Chemistry [One Direction: Harry Styles Romance]

:Chapter Seven:

                Harry pulled to a stop in front of a house about half an hour from where the secluded cliff area was, and I was sure we were in a different town. My heart was pounding and I was chewing on my bottom lip, way too self-conscious and nervous about how this would turn out. Surely, they’d tell Harry to stop hanging out with me because I was a crazy fan.

                I didn’t even realize Harry had gotten out of the car until he opened my door for me, an amused smile playing on his lips. I looked up at him, eyes big and imploring, face an open book of every feeling that was currently going through my body. I was scared, nervous, excited, happy – and so much more. Finally, he just shot me a reassuring smile and took my hand, pulling me out of the car.

                “It’s going to be okay,” Harry soothed with a smile as he shut the car door behind me. “You’re a fan of One Direction, yet you act completely normal around me.”

                I shrugged, saying, “Yeah, because you act like a normal guy.”

                He chuckled. “Because I am a normal guy. You’ll see that the other lads are, too, once you get to know them. Come on, they’re all inside.”

                Without another word, Harry was pulling me up the pathway towards the house. I wondered if Niall was there or at their little hang out house down the street from my hotel, then realized exactly what I was doing. I was thinking of Niall just as a normal guy. All of them were normal; I was just putting labels on them in my head that said otherwise.

                Taking a deep breath, I walked through the front door behind Harry, his grip on my hand still strong but assuring. I could hear the other British accents already before a shot of excitement ran through me – I was meeting the rest of One Direction! The band that I fan girl over and go to their concerts, then buy tee shirts just to wear to bed and know I saw them live.

                “Lads,” Harry said, snapping me out of my daydream as we came to a stop in the family room entrance. “This is Fawn.”

                My breath caught in my throat as four pairs of eyes snapped towards me, and I realized Niall was there too. He just grinned lazily and waved at me as the other three boys assessed me, friendly smiles on their lips. Zayn Malik’s eyes traveled down to my hand, which was entwined with Harry’s, before a smirk spread onto his face.

                “It’s nice to meet you,” Zayn said with a grin that was so perfect it made me self-conscious about my own smile. “I’m Zayn.”

                Liam Payne nodded; a huge, friendly smile on his lips as well. “I’m Liam.”

                And finally, Louis Tomlinson: “I’m Louis, but you can just call me Lou. So, you’re the girl Haz has been talking about?”

                I was meeting One Direction. And they were talking to me. And they were accepting me. Oh my God! I didn’t know how to feel other than just plain old ecstatic, so I just glanced at Harry with a wide grin before looking at all four boys and nodded happily.

                “I guess that’s me,” I said light heartedly as Liam laughed.

                “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you. We understand you’re a fan?” Liam asked.

                Before I could stop myself, I blurted, “A huge fan. And I hope you don’t think this is creepy or annoying or whatever, but… Could I get a picture?”