Best Friends Means...

"Yes, mum. Harry's got rehearsal and then we're leaving." I sighed into the phone as I paced around the studio hallway.

"This late? Where are you going?"

"Yes, this late. It's the best way we can travel without being swarmed by fans and paparazzi. I have no idea where we're going. He won't tell me. I'm sure Anne knows but I'll let you know when we get there."

My mum was driving me up the wall. It was 10 o'clock at night and the boys would be in rehearsals for another hour. Harry made me tag along so he wouldn't have to make a trip back to the flat before our midnight flight. I was growing tired, we had been here since 8:30 and there was no one for me to talk to. They had decided to call the rehearsal in early since Harry would be missing for a few of the rehearsals. It was Thursday night, and we'd be returning Sunday. They still hadn't decided if they'd have rehearsal Sunday morning or Sunday night, but our flight back wasn't until 4 o'clock on Sunday. I reminded my mum of the details and finally got her off the phone.

"Bored enough?" A voice broke my thoughts and I looked up to see Paul in the hallway. His arms were full of empty water bottles.

"Only slightly. I'm actually quite tired."

"There's coffee in the lobby. I'm headed down there now to grab some more water for them, and Louis requested some coffee too. Sometimes I think I need to grow another arm or five."

"Well I can come help! It'll give me something to do." I followed Paul to the elevators and stepped into the silver box with him.

"You doing alright? Niall and Harry told me you had a rough day the other day."

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Just had a lot of things happen all at once." I checked the time on my phone to distract myself from the awkwardness that hung in the air. "Thanks for asking, though... I can't wait to come on tour!"

"It'll be fun, I'm ready to get back on the road as well."

"Do you miss your family while you're gone?" I asked, stepping off the elevator into the lobby that had snack machines, coffee makers and water bottle machines.

"Of course. We all do. But we're all like a big family too, we depend on each other for a lot. You'll fit right in. Everyone loves you already, you've got nothing to worry about at all."

"I'm just a little nervous." I grabbed the empty water bottles from Paul and threw them in the recycling bin. "I just don't want to get in the way or be a distraction."

"You'll be more help than anything. Won't have to hear Harry complaining all the time." Paul shot me a smirk and I rolled my eyes.

"Styles? Complain? That's unheard of."

We made our way back to the studio they were in and delivered their water to them. Harry scooped me up into a hug and kissed my cheek. "I'm ready to get out of here." He mumbled into my hair.

"Get off of me, you're so sweaty!" I locked my hands around his biceps and pushed against him but he just pulled me in closer. "Harry, you're gross!" He showered me with kisses as he hugged me tight.

"Oh you two, stop it!" Liam came over and peeled me away from Harry. "You alright?"

I nodded, smiling at the considerate face Liam had on. "Yeah, thanks for asking."

"I know we've all probably said it to you, but if you need anything at all, we're here for you."

I hugged Liam, my heart fluttering at the acceptance I was receiving from the boys and their crew. They were all treating me with such respect and kindness, to so much of an extent that I was surprised.

As I stepped back from Liam, Harry grabbed my water bottle from my hands and took three huge swigs, almost emptying the bottle halfway. "Hey!" I grabbed the water bottle back and he kissed my cheek, then ran back to the stage. I rolled my eyes and returned to my spot on the soft leather couch.

I dozed in and out of sleep for the next hour, not wanting to fall completely asleep so I could sleep on the plane. Once they were done with practicing we headed out and said our goodbyes, and climbed into Harry's car to drive to the airport.

"Will you still not tell me where we are going?" Harry shook his head. "Pleaseeeeee." I whined, pouting my lips as dramatically as possible. "Harry. Please!" I placed my hand on his knee and slowly made my way up to the top of his thigh and gave his leg a squeeze.

"I'm driving." He said, not looking at me.

"And?"

"Unless you're going to suck me off in the car, I suggest you remove your hand from my leg." Here we go with another one of his mood swings.

"I really think you have PMS worse than I do. Need a tampon? I brought a few just in case." Harry kept staring straight at the road, and rolled his eyes at my comment. "What in the hell is your problem? What did I do this time?"

