Ignite.

The first thing I noticed upon waking up the following morning was Harry’s thumb drawing small, shapeless patterns onto my hip. My head wasn’t on his chest anymore, but he was still close enough that I could feel his breath fanning over my face. As my eyes slowly peeled open they were met with clear green ones. The corner of Harry’s mouth hitched up when he saw that I was awake and he was quick to peck my lips with his own.

“Were you watching me sleep?” I asked quietly, my voice a little scratchy from sleep. The tiniest of blushes -- that he would no doubt deny -- appeared on his cheeks and I couldn’t help but smile myself.

“Erm, maybe,” he finally mumbled, his eyes darting away from mine for a brief moment. Was Harry Styles nervous?

“You’re cute,” I quipped just before placing a tiny kiss to his nose and then rolling out of bed. He let out a small groan as he mirrored my actions, stating that he was ‘definitely not cute’ with a small scowl on his lips. “No, I think you’re definitely cute.” There was a small grin on my face and I couldn’t help but tease him.

“No I’m not!” He whined, a silly little pout now reaching his face as he stomped out of the bedroom. I quickly followed him to the kitchen and watched as he started pulling things out of cabinets to make breakfast. “I’m manly and sexy and…rugged.” I couldn’t fight the sputtered laugh that left my lips.

“Rugged? Who are you?”

“Shh, be nice, I’m making you breakfast.” I rolled my eyes a little, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as I crossed the room and hopped up onto the counter next to where he was standing. He was quick to push my knees apart a little bit, sidling in between them and placing his hands on my waist. His eyes met mine in an intense stare and I bit down on my lip, trying to remain calm. There was just something in his eyes, but before I could look too deeply, he closed them, taking in a quick breath. “Jesus, don’t do that.” His voice had gone a little breathy, but there was a small bite to it and that confused me.

“What did I do?” I murmured back quietly, scared that I’d done something wrong.

“You just- biting your lip and looking up at me like that, it’s- you just- can I show you something?” His words were a little rushed and it was clear that he was a bit jumbled.

“Uhm, yeah, okay.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, he quickly grabbed my hand, bringing it up to his naked chest and placing it over his heart. It was thrumming rapidly and possibly even a little offbeat. My eyes rushed to meet his and my lips parted slightly, surprised that his heart was beating that erratically. “Harry-”

“That’s what you do to me.”

Before I could stop myself, I had leaned forward and captured his lips, my hand leaving his chest only so that I could grab the back of his neck and bring him closer. A small noise sounded from the back of his throat as his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling me as close to the edge of the counter as possible so that our bodies were flush against each other. My free hand came up to cup his jaw while the other played idly with the hair at the nape of his neck. God, I could swear Harry’s kisses were electric. They could power cities, I’m sure of it.

Harry was the first to pull away, surprisingly, but he quickly buried his face in the crook of my neck, placing soft kisses to the skin that was available to him. “You’re incredible,” he murmured against my skin before leaving one more kiss to my neck. Then he pulled back, his hands coming up to cup my face. “Thank you for giving me another chance. I know I don’t deserve it, but it really means a lot that you are. You really mean a lot to me, and I need you to know that.” I practically melted under his gaze, a lazy smile coming to my lips.

“Harry-”

“No, I know, I’m sorry. I’m getting all sappy and stupid and we haven’t even had breakfast yet. So, how does french toast sound?” I knew that he was clamming back up because he was scared, so I didn’t question him on it. This was new for Harry, he wasn’t used to feeling so vividly. So I did what he needed me to do.

“Sounds perfect.” He placed one more lingering kiss to my lips before moving away to make breakfast. And that was that.

--

I felt like a zombie as I dragged myself back to the bedroom, my stomach feeling like it was going to burst from all the food I’d just eaten. It wasn’t my fault, though. Harry was an incredible cook and I couldn’t help but stuff my face. However, my stomach dropped and soon felt completely empty as I picked up my phone and saw the text from Henry.

we need to talk. meet me at that coffee shop you love at one.

Well, fuck.

Harry wasn’t too pleased when I told him about it, but he didn’t really have a say. I mean, Henry was still my brother, even though I was livid toward him at the moment.

“Y’know, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Harry muttered for about the twelfth time that morning as I shoved my feet into my loafers.

