stylesshots

[stylesshots]

Better Days (part 1)

Word Count: 2.7k

Concept: After their breakup, Harry reminisces his past with Y/N and realizes that they aren’t too far gone with the help of Liam. 

IT’S LONG BUT WORTH IT!

--

I don’t think I’ve ever felt this low in my twenty-five years of life. 

It has been weeks since I left my apartment, weeks since I’ve even stepped on the concrete ground. Being out meant I’d have to deal with whatever my reality was now, the reality that I didn’t have her anymore. I wanted to stay in the past, I spent days wrapped around the sheets that we were once wrapped in together, I sat alone at the dining table we ate our first dinner together at. I was so alone. 

I didn’t mind the silence, however. I’d rather silence than anyone else’s voice, the only voice I wanted to hear was her’s. But she was out in the world now, probably not caring about where I was or where I needed her to be. At least I hope she is, I don’t want her feeling what I’m feeling right now. 

I sat on the couch and flipped through the channels, nothing caught my eye. I chose the NBA finals, I can’t watch any television without seeing some couple falling in love, so hopefully, basketball can break that pattern. But everything reminded me of her.

“Harry! We have to go!” Y/N whined. She pulled my arm with all her strength but barely moved me an inch. She stood there with an annoyed look on her face, I was making her late but I couldn’t stop smiling at how angry she was over a stupid basketball game. “Harry, please!” She dragged me out of our bedroom and towards the front door.

“Love, I need my shoes from the bedroom,” I told her. She rolled her eyes at me and ran back into our room, bringing back a pair of beat-up sneakers, “You’re joking,” 

“No,” She said confidently, “You’re going to a basketball game, not a ball, Harry,” 

“We’re going to be courtside, right?” I told her, she nodded and began to put on her heels. 

“Which is why we can’t be late!” She pointed down to my shoes. 

I tried my best to stifle my laugh, making her even more annoyed.

“Why are you laughing?” She groaned, but her groan turned into a light laugh. I pulled her close to me and planted a kiss on her forehead. “What was that for?” She wrapped her hand around mine. 

“I love you,” I told her. 

Her cheeks turned a bright red and she squeezed my hand, “I love you too... can we get going?” 

If I knew that one day I wouldn’t be able to say those words to her, I promise you I would never have stopped. 

My phone rang against my leg and the screen lit up, *Liam*. For a moment, I wasn’t going to answer. But in the last 19 days, the boys have been left in the dark just like the fans and the media and that wasn’t fair.

“Hello?” I answered. My voice was raspy and worn out, was this the first time I’ve spoken to someone all week?

“You sound like shit,” Liam scoffed. I put my finger on the red button and as the call ended, Liam started banging on my front door. 

“Open up, Harold!” Liam cheered through the door. 

I felt a migraine coming over me but I still got up to open the door for Liam. 

“I brought takeaway,” 

Before I could get a word in, Liam pushed the door open the rest of the way and set a large brown paper bag on my dining table. I could see him scanning the apartment covered in clothes and dirty dishes. It was honestly embarrassing to let someone in with all this shit lying around. 

“Thanks,” I said as I pushed some of the clothes towards the center of the table so we could eat comfortably. 

“You’ve been eating?” He asked me. 

I shrugged and watched him pull out a container of soup from the bag, “Yeah,” I paused, “If you count frozen pizzas and dry cereal as a meal,” Liam shook his head and slid the soup towards me, “I’m good, mate...”

“Eat,” Liam insisted, “It’s from the place on Birmingham Avenue that you were raving about,” 

I could tell he was trying to make conversation, but I just wanted to get whatever this was over. 

“Liam, why have you come here?” I groaned began to mix around the soup. 

Liam folded his hands in his lap and took in a sharp breath, “Why do you think, Harry? No one has heard from you since the breakup, not even Gemma. Your mum says you’ve been declining her calls all week and even before that, you just kept telling her you’re fine. Obviously, you’re not fine...” He gestured around the room. 

“Of course, I’m not okay- but I don’t want to be bombarded by friends and family when I’m not ready,” I told him. 

“We don’t want to, that’s why I’m here,” He sighed. 

“So you’re just going to relay whatever I say to you, to the next person?” I asked him. I shouldn’t have opened that damn door. 

“Harry, I’m not here to pick a fight with you. But everyone is worried, even Y/N-” He took in a sharp breath and the sound of her name made me take one as well. 

“What about Y/N?” I quickly asked. 

His face turned from nervous to concern, “You haven’t spoken to her?” I looked down at my feet, “Harry, what happened? How did you go from being inseparable to... to whatever this is now?”

Inseparable- how did we become the opposite of that?

