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monzabee · 1 year

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baby honey – al12

masterlist

Summary: The one where Arthur swears he’s not thinking about you, his best friend, all the time – just today, yesterday, and tomorrow night.

Pairing: arthur leclerc x reader

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings: angst, unreciprocated feelings (that turn into reciprocated feelings), hurt, comfort, alcohol consumption, being drunk, idiots to lovers, denial is a river in egypt, charles and his big brain, miscommunication, mentions of drunk driving (don’t drink and drive!), jealousy jealousy, cying, google translate French!

Request: “after reading ur newest cl16 fic i want one where reader always liked charles but he gets a gf and she ends up with arthur (who’s her bff?? bffs to lovers 🤔) just a lot of hurt comfort” + “Hi! Can I please request ballerina!reader with either Charles or Arthur, you can choose to write it or do it as a smau, thank you!” + “can you please write something with Arthur + size/height difference?”

Author’s Note: hi, hey, hello!! it is time for the debut of arthur my beloved on this blog. i LOVED all of the requests for this one! i was originally going to name this fic after another taylor song (wink, wink), but then i was listening to baby honey by harry styles and something just clicked, so i hope you guys also agree with me. if anyone is wondering, this is an unreleased song from his first self-titled album. i know the request was a bit different, with reader having feelings for charles first, but i think changing it a little bit and having miscommunication made it a bit deeper. so thank you, anons, for these requests, i hope you guys enjoy! good morning, noon or night wherever you are, xoxobee

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms.

Arthur has a problem when it comes to you – and that is not being able to say the word ‘no’. This has put him in some very interesting positions in the past, but whatever happens, it just seems that Arthur is not able to mutter out the word ‘no’ when you ask him of something. It’s always been that way, he supposes. He was never able to deny you when you looked at him with the look in your eyes, and he still can’t to this day. When you call him to ask if he wants to come to a party with you? He’s out the door before you tell him the location. When you suddenly have the urge to watch Barbie movies from your childhood? He brings the popcorn and even sings along to some of the songs he knows the words to. You were there for every one of his races before he got the opportunity to travel around the world to drive on the same tracks his brother and even the legends in the sports did. He came to every one of your ballet recitals until you graduated, and he was kind enough to buy you a bouquet of your favourite flowers each time. Although this might be the situation, the relationship you and Arthur have are based on equal grounds – meaning that you love and adore him just as he does you. It’s one of relationships you value the most in your life, the two of you having each other’s back since a very young age, and it is a relationship that you don’t ever want to lose. So, when the time came for both of you to move out of your parents’ houses, it came as no surprise for anyone that you two decided to move in together. Arthur wanted to spend his free time, when he wasn’t racing, with you as much as possible, and you were just happy to be with your best friend.

Though he’s always been protective over you and it is nothing new, Arthur can’t help but worry every time you go out on a date with a new guy. In reality, he knows you and Patrick have been going out for a while. You’ve told him about Patrick a few times when you called him when he was away for races, and he’s met the guy, but there’s a feeling he just can’t seem to shake off.

“Are you sure you want to go on this date?” Arthur asks behind the door to your bedroom.

You groan when the earring you’re trying to get stuck in your hair. “For the millionth time, Arthur, I’m sure.” You check yourself in the mirror for the last time before grabbing your handbag and opening you door to come face to face with a worried face. “Why are you so stressed over this?” You ask him, rummaging through the handbag in your hand to find your lipstick.

“I’m not stressed, poupette.” doll. Arthur scoffs, watching you with a stern look on your face. “I’m just making sure you’re feeling up to going out tonight.”

“I’m feeling fine, ma moitié, my other half, you have nothing to worry about.” You assure him with a sweet smile on your face while playfully patting his chest. “Stop acting like this, you look like your mother.”

“Fine, then, you look like my mother.” You shrug as Arthur rolls his eyes. Loud cackles coming from the living room suddenly grabs both of your attention, making you smile even wider. “Lorenzo, Charles, hi!”

The two brothers sitting in your living room gives you bright smiles and Hellos. Charles gives you a glance, eyebrows raised as he asks, “Aren’t you going to be cold without a jacket?”

“You’re not taking a jacket?” A voice exclaims from behind, making you roll your eyes as you point towards Arthur with the tilt of your head.

“You happy?” You ask while raising your eyebrows. “A jacket doesn’t go with my dress.” You explain, expectantly looking at the older driver as you open your arms and pointing to the dress.

“Uh, sure, Y/N.” Charles nods in thought.

Lorenzo hits the back of his brother’s head lightly, shaking his head towards him as he speaks to you. “I think you look lovely, have a good night.”

“Thank you, Enzo!” You beam, walking towards the front door as you yell. “Arthur I’m leaving, don’t wait up!” At the mention of his name, Arthur comes running towards the front door, reminding you that you can call him at any point during the night if you feel uncomfortable, which in return you assure him you’ll be fine and leave after giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He sighs deeply as he watches you leave the apartment, and only realises both of his brothers watching him with funny expressions after he closes the door and turns back with the jacket still in his hands. “What?”

“So,” Charles begins when all three of them are sitting on the couch in your living room, getting ready to play a round of FIFA. “How long have you been crushing on Y/N, again?”

Arthur groans, his face contorting up in a grimace. “Not this again, Charles.”

“No, he has a point.” Lorenzo mumbles, siding with his brother. “You’ve had a crush on her since you were seven, Arthur.”

“Exactly!” Charles exclaims, pointing to Arthur excitedly. “Why haven’t you done something about it yet?”

“Because she is my best friend, you idiots.” Arthur shakes his head, choosing to focus on the game which just started on the screen instead of insistent look Charles and Lorenzo give him. “And, stop saying I have a crush on her.”

Charles lets out a disapproving sound as he, too, turns towards the game. “Friends don’t look at each other like that.”

“We look each other normally.”

“You look like you want to make love to her every time you look at her.” Charles shrugs, making both his older and younger brother turn to him with disgusted looks on their faces.

“Charles!” Arthur complains. “No!”

“Please don’t ever use the words 'make love' in the same sentence as Arthur and Y/N.” Lorenzo begs, grabbing the bridge of his nose.

“Fine.” Charles shrugs, as he takes the opportunity to shoot his first goal. “But you can’t deny the fact that your overprotectiveness over Y/N doesn’t stem from your feelings for her. You’ve always been that way and it’s impossible for you to not feel something more for her.”

Arthur frowns, not because he is losing by the third minute of the game, but because of Charles’ words. “We’ve been friends since we were babies, Charles, of course I’m protective over her.”

“Which is understandable.” Lorenzo tries to reconciliate.

Charles lets out another disapproving mumble. “So you’d be okay with me asking her out?”

“Excuse-moi?” Excuse me? Arthur looks at his brother, appalled. “You’re going to do what?”

“Ask her out, Arthur. Would you be okay if I asked her out?” Charles repeats himself in a nonchalant manner, scoring another goal.

“Of course not!” Arthur cries out. “Why would you ask her out anyway? She’s seeing Patrick.”

Charles shrugs noncommittally. “She might break things off with him. You know, I always had a feeling she had a crush on me.”

“Charles.” Lorenzo scolds his younger brother.

However, Arthur is busy going through every single interaction you’ve had with Charles over the years; trying to find some actuality to his brother’s words. He pauses the game to turn towards his brothers, his eyes angry as he looks at Charles with a locked jaw. “No, you cannot ask out my best friend, you porc!” pig.

“Why?” He asks, with a fake innocent look on his face.

“Because, firstly, she is not a pawn you can use to prove something to me in some messed up game. And, two, she is mybest friend, my roommate and my–” He doesn’t finish the sentence, but he knows how he would end the sentence if he would – which makes him think for a moment that his brothers just might be right.

“Okay, then.” Charles concedes, unpausing the game and taking advantage of the confused state Arthur is in to score, yet, another goal.

Though the game is going on, Arthur can’t seem to focus on it because he is too busy thinking about you, and whether he’s been in love with you his entire life.

It’s a couple weeks later when Arthur walks through the doors of the ballet studio you work at. He noticed over the few weeks that you’ve been down ever since you’ve stopped seeing Patrick, so he wanted to surprise you. He greets the old receptionist who works out in the front, giving her one of the tulips he got for you on his way there. When he gets in front of the classroom you usually teach in, he watches you with the kids as a soft smile find its way onto his face. He watches as you fix the techniques of some of the girls who are struggling, but instead of appearing upset, they are smiling as they try their best to fix their postures. When you move towards the old stereo on the corner of the room, he knows that the class is about to end – because something you do at the end of every class is letting the student dance freely to the music on the radio without giving them instructions. He watches as one of the smaller boys in the class shyly approach you, motioning you to bend to his height with his hand and then whisper something in your ear. You talk for a while, and he watches as the boy leaves with a smile on his face, which wasn’t there before, after giving you a hug and a small bouquet of flowers. Arthur waits until the class is over and all the kids have left the small studio to walk in.

“I was wondering if you offered any private lessons?” He asks with a boyish smile on his face.

You turn towards him, fast, when you hear your voice. Laughing as you cross the room and throw yourself into his waiting arms. “You couldn’t dance even if Marianela Núñez gave you dance classes herself, Turo.”

“Well I don’t need classes from her,” Arthur rolls his eyes. “All I need is you.”

You purse your lips, trying not to smile too widely, at the hidden meaning behind his words – the one which you somehow convince yourself that you’re imagining ever being there. Lightly leaning your head against Arthur’s chest, you begin talking. “You’re awfully sweet today, did you know that?”

He presses a light kiss onto the crown of you head, mumbling in thought. “Well, I missed you because I was alone at home all day. So I thought I’d come surprise you.” Pulling away slowly, he gives you the bouquet of tulips he is holding. “Speaking of which.”

“They look like the ones you used to get me after my recitals!” You squeal, taking the bouquet from his hand and inspecting it closely. “I love them, Arthur, thank you.”

“I’m glad you liked them, poupette.” He smiles. “Although, it seems that I have some competition today.”

You smile and shrug at the mention of the other bouquet sitting next to your bag. “Oh, that’s Leon. Some of the older kids at school’s been bothering him because he’s taking ballet classes.”

“You made him smile,” Arthur recalls, one of his hands cupping your cheek, which makes you look up to him. “Probably made his day, too.”

“I hope so.” You tell him, honestly. “He seem to like the classes; I would hate to see him leave just because of bullies at school.”

“You are a very good teacher, you know that?” Arthur murmurs, watching as a rosy colour takes over your cheeks.

“Stop it.” You huff, trying to push him off of you in a faux attempt. “Did you come here to make me blush, ma moitié?”

He shakes his head. “No, no. I thought we could go on a walk? At the marina, before it gets dark.”

You pretend to think for a moment, but smile, nonetheless. “Can we also get burgers?”

Arthur tries to profess his feelings for you when the two of you go on your ‘date’, he really does. When he sits down and thinks about it, rationally, he can convince himself that you have feelings for him, just the way he does for you. He can see it in the way you glance up at him every time he makes a joke, or the way you lean into his touch every time he touches you, which is a lot. He thinks he sees something every time you end up too close to each other; even convinces himself that perhaps you are expecting a kiss with the way your eyes slide to his lips a couple of times. But every time he tries to force himself to kiss you or tell you how he feels, an apprehensive doubt takes over his entire brain, somehow convincing himself otherwise, that doing so would only end up in you two getting completely messing up your friendship.

There’s also a part of his brain which consistently reminds him that it is Charles you have feelings for and not him. He doesn’t have a reason why he came to this conclusion; you’ve never explicitly told him about having feelings for his older brother, but there’s a part of him that still clings to Charles’ words – even though he didn’t actually mean anything by them. So as any person his age, who is going through what he’s going through, he takes a step back to observe. It all starts when the two of you go out for grocery shopping. It’s not a common occurrence that Arthur accompanies you, mainly because he is on the road most of the time, but he tags along because “He doesn’t want you to carry the bags on your own.” The two of you are busy fighting over cereal when you run into Charles, who provides a solution by offering that you buy both of the boxes. While you tell him it is probably the only way you and Arthur are going to agree on the fact, he is too busy picking apart every part of the interaction to see whether there could be any possibility of you having any feelings for his brother. The worst of them come a few weeks later, when Arthur and Charles come back from a race. All four of you, including Lorenzo, are seated at your dining table, enjoying takeover pizza when Charles announces that he started to see a girl. You all congratulate him, but after the conversation dies down, Arthur notices a familiar look of longing in your eyes. And that’s when he realises that you have feelings for Charles, and not him, and he absolutely needs to get over his feelings for you before it blows up in his face.

A couple of weeks later, one of his friends from racing invite you to a party. Arthur follows you, of course, because he doesn’t want you to go alone. He know it’s a terrible idea, though, once he sees you in the dress you chose for the party. It’s feels as if it’s impossible for him to keep his eyes (or his hands) off of you. He manages to let out a strangled answer when you ask him if you look okay, “You look good, Y/N.” The smile you give him return is so sweet, that he suddenly remembers that he should schedule an appointment with his dentist when he has the time. Though he doesn’t manage to convince you to take a jacket with you, he picks up his own as a precaution. The party is in full swing by the time the two of you arrive, which you light-heartedly scold him because the two of you are late. He considers apologising at first, but when he sees the smile on your lips, he just lets you drag him towards the bar without any objections.

“What do you want to drink?” You ask him, leaning over the bar to take a look at the limited menu. You know he wouldn’t want to drink if he was driving the two of you back home, but since you took an Uber to the night club, Arthur decides to drink as well.

“I’ll have tequila.” He answers after looking at the menu thinking about it for a second, and then turns to you. “You want to do shots?”

“Yes, please.” You nod, giving him your ‘prettiest’ smile. “Five?”

“Three.” He shakes his head and gives you a stern look. “And no mixing alcohols, either.”

You pout as you watch him order your drinks, your arms crossed over your chest pushing your breasts together. “You’re no fun.”

Arthur’s eyes fall down to your chest for a moment but he promptly fixes his gaze up to yours, as he places his hand on your hip to draw you close to him. He leans down towards you to whisper in your ear, “I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

You purse your lips, choosing to play with the buttons on his shirt as a distraction. “We haven’t gone out to party in a while, sue me for wanting to have fun.”

“We will have fun.” Arthur contends as his thumb starts drawing circles on your hipbone. “Just not by doing something which will cause you to wake up hungover tomorrow.”

You give him a sarcastic smile. “Hm, mon chevalier en armure brillante.” my knight in shining armour. You turn to the bartender who brings over your drinks. “Thank you.”

Arthur eyes the bartender up and down, his look over quickly morphing into a side-eye once he realises where his eyes are looking at. He somehow pulls you closer to himself, caging you between himself and the bar, and lifts your chin up with two of his fingers to gaze into your eyes. “Be good, baby,” He tests. “Honey.” He warns.

“I am always good.” You counter, eyebrows furrowing in confusion because of his sudden possessive streak. “Are you okay?”

He waits until the bartender is tending to other customers to answer your question, his voice is in a lower octave but still somehow audible to you over the loud music in the club. “He was looking at your chest, poupette.”

“My boobs look great in this dress.” You reply while shrugging, the aloof look in your face making Arthur frown. “You didn’t need to act like a caveman, you know. The poor guy was probably scared.”

“Well, it’s too late now.” He replies, aloof, and downs one of his shots. “Are we doing this or not?”

It’s a bad idea, after all, tequila shots. Because after you’re done with the first three, you somehow convince Arthur that you need more, which means the both of you end up drinking six shots in the span of half-an hour. The bright side of this situation is that you convince Arthur to dance with you on the dancefloor, which he wouldn’t have done if he was sober. At some point throughout the night the two of you end up getting separated, which has you going around the night club looking for Arthur. You decide to ask some of his friends he introduced to you earlier, who tell you that he’s probably out taking some fresh air. He’s by himself outside of the club, leaning against a wall when you find him.

“What are you doing here all alone?” You ask him, tilting your head sideways to take a good look at him.

“It’s quieter out here,” Arthur shrugs, opening his arms and motioning you to come closer. “You’re going to freeze.”

You find yourself in his arms in record time, not that you could say no to his hugs anyway, his sway making you frown. “Are you okay, Turo?”

He smiles lazily at the nickname as he wraps his arm around your shoulders. “I’m drunk, ne devrait probablement pas conduire.” probably shouldn't drive.

“It’s okay, I’ll order an Uber.” He keeps his arms around you as you busy yourself with your phone, entering the address of your apartment.

Just like at the bar or when you were waiting for the Uber to arrive, Arthur doesn’t let you go completely when you’re in the backseat of the car. He makes you wear his jacket before you get into the car, though the oversized clothing doesn’t stop him from managing to make contact with your skin. He has a hand on your thigh, which is exposed because your dress keeps riding up. You make sure to keep an arm around him when you stumble through the door to your apartment.

You tell him to wait for you in his room and that you’ll be right over after you take your heels; however, he responds by throwing you over his shoulder as he walks through the corridor which leads up to his room. “Arthur, you’re drunk, put me down!”

