Follow Your Heart

Nichole’s heard her phone ping as she walked into her office. Seeing it was a text from Harry, she smiled and opened it immediately.

Harry: How many tickles does it take to make a squid laugh?
Nichole: I’m scared to ask…how many?
Harry: Ten-tickles

She literally snorted at the absurdity of it. For being as young as he was, Harry was the master of the bad dad joke. She did giggle, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. She sat at her desk and tapped away her response.

Nichole: Good lord, that was awful
Harry: Come on, it’s funny
Nichole: Whatever, Harold
Harry: You are horrible woman, Nichole Davies…a horrible woman with no sense of humour

She laughed out loud just as Jessica walked in.

“What’s so funny?” she asked as she sat in the chair in front of Nichole’s desk.

“Stupid text from a friend. He thinks he’s a comedian.”

“Well, he made you laugh, so it must be working…or….look at that smile…you like this guy!”

Nichole felt her face heating up. She didn’t like Harry…well she liked him, but she didn’t like him…not in the way Jessica was implying.

“Shut up,” Nichole mumbled, looking down at her phone, texting him back quickly.

Nichole: Gotta get back to work now, Harold. Tell me how horrible I am later.
Harry: Oi! Don’t call me Harold!
She snickered again and put her phone down, getting back to work with Jessica.

~*~*~*~

Harry lay in yet another hotel bed after the show, wanting to sleep but not being able to. He’d tried reading but couldn’t stay focused on the page and tossed the book across the bed. He reached for his phone. Ringing Nichole was becoming a habit and he was certain was a bad one, but he liked talking to her and she didn’t seem to mind. What that all meant, he didn’t want to try and analyze. He just smiled and tapped her contact and waited.

“Hiya Harry!” Her voice was very cheerful and it made him smile even more, if that was possible. She flipped her phone around and smiled into the screen. “Hey there you are!”
He couldn’t help but laugh. She was cheerful and obviously a bit drunk.

“Hi, Nichole…you alright?”

“I’m great.” She started giggling, “I might be a little drunk though.” Harry smiled as he sat up in bed.

“Drunk? I would have never guessed.” Nichole fell back onto the bed laughing, dropping her phone. Harry couldn’t stop laughing at the string of swear words he heard when the phone hit the floor. Suddenly her face was back on his screen. “Oh there you are…I was wondering if I was going to be chatting to your boots or the dust bunnies under you bed.”

“Hey…don’t say that so loud! Momma might hear you…” Her finger pointing at the screen, “She’ll be in here with the vacuum in 10 seconds flat. Carolyn Davies does not abide dust bunnies in her house, Mr. Styles.”

Harry couldn’t stop the smile appearing on his face. She was adorable. Her face was a bit flushed but she was smiling and laughing, her hair was in disarray, and she was in that tie dyed t-shirt again. He watched the screen jump all over until it settled down and he could see that she had lain down and he was seeing her sideways.

“Lay down Harry. I can’t sit up and talk to you. I like it when I am lying down when you call. It’s the best. Cozy.”

He laughed at her again as he slid down in the bed and mirrored her position.

“Is this better?” He asked as he settled down and propped his phone up on a pillow.

“So much better,” She smiled.

“So what have you been up to tonight, Nichole? Party tonight?”

“Gem and I went out with Dylan and Hannah. We went to Outlaws. Did you know your sister could do a two-step?”

Harry had forgotten that Gem was visiting Nichole and her family. He felt kind of jealous, though he’d never admit it. And to be fair, though she would never admit it to him, Nichole wished he’d been there with them as well, and was slightly sad he wasn’t.

“Gemma Styles, dancing in a country bar? Oh I would pay to see that.”

With a giggle, Nichole grabbed her phone, tapping away on the screen. When she came back to the call her eyes were filled with mischief again.

“Incoming video. We’ll discuss payment later.”She giggled as she watched it send. A few seconds later Harry’s phone pinged.

“Got it…watching now.” In a couple of seconds a poorly lit video of Gemma dancing with some unknown guy came up on the screen. Dylan could be heard egging her on as she stumbled around the dance floor trying to learn the dance, obviously slightly drunk and laughing. Then the camera turned around and Dylan’s face filled the screen,

“Enough of the amateur hour…Now for the professional two-stepper…” and he turned the camera back around and focused on Nichole, dancing with another unknown guy, but far better than Gemma. Never missing a step and even adding a few special steps and turns that were quite impressive. Dylan then zoomed in on her face. Her smile was amazing. Harry felt his stomach tumble a little bit. Was that jealousy he felt?

“Wow, Nichole…”

“What?” He closed the video and looked at her. She was quiet, just watching him the whole time. She’d had fun out with her best friend and her brother and his wife. But she couldn’t shake that feeling of wishing it was Harry twirling her around the dance floor tonight.

“You look beau…are a good dancer,” he said, stumbling over his words. She was absolutely stunning and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

“Aw thanks…I can teach you…if you want.”

“I’d like that. I should warn you though, I’m a terrible dancer. We all are.”

“It’s not that hard, Harold. I promise. If you can count to two, you can do it.”

They both stayed quiet for a moment, their minds filling with things they wanted to say to each other, but both thinking that these were things better left unsaid. It was too new and lines were already blurring between their friendship and professional relationship. No need to make things more complicated. No matter how they felt. So, the thoughts of his perfect pink lips, her chocolate brown eyes and curling their bodies around each other while they slept were thoughts that both of them decided should be kept to themselves.

“Harry? Are you awake?” She asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, I am. I’m sorry. You need to sleep.”

“So do you.”

Neither of one of them would disconnect the call though. They lay in their beds and spoke for hours telling each other stories about their day. She had Harry cackling when she described Gemma trying to help around the ranch by cleaning the stalls in the stable. He had her mortified when he told her about the things he and the others got up to in the hotel to keep from being bored. She was convinced they were going to get thrown out of a hotel one day.

Harry watched as her eyes started to drift closed.

“I’m sorry I’ve kept you up all night again, Nichole.”

“I don’t mind, Harry. I like talking to you.”

“I like talking to you, too. But, you need to sleep. Good night, beautiful.” She blushed slightly and smiled sleepily at him.

“Good night, Harry.” She disconnected the call and just as he reached to turn the bedside lamp off his phone pinged with a text.

Sweet dreams xx

He smiled, knowing full well he would be dreaming of a sleepy redhead with chocolate brown eyes.

Notes

Wow...another update in just a couple of days...go me! Hope you are still reading and liking the changes...please let me know.... Feedback is love!