Model Behavior

One Year later …

Moira walked slowly down the street enjoying the rare London sunlight and warmth on her skin as she made her way towards what had become a very familiar building in the heart of the city. She was happy to finally be done with school for the summer and looking forward to her upcoming trip so the weather only elevated her excitement for the day. As she turned the corner she saw her destination and an already bustling crowd outside of it. She only chuckled – ever since it had opened, the bakery had simply been swarmed with girls.

As soon as it came out that the Harry Styles was opening a bake shop, girls all over swarmed to the city to get a glimpse of the model-turned-baker and possibly even get in a chat with him. To Moira, it seemed hilarious but that was because she knew him outside of the fame and modeling. She was sure something like this would happen if any celebrity decided to open a little shop in one of the biggest cities in the world. And it didn’t faze her much like it used to. Now, she was simply proud of her boyfriend for doing what he had dreamed about doing and being such a success at it.

And he wasn’t lying when he told her how good his cupcakes were.

What did still faze her was that these girls knew who she was, just for being Harry’s girlfriend. That was still a little odd – and slightly frightening because most of them were pissed he was taken. A greater part of her liked that they knew, though. In the beginning she had feared that having made himself so accessible to the public that girls would be all over him and he’d find someone better. She didn’t like being self-conscious, but it crept up on her at the most inconvenient of times. So she was nervous, noticeably, but Harry squashed those nerves by openly admitting to girls who would hit on him that he was very happily ‘off the market’.

For Harry, it was a no-brainer. He absolutely loved Moira to bits. Flirting and joking around with the customers was one thing, as long as they knew it was all in good fun. He would never jeopardize things with her by saying the wrong thing or acting inappropriately. He may have been a flirt before but he was essentially married and definitely not looking. It happened often, though, since he spent most days working in the bakery with the small staff he had acquired (an older man, a younger married man, and two married middle-ages women – none of which flirted with him).

“There you are, love, two strawberry crepes and a hot cocoa.” He handed over the cup and bag to a girl about his age, tall and leggy and blonde all over. He gave her a kind smile and waved her off but she didn’t go. She simply pulled a pen out of her designer handbag and wrote her number down on a napkin, sliding it back across the counter to him. “I’m sorry, dear, but no thank you.” He spotted Moira walking inside and beamed. “There’s my girl.” He said, waving her back behind the counter. “Hello, sweetheart.” He greeted, right in front of leggy-blonde, with a sweet little peck.

Moira quirked an eyebrow up as a tall model-looking girl stomped off from the counter. “Misbehaving again, I see.” She teased. “Must have given you her number.”

“Indeed she did. How was the shoot?” He asked, grabbing her a mug and pouring her coffee adding just the right amount of sugar and cream. It warmed her heart to this day how he seemed to always remember the little things about her.

“It was good. Niall let me handle a lot more on my own this time even though it was a bigger shoot. You should have seen this cathedral, Harry. It was astonishing. I spent my break taking pictures of the architecture and was even allowed upstairs in the private quarters.”

“Darling, that’s amazing. I know shooting fashion isn’t what you want to do, but at least it’s something here that you can do while you’re in school. And Niall is nuts about you. Talks about your work ethic any time he and I hang out.”

Moira chuckled and wiped flour off his blue henley. “You know if you keep leaving me such amazing treats in the morning I’m going to get fat, right?”

“No you won’t … not with all the working out we do at night.” He teased, whispering in her ear before kissing right behind it and making her flush all over.

“Harold!” She slapped his shoulder, moving back around to sit at the counter and watch her boyfriend work. He was so wonderful to her – romantic and sweet but a bit cheeky and absolutely hilarious. They had rarely ever fought except about where to move in together. She wanted to live closer to home and he wanted to live closer to work and to her school and Niall’s office. In the end, Harry had won out and they lived right in the middle of the city in a beautiful apartment. They had talked about buying a house after she graduated but for now it was plenty big. And they took weekend trips to visit their mothers, alternating which one as often as possible. All in all, it was perfect.

“Have you gotten everything for the trip?” He asked during a lull in business. He had even ditched the apron for a few to sit down and talk with her.

“I do … I had to get a new weekender … the strap on my other broke. I bought some new swimsuits, too …”

“Oh please let them be skimpy?” He pleaded, grabbing her hands above the table and giving one a kiss while winking at her.

“All mom suits … one piece … horrendous things …” She joked.

“I don’t care what you wear during the day, love, as long as you where nothing at night.”

“You are in rare form today, Mr. Styles.”

“Just happy to be going on a proper vacation with my girlfriend. You know what they say, though … ‘When in Rome …’”

“So we’re going to fight like gladiators?”

“Oh, we’ll be wrestling all right.”

“Oh boy …” Moira stood up, ready to go home and feed their two cats. She stopped by a pull on her wrist from Harry.

He stood up and grinned down at her, wrapping her up in his arms. “Are you happy, Moira?” He asked seriously.

“The happiest. Are you happy, Harry?”

“Even happier than you are. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”