“This doesn’t count as drunk driving.” He provides as an excuse, only putting you down when he enters his room – thankfully without any accidents.

You sit on his bed to take of your heels just as he jumps onto it, making it teeter because of his movements and makes you laugh at him. Shrugging off the jacket he gave you, you walk towards his closet to hand up the garment before the two of you forget about it. Arthur watches you move around his room with dazed eyes, trying very hard not to laugh when he sees you struggling with the hangers and cursing under your breath. His eyes move down your body when you kneel to get to the last drawer to get out a pair of sweatpants for him, which makes him silently groan at the sight. You walk towards him when you get out the sweats and a shirt for him to change into, poking his stomach to make him sit up straight. “Take off your shirt.”

“Are you trying to get me naked?” He asks, a smirk playing on his lips. “At least take me out to dinner first.”

“I cook you dinner all the time, Arthur.” You drawl, holding out the clothes for him to take.

He takes them while mumbling, “And I try my best to eat and enjoy all your attempts.”

“Casse toi, go away, asshole.” You snap, starting to walk out of the room.

“Where are you going?” He calls out.

You scoff, calling out back at him over your shoulder. “To get you water and Advil, you better be changed by the time I’m back or I’m putting you under the cold shower.”

He is, thankfully, changed by the time you get back with a glass of water and the painkillers you promised, You place them onto his nightstand, and face him. “Off to bed, you go.”

“Stay here tonight?” He asks you, but his voice is devoid of his previous playfulness.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, chéri.” You press a kiss against his cheek and then, feeling bold, you press another kiss to the beauty mark right above the corner of his lips. “We’ll talk in the morning, okay?”

Sleep doesn’t come easy that night, no matter how hard he tries to fall asleep. He keeps trying to convince himself to go to sleep, telling himself that the quicker he does, the quicker he’ll see you in the morning, but he is unable to do so. At some point in the night, he finds himself slipping through your door. He ends up slipping under your covers too, and pulls you against his chest, causing you to stir in your sleep as you cuddle his side.

“Go back to sleep, honey.” He whispers as he closes his eyes, and he finally drifts off to sleep when he finally has you in his arms.

You’re sleeping on top of him when he wakes up the next morning with his face buried in your hair. Your closed eyes and even breathing indicates that you’re still asleep, which causes Arthur to do his best to stay still not to wake you up. He soaks up every moment of it until your eyes flutter open and you let out a low whine, asking, “Why are you in my bed? How’d you get here?”

“I sneaked in.” He replies, pressing a kiss on your cheek. “Good morning, baby.”

“I’m loving the new nicknames; baby, honey?” You mumble, nuzzling your nose against his jaw. “Why’d you sneak in?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He confesses with a strained look on his face, and then he announces. “You’re not my girlfriend.”

You pick up your head so quickly, you think you’re going to break your neck. “I’m aware of that fact, Arthur.” You manage to get out in a clipped voice.

“And I should probably be thinking about protecting our friendship first, but I have to say this even though you have feelings for my brother.”

“Your brother?” You look at him with your mouth agape. “You think I have feelings for your brother? Lorenzo? He’s like my brother!”

He’s taken aback by your question. “No- not Lorenzo! Do you have a crush on Lorenzo?”

“No! You idiot, why would I have feelings for Lorenzo?” You ask him as you scramble to get off of him, letting yourself fall to the bed and pick up your pillow to hit Arthur over the head with. “I don’t have feelings for either of your brothers, other than being friends, you disgusting pig!”

“You don’t have feelings for Charles?” He asks you tentatively which earns him another hit on the head with the pillow. “Okay, would you please stop that?”

“No, I don’t have feelings for Charles, either! Oh my god, Arthur, what is wrong with you?” The look you give him reflect how much you’re hurt, your fingers occupy themselves with the edge of the pillowcase as you ask, “Do you honestly think I’d be in bed with you like that if I had feelings for your brother?”

He’s careful as he asks, “…No?” He lets out a frustrated groan as he pushes himself to get to a standing position. “I don’t know what to think, anymore. I like you so much that somehow you’ve taken over my entire brain!”

“You… like me?” You ask him, breath hitching in your throat.

“No.” Comes his reply.

“So, you don’t like me?”

His hands grasp the roots of his hair. “No, I adore you, I am utterly infatuated by you, I am so besotted by you that every moment of my waking days are filled with the thoughts of you, I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I even think about you when I’m on the track–”

“Arthur, breathe.” You warn him, your hands quickly going over his to try and get them off.

“You really don’t have feelings for Charles?” He asks in a small voice. You answer him by shaking your head, which prompts him to ask, “Then why were you sad when he announced he was seeing someone?”

“He told me you’d confess your feelings to me before he ever found someone to date for himself.” You shrug, the corners of your mouth dipping as if you’re trying to keep tears at bay. “I guess I somehow made myself believe you would.”

“Baby–” He stops himself. “Honey, please don’t cry.” He reaches over you to wipe away some of the stray tears that have escaped your eyes, taking a deep breath. “I am stupid.”

“Very much so, yes.” You agree with him as you lean against his touch. “Though, I’m surprised you didn’t notice me flirting with you over the past year.”

“You’ve been flirting me for a year?” He asks you, baffled.

You fix him with an unamused look. “Do you think I go around talking about my boobs with everyone?”

“You better not be.” He scoffs as he draws you closer to him.

“I just might do so if you don’t do something about it.” You egg him on without changing the expression on your face.

You squeal as Arthur picks you up and gently throws you down on the bed, quickly changing his position to hover over you as he presses kisses all over your face. “Mine,” He announces. “Mine, my girl.”

“I like the sound of that,” You breathe out. “But I liked the others more.”

“Which ones?” He asks while letting his finger trace over the outline of your lips.

“Baby, honey, I don’t even know what you were trying to say.” You giggle.

“Mine.” He whispers. “I was trying to say that you’re mine.”

#monzabee #requests open #f1 fic #f1 fanfic #f1 smut #formula 1 #fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 x you #f1 x y/n #arthur leclerc #arthur leclerc x reader #arthur leclerc imagine #imagine #fluff #angst #smut #arthur leclerc smut #arthur lecler fluff

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foxes-that-run · 2 months

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Dates and Timelines

Timeline Tag: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024

Dates by month

Anniversaries

TTPD:

Fortnight and fortnight music video

Tortured poets department

Down bad

Florida!!! (Texas?)

But daddy I love him

Guilty as sin?

loml Harry’s LOML

Imgonnagetyouback

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

Peter

Song Analysis:

Songs by title master post (Album tracks)

One Direction tag

Taylor Swift Album tags: Red, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights.

Harry Styles Album tags: Self-titled HS1, Fine Line, Harry's House.

Harry Styles Unreleased tag

Taylor Swift non-album track tag

Other

70 times Harry kissed his heart tattoo

Harry's tattoo's tag

Harry’s Rings tag

William Bowery

Taylor braids, rings and jewellery tag

Masterpost with themes and metaphors used

Haylor Photos Tag

#haylor #harry styles #taylor swift

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thestylesindependent · 8 months

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HAPPY: As a guitarist, how did your experience touring with Harry Styles influence your approach to songwriting and performing your own music?

MITCH: Certainly when writing and recording, I would notice Harry’s ability to put his whole self into a song at a moment’s notice. And he can work pretty fast if he chooses to. If I’m remembering correctly, Watermelon Sugar was one of two songs written and demoed that day.

When it comes to my music, I’m pretty slow. The keepable stuff doesn’t always come all at once. I’ll work on some songs, then put them away for a while.

When it comes to shows, keeping it fun is the most important thing to Harry. That’s what I try to remember when walking on stage with my songs.

#harry styles #mitch rowland #august 2023

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mixedstyles · 2 years

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As Long as You Are Part 1

Harry Watches Fan Reactions P1

LINKS: Part 2, Part 3, Social Media Blurb

Author’s Note: Hey! This is is my first x reader... ever and I’m nervous about posting it. It’s dialogue heavy and might have the vibe of an academic paper because of how often I have to read and write them 😩 This might be all over the place so I apologize (especially with tenses). I just want to write as much as I can to try and get back into creative writing. Social media au’s are more of my vibe but I want to get their relationship down before I start doing that. Thanks, Rey.

Pronouns Used: She/Her (use of y/n)

Warnings: None!

Word Count: 1484

harry x musician!reader: Harry reacts to fans reacting to Harry’s House. Harry inception.

Harry wasn’t one to go searching his name on social media just to protect his mental health from anything he might come across. However, despite this, he wanted to see how not only fans but music lovers in general were reacting to Harry’s House. So he went to the YouTube app and searched “Harry’s House Album Reaction”. As soon as he hit ‘enter’ thousands of videos popped up. Part of him had guessed that would be the result, but it didn’t stop him from being so surprised as the album had only been released a week earlier.

The videos recommended ranged from ‘Dad Reacts to Harry Styles’ to ‘Vocal Coach Reacts to Harry’s House’ and, he had to be biased, his favorites were those from people who were clearly fans. There was a thumbnail which was a photo of a group of girls huddled together holding each other. He had an inkling that might be a screen capture from their reaction to Matilda. He watched that one first.

The video began and he realized he was suddenly nervous. Maybe he shouldn’t watch a fan reaction first. He didn’t want to disappoint. But it was too late, the ads had played and he was already invested in the group on the screen.

“Guys look, my record arrived.” One of the girls said pulling the record from the shipping box. There was an intake of breath from the other two and they seemed to marvel at the record.

“Why is he so beautiful?” That comment made him giggle. Giggle? Did I really just giggle at that?

“Shut the fuck up. Did he just do a little scat mid-song? I love this man.”

“He just whispered in our ears. Play it back, Kelsey, play it back.”

“Cocaine?? Harry, I thought this was a family show?” “This was not about a little freak. What the fuck?”

Matilda, like he expected, had no talking. Just silent cries and hugs.

“There’s no way he went from Matilda to talking about sex.”

The video progressed and the three girls were reacting positively to all of the moments in the songs that he was a little self-conscious about. The next recommendation was titled ‘Is Harry’s House Worth the Hype? (yes, it is)’ and so he had to click it

This next video started out with a girl sitting in what looked like a recording studio. Surprised, Harry focused more on the background than the intro but quickly rewound the video seeing as he had no clue what the girl said. He shifted his focus to the face in front of him, taking in her features while he listened to her talk. Now that he was actually paying attention, he noticed that she was wearing an oversized sweatshirt that said ‘NYU School of Music’ which made the recording studio make sense.

“Hey guys, welcome back to Are You Listening? I’m your one and only host y/n and today I’ll be reacting to Harry Styles’ new album Harry’s House!” The girl smiled and waved to the camera with her free hand while holding her phone in the other.

This reaction made him more nervous than the one he watched previously because it felt so much more… intimidating? Maybe it was the fact he could see the recording booth behind her and it reminded him of the hours upon hours he’d spent in a booth trying to perfect every minute detail possible, or maybe it was that she was wearing an NYU sweatshirt dedicated to the music school and music students scared him. Affectionately (most of the time).

“So I have a little cheat sheet of who worked on the songs,” she held up the little red pamphlet that came with the box sets, so maybe she is a fan, Harry thought. “I took a look at the names before recording and I’m already excited just by the people who worked on this album. There are some really great songwriters, producers, and musicians on this album.”

A warm fuzzy feeling flowed through Harry, not due to the girl on the screen, though she was cute, but the fact that she appreciated who worked on the album with him. There’s the saying “it takes a village to raise a baby” and the same thing with this album. His baby. He put so much love into it and invited people he knew would also put that same amount of love into the creation. It means a lot to him that people are recognizing who else put hard work into Harry’s House.

“This is Music for a Sushi Restaurant!” The girl on the screen picked up headphones from off camera and placed them on her head hitting play as she did so. The intro started playing and she was already bouncing her head to the tune. Promising.

“His voice sounds different. But in a good way”

After the song ended she brought her hands up to her lips in the classic ‘chef’s kiss’ gesture and then said, “Fantastic opening. Harry, you’re an amazing artist but Mitch Rowland was ripping on that.” Harry had to agree. Mitch was on another level when it came to his musical abilities which is why Harry always pointed him out and made a show of him during concerts. Every concert he made it a goal to show off at least one band member. But Mitch was someone he also liked bothering.

“Okay! I don’t want to talk too much so let’s move to Late Night Talking. I heard his Coachella performance of this one but I’m excited to listen to the studio version. Let’s go!”

“So far he’s a little more understated. Not in the sense of beat and melody but his singing. In Fine Line - the album - if I remember correctly his vocals were typically in the higher range but so far it’s in his lower-mids. Which I really like.” Obviously she knew her stuff, but Harry was still surprised at how she remembered Fine Line off the top of her head. Maybe she listened to it before recording this? He wondered.

“Harry whisper-counting in my ear oh my gosh.” y/n brought her hands to her face and covered it completely, when she removed them there was the smallest addition of color on her face.

“The production is so organic. You can feel the production is so unabashedly what felt right. Just within these three songs. They weren’t trying to push anything and it flowed really nicely. I think Grapejuice is my favorite so far. Those synths speak to my soul.”

“I’ve noticed that when people do the understated vocals the melodies can sometimes get lost, but I’ve already got the melody stuck in my head. We love to see that… hear that? I’ve already done a full breakdown of As it Was so I’m just going to listen again and not talk much about it. I’ll link that video right here” - she pointed to the bottom of the screen.

She went on listening and dissecting the rest of the album, some of Harry’s favorite comments were:

“Oh my gosh, the harmonics.”

“The upper range! There it is!”

“This was way more emotional. When it got to the bridge and the compressed piano came in, man that’s kind of when the tone shifts. Lyrically wise. The Found Family.”

“Okay, B-Side here we go! Cinema. Very British”

“This seems more like Little Freak. That ending! Very bold”

“I think it would be so easy for him to put out these very pop-genre hits both production and lyrically, just from the position he came from. But he’s not doing that and we’re all just like ‘yes, please more of this’ I’m excited to see what he has in store for us.”

The reaction was over and y/n just sat and stared at the camera for a few moments before she spoke again. “All in all, yes. This deserves the hype it’s getting. I would talk more about chord progression, the various melodies, and more, but this video is already long and I don’t know how I’m going to edit it down.”

She ran her hands over her face and leaned forward allowing her elbows to sit on her knees, hands holding up her face and smiled.

“Remember that my first album was released a couple weeks ago and is available on most music streaming services! Thursday’s are basic music theory videos and Monday’s are my weekly school vlogs… when I have time. Thank you all so much for watching! Leave a comment below and tell me which is your favorite song from the album. Mine or Harry’s” y/n made a sidelong glance at the camera tapping the side of her nose.

Harry liked this girl and her taste in music didn’t hurt either. He decided that it was only fair to listen to her album after she listened to his.

#harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles #harry styles fic #harry styles fluff #harry x reader #harry styles x musician #harry styles x student #harry's house #harry styles imagines #harry styles writing #harry styles x band!reader #harry styles fan fiction #harry styles x y/n #fanfic #harry's house review

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harrysballerinahouse · 1 year

Text

Take me.

LHH

smutty, friends to lovers beachy Jamaican goodness

T/w: lots of unprotected sex and not much else

Harry Styles. Arguably one of the most talked about pop stars you had ever worked with and you were ok with that.

You had worked with him more than any of your other clients in the last six months. Harry appreciated your work as a writer and producer and even appreciated the smaller things you did for him like teaching him to re-string his guitar and set up a studio so he wouldn’t get feedback through his mics.

It was these little things that Harry appreciated you for that made you appreciate him, not only as an artist but as a human being. His self titled album was the first major project you had worked on so it was a learning curve for the both of you, which also meant a lot of late nights in the studio together sometimes working through the night if inspiration struck at a late hour.

The first few months working with Harry and his team were a little intimidating and to be honest his status alone intimidated you, considering you were in your early twenties with just enthusiasm and an eye for something interesting. Harry himself had stumbled across some low key demos you had produced just a year prior to starting to work with him and wanted you to lead his first solo album. So you did.

After the first few late nights and opening up to one another you and Harry had gotten quite close some things still weren’t spoken about like relationships and whether or not you were both single, it always felt like you were both holding back from one another a little. You would text on and off and Harry was quite fond of the filters on Snapchat which lead to some late nights at your home working on songs for Harry while he spent his evenings seeing if the filters would work on your dog Mish, to his absolute joy, they did.

Eventually you couldn’t take it anymore turning to Harry in your chair one weekend that you were at the studio together “tell me Harold…” you say interlocking your fingers across your torso leaning back in your chair a little, “what gives?” You ask causing him to turn and glance at your stance before turning back to the computer.

“What do you mean softy?” He asks smirking at his nickname for you, he often called you this on the account that you were a bit of a sook when it came to your job even just the slightest bit of raw emotion in a song and you were rendered to tears. He knew this thanks to Sign of the Times. You glare at him after the use of your nickname shaking your head “we spend most of our time either in the studio or at my place working, I’m just about certain that if you had a girlfriend she wouldn’t be super keen on you spending every waking moment with me and not her, so what gives?”

