My Little Bird

One Direction hunk Harry Styles was spotted out on Monday afternoon having lunch at Rossini's with rumoured new lady love Asher Maxwell. Insider caught up with the couple as they left to ask the burning question we're all dying to know the answer to: Are they dating? Harry laughed and gave a definitive no [check out the video below], but cameras have captured the two several times since then and they look even more like a couple now than they did before. Interpret that how you will! You say no you're not dating, but holding her hand out in public is a bit of a mixed signal, don't you think, Haz? We don't care- we love the new couple! Did anyone ever come up with a clever ship name?

"Is Cafe 21 alright with you, Ash?"

"Mhmm," she answered, too distracted by the article she was reading to even register what she was being asked. Perrie walked around to the front of the sofa and sat down, leaning back against the cushions as she glanced at the computer screen, and she immediately recognized the bright green background of a well known celebrity gossip website.

"You know Harry would be upset that you're reading that rubbish."

Asher glanced at her guiltily before gently closing the laptop and sitting back, pulling her legs up into the seat under her. "I can't help it," she mumbled. "I like to stay informed on what people are saying about me. I spent an entire two months being written about without knowing it. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but I'd rather be that than be in the dark any more."

"But it doesn't matter what they're saying, does it? You two are together and that's all that matters."

"Doesn't make me worry about it any less," she replied, shaking her head.

"Trust me, it'll only make you crazy. You should try to avoid it; it's all shit anyway. Don't let it taint what you have."

Asher sighed but didn't respond and both girls' heads turned at the sound of footsteps on the staircase. Eleanor appeared in the doorway of the living room, a bright smile on her face as she pushed a pair of oversize sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose. "Ready to go, girls?"

Perrie nodded and got up from the sofa while Asher quickly slid her feet into her converse and laced them up, grabbing her sunglasses and slinging her bag over her body before she followed them outside. It wasn't a long walk to Cafe 21, but it was all streets full of people, unusually busy for a Thursday afternoon. They'd even waited until well past the lunch rush to venture out in hopes of avoiding most of the crowds. Asher put her dark sunglasses on, falling into step behind Eleanor and Perrie and as they walked down the busy sidewalks, people turning their heads to look at them, she wished that her two companions weren't quite so beautiful and attention grabbing.



It all started when a small gaggle of teenage girls spotted Perrie and yelled to her from down the street as they hurried toward them, causing pretty much everyone else in the vicinity to stop and look as well. Perrie graciously talked with them for a moment and agreed to take a photo before they finally went on their way again, chattering excitedly about that fact that they had met her. It must have been because of those girls that things got out of hand. A tweet, a tumblr post, even a text message from one of them to someone else could have been the reason that by the time they reached the restaurant where they were to have lunch, there was a crowd.

Maybe they all assumed that the boys would be coming to join lunch but there were paparazzi and fans alike, all standing around waiting as they talked among themselves. Asher heard someone shout that they were coming and that's when the frenzy began. Cameras flashed, questions were hurled out toward them faster than Asher could process them, and the small hordes of young girls pushed forward to get closer to them. She wasn't sure why they were so excited to get close; it wasn't like the boys were with them or anything. The path had soon narrowed so much that the three of them were forced to walk in single file, Asher in the middle, behind Eleanor and in front of Perrie.

She did what Harry had told her in previous situations, keeping her head down and not saying anything as she concentrated solely on moving forward. Eleanor reached back and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze as she pulled her along. Her cousin knew she didn't like the crowds and the paparazzi and as tightly as she was squeezing the older girl's hand, Asher figured she probably knew how freaked out she was. She could feel that her heart rate had accelerated and her breathing quickened; her hand felt cold and clammy in Eleanor's but at the same time she felt so warm that she thought she might pass out at any moment.

Someone grabbed a handful of her long hair and yanked, causing her to stumble backwards but Perrie was right behind her, putting her hand on her back to steady her and push her forward as she turned her head to scold the girl who'd done it. Luckily Asher was wearing her sunglasses because she could feel tears pooling in her eyes and the last thing she wanted was for someone to see them. She pressed her free hand to the center of her chest, feeling her heart thump erratically against her palm and she squeezed Eleanor's hand tighter, silently pleading with her to get them out of there. The shrill squeals of all the young girls surrounding them coupled with the invasive questions being shouted out felt magnified inside her head, rattling her brain and causing an aching throb in her temples.

