The bet | Harry Holland fic
Summary: Harry Holland was a dick, a dick that agreed to make a bet against one of the sweetest people he’d ever met. However his conscience got the better of him and he had to let you know, but you took it better than expected and of course you had a trick up your sleeve that let everything work out for the both of you.
Frat!Harry x Reader
Word count - 9672
Warnings - language probably, i think thats it
Harry Holland wasn’t very bright. He should have known that when his roommates brought up the topic of Harry’s dating abilities, it was not a good idea to entertain them. That was exactly how he found himself in the centre of a bet to win your heart. He should have known from the get-go it was a horrible idea and usually he never would have done it, but then they offered him a large amount of money between them and he couldn’t turn it down. They were just rich frat boys who wanted entertainment, and apparently he was the way for them to get it.
They all made their bets on how long he could keep a fling going with some girl before she broke it off or figured out the whole thing wasn’t real. The time periods were rather insulting, none of them thought it could last longer than four months at most. The lowest being three weeks. Maybe his agreeing wasn’t just about the money, part of it was also that they had bruised his ego and of course a man with a bruised ego was never good.
You were only made the target because you were the first woman they saw, but with the way they found you you seemed like the perfect candidate. You had been sitting alone on the grass, doing some last minute studying for one of your classes. Apparently to the group of men you were an obvious target for all of those reasons. But to Harry you just looked sweet.
He prayed that you were mean, that you were a terrible person so he wouldn’t feel bad, but when he approached you with a spontaneous question he was proven wrong. His roommates couldn’t have picked a more terrible person for him to do this to. You didn’t deserve it by any means.
“Hi,” he started with, simple but effective. You raised your head. He noted the confusion on your face but you still acted kindly towards him. “This might sound strange, but uh– I’m a photography major, and you just look really beautiful in this light and I was wondering if I would be able to take a few pictures?”
He visibly saw your entire demeanour change. You suddenly got very flustered and nervous upon the sly compliment he gave you. You had never seen him before, though he was cute, even though he had yet to tell you his name. For a few seconds you were just caught off-guard. You found it hard to believe anyone just wanted to take pictures of you so you were a little sceptical of his intentions, although you agreed.
“Yeah, yeah I guess. As long as you make me look pretty,” you teased.
He smiled, shrugging his shoulders as you watched him fiddle with his camera. “I don’t think I’d have to try very hard.”
Your jaw gaped and he felt a momentary sense of pride flutter in his chest. He truly did think you were beautiful. The fact he was able to make such a pretty girl so flustered really helped to repair the damage that had been done to his ego. “Smile.” Nothing else was said as he lifted his camera to his eye, snapping a few pictures. You didn’t know how to act and you knew you were stiff and awkward, all you could muster up was a smile. He just thought it made you look cuter.
Each one of the pictures he took captured something different. The way the wind blew your hair to perfectly frame your face, the flattering colour of your sundress against your skin. In one of them you were gazing at him differently than the rest and it gave him a sense of hope. With each snap of the camera you were getting more comfortable, and all too soon he was done.
You were nervous when you watched him lower the camera, looking down at the pictures with an expression you couldn’t decipher. He was flicking through the various ones, his features completely unreadable to you.
You just had to speak up. “So, did you get ‘em?” He nodded, eyes still fixated on the screen. He couldn’t help but think maybe this was going to be easier than he originally anticipated. If he truly had feelings for you then it wouldn’t even feel like a bet anymore, it’d be a breeze. “Can I see?”
He lifted his head to smirk at you, cocking his head. “I might need some incentive,” he teased. You didn’t know what he was talking about at first, not until he pulled his phone out of his pocket with that same smirk. “Can I get your number?”
You grinned, ignoring the heat on your face. “Do I at least get to know your name first?” He hadn’t realised that during your entire interaction he hadn’t given his or gotten yours until you pointed it out. He chuckled, holding out his hand for you to shake so he could formally introduce himself. “I’m Harry.”
“Y/N,” you told him, taking his hand. He handed you his phone after that, letting you put your number in as a new contact. He was like a kid in a candy store as you were doing so, basically bouncing on his heels with anticipation. “Pretty name for a pretty girl.”
You laughed, shaking your head. “Very cliché.” You handed his phone back with a small grin, unsure of what you were supposed to say now. Contrary to what Harry may believe, you didn’t get asked for your number pretty much ever. This was a new thing for you and you weren’t sure how you were meant to act. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for the classic tropes.” It was actually very ironic for him to say that considering he was living one with you right now.
“I’ll send these over as soon as they’re edited,” he told you, raising his camera slightly so you knew what he was talking about. You hummed. “I’ll look forward to it.”
He offered you a goodbye as he left you to your studying, heading back over to where his roommates had been waiting for him, watching the whole thing unfold from a distance. They were too excited when he made it back, hounding him to tell them what happened before he even sat down. “Tell us everything.”
He raised his phone for them to see, though the smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes. “I got her number.” He felt like a terrible person for doing this to such a sweet girl. But he only hoped what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you. Though he didn’t see the suspicious look you were sending the groups way as they cheered for the boy you had just been talking with.
