Ever since they met the band, Jasey felt like it was absolutely impossible to escape those five lads. Their faces seemed to be on even more magazines - if that was possible - and those few commercials that they starred in came up more and more on the television. And then, there was Tilly.

"Come on, don't be such a downer," the blonde was whining, poking and prodding at Jasey. "Let's go!"

"But we've been there once already, this week," Jasey said, giving her friend a pointed look before turning back to her textbook. "We don't want to bother them. I'm sure that they have promotion and things to do."

Tilly rolled her eyes, a gesture that was sure to become her signature. "Well, obviously, I know that," she said. Being their manager's daughter, there were times when she knew more about what the boys were scheduled to do than them themselves. "But we can go visit them in the studio."

"No, Tills, not today."

"But..."

"No."

Her friend's stubbornness seemed to just make Tilly even more determined. "Come on, Jasey, Niall said that Harry's been talking a storm about you," she tried earnestly.

That caught her attention. "He has? Really?" She then shook her head immediately, trying to dispel any thoughts of him from her mind. "No, never mind, it doesn't matter," Jasey said quickly after. He was a pop star. People like her definitely didn't mix with guys like him. After all, boys in general always seemed to be after one thing, and one thing only.

Hah, ironic, isn't it, how that was the name of one of their songs?

In addition to all of that, Jasey realized that there was some truth to the whole flirty characterization that the media put on Harry. It wasn't like he was trying (but there were definitely times when his motivations just couldn't be denied), but that just seemed to be all part of his charming personality. And she's heard stories of course, about all the havoc that he had caused. There were times when he was exactly the type of guy that she had promised she'd stay away from.

But he was also funny.

And nice.

And sweet.

And...

Well, she was most definitely in a conundrum now.

"Yes, he has," Tilly said was a smug look. "So can we go? Please?"

"You just want to see Niall," Jasey grumbled, flipping through her notes with more aggression than really needed.

Her friend made a face. "That miserable twat? And why would I want to see him?"

"Because you love him," she countered matter-of-factly.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, you do."

Tilly gave her and exasperated look. "If I say yes, can we go?"

"No."

Her roommate eventually gave up with a loud groan, heading out for some coffee afterwards since Jasey "gave her anxiety".

Unknown to Tilly, her efforts were more effective than she realized. Harry was beginning to invade Jasey's thoughts even more so than usual, a thing that was beginning to scare her. She hadn't felt this way since that, and based on what she knew about crushes, that's just how she almost always ends up: crushed.

Maybe it would be different if he-

Jasey snorted to herself and turned back to her heavily highlighted notes. He's Harry Styles. That in itself erased all her chances. She'd just have to forget about him.

If only he wasn't so charming...


* * * * *


It was a nice fall day in LA. Not too hot, but it was just cold enough for Jasey wear her favorite cardigan over her dress of choice that day. As she was making her way to one of her favorite on campus eateries, her phone vibrated in her pocket, making her steps slow.

Dresses with pockets. The world's greatest invention, she was sure of it.

Unknown:
what do you think? dinner over here tomorrow?

The new text message confused her. Who was this and why would she want to have dinner over there the next night?

Jasey Villanueva:
sorry, who's this?

The reply came in fast.

Unknown:
hahaha sorry, honey ! this is nialler here.

A small smile flitted across Jasey's face as she carefully moved along the other students rushing to their classes. Niall had been the one member that she had found the easiest to talk to out of the five boys. Sure, it was true that Liam was nice as well and Louis gave her a great laugh, but it wasn't quite the same as with Nialler. Also, Zayn was a bit distant from the girls so she really couldn't say much about that relationship. Harry would have easily been at the same spot as Niall, since the two had gotten on so well on the first day, but after the strange stares and such of the late, Jasey wasn't so sure.

After learning the identity of the texter, Jasey quickly input the number into her phone and replied.

Jasey Villanueva:
tilly gave you my number, im guessing?

Niall Horan:
yeah. so what do you think? headin t ours tomorrow with the rest of the girls?