He turns in his chair to face you “ok smarty pants, those are some pretty bold assumptions” he smirks before continuing “but your right, it’s just me and it’s honestly a little lonely, when I’m with you it’s comfortable we can go hours without saying anything to one another and I don’t feel awkward or lonely” you couldn’t help but smile at him “H, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard”.

He chuckles covering his face with his hands his long hair falling forwards, you lean over to push it out of his face and he peeks through his fingers, he slowly moves his hands taking yours in his “come to Jamaica with me” he says out of the blue you sit there looking at him, mouth agape “what?” You ask still processing what he asked.

“Come to Jamaica with me” he repeats a small smile sneaking into his lips “it’ll be amazing, we can work or we can go scuba diving we could do anything…please come with me” he begs.

You couldn’t even process the words coming out of his mouth, you were still stuck on being asked to go with him “why?” You ask softly. Harry let’s go of your hands and sits back in his chair a little “because, I like spending time with you and you pretty much work for me full time, let alone everyone else you write and produce for, you deserve a break”.

You watch Harry’s face for a moment trying to read the expression he was giving you “are you sure?” You question pulling your knees to your chest on your office chair. He nods “I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t” he comments. You suck your teeth for a second thinking before looking directly at Harry. “Ok…” you say softly “I’ll come with you” you nod. Harry’s face moves from being one of anxiety and a little frustration to pure joy. “Really?!” He exclaims sitting on the edge of his seat his hands gripping the arm rests. You nod laughing a little “Yes! I like the idea, I think it’ll be good for both of us”.

Harry launches towards you pulling you into the tightest hug you’ve ever received, you hug him back laughing softly “ok Styles, I need to breathe” you say tapping his shoulder. He lets you go before sitting down again. In all the excitement Mish had come into the room and was now sitting between you and Harry whining. Harry chuckles taking his phone from the desk “I’ll let him out and start looking at flights” he grins getting up from his seat before you even had a chance to respond.

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Just two short weeks later you were sat next to Harry on a plane on the way to warm, sunny Jamaica. You glance at Harry who’s was staring at his phone intensely trying to find a movie to watch. “What are you doing?” You ask noticing he was scrolling through Google at a bunch of different movies “just looking for a rom com to watch” he responds straight away without peeling his attention away from the device. “Harry…just search romantic comedies on Netflix” he glances at you, thinks for a moment and then does exactly as you suggest “thanks” he smiles putting his headphones in. You do the same putting on an audiobook, you only got through about a chapter before you fell asleep.

You woke several hours later to Harry pushing your shoulder lightly “y/n…wake up, we’re getting ready to land” he whispers you groan a little “I was having the best sleep, you suck” you glare at him. You were never the nicest person when you were woken from a slumber “I’m not the one flying the plane I don’t make the rules” he bites back. You wake a little more sitting up in your seat putting your seat belt back on you look over at Harry “I’m sorry” you apologise “I’m a bit of a grump after a nap” Harry looks at you again, scanning your face “it’s ok” he smiles.

You make it safely to the ground, collect your bags and make your way to the accomodation that Harry had organised. Pulling up out the front you get out of the car and collect your bags before looking up at the house Harry had rented for the next month “Harry, did you rent the whole house?” You ask he nods smiling over at you “yep” he says walking up towards it “there’s only two of us, not two hundred” you laugh. Harry shrugs “we might get sick of each other the place is big enough we wouldn’t even know the other was there” you see Harry’s point and follow him up to the front of the house. He finds the key and lets you both inside. You look around “wow” you whisper “Harry… this is incredible, how did you find this place?” You ask heading towards the doors that open out to the beach “Jeff actually recommended it” he says coming up beside you “this is going to be the best month ever” you smile.

“Y’up for a swim?” He asks you nod “yes please” you smile “c’mon, I’ll meet you back here in 15?” Harry asks, you nod and head off to pick rooms, even though the place was huge Harry still insisted that you have the master bedroom, it had a huge bathroom with the tub overlooking the beach. You open your suitcase grabbing the first bikini you could find. Pulling it in your realise it may not have been the best choice for a platonic trip with a man who was basically your boss. The mint green triangle top only just covering the round of your breasts, and the hi-waist cheeky bottoms that in actual fact didn’t cover much of your ass. Grabbing a black cover up you pull it on before heading back out to find Harry.

Walking out onto the warm sand your sunglasses covering your eyes your hair blowing in the breeze, you find Harry already situated on one of the lounge chairs in yellow and white stripped swim trunks his hair in a bun and sunglasses adorning his eyes his shirt already missing. Harry peers over his sunglasses as you walk past him and smiles to himself before laying his head back again “thought you came to swim Styles” you comment placing your towel down placing your sunglasses on top before pulling your cover up over your head throwing it to the lounge chair. You glance over at Harry to see him already looking at you.

“I thought you only had one tattoo?” He asks noticing the tattoos dotted around your ribs, next to your breast and on your thigh close to your hip. “It’s a growing collection, I just keep them hidden most of the time” you smile a little before heading towards the water, once your up to your hips in the warm, clear water you hear Harry coming up behind you as he moves past you he smiles “green suits you”. You blush a little and try to hide your face “thanks” you smile a little. Harry keeps walking a little further before diving in you watch him for a moment before you follow suit.

Coming back up to the surface you lay back looking up at the sky as you float to nowhere in particular after a few minutes you feel a tug in your foot. You look up and see Harry at your feet staring at you “I’ve got an idea….on the plane remember how you said to search Netflix, it gave me a bit of inspiration for a song”. You come back to stand on your own two feet “did you want to put it on paper?” You ask. Harry thinks on it for a moment before nodding “I don’t know if it’ll turn into anything but I’d love to try” he admits. You nod “lets give it a go and see what happens” you give him a brief smile and begin to walk back to shore. Harry watches as the swell of your hips begins to reappear from under the water, then your ass. He takes in a sharp breath your bikini didn’t leave much to the imagination, but he liked that.

“Y/n” he says coming up behind you “yeah?” You ask turning your head slightly but still walking “you look great” he smiles you respond by smiling back at him blushing a little “thanks H” making your way up to the sand you grab your towel and sunglasses drying yourself off a little before pulling on your cover up. You head inside with Harry and he sits down on the couch with his guitar in hand. He starts playing a few chords. “What are you thinking Styles? Where’s your head at with this one?” You ask he looks over at you “I think I’d like it to be a Betty and the jets kind of feel? Like a steady tempo but still solid.” You nod and sit at the piano that was in the middle of the room “ok, we can work with that”.

You and Harry work for a few hours and managed to get the chords for the new song. You grab your laptop and start adding the different elements in until it’s basically just a backing track for a verse, “this is good Harry” you smile “it’s got that kind of Elton John era vibe, it’s great” he smiles and thanks you. You’d been working for a few hours and you were starting to get cold, the sun was starting to disappear and you were definitely getting hungry. “Should we get some dinner?” You ask looking over at Harry he nods “I’m so hungry” he sighs causing you to giggle “why didn’t you say something?” You ask Harry shrugs “we were on a roll” you giggle standing up “I’m just going to shower quickly” you smile, ruffle his hair and lean down to kiss his cheek briefly before heading up to the bathroom.

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After getting dinner you and Harry decided to just relax for the night and put on a documentary he spreads himself out on the couch with you curling up in one of the corners, halfway through you glance at Harry in his grey t-shirt and soft cotton shorts you smile to yourself a little, he looked good, domestic, it was nice. “Tea?” You ask going to stand up Harry glances over at you with sleepy eyes “yes please love” he responds giving you a lazy smile. You head to the kitchen making two cups of tea before coming back to Harry he had paused the documentary not wanting you to miss anything. He watches you as you walk across the living space the oversized t-shirt you were wearing showing off your legs in a way Harry could appreciate.

“Thank you” he smiles softly “cold?” He asks noticing the goosebumps covering your thighs you nod a little “yeah but I’ll be ok” Harry grabs a blanket that was sitting on top of the couch “c’mere” he says softly unfolding the blanket to cover his own legs. You shuffle a little closer to him and he tosses the blanket over your legs, you pull it up snuggling down into a little sipping your tea. “Hey” you whisper softly shoving Harry’s side a little he glances at you smiling “yes boss?” He asks giving you his undivided attention, you smack his chest lightly at his comment causing him to chuckle “thank you…for letting me come with you” Harry smiles “thank you for coming” he responds “it’d be pretty lonely without you” he adds causing you to giggle a little. You curl up next to him resting your head just next to Harry’s shoulder. He looks down at you trying to hide his smile.

You both spend the rest of the documentary stealing little glances at one another, as the credits start to roll through Harry glances towards you expecting you to be wide awake, as he looks closer he noticed you were fast asleep. He slowly pulls the blanket off the both of you and tucks one arm under your legs and the other around your waist picking you up carrying you to the master bedroom. Harry tucked you into bed leaving a soft kiss to your forehead that caused you to stir, opening your eyes slowly you look up at Harry “sorry love, didn’t mean to wake you” he whispers “you fell asleep on the couch” you smile to yourself “thank you for tucking me in” you grasp Harry’s hand for a moment giving it a squeeze. You fall back to sleep and Harry let’s himself out to his own room.

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Waking up to the sun beating into the master bedroom was the perfect way to be disturbed the next morning. You sit up looking outside for a while before getting up heading to the shower. You throw your hair into a braid and pull on a sports bra and bike shorts throwing a pump cover over the top, your grab some socks and your runners before heading down to the kitchen to find Harry already up, his shirt missing but the cotton shorts from last night still hugging his hips.

“Morning” you smile Harry looks up and takes a moment before responding “Good morning” he smiles “where are you off to?” Harry asks “morning run, Mish and I normally go for a run everyday before I start working, wanna come?” You ask sitting on a kitchen chair to pull your shoes on. “Umm yeah actually I’d love to, give me five minutes” Harry says before racing down to change his clothes, he returns a few minutes later in running shorts and a muscle tank white crew socks adorning his feet his runners in hand. He quickly pulls them on doing them up pulling his hair up into a bun. You stare at him for a moment “you look cute with your hair up” you blurt out before even realising what you had said. Harry glanced at you a cheeky smirk on his lips “do I now?” He chuckles you blush standing up walking towards the front door “c’mon let’s get this run in” you smile. Harry follows close behind you.

You make it to the front of the house and stretch a little bit to ensure you won’t cramp. You start with a light jog just to warm up a little Harry following suit, you pick up the pace a little bit once you’re warm. You run around five kilometres before slowing down a little coming to a stop to catch your breath for a moment. “How you feeling there Styles?” You ask as Harry’s wiping sweat from his forehead that’s been dripping down his face for the last few kilometres “you do this everyday?” He asks you just nod before responding “I usually run until Mish starts to get tired then we run home before he’s out of steam”. Harry just looks at you “no wonder you’re so fit” he comments, you bite your lips softly and smile. “And you’re not?” You ask rhetorically “your abs exist H” you comment. You enjoyed cardio more than work outs, you felt like you got more from being outside and running instead of being in the gym working out, which in most cases you knew Harry had to opt for the gym otherwise his workouts would probably turn into accidental meet and greets.

“This is the first time I’ve run outside for ages, it’s great” he smiles in your direction “ready to go back?” He asks and you nod. You pick the pace up again and begin to run back towards the house, once you were about a kilometre away you glance at Harry who again was pouring with sweat “race y’back?” You ask, he just smirks and runs off on you. You chase after him eventually catching up and getting in front a little you run right around to the back of the house to the shore line “I hate to say it, but I think I beat you” you laugh as Harry finally catches up placing his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

“Yeah yeah ok” he pants. You just laugh breathing deeply to catch your own breath. You cool off a little before kicking your shoes and socks off as well and pulling your shirt over your head “coming in?” You ask referring to the ocean that was directly behind you Harry nods just watching you for a moment admiring the body that you hid under your pump cover. You push yourself out into the ocean wading against the current cooling off in the Jamaican water.

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After a quick swim you both head inside to shower before meeting back in the kitchen to have breakfast. By the time Harry made it you were halfway through preparing omelettes for you both and putting together a small fruit platter for you to share. Harry starts some coffee before sitting at the table with a guitar in hand. He starts playing a little picking pattern while he watched you cook, as the coffee finished you look up glancing at Harry catching him staring at you causing you to smile and blush a little. “I like that, is it new?” You ask as Harry gets up to pour you both a cup, “I started playing around with it before we left, the more I play it the more I like it” he says placing a cup of coffee next to you stealing a few grapes from the platter on his way past.

Harry continues plucking away at the guitar and starts humming along “wherever I go….you bring me home.” You lean against the kitchen counter a little just watching Harry smiling. You finish up cooking breakfast and place Harry’s plate next to his notebook squeezing his shoulder lightly as you walk to your own seat grabbing your laptop to do some work. You both work in silence Harry humming and singing here and there eventually coming up with a hook to work around the rest of the song. “Just two hearts in one home….we’re both stubborn I know” Harry sings softly, the words resonated with you a little you look up from your laptop seeing Harry smiling in your direction. “What?” You ask softly a smile creeping onto your lips “I really like this” he smiles turning back to his notebook “you’re something else Styles” you whisper.

After another hour Harry had managed to get a hook and chorus somewhat under control. You’d cleaned up from breakfast and were setting up a makeshift recording booth for Harry to use. “It’s ready for you H” you whisper kissing Harry’s head ruffling his hair a little as you walk past him to grab your coffee “you’re the best thank you so much” he smiles heading in towards the setup.

Harry spent a good half of the day working on the song while you caught up on other work only helping him when he needed it. By the end of the day he’s recorded a demo and you were sitting on the couch with him tying up some loose ends. “This is really good H” you say after listening to the song a few times. Harry looks up at you with slightly red cheeks “what can I say, Jamaica is inspiring” he smirks “what do you say we get out of the house for a little while? We’ve been inside all day” Harry suggests. You nod standing up “why don’t we go and try something fun?” You suggest Harry starts packing some things away before speaking “what did you have in mind?” He asks “what about paddle boarding?” You ask pulling your hair up into a high bun.

Harry comes over to you smiling widely “I’ve always wanted to try that!” He says “get changed and meet back here in 10?” Harry asks you nod giggling at how excited Harry was. He pecks your cheek before racing off to his room. You pick out yet another bikini before heading back down to the beach to find Harry and a single paddle board. “H what happened?” You ask giggling a little walking closer to him. “I thought maybe we’d help one another until we get used to it?” He asks grinning. You ponder Harry’s idea for a moment before nodding “that actually sounds like a great idea”.

Harry watches as you both wade out into the water until the little waves were lapping at your waist he lets out a small chuckle splashing your back “heyyyy” you giggle turning to face him “what was that for?” You ask splashing him back causing him to let out a laugh then shrugs “you looked too pretty, had to mess you up a bit” you move back towards Harry a little “what do you mean I looked too pretty?” You ask knowing full well what you were doing to the poor man. “Y’know…we’re not even a week into a month long trip, if I’m going to see you in a bikini everyday the least y’could do is look worse doing it…it’s distracting.” You blush a little at Harry’s words.

You step even closer to Harry until there was just the paddle board between you “I’m distracting?” You ask. Harry let’s the board float past the both of you before nodding stepping close enough his hands could graze your waist “have you looked in the mirror lately? Ever since we’ve been here you’ve had a shirt on maybe twice, and you expect me to work in these conditions?” You smirk teasing him. Harry looks at you a little gobsmacked, you wait a moment before looking away “Harry” you say bluntly, he hums a little coming back to reality “yeah?” He asks ruffling his hair from his face “your paddle boards floating away” you say matter of factly. “Shit” he mumbles wading off after it causing you giggle, watching the muscles in his back relax and contract as he tried to catch up with the board got you a little worried for the rest of the trip.

Why couldn’t he have picked somewhere that would have required more clothes.

Harry catches up to the board and pushes it back towards you “maybe we should try paddle boarding tomorrow?” He asks out of breath. You nod “sounds like a good idea Styles” you walk back to shore together and lay on the sand for a while before Harry speaks up “so softy, how would you feel about going out for dinner tonight? We’ve worked pretty well the last few days we’re on track I think we deserve a little break” you glance over at Harry for a moment before rolling onto your front to look at him properly “isn’t this whole trip technically a break? We both just seem to have an inability to stop working” Harry sighs softly “that a good point….do you think it’s a bad thing? That we don’t stop?” You shake your head reaching over to push some of Harry’s hair from his face “I think we both love our jobs so much that it’s not actually work to us…what’s the saying ‘if you truely love your job you never work a day in your life’ I think that’s us.” Harry waits for a moment before speaking up “y’know a lot of people were skeptical about me asking you to produce for me, but I definitely think I made the right choice” he glances at you once more before laying his head back.