You didn’t know if it was just typical boy behaviour, but something told you to keep your guard up with this one for a little while. You hoped he would prove you wrong though, he was exceptionally cute and you would hate for him to turn out like all the other boys on this campus.
»»——⍟——««
[ 2 days into the bet ]
It was around two days later when he finally built up the courage to send you the pictures. He actually edited them right when he got back to his dorm the day he took them, but he didn’t want to seem desperate, so he waited. You were happy to receive the message though, replying back instantly without the same worries he possessed.
The photos were exceptional and you understood why he picked the major he had, he was good at it. You felt beautiful when you looked at them. Your response was simply you gushing to him about his talent and it made his heart flutter and his cheeks turn red. He tried to be smooth with it, though that wasn’t really his strong suit, telling you it was all you rather than his camera skills.
The way you were making him feel already had him assuming this bet would be easy, but he still feared what would happen when you found out. He’d seen the movies, lots of them, girls didn’t like when boy’s bet on them like this. It always went up in flames.
But he couldn’t back out now, he didn’t want to lose all that money and you were making it so easy for him. You were even taking some of the steps yourself. You were the one to ask him out on a date, just for drinks or something you said. It’d be to get to know each other better, nothing more than that you insisted. He didn’t care what it was, he still took you up on the offer without hesitation.
He was nervous before he left, his heart thumping extra hard in his chest at the prospect of trying to keep up an act the entire night, even when he was drinking. Knowing him and his loose lipped drunken self, he would be spilling all his darkest secrets to you before the night even ended. Maybe he’d have to limit the amount of drinks he had tonight. He couldn’t leave though without his roommates hyping him up, making a big deal over something that really wasn't. Harry goes on dates, sort of.
Okay maybe he could blame the nerves on the fact he doesn’t go out on dates very often, with very pretty girls nonetheless.
You were due to meet at the pub just off campus where you would spend your night. You made it there first, having found a table for the two of you to sit at, though you were waiting for him to show up before you ordered any drinks. You were nervous, just as he was, and you didn’t like it. You told yourself you were keeping your guard up, frat boys could never really be trusted. But now sitting here waiting for him, you felt like you desperately needed to attempt to impress him. It pissed you off a little, you didn’t want to seek his approval, but you couldn’t tell you nerves otherwise.
He took you off guard when he arrived, calling your name with a quiet hello to catch your attention. “‘S nice to see you again,” he told you honestly, sliding into the booth across from you. You offered him a bright smile, your entire demeanour lighting up when you saw the familiar face. “You too. I haven’t ordered yet, didn’t know what you’d be drinking.”
It was awkward at first, the two of you not exactly the most social of people. You struggled to get a good conversation flowing considering you were still technically strangers. Your conversation may have gotten off to a slow start, but when it finally got going it was like talking to an old friend. You didn’t think you would have gotten along with him this well. The two of you shared stories about every little thing you could think of. He made you laugh, you made him laugh and by the end of the night you were cuddled up on the same side of the booth, his arm around your shoulders and you leaning into his side comfortably.
When your eyes caught the clock on the wall behind the bar and saw how late it was, it wasn’t that you necessarily wanted to part with him, but it was getting late and it was already dark outside. Plus you had work you needed to do tomorrow.
“We should probably head out,” you said, running your hand over your face. He didn’t protest and didn’t complain, just agreed. The two of you made it out of the booth, the curly haired man’s hands shooting to your waist to catch you when you tripped over your own feet. Your little giggle was music to his ears, his own smile springing to his face at the joyous sound.
Even if this bet didn’t go too great, he knew he was going to enjoy spending time with you for as long as you would allow it.
By the time you left the pub you had certainly had too much to drink. Harry thought it was precious, his arm around your waist to keep you steady so you didn’t go stumbling all over the pavement. He did it the whole way back to your dorm, knowing you probably would have yelled in his face if he let you embarrass yourself out in public while drunk.
It was nice to just talk with him while you were walking, though your thoughts were all jumbled from the alcohol so it was more like you just rambling randomly about whatever you saw in passing. Just up until you recognised your dorm building. The two of you came to a stop.
“Thank you for walking me back,” you said, straying from the man’s side to stand a little bit in front of him. He liked it better like this, he could study your face from where he was standing. The way the alcohol was making you sway slightly and the wind was causing your nose to scrunch up from the chill it caused you.
“It’s no problem. Have to make sure you get home safe, wouldn’t exactly be gentlemanly of me to leave you to fend for yourself in the dark,” he said honestly. “Especially when you’re drunk.”
You scoffed, shaking your head. “‘M not drunk, Harry. Slightly tipsy at most.”
He cocked his head, pausing for a few seconds as he very clearly watched you sway and struggle to stay standing still. “Oh yeah? Walk in a straight line.”
You looked down at your feet, feeling your head spin slightly at the sudden movement. Looking back up at Harry you found him watching you with a smug smile, his arms crossed over his chest knowingly. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.” You wished you could prove the smug son of a bitch wrong, but you couldn’t.
He chuckled, nodding his head. “That’s what I thought.”