Even after they finally made it in through the glass double doors of the restaurant, Eleanor kept pulling her through the large foyer and down the hallway, ignoring the strange and questioning looks they were all getting as she led the way into a small family bathroom. She shut and locked the door behind Perrie before she turned back to Asher, who was visibly shaking and practically gasping for breath as she ripped her sunglasses off her face and tossed them onto the small counter. Perrie reached out to lay her hand on Asher's shoulder but she flinched away, causing the blonde to take a step back and give her some space. Asher gathered all her hair in one hand to hold it off her neck as she fanned herself with her other hand, feeling dizzy and weak and hot and short of breath all at once. She'd never had a panic attack before and she didn't even know what one felt like, but she decided that it probably felt similar to her current state.

Both Eleanor and Perrie leaned back against the door, watching her carefully from a safe distance. They exchanged worried glances before Eleanor glanced back at the youngest girl in the tiny bathroom, who was still taking short quick breaths like she was hyperventilating. "Call Harry," she murmured almost inaudibly, but Perrie heard her, nodding her head and quickly slipping outside the door as she pulled her phone from the pocket of her shorts.

Asher was leaning over the sink taking deep breaths when Perrie returned, a look of sympathy etched into her blue eyes as Eleanor finally crossed the short distance between them and very softly reached out to rub her cousin's back. "Are you alright, babe?"

"I feel like I'm gonna be sick," she muttered in response and Eleanor noticed that she did look a bit pale.

"Maybe you should sit," Perrie suggested. Asher only halfway nodded, letting Eleanor lead her to the other side of the bathroom and she put the lid down on the toilet before she sat down, doubling over to rest her forehead on her knees. "Just try to breathe," Perrie added, soothingly stroking the girl's dark waves.

Eleanor grabbed a paper towel and ran it under the cold water before wringing it out and handing it down to her cousin. Asher held it to her face with both hands to cool off, thankful she hadn't bothered with too much makeup that would have no doubt looked horrible by now. Her heart rate and breathing eventually returned to normal after about ten minutes and she'd nearly succeeded in stopping her hands from trembling. No one had said anything yet, but she was already feeling the overwhelming need to apologize to the two of them for the way she'd reacted. They were used to things like that, but it was all still very new to her and she hadn't handled it well.

There was a quiet knock on the door and Asher's head immediately shot up, a look of pure panic on her face as Perrie took a few steps forward and turned the lock, pulling the door open just enough for the person on the other side to peek in. Harry's head appeared in the crack of the door, worry and sympathy etched into his features, and the moment she registered that it was him, she was flooded with instant relief. He slipped into the now crowded bathroom, letting Perrie and Eleanor walk out before he shut the door and turned back to her. She immediately jumped up and into his arms, letting him hug her tightly to his body as he whispered apologies into her hair. One hand cradled the back of her neck while his other hand rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"Are you okay?" he mumbled after a moment of silence.

It didn't hit her until right then that he was supposed to be in the recording studio all day before their date later that night; one of the two girls had obviously alerted him to the situation and he'd dropped everything he was doing to come check on her. "Shit, I'm sorry. You're really busy today. I didn't mean-"

"Hey, look at me," he demanded, pulling her back from his chest and tilting her chin up so that she was forced to meet his eyes. "Don't worry about it, okay? It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. You're supposed to be doing important band stuff and I interrupted-"

"Ash, stop. I promise you it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're okay.....Are you?"

She nodded weakly and let out a sigh, looking down from his worried green eyes. "I'm sorry. I overreacted again. I just can't seem to stop overreacting about things that involve you for some reason, but I'm sorry. Really sorry that you had to come all the way down here."

"Don't be sorry. This is my fault. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Harry, how on earth is this possibly your fault? It's not like you told 'em where we were and asked 'em to ambush us. How'd you get past them by the way?"

"Came in through the back entrance. No one saw me." He smiled briefly at the fact that he had eluded the masses outside even though it wasn't like he'd executed some brilliant plan, but then it faded just as quickly as it came. He grabbed her shoulders, ducking his head down to be at her eye level. "Be honest with me here, Ash."

"About what?"

"I know how hard this has all been for you so far and it just got a whole lot worse today. If this is too much for you, I'll understand-"

"Harry, stop," she interrupted, shaking her head.

"If you don't think you can handle it or if you don't want to or-"

"Seriously stop it." Asher clamped her hand over his mouth to shut him up. "I know I haven't exactly had the most promising reactions to things relating to your fame that've popped up but I'm going to work on it, okay? I promise I'm going to try."

Suddenly the roles had reversed and she was the one comforting and reassuring him. The guilt he was feeling was written all over his face as he let go of her and leaned against the counter with a heavy sigh, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "I just don't want you to hate being with me because of all the madness you'll have to deal with and then end up hating me too."

