* Recasted: Lucy Hale as Natalia Maxwell 

Showstopper - Brandon & Leah 

ISABELLA 

She was here. My insane, impulsive, sneaky little sister was here. In London. In my apartment! I didn't know how she got here or who brought her here. Regardless of the who's, what's and why's, I was beyond thrilled to have Natalia here. A few days before my birthday no less. 

We had been sitting on my floor, in front of my front door, for the past ten minutes. We had slowly stopped the incessant crying and managed to calm down. Her brown hair was in a frizzy bun on top of her head. I took in her yoga pants and oversized sweatshirt and internally chuckled. 

Natalia was the kind of girl that made sure she looked her best at all times of the day. She was like our mother in that respect. Even when she was in her "scrubbed out" outfits, she still managed to look put together. Yet here she was, sitting on my hardwood floor, in old clothes. She looked like any normal eighteen year old teenager. Perhaps NYU has been doing her some good. 

"I can't believe you're here." I eventually say to her. I lay down on the ground beside her. She chuckles lightly, her lips pulled up into a small smile. 

"Me too. That flight, by the way, is insanely long." 

"It's not too bad," I laugh. 

"I flew coach. It was that bad." 

I give her a surprised look. "Coach? I'm surprised mom and dad didn't get you first class. That's not like them."

Nat sighs. Stretching out her legs, she lays her head down on the floor beneath her. She unties her hair and let's the long locks of brown to flow down and onto the floor. "Yeah," she mutters. "Mom and dad don't exactly know that I'm here." 

I sit up quickly. I am quite positive I look crazy right now. My eyes widen and mouth grows wide. "They don't know you're here?!" 

She covers her face with her hands. "No?" 

"Natalia!" I swat her on the arm lightly. She groans, her body slowly sitting up. "What do you mean they don't know you're here?"

"I kinda just came. I paid for my own ticket and everything." 

"Nat," I sigh. I could only imagine how infuriated our parents must be knowing that Nat got up and left. Granted, she was eighteen and was able to make her own decisions, she had just got up and left to come to a foreign country. "You should have told them you were coming."

"If I did, they wouldn't have let me." She argues back. 

"You're eighteen. You go to university and live in a dorm. You can make your own decisions to go without them stopping you. But - you should have still told them you were coming here," I scold. 

She groans, knowing I am right. "Yeah, well. I'm here now. I'll give them a call later to tell them where I am. It's not like I ran off with an estranged boyfriend and joined a highway motorcycle gang. I went to see my older sister on her infamous twenty-third birthday." She gives me a look. A look saying that she knows I can't stay mad at her any longer. Damn her. 

"Fine," I groan, pulling her into my arms. "You're such a troublemaker." 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She swats my arm playfully. 

"How did you know where I lived? I never told you." I suddenly realize. 

Nat smiles up at me, her eyes flashing with excitement. "After we got off Skype a few days ago and you were all in tears about missing me, I found Jaz on Facebook and sent her a message. She gave me your guys' address. She's super nice, by the way." 

"She is." I agree, making a mental note to thank Jaz for letting Nat come here and stay with us. I also made a note to slap her for not telling me my sister was coming. 

I jump on Nat one more, attacking her face with kisses. "Ew, get off me you weirdo." She screams, pushing me away but not succeeding. 

Suddenly, a cough comes from behind us. I pull away from Nat to see Harry standing awkwardly at my bedroom door. I grin over at him, waving him over. "Harry! Look - my sister! She's here!" 

Harry makes his way over to where we sit. His hands are in his pockets and his strides are long. He has a small smile on his face. I glance over at Natalia. I hold back the laugh that wants to escape at her starstruck expression. 

"That's him?" She mouths to me. I nod quickly. "Wow," she mouths once again. 

Shaking my head, an amused grin on my lips, I stand up. I pull Nat up with me. She stands beside me, awkwardly, before shaking her hands at her sides. She takes a step ahead, "Hey! I'm Nat." 

She pulls Harry into a hug. His arms stay beside him. He stands there stiff while my sister hugs the life out of him. I bite my lip from bursting out laughing. "Uh, hey." He pats her back once. 

Natalia finally lets go of him and takes a step back. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a ton about you." 

Harry scratches the back of his neck. His floppy curls falling in front of his face, causing him to push them back instinctively. "Yeah. 'Mm, you too." 

Natalia looks at Harry and then back at me. Her eyes glistening with so much excitement that I can feel it radiating off of her small frame. A small giggle escapes her lips before she turns around and grabs her back from outside. "I'm guessing that's your bedroom?" She nods towards the room that Harry just walked out from. 

"Yeah."

"Great. I'm going to go and freshen up." 

I give her a quick nod before she makes her way towards my bedroom. Harry quirks an eyebrow. Curiosity written on his face. He walks towards me, his arms wrapping around my body. "So that's the sister." 