You huffed. “You know what, you’re kind of an arsehole.” You were supposed to intimidate him by stepping closer, but he was finding much amusement in your drunken state. In fact he wouldn’t have been mad if you got even closer.
That you did, stopping when you were chest to chest with him, your eyes staring directly into those sweet brown ones of his. “Am I?” he mocked.
You were subconsciously pushing your face closer to him. “Mm-hm,” you confirmed, tilting your head to the right as his lips ghosted over yours. You hadn’t intended to end the night kissing him. But you weren’t angry this was the way it had gone.
“Are you really going to kiss me if I’m such an arsehole?” he teased, his large hand cupping your cheek. Your noses kept brushing against one another, the two of you so close that one of you was sure to close the gap any second.
“Be a shame if I did.”
He was the one to finally initiate the kiss, moving your lips against one another's sweetly. It was a pleasant first kiss, one you wouldn’t mind having more of. “Shame on you then, Y/N.” He barely got his tormenting words out before you were stealing his lips again in another kiss. Now that you had one taste of his lips, you couldn’t get enough.
»»——⍟——««
[ 3 weeks into the bet ]
After your first date you and Harry started to spend an exceptional amount of time together. It never mattered what you were doing, you just really enjoyed each other’s company. Sometimes you’d study while he just sat with you, others you would be his muse when one of his assignments required him to go out and take some pictures, they quickly became some of his favourites. Sometimes things escalated to the two of you making out in your dorm, but whatever you were doing you had fun.
You began to look forward to the days you would spend with him, and before you knew it three weeks had passed by and the two of you were quite close. He told you he wanted to take you out for the night, saying you deserved to be treated after a long week of non-stop studying for some upcoming tests you had. You could afford to take the night off to spend with the very cute boy you were very fond of. It didn’t take much persuading on his end.
The redhead had told you to meet him at the frat where he stayed at six. You were going to go get dinner and then see a late showing of a movie he’d been telling you about for the last few weeks. He had been raving about it during the build up to his release and he hadn’t even seen it yet. But you were finally about to.
You got there a little bit early, but you found him preoccupied and didn’t exactly know what to do. He was talking to who you assumed must have been one of his roommates, though he looked rather annoyed with him. You were confused when you heard your name dropped into conversation, but it wasn’t by Harry. Instead it was by the man you didn’t know. They were talking about something to do with money, you didn’t know what, but you also saw the brunette in front of him slip quite a few notes into your date's hand.
You decided that was the time to make yourself known. You didn’t like feeling like you were eavesdropping, so you made your presence known with a quiet clearing of your throat. It caused both men’s heads to whip around to look at you, Harry’s expression softening at the sight of you.
You approached him with a small smile, letting him tuck you into his side with his arm around you. “You ready to go?” you asked, eyeing the man that stood beside him smirking at you. The look made you uncomfortable, and you couldn’t put your finger on it but it was like they knew something you didn’t. Whatever it was you would certainly figure it out but for now you just wanted to enjoy your night with Harry. He nodded. “Let me just get my jacket.”
You were only briefly left alone with the other frat boy but you hated every second of it. He looked like he was itching to say something but was holding himself back from it as well as he could. All that he did manage to say to you was a simple, “So Harry, huh?”
You were unsure how to respond, pursing your lips and nodding your head awkwardly. He felt as though he was taking forever and you couldn’t possibly think what he was doing that would be taking him so long. You were mentally begging he’d hurry up though wherever he was.
Thankfully he came back soon. “Alright, let’s go pretty lady.” You locked your fingers together, the redhead offering you a smile and a disgruntled wave to his roommate before leaving the house with you. Only then did you speak up about whatever the hell had happened inside. “What’s his problem? He was being really weird.”
You didn’t notice how Harry’s entire body tensed up at your words, and he was glad. If you noticed he didn’t think he would have been able to give you an explanation as to why. But as for a lie about his ‘friend’, he could easily create one of those. “Frat boys, they’re… strange, what can I say?”
You grinned, squeezing his hand. “Tell me about it,” you teased. He scoffed, shaking his head as any complaint died on his tongue at the sound of your laughter. He just stuck to rolling his eyes as the two of you headed to dinner.
The dinner was pleasant. You hadn’t really spent much time in a formal setting with him where it was the two of you, but with so many others around. You were used to ordering in to your dorm or attempting to cook together in the frat house when everyone was gone for the night. But it was a positive change. It meant the two of you could really make conversation rather than just getting distracted making out or something. That had happened one too many times which usually always resulted in burnt food.
After dinner you headed straight to the cinema, indulging Harry’s excitement to see the film that was to be played soon. It made you happy to hear his giddy rambles as you walked along the pavement together. Most of the duration of the film was spent with you curled into his side in the uncomfortable seats, occasionally stealing his popcorn when he wasn’t paying attention. The way he got so invested was adorable to you, and you could feel something blooming in your chest for him that you never imagined you would have felt for some frat boy. Though he wasn’t actually like any other frat boy you’d ever met.
Despite having spent hours that night with Harry, coming out of the cinema late into the night, you still didn’t want him to leave yet. Like the gentleman he was he walked you to your dorm, the two of you stopping outside the building where you usually parted.