Jasey Villanueva:
hmm. maybe.

Niall Horan:
come on ! harry's cookin is actually pretty good

Jasey sighed with the mention of the green eyed member. It all seemed to lead back to him, didn't it?

Jasey Villanueva:
alright then, when and where?

* * * * *

The dinner at the band's place quickly became a tradition and they hadn't been surprised when Nicole, Tilly, and Jasey all showed up at their hotel the next Friday, ready to sample whatever grub they had managed to pull together. Soon however, the lads were moved to a high security apartment complex just down the street, since Mr. Bloomfield had been informed that they were going to be in LA much longer than anticipated. The trio were seen down there so often that the security at the front took them as regulars and let them in without any problems.

To be honest, Jasey had never anticipated seeing this much of the boys (men, actually, as Louis keeps trying to tell her) from One Direction. But she couldn't complain much about it. Zayn was finally talking more, goofing around just as much as Louis. Harry was finally acting much less oddly around her and they were able to fall more easily into conversation as they had before. It was also getting easier and easier to completely forget that they were in fact, major celebrities. Their faces were known around the world and their voices could make virtually any teenage girl scream. But there, when it was just them, Jasey saw the real people behind all the media attention.

It was a shame that not many others got to witness it as well. Maybe then they'd think twice about sending hate.




As Jasey walked down the street, she couldn't help but grin. It was a beautiful day in LA and she was absolutely loving it. The weather was one of the factors that she had considered as she picked potential colleges. Lord knew that she could not survive in snow, a tornado, or gosh, even hard rain. So she stayed in Southern California.

There was a slight breeze, the wind making the ends of her long hair flutter after her. Tilly had sent her on this expedition to the boys’ place to return a hoodie of Niall’s that she had claimed to be highly crucial to his survival. Unfortunately, her friend happened to have a class and Nicole said that she needed to study. So Jasey set off on her own.

As she approached the door, Jasey wondered how many people knew about the band members taking residence there. She was sure that with the way their fan base was, it was only a matter of time before there would be a crowd there just as large as the one that had met them outside of their hotel.

It was nice though, having them close. Jasey had made it a goal to make as many friends as possible on this new adventure called college, and she was starting to consider the members of One Direction her friends.

She walked into the lobby, smiling brightly at the doorman as he opened the door for her. Frank, his name was, she remembered. The elevator took her to the sixth floor, where all of the lads had their flats. Being world famous and all that, each member inhabited a space that she was sure could accommodate their whole band. But being world famous and that, they could afford huge apartments like those. Jasey reached out and rapped her knuckles on Niall's door, the one closest to her on the right.

"He's not here."

Jasey spun around and saw Harry across the hall, leaning on his door frame as he munched on a banana. "Oh, hi," she said, pleasantly shocked. "What do you mean he's not here?"

Harry, himself, was happily surprised at her appearance as well. Jasey had become more comfortable around him, he had noticed and was taking great advantage of that. They both just seemed to, in his words, "get on really well". His little lame jokes seemed to make her smile. He liked that, seeing her smile and knowing that he had caused it.

Harry liked that a lot, actually.

"He left," he explained with a shrug. "You can wait in my flat until he comes back if you want." He gestured through the door with his free hand. Jasey looked at him warily, but eventually walked in, Harry following right after. "Niall went running out to the lift when he got a text from Tilly. Some date, I suppose."

"Oh." Jasey let him pass her, taking in the little details of what seemed to be the living room. It was a nice bachelor pad, black and white, impersonal and modern.

"You want anything?" he asked, heading to the kitchen to toss his banana peel in the bin. They had just moved in, so she was sure Harry would add his little touches once he was settled.

Jasey rocked on her feet a little, feeling awkward as she just stood in the middle of the space. "No thank you," she said politely. "But wait." Her eyebrows contracted as she thought back to what her friend had told her. "Tilly's in class though." Jasey suddenly froze, connections being made rapidly in her mind. "Did they make sure that you would stay here as well?"

