Grade 8

It was only a few days later that Harry kept his promise arriving at her door at eight sharp. He was beaming from ear to ear when Lena opened her hotel room door.

"We're going out." He announced giving her a once over. She had changed into sweats as soon as she got back from the bus. "But you need to change."

"Wait, what?" Lena asked looking down at her clothes. "Where are we going?"

Harry pushed past her coming into the room. Lena's laptop was open on her bed and when Harry fell in to the bed next to it he saw she was listening to something. "What's this?"

"I'm finishing a song." Lena told him snapping the computer closed. "Where are we going?"

"On an adventure." Harry finally answered. "So a sensible attire will suffice."

Lena rolled her eyes but walked to her suitcase nonetheless. Pulling out a new pair of jeans to replace her sweats. "You know a little more notice would be nice."

Harry laughed glancing over at her. "That's not really my style."

Lena pulled her jeans on buttoning them before picking up a random shirt to throw over her tank top. "What kind of adventure are we going on exactly?"

"Just exploring the city, consequences be damned!" Harry replied his grin returning.

"How much trouble can we get into in Boulder, Colorado?" Lena asked stoping in the process of pulling her low top Converse on to give him a curious look.

"All kinds."

Lena stood up ready to go. "Alright, let's get this adventure started."

"Perfect." Harry stood up as well holding his hand out for her to take. "If anyone asks we're going to the restaurant in the hotel."

"We're planning a great escape aren't we?" Lena asked.

"That is exactly what we are doing." Harry said with a laugh. "Not that we're going too far for them to worry."

They didn't pass anyone on their way down from their fourth floor rooms. Even as they walked through the lobby no one seemed to care about the two nineteen year olds making a break for it.

Harry went out the front of the hotel where the valet had two bikes waiting for them. Harry took the bikes from him with a thank you.

"The only way around Boulder, or so I've heard." Harry said as he got on his bike.

Lena got on her bike. "I haven't ridden a bike in so long!"

Lena pushed forward the wheels catching momentum as she slowly started to peddle forward. Harry was next to her the wind pushing his hair back even more.

"If we turn up here we an go to Pearl Street for a bit of window shopping." Harry instructed pointing to the next intersection. "We're going to try and go unseen of possible."

Lena nodded her head understanding. She hoped no fans would spot them for once. This was the first time they had had a chance to see each other alone since their first date. It didn't take long for their whole crew to know they were dating it came as a surprise to everyone that had been around them long. Niall had looked at her like she was mental when she went to his room after Harry had gone back to his.

"You went on a date with Harry?" Niall was so shocked he had set his crisps down to focus on Lena more. "Harry Styles, you went on a date with Harry-I'm-a-brooding-asshole Styles?"

"Yes, Ni." Lena groaned. "And it was awkward and weird. I don't know what I was thinking."

After recounting the whole date, Niall had devoured his crisps quickly as he listened intently to Lena's story.

"Are you going to go on another date with him?" Niall asked when she was finished.

"Yes." Lena answered with a wistful look. "If he asks again that is."

Now as they rode their bikes to Pearl Street Lena was beyond happy to be out with Harry again. He had promised an adventure and for once Lena was ready to let go.

"We can leave the bikes here." Harry pointed to the small bike racks placed on the side of the street. Each one was in the shape of a small bike giving enough room to lock up two. Harry and Lena quickly locked the bikes up ready to explore Pearl Street. "Which way first?"

Lena pointed to the left. "Let's start here."

They walked past a packed Cheesecake Factory both opting to find a less populated place to eat. There seemed to only be restaurants on the side of the street Lena had chosen to walk down. Then at the end of the street was a candy store of sorts.

Rocket Fizz was an eccentric array of goofy products, posters, and candy. Standing outside its doors was a life size Spider-Man that Harry insisted Lena pose with. Inside the first thing to catch Lena's eye was the cardboard cutout a of One Direction. It was Lena's turn to make Harry pose with them.

"This is brilliant." Harry said holding up a pair of sunglasses three sizes to big for his face.

Lena was looking through a box of posters made to look like old concert posters. Harry stood next to her looking at a different box pulling one out and examining it briefly.

"I'm so hanging these up in my room when I get home." Lena mumbled excitedly to herself picking out a few; a couple Beatles and Rollingstones ones making the cut. "Don't you just love Kurt?"

Harry looked at the poster Lena held in her hand of Kurt Cobain the late rock star looking sorrowful as his date of birth and death ran across the bottom. Harry had never been a huge fan of Nirvana, of course he listened to them but never got hooked.

"I assume you do?" Harry asked choosing not to answer.

"I worship him." Lena confirmed. "He got me through some tough times. You should hear some of early stuff very reminiscent of his style."

