Glass Flowers

“Whoa there, you okay?” Green eyes bore into mine, and my mind was seizing up in response.
Acting purely on reflex, I jumped away from Harry like the guy was on fire, stumbling slightly in the process. It seemed the sudden distance between us did wonders for my brain, because I managed to stutter out a “I’m fine, thanks.”

The plan was barely even put into motion yet, and I was already screwing everything up just by being me. So much for making a good first impression… I cringed inwardly when I thought of how Chloe would react to this. It looked like her pep talk this morning was a complete waste.

Speaking of Chloe, I glanced around, trying my best to ignore the curly-haired boy in front of me. My stomach lurched when I realized that my best friend was nowhere to be seen; for the time being, the two of us were completely alone in front of the café. Great.

“Hey, are you sure you’re alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Harry’s voice only intensified the burning desire I had to flee. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t do this. I really couldn’t do this.

Tugging at the hem of my dress, suddenly a hundred times more uncomfortable with my current attire than before, I dared to look directly at Harry. Immediately I could feel warmth flooding my cheeks. Chloe sure knew how to pick ‘em.

To say that this guy was attractive would be an understatement. Wild brown curls framed a perfect face, and intense green eyes stared at me with a gaze that burned. I had known that this Harry character would be hot, but I wasn’t expecting this. I had no idea how I was going to say two words to the guy without looking like a complete idiot, let alone get close to him.

Without permission, my mouth opened and closed a few times while my mind tried conjuring up the words to say. Nothing came out. I must have looked ridiculous.

Harry was looking more amused by the second, and I wanted to kick myself. Spit it out, girl.

“I hate these shoes.”

Wait, what? That was the best I could come up with? Harry must have shared my sentiments, because his expression quickly changed into one of confusion. “What?”

“I can’t walk in heels. That’s why I, um, tripped.” Shut up, shut up, shut up. Why was I still talking?

Harry laughed at that, and it was the nicest sound I’d heard in a long time. “Then why are you wearing them? You look about ready to jump out of your clothes.” He quickly realized what that must have sounded like, because he backtracked faster than I could decipher what he said. “Um, wait, that didn’t come out right. I meant you looked uncomfortable in your current… uh… attire.”

Trailing off awkwardly and flicking his gaze away from me, Harry turned back to the entrance to the café, almost as if willing the doors to open and for someone to step outside and save him.

I found it adorable, and now that he was feeling just as awkward as I was, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. The playing field was leveled now.

I laughed, and I was shocked by how easily it fell from my lips. “You’re right, I look ridiculous.”

Harry swung his head around to stare at me in shock. “What? No, I didn’t mean it like that. You look great.” Immediately his face pinked a bit, and he clamped his jaw shut. “Umm.” I could practically read the desire he had to kick himself if it wasn’t for the foot in his mouth, and for some reason, I found Harry more endearing by the second.

Quickly, I switched tactics. I had to face the facts-- I wasn’t much of a charmer when it came to guys. I didn’t know how to get them eating out of the palm of my hand the way Chloe could. Makeup, form-fitting clothes, and whispering sweet nothings… none of those things were my forte, and I doubted they ever would be. But if nothing else, I was the best at being honest and real.

I was never all that great with putting up fronts; I was too easy to read, and people saw through it easily. I could wear all the sexy clothes I wanted and cake my face in makeup until I was unrecognizable, but I was still April underneath it all. Nothing could hide that. The point was driven home when Harry, although he had known me for a total of maybe two minutes, had already picked up on the fact that I felt out of place in my clothes.

He knew that this wasn’t really me.

If this plan was going to work, I had to do this my way. Suddenly feeling a lot more comfortable in my own skin with that revelation, I bent down and removed my heels, tossing them behind me. Harry watched me, his expression unreadable. “I know what you meant. Thanks, by the way. For catching me.”

And I really was grateful for that. I would have gotten worse than a sprained ankle if it wasn’t for Harry. But it must have been the right thing to say, because Harry offered me a timid smile in return. “It was no problem.”

_____________________________________________________________________

Chloe squealed in delight when I recounted what went down at the café. “Oh my gosh, April, this went way better than I ever hoped! You’re amazing!”

I still didn’t quite understand how she could be so happy about her boyfriend having an almost… romantic (if not extremely awkward) moment with another girl, but whatever.

“I still can’t believe you managed to make him blush and stutter like that! It’s so unlike Harry.”

“It is?” I blurted out. “What’s he normally like?”

Chloe pursed her lips in thought. “Well, he’s usually so confident around people. He’s also a real flirt…” As those words left her lips, Chloe’s face crumpled a little. “And that’s why I need your help so badly, April.” She looked so utterly defeated that I felt my heart drop a little.

I never could deal with an upset Chloe. The fact that she felt like she had to resort to such extreme measures before she felt safe enough to place her trust in a guy blew all doubts I had out the window.

It was obvious that Harry Styles meant an awful lot to her, and a little discomfort on my part was a small price to pay for Chloe’s happiness.

In that moment, I realized that I was going to see this plan through no matter the cost.