Your arms were tight around his neck as you gazed at him, his firmly planted on your hips to keep you close to him. You enjoyed being so close. “Don’t want you to leave yet,” you murmured, brushing your lips against his ever so lightly. He hummed, nudging his nose against yours, tilting his head to the side like he was going to kiss you. “You could invite me in.”
It was merely a suggestion, but the tone of voice he used told you he really wanted you to take it. “Is that something you’d like?” The proximity was killing you, you desperately wanted to close the gap and just finally kiss him.
He raised his brows, pursing his lips to hide his grin. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it.” He attempted to do just as you wanted and kiss you, but you dodged out of the way at the last minute, forcing a groan from his throat. You just laughed at him, intertwining your fingers so you could lead him inside the building.
He followed behind you like a lost puppy. By now he’d been in your dorm countless times, but he always seemed to forget which room it was. The dorm building was like a maze to him, much different than a frat house where he knew his way around. Luckily though, unlike him, you didn’t have a roommate. You were one of the few lucky ones that had managed to get a room to yourself. That was one of the things he envied about where you stayed.
“Home sweet home,” you announced, flicking on the light beside the door that lit up the room. You noted that he was still stuck in your doorway when you looked at him, the boy surprisingly feeling rather shy. You tugged him inside with a cheeky grin, raising your eyebrows teasingly as you led him further into your room. “You’ve been in here before, dummy. Y’don’t have to be so stiff and shy.”
He rolled his eyes at you, going lax as you motioned towards your bed for him to sit. You shuffled a little awkwardly for a minute, trying to decide what the pair of you could do in here. He wasn’t expecting anything from you but the way his hand was brushing over your back as he waited for you to speak made it so your words wouldn’t come out. “Uh you can decide what we do. W-We could just talk, or watch another movie. Maybe cuddle a little,” you suggested. If you were being honest you really wanted him to choose the latter, you were craving his arms wrapped around you right now but you were much too embarrassed to outright ask. Thankfully he made the correct decision for you. “How about all three?” he winked.
You beamed, basically bouncing on your feet as you grabbed your laptop and set everything up for the two of you. All he had to do was climb into your small twin bed and open his arms for you.
Before you knew it you were finding yourself back in the warmth of his embrace like you had been a few times over the past few weeks. It was quickly becoming one of your favourite places to be. He would hold you so gently but so securely at the time and it made you feel safe. Sometimes it got a little too distracting, just like now. You were supposed to be watching the movie he’d chosen, but you couldn’t help but get completely lost in him.
The film on your laptop had been long since abandoned as you cuddled closer into the warm man. He was still invested by the looks of it, his lips routinely brushed against your forehead everytime one of the characters said something loving to one another. It made you feel adored, your heart warm in your chest. But just like you it wasn’t much later that he found himself losing interest in what was playing out on screen, instead shifting his undivided attention to you resting against his chest.
“Hey,” he whispered, nudging his nose against your head. It was supposed to be a signal to look at him, he wanted to see your pretty eyes looking back at him.
You followed his wishes, shooting him a lazy grin as you locked eyes. He looked like he was dying to say something, words right on the tip of his tongue as he traced his fingers down the side of your face gently. “What’s on your mind?” you asked, tilting your head to press a kiss to the palm of his hand.
You could feel his heart beginning to pound against his chest as he realised you caught him in his moment of deep thinking. He was speaking honestly. His friend’s bet long gone from his thoughts. “I really like you. I’ve loved spending so much time with you over the last few weeks.”
He paused for a few seconds, trying to gauge your reaction as best he could. You didn’t know what he was doing though, so you just urged him to continue with a hum. You didn’t know what you were supposed to say back to him in the moment. It wasn’t that you didn’t like him back, you certainly did and hearing his confession was making you swoon. Distracting you from any rational thought you could have had. “And I wanted to know what we are? If you’re ready, I want to finally label us.”
You felt shy under his harsh gaze, but you didn’t want to let him know that. “Well, you’d have to ask me if you want my answer,” you teased. He groaned, burying his face in your neck for a few seconds. The heat coming from his skin told you that he was embarrassed, maybe even scared to put his feelings out there in the open. He was scared of rejection. He was taking time to build his courage before he said anything that might make him look dumb.
Though when he finally did it he wanted to make it as sure as possible that you’d say yes, taking to pressing his lips against the skin of your face when he finally felt brave enough. Maybe he could persuade you with a flurry of kisses.
“So, what d’you say? Will you be my girlfriend?” he asked between kisses. You were in complete bliss. You may have told yourself before this all started that you needed to keep your guard up but he was making that increasingly difficult with how perfect he was being. Apparently you were just a sucker for his kisses. “I’ll have to think about it,” you teased.
He scoffed, his hands trailing down to your sides to press into the areas he knew were ticklish. The only way you were getting him to stop was to give him a serious answer, one you probably would have given if you could breathe. You were too busy laughing loudly, stomach hurting from the excessive motion. “Okay, okay. Stop,” you wheezed.
He raised his hands in defence, backing off a little and flashing you a smile. He was taken off guard though when you pulled him back, arms around his neck so you could kiss him again. This one was different to the others, it was slow and soft, something you could definitely get used to. “I’d love to.”