My first solo tour was beginning and who better to have by my side than Y/N? It was crazy how far we’ve come in the last few years together. I met her when MITAM was just released and now here she was, standing backstage at almost every show so far, cheering like she was a fan. 

“Harry, you’re going to be late,” She warned as she wrapped her hands around the back of my neck.

“I can’t be late to the show if I’m the show,” I scoffed. My lips connected back with her and she climbed onto my lap. My hands traveled down from her waist to her thighs, her lips moved down to my neck. If it were up to me I’d never leave from here. 

I felt her breath on my neck as she warned me of the time again, but instead, I pulled her closer to me. The combination of her perfume filling my nostrils and the feeling of her lips on my skin almost sent me over the edge. I used all my strength to stop myself from grabbing her and laying her down on this couch. 

“Okay,” She groaned and pulled herself off of me, my hands stayed on her waist as she fixed her hair and collar, “Harry, you have to go,” She pushed my hands gently off her waist. 

“You’ll be waiting here for me?” I asked her, she planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

“Always,” She smiled, “Now go,”

Liam waved his hand in my face and brought me back to reality, “Harry, can you please focus?”

“I feel like I’m suffocating,” I confessed, as harsh as the words were, I felt a small weight come off my shoulders, “I see us in everything, this apartment... I can’t look at anything without it reminding me of her and each time I remember, it feels like a wave crashing on me when I’m already down,” 

Liam stayed silent for a moment and sat back up in his seat, “Then let’s go,” he motioned toward the door, “Stay at my place,”

It wasn’t a bad idea, I needed out. 

“I’d have to pack some clothes and-”

“Go pack some clothes then, Harry. I’ll go bring the car around, you gather your shit...” He looked around the house again, “Stay for a week or two,” 

“Thank you, Liam...” I wiped the last of the tears from my face. 

Liam stood up and grabbed his car keys, “Five minutes,” 

I walked down the hallway and put my hand on the doorknob, I haven’t been in our- my bedroom since the night I drank a whole bottle of whiskey myself. When I opened the door, the scene was worse than I could remember. The dresser was knocked over, bottles of cologne broken and poured all over the ground, a vase of flowers shattered by our bed, clothes thrown all over the room. I navigated my way around all the glass and grabbed my suitcase. 

“Harry?” Her sleepy voice sounded through the phone, “Harry, it’s 2am,” 

“I know,” I sighed, I needed to hear her voice. 

“You can’t keep calling me,” She told me.

“Then why’d you pick up?” I shot back. There was silence for a few seconds and I heard her shuffle in bed. 

“Harry, are you drunk?” She asked. 

I knew she’d see right through a lie, but the truth would make her angrier. I stuck with silence. 

“I miss you,” I ignored the lump forming in my throat, “Come back,” 

Before I could get another word in, I heard a beep and she was gone. 

That’s all I remember of that night; after she hung up I threw my phone across the room and the destruction began. It was also the last time we ever spoke. I didn’t have the courage to ever dial her number after that night. 

I opened my closet and just threw anything that looked clean into the suitcase, it’s not like I was going to go out for a photo shoot anytime this week. I grabbed a shirt from the corner and under it was a necklace. The one I’d given Y/N for our one year anniversary. 

I felt a deep pang in my chest, why would she ever leave this behind? Why did she hide it for me to find? Was it part of some sick joke? I threw the necklace in the pile of broken glass, it was going in the trash with the rest of it. 

I continued packing and once I finished, I found myself wanting to unpack and just stay here, part of me knew that leaving meant that I was finally starting to get better. I took my suitcase and rushed out of the house before my brain could convince itself to stay here and when I shut the front door, I knew I was making the right choice by leaving. 

Liam popped open the trunk and looked a bit relieved, “For a moment, I thought you weren’t coming,” 

“Almost didn’t,” I smirked. 

The car ride to Liam’s wasn’t going to be too long, but I knew he was going to make it feel like hours by making me pour out my heart in his passenger seat. 

“Are you ready to tell me what happened?” He asked me. 

I don’t think I was ever going to be ready to tell anyone what happened so what was the point in staying silent any longer?

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?” Y/N pounded her fist on the table and stood from her chair.

“I am listening, but you sound ridiculous!” I yelled back.

“I’m ridiculous?” She folded her arms across her chest, “We’ve been having the same fight for weeks because you aren’t listening to me, Harry. You’re making me feel crazy for having to bring it up every week!” 

“Then why do you bring it up?!” I took a step towards her. 

She gave me a look that sent shivers down my spine, but I refused to let my face show it.

“Harry, I need to take a break and you’re not listening. When we first got together, I told you that I can’t deal with the paparazzi and the fans, but I pushed through it because I love you. But now I can’t open my phone without seeing someone wishing death on me and I know that’s not your fault, but I want to go home,” 

Home for her meant Oregon, for me it meant here- England.