Harry mirrored her previously confused face, not sure where she was going with this. "Erm, yeah, Niall said something about watching the place. Why?"

"Because, Tilly told me to bring this for Niall,” Jasey clarified as she reached into her bag and yanked out the red hoodie, “but she obviously wanted to make sure that you were here to greet me." She shook the piece of clothing for emphasis, but Harry was looking lost.

"Uhm, sorry?" Well, maybe she didn't like his company as well as he had imagined.

"They're setting us up!" Jasey said finally, throwing her hands into the air for emphasis. "Tilly and Niall, they're both in on it!"

Harry laughed. "That's what you think this is? A set up?" He sat down on the couch and chuckled a bit more.

Jasey gave him a look. “Not funny, Hazza.” She huffed and collapsed next to him. “Tilly is so dead,” she decreed, giving the coffee table in front of her the ultimate death glare, thinking up of all the evil schemes that she could pull for revenge. Hadn't she told her multiple times that it was completely impossible for her and Harry to be, so it wasn't even worth trying?

And then there was that fact that she wasn't even sure if she liked him or not.

And that other thing...

Harry smiled at her little fit. It was just so adorable how she wrinkled her nose and how worked up she had gotten. He made a mental note to thank Tilly later, if it was true. “You can still drop off the jacket if you want to,” he suggested, pointing to the door. “The lads never lock their rooms.”

Jasey contemplated on just tossing the darn thing for a moment but stomped away, her better judgment getting the best of her. “Thanks Hazza,” she called over her shoulder and disappeared out the door. Pushing into Niall’s apartment, she dropped the red hoodie onto the couch and was about to storm out when she saw his laptop on the desk, still on and logged on to Twitter. A sneaky look spread on her face as she walked over and started typing.

She was in the middle of tweet number five when she felt a hand on her shoulder. A laugh rang out when she jumped. “It’s just me,” Harry whispered into her ear softly. But at his choice of words, her breath was caught in her throat.

“It’s just me.”

The words echoed in her mind, but the voice was one from another time, another place. She felt Harry’s hand sliding down her arm, giving her chills - not from surprise, but from fear. “I have to go,” she said, abruptly getting out of the computer chair. She moved away from as quickly as possible, collecting her bag as she headed to the door.

Behind her, Harry let out a sigh. No matter how much those two were around each other, Jasey still was jumpy about physical contact of any sort. It truly did puzzle Harry. None of the others seemed to really notice, but then again, none of them were really looking at Jasey as he was. "I'll see you later," he said to her retreating back.

Jasey barely heard his farewell. Her mind was reeling in memories of the past. She had thought that they were all behind her now. College was supposed to be a fresh start, a new take on life. But why was it still haunting her? What did she have to do to shake it off?

As he was just standing there, Harry was beginning to have second thoughts. Maybe he just had to be bold. Come out and say it. "Hey, wait." With two long strides, he crossed the room towards her, his hand lightly wrapped around her wrist.

Jasey had been lost in her thoughts, but crashed back to Earth with his touch. “What?” she snapped and then winced as she faced him. Her voice sounded aggravated and tense. It wasn’t Harry’s fault, she reminded herself.

Harry noticed that she had pulled her hand out of his grip before staring him down.

"I have to tell you something," he said, stepping closer.

Jasey edged back, but didn't say anything, curious at whatever he was about to confess.

"I really like you, Jasey." A small smile came onto his face as the words escaped his mouth. It felt so good to say it, finally admitting it to the world and to himself as well.

He liked Jasey.

Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

So, Harry did like her back.

That was nice.

But she just...

Could she handle this?

Jasey's arms crossed in front of her chest, shielding herself. "Harry-"

He took another step so that they were toe to toe. Gently, he brushed away a silky strand of hair with a smile. “You’re beautiful,” he said, searching her warm brown eyes.

And with that phrase, she was yanked back.

“You’re beautiful.” The words were the same, but the feeling behind them couldn’t be any different.