You sit in silence for a while just enjoying the sun and the sound of the waves behind you as the tide started to rise you could feel the ocean lapping at your feet “c’mon H, tides coming in” you say standing up holding a hand out to help Harry up. He gladly obliged taking your hand in his, as your about to pull him up from the sand Harry takes the liberty of pulling you down instead, you fall onto his chest a small shriek leaving your lips causing Harry to chuckle his hands grasping your waist “you didn’t give me and answer about dinner?” He smirks looking at you over the top of his sunglasses. You pause for a moment chewing on your lip “didn’t know I had to” you wink squirming from Harry’s grip before standing again “but if you really need one, yes, I’d love to go out for dinner” you answer holding your hand out to help Harry up again.

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Rinsing conditioner from your hair you couldn’t help but worry a little about dinner, you were close with Harry and couldn’t deny that you found him attractive, but blurring the lines between work and play was something you weren’t sure of. You also weren’t sure if you were reading way to far into this and Harry was just being a good friend.

Pulling your hair into a low bun, some little wispy pieces falling around to frame your face you admired the sun kissed glow you’d acquired these last few days. You felt pretty, something you rarely felt within the industry you’d dedicated your life to, it felt nice, different. Slipping into a flowy cotton dress and sandals you spray a little bit of perfume before heading back to the living room finding Harry sitting on the couch waiting scrolling through his phone. He looks up as he hears you coming and stands to meet you halfway, he stops in his tracks seeing you, your dress hugging your torso perfectly Harry would have swept you up off your feet there and then. “Wow, y/n you look beautiful” he smiles leaning over to kiss your cheek softly causing you to blush “you don’t clean up too badly yourself H.” You retort causing Harry to chuckle.

Being seated at dinner you didn’t realise how intimate the setting was, you thought Harry would have just picked somewhere that he found appealing, but this was almost as though he had put genuine thought and care into picking a restaurant. You were sat outside the warm breeze flowing throughout the dining area, you could hear waves crashing in the distance, while you were watching Harry peruse the menu through the warm light provided by the string lights and candles dotted around the venue. Harry groans a little from the other side of the table, “you ok?” You question opening up the menu yourself “I’ve never had so much trouble picking something to eat, it all sounds so good” he grumbles causing you to giggle “Harry, I think that’s what they call a first world problem…” you wait a moment before continuing “why don’t we order a couple of entrees and share them, kind of like tapas?” You suggest. Harry ponders your suggestion for a moment before nodding “you’re too smart for me sometimes” he smiles.

You both pick a couple of things each and decide to have some fun with drinks letting Harry pick for the both of you for first round. This went back and forth for a while until you were noticeably tipsy, mostly due to your lack of filter. Harry was staring at your across the table while you were both waiting for desserts, you try to hold back your smile “I still don’t get how you don’t have a girlfriend Styles” Harry looks at your surprised by your admission “what do you mean?” He asks leaning back in his seat a little diverting his attention to you “you can give a girl so much, like this holiday, we’re staying in a gorgeous house on the beach, going out for nice dinners, but you’re still so down to earth…and I mean look at you, your so attractive it’s annoying, you’re just…perfect” you sigh. Harry stares at you for a moment trying to find the right words. “I guess I’m just waiting for the right time, the right person, you know as well as anyone m’life is hectic, can’t afford to be emotionally unavailable and I guess physically, that wouldn’t be fair.”

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The food you and Harry decided on was some of the best food you’d ever eaten, but the cocktails may have been partially responsible. Walking back to the house after dinner you were a little out of hand just about running rings around Harry. He had been a little glum since leaving dinner, you wander back to Harry and settle at his side walking next to him “what’s wrong Styles? You’ve been quiet since we left dinner” you ask bumping your elbow to his side. Harry glances at you before wrapping his arm around your shoulder giving you a soft squeeze letting you go again “I’m ok” he smiles softly. You stop walking and pull Harry back towards you “Harry…c’mon I know you well enough to know somethings up” you say softly.

He stops walking and faces you looking at his feet “I…” he pauses before looking up at you eyes wide “I’ve got an idea” he says reaching out for your hand which you gladly take. You walk, almost strut back to the house to try and keep up with Harry’s pace. He goes straight to the piano and sits down starting to play a few notes finding the right key. You sat watching as Harry started to hum “Oh, tell me something….” He sits back a little writing a few things down “I don’t already know” he goes back and forth humming a few words writing a few things down as you sit back watching. Before you know it Harry had the hook, chorus and a verse for Ever Since New York.

You sit back just watching Harry giving him his space to get out what he needed to get out. When it seemed he’d gotten as far as he was going to for the night you moved to sit next to him. Listening and now reading over the lyrics Harry had just birthed they resonated with you, you felt he was holding back you glance over to see him already looking at you. “We met in New York” you whisper softly Harry nods his expression not changing “I know” he responds “Harry, what is it?” He sighs a little chewing the inside of his cheek “I like spending time with you, I really like having you around, I like you a lot y/n.” He admits his eyes searching your own for some idea of how you were feeling. You look at Harry a little shocked at first before you even had time to process things his lips had connected with your cheek “m’sorry love, I shouldn’t have said anything” before you knew it Harry had got up from his seat and left to his bedroom leaving you sat alone in front of the piano.

It took you a few minutes to try and collect your thoughts. Did Harry just admit he had feelings for you? You weren’t sure of what to do, part of you wanted to go to Harry’s room to confront him about his expression, but another part of you wanted to respect his boundaries. You decided to leave it for the night not wanting to upset Harry and wanting to respect boundaries. You head to bed and toss and turn for hours on end eventually at around 3am you go out of bed and head back to the living area where you’d setup the make shift studio, to find Harry already there.

You make some tea before coming up behind Harry placing his cup on top of the piano where he was sat “couldn’t sleep?” You ask softly sitting next to him, Harry just shakes his head “thank you for the tea” he says softly, you smile a little “it’s ok H…hey” you say wrapping your hand around Harry’s “I’m sorry about earlier, you just caught be off guard H, look at me please” you ask softly as he grasps your hand moving to face you “I really like you Harry and spending time with you here just made me realise how much I like you” you lean over kissing Harry’s shoulder before resting your head against it. You tuck your hand under Harry’s and start playing the intro to a song you’d been working on for a while but not shown to Harry yet.

You feel his gaze burning into your side before his lips met your temple “is that new?” He asks pulling you closer to him you stop playing snuggling to Harry’s side shaking your head “I’ve been working on it for a while just kept getting stuck, I promise I’ll play it for you when it’s finished” you smile. Harry looks down on you smiling “I like that idea…why don’t we put a movie on to see if we can sleep?” He asks. You nod “yes please” you say softly getting up Harry follows closely behind you one hand on your waist to guide you. Harry let’s you snuggle up on the couch next to him he pulls a blanket over you both before flicking the tv on once you both agree on a movie he wraps an arm around you pulling you closer placing a kiss to your temple.

Not long after the movie started you began to drift off you rest your head on Harry’s chest and finally let sleep take you over. Harry noticed how quickly you fell asleep and couldn’t help her smile and admire the woman before him, he let you settle into your slumber before deciding you tuck you into bed. Harry slowly and carefully moves to pick you up carrying you to your room, you stir a little snuggling yourself into Harry’s arms further. He lays you on the bed gently and pulls the covers up to keep you warm, you whimper at the loss of contact and begin to wake “Harry…” you whine he stops in his tracks kneeling down next to the bed “you’re ok sweetheart, get some sleep” you reach out to take his hand, “stay please” you whisper taking Harry’s large hand in your own small ones. Harry couldn’t help but melt he leans over kissing your forehead softly “of course” he smiles sliding in next to you pulling you closer by your waist. You both drift off to sleep quite quickly snuggled up in one another.

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The next morning things felt surreal, waking up next to Harry in Jamaica, you still had so many questions about what was happening but just knowing you both got your feeling out in the open settled your anxiety. Sitting up a little you expected the sun to be shining through the bedroom window illuminating the sea in front of you but what you were met with was stormy skies and rain. You sigh a little laying back on your pillow watching the rain for a while. You glance over at Harry to see him still sound asleep you smile leaning over kissing his cheek before sliding out of bed.

Regardless of the day you still had full intention of going for a run. You head down to the kitchen to grab some water before coming back to shower, you return to the bedroom in just your towel to grab some clothes “good morning” Harry greets causing you to jump “H!..I thought you were still asleep” you pant trying to catch your breath. “Sorry” he chuckles smiling “still going for a run? In this weather?” He asks raising a brow you nod smiling a little “it’s just a little bit of rain, do you want to come?” You ask grabbing some activewear opting for just bike shorts and a crop not wanting a pump cover due to the humidity.

Harry glands out the window then back at you then throws the covers off himself “let me find some clothes” he says getting up rushing off to his room you giggle a little as he runs off. You pull your shoes on and wait at the front door for Harry. He eventually appears just in running shorts, his shoes in his hand he pulls them on before meeting you at the door leaning down kissing your cheek “apricot suits you” Harry smiles referring to your activewear. You blush a little and open the door “c’mon you flirt, let’s go” you giggle looping your fingers around Harry’s in a loose hold. He looks down at your hand and smiles giving your hand a quick squeeze.

Much like the day before you start with a light jog until your warm before stepping things up a little. You were a few strides ahead of Harry still when you hear him coming up behind you, he makes it out in front of you and you notice his hair was dripping where it had come loose from its bun and his body was glistening with a mix of rain water and sweat. You got a little caught up watching Harry and almost trip letting out a little shriek catching yourself before you fell, you tried to play it off but you’d slowed down and lost a bit of distance on Harry. He looks behind him when he hears you shriek and sees you were a little further away than anticipated.

Harry comes over to you panting a little “are you ok?” He asks. You couldn’t even give the man a proper answer just gawking at his body you mouth hanging open a little your chest heaving. You wanted to box this memory up and keep it forever. You motion for Harry to come closer to which he obliged, he reached out pushing a little bit of hair from your eyes tucking it behind you ear caressing your cheek a little “sweetheart…y’ok?” Harry asks again stepping closer concerned that you hadn’t answered him. As you opened your mouth to respond there was a flash of lightning followed by a huge clap of thunder. You jump looking up at the sky before it went from tolerable rain to torrential Harry’s hand drops to your waist squeezing your side a little trying to hide the fact the thunder and lightning had also scared him. You take a moment before glancing at him “let’s get back” you say over the sound of the rain. Moving away from Harry’s grip turning back towards the house you begin to run, you glance to your side and see Harry next to you, he was glancing at you on and off.

Harry still wasn’t entirely convinced that nothing was going on, he had told you about his feelings and he felt you may have been holding back in your own. Arriving back at the house both of you completely soaked you kick your shoes off and pull your wet socks off at the door. Harry doing the same. “I’m going to head to the shower, meet you in the kitchen? I’ll cook us breakfast?” You ask. Harry nods smiling lightly not saying anything. You head off and shower warming yourself up a little before throwing on an oversized top and some cotton shorts before heading back to the kitchen. You cook breakfast for yourself and Harry who was yet to return from his own shower. After breakfast Harry still hadn’t come back so you head into the living room sitting at the piano.

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After almost two hours Harry still hadn’t come back, but you had managed to finish the song you had been writing and you wanted Harry to have it. It was like everything you felt for Harry and your struggle was in the song. You sit fiddling with it a little while longer trying to work on some of the harmonies, ‘same white shirt, couple more tattoos’ you try this line a few times before sighing moving forward ‘we’re not who we used to be, we’re not who we used to be, we’re just two ghosts…” you smile a little to yourself finding the harmony. You jump a little as Harry speaks up “you sound incredible, better than I do” he smiles. You look over for him seeing him standing at the edge of the living room with some grapes in hand. “How long have you been standing there? I was getting worried about you” You ask he chuckles softly “long enough, just had to take a few calls” he moves closer to come and sits next to you “I want you to have it” you whisper looking at him “I want you to sing it H, but only if you want to.” You say softly glancing at him. Harry couldn’t help but smile “what? To sing it? Pet it’s yours” he groans bumping your side a little, you shake your head “just….listen to the whole thing then decide?” You suggest repositioning yourself at the piano..

You begin playing Two Ghosts for Harry and by the end of it he had a few loose tears on his cheeks. He breathes out heavily “fuck” he sighs “you’re too good at this, y’know that?” Harry asks and you reach up with wipe his cheeks “y’ok?” You ask softly taking his hand, Harry squeezes your hand leaning over to kiss your head softly “I want to do it” he says wrapping an arm around your shoulder. You glance up at him surprised that he said yes. “Really?” You ask Harry just nods shifting his body to face you “it’s perfect sweetheart” you blush looking up at him with pleading eyes “thank you” you whisper resting your forehead to his.

“Y/n…” Harry whispers, you hum in response brushing your nose against Harry’s. All you could think about was how close your lips were to his. “Can I-” you cut Harry off before he can finish his sentence pressing your lips to his own. Harry immediately grips your wasit as you turn your body more to face him his soft pink lips encapsuling your own perfectly after a few minutes both you and Harry must have realised what you had done, you pulled away almost at the same time, each giving the other a moment to say something, anything. Harry’s hand moves to push some hair from your face before cupping your cheek “I- umm, was that-” Harry fumbles with his words a little looking at you in absolute awe. You just nod leaning closer to Harry wrapping your arms around him “I love Jamaica so much” you whisper Harry just smiles leaning in to kiss you again pulling you into his lap.

He slowly pulls away running his hands up your back causing you to break out in goosebumps, Harry bites his lip softly not being able to contain his smile “I wish we could stay like this forever” he mumbles kissing your jaw causing you to giggle, “I think Jeff would hate us if we did that” you smirk. Harry hums reaching up to peck your lips softly. You stay in each others arms for a moment before Harry’s phone begins to ring. He sighs softly placing a small peck to your nose as you climb off his lap. Plucking his phone from the top of the piano Harry sees Mitch’s name pop up he answers putting it on speaker “hey mate, y’alright?” Harry greets you stand and kiss Harry’s cheek before heading off the kitchen wanting to give Harry at least a little bit of privacy. “I’m good mate, just checking in to see how everything’s going?” Mitch’s voice echoed through the living space “great, everything’s really great, we’ve made great progress” you could hear the smile in Harry’s voice which caused you to blush knowing he wasn’t talking about the progress with writing.

Harry and Mitch chat for a while about the album and some of the songs they had written together before Harry came to Jamaica. After around thirty minutes of chatting they sound as though they had covered everything they needed to. “Ok, I’ll see you when your back in town then…oh! Wait how are things going with Y/n?” You perk up at the sound of your name wondering what Harry could have told Mitch for him to ask about you. The three of you had done some work together prior to the trip and you had a very annoying brother sister type of relationship with Mitch which got you wondering if maybe Harry had said something to him prior to you coming away with him. “Y’know it’s great” Harry chuckles softly “she’s amazing and we work really well together, this trip has been incredible” you hear Harry sigh softly “but?” Mitch asks sensing Harry wasn’t finished “part of me wants to just stay here with her, Y’know? M’happy and I don’t know the last time I was genuinely happy” he admits which overhearing the conversation surprised you a little. “Mate, Y’know she’s coming back to the same place you are, you’ll still see her and work with her, just enjoy it while y’can yeah?” You peek into the living space seeing Harry nod before responding. They chat a little longer about when Harry will be back in the UK before ending the call. You decide to leave Harry be for a moment heading over to open some door and windows now the weather had cleared up.

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The sea was screaming for you after you and Harry had spent the afternoon working on the album and trying to keep your hands off each other. “C’mon you, let’s get out of the house for a while” you smile kissing his cheek before racing off to change into a bikini. The high rise cheeky bottoms showing you off to Harry the way you wanted and the tie front top pushing your breasts together in a way even you could admire.

You head outside sighing softly at the way the sun hit and warmed your skin perfectly. Harry soon followed behind you “I like the view” he smirks from behind you. You turn and glance at him blushing slightly “shut up Styles” you bite your lip softly as he moves closer kissing your cheek softly before moving past you into the water “coming in?” He calls out already waist deep in water. You giggle a little at how cute he was being before following suit until you were standing directly in front of him. His hands automatically reach for your hips pulling you closer to him while your arms wrap around his shoulders, hands playing with the hair on the nape of his neck “I know Dunkirk is coming up soon, does that mean you have to cut your hair?” You ask softly looking up at Harry who nods a little “yeah, it’ll be cut and donated the day after we get home” he says just loud enough to hear over the waves lapping at your sides. “Do you not want me to cut it?” He asks curiously. You shake your head “I love that you want to help someone else and donate it H, it’s humble” he simply smiles and leans down kissing you softly.

You spend most of the afternoon in the water together and finally trying to paddle board which just led to Harry laying on the paddle board soaking up the sun instead. Eventually you both got out of the water and found comfort on the beach lounges “so Styles….how’s the album looking, what have we got so far?” You ask grabbing your phone opening your notes to make a list of what Harry and already written and what you had written together so far. “Well” he starts “we wrote and recorded Complicated Freak, Medicine, Baby Honey, Anna and Kiwi before we even left, oh and Sign of the Times and Only Angel, so far we have written Ever since New York, Two ghosts and Sweet Creature and I’m part way through probably four more songs, so we’re close”

“We’ve done a lot for only being here for a week” you smile at Harry who was already looking at you. He reaches out to push some hair from your face tucking it behind your ear “we have, haven’t we” he smiles pulling you into his lap taking your phone putting it aside before resting his hands on your thighs that were straddling his hips. You lean down pecking Harry’s lips softly dropping your hips a little so your torso was aligned with his. You could feel him growing hard in his swim trunks as he connected his lips back to yours humming against them.