“Y/N, you know I never want to see you hurt,” I told her and she nodded, “So go home, I’ll finish the tour and then we’ll go back to England. Five weeks,” 

She put her head in her hands and sighed, “No, Harry.” 

I could hear her sniffling but she kept her face covered, “Harry, I want to go home and stay there. I’m not happy here,”

“We’ve been together for years, Y/N. We’ve bought an apartment in England-” 

“It’s not England, Harry!” She shouted, “I need to be out of the spotlight! I need to be able to live my life without a fan or photographer shouting at me every time I leave my house!” 

My heart sunk and I connected the dots, “So it’s not England. It’s me,” 

Her face froze and I could tell that she didn’t even see it that way, but that’s what she had been meaning to say all along, “No,” She wiped her tears, “No, Harry. I love you, you know that. Harry, look at me,” Her voice broke. My eyes focused on the window behind her, a beautiful view of the water. 

“If I’m such a problem in your life, then leave,” My voice was cold but my blood was boiling. 

“You’re not,” She cried, “Harry, it’s not you,” 

She tried to convince me, but everything she’d been saying the last few weeks convinced me of the opposite. England, paparazzi, the fans, touring- it all had one thing in common, me. 

“Get out,” I told her, my voice was quiet but low. 

“No,” She stood from her chair and moved towards me, but instead I got up and went towards the bedroom. She followed me and continued to call my name, but I completely ignored her. 

I grabbed her suitcase and threw it on the bed, she put her hand to her mouth as I started throwing all her shit in, she didn’t even try to stop me. 

“Go to Oregon, Y/N,” I told her, I could hear her crying behind me. How did it get so bad so fast?

“Harry, I want to be with you,” She put her arm on my shoulder to turn me around, but I didn’t budge. I carelessly shoved more of her belongings into the suitcase. 

“I’m not leaving,” She took her hand off my shoulder and sat in front of me on the bed. The heartbreak in her face almost made me fall to my knees, but I couldn’t fold on this. I couldn’t be with someone who had the slightest thought of leaving. Leave before you’re left.

“Fine,” I sighed, her face lit up for a second and I zipped her suitcase up and dragged it out of the room. She followed me out and tried to grab it from me.

“Harry, stop!” I ignored her and continued down the hall. She ran behind me and relentlessly tried to grab at the luggage. I swung open the front door and tossed the suitcase to the sidewalk. 

“Goodbye,” I crossed my arms over my chest and she stared at me with her jaw dropped.

“Harry...” Her voice was broken, “Are you serious?” 

I looked down at my feet and noticed the gold necklace hanging from my neck with a simple rose on it, I ripped it from my neck and it tore in two places, “Here,” I handed it to her, “Use it to buy your ticket home. I’ll send someone with the rest of your things,” 

Was this really happening? 

I watched as she grabbed the necklace from my hands, the last time our skin would touch. I watched as she slipped on her slippers and walked passed me at a painfully slow pace, once she was out the door she turned around to say something. Then she watched me shut the door in her face. 

I looked at Liam and he was staring at the road, “Harry-”

“I know,” I rested my head in my hands, “It’s my fault,” 

“And what are you going to do about it?” Liam asked me, I looked up from my hands and realized that Liam passed the exit to get to his house. 

“Where are we going?” I asked him.

He paused before answering, “The airport,”

[stylesshots]

Secret’s Out

Word Count: 1.2k

Requests open!!

Concept: Harry and Y/N have been dating secretly for a while but the secret is finally revealed when an interviewer asks Harry about you during the Dunkirk premiere. 

--

For the last year and a half, I’ve been dating Harry Styles. Despite that time, saying the words sound insane. Explaining how Harry and I met while he was in New York for touring and how he actually came up to me in that grocery store was a story that seemed unreal. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of One Direction or anything so when I saw Harry in the store and the paparazzi banging on the windows, I decided to keep my distance from him. But he waited until I was in an aisle blind to the paparazzi to come up to me and ask for my number. 

I was still in college at the time and I was living a normal life and I was ready to give that up for Harry, but he refused to let the public leak into every part of my life and our relationship- and I thank him for that every day. Because of that, I’m able to be with the man I love and live a fairly anonymous lifestyle. 

Of course, it’s not easy. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to sit through storms of dating rumors between Harry and other women. We could never go out to a restaurant because as soon as someone saw Harry Styles, cameras would be out. But it was all worth it and I wouldn’t change a thing. 

Tonight was the Dunkirk premiere in London and because of finals I couldn’t fly over and watch it with him so my best friend, Alyssa, and I were watching a live stream of it in my apartment. 