"Nothing."

"I really hope you're not going to give me the silent treatment the whole weekend." I watched as his hands gripped the wheel as tight as they possibly could. "Alright, fine. Be a five year old." I sulked into my chair and pulled out my new gold iPhone Harry had purchased for me and browsed Twitter the whole way to the airport. When we arrived, he called to let security know we were there. Only a few paparazzi were lingering around hoping to get a few pictures of us, but its was nothing like what we had been seeing outside of the studio the last week.

"We're going to Ireland." Harry said as he buckled his seatbelt on the small plane. There weren't many passengers this late at night, and they all looked older and like they were traveling for business. "Niall's family has a place on the beach. The flight should only take an hour and a half or so." I watched as Harry leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply.

"Please tell me what's wrong." I rubbed his exposed forearm, feeling him tense up as I traced the veins on his arms. "I honestly have no idea what I've done... if it's something I did."

"It really is alright. I just need a minute."

I sat in silence as the rest of the plane boarded and search my mind for what I could have done. "Did me hugging Liam piss you off? Because if so, I need you to get over yourself."

"Only the way you jumped into his arms after he pulled you away from me hugging you." Harry said, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the arm rest.

"Harry... I didn't jump into his arms. He was being kind and asked about the other day." I spoke calmly but that obviously meant nothing to Harry. He clenched his jaw and I watched as a vein started to protrude from his neck. "You really need to calm down, Harry." I removed his hand from the grip of the arm rest and held it in both of mine.

"I said give me a few minutes." I linked my fingers with his and lightly rubbed his arm with my other hand.

"No, you're going to calm down now. Because that's the dumbest thing to get upset over." I rested the side of my head on the headrest and faced Harry. "Your band mates care about me. All I've been worried about this whole time is if they would like me and all they've done is shown me hospitality and welcomed me into the group of friends you guys have made. I hate it when you get like this."

"Yeah, me too." Harry's voice was raspy and like he was holding back tears. He only cried when he was really, really sad or absolutely furious and I had an idea of which one he was, so I let him be. Slowly but surely, his grip loosened on my hand and he eventually lifted his head from his resting position as the plane took off. I watched him as he glanced around the plane, taking in the surroundings of the passengers. "Sorry." He mumbled as he kissed my forehead. "I'm working on it." I nodded, accepting his apology.

The air flight attendant came around offering pillows to the passengers so I took one and placed it between the wall of the plane and my head. I drifted off to sleep shortly after I felt Harry's head resting on my shoulder.

---

"Psst. Psst. Wake up." Harry was whispering to me, trying to gently wake me up. "We've gotta go see the sunrise." I groaned as Harry continued poking my side.

"Fine, fine. I'm up." I threw my hands up in surrender as I climbed out of bed.

Harry draped a blanket around me as we walked out to the balcony facing the beach. "Your cape, my princess." I rolled my eyes at my charming boyfriend who was just trying to make up for his sour mood on the plane. I had already forgiven him but I didn't want him to know I was still slightly upset with his attitude he had.

"How much longer?" I asked as I sat down on the couch on the balcony and tucked my feet up under myself, curling into the blanket.

"About seven minutes." Harry took his place beside me and draped his arm across my legs. "You look so happy when you're sleeping."

I blushed, "Probably because I'm dreaming of you." I thought of the cheesiest answer, and he thought I was being serious by his reply.

"You're so perfect. I love you."

"I was kidding, but I love you too." We watched the sky start to change colors over the Irish beach. The house we were staying in was nothing extravagant like I was expecting. Just a beach house on the beach, just a long walk away from the water. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen and a living room. The bedroom we picked as ours had a small balcony facing where the sun would rise. I had butterflies in my stomach waiting for the sun to come up, because I knew it was going to be a once in a lifetime sight, here with the one I loved.