You slowly pull away slightly just enough to be able to lick and suck at Harry’s bottom lip without completely losing contact. Harry’s hands move from your thighs to your rump pushing your hips down into his growing cock eliciting a groan that could have been music to your ears. The way you were straddling Harry’s front meant your clit was being stimulated by his tip driving you wild causing you to grind harder. “Is this ok?” Harry mumbles on your lips as he hooks his thumbs into your bikini bottoms “this is perfect” you respond instantly lifting your hips allowing Harry to push your bottoms down you kick them off to the side as Harry’s fingers graze up the inside of your thigh until they reach your centre. You connect your lips with Harry’s again slowly moving to kiss down his neck and chest paying particular attention to his butterfly tattoo. “H, can I take these off?” You ask wrapping your fingers around the waistband of his swim trunks. Harry simply nods not able to take his eyes off you. He helps you to take them off lifting his hips until his hard on springs free resting on his stomach. You bite your lip softly taking in Harry’s size before making your way down to kiss laurel tattoos. Harry moved to rest an arm under his head to be able to see you he inhales a sharp breath as you kiss up his length before taking him in your hand giving him a few lazy pumps.

Harry begins to leak a little causing you to smirk up at him “that desperate for me Styles?” You giggle “well you’ve been teasing me long enough” He smirks tucking your hair behind your ear. Without saying another word you settle a hand at Harry’s base to steady him, slowly licking up his length. Harry lets out a sigh, his eyes closing over and head resting back on his arm letting your mouth go to work. You place your tongue under Harry’s tip lapping up the pre-cum that had accumulated, working your tongue around his tip Harry groans out moving to hold your hair back. “That’s my girl…” Harry whimpers softly as you take his length in your mouth, trying to fit as much of him in as your body would allow before gagging, “taking me so well baby” Harry sighs thrusting up a little to meet your own movements. You come up for a moment to catch your breath when Harry pulls you back onto his chest connecting his lips to yours “so perfect” he mumbles on your lips moving your legs to straddle him. His hard cock nestled perfectly between your folds, you hum on Harry’s lips slowly beginning to grind against him the movements stimulating you both, causing the wetness between your legs to build, lubing Harry up perfectly. He shudders feeling your wetness against him, his tip grazing your entrance “c’mere” you whisper lifting your hips ever so slightly before positioning Harry at your entrance.

You slowly sink down onto his member, you suck your breath in before letting out a satisfied moan, loving the way Harry was filling you up, you simply stay as you were for a moment letting yourself adjust to Harry’s size leaning down placing some slow soft kisses to his lips, leaving your hands on his chest you slowly begin to rock finding a nice slow rhythm that was causing Harry to squirm “feels so good sweetheart, m’not gunna last long like this” he whimpers placing his hands on your rump pulling your hips towards his a little quicker. You speed up your pace and soon enough your both turned into one big sweaty mess as Harry turns you over onto your back without even needing to pull out and reposition himself.

He begins pounding you from this position running a hand down your calf until it reaches just above your ankle, Harry hoists it up to his shoulder kissing down your leg a little. You moan out gripping the edge of the lounge chair as Harry leans down pressing his lips to yours in a messy kiss, teeth and tongues clashing and moaning into each others mouths you start to feel your orgasm building rapidly in this new position, you kiss down Harry’s neck before looking him in the eye mouth agape “H…” you groan tipping your head back “I’m so close, gunna make me cum” you whimper holding his bicep your nails digging into the skin.

Harry just groans nipping at the skin on your neck and around your nipples kissing each one before coming back to your lips “let go for me baby, cum on my cock sweetheart” Harry grumbles on your lips as he reached down with his spare hand rubbing circles over your clit with his thumb driving you wild. Your breath hitches in your throat and your hips lift as you place your hand over Harry’s pushing him to rub you faster sending your over the edge. Letting out a shriek your hips drop back down as your orgasm takes over your body your entire body shaking as your pussy pulses around Harry’s cock seemingly sending him to his own climax his thrusts turning to lazy pumps as he fills you with his ribbons of white fluid he collapses onto your chest breathing heavily “shit” he whispers softly as his member twitches inside you “I’m sorry love, didn’t mean to cum in you, you’re just….wow” he sighs glancing up at you pecking your lips loosely. Your hands find his hair before responding “it’s ok H, I’m on birth control, cum in me all you want” you whisper on his lips. You feel him smirk and buck his hips forward a little teasing you, you gasp at the pleasurable overstimulation.

You stay tangled in one another for around twenty minutes as you both come down from your highs Harry’s hand stroking your side “y’ok?” He whispers softly kissing across your cheek before making it to your lips “amazing” you whisper back pecking his lips as some goose bumps begin to form on your arms “cold sweetheart?” Harry asks, but before you’d even responded he’d bundled your up in his arms and was carrying you inside to the master bathroom. Harry sets you down on the counter in the bathroom before heading over to the bath turning the water on adding some bubble bath to the water before returning to you his hands coming to rest on your waist “you should use the bathroom pet, we don’t want you getting an infection” he whispers kissing your cheek softly “I’ll go grab some clothes for us” Harry goes to walk away but you grab his hand pulling him back towards you wrapping your arms around his neck “why don’t you bring all your clothes back?” You whisper just loud enough that Harry could hear over the running water he simply smiles “want me to stay with you?” He asks picking up on what you were implying. You simply nod biting your lip trying to hide your smile Harry breaks out in that trademark grin and leans down kissing your passionately “I’d love nothing more” he whispers on your lips “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes ok?” He asks kissing your nose. You nod as Harry reluctantly let’s go of your body scooting off to go and collect his belongings. While he’s gone you go to the bathroom like he asked before making some room for his things on the counter.

On Harry’s return you were turning the water off for the tub turning the lights down so you were able to watch the sunset together. Harry wanders back in with his toiletries in hand placing them on the counter before coming over wrapping his arms around you from behind kissing along your shoulder you hum placing your arms over Harry’s. “Baths ready for us, I’ll grab us some towels” you say softly escaping Harry’s grip heading into the bedroom you grab some towels and yours and Harry’s phones before coming back. On return Harry’s was standing at the floor to ceiling window that over looked the beach as the sun hit him perfectly you quickly swipe across to the camera app on your phone taking a quick snap of Harry, illuminated by the golden sun, ass on full display. Unfortunately you hadn’t had your phone on silent, so the click of the camera gave you away and Harry’s head instantly swung in your direction. “What’cha up to miss?” He asks making his way over to you “just admiring” you giggle a little trying to hide your phone “give us a look” Harry chuckles trying to grab your phone from your hands as your cheeks flush bright red trying to keep your phone away from him, eventually Harry’s long arms prove your short ones useless grabbing your phone looking at the photo “who’s this? Do I know’im?” Harry asks you scoff a little smiling up at Harry “I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself, you looked too good” you smile softly. Harry places your phone down on the counter and cups your cheeks “don’t apologise sweetheart, I’m just messing around” he smiles leaning down to kiss you softly “ready to hop in?” He asks hands moving down to rub your hips. You nod “yeah, just need to tie my hair back” you smile pecking his lips before moving out of Harry’s grip to grab a hair tie. You pull your hair into a loose bun with a few pieces hanging around your face turning around you see Harry already in the water smiling over at you admiring what he so badly wanted to be his.

Heading toward the bath Harry holds his hand out to help you climb in before settling your back in his chest his legs either side of yours, his arms around your torso rubbing circles into your skin as you both watch the sun go down. “You’re so beautiful” Harry whispers in your ear causing goosebumps to erupt on your skin, you hum softly resting your head back on his shoulder as he kisses down your neck a little before going to back to watching the sunset, it was in this moment that you realised Harry wasn’t watching the sunset at all, in the reflection in the window you could see you both, Harry had been watching you the whole time. In that moment you knew this is what you wanted with this man you had fallen for Harry because Harry had fallen for you, you turn in his hold a little placing a finger under his chin directing his face to yours before placing your lips to his in a delicate kiss.

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Snuggling into Harry in bed he kisses your forehead softly “Harry?” You ask looking up at him, he hums resting his forehead to yours “what are we going to do?” You whisper softly “what do you mean pet?” He responds placing a kiss to your forehead. “What happens when we go home? Do things go back to how they were?” You ask nervously. Harry rolls over onto his side to look at you properly, “is that what you want?” He asks a worried look covering his face. You shake your head trying to hold yourself together “no…not at all” he smiles a little cupping your cheeks. “Well, I’d love for us to see where things go in our normal lives, see if we can make us work, go on dates together, keep writing and working together, even go for runs together with Mish?” He asks, you smile giggling a little, feeling like a giddy teenager. “I’d love that” you say pecking Harry’s lips he pulls you closer deepening the kiss as you wrap your arms around his shoulders, next thing you know Harry’s under the covers with his curly mane between your legs eating you out perfectly.

“Fuck your gorgeous” Harry mumbles on your skin as he kisses back up to your lips “roll onto your side baby” Harry whispers before tucking himself behind you kissing down your spine a little before slipping his boxers off “y’ok babe?” Harry asks kissing your neck, you twist to look at Harry nodding “I’m amazing H” you smile pulling him toward you kissing him passionately as he pushes himself into you causing you to gasp interlocking your hands with his.

Harry pumps himself into you slowly cradling you in his arms. He made slow love to you for hours wanting to spoil you and be as close to you as he possibly could. There was no sense of urgency, and no race to finish, it was just you and Harry enjoying the intimate moment together.

Eventually it got too much for Harry cumming inside of you for the second time this trip. “Why do you have to be so perfect” Harry groans smiling up at you his chest glistening with sweat. You giggle a little leaning down to whisper in his ear “I’m not done yet superstar” Harry smirks his hands running up your back pulling you into him kissing you in a needy fashion. “What is it baby?” He asks slowly pulling away “I wanna ride the tiger” you whisper on his lips smirking winning at him.

Harry looks at you a little dumbfounded “you wanna cum again sweet girl?” He asks you nod looking at him with pleading eyes biting your lip “yes please” you smirk. Harry chuckles softly “how can I say no to such good manners” he smiles as you lift off him nestling yourself onto his thigh. You lock eyes with Harry as you reach your hand to your mouth licking across your fingers before reaching down to your clit to help with moving against Harry’s thigh.

Watching you Harry groans placing his hands on your thighs giving them a squeeze as you begin to move against him, before long your movements were paced and stimulating including for Harry who was holding your hips guiding over his permanent art “you…are so fucking stunning sweet girl” he pants on your lips causing you to moan as Harry moved his leg a little stimulating you further, his cum leaking from you coating his thigh.

”Harry…” you pant squeezing your eyes shut “I’m…” you couldn’t even bring yourself to finish your sentence “I know sweetheart” he whispers within seconds your nails were digging into Harry’s shoulders as your head tipped back Harry’s mouth attached to your nipple adding another element to your climax “fuck!” You moan out as your body convulses against Harry practically clinging to him.

Calming down Harry helps you to lay next to him body’s entangled in one another Harry leaving delicate kisses over your face and chest “can I tell you something?” Harry whispers pushing your hair from your neck placing a few chaste kisses there before pulling away slowly as you nod “I’ve had feelings for you since we started working together, you’re kind of my muse for a lot of my writing, Mitch is the only one that really knows how deep they go” Harry sighs a little “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner” you look up at Harry shaking your head “don’t apologise babe, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have feelings for you within a few weeks of working with you” you giggle a little.

Harry pulls you closer wrapping his arms around you kissing you softly “staying in Jamaica with you for good is sounding better and better” Harry smirks on your lips. You giggle a little on Harry’s lips “don’t tempt me, I might be in trouble with your fans and Jeff for keeping to you myself” you mumble kissing him back. “I’d be ok with that” Harry responds before rolling you onto your back starting what was to be a long strenuous night.

enjoy this little but not so little one, it’s been sitting in the drafts for a while and not proof read super well so please be kind!

#harry #harry styles #harry fluff #harry angst #harrystyles harrystylesimagines #harry fic #harry smut #harrystyles harryimagines #imagine #long hair harry #one direction #Jamaica harry #dunkirk harry #hiatus harry

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mr-styles · 1 year

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Harry Styles' Sonic Evolution: How He Grew From Teen Pop Idol To Ever-Evolving Superstar

Harry's House' not only gives Harry Styles his most GRAMMY recognition yet — it serves as a testament to how much he's expanded his sound over his already storied career.

GABRIEL AIKINS | GRAMMYS/JAN 25, 2023 - 12:02 PM

Watching 16 year-old Harry Styles walk onto the stage for his "The X Factor" audition in 2010, it's remarkable how little some things have changed in the following 13 years. Though his rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" was rather unpolished — even receiving a "no" from judge Louis Walsh — his magnetic charisma and natural talent were more than evident. And at just 16, Styles clearly knew he was on the right path.

"Singing is what I want to do," Styles said in an interview before his audition. "And if the people who can make that happen for me don't think that I should be doing that, then it's a major setback in my plans."

Of course, so much else has changed in the ensuing decade. Styles was tabbed alongside other contestants Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik to form the group One Direction. As the band stormed the charts and captured the love of fans globally, Styles grew into his abilities — and now, he's achieved a rarified level of fame.

Even after being part of one of the most successful boy bands of all time, Styles has reached new heights of superstardom in his own right. In addition to selling millions of albums and selling out arenas around the world, he's starred in four feature films and became the first male cover star of Vogue magazine. The depth of Styles' charisma and drive he's shown from that first audition have made him an all-encompassing star like few before him.

While Styles was a solo star as soon as he emerged in 2017 — selling out his first-ever solo tour and debuting his self-titled first album atop the Billboard 200 — he has dominated the 2020s. His second album, 2019's Fine Line, spawned his first No. 1 hit in the U.S. in 2020 with "Watermelon Sugar," which also earned him his first GRAMMY in 2021 for Best Pop Solo Performance. But 2022 was the year he took his stardom to the next level — and it all began with an invitation to Harry's House.

The lead single of Styles' third album, "As It Was," became undeniable, debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 and spending 15 weeks there — the most in history for a British act. And when Harry's House arrived less than two months after "As It Was," it was clear that 2022 was the year of Harry.

The album, featuring smooth electronic beats and funky bass riffs, went platinum in the UK and US, put four songs into the Billboard Top 10 at the same time, and earned Styles the most GRAMMY nominations of his career. His six nominations for the 2023 GRAMMYs include his first in the coveted Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year categories; Harry's House also earned a nod for Best Pop Vocal Album and "As It Was" is up for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.

If you ask Tyler Johnson — who has co-written and co-produced the majority of Styles' three solo albums — the GRAMMY nominations may just be Styles' biggest validation yet. "It's really the music community recognizing him as Harry Styles — [his time in the band] is just another part of his resume, it no longer defines him. And that's really exciting."

In reality, Styles hardly ever let his past define him. Even Johnson sensed Styles' star power upon meeting the singer in 2015. "When I first met him, I knew a lot about him from the band, but it was obvious he was a star," he recalls. "Especially how he performed in the vocal booth, it was very brave. I was like, 'Wow, this person has no barriers.'"

With no barriers comes a willingness to always try something new — which is why the Harry Styles of Harry's House sounds much different than Harry Styles of One Direction. The change was heard immediately back in 2017 on his first solo single "Sign of the Times," released ahead of his self-titled debut LP later that year. It's a rock track to its core, starting with hearty piano chords and building to a crescendo of wailing electric guitar and crashing drums. This initial offering was a sign of what was to come, as Harry Styles is built on these rock sounds from beginning to end.

Even if reviews weren't outright surprised by this sound, they noted the seemingly brand new, well, direction. "Few people probably predicted the 23-year-old ex-One Direction superstar to drop the kind of album that makes your uncle or your mom perk up," read Variety's review. Pitchfork mused, "If you only know one thing about Harry Styles, it's probably that the album bucks the established trends governing bids for young male solo pop stardom." Styles becoming a rock star was something new, but looking back at the totality of his work, it's not quite as surprising as it might be at first glance.

When assessing the music of One Direction, the singles will of course stand out. Tracks like "What Makes You Beautiful," "Live While We're Young," and "Best Song Ever" are big and boisterous, with infectiously fun hooks. And while each of the group's five albums had rock influences — queue the Clash-like electric guitar opening of "Live While We're Young" — they're all pop projects at their core. And the writers and producers behind them were pop masterminds, too, including Rami Yacoub, Steve Mac, Ed Sheeran, and Ryan Tedder.

By nature of an essentially constant touring schedule and working with so many other people — especially the four other members of the group — there was simply less opportunity to write. Across the 86 songs in the band's discography, Styles has writing credits on only 21 of them, whereas he serves as lead writer on every track on each of his three solo albums.