Harry looked at Lena who was unaware of his calculating stare too enthralled in the posters to notice. He had heard mention those tough times more then once and he was dying to know what she meant by that.

"Should we get some taffy and move on?" Harry asks already moving the few feet to the boxes of taffy lines by the wall. "Shall we get a handful of each kind?"

Lena left the posters with one last longing look before going to where Harry stood by the taffy. "Sounds good to me."

They each took a bag and filled it with the sweets. After paying for their things it was on to the next store. It was getting late and everything was starting to close up. They had enough time to go into a store and buy a Colorado shirt each before the lights in each store started to go out one by one.

"I'm surprised everything is closing at nine." Lena commented as they sat on a bench in the now practically deserted Pearl Street.

"I doubt this is one of their busier days considering it is Tuesday." Harry replied.

It was eerie to be on a street that was usually so full of life. It was so rare that they had a quiet moment outside of a hotel room or bus bunk. The cool night air hit their bare arms but they were to content with the quiet surrounding them to give it much notice.

"Sorry this wasn't a big adventure." Harry said giving Lena an apologetic smile. "Next time it will be a grand adventure to top all adventures."

"I thought this was pretty great." Lena said with a shrug. "I'm pretty easy to please, never been one for grand adventures."

"All the more reason for me to take you on one."

There was silence as Lena thought of how to bring up what had been on herons for so long. She knew it could possibly ruin what was going on between her and Harry but she could let her feelings get by deeper then they were without having talking about the elephant in the room, Alexis.

"I hate to ruin the mood, but I have a question." Lena finally said not daring to look at Harry and give away what she was about to ask.

"Ok." Harry said quietly.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She didn't need to say anymore.

"You really want to know?" Harry asked before Lena said anything else. After a quick nod from her he sighed. "I don't really no where to start."

"From the beginning would be nice." Lena whispered.

"I met Alexis at a party at Ed Sheeran's house." Harry said quietly. "She was probably the most beautiful girl I had seen before that night. She was so rebellious and uncaring that it was hard for me not to be interested. I was used to the innocent ones, ya know, the ones who were unsure of themselves, but Alexis was different.

"I didn't know she knew Zayn until the next day. I had invited her back to mine after the party at Ed's and when she was going to leave that morning of course those four idiots were there to pick me up. You could just feel the awkward tension around them it was so obvious to us that there was something going on between them."

Harry took a deep breath before continuing with his story. "I fell for her pretty quickly even though I knew it was wrong."

"Zayn was a completely different person a few months ago. He went to rehab, got arrested, over dosed and he got through all of it with Alexis' help." Harry continued while Lena listened silently beside him. "We all tried everything we could to get through to him but it took her coming back into his life to turn it all around. I don't think she ever intended to be the one to fix him but it happened."

"How did that happen. I heard you tried to get them together." Lena said when Harry was quiet for too long.

"You know it started out with me wanting them to be friends again." Harry explained his eyes on the view in front of them. "I thought that's what Zayn needed. When I noticed there was more to it then just friendship, they really loved each other, I tried to be ok with it. But I wasn't, I'm not - ok with it." Harry let out a sad sigh. "The whole time i thought what we were doing was more then it was. She always knew what it was for her, just sex, nothing more. There was a part of me that hoped she would choose me. I don't know why I was stupid enough to think that."

"It wasn't stupid." Lena whispered.

Harry turned to look at her. "How is it not stupid? It was obvious who her pick was going to be."

"Maybe. Honestly I think she's the stupid one." Lena admitted. "You're pretty great when you're not being a pain in the ass."

This caused Harry to crack a small smile, just a lift of one side of his lips. "You're not so bad either."

"Well thanks." Lena rolled her eyes.

"You know she only got together with him because he almost killed himself when she rejected him." Harry said after a moment.

"Do you really believe that?" Lena asked looking over at him.

"I don't know. A little I guess." Harry shrugged. "She keeps saying it was a mistake, choosing Zayn, so it makes sense."

Lena looked away from him then. If it was true then Alexis could be a problem with anything happening between them any further then what it was now.

"Let's go back to the hotel." Harry said rubbing his arms. "We can hang out in my room, listen to some music, and just relax."

"Perfect." Lena agreed.

They rode the bikes back to the hotel taking a longer rout back. It felt nice to have the cool air rushing past them. Nearing the hotel Lena could see a small assembly of fans standing across the street waiting for a glimpse at one of the boys Lena spent so much time with. They was a scurry of moment as they got closer they were trying to stay calm in the hopes that Harry would go over to them.

"You should go over there." Lena said as they finally made it to the front of the hotel. "I don't mind."

"I'd rather not tonight." Harry said handing his bike to the valet. "Tonight is about you anyway."

This made Lena blush, although she was pleased to hear this the impending backlash from this was not a happy thought. "Alright."