"That's her." My hands wrap around his neck. My fingers automatically playing with the curls at the base of his neck. He smiles down at me. His dimple showing. 

"She seems... friendly." He says, referring to her overly excited hug. 

I let out a chuckle, shaking my head slightly. "Yeah. She's a hugger." 

Harry hums a response before leaning down and leaving a soft kiss to my forehead. "It's nice that she's here, yeah? You're happy." 

"Yeah. It is," I say back. It really was. This was the one thing that I had hoped for. My birthday wish, if you will. "I'm happy." 

I hear my bedroom door open. I tilt my head to the side, looking over Harry's arm. Nat stands at the door, smiling at me. She mouths out the word bathroom and I nod towards the door. She winks once before walking towards the right direction. She shuts the door softly behind her, leaving Harry and I alone once again.  

Harry's stomach begins to grumble, causing me to giggle. "Hungry?" 

"Very," he chuckles. "We should go get dinner. Very hungry." 

"I'd like that." I say. I rub my hands up and down Harry's arms before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "I'll go see if Nat is up for it. She's probably tired from traveling."

"Right," he says. "You should go do that." 

Reluctantly, I break free from his grasp and walk towards the bathroom door. I knock lightly on the wooden door. "Come in," Nat says from the other side. Her voice muffled by the door. I open it up slowly. She is standing in front of the bathroom mirror, a hairbrush in hand. Her hand struggles to brush through the knotted mess that her hair had somehow gotten itself into. 

"Need help there?" 

"Please," she sighs. 

I take the brush from her hand and begin to gently brush through the knots. Nat winces. "Oh, I'm so sorry." 

"It's fine," she chuckles. 

I manage to brush through the knots. I begin to braid her hair - the way I'd used to do when we were kids. A french braid - since it was the only type of braid I could do. A few summers ago, we thought it'd be a good idea to learn how to do the fishtail braid. Let's just say, hairstyling is not my forte. It was a complete mess. I didn't even know it was possible to screw up a braid as badly as I did. It even came to the point where we had to cut the hair elastic out from Nat's hair. From that point on, I have stuck to french braiding. It was simple enough and no hair has been hurt in the processes. A win win situation. 

"Thanks," she says to me once I finish tying the elastic onto her hair. "You always knew how to do a proper braid."

"Except for the fancy ones," I remind her. 

"That's true. My head still hurts from that, by the way." She jokes. I smack her arm lightly, rolling my eyes as I do so. "Have you ever tried braiding Harry's hair? It's so long. You never told me that his hair was practically a replica to Tarzan himself." 

I can't help the boisterous laugh that I let slip out. "Tarzan? Really? It's not that long."

"But it's getting there. He's also super hot. You failed to mention that."

"Excuse me, don't hit on my boyfriend." I playfully warn her. 

"Does he have a brother?"

"Taken."

"Damn." She snaps her finger and shaking her head in faux disappointment. 

A comfortable silence falls above us. I look at Nat, still in awe that she was here. My stomach then begins to growl, a reminder as to why I was here in the first place. "Are you hungry?" I ask. 

"Starving."

"Great! H and I were thinking about going to dinner. Up for it?" 

"Yes," she says. Her lips curved into a smile. "That sounds great." 

We walk out of the bathroom and head towards my bedroom. Harry doesn't seem to be around. I call out for him before I follow Natalia all the way into my room. I can hear the television going in the living room. 

"I'll be there in a second," 

I head over to see Harry sitting on the couch, his long legs lying on top of the coffee table. I shake my head to myself before walking over towards him. Careful to not make sound, I sneak over to him. My hands cover his eyes, causing Harry to jump slightly. "Guess who," I whisper in his ear. 

"Who?" He asks, his lips quirking up into his infamous smirk. 

"Your really, really hot girlfriend." 

"Mila Kunis? Babe, is that you?" I gasp, hitting him on the shoulder. "Ouch!" Harry yelps. He turns around, rubbing his shoulder with his other hand. 

"Was that really necessary?" He asks me, his hand still rubbing the spot that I hit. 

"Uh, yeah. Duh." I cross my arms against my chest, a look of disinterest on my face. 

Harry stands up, his hands finding it's way to my hipbones. I take a step back. Freeing myself from his grasp and putting up a front of mock hurt. I was going to play this up. "Oh come on, baby. You know I was just joking." He takes another step towards me. His green eyes soften. 

He leans closer to me. His soft lips touching my cheek. He pulls away seconds later, a kiss being left in its wake. "I love you," he says slowly. He leans in once again, kissing every inch of my face. "You're the only girl for me. You know that." 

My resolve is quick to crumble. He had that effect on me. Always will. I lean in, meeting his lips. The kiss is slow. I pull back, a goofy grin on my face. "I love you, too." I say to him, a smile now on his face. "I also hate you for being too damn cute. I can never stay mad at you. Even when it's fake." 