"I think it was tough to really delve in and find out who you are as a writer when you're just kind of dipping your toe each time," Styles told Rolling Stonein 2017, recalling some of the struggles of being in a band. "We didn't get the six months to see what kind of s— you can work with."

Listening to the songs Styles did have a hand in writing for One Direction, though, the throughline of his career becomes clearer. Even the earliest tracks he co-wrote include key elements to his later songs.

The chorus of Up All Night's "Same Mistakes" takes his penchant for lyrical repetition, creating a folksy call-and-response feeling and pairing it with powerful guitar chords; he uses a similar pattern on Harry Styles' opening track "Meet Me in the Hallway." Made In The A.M. ballad "If I Could Fly" is strikingly vulnerable lyrically and melodically minimalistic; this combination is seen on Styles' solo ballads, like Fine Line's "Falling" or Harry's House's "Matilda."

Styles' solo success also stems from his versatility. Alongside folksy ballads, he has an ear for rock songs to fill a stadium (and after completely selling out his 2021 and 2022 Love On Tour stretches, stadiums may be where he's headed next). "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" is one of One Direction's most anthemic tracks, tailor made for karaoke or shouting alongside a crowd. It's no surprise Styles is the sole One Direction member on the writing credits for it, and you can hear that same exuberance on his solo rock anthems, from Fine Line’s ultra cool smash "Watermelon Sugar" to the funk rock-infused "Late Night Talking" on Harry's House.

In a 2017 New York Times interview, Styles explained his rock influence — and really, his musicality as a whole — stems from his own musical tastes. "I really wanted to make an album that I wanted to listen to," he said of Harry Styles. "That was the only way I knew I wouldn't look back on it and regret it. It was more, 'What do I want to sit and listen to?' rather than, 'How do I shake up compared to what's on radio right now?'"

Judging by the elevated sounds on Harry's House, Styles' musical interests have grown as he has evolved as an artist. While there are hints of his previous writing and growth on the album, Styles incorporated so many new elements, and that's what makes Harry's House so interesting and so refreshing.

Funk pervades the record, with synths and stylized loops fleshing out tracks like "Music For A Sushi Restaurant" and "Keep Driving." There's a constant sense of playfulness throughout all 13 tracks — something that was apparent to Styles' collaborators long before the world got to hear it.

"Harry just said that he's never been more proud of anything, and Tom [Hull, better known as producer Kid Harpoon] and I are just there for the ride," Johnson says. "We didn't feel too caught up in the kind of reality of who he is and having to put out an album very specific to the commerce side of it. It was a lot of having fun and just kind of burying our heads in the sand and enjoying doing it. That was very different from Fine Line."

Styles can seemingly feel his evolution himself, too. In a wide-ranging interview with Zane Lowe upon the album's release in May 2022, Styles revealed that he tried not to take direct sonic influences on this record like he had in the past. "I kinda felt like you can reference things by the emotions that they evoke," he said.

The same interview points out how much more comfortable Styles has become with being flexible and fluid, both in his own writing and his collaborators. And now that he's found his right-hand men in Johnson and Hull, he finds it easier to bring his ideas to life. This has allowed Styles to continue to expand his writing, and that resulted in an album that launched his superstardom to even greater heights — and showcased Harry Styles simply having fun.

Now 28 (almost 29!), Styles has been a beloved star for nearly half of his life. In that time, fans have watched his musical abilities mature, morph and expand; he has shown a willingness to always have an eye on what comes next — and that forward thinking paid off in a big way in 2022. However he evolves next, it seems Styles will never lose the drive and endearing charm the world first saw on the "X Factor" stage over a decade ago.

"He's a very similar person. He's a very consistent, loyal, kind person, very focused. That is all the same," Johnson insists. "He's just doing what people do when they do it more and more — he's focusing in on who he is more, he's gaining confidence, and he's becoming more and more himself — which is a very potent thing."

via Grammy.com

#harry styles #Grammys 2023

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on-my-way-to-wonderland · 1 year

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Some thoughts about Harry that I desperately need to share but i don’t want friends to read it:

Touring 3 years back to back as a solo artist is not healthy. Even with the small breaks in between, he doesn’t get enough rest. In between he is doing promo work, film premieres, the Gucci collection and Pleasing. That’s too much and he’s gonna be burnt out one day.

Touring gives him endorphins. When touring one day ends I am afraid he will fall into a deep void. I hope he has a strong support system to not fall too deep, but ending a tour, that went on for over 3 years of his life will do something to his mental health.

So I am afraid that when Love on Tour finally comes to an end, Harry will take a long break from touring. So long, it might be indefinite. We all know his interviews when he said he wants to start a family and have kids of his own one day? well this works well when he’s not touring

On other thoughts I personally am terribly afraid of him aging. I don’t want him to get old. But that’s something one cannot prevent from happening. I truly hope he is looking after himself or has someone who keeps care of him so he can continue doing what makes him happy and not overwork himself

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sylthrein · 3 months

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365 albums; self titled, 2017, harry styles

fell back to sleep, i got drunk by noon i've never felt less cool

#harry styles #hs self titled #hs1 #moodboard #365albums #harrystylesedit #hs1edit #harry styles self titled #mine #*#userenity #paletmblr

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harry-on-broadway · 1 year

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The Last Line: Part One

Part One

Word Count: 9.4K || Series Masterlist || Rating: M

A/N: I didn’t think I’d be writing another series so soon after TYTM but...this little idea of an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story that I’ve been thinking about for a long time just wouldn’t go away. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’m enjoying writing it. Would love to hear what everyone thinks!

***

May 12, 2017

Review: Harry Styles Heads In A New Direction

By Penny Sanders

If you know someone, most likely a young woman, between the ages of 13 and 30, chances are you’ve heard of Harry Styles.

Or at least his former band, One Direction.

Styles is one of the five young men that were thrown together by the infamous Simon Cowell to create the best selling boy band of all-time. Over their brief career, One Direction’s discography cast a wide net, attracting fans of all ages. Young tweens and their millennial counterparts were drawn in by the clean-cut look of the lads clad in blazers and bowties and lyrics that felt like they were pulled from a self-insert fanfiction. However, as the years progressed the band added a bit of an edge – tattoos, rumors of an attempted threesome, and lyrics about a loaded gun (read: erect penis). But with 1D in the midst of an indefinite hiatus, all eyes are on Harry, Niall, Liam, and Louis (and Zayn too) to see what comes next.

Styles has answered that question with a 10-song debut that is worlds away from the five albums he put out with his former band. Gone are the bubblegum beats, replaced by alternatively somber and bombastic instrumentals. And forget cheeky “wink-wink nod-nod” lyrics to – gasp! sex! Styles readily admits getting himself off in a hotel room in the album’s closer, “From the Dining Table.”

It’s not a poor offering, but frankly, it’s not great either. While he pushes himself to redefine the sound that has been associated with him for more than five years, the result is a generic LP that will likely be forgotten as soon as one of the industry’s legitimate superstars releases a new single. And, to head off the question I’ve already received from many of Styles’ supporters on Twitter, I can guarantee that you won’t be seeing this album or any of its tracks, mentioned at this year’s Grammy Awards.

One of the bright spots on the album, the lead single “Sign Of The Times,” feels like a grand moment, but it also feels misplaced, almost as if it was a song that should have come a decade into his solo career. Despite poignant lyrics (the song is purportedly about a mother dying in childbirth), Styles’ falsetto needs strengthening and at times he sounds like a young boy trying to imitate his elders. He has talent and shows promise, but isn’t able to pull off a ballad of that caliber yet. Other songs, like “Sweet Creature” and “Two Ghosts” are instantly forgettable, though “Kiwi,” while memorable, is just plain painful to listen to.

Styles is obviously popular, and that alone will be enough to propel him to years of sold-out shows and chart-topping albums. But he needs something else – a secret ingredient if you will – to launch him to further stardom and cement his name alongside his idols Nicks, Bowie, and Jagger. Otherwise, he’ll be nothing but a midnight memory.

***

September 21, 2017

Review: Harry Styles Rocks The Greek Theatre

By Penny Sanders

Months after the release of his self-titled debut album, Harry Styles found himself at the Greek Theatre, ready to play to a sold out crowd that had likely been waiting for this moment since One Direction’s final performance.

And let me just say, attending a Harry Styles concert is an experience like no other.

The intimate venue was a nice change of pace for Styles who was selling out stadiums in the latter half of One Direction’s tour. He was always seen as the charming one, and the small stage makes that even more apparent, giving him more than enough time to banter with the audience, introduce songs, and connect with his audience. I’m sure many of those in the front of the crowd will tell stories for years to come of the night they made eye contact with the heartthrob.

With just 10 songs of his own, he relied on some One Direction hits and other covers to fill out the setlist. With the exception of “The Chain,” most of the covers sounded nothing like the original version, leading anyone unfamiliar with Styles’ career so far to assume the guitar heavy, rocking versions of the songs – notably “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life” – are the standard.

Styles has a charisma like no other, and even though it’s clear it takes him a while to warm up to the crowd, perhaps a symptom of never being alone onstage in his career so far, he’s a born performer who belongs on the stage. But for me, he wasn’t the standout. It was his fans.

The crowd was ready for fun, dressed to the nines, with nearly everyone carrying overflowing bags of merch. They sang along to the songs word perfect and clung to Styles every word, cheering louder than I’ve ever heard when he entered the stage. It was a joyous occasion and had an energy I haven’t seen in any of the concerts I’ve recently attended.

I spoke to a number of women in attendance last night, asking them what drew them to the show. Some cited their One Direction fandom, while others spoke of the sounds of his music, and how it reminded them of other classic songs they love. But for many, Styles himself was the primary reason for being there.

“He makes things really personal,” said Ally, a college student who came from Minneapolis to see the show – her third time seeing Styles this year. “A lot of the other concerts I go to, the artists don’t say anything other than a generic thank you. But Harry makes every show feel special.”

“He feels like a friend,” said Katrina, a local high-schooler. “School’s not always easy and I sometimes struggle with things, but when I listen to his music or go to one of his shows, it feels comforting. Like I’m in a safe place.”

These statements perfectly summarize why Styles’ concerts are so unique.

If he stays true to what his fans want and lets his personality shine on stage, that, in addition to strengthening his songwriting, could be enough to land him alongside his musical icons, and 50 years from now, we’ll see him headlining stadiums on his own, playing a career’s worth of hits as the crowd – full more than just women – sings along.

Longtime readers will remember that I was less than effusive in my review of Styles’s debut, but after seeing him live, I must eat my words and say he’s going places.

***

Transcript from the “Track After Track” podcast, Episode 147: July 21, 2018

Ethan: Speaking of concerts, Penny, you just saw Harry Styles at the Forum, right?

Penny: Yeah, I was there a week ago. Eight days? No a week ago. Sorry it all blends together.

Ethan: I mean, you are at a concert every night, pretty much, so I’ll give you a pass.

Penny: [laughs] You’re so kind. But yes, I was at his show.

Tyler: How was that? I never know what to make of these boy band guys. For every Timberlake, there’s 10 Chris Kirkpatricks.

Penny: It wasn’t terrible. He puts on a good show.

Ethan: Was this your first time seeing him?

Penny: No. I saw him twice when he was in One Direction. And when he was at the Greek.

Tyler: And?

Penny: Like I said, he’s not terrible. It’s clear that his music and personality has resonated with a lot of people, so his shows are filled with fans and have a great energy. Listening to the album on its own is kind of meh…there weren’t a lot of tracks that stuck out as memorable…but live it can be kind of fun. You can tell he loves performing and really feeds off the crowd.

Ethan: Confession: I actually haven’t listened to the album yet.

Penny: That doesn’t surprise me based on the number of EDM CDs in your car.

Ethan: [laughs] Yeah, the genre definitely isn’t my cup of tea, but I think Harry is someone the industry really needs to watch. He’s going to do big things. Well, even bigger since he’s already pretty massive. Tyler, have you listened?

Tyler: Yeah, but I just can’t bring myself to get into it. Like, you just mention his name and you can hear the teen girls screaming off in the distance. I just think it’s a red flag when your fanbase is that narrow. Like if teen girls are your driver, how are you going to succeed? What happens when they’re not 13 and hormonal anymore. You’re not seeing a lot of geriatric boy band fans.

Penny: Wow! Ageism and sexism all in one statement! That has to be a first for you! It’s fine to say you don’t like his music, but to discount it purely on the basis that younger women like it…that’s just plain ignorant.

Tyler: Let’s evaluate this in five years and see where he is.

Penny: Fine, in five years have me back on this podcast and we’ll discuss his Grammy win.

Tyler: You’re out of your goddamn mind if you think Harry Styles will win a Grammy. You need to start thinking with your head and not your – (inaudible)

Penny: Seriously?

Ethan: OK, let’s talk charts…

***

Talking Biz News

November 8, 2018

Penny Sanders to join media start-up The Moment as Music Reporter

***

Present Day, 2019

“She needs to go back to copyediting and stop fucking up my stories,” Chloe barked, stabbing lettuce onto her fork to match her anger. “She knows nothing about film but is constantly trying to make corrections and I’m just like ‘No?!? That’s not how the fucking industry works.’” She looked across the table at Penny. “Am I crazy?”

“No, you’re not crazy,” Penny said, trying to soothe her friend. “I have the same issue with Darren. He came in thinking he was hot shit because he had been at Rolling Stone and started trying to explain how the charts work as if I haven’t been covering this for years. I can’t tell you how much time I spend undoing his edits before the piece goes to Skylar.”

“Why can’t this newsroom hire a competent editor?” Chloe asked. “It’s not that hard.”

“Probably because no editor wants to work here?”

“Good point!”

Penny and Chloe were eating a late lunch in the courtyard of the complex that housed The Moment, the entertainment publication they both worked for. They’d met three years ago during a summer internship at Variety and forged an alliance after realizing they were the only two women in the program. Penny had wanted to cover music and Chloe was determined to become a film reporter, and they’d been thrilled to finally end up at The Moment together after several years of freelancing and fighting for staff writer roles. Now, they were unstoppable, filing stories daily and dodging pointless notes from their first editors.

“Wait, Penny…didn’t you file your piece on ‘Old Town Road’ today?”

“Yes, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why? It’s such an interesting story,” Chloe whined. “And I haven’t seen anyone covering it yet.”

“That always makes me nervous.” Penny swirled her spoon through her bowl of soup.

“It shouldn’t. It means you’re ahead of the curve.”

“Or I’ve completely misjudged the story. Maybe it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Give it a month and everyone will be talking about it.” Chloe paused. “Is Darren taking firsts?”

“Yes.”

“Oh fuck.”

“Yeah, it’s not looking good for me, Chlo.”

The Moment’s typical reporting and editing process involved a reporter filing a story to one editor, who would do an intensive first edit, fixing the structure of the story, making notes on sections that needed to be added or get cut, and getting the piece 99% ready for publication. The second round of edits was largely focused on fixing grammar and spelling, as well as fact-checking, ahead of publication. Penny typically preferred Skylar, the publication’s editor-in-chief, to take on first edits. While she could be tough, she was smart and kind, and Penny’s stories were always much better after Skylar got her hands on them. When other editors, like Darren, took first edits, Penny knew to prepare herself for days of tears, stress, and questioning her life choices.

“What about you?” Penny asked, wanting to shift the conversation away from her anxiety over her story. “Have things calmed down post-Oscars?”

“Yes. Thankfully.”

Penny knew Chloe loved her job but from late August to early March, she was running from festival to festival, covering awards season. In addition to writing her articles, she, like Penny, found herself taking on media hits as an added responsibility, appearing on morning shows, podcasts, and radio programs to break down entertainment topics for everyday consumers. It was fun and super fulfilling, but it was also exhausting.

“When is Cannes again?”

“May!” Chloe said brightly. “Easily my favorite festival.”

“I have no idea why,” Penny said with a sly grin. “Two weeks on a French beach surrounded by celebrities, eating the most delicious food. It sounds horrid.”

“Oh my God, Penny? What are you doing here?”

Penny and Chloe turned in synchronicity to look at the man who had shouted at them from a table across the path.

“Do we know him?” Chloe asked, mumbling the question through the tentative grin she had plastered on her face.

“I can’t actually see his face,” Penny admitted, squinting trying to gain a better view.

“This is why you need to wear your glasses,” Chloe hissed.

“Of all the food courts in Los Angeles,” the man continued as he walked over to them.

“Wait…Tom? Is that you?”

“It is! How have you been?” He opened his arms and pulled Penny into him. She wrapped her own arms around him.

“So good. I didn’t realize you were out here.”

“I’ve actually been here for a few years now.”

“Shit. Really. I feel so bad that I didn’t reach out,” Penny said apologetically. “And I’m also surprised that my mom didn’t mention you.”

“Eh, it’s not a problem,” he shrugged.

“Care to introduce me?” Chloe asked.

“Ah, yes,” Penny said, composing herself. “Chloe, this is Tom Skoglund. He’s a longtime family friend, although I’m sure that title is being called into question since I didn’t even know he was living here. Tom, this is Chloe. She’s a friend of mine who also works at The Moment.” Penny stepped back to allow Chloe and Tom to shake hands and exchange pleasantries. “Do you want to sit with us?” she asked when they were finished, noting Tom’s sandwich and chips.