»»——⍟——««
[ 12 weeks into the bet ]
Before you knew it you and Harry felt like you were getting serious. You went from spending a few days a week together to nearly all of your time outside of classes together. The bet hadn’t crossed his mind since that night he took you to see that film, it was still at the back of his mind but when he was with you he was so distracted by everything about you that he didn’t even think about it. Not until one of his roommates came to bring him his portion of the money, telling Harry he surprised him. Apparently he had bet on you lasting nine weeks, and you were well past that point now. You were getting closer and closer to that three month mark everyday and his roommates were beginning to get restless knowing they were going to have to pay out soon if he didn’t fuck up.
Him on the other hand, he was confident you’d make it the whole stretch, and farther if you didn’t find out. But the more it was brought up, the more money he was accumulating, the harder he found it to sleep with the guilt plaguing his mind. Even his dreams resorted to all the awful ways in which you could react. Each was worse than the last and he knew he had to come clean before he exploded.
That weekend Harry was taking you to meet his family. You had the week off from Uni and he thought it was time, time for quite a lot of things actually. On the drive back home he decided he was going to tell his brothers about the bet and see what they thought he should do. And maybe before you left he would end up telling you about it for himself. Surely it wasn’t going to go great but it would be better to tell you now rather than later before he truly fucked everything up.
You noticed how quiet he was in the car, rather confused considering usually he’d be chatting your ear off about some random thing. It concerned you. “You okay?”
He took his eyes off of the road only to shoot you a quick glance and a reassuring smile. “‘M fine. Just nervous I guess.”
The fact that he was nervous terrified you. Surely that meant he didn’t think it was going to go well, or his family wasn’t going to like you. Before now you hadn’t been worried, you were sure you’d be able to make a positive impression. If his family were anything like him then the weekend would go swimmingly. But now you were rethinking all of that. “Shouldn’t I be the nervous one? I am meeting your family for the first time.” You finished your sentence off with a strained laugh. It alerted him of your sudden anxiety.
He tried to laugh it off, feeling the need to reassure you that he was positive his family would love you, but they’d only cause problems for him not you. “I’m nervous my brothers are going to be weird. They like to tease and who knows what they’ll tell you about me that I didn’t want you to know.” The words made you grin and Harry knew he’d fucked up in bringing that point up. It was likely now even if they didn’t tell you anything unprompted, you would now be the one to ask and they’d spill all his secrets.
You poked his arm with your smile still firmly planted on your face. “Things like another girlfriend or just embarrassing stories?”
He rolled his eyes, lifting one hand from the wheel to flip you off. “I already have one incredible girlfriend, I don’t need another, my love.” You verbally awed, dramatically in order to tease him further. It was all making his cheeks heat up and then made you smile brightly. You loved making him shy and flustered like this when you got the chance, just like he enjoyed doing to you. “A true sap, Holland.”
“Only for you.” That was completely truthful. Before you he didn’t ever think he could be this way with a girl, but now he couldn’t imagine himself being any different. Especially not with you. The rest of the drive to his home was pleasant, now that his ‘fears’ were out in the open the two of you could relax with each other again.
It didn’t take much longer for you to arrive, a whole new swirl of emotions erupting in your stomach as you climbed out of his car. He noticed, ever the observant boyfriend, taking your hand in his and placing a kiss to the back of it. He waited until you were ready before he led you up the path to his home.
“My parents are out at the minute, should be back sometime later.” He slipped his key into the lock of the front door while you waited patiently behind him. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he greeted, motioning for you to enter first like the gentleman he was. You stepped inside with curiosity, surveying the inside of the house. He noted the way you were studying your surroundings, guiding you forward to somewhere you could sit.
“‘M just going to go talk to my brothers, I’ll be right back,” he promised, pressing a kiss to your head before he was jogging up the stairs. You didn’t really know what to do, you felt awkward considering you had never been in his house before and you didn’t know when his parents were going to be back.
You were shocked when you felt something cold against your hand, turning your head to see it was a small grey dog nuzzling against you. You smiled brightly, not having known he even had one, but she was adorable. You fussed the precious pup up until Harry came back downstairs, looking considerably paler than he had earlier on. “You didn’t tell me you had–” You words caught in your throat when you saw the look on his face. “Is everything okay?”
It was risky to spill everything before dinner even happened, but he wasn’t sure he could survive pretending nothing was bothering him for that long. Telling you at this point could go one of two ways. Either you exploded and left, leaving him to explain to his parents everything going on. Or dinner was very awkward and then you exploded after it was over. Both ways he felt there’d be a similar conclusion.
“I-I have to admit something,” he said. He sounded too serious for your liking. You were unsure if he was joking or not. He surely wasn’t going to break up with you when he’d just brought you all this way to meet his family. So what could he possibly have to tell you?
You tried to lighten the mood. Test the waters a little to see if he was kidding. “Uh oh, you want to own up about that secret girlfriend now?”
