Dark Star

Despite Harry’s obvious discomfort about going on a date, I could not help but feel excited.

He had mentioned something about dinner, but he had not given me any specific details. I didn’t care where we went, I was just happy to spend some time with him. I felt like he knew so much about me, but I did not know much about him, so I hoped I could change that over a glass of wine.

That Friday night Harry sent me a text asking me to meet him at the front of his house. I took one quick look in the mirror and reapplied my lipstick before quickly making my way to the door. My parents were dozing on the couch watching television and I hurriedly bid them good night (I had told them I was going out with a few friends from work).

I stepped out into our dark street and noticed a tall figure leaning on the fence smoking a cigarette. I smiled as I approached him and gave him a quick hug.

“I didn’t know you smoked.” I said surprised.

“I don’t.” He said bluntly as he blew smoke from the corner of his mouth.

“So what’s that in your hand?”

“A cigarette.” He said, the street lights casting a shadow on his face. He had barely smiled or even hugged me back and so I poked him in the ribs.

“Are you going to be like this all night?” I asked. “Seriously? This is supposed to be our first date.”

He smiled briefly before wrapping one arm around me.

“Were you expecting flowers or something?” He asked as we walked to the car.

“No.”

“Good.” He said. “Because I’m not the hearts and flowers type.”

As I opened the car door, my mind flashed to the way he had me double up over the kitchen counter as I rode his fingers and I couldn’t help but smile to myself. Definitely not the hearts and flowers type, I thought to myself. It didn’t bother me though. My ex had never been one for grand gestures and things like flowers, so it’s not like I thought I was missing out. We drove past a row of little restaurants and cafes and Harry pointed out a little Thai restaurant.

“You like Thai?” He asked.

“I love it.” I replied and he nodded nervously as he parked the car down the road. As I took off my seatbelt, I looked over to see he was just sitting there staring straight ahead.

“Are you okay?”

“Yep.” He said tensely.

A few moments passed and still he did not move.

“What are you afraid of?” I asked softly.

“I guess I’m not used to going out.”

“What? Do you think your fans are gonna mob you?” I teased. “So what made you go to the
charity function? It didn’t take much to convince you then.”

He looked uncharacteristically embarrassed as he smiled at me.

“I wanted to be with you.” He replied simply and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Well you’re with me now.” I told him. “And I’m starving, so let’s go.”

We linked arms as we walked down the street and I gave him a reassuring smile as we entered the restaurant. None of the other diners gave us a second look and I made a point of smirking about it.

“Don’t be cheeky.” He said lowly as the waitress led us to a table in the back.

Harry visibly relaxed once we were seated and quickly ordered a bottle of wine. A couple of glasses of wine later and we were both laughing as our food was served. He teased me about not owning a One Direction album, as though every girl my age had one in their collection.

“Probably got dust on it, but hey they still have one.” He said.

“Why don’t you make a comeback?” I asked and he shrugged as he drained the last dregs of wine from his glass.

“I don’t know if I want to.” He said. “A lot of shit went down after we broke up… not sure if I can ever come back from that.”

“Why don’t you start small? Small venue maybe… jamming with a couple of people…”

We were interrupted by a waitress who placed a couple of more plates of food in front of us, but he still disregarded my comment with a small frown and a shake of his head. By the time the second bottle of wine was served though, we were feeling more than a little merry.
Harry was noticeably more relaxed and I was enjoying myself. We talked about my plans and whether working at the Black Cat was going to be short term or long term.

“I have no idea.” I shrugged. “I’m just going with the flow I guess.”

“That’s not such a bad thing.” Harry said, wiping his lips with a napkin. “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself… trust me I know.”

I studied him for a moment, thinking about all that he had been through… the fame and then the downfall.

“It was quite a big fall.” He said, as if reading my mind. He winked at me before rising from the table and heading for the bathroom. The restaurant was so tiny, it only had one bathroom and it wasn’t long before Harry realised it was occupied. He stood outside waiting as I poured another glass of wine. I could not help but look at him from the corner of my eye and I could see his eyes flit around the room. He suddenly looked awkward, and I must admit, he did kind of stand out. He was tall with long hair and covered in tattoos. Not to mention, he was Harry Styles! I discreetly looked around and noticed a group of young girls chatting over dinner. But once again, despite his self-conscious posturing, nobody gave him a second look. Our eyes met and this time I could almost read his mind. He thought he would be recognised, but alas nobody noticed Harry Styles waiting in line for the bathroom. I laughed at him and made a face at me in response.

