She's Not Afraid

(Harry's POV)

"Come sit, popstar." She said and she moved to one side of the bench with her bag, making room for me.

I made my way towards her and sat down next to her. She started taking out what looked like a sketchbook from her large bag.

"So what exactly are you doing out here?" I asked.

"I like to draw. It's nice coming out here at night when it's quiet." She replied. She continued taking out small things from the pockets and flipped open to a new page in her book.

"What do you draw?"

She sighed once again. "Why are you so nosy?" She nudged me playfully with a small smile.

I returned the smile. "You're just an intriguing lady, I guess." I spoke the truth.

Her blue eyes widened the slightest, making me feel like maybe I shouldn't have said that. But she laughed, making me relax. "Oh? How do you figure?"

I thought this the night after we first met. I gathered my words carefully. "You can be quite the mystery. Your whole persona is intriguing."

"That's good to know. I think..."

She started lightly drawing in the small sketchbook in her lap in silence. I continued to watch her. To watch her movement. The way her eyes got serious when focused, the way her tongue slipped out from her lips. She looked beautiful when she was in her own era.

"So, you said you and your dad would watch movies together. Were you two close?" I asked after a couple moments of serenity.

"Ha, no..no he..he was a dead beat." She said and raised her eyebrows. "Truthfully my dad would put scary movies on when he came home from drinking the night before and then he would pass out for the rest of the day. Then he would repeat."

"Oh...I..I'm sorry to hear that."

Elena didn't look like she cared whether I was sorry or not, but she continued telling me about him. "I don't even know if he's still alive or not. I haven't spoke to my parents since I left Canada last year."

I decided to rub her back, trying to comfort her. She looked away from my gaze and closed her sketchbook. I expected her to shrug my touch off. What she did was put all her utensils away and layed her head on my thigh, sprawling her legs to the opposite end of the small bench.

She took a deep breath and continued. "My dad started to drink more heavily when I was about five years old, when my mom started making her work her life. Her family became secondary to her. That left me alone at home for the most part."

"You had friends though. Friends to be there for you, right?"

She shrugged. "For awhile, I guess. Things got pretty shitty for me once high school hit. I was fourteen when I decided I wanted to move here to start a real life. So I started working, got good grades and here we are." She smiled up to me. I could tell it was a genuin smile. She was happy here. "Those shitty times that went down with my family and so-called friends...they don't matter anymore."

She didn't look sad or angry as she spoke of her past, regardless of the fact that it may not have been that great. She looked as though she was just living in the moment and glad that she has a good living right now.

I nodded. I couldn't exactly relate to it though. I always had a good group of friends back home. My home life was fairly well too. "You seem happy." I smiled.

"I am. I can be whoever I want here. And that's something that I never got the chance to do when I lived there."

We both sat there, letting the silence take over. It wasn't an awkward quiet, it was peaceful and comfortable. Elena started rubbing her tattooed arms when a breeze came through the night.

I was about to say I would take her home now if she wanted, but she spoke first. "Come with me. I want to show you something." She got up from her position and pulled me up along with, taking my hands in her tiny, cold ones. I felt the coolness of her silver rings that held her middle and ring finger on her left hand.

She let go of me when we made a few steps towards the street, where few cars were parked and a couple walking down the block. "Where are you taking me?" I chuckled slightly when she started running past me to hurry us. I caught up to her when we were on the opposite side of where the park was.

"Just follow me!" Elena was a few feet ahead of me. I chuckled at her, admiring her spirit.

"Were you always like this?" She slowed her pace so we were walking side by side. She had a confused expression on her face, not following. "Were you always so...carefree?"

"No, not always. But after awhile I just learned not to let other people bring me down. I learned to just live my own life the way I want to. The worlds too full of fake people who are too scared to show their true beauty. I don't want to be one of them."

"I wish I was as lucky to have such a great outlook on that sort of thing. Being famous can make you want to hide away from being who you want to be." I said.

"I can imagine. Do you hide away from it?" She looked up to me, waiting for my response.

"I try not to. But, sometimes...the things people say can get to a guy. Makes me always think twice about what I say, things I wear or just everything I do." I wasn't normally used to being so opened to someone other than my mother or Louis. Even with them I would hide away some when it came to being real.

She nodded, understanding. "Here." She cut in front of me to turn to the door of the record store. Elena grabbed some keys from her pocket of her black jeans and opened it for us.

"Uh..is this okay? Won't you get in trouble?" I asked, concerned.

"Don't worry Mr. Styles." She winked at me and pulled me inside when I didn't follow right away, being hesitant.

Elena lead me towards the back of the small store, to the staff room.

"That's a great painting." I pointed my head to the body height picture hanging on the far wall when she flicked the lights on.