“If you don’t mind,” he said. “I’d love to catch up.”

Penny and Chloe sat back down as Tom pulled up a third chair and set his food down. “So you’re still doing the reporter thing?” he asked with a grin. He turned to Chloe. “Penny used to write a newsletter for everyone in the neighborhood. It had news items and opinion pieces all written by her. I seem to remember a glowing review for the second High School Musical soundtrack.”

“It’s full of bangers and you know it,” Penny said with a grin.

Tom turned to Chloe. “Do you also cover music?”

Chloe shook her head. “I’m a film girl.”

“Thoughts on the Oscars?” he asked as he took a bite.

“Anyone who actually pays attention to previous stats knew that Green Book would pull out a win so I wasn’t surprised. I will be curious to see what Netflix does next though. I personally thought The Favourite should have won, but that’s why I’m not a voter.”

“I literally only saw Black Panther and A Star Is Born so I feel like I don’t have room to say anything,” Tom said with a grimace.

“You sound like Penny,” Chloe said with a laugh. “She can tell you the exact week a song hit number one on the Billboard charts, but is frighteningly unaware of the latest movies.”

“I only have so much room for useless facts,” Penny said, earning a kick under the table from Chloe. She turned her attention back to Tom. “What are you doing here? Last I heard my mom said you were working in finance? Is that still the case?”

“God no,” he said lightly. “I had enough of that soul crushing job and decided to head out here to hack it in music. Got an assistant gig and worked my way up to manager.”

“Tom, that’s incredible,” Penny said with genuine excitement. “Who are you with?”

“Full Stop. With Jeff Azoff”

“Wow,” Penny said as Chloe let out a slow whistle. She turned to look at her friend.

“Yes, I know who the Azoffs are,” Chloe said. “And that’s impressive. Congrats, Tom.” Her phone chirped and she looked down at the screen. “Fuck. One of my sources wants to chat. I’ve got to take this.” She looked up at Penny and Tom. “It was so nice to meet you, Tom. Penny, I’ll see you at drinks later?”

Penny nodded and waved as Chloe disappeared across the grass, depositing her empty salad container in the trash. “So Full Stop,” she said, turning back to Tom. “You all have quite the roster.”

“Before you ask, no comment,” Tom said with a grin.

“Tom, I’m disappointed that you’d think I would stoop that low. I have a firm stance on not using friends for work stuff.”

“Well good, because you’d get nothing out of me.” He took a sip of his drink. “Remind me, are you still doing breaking news?” He grimaced. “I know I see your byline frequently, but I don’t always remember which article it comes in front of.”

“No. I moved on from that.” Penny didn’t miss the days of covering the desk at night, ready to pounce on any stories that came across the wire. “I mostly do reviews for concerts and albums now. I’m working my way up to business features, profiles, those types of things.”

“What should I go back and get caught up on?”

“I reviewed Maggie Rogers’ album a couple of weeks ago and wrote a review of Elton John’s show last week.”

“God, doesn’t he put on a great show.”

“One of the best. And I’m working on a feature about TikTok and ‘Old Town Road’ right now.”

“That sounds so interesting. Is it up yet?”

“No. I just filed it to my editor so there is a very good chance that it will never see the light of day. But if it does, I will send it your way.”

“Please. Let me give you my number.”

Penny pulled out her phone and handed it to her old friend. It was a strange feeling knowing that in the heyday of their friendship, they hadn’t needed each other's number, knowing they could always find the other in the cul-de-sac or the school hallways.

“Done.” Tom said, saving his contact information and passing the phone back to Penny, who quickly dashed off a text so he would have her information as well.

“I should probably head back into the office now,” Penny said. “But it was great to see you.”

“You too,” Tom said, standing to hug her. “Actually, I was wondering if you’d want to come to a little party slash happy hour thing I’m having on Friday. It’s super casual, basically just drinks and fancy snacks with a bunch of people from the office. I think they’d all love to meet you and talk music. Off the record,” he added quickly.

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Penny replied. “I should be free Friday.”

“Great. I’ll text you my address and we can take it from there.”

“Thanks, Tom,” Penny said, collecting her trash. “I’m really looking forward to seeing more of you.”

“Same. I’ll see you on Friday.”

Penny waved as she threw her trash away and headed back to her building. She smiled to herself. It would be nice to have another friendly face around. They were too rare in her line of work.

***

Penny promptly shut her laptop at 5pm, stowing it in her tote bag and pushing her chair underneath her desk.

“Have a nice weekend!” she called out to the few staffers that were remaining in the newsroom, before heading to her car. She plugged Tom’s address into her GPS app, hit play on her Spotify playlist, and pulled out of the parking lot. She was about 45 minutes away, thanks to the heavy traffic that was a near constant presence in the city, but made it to Tom’s house before her 80s synth mix was finished playing, which she counted as a win.

She grabbed her bag and fished around in the backseat for the bottle of wine she’d purchased earlier that day. She wasn’t sure if this was that type of gathering, but she felt weird showing up empty handed. Hopefully Tom wouldn’t say no to some Trader Joe’s wine. She locked her car and walked up the path and heard some shouts coming from the backyard. She rang the bell and just a few moments later, Tom appeared with a smile on his face.

“Penny! Come on in!” he said, opening the door for her. “How was the drive over?”

“Not as bad as it could have been,” she replied, shrugging off her cardigan and tote bag.

“I can take those,” Tom offered, reaching for her belongings, and placing them in a nearby closet.

“Thanks,” Penny said. “And this is for you,” she added, offering him the bottle of wine.

“You didn’t have to bring anything.”

“It’s from Trader Joe’s, Tom. It is quite literally the least I could do.”

He laughed. “Well, thank you. I’ll put it out now. It’s an open bar, so help yourself. Once you get a drink, I’ll take you around and introduce you to everyone.”

Penny poured herself a rum and Coke, and followed Tom out to the patio, drink in hand.

“Penny, I’d like you to meet Tommy Bruce,” he said. “Tommy, this is my friend, Penny. We reconnected the other day.”

“Pleasure, Penny,” Tommy said, shaking her hand. “Do you also work in the industry?”

“Sort of. I’m a critic and reporter at The Moment. I cover music.”

“That’s sick. Do you go to a lot of shows?”

“Yes. I was at Elton John’s show the other day and I’m planning to see Post Animal in a couple of weeks.”

“I was at Elton too! I wonder if we ran into each other?”

“We probably did,” Penny said with a laugh.

“Are you planning to go to Leon Bridges?”

“I’m not sure yet. I have to get everything approved by my editor so it’s up to her.”

“I hope you can. He’s so good. Hey, Jeff!”

Tom and Tommy turned their attention to another man that had approached their small group.

“Penny, this is the man, the myth, the legend, Jeffrey Azoff,” Tom said.

“They exaggerate,” Jeff said. “Nice to meet you Penny.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Penny said, moving her drink to her other hand so she could shake Jeff’s. “I’m an old friend of Tom’s from growing up. I work as a music journalist now.”

“Yeah, you’re at The Moment, right?” Jeff said.

“Yes…” Penny said slowly.

“OK,” Tommy said, affably rolling his eyes. “He’s such a show off.”

“I try to keep up with those who cover our clients, that’s all,” Jeff said. “And if it makes me look like a show-off, so be it,” he added, as Tommy playfully punched his shoulder.

As the men continued to banter, Penny surveyed the room, making the silent calculation she faced nearly everyday. Including herself, there were four women total at the gathering, which felt like a huge accomplishment. Working in her industry, she was used to being one of the only women in the room, a blessing and a curse.

The blessing was that whenever she found another woman at an event or meeting, they instantly gravitated toward each other, which meant she’d made a lot of friends in just a few years. The curse was obvious: men.

The men that surrounded her weren’t the worst offenders – they kept their hands and other body parts to themselves and were generally very kind – but being the lone woman was noticeable. Men would casually throw out that someone was a “bitch” or offer Penny an explanation that they didn’t give to a male reporter two years her junior. Penny usually just took it with a grain of salt, sighing internally, complaining to Chloe, and then proving her worth by being the smartest one in the room. Keeping an eye on two women chatting in the corner, she started to move towards them to introduce herself when she caught sight of another person across the way.

Harry Styles.

Or was it? Was that actually him? Chloe was right, she needed to wear her glasses more often. But Harry Styles being here didn’t make any sense. What would he be doing at a random house party?

She felt a hand on her shoulder and stepped over to the side to allow the person to pass and collect her thoughts. The more she thought about it, Harry Styles being at this party made sense. She knew from stories she’d worked on that he was repped by Full Stop, so it wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility that he would hang out with Tom and the other agents outside of work, but it was still jarring to see him out in the wild.

Whenever she told people she was a music journalist, their first instinct was to assume that she was close to many of the artists she reported on daily, but that wasn’t the case. When she was attending an event, it was a professional engagement. She was there to gather the facts, tell a story, and move on. Socializing with those in the industry outside of that professional setting made her uncomfortable. Especially when she was working on a review or piece of criticism. It was one thing to write those things and send them off into the vacuum of the internet, but when she thought about the subjects of the reviews reading her writing, she started to feel…guilty. She never intended to be mean – she knew how she felt when she received harsh notes from an editor – but the point of her reviews was to offer commentary and opinions. And if she thought too much about the people behind the work, her objectivity disappeared. So, she’d made a concerted effort to keep a firm boundary to ensure her writing was as good as it could be.

The few times she did meet musicians outside of work events, she could feel her brain going a mile a minute to remember if she’d ever written something slightly negative about them for fear they’d call her out on it, as despite what every musician claimed, they always read the reviews. And her brain started working overtime to perform these mental calculations as she saw Harry stop in front of her.

“Haven’t seen you here before. I’m Harry,” he drawled slowly, reaching out his hand.

Penny momentarily froze, but quickly recovered. “I’m Penny,” she said, shaking his hand.

“Do you work at Full Stop?” he asked, eyes glancing over her as if he was trying to figure out where she should be placed.

“No.”

“At one of the labels?”

“No.”

“OK, well I’m stumped as to where you fit it,” he said with a light laugh. “Care to enlighten me?”

“I’m a writer,” Penny replied, hoping the vague nature of her answer was enough to satisfy him.

“Have you written anything I’ve read?”

“Maybe.”

“Care to give me any other clues?” he asked, sipping from the plastic cup in his hand and leaning in closer to hear her response. Penny couldn’t tell what it was, but from the smell wafting over to her, it was something strong.

“I’m a journalist.”

“What do you cover?” Another sip, his eyes intensely focused on her.

“Entertainment,” Penny said simply, praying this game of 20 questions would be over soon.

“That’s kind of vague,” Harry replied quickly.

“That’s kind of the point.”

“Oh! A woman with an air of mystery. That’s…” he paused. “Enticing.”

“Enticing?” Penny quirked a brow and shot him a bemused grin.

“Yeah, it’s like a challenge. You’re making me work for it.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know, maybe a drink?” Harry asked hopefully.

“Wow. Subtle.”

“I try.” The corners of his lips ticked up. “Maybe I should try a little harder though.”

Penny was thinking up a witty comeback, somewhat amused by the situation she’d found herself in and very pleased that she’d have a new story to share with Chloe at lunch on Monday, when Tom interrupted their conversation.

“There you two are! I was hoping to introduce you all tonight.” He looked at Harry, gesturing to Penny. “This is Penny. She’s a friend from back home who’s a big time writer for The Moment. She writes reviews for concerts and albums.”

Penny snuck a look at Harry and thought she saw a flicker of…something…in his eyes. It was so subtle and so brief that she didn’t have time to think about what it could mean before she felt Tom’s arm on her back.

“And Penny, you of course know Harry.”

“I do. I think one of my friends had a toothbrush with your face on it.”

“Hmmm,” Harry murmured. “Those were a hot item for sure.”

Tom’s eyes darted between the two, evidently waiting for them to continue the conversation he had interrupted. Seeing that that wasn’t going to happen, he excused himself and moved onto another group of people.

“So, music is the kind of entertainment you cover.” The banter was back but it had a harder edge this time.

“It is.”

“Have you ever written about me?”

Penny mulled her potential responses, trying to find one that could cause the path of least resistance. “No,” she said simply.

“Really?” Harry said. The challenge in his voice was evident. “You weren’t the one who said I sound like ‘a young boy trying to imitate his elders?’”

Fuck. Penny felt her face grow hot. “That might have been me.”

“I thought so.”

“How long did you know?”

“Once Tom said the name of where you work. There aren’t that many critics named Penny that wrote a scathing review of my album.”

“It wasn’t scathing,” Penny said, suddenly feeling defensive of her work. “It was critical, sure, but that’s what my job is. I’m a critic. And besides, don't musicians get off on bragging about how they don’t pay attention to the reviews?”

“Hate to break it to you but that’s a load of bullshit. We are all very sensitive creatures.”

“Well, that’s clear based on how you’re acting now.”

“How I'm acting? You’re the one that’s yelling in the middle of a party.”

“I’m not yelling!” Penny said, lowering her voice by a couple of decibels. “You’re the one that came over here trying to score and then decided to pick a fight because you can’t forget about one review from like two years ago.”

“I’m sorry–” Harry laughed in disbelief. “You thought I was trying to get lucky? What made you think that?”

“‘Ah! A mysterious woman! So enticing! I like a challenge. You’re making me bloody work for it. Let’s get a drink!’” Penny shot back in a poor imitation of his slow, deep voice.

“I did not say that.”

“Yes you did!” Penny yelped. “You totally did.”

“Whatever,” Harry mumbled, taking another sip of his drink while Penny just looked at him.

“That’s all you have to say?”

Harry looked at her blankly. “Yes?”

“Oh, I thought you might offer up a sorry.”

“What for?”

“For attacking my work.”

“I hate to break it to you, Penny, but I think you attacked my work first.”

“Because it’s my fucking job!”

“Everything alright over here?” Jeff asked, stepping into the conversation. The look of caution on his face told Penny that her conversation with Harry had been overheard by the others at the party.

“We’re fine,” Penny said evenly.

“Yeah, peachy keen,” Harry added, earning a glare from Penny.

“I should actually be going,” Penny said.

“Oh, can’t you stay a little longer?” Jeff asked as Harry muttered “Bye, then.” Jeff cut his eyes over to Harry, who avoided his glance. “Alright then,” he said slowly. “It was nice to meet you, Penny. Hope to see you around.”

“You, too,” Penny said before swiftly leaving the group.

“What was that about?” Jeff asked, attention turned back to Harry.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

“You were a bit, shall we say…dickish…back there?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“If you say so,” Jeff said. He paused. “Have you read any of her work?”

“I’ve read enough of it.”

“You should honestly read some more. The Moment in general is a really up-and-coming publication. They’ve poached some stellar writers and editors from Billboard and Rolling Stone. And Penny…she’s smart. I think you all would have a lot to talk about.”

Harry glared at Jeff. “What makes you say that?”

“She’s got an interesting perspective. Her reviews always leave me thinking about things in a different way and I can’t say that about many critics.”

“Oh really,” Harry shot back, suddenly combative. “Did you start to reconsider my album after reading her review?”

“Calm down, H,” Jeff said gently. “Your album is a fantastic accomplishment and you know it. And she doesn’t just write criticism, she does cultural pieces as well. Check them out. She was on a podcast last year that you might find interesting.” Jeff pulled out his phone, typing quickly. “Here’s a link. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.”

Harry shot Jeff another glare and drained his cup. “Thanks,” he said dryly. “I’ll move it to the top of the list. See you later,” he called, pushing past his manager.

He tossed his cup into a nearby trash can and combed the room for Tom, offering a wave as he walked out the door. Harry walked slowly down the driveway, feeling the cool night air blow through his hair, relishing the peace. He’d felt a little off all day, but couldn’t put a finger on why, and his encounter with Penny had thrown him even more off balance. He’d been feeling like this a lot recently. Like he didn’t quite fit in alongside the other pieces of his life. He reached his car and unlocked it, sliding inside.

He plugged in his phone and stared out the windshield. Penny. He hadn’t known who she was when he approached her that night. Only that she looked pretty and that the smile she’d worn when he saw her talking to Jeff and Tommy made him want to know more about her. But as the pieces fell into place, it was impossible to look past what she’d done to him two years ago.

He didn’t know why her review had struck such a nerve with him. It wasn’t like his debut had been released to unanimous raves, and after two years of looking back on it, while he was proud of what he’d accomplished, he could see the weak spots in his work and was hoping to improve upon them with his second album. The hurt that lingered was just one of those implacable feelings.

Rolling his neck and feeling it crack, he pulled on his seatbelt and scrolled through his music library looking for something to listen to on the ride home. But after cycling through the entire library twice to no avail, he opened the text Jeffrey had sent him earlier, pressing play on the podcast episode that had been shared with him before turning the key in the ignition. His drive home was long but while he usually grew antsy watching the clock change as he sat bumper to bumper with other drivers, tonight his mind was occupied listening to the discussion echoing through his speakers.