Once dinner was over, I suggested we go for a walk through the town centre. We were both a little tipsy and I knew Harry was in no fit state to drive home just yet. We linked arms and made our way down the street, occasionally stopping to look at the store window displays. At one point, he backed me against the window and impulsively kissed me on the lips. Strangely enough, I could not remember Harry ever kissing me like this before. Sex with Harry was usually so intense, there had never time for romance. I closed my eyes and pulled him close as I enjoyed the sensation of his full lips pressing onto mine. My stomach tightened as I felt his tongue gently swirl in my mouth.

“I want you.” He murmured and I nodded. A couple emerged from a nearby doorway and there was not much else to do but untangle myself from his embrace and continue to walk. As we turned a corner, a group of four people almost bumped into us. As Harry muttered an apology, I saw the girl’s eyes widen.

“Oh my God.” She said and it did not take long for the others to react the same way when they recognised Harry.

“Oh my God, you were like my favourite singer.” She went on. I took a step backward as they converged on Harry, pulling out their phones to take photos and babbling about how much they loved One Direction.

“Are you ever going to sing again?”

“Do you still see the other guys?”

“Can you take a photo?”

The last question was directed at me and I stumbled forward to accept the phone thrusted at me. Harry gave me an apologetic look as he put his arms around the girls and then smiled for the photo. For a few seconds I had felt sorry for him but the more they squealed the more Harry smiled. He winked at me as they fawned over him and then made his excuses about having to leave.

“Are you laughing now?” He asked me as we went on our way. His eyes were twinkling and I knew that he was referring to me making fun of him.

“Okay, okay, Harry Styles” I said and he tickled me before pulling me close. We were arm and arm and all was well until I glanced at him. Despite his winks and smiles, he seemed solemn all of a sudden. He kept his eyes down as we walked, as though he had just realised that he was not as anonymous as he thought. We ended up at a coffee shop and it was not long before we were ensconced in the comfortable chairs and smiling at each other over steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

“So how did that feel Harry Styles?” I asked.

“How did what feel?” He asked me as he sipped his drink.

“Being mobbed by your adoring fans.”

Harry leaned back in his seat and shook his head.

“I wasn’t mobbed…” He trailed off. “That’s nothing compared to how it used to be…”

“Do you miss it?” I swiftly asked.

“I don’t know.” He said. “No. No, I don’t think I do.”

His voice was firm, but his face seemed unsure.

“Why do you need to see a therapist then?”

“Lots of reasons.” He said.

“Is the fact she looks like a supermodel one of them?”

The words just flew out of my mouth without thinking and seemed to catch Harry by surprise.

“Huh?” He said, before his face broke into a smile and he cleared his throat before continuing,

“Well, I’m not gonna deny Dr. Miller is kind of… hot.”

I watched as he laughed at his own comment before pausing to study my face.

“You’re not jealous, are you?”

“Me, jealous?” I said, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

“Yeah.” He smiled.

“Well, you seem to see her more than you see me…” I said in a small voice.

“True… that’s true. I don’t know what she would do if I stopped.” He laughed at his own comment. “But there’s no reason to be feel like that…”

He took refuge in his hot chocolate but his eyes were firmly fastened on me.

“You wouldn’t feel like that if you knew what I was thinking now.”

“What are you thinking?” I said, self-consciously shifting in my chair.

“Mmm… if only you knew.” He merely replied.

X

The next night The Black Cat was buzzing with customers and I was run off my feet trying to keep up. The music was cranked up so loud, I could barely hear the customers and I was counting down the minutes till the end of my shift. I spotted my co-worker Chloe flirting with our manager (once again) and could not help but roll my eyes. She had no idea I was dating Harry and would often mention him in conversation. It was obvious she liked him, and the mere thought of the two of them together was enough to make my blood boil.

“How’s it going?”

The voice made me jump and I glanced over to see my manager standing by my side.

“Did I scare you?” He said and I returned the smile.

“Kinda.”

“So how’s it going?”

“Good… I’ve never seen it so busy.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I got to say though…” I began. “It’s just so loud. I can barely hear anyone talking, even if they’re standing right next to me.”

“You’ve got a point there… I’ll look into it.” He replied.

We surveyed the scene in front of us. There was a long line at the bar, the booths were full and there was a large empty space at the back with a few couches and low tables.

“Can you work an extra hour?” Jack suddenly asked.

Under normal circumstances I would have concocted an excuse to get out of there, but my mind was whirring.

“Sure.” I told him.

I had a plan and I needed a little more time to think it out…

Notes

Hope you liked the new chapter... let me know what you think :)