When he didn’t laugh you realised he wasn’t kidding at all. You could see the discomfort growing on his face and it made you shuffle awkwardly in your seat. You were starting to grow uncomfortable yourself. “Harry, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
He didn’t realise the way he was acting was making you just as scared as he was in the moment. He briefly apologised, though he barely even knew what he was saying. “Sorry, I um, I’m just worried you’ll hate me.”
You couldn’t have made yourself any smaller where you were sitting. You were practically waiting for the couch to open up and swallow you to avoid whatever conversation you and Harry were about to have. When he didn’t say anything you realised he’d been waiting for you to respond. He needed a little bit of reassurance even if it didn’t last long. “I could never hate you.”
That started his long explanation about the bet his roommates created and everything that started it and followed. You were quiet the entire time, a little too quiet for his liking. But he couldn’t be picky right now, you weren’t screaming at him and he supposed that was a good thing. He couldn’t gauge your reaction while he was talking. Your face was too stone cold for him to tell.
He trailed off towards the end of his story when he made sure to add that he didn’t have the same view as when he started the bet, by now he truly did have feelings for you and he wouldn’t trade that for the world. In a way he was grateful for it because it gave him you, but of course he knew how it must’ve hurt your feelings to be seen as a prize or an obstacle he needed to get over to win the game. “But Y/N, all my feelings for you are real. I promise, and I’m so sorry.”
You were silent for a few minutes, until suddenly you just hummed. “Let's outsmart those bastards,” you said simply. That wasn’t what he had been expecting at all, you hadn’t even gotten angry at him. Something definitely wasn’t right about this whole thing. “What?” he questioned, brushing the tears from his eyes. In the time it’d taken for him to explain everything to you he hadn’t noticed that he began crying.
You sighed. You were mad, of course you were, but not as mad as he expected you to be. “I knew something was up. Ever since that night we went to the cinema a few weeks back, I got there earlier than I told you I did and I heard something about me and money– I guess I just worked it out and my feelings outweighed my sense.”
He frowned. You basically knew this entire time and never said anything to him. Why hadn’t you said anything or blown up at him before now? Why weren’t you showcasing your anger now everything was out in the open? He just didn’t understand and it was driving him mad.
The confusion was written all over his face and you could clearly see it. Clearing things up for him. “Look, I’m not happy about this by any means. But if you want to, we can work through this and at least give them a taste of their own medicine.”
He still wasn’t really understanding what you meant by that. “What do you mean?” All that properly registered in his mind was that you were willing to work through this with him, he hadn’t lost you because of his stupid decision. “We continue to play along. You said four months right, then you get the money? We can do that.”
His mouth gaped. “Are you sure? I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Although he would have liked the money, it would have been helpful to him, he didn’t want to continue this if it was going to hurt you. “Oh come on. Let them think it’s going how they want, get your money and then I’ll channel my inner Kat Stratford, maybe write an angry poem about how much I hate you; put on a show for them to make it believable.” He was just staring at you in utter disbelief. He knew you were perfect but he seriously underestimated the extent to which you were.
“Have I ever told you how incredible you are?” he asked, bringing his hand to your cheek. He intended on kissing you, and you may not be overly angry but you still weren’t planning to make this easy for him. If he wanted your forgiveness he was going to have to earn it, you appreciated hearing the confession from him, but you weren’t letting things just go back to normal right away.
You turned your head last minute so his lips landed on your cheek, grinning to yourself when he complained with a whiny noise. “Why can’t I kiss you?”
Thankfully you were saved by the bell. You heard his parents announce they were home, preventing you from having to entertain a childish Harry. Instead you had to get ready to meet them and ready to eat. “Looks like we’ve got to go.”
Dinner went surprisingly smoothly. You got on well with his family, specifically his brothers who refused to let up on the teasing of him. And it didn’t seem as though there was any awkwardness or bad blood between you. Although you told him he was going to have to make it up to you even if you weren’t outright mad at him, the two of you seemed okay. If it was all an act then it was good enough to fool everyone at the table including him.
He still felt like he was walking on glass around you though. Certain things he would have done before, like wrap his arms around you when you were beside him, now he felt like he needed to ask your permission in case you got angry. So when you and his family moved from the dinner table to the living room to talk for a while, he checked with you before slinging his arm around your shoulders so you could cuddle into his side. “This okay?” he asked.
You nodded, shuffling closer and resting your head on his shoulder. To anyone else in the room it was just a sweet gesture that they were sure the couple partcipated in all the time. But to Harry it was confirmation and to you it was an admittance that you meant what you said. Everything was okay between you. The simple, sweet affection continued for the remainder of the night, until everyone decided they were too exhausted to stay up any longer.
You followed him up the stairs with a sigh, feeling a wave of tiredness hit you that wasn’t there before. He heard your yawn and glanced over his shoulder to look at you. “Tired?”
You nodded, wrapping your arms around him from behind when you made it to the top of the stairs. His hands settled over yours on his stomach.
His mum startled you when she suddenly appeared behind you. “Harry, you can sleep on the floor,” his mum said. You tried to hold back your laughter as you watched his face delve into shock, a scoff falling past his lips as he made every excuse under the sun on why you should be able to sleep in the same bed. He tried telling her you were both adults and could be trusted but she wasn’t having it. Which resulted in the pouty boy tossing a couple pillows and blankets on his bedroom floor nearly an hour later while you made yourself comfortable in his bed.