"My thoughts exactly." She smiled and slowly walked closer to it. "One day when I was working alone, I was looking at it up close, and I decided to take it down." She grinned as she lifted the weightless painting off the hook, revealing a door. Elena proceeded to open the large door where a flight of stairs were hidden. She started walking up the stairs, whereas my feet stayed planted near the door, hesitant.

"Come on, Harry!" She stopped five stairs up when my feet stayed planted near the door.

"Elena, I don't know about this.."

She sighed, annoyed and grabbed my hand in hers, forcing me to follow after. "Let loose Harry." She said with the smirk I'd grown used to in the short time we'd known each other.

When we made it to the door at the top of the staircase, she pushed it open as she had the other door.

"Whoa." I said as my eyes met the most beautiful sight they'd seen in awhile. At the top of that high building, I could see the constellations perfectly. Which is something I haven't been able to since being in L.A.

"Gorgeous, right?" Elena asked when she sat down in the ledge of the building.

I continued to look up as I nodded. "It's incredible." I said in awe. I finally made my way to where Elena sat, her legs dangling on the opposite side of where I was leaning.

"Come sit." She patted the emptiness beside her with her hand.

"Uh..." I leaned over the ledge to see the ground and moved away and shyly shook my head.

She giggled cutely. "It's okay."

I looked up to the sky for awhile longer. "What does Zayn think of this place?" I looked to her. She simply bit her lower lip and avoided my gaze. "You haven't shown him?"

"Nope. You're the first." She looked ahead of her at the beautiful city lights.

I didn't say anything to the fact that I'm the only one she's taken here. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say. I wasn't sure what that meant. That she trusted me?

"What do you all do up here?"

She finally turned to look at me. "Everything. I can take pictures, draw.. And it's a great place to write music." As she spoke, she turned her legs so they were facing me and she could wrap her arms around them, closer to her body.

"You write music as well?"

She nodded. "All the time."

"You'll have to sing one of your songs for me sometime." I grinned at her, trying to charm her.

But with Elena, it didn't seem to work. "Don't count on it." She hopped down from the edge to stand next to me.

I continued to look at her. Trying to figure her out. Why she was so closed off about certain things. Yet why she decided to take me here, while Zayn has no idea about it.

"How come you haven't shown Zayn this?" I let my curiosity get the best of me.

She shrugged her shoulders and then leaned her elbows where she once sat. She stayed silent. "Zayn and I...we haven't really had the chance to truly get to know each other. Maybe one day I'll show him."

"What do you guys talk about then?" I probably shouldn't be askin these questions. They definitely weren't my buisness or in my place to be asking them.

But Elena answered them, not seeming to mind. "We just goof around together. Have fun. That's what this whole thing between us is supposed to be about. Even if I want more. But he's closed off to me in that sense as I am with him."

I nodded, still confused with why she tells me all this. "So how come-"

"We should go." She cut me off and made her way to the door that would lead us back to the store.

I wasn't expecting her to do so, but I followed right after, our bodies mere inches apart.

We got in my car and she told me directions that took me to her house, not too far from her work place. She was quiet other then that. I decided not to question it this time.

I finally pulled up to an appartment building with multiple rooms, some lights on, others off. "I'll walk you up." I wasn't going to take no for an answer, so I got out before she could object and opened the passenger side door for her.

She rolled her eyes at me and gave me a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm not a baby, Harry."

I smiled but ignored her comment and continued to follow her inside the building. We stayed quiet in the elevator that took us to the 7th floor, and she walked down the long hall to her right apartment, number 709.

"Look Harry, I'm sorry for tonight." I furrowed my eyebrows, not sure what she's sorry for. "I shouldn't have told you all that personal stuff about my dad or family. You probably didn't want to hear all that."

I shook my head instantly. "Don't be sorry. I'm happy to listen. And I promise you... I would never judge you on that stuff or anything of the means."

She nodded, worry still filled her lovely eyes. What she did next, I wouldn't have expected ever. She pulled me in for a hug, embracing me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her small figure, reciprocating, my hands mostly felt her long hair that fell to her hips. "Thank you." She said into my chest.

"If you need someone to talk to..I'll listen."

She didn't nod, nor did she say anything. She just continued to hold me for another moment. She pulled away finally and unlocked her door with one of her many keys.

"Goodnight Elena."

"Bye, Harry." She smiled lightly as she closed the door, leaving me staring at nothing.

I went back to my car outside and just sat there in my seat, not turning it on. I just sat back and thought.

Elena's told me stuff about her that I'm not sure Zayn even knew about her. She's shown me her talents and desires and parts of her past.

I was so intrigued with her and I knew that was going to mean trouble for me. Because she was seeing one of my best mates.
And I wanted to have her for myself.