“I know, but I feel like I should. I kind of want to hear what he has to say.” The tall boy’s brow furrowed as his hands rubbed at my arms, but he nodded his head nonetheless.

“Well, if you need me for any reason, you call me and I’ll come get you.”

“Harry, you’ll be at lunch with your friend. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t care. Just promise you’ll call if you need me.” I couldn’t fight the smile at his persistence. It was rather endearing, really.

“I promise,” I told him, prompting him to pull me close and place a quick kiss to my lips.

“Good. I lo- erm, be safe, yeah?”

If I thought he was blushing earlier in bed, that was nothing compared to him now. Had I heard that right, though? Had he really almost said that he- no, that couldn’t be right. He must have been saying something else. So in a sort of daze, I nodded and squeezed his hand before leaving the apartment and heading for the elevator. And I promised myself I wouldn’t dwell on it too much. It would do nothing but drive me insane. And I really needed to be on top of my game, considering I was going to see Henry. Fingers crossed, right?

--

When I got to the coffee shop, Henry was already sitting at a table tucked into a back corner, sipping at his coffee. A part of me wanted some coffee myself, but I was scared I wouldn’t be able to stomach it. Since I’d gotten his text I’d been feeling obscenely nauseous. So I ignored the barista who was giving me a bright smile, as if trying to invite me over, and went straight to Henry, flopping rather unceremoniously into the chair across from him.

“Hello, Henry.” I stared blankly at him across the table, trying my hardest not to let a glare peek through. I needed to try to stay neutral. Maybe there was a good reason for why Henry did what he had. However, it was really difficult not to glare when his eyebrows crinkled up as he took in my attire.

“Weren’t you wearing that yesterday?” I held back an eye roll.

“Yes, I was. I slept at Harry’s last night.” Boy, did I think his eyes were going to burst right out of his skull.

“You spent the night?” He spat incredulously, sitting up a little straighter in his chair as he glared at me.

“Mm, wasn’t the first time. Plus, I wasn’t just going to leave him like that. Not after everything he’d been through-”

“Everything he’d been through? Please, he got what was coming to him.”

“Do you hear yourself right now? Listen, Henry, I get it. We all get it. He fucked up. Don’t punish him for it for the rest of his life.”

“Why shouldn’t I? He almost ruined her life and did nothing to help her-”

“Because he didn’t know! And even if he had, it’s not like you would have wanted her seeing him.”

“Guess it doesn’t really matter if I don’t want a person seeing him, now does it?” I did roll my eyes then.

“Oh, god. This isn’t about me, Henry.”

“Of course it is! You’re my little sister and he’s a bad person-”

“Where do you get the right to decide if he’s a bad person? Sure, he’s made mistakes, but he’s owned up to them. Meanwhile you can’t get off your damn high horse. And he’s changed, okay? He really has.”

“Jude, seriously, you hardly know him. He really hasn’t changed all that much. People know what he’s been doing with his life these past few months. What, you think there’s been a change since he started seeing you? You think you’ve fixed him?” I had to swallow the large lump in my throat at that one and fight the tears that were threatening to start gathering in my eyes. Because yeah, I had thought I’d helped him. Harry had said that I was helping him.

“I- I don’t- he’s not a monster, Henry. He’s still a human being. And people do change, and he is changing. You’re just too stuck on the past to accept that.” This of course just prompted Henry to scoff at me.

“Don’t be so naive. He’s not going to change. And you’re just going to get hurt, and I’m not gonna sit by and let that happen! He’s disgusting-!”

“Will you please lower your voice?” I snapped lowly, noticing that a few of the other patrons were watching us now.

“No, I won’t, because you don’t seem to get it!” And with that, I leapt up from my chair.

“Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t get it. I like him, and I’m happy when I’m with him, and I’m not just going to sit here and listen to you tear him down. So we’re done here. Have a wonderful day.”

Thankfully Henry’s mouth stayed shut as I grabbed my bag from the back of the chair and stormed out of the coffee shop. I should have known that that conversation would never have ended differently. I was stupid for thinking that maybe Henry would apologize or least do something other than talk horribly about Harry.