Jasey shook her head. Not now. Those thoughts were something that she needed to lock in a mental drawer and sink in the Sea of Forget.

Harry noticed the change in her eyes however and was looking down at her with concern. "Jasey?"

"Look Harry, I just-"

Looking back, Harry wondered why on earth he had done what he did.

They barely knew each other.

She kept on backing away fron simple touches, for heavens sake.

But at the time and moment, his brain just seemed to believe it was the best idea in the world to lean down and kiss her.

So that's what he did.

Immediately as he went in for it, Harry felt that it was wrong. It was just a simple peck. Light and barely even there.

But it was enough.

Shocked, Jasey took a step back and looked at him with huge eyes. Maybe one day she would be able to enjoy that kiss. Maybe she'd be able to run her hands through Harry's hair and pull him closer for more like so many other girls would have done.

But all that the brief pressure of his lips on hers caused an overflow of memories.

Of him.

"Jasey?" Harry asked, not sure what to do. Concern and guilt played on his features. What had he done? It was just a simple kiss, wasn't it? But why was she acting like this? Why was she crying?

Gosh, what had he done this time?

"I'm so sorry," Jasey said, absolutely mortified. She had been so sure that it didn't bother her anymore. Apparently she was wrong. Even though she was completely aware of where she was, her mind kept taking her back to other places in her memories.

Darkness.

Muffled music.

Hands...

She just couldn't...

Harry couldn't help but notice that she kept on edging away from him, further and further. Her eyes were wide and frightened, and he could tell she was seeing more than her eyes were processing. It was just like him, wasn't it? To screw everything up. "No, I'm sorry," Harry apologized, reaching out. He wanted to make it better.

"No!" She recoiled from his touch, her hands splayed out, creating a barrier between them. They stood there for a moment, Harry looking on as tears kept on rolling down Jasey's cheeks.

She couldn't breathe.

He was coming.

He was there.

His hands...

Suddenly, Jasey spun on her heel, sprinting out of the room and down the hall. She was trying to run from it all, but that was the problem. It was all in her mind. Everything was just inescapable. All of it had such and iron clad grip on her that it was impossible to just dissolve it away. No, she needed a key to unlock herself from this misery.

But where was it?

Harry followed her down out the door and down the hall, meeting her at the end of the corridor near the lift. "Jasey what's going on, please, tell me," he begged. All thoughts of himself were gone now. He wanted to fix what she was going through. It was so clear in her eyes. The pain, the fear, the hopelessness.

“I have to get out of here,” she said, repeatedly punching the button to call the elevator. The thoughts were flooding back. The feeling of darkness, the tight grip of despair that really never had let go. Jasey needed to go and run. Run away until those memories were left behind and would never find her again.

But she couldn't.

It's just me.

You're so beautiful.

She shook her head firmly, trying to get those phrases out of her mind.

To try and get his voice out of her mind.

The elevator finally came up and she stepped in, whirling around when she heard Harry take a step forward. At that moment, he wasn't Harry. He was just another guy. Like him. "No!" she cried out, so firmly that Harry backed out immediately.

“Jasey, what’s going on?” Harry repeated desperately. The misery on her face was breaking his heart. “Was it me?” His voice was fearful as he searched her watery eyes for some clue or hint as to what was causing her this much agony.

Jasey looked at Harry, with his mop of curly brown hair, sparkling eyes, and those dimples that stood out, even when he was distressed. He was a genuinely good guy that had just made a move at the wrong moment. With a sympathetic look, she stepped forward, tentatively leaning in closer to him. Harry noticed that she was trembling. Slowly, Jasey brushed her lips against his cheek, the lack of pressure hardly qualifying it to be a kiss.

But it was still something and Harry could tell that it took a lot for her to do that. Even as she backed away, Harry could still see that she was shaking in her shoes.

“No,” Jasey whispered. She turned around and walked right back into the elevator just as the doors slid shut.

And then she was gone.

Notes

And the story is finally picking up speed!

~Sianna