We waited impatiently for Harry’s arrival, the interviewer from TMZ- I think her name was Bella- was stationed right at the drop-off location, so she got first dibs on all the stars. 

“Where is he?” Alyssa whined and dipped her hand into a bowl of popcorn. 

“I have no idea,” I looked back at my phone and he still didn’t reply to my last text *Good luck, baby! I love you💗* 

“There he is!” Alyssa squealed. I almost dropped my phone out of excitement. Harry was stepping out of his car in a dark blue/green suit with a white button down. He looked amazing.

“Harry! Harry!” Bella called out.

She finally caught Harry’s attention after a few tries and he walked over to her with a small smile on his face. 

I was so proud of Harry that I started to tear up watching him. Harry spent countless nights preparing for the role and spent more than twelve hours a day on set only to go home and continue writing music. He was the hardest worker I knew. 

“Harry, you look amazing tonight!” Bella greeted.

“Thank you, thank you,” Harry bowed slightly.

“Now, Harry, this is your first time acting on the big screen. How does it feel?” She pointed the microphone at him. 

“It’s unreal. Absolutely unreal, um, I really don’t have words. I’m extremely grateful and excited,” Harry replied. The way Harry spoke was mesmerizing, he chose his words and diction so carefully it’s like an art. 

“Are we going to see more roles coming from you soon?” Bella asked.

“Yes, definitely. I do want to focus on music for a while, though. I’ve put it on the back burner recently and I need to get it back on my focus,” Harry said, I knew he was beyond excited to get back to writing music. 

“Do you want to say hi to anyone at home?” Bella pointed at the camera and Harry waved at it.

“Hello, mum! Gemma, the boys. Um, thank you to all the fans watching tonight,” He stared into the camera and blew a kiss to them. 

“Anyone else?” Bella chuckled.

“No,” Harry smiled, “Not particularly,” 

Alyssa and I shared a confused look, I could also see that look appearing on Harry’s face.

“Not even your girlfriend?” Bella sang. 

Harry stood there, not sure of his next move. I was sure that she was going to say Kendall or another supermodel with their name attached to Harry’s and he would brush off the rumors like he usually did. Bella moved the microphone back to her because Harry was silent. 

“Harry, we have a trusted informant that told us you have had a long time girlfriend in New York,” Goosebumps rose on my skin, “Y/N Y/L/N,” 

Harry’s ears went red and he pursed his lips as the microphone was pointed back at him. He was just standing here. 

“What’s he going to say?” Alyssa moved towards me and wrapped her hand over mine. 

“I have no idea,” I replied. 

I would not know what to do in Harry’s situation, tell the truth or deny the question. Harry wasn’t only making this decision for him, he was making it for me and his silence was already giving away an answer. 

“Twitter is booming,” Alyssa gasped, she turned her phone to me and to my surprise, my name was #3 on the trending page. It had only been a minute since she even asked the question. 

Harry sighed and nodded, “That is true,” 

I don’t know if I felt relieved or if I was in plain shock. Just like that, the walls Harry and I built to protect our relationship had fallen into dust.

“Wow! For how long has this been going on?” She asked him. 

It felt so weird knowing she was asking about me. 

“Two years, I believe. Been a while,” Harry tried to play it off cool, but I could see some annoyance in his eyes from being put on the spot like this on such an important day. 

“Two years? Why haven’t you announced it? Why is this the first time anyone is hearing about Y/N?” The questions came at lightning speed.

Harry stood on the soles of his feet and thought for a second before answering, “Well, we- um,” I had no idea how to answer this question without lying or saying, “You. This is the reason we haven’t announced it,”

“It’s really no one’s business and you know, that’s really why. I’d like to think we’re both very private people, despite my career, and we didn’t see the point in exposing something so private,” Harry answered. 

“Nicely put,” Alyssa raised her wine glass to the TV, I laughed but I was still scared out of my mind- I could feel my phone vibrating against my leg every two seconds.

“Can you tell us something about Y/N? Anything?” Bella questioned. 

“It’s like she’s not even listening to his responses,” I groaned and put my hand on my forehead. 

“She’s absolutely wonderful, beautiful. She’s- yeah,” Harry seemed to stop himself from speaking, making my cheeks turn red. 

“Are we going to see more from her?” Bella asked. 

“Knowing her, probably not,” Harry laughed, “But that’s up to her,” 

I rolled my eyes and listened as Bella thanked Harry again and watched him walk away deeper into the red carpet. Alyssa shut off the TV and tried to stifle her laugh. 

“Everyone knows,” I sighed, “Everyone,”

I opened my phone and scrolled through the ninety texts from classmates, old friends, distant family, and some actual friends. The newest one was from Harry, thirty seconds ago, *I love you too❤️*.