I had taken to staring at the ground as I bustled angrily down the crowded city block, too frustrated to care that I had bumped into several people. I didn’t even look up when my shoulder collided with a body rather roughly, just continued on my way. I didn’t care at that point.

The other person cared.

“Jude?” Oh. Right, of course I’d run into him. I didn’t want him to see me like this, it would just make everything worse. I even ignored him at first, just kept walking, head tucked down. Like that would stop him. “Jude!” He called again, this time coming after me and grabbing onto my arm. As I let him spin me around, I kept my eyes trained to the sidewalk. But of course his hand soon found my chin and he directed my eyes up to his own. Let me tell you, they did not look happy. They were many things, confused, defensive, maybe even a little upset. But they were not happy. “What’s wrong? What’s happened? I thought you were going to see Henry.” I let out a puff of air as I pulled my face away from his hand, brushing my bangs off my forehead.

“I already did.”

“Did it not go well?”

“Did you really think it would?” I snapped back at him, my eyes hardening a little. Of course I immediately felt bad about it, because instead of snapping at me like I thought he would, his face just fell a little as he reached for my hand.

“I’m sorry. What did he say?”

“Nothing. He’s an asshole. Shouldn’t you be meet-”

“Everything alright, Hazza?” Harry and I both looked at the boy who approached us then, and I took in the brunette fringe and the deep blue eyes. This must have been his friend.

“Erm, yeah. Lou, this is Jude. Jude, this is Louis,” Harry introduced us, pulling me into his side before dropping my hand and wrapping an arm around my waist. This seemed to pique Louis’ interest.

“The Jude?” he asked, his eyebrows raising on his forehead, which in turn caused a tinge of crimson to touch my cheeks. I offered him a small smile in response and he offered me his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” I replied before I started to pull out of Harry’s grasp. He shot me a confused look, his brow furrowing just a bit. “I think I’m just gonna head home. You two have a lunch to get to.”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Louis asked, eyes bright. I glanced to Harry for his opinion, but then I recalled that he’d asked me the night before to join them, so obviously he wouldn’t have a problem with it.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude-”

“You wouldn’t be! C’mon, I’d like to get to know the girl he never shuts up about,” the shorter boy told me with a small chuckle. Harry let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head a little.

“God, not you too.” But Louis and I just laughed and soon Harry’s arm was back around my waist and the three of us headed back down the block toward their original destination. I forced myself not to look in the coffee shop as we passed it, but a part of me was secretly hoping that Henry had looked up and seen us walk by.

--

Lunch had been going rather well, in my opinion. Louis was charming and funny and he had an endless catalog of stories about Harry when he was living in New York. Harry of course wasn’t too thrilled about all of them, but I was enjoying myself. There was something a little guarded about Louis, though. It felt like even though he was being so lovely to me, he wasn’t entirely happy with me. And yes, I know it seems wrong, but I decided to snoop.

So I excused myself to use the restroom, which was down a hall just next to our table. Harry squeezed my hand as I left and I quickly moved just a little down the hall, but close enough that I could hear them.

“She seems fun,” Louis muttered, and I could almost see the bored expression on his face. I will admit, it stung a little. He had been so nice to my face, and now?

“What’s that supposed to mean? I thought you liked her,” Harry shot back a little too defensively.

“No, she’s lovely. It’s just- this isn’t you, Harry. What happened to the Harry who would never be tied down by a girl? I thought you were just about hookups? I’ve never seen you this sweet with a girl before. Christ, you ordered for her, you’re constantly asking if she’s okay, and don’t think I didn’t notice how you kept putting your hand on her knee. It pains me to ask this, but are you dating her?”

“One: there is nothing wrong with how I’m acting. And two: no, I’m not dating her.” Louis let out a huge breath.

“Oh, thank god. I thought I’d lost you for a minute.”

“Would it be that bad if I was though?”

“Well- not bad, but like- that’s not the Harry I know.”

“Well maybe the Harry you know has grown up a little. Maybe I’m tired of screwing around-”

“What, you want to settle down now? You’re twenty, Haz.”

“I’m aware. I’m not saying I’m getting married, I just- I don’t want to be that prick anymore.”

“You weren’t a prick.”

“Lou-”

“You just really liked your women. And I can see why you picked this one. I mean, young, innocent, she’s fit as hell-”

“Please don’t talk about her like that.” There was a silence for a few long moments before Louis finally spoke again.