"Listen, Elle. I've been a complete ass the last few days and I'm really sorry. It's because I'm nervous about upcoming tour. I know what's going to happen to you. Fans are going to meet you and see you and they're going to try to break you and I apart. And I'm scared that they're going to get to you, babe. I know you're strong enough but I just don't want them to break you. They can be cruel. I don't want to lose you, now that I have you. I can't sand the thought of you leaving me to be with someone else. And with my temper that I obviously can't control, and all of the pressure from the fans, I'm just... Scared you're going to leave me."

"Haz, I'm never leaving you. I promise." I looked into his green eyes as I saw the sky starting to brighten out of the corner of my eyes. "I understand your temper, you've always been like this. You don't scare me, I just wish you knew how to express how you're feeling about something instead of just bottling it up."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying." Harry's eyes left mine to watch the sun rise its way into the sky. The sky was painted a deep orange, and as the sun rose higher it turned to more of a bright yellow, and a faded bright blue at the top of the sky and over our heads. It was surely a sight to see. I had never sat with anyone and watch a sun rise in my entire life, much less over the ocean. The ocean was calm and still, like no one else had woken up yet, and it quietly mirrored the sunrise in its reflection. I sighed and rested my head on Harry's shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around me. My eyes were getting heavy as we sat there and I decided to take a nap on Harry's shoulder as he watched the rest of the sunrise.

"Come on, get up, princess. I made you brunch."

"I'm just going to stay in bed all day." I muttered from under the covers. I heard Harry's footsteps leave the room and return just as I was about to drift off into sleep. "What now?" I uncovered my head and sat up in bed. There stood Harry, shirtless, tanned and beautiful. He was in his tight black briefs and had prepared a whole splay of food. He was carrying a full tray of food for the two of us to share.

"If you won't get out of bed, I'll just bring everything to you." He smiled as he placed the tray on my lap and climbed into bed on the other side of me. "Your tea is in the prettier tea cup. Mine is in the plain one."

"Thanks, Haz. This looks delicious." I said to him as I bit into the cinnamon toast he had made. Along with it were waffles and a plate full of fruit. We laid in bed for about an hour snacking on the food, and discussing our lives.

"So, what do you think you'd be doing if you wouldn't have lost your job?" Harry asked as he bit into a banana. I tried not to watch him, I knew it creeped him out when people watched him eat bananas.

"Probably wouldn't have moved in with you, probably wouldn't be going on tour with you. But I'm glad all of that happened, because I can't wait to see you all the time. What would you be doing if you weren't on the x factor?"

"I know I'd still be working in a bakery. I would have never had the courage to ask you out, but I believe that we probably would have still been friends, don't you think?"

I shrugged, "I'm not sure. I wouldn't have dropped out of school because you wouldn't have let me dated Jack if you would have met him back then. You wouldn't have approved, and I trust everything you have to say, so."

"I never approved of any of your boyfriends, did I?"

I shook my head and giggled, "Probably because they weren't you."

I watched as Harry blushed and he nodded his head, "If I can be honest." I nodded, allowing him to go on. "I wouldn't have approved of anyone unless it was me. I knew how all of those other guys would have treated you. Like complete shit. Nothing like you deserved to be treated."

"And you think you treat me well?" I raised an eyebrow and Harry said nothing except motion to the brunch in bed he had slaved over. "I was only joking. You treat me perfectly. Except when you PMS."

I kissed Harry on the cheek and he reciprocated. After 30 more minutes of lying in bed, I decided I needed a mid morning nap. Harry cuddled up behind me, with his arm wrapped around my waist, and pulled me into him.

"You're everything I've ever wanted, you know that?" He mumbled into my shoulder as he placed kisses all over.

"And you're everything I've ever wanted. I've never felt like this with anyone else, Harry. And... Honestly, I never thought I'd feel like this about you, but I do. I get butterflies whenever you're around, and when you look at me like I'm the only person in this world."

"Because you're the only girl in this world that matters to me. Well, besides mum, Gemma and-"

"I get what you mean, Haz. Coulda left it there. You just make me so happy, Harry. I'm so comfortable around you. I never want this to end."

"Me neither, princess. Me neither." He spoke softly, allowing me to fall asleep to the humming of his low voice.