Harry laughs. His eyes shutting slightly and his head thrown back. "I'm glad to hear that baby." He kisses my cheek once more before letting go of my hips. "Let's go get some food." 

- 

It was the night before my birthday. Which indirectly was the night before my birthday party.  Jaz had been running around the apartment like a chicken that has lost its head. Natalia and I had sat back most of the day, sipping on sangria and laughing at Jaz's frantic running around. I had almost felt bad sitting back and not helping. But the moment I started to tie twine around small mason jars, my hand was slapped and I was pushed out of the kitchen. 

"You're the birthday girl," Jaz says to me. Her eyes widening once I try to reach out for the roll of washi tape. She swats my hand away. 

"Ow!" 

"Get out of here." She pushes me out of the room and back towards the couch. "Please, Nat. Keep her out of my way." 

Ever since then, we have been sitting on the couch with glasses of alcohol infused juice, snickering silently at my frazzled (and rather stubborn) roommate. The television plays in the background, it's sound muted. Nat's eyes are focused on my laptop that sits on her lap. She has been scrolling through some online clothing shop whilst filling me in about some new trend. Apparently skinny jeans and running shoes are the newest fad. I still can't wrap my mind around how that would be deemed fashionable. To each their own I suppose. 

"Have you decided what to wear tomorrow?" Nat asks me, breaking the silence. 

"Jaz bought me this red dress for my birthday. I'm not too sure if I like it though." 

Nat stands up quickly, placing the laptop on top of the coffee table. She reaches out for my hand, pulling me up with her. "Show me." 

We walk towards my bedroom. She takes a seat on top of my bed. I walk over to the closet and pull out the red dress. "Pretty," she comments. "Try it on." 

I let out a groan. "Do I have to?" I whine, not really wanting to undress. 

"Yes. You do." 

"Fine." I mutter as I begin to pull Harry's sweater over my head. 

The moment the fabric falls on top of my body, I hear a low whistle. I look over at Nat. She gives me a smirk, her eyes glancing over the dress. "I like it!" 

"I feel like it's too... not me." 

"What? Too hot?" She scoffs. "You have a great figure. Show it off!" 

"It's not just that. It also cost the same amount of my rent. It's Valentino. It's also way too formal for tonight. I don't think she was actually thinking when she bought it for me." I know I sound selfish, complaining about a dress that was absolutely beautiful. I didn't feel comfortable wearing it. At least not to this kind of party. To be honest, I was hoping I could save it for a special night with Harry. Was I being ridiculous? 

"Well," Nat moves her body off of the bed. She walks towards her suitcase. "I was kind of hoping you didn't have a dress because I have part of your birthday present." 

"What is up with everyone buying me dresses for my birthday? Is my style that terrible?" I joke lightly. 

Nat is quick to shake her head no. "Not at all. I saw this dress and thought of you right away." She says to me shyly. "It's also vintage," she adds quickly. 

"You didn't have to give me anything." I tell her. 

"I know. I wanted to. Here," she hands me a brown paper wrapped box. I mutter a small thank you, before carefully unwrapping the paper packaging. 

Underneath is a white box. I cut through the tape using my nail and open the box. Inside, underneath a layer of tissue paper, is a beige, long sleeved silk sequin dress. "This is beautiful, Nat." I gasp. My fingers gently tracing over the fabric. 

"I hope you like it." 

"I love it," I honestly tell her. "It's amazing." I slip off the red dress and place it on top of my bed. I begin to unzip the new dress and pull it over my head. It has a low cut back. The hem reaches just below my bum almost hitting mid thigh. It felt soft against my skin. It was breathtaking. 

I wrap my arms around my sister, pulling her into a grateful hug. "Thank you. I honestly love it." I whisper into her hair. She pulls back, a wide grin on her face. 

"I'm glad! Harry is going to go nuts when he sees you." She tells me, earning a blush to reach to my cheeks. "He seems pretty great, by the way. Not at all an asshole like you made him sound before." 

I laugh, remembering the times I had complained to her before Harry and I got together. I'd tell her all about how much of a jerk he could be. Honestly, he was far from that. So far from it. I was happy that Nat was able to see a small part of the man that I was in love with. The real him. Not just the act that he puts up. "He's great," I finally say back. 

Nat's face softens. Her eyes go wide for a split second before a look of realization hits the surface. "You are in love with him." She says blatantly. "Like, actually in love with him." 

I hide my face behind my hands. I can feel my cheeks grow warm once again. "Yes," I finally admit to her. "I love him. I really, really love him."

"Wow," she stares at me in awe. "This guy must really be something else." 

I nod as I give her a shy smile. "He's something great. The best around." I tell her. He really was and he was mine. My guy. Nobody else's. It was scary how attached I was growing towards Harry. But - he had my heart, and there was no way I was getting it back. That was for sure.