He tried everything not to sleep there though. “Come on, Y/N/N, she’ll never have to know. I’ll get out and on the floor again before she wakes up.” His voice was whiny even though still a whisper. You didn’t believe him for a second, Harry slept like the dead, so you knew he’d never wake up in time and then you would both be in trouble.
He could barely see you in the dark but he could tell you were shaking your head at him. He thought you would have jumped at the chance for him to sneak into his bed for you to cuddle. “I think it’s a fair punishment considering what you did. Wouldn’t want your mother finding out about your bet would you?”
He gasped, shocked by your sudden blackmail. “You’re cold, Y/N Y/L/N.”
You chuckled, making yourself comfortable against the pillows of his bed, gazing down towards where he laid on the floor. You only felt a tiny bit bad about him having to sleep down there, it was his bed after all. He did kind of deserve it though. It was like his mum had a sixth sense and just somehow knew he’d done something wrong.
Although you didn’t plan on defying his mother’s wishes, not wishing to make a bad impression already when you had to continue to spend the remainder of the weekend with her, you just offered him your hand.
You waved it slightly so he’d see it in the dark, hanging over the side of the bed. “Harry,” you whispered. He acknowledged it by linking your fingers together, lifting his body upwards to place one last kiss to your skin, this time on your wrist. “Goodnight, my love.”
You smiled lazily as you pushed your head into his pillow, squeezing his hand in your grasp. Your voice sounded tired as you replied. “Night, H.”
»»——⍟——««
[ 16 weeks into the bet }
When you got back to campus, Harry spent everyday making it up to you like he said he would. He did everything he could possibly think of. He cooked for you, bought you flowers, took you on dates, basically waited on your hand and foot until you said those words he needed to hear. It took a couple weeks but he got there in the end. ‘I forgive you.’ It was bliss, for you at least.
All of it was all leading up to the four month mark, the final goal post of the bet.
Today was finally the day in which Harry would be collecting the last and largest portion of money from the bet. He overheard them all talking about how they wanted to make a big show of it, showing up to the place you were going out for dinner to give him the money rather than do it in private, like they had every other time, just to stir the pot so he had to tell you what was going on. It meant your plan would go how it was meant to, but he couldn’t help but think they really were dicks. How he hadn’t noticed before and done something about it.
He was at your dorm while you got ready, being the doting boyfriend he was helping you whenever you needed. He helped zip up your dress, fasten the clasp of your necklace and of course showered you in compliments while you got ready. He could barely even take his eyes off of you.
Before you left you were looking yourself over in the mirror one last time, seeing Harry approaching you from behind. “You’re sure this will work?” he asked, brushing your hair from over your shoulder so he could place a sweet kiss to your skin. You looked at him through your mirror, offering him a positive smile. “I’m sure. And think of all the things you could do with that money.”
He shook his head. “Think of all the things we could do with that money,” he corrected. You tried to stop the heat that rushed to your cheeks, but it was impossible. There were so many possibilities when it came down to it, and each sounded better than the last. A big fancy getaway with no one to bother you both? Sounded like heaven. “I’m sold.”
You didn’t waste anymore time, needing to make your reservation on time. If you waited any longer you would have certainly been late, with all your boyfriend’s distractions you took a little longer than you originally intended to but it didn’t matter in the end. You made it eventually.
You were at the restaurant for a while before they showed up, you nearly forgot about the whole plan, finding yourself caught up in Harry and everything about him. It was so easy to find yourself lost in the moment when it came to him. But then you saw the infuriating sight of smirking frat boys heading your way, the group of men claiming they just so happened to be getting dinner in the same restaurant, some freaky coincidence as they coined it.
It was time to put on the act of your lifetime, the two of you sharing a quick knowing look as the men’s demeanours changed slightly. They made simple, harmless conversation with the redhead at first, acting as though they weren’t here to attempt to ruin your relationship. They barely even acknowledged you while they were doing so. But then when they did finally turn to you it was only to be patronising. If you could have wiped the smug smiles off their faces then you would.
“So, what’s the occasion?” One of them asked.
You looked towards Harry affectionately, that was a real look, real feelings. “Four month anniversary, thought we’d do something special.”
They all dramatically awed. If this was any normal situation you probably would have felt incredibly embarrassed in that moment, frat boys just had a way of making people feel bad. But this wasn’t a normal situation by far, no you couldn’t care less what they thought.
You were still anticipating them to start off the drama, but it seemed as though they were relishing in every individual moment. You didn’t like how long they were dragging it out. Despite being with Harry for months now you hadn’t spoken to the men more than just a few words, but tonight they were really showing their true colours. They could lie their asses off and it shocked you a little bit, though it probably shouldn’t have considering they were the ones that made the dumb bet for their own entertainment in the first place.
“So, do you have anything you need to get off your chest, Harry?” one of them prompted. Oh, there it was, the inevitable beginning of what was sure to be a shit show to them. You offered Harry a sweet smile, playing the innocent act where you assumed it was something pleasant. “Here’s a couple hundred extra,” they mocked, tossing a few notes down on the table where your food was. Even if you knew everything, Harry was still angry at how amused they were. They truly were horrible people. “Just so we can watch this all go down.”