“You really fancy her.”

“Yeah, I do. It sounds stupid, but- she just makes me happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time. And I’d really like it if you’d be happy for me. I’m still me, just not so much of an asshole anymore.”

“You’re right. ‘M sorry. She’s lovely.”

“Thank you.” And I could hear the smile in Harry’s voice, and it felt like the subject was about to change, so I headed back over.

“What’re you boys talking about?” I asked with a small smile as I slid into my seat, and it seemed as soon as I was comfortable, Harry’s fingers were lacing with mine.

“Just reminiscing. Oh, there was this one time at one of Niall’s parties! Right, so Harry’s absolutely sloshed-” Louis took a second to collect himself because he was already giggling and Harry was already covering his face in embarrassment. “And, Niall’s parents had gotten him this shit karaoke thing when he was younger, so of course Harry finds it and insists that we use it-”

“No, not this one!” Harry cried, his cheeks turning a deep red. A few giggles were floating past his lips though, so I couldn’t be too concerned that he was so embarrassed.

“Shut up, this is brilliant! So Harry gets the machine out and puts on some Backstreet Boys song and goes to town. We’re talking belting out the lyrics, shaking his hips all over the place and then- he starts stripping!” At that point Louis and I were in hysterics and Harry looked like he was going to drop dead.

“You didn’t!” I gasped as I swatted at Harry’s arm.

“He did! Thankfully we stopped before he took off his boxers, but let me tell you, it was quite the show.”

“Maybe you could give me an encore one of these days,” I purred jokingly. At that, Harry practically threw his face into my shoulder, telling me how much he hated me.

“You’re never invited back,” Harry shot at Louis once he was sitting upright again, but Louis was too busy laughing to take him seriously.

“Oh, you’re absolutely invited back if you bring more stories like that,” I quipped and Louis nodded vigorously.

“You guys should come up our way more often, too. Niall’s always throwing crazy parties.”

“Yeah, we went to his one on New Year’s. Were you there?”

“Mm, no, I was on holiday with my girlfriend.” Which was incredibly ironic given how much shit he was just giving Harry for even thinking about dating me.

“Awh, well that’s sweet,” I cooed as Harry squeezed my hand.

Lunch finished soon after, and I was starting to feel like maybe Louis did like me. Or at least could like me. By the time we were done, I’d decided that I really should be heading home. And much to Harry’s distaste, I insisted on taking a cab home so that he could have more time with Louis. So after a long goodbye with Louis, I was pulled into Harry’s arms for a kiss and then I was off.

--

“Oh, Jude, is that you?” Was the first thing I heard upon entering my house. That would be my mother calling from the kitchen. So I headed that way and found her once again sitting at the island flipping through a fashion magazine.

“Hi, Mom.” My response was a touch sheepish and her eyes immediately flew up to mine.

“Where have you been, sweetheart? You didn’t come home last night. Henry said you got dinner together and then you ran off.”

“Yeah, we uhm, we had a disagreement.”

“Is everything alright?” She did seem genuinely concerned, and I was almost proud of her, honestly.

“Uhm, yeah, it’s fine. I was just upset and Bri was at Alex’s so I went there. Sorry I didn’t call.”

“It’s alright. I hope things are okay with you and Henry though, because I’ve invited him over for dinner.”

“Oh. Uhm, great, yeah, that’ll be nice. I guess I’ll go shower and get changed then.” I turned on my heel then and headed for the door, but my mother called me back.

“Y’know, I was thinking about that Harry boy that stopped by a few weeks ago. Do you still talk to him?” Oh god. I’d forgotten how much my mother liked Harry.

“Yeah, we still talk.”

“Oh, well, lovely! Why don’t you invite him over for dinner as well?”

“I don’t know about that, Mom-”

“Well why not?”

“He, uhm, he and Henry don’t really care for each other.”

“Well they can settle their differences tonight. Invite him over, Judith.” And when my mother wanted something, she got it.

“Right, okay. I’ll go call him.”

“Perfect. Margot, make sure you set another place at the table tonight!” And then I was rushing up the stairs to the my room. Christ almighty. Harry. And Henry. And my parents. In one evening. Lord have mercy on us all.