Max. I wanted him to be healthy; I wanted him to be himself.
“Oh, yes. Well, I talked to your brother a few days ago and we both agreed that it would be best for everyone if he didn’t come to the wedding. He isn’t in the best place and we wouldn’t want to cause a scene or anything like that. But he says he wishes he had been here to see you and sends his best.” And then, as if what he had just told me was absolutely nothing, he was whisked away by a man in a waiters uniform.
“Anna, I’m so sorr-“
“I just, need a minute.”

I HATED my dad. I actually hated him. I knew he was lying about Max, he has to be. There was no way he wouldn’t show up.
I rushed in the bathroom, closing the door behind me. My eyes were burning and I felt like I could throw up. But I couldn’t cry; not now, and most definitely not here. There were photographers and guests of my dads, and Harry. And he had seen my cry far too many times.
I imagined him standing out there in the main room, knowing no one. I felt terrible. Why had I asked him to come here with me? I knew what it would turn into but I wanted him here anyway. Because I’m selfish with Harry. He can’t say no, and I took advantage of that.
Now I don’t only hate my dad, but I’m really starting to hate myself.
I look in the mirror, touching up my only slightly smudged makeup and unlocking the door.
I spot Harry immediately by the bar.
“Come here.” I take his hand, leading him into and empty side room, which from what I can tell, is used mostly for storage.
“Are you okay? Do you want to go ba –“ I pushed him lightly so he was leaning against the door, my hands pressed to his chest.
“Harry? Shut up.” I smiled and with that, kissed him. Not just a ‘you’re sweet and I love you’ kiss, but a KISS kiss. Like a, ‘I want you’ kiss. He seemed surprised, but only for a second. He seemed to get his wits about him pretty quick, gripping my hips and letting a soft hum escape his throat. I was suddenly desperate for him, wanting every part of Harry right now. But the sounds of people on the other side of this door were keeping me in control. Well, sort of.
“What’s gotten into you?” He asked, moving a centimeter away, catching his breath.
“You really wanna ask that now” I responded, raising an eyebrow. He smirked.
“Good point.” We resumed, his perfectly large and capable hands moving constantly; pulling on tendrils of my hair, grazing my thigh, giving me goose bumps all over.
“Anna -?” I heard my father’s voice from the other side of the door, than a quick knock.
“Anna I know you’re in here.” He sounded as if he was back to his regular, authoritative self. Not whoever the hell he was out there just minutes ago. Harry and I quickly pulled apart for a second time. I wiped my thumb across his lips, getting rid of my lip-gloss remains.
“We can finish this later.” I said confidently, readjusting my dress, taking one last breath, and opening the door.
I was going to go out there, tell my dad there was zero chance I was going to be a part of his wedding party, sit through this dinner, and then get out of this stuffy, overcrowded room as quickly as possible.


HARRY’S POV:
I have NO clue where that had come from. One second Anna was nearly in tears when she was told her brother wasn’t even coming the wedding (when I had been pretty sure the thought of seeing him was the main reason she agreed to even come to the wedding in the first place), and the next second she’s basically seducing me in a back room at her father’s rehearsal dinner. If anything, she was definitely making this evening interesting for the both of us.
I spent the rest of the evening as a silent ornament attached to Anna’s arm. I didn’t want to draw a lot of attention to myself so I just said as little as I needed to. I would say the hello’s, the how are you’s, I’d introduce myself. But fancy party chitchat was never my strong suit.
After dinner, desert, and a few speeches by random strangers, Anna’s father stood up, clinking his glass with a spoon.
“I just wanted to say once more how much I appreciate all of you being here today. Being surrounded by family and friends is all Meredith and I wanted on the eve of our wedding. Tomorrow is our new beginning and we are thrilled to be sharing it with the most important people in our lives. Thanks again.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” I heard Anna say under her breath as guests began to disperse. She moves swiftly through the crowds, getting our things from coat check.
Before I knew it we were in a cab on our way back to the hotel. It was drizzling and I dazed off for a moment, watching the bright lights and tall buildings that we passed by. Suddenly I felt Anna move across the backseat closer to me. I turned to see the lights reflecting off her eyes.
“You did good tonight.” I said, tucking her hair behind her ear, letting my hand linger there.
“I don’t want to talk about that.” She said quietly. “I just want to be able to… forget.”
“I think I can help with that.” I said, trying not to smile. I didn’t see Anna like this very often. And although the last thing I would ever want to do is take advantage of her, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued. Suddenly, her hand was on my knee, moving due north. She moved another half inch and I inhaled a sharp breath.
Thankfully, we had reached our hotel. I’m not sure if I would’ve been able to control myself if we were in that cab for another minute. I quickly paid the driver, grabbed her hand, and made a mad dash towards the main revolving doors.
We had both had a few glasses of champagne; I had even snuck a nearly full glass of Scotch from our table, so maybe it was the buzz from the alcohol that was making us both so brave. Whatever it was, I couldn’t care less.
The moment the elevator doors slid shut, we picked up right where we had left off in the back room at the reception. My hands suddenly had a mind of their own, moving freely over her entire body, taking in every curve. You would think by now I would know everything about Anna. But even now, she managed to surprise me every day.
Like now for example.
With one hand on the small of her back and the other firmly holding her bum, it gave Anna enough stability to try and stand on her toes to reach me. Snogging while standing up was always a bit of a struggle for us due to the obvious height difference. But that never stopped us.
After a bit, the doors re opened on our floor and we were forced to take a short breather. I kept Anna’s hand in mine, laughing and running down the hall. We reached the door and she began fumbling through her purse for the room key. I couldn’t control myself as I moved her hair over her left shoulder, kissing her neck hungrily. I heard her giggle and that only made me want her more.
“You’re distracting me” She said quietly, finally retrieving the small plastic rectangle and successfully unlocking the door after a few tries.
“Come here.” I growled, pulled her against me. Anna immediately eased my blazer off my shoulders and undid the first few buttons on my shirt. I found the zipper of her dress, sliding it down with ease. The dress fell off of her, hitting the floor. She stepped out of it, now just wearing next to nothing. She took a few steps backwards, pulling me along with her. I didn’t hide the fact that I was eyeing up every inch of her and I knew she could tell by the blush of her cheeks when my eyes made their way to her perfect face. And as beautiful as she was, there was sadness in her eyes that hurt me to see.
“What can I do?” I knew she understood what I meant.
“Just make me forget Harry. Please?” She gripped my shoulders desperately as my lips descended hers once again. Her hands were trembling and suddenly I felt something touch my cheek. I opened my eyes to see a tear escape her eye. I quickly brushed it away with my thumb, never letting go of her.
“You will never understand how much I love you.” She whispered, stroking my cheek gently.
“I do… I do.”