You forced your brows to furrow, acting as though you didn’t know what they meant. Harry feigned nerves, gulping loudly as his eyes flickered between all three of you. You leaned forward so you were closer to him, lowering your voice. “What are they talking about?”
He tried to tame the situation while you were still in the confines of the restaurant, faking a laugh that was supposed to make them go away. But it didn’t, so he offered to take you outside and explain. You had a confused expression on your face as you took his hand, following the redhead out of the building while his roommates trailed behind you. Their twisted smiles never left their faces. “What’s going on?” you asked as you stepped outside.
He may have already told you the story of the bet once, and that should have been harder to do then than now considering you already knew, but he couldn’t find the words. For some odd reason he was more scared telling you now than when he told you at his home. He had to make it realistic at the least.
He was still thinking when his roommates started urging him to hurry up. They apparently didn’t like that it was taking so long. He just began with the first thing that came to his mind.
“A few months back, I uh– was offered a lot of money to try and prove how long I could make a relationship last.” Hearing the words coming out of his mouth phrased like this was making him realise how awful it was. He knew it was bad, he told you he was aware it was a terrible thing to do to a person, but he was feeling an entire new wave of guilt right about now that he would feel responsible to make up for.
He could see your features contorting on your face. From confused to hurt, a range of things. Real or not it made his heart clench uncomfortably in his chest as he watched your face. “It just so happened that you were around when it happened, and you were picked as the uh.. target.”
You were quiet, for a little bit longer than he would have liked had he not been in on what was happening. But for the others they hated that you weren’t saying something, weren’t lashing out at him. They paid for a show and they weren’t currently getting one.
They decided to poke at the fire a bit more. “How does that make you feel, Y/N?” Amusement was all that could be heard when they spoke.
You scoffed, looking as though you only just tuned back into the situation, sudden rage plastered all over your face. “That’s all I was to you?” you asked, scrunching your nose in disgust. “A fucking bet.” You jabbed your finger into his chest. Not hard enough for it to hurt but hard enough for it to look realistic to your spectators. You were honestly having the time of your life, living out every teen movie you’d ever loved as a young girl.
You did all you could to bite back the smile threatening to take over your face, and it worked for the most part. Part of him was actually scared that this was the anger you’d been shoving down coming out to bite him, but if Harry looked hard enough he could clearly see the amusement in your eyes. Maybe you should drop your current academic major and go into acting or something. “At first, b-but it’s not like that now, Y/N.”
You shook your head, glancing between the men watching you. “Did they do this?” Your eyes were back on him now, a stray tear falling down your cheek that almost broke his resolve. He wanted nothing more than to wipe it away, to check this wasn’t hurting you. You watched him look over to them, one of them even daring to give him a mocking thumbs up.
“It was dumb, I know. But it was different from the second I talked to you, I was actually glad it gave me the opportunity to meet you.” He was being honest, but it was something you had already heard before. “I know I shouldn’t have agreed to it. It was horrible, b-but I love you.”
You shook your head, letting the tears fall. You had to ignore his confession or else you would have caved. Your heart was racing a mile a minute, he loved you, Harry loved you and yet you still had to pretend to hate him. “Maybe if you had any decency you would have thought about that in the first place.”
He called your name weakly. “Fuck you,” you stated, pushing on his chest harshly. That was enough for the group of men, thinking they had ruined the relationship you built enough and any credibility Harry had. They’d established the power their money gave them and they were happy to move on with their days now like nothing happened.
After they walked away you brushed away the tears from your cheeks, painting a smile on your face as you stared at Harry, reaching your hands out for him to welcome him into a hug. The tears weren’t entirely fake, they were at first but then he said he loved you and suddenly you were crying tears of joy. “Did you really mean that?” you asked.
You felt him nod into your hug, tightening his arms around you. “Of course I did. I-I don’t know if it’s too soon but, you-you’re something else Y/N Y/L/N.” He pressed his lips to the side of your head and you couldn’t stop how your lips were spreading into an even larger grin than they already were.
He didn’t know if you were against the idea, if he’d made things even slightly weird with what he said, he couldn’t see your face right now. So he just had to hope for the best.
“Harry,” you muttered, coaxing him to look down at you. When he did he felt his heart skip a beat, surely this meant you felt the same way. “I love you, too.”
He pulled you in to kiss him, your lips melting together with a passion you had never felt with him. This was new, this was the kiss of a man who outright loved you, one that you loved too. You were the first to pull back when he started getting a little handsy, giggling to yourself at the way he was trying to chase your lips so you didn’t go just yet.
You took a few steps back from him, holding his hands at arms length, looking at the man you just admitted out loud you loved. Four months ago you didn’t think you would have fallen for him like you did, or have been putting your heart on the line like this. “So, what d’you say we go spend some of that money. We could even get good champagne to celebrate,” you suggested. He grinned, tugging you that final distance into his arms so he could hold you. “My god, you’re perfect.”
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