Her hands dropped to her sides in defeat and she reached out to lace her fingers with his. "I could never ever hate you or hate being with you. I'll learn to adjust to it, I promise. Just give me some time."

"That's just it," he groaned, raking his free hand through his hair. "You shouldn't have to adjust to that! It's mental!"

"It's a big part of who you are, Harry, and if that's what it takes to get to be with you, then so be it. I'm not saying I won't struggle with it because it is a lot to deal with, but I'm going to try my best because you're more than worth it. I actually kind of love you, ya know."

He cracked a smile and squeezed her fingers that were linked with his, pulling her toward him as he stood up straight to wrap her in a hug again. "I kind of love you too," he mumbled into her ear. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Asher nodded into his chest, tightening her arms around his body. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry you had to leave the studio."

"Don't be," he chuckled. "You saved me from a lot of work I really didn't want to do anyway."

"You're going to have to do it sooner or later."

"And I always prefer later." She laughed, letting him go and pulling back to look up at him. "El and Perrie are outside," he said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want to stay and have lunch with them or would you rather go home with me?"

"Are we leaving through the back door?"

He smiled, but the guilt still swam in his vibrant green eyes. "No crowds. Promise."

"Let's go then," she replied, lacing her arm through his.



"I have something for you," he sang, holding both hands behind his back as he rocked back and forth on his heels with a sheepish grin. Asher rolled over onto her side, looking at him curiously as she took another bite of her Chicken McNugget. Since she wasn't staying for lunch, Harry had his driver stop at McDonald's on the way back to his flat and Asher was feeling much better after an oreo McFlurry and her McNuggets. She basically had the diet of an eight year old.

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

"A film." She wrinkled her nose, causing him to laugh and shake his head as he tossed the case to her and it landed right on her stomach. "It's a story built around the music of The Beatles."

Her eyebrows shot up as she examined the psychedelic cover carefully before shrugging her shoulders, a hint of a smile on her face. "Let's watch it upstairs."

"I don't know if that's a good idea....." He trailed off, looking at her skeptically.

"Why not?" she asked, sitting up and throwing her legs over the side of the sofa.

"Because if I get you in my bedroom then you won't be getting to watch it anymore. There'll be too much temptation."

She rolled her eyes playfully as she stood up and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him behind her as she headed up the wooden stairs to his bedroom. She handed the case to him as soon as she walked into the room, leaving him to put the movie in as she did a run jump onto his massive bed. She rolled onto her back, spreading her arms out at her sides as she sighed, staring up at the ivory ceiling. Harry soon joined her, nudging her out of the center and onto her own side before he flopped down onto the mattress, remote control in hand.

As he started the movie, she changed positions so that she was on her stomach with her head at the foot of the bed. She grabbed a pillow from behind her, folding her arms on it and resting her chin on her arms as a gloomy looking beach appeared on the screen. When the main character began singing the first song, she became immediately enthralled and she shushed Harry when he started to say something, but he just chuckled as he laid down on his stomach beside her, taking over half of her pillow. The scene of two funerals with a choir singing "Let It Be" made her cry and he laughed at her while she just scowled and jabbed him in the ribs.

Of course the usual restlessness that came when watching movies did cause her to change positions about a thousand times, but the movie was so good that she didn't even notice it. When the psychedelic final credits began to roll on the screen, the sounds of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" filling her ears, she flopped down onto her back and closed her eyes, folding her hands across her stomach. She felt the bed shift and cracked one eye open just as Harry rolled over to halfway lay on top of her. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked with a laugh.

He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck and let out a heavy sigh, his breath tickling her skin. "I've been thinking about this afternoon."

"Harry-"

"I feel terrible about it, Ash. I hate that you were ambushed that way."

"It's okay," she muttered, reaching up to run a hand through his curls. She couldn't see his face but she knew he probably looked like someone had just run over a puppy. Actually, by the heaviness of the guilt that laced his voice, he probably looked like he had been the one to run over a puppy.

"No, it's not okay. I don't want you to have to suffer through that every time you want to go have lunch with your cousin or something. It's mental."

"Yeah, a little bit," she chuckled. "But you're worth it, babe. I don't care what I have to suffer through, as long as it means I get to be here at the end of the day." Asher gave his arm a little squeeze to further her point and he snaked it across her waist, pulling her tightly to him. "I promise I'm going to try to adjust to it. Not let it affect me like it did today."

"I think we should go away for the weekend," he said suddenly, somewhat changing the subject. "Just have a bit of a break from it all."

"Really?"

"Some place where nobody cares who I am. We can just spend some time together without all the madness."

"And where's that?" she asked, causing him to lift his head and give her an ear to ear grin.

"Holmes Chapel."