It was an episode from one of Variety’s podcasts last year, shortly after his Forum concerts. Penny was a guest, chatting with the two guys who served as hosts. One of them sounded cool, and the other sounded like someone that he’d like to punch in the face if they ever crossed paths in real life. The episode was about his tour, specifically his shows in Los Angeles. It was weird listening to people talk about him like he was a commodity for consumption, and not like a human, a blatant reminder of why he typically abstained from engaging with anything like this.

Much to his surprise, Penny played the role of his supporter throughout the podcast, jumping to his defense when the Asshole, or whatever his name was, levied harsh words at Harry and his fans. He wouldn’t have expected that based on what she’d previously written. On the track, they shifted topics and Harry’s mind drifted off as the episode played on, ending moments before he arrived at his home. He turned off the car but made no effort to head inside. Instead, he picked up his phone and opened Instagram where he typed in Penny’s name.

Her account popped up right away. He scrolled over her page, unsurprised by what he found. Lots of pictures of concerts, sunsets on the beach, and admittedly delicious looking food. There weren’t many pictures of her but he found one that was relatively recent, posted last Christmas. She was smiling alongside some other women, probably friends based on the caption, and once again he felt something tugging inside of him when he looked at her. Next, he redownloaded the Twitter app, something he swore he would never do, and typed in Penny’s name, skimming through her Tweets. Jeff was right. She was frustratingly and irritatingly smart.

Closing out of Twitter, he navigated back to Instagram, finger hovering over the follow button. He hesitated, but after a minute his finger came down on the icon and it changed from blue to gray.

As he put his phone in his pocket and locked his car, across town Penny’s phone lit up with a notification. She missed the initial alert as she washed her face and pulled on the old college t-shirt she wore to bed most nights, but she finally noticed it when she went to set her alarm: Harry Styles followed you.

What the fuck was he trying to do? After laying into her the way he did at Tom’s house, completely unprovoked, the last thing she wanted to do was interact with him in the virtual world. She deleted the notification, plugged in her phone, and went to sleep.

When Harry woke up the next morning, the first thing he did was check his Instagram notifications. He scrolled past most of them – comments and following alerts from random fans and bots – but among all of the familiar amalgamations of usernames, Penny’s was nowhere to be found.

He laid his phone on his chest and stared at the ceiling. What game was she trying to play with him? And why did he feel so upset? The silence that surrounded him as he laid motionless was so loud.

When he finally found the motivation to get out of bed, he pulled on some jogging shorts and a tank and laced up his sneakers, grabbing headphones on his way out the door. He was hoping that a run might clear his head, but thoughts of Penny from the night before echoed alongside the sound of his feet on the pavement. Clarity hadn’t been found when he reached the five mile point, so he begrudgingly turned around to head home and shower. His mind was still swirling as he got cleaned up, and by the time he was dressed for the day and brewing coffee, he had a plan.

He pulled up his contacts and scrolled until he found the name he was looking for, pacing nervously while the phone rang.

“Hey,” the voice on the other line said. “Is everything OK?”

“Yeah, Tom. Sorry for the early morning call,” Harry said, twisting his fringe around his finger as he continued to do laps around the island. “Are you heading into the office today?”

“Seeing as it’s Saturday, I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Oh, shit,” Harry said, cringing when he took note of the early weekend hour. “I guess I lost track of time.”

“Not a problem,” Tom replied, stifling what seemed to be a yawn. “I’ll be there bright and early on Monday.

“Oh, nice. Would you maybe want to catch up and grab lunch?”

“That would be great, seeing as it’ll have been close to 48 hours since we last caught up,” Tom said a bit facetiously.

Harry said nothing trying to extract his fingers from the knot he’d twisted his fringe into. “Oh, yeah,” he mumbled after a moment.

“H, I’m kidding,” Tom said with a light laugh. “You can always swing by. Would you want to go to the bistro?”

“No, why don’t we pick somewhere more convenient to you. How about Loqui?” Harry suggested naming one of the restaurants that was in the campus that housed both the Full Stop and The Moment offices.

“Uh, yeah that’s fine. I’ll see you then. Have a good weekend, H.”

“You too, Tom.”

Harry hung up the phone and tried to figure out how he’d distract himself until Monday.

***

As Penny sat in her editor’s office Monday morning, she was trying to calculate when her next dental appointment was scheduled for and whether or not she’d be able to add on some x-rays to survey the damage done to her jaw after clenching it as hard as she had that morning.

Darren had finished reviewing her piece over the weekend, and had suggested they review his edits first thing, which wasn't the way she wanted to start the week.

“I think the biggest problem you have here is that this isn’t a story,” he said, scrolling through the copy on his laptop. “You only have one example of this phenomenon if we want to call it that and I honestly don’t think that TikTok is that important to the success of the song. In my professional career, we’ve seen plenty of songs do this. It’s nothing unusual.”

“But you’re missing the point,” Penny said, pushing back. “The whole idea is yes, this hasn’t happened before, but it’s the way forward. This is going to be the new version of Justin Bieber getting discovered on YouTube or Shawn Mendes on Vine.” She could feel herself getting angry and took a breath to calm herself. “You’re always telling us to be ahead of the story and that’s what I’m doing.”

“But this isn’t a story.”

Penny bit the inside of her cheek as she struggled to keep her cool. “OK, then, what do you suggest I do?”

Darren sighed. “Write it up like a regular chart recap and include a couple of lines about how it’s getting close to a record.”

“Because of TikTok?”

“No mention of TikTok. We don’t want to look like we don’t know what we’re talking about.”

“We have a chance to scoop Rolling Stone and Billboard and you’re just ignoring it.”

“Because it’s not a story. End of discussion. I’ve got a meeting to go to.”

Darren stood up and exited the office, leaving Penny stunned and furious. When she’d collected herself, she moved back to her desk in the newsroom. She spun around in her chair, any motivation to work gone.

Editors, specifically Skylar, were constantly telling them to push boundaries and find the stories no one was writing on yet. Unfortunately, they weren’t always on the same page, which led to a great deal of frustration when it came time to file a story. Penny could submit a story thinking it was Pullitzer-worthy, but be left questioning her entire life path after a single round of edits. Almost as if she could sense the tension brewing, Chloe poked her head over top of the divider that separated their desks.

“I think you need coffee. Or a pastry. Or lunch. Basically you just need to not be in this office right now, so we’re going for a walk.”

Penny begrudgingly grabbed her purse and ID and headed towards the exit, close behind Chloe, who was listing off restaurant options.

“Loqui,” Penny eventually said, stopping the list. “I’m in the mood for some spice.”

After walking a few blocks they found themselves at the restaurant, scanning the menu above the cash register. They ordered – a beef plate for Chloe and chicken plate for Penny – and had stood off to the side waiting for their respective numbers to be called, when they were interrupted.

“So we go years without seeing each other and then all of a sudden it’s three times in one week?” Tom called from behind a partition.

“Oh my God,” Penny said, laughing with actual mirth for the first time all day. “What are the odds?”

“Nice to see you again,” Chloe added.

“Are you all dining in?” Tom asked, eyes shifting between the two women.

“Yeah,” Chloe chimed in. “Needed to get out of the office for a little while.”

“I feel that,” Tom replied. “You’re welcome to join us.”

Penny looked at Chloe, who nodded her agreement. Neither woman asked who “us” was.

Their numbers were called and when they’d collected their food they slid into the booth, leaving space around the plate of veggie tacos that had been placed in front of an empty chair.

“How’s your week shaping up?” Chloe asked Tom.

He shrugged. “Mondays are always rough, but it’s all downhill from here.”

“What is management like? Do you have a routine?” Chloe continued. “Like with reporting, there’s a certain cadence with different deadlines and interviews. Is there a similar thing for you all?”

“Sort of. If we’re on tour a lot of people have a routine they like to stick to. When we’re in the office, it’s a little less structured. Depends on what each client is working on.”

Penny kept her eyes on her plate, her thoughts still focused on her earlier conversation with Darren. Eyes on the floor, she saw the white loafers and yellow socks before the face of the man they belonged to.

“You’re out to lunch with Tom?” Penny asked in disbelief when her eyes met Harry’s.

“Yeah. I didn’t think there’d be a problem with that,” he mumbled as he sat in front of the plate.

“I’m Chloe. I don’t think we’ve met,” Chloe interjected helpfully.

“Harry,” Harry returned, extending his hand.

Penny stared daggers at him, but Harry refused to look at her. Penny knew he was observing her though, feeling his eyes burning into her whenever she looked away. Neither of them spoke, leaving Tom and Chloe to fill the silence with banal conversation.

As they chattered on, Penny continued to feel the heat of Harry’s glare on her.

“Can I help you?” she finally snapped.

“What?” he shot back.

“If you have something to say, just fucking say it.”

“I’ve got nothing to say,” he said, spooning some mushrooms and peppers into his mouth.

“Really? Because it looks like you’ve got something on your mind.”

“OK, then,” Harry shot back, putting his spoon down next to his plate. “Why’d you give my album such a shit review?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I do!”

“That’s a great argument,” Penny said, rolling her eyes.

“Well how about this,” Harry said, turning to face her. “I’m trying to figure out how someone who supposedly loves music and everything it stands for can be such a hater.”

“A hater?” Penny could feel the prickly sensation behind her eyes that meant tears were just moments away. “I’m sorry. The 90s called and they want their slang back.”

“Yeah, all of your reviews are just so…mean. It’s like you forget there’s someone behind that album.”

“Almost like forgetting there’s a person behind the review?”

“Don’t twist my words like that.”

“I’m not. I’m just saying it’s a two way street.”

“All you are is a second-rate journalist who isn’t good enough to work for a legitimate publication, so instead of saying things that actually matter, you just share your shitty takes to try to get Twitter clout.”

Penny could feel her lips tremble, but she was determined to not give Harry the satisfaction of seeing her cry. “You know, it’s generally frowned upon to harass a journalist in a public setting just because you don’t care for what they have to say.” She sniffed and much to her chagrin, she could feel her eyes getting wet. “But now you’ve got me crying in a restaurant so I hope you’re satisfied.” She grabbed her purse, leaving her food nearly untouched on the table. “I’ll see you back at the office, Chloe.”

Chloe and Tom’s eyes followed her as she walked out of the restaurant. Harry kept his eyes locked on his plate.

“I should probably check on her,” Chloe said after a moment.

“That might be for the best,” Tom said. “Let me grab a box. You can take her her food.”

Chloe picked up her own bag and leftovers, balancing them alongside Penny’s. “Wish this could have been longer but…” she trailed off as Tom nodded. She looked at Harry. “I’m not entirely sure what this is about but I’ve never met anyone who loves music more than Penny, so whatever assumptions you have about her, she’s not a ‘hater.’ She’s also not second-rate. She’s fucking brilliant, but maybe you’re just too dumb to see that.” She turned on her heel and walked out of the restaurant.

Harry picked up his spoon and started pushing the remaining vegetables and bits of tortilla around on his plate. The air was heavy with the unspoken questions on Tom’s tongue. “Go ahead and say it,” Harry said after a moment.

“Is there something going on with you?” Tom asked, point blank. “You’ve been kind of moody lately and I’m here if you want to talk.”

Harry looked up at him. “That wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m pissed that you yelled at my friend like that, but whatever issues you all have it’s not my business and I don’t want to get in the middle of it.”

“Sorry,” Harry said, a little more firmly. “I just – I haven’t been feeling great and I’m sure this is just a byproduct of whatever that is.”

“Studio stress?”

“Yeah, that,” Harry said, taking the out he was handed.

“Well, you can always talk to me, man. Just gotta let me know that something’s going on.”

Harry nodded and focused on finishing his lunch.

***

Back in the newsroom, Penny picked at the remnants of her lunch that Chloe had deposited on her desk, refreshing the feeds in her RSS reader while she waited on Darren’s edits. When he Slacked her that he was through, she opened the Google Doc to find that he had completely rewritten it. Ordinarily, she would have fought back, challenging him on everything down to the placement of commas, but she felt too drained after her earlier bout with him and the subsequent battle with Harry.

She signed off on the two rounds of edits as quickly as she could and returned to refreshing her browser.

“Are you ready to talk?” Chloe asked, poking her head over the frosted glass between them.

Penny shrugged. “Not much to discuss. I suck at doing my job. Darren agrees! Harry agrees! So does Walt from who the hell knows! I should just quit while I’m ahead.”

“I’m sorry,” Chloe said. “Who is Walt and how does he factor into this equation?”

“Just some jerk on Twitter who also thinks I can’t write for shit.”

“Fifteen minutes,” Chloe said. “That’s how much time you have left to wallow. After that, you have to get up, look in the mirror, and realize that you are a bad bitch who deserves this job more than anyone.”

“I deserve twenty minutes,” Penny shot back. “But thank you for the words of encouragement. I know I just need to move on, but it’s hard to do that when it feels like this happens every fucking day just because Darren thinks I’m an idiot.”

“I know, Pen, but you just have to hang in there.” Chloe looked around before leaning in closer. “I heard a rumor that Darren’s days are numbered so things may be looking up for you.”

“Seriously?” The long running joke of the newsroom was that Darren had witnessed the CEO of the company hit someone with his car and that’s how he managed to land the job and stay gainfully employed for as long as he had.

“You didn’t hear it from me,” Chloe said, sinking back into her desk chair.

On slow days like this one, Penny typically filled her afternoon with source calls and research for future stories but with her motivation subzero, she made her way to the parking garage at 5pm on the dot, ready for a night of wine, takeout, and Friends reruns.

When she reached her car, she was surprised to find Tom there.

“Hey…” she said slowly.

“Hey, I didn’t want to miss you.”

“Should I be worried?” she asked jokingly. “I run into you after years of silence and a week later you’re waiting for me at my car?”

“I promise I’m not following you,” Tom said with a laugh. “I just had to tell you…I know this means nothing coming from me, but Harry isn’t usually like that.”

Penny sighed. “I don’t care, Tom. It’s been a day and I’d rather just move on to prepare for tomorrow’s battles.”

“I know, but it’s important to me that you know the truth.”

“Trying to make sure I don’t start a nasty rumor about your client?”

“No, just trying to make sure you don’t have the wrong idea about a great guy.”

“Great guy?” Penny’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “Are you trying to set me up with him now? Because I’m not interested.”

“No,” Tom huffed, rolling his eyes. “Although there could be something there…”

“Nope, not happening,” Penny said.

“Seriously,” Tom said, the earnestness returning to his eyes. “Harry’s a good guy and I think under the right circumstances you all would actually get along.”

“Tom, even if we were the last people on Earth tasked with repopulating the planet, I’d rather let the human race go extinct than willingly spend time with Harry Styles.”

“Wow, that’s uh, harsh and vivid,” Tom said, scratching the back of his neck. “You just need to understand that he’s under a lot of pressure with the new album.”

“New album?” That caught Penny’s attention.

“Shit!” Tom exclaimed, realizing the magnitude of what he’d shared. “That’s entirely off the record. I’m serious, Pen!”

“Woodward and Bernstein had Deep Throat telling them government secrets in a garage, and I have Tom Skoglund blabbing album releases next to my decrepit Toyota…does this mean my Pulitzer is on the way.”

“I mean it, Penny. I could get in a lot of trouble.”

“It’s fine, Tom. I’m not going to tell anyone. I’ll see you later.”

Tom nodded and headed back to the Full Stop office as Penny climbed into her car and pulled out of the garage.

Later that night after two glasses of wine and about 10 episodes of Friends, Penny decided to sign into her work email. She told herself that she wouldn’t check work emails off the clock, but she always gave into the temptation. She scrolled past the usual news alerts and reader feedback until one subject line stopped her cold.

“An Apology.”

She opened it before she realized what she was doing.

Hi Penny, the email began

It’s Harry. I’d like to apologize for the way I acted at Tom’s party the other night, as well as what I said in the restaurant earlier today. You’re right – it was entirely inappropriate for me to behave that way, and I’m sincerely sorry for any hurt or hard feelings that may have come about on your end as a result.

I just wanted to get this off my chest and conscience.

Hope your evening is treating you well.

All the best,

Harry

Penny was speechless, staring at her phone as Ross Geller’s cries of “We were on a break!” and the subsequent laugh track echoed in her empty apartment.

Harry had apologized.

When she recovered, her first instinct was to text Tom, attaching a screenshot of the email.

Did you put him up to this? she asked.

No, came Tom’s swift reply. See what I mean though? Not a bad guy.

Penny reread the email once, twice, three times, taking in the way he’d introduced himself, but left off his last name. The way his writing was devoid of exclamation points. The effort finding her address and sending the email entailed.

She doubted he’d got it from Tom, seeing as Tom had no clue about the message, which meant he’d either pulled it from The Moment’s website or her Twitter bio. Either option meant he’d taken the time to look her up, typing her name into the search bar to find her profile. Knowing that Harry had searched for her specifically made her feel some type of way. She wasn’t sure what.

She didn’t like Harry Styles, but maybe he wasn’t as horrible as she thought.

***

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