Written by: loveinslowmotion on archive of our own

Posted on: June 15, 2016

Description: At just the right time, Harry reminds Taylor she can be anything she wants to be, while showing her a different kind of high.

Official Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7210037

Warning: This chapter contains mature content and mention of drugs. Please read at your own risk! :)

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He had nice cheekbones. It was easier to admire the definition without his wild hair in his face. He was so pretty. He was so, so pretty. Did he know how pretty he was? Maybe someone should tell him.

"Taylor."

The sound of her name cut off her thoughts. Taylor turned her head to her best friend seated beside her, looking innocent as her chin rested on her hand and she swirled the straw in her drink absentmindedly with the other.

"You're not subtle," Karlie warned her, and Taylor's gaze drew back to the man she had been admiring ever since he had walked into view as if she hadn't even heard.

"He looks so different," Taylor commented wistfully. Maybe it was just the mix of the vodka in the drink in front of her and the heartbreak that liked to keep giving her a poking reminder that she had been walked out on again, but she didn't think that was the real reason why she could barely take her eyes off of her no longer most recent ex Harry. He had always had this magnetic quality about him that drew others in – he was talking to a small group right now, each hooked on every word that came out of those gorgeous lips. Taylor knew first hand that it wasn't a pure physical attraction thing: his mind, his sweet yet undoubtedly complicated mind, had caught her in its trap too, had had her spiralling in confusion when they were at their lowest point. But it was also addicting. Harry had always been able to bring out this side of Taylor that was normally safely tucked away by puzzle code, and somehow Harry knew the secret key to it every single time.

Maybe that was exactly what she needed tonight.

"He looks younger," Taylor realised. "Like when I knew him."

"You still know him," Karlie tried pointing out reassuringly.

"We've barely spoken in so long," Taylor was quick to acknowledge. "He probably doesn't even want to anymore. He's over it. Over me."

"Hey," Karlie sighed, sliding her arm around the older girl's small waist comfortingly. "You don't know that. Why don't you go talk to him, if that's what you want?"

"I think I'll just get another drink," she decided, excusing herself to refill her glass that wasn't even empty yet. Taylor liked to try to keep her spirits up as much as possible no matter what she was going through, and even though it had been a few weeks since she had been dumped (such an ugly phrase, she had always thought) the wound wasn't close to being healed over yet and the only kind of spirit she was interested in right now was of the liquid variety. Heading inside and through to the kitchen, she helped herself to a generous pouring of vodka to do just the trick. Anything to get these men off her mind.

They didn't deserve it. They didn't deserve to occupy Taylor's thoughts, not when she had been nothing but good to them and they should've been exactly that in return. Neither of them should've hurt her heart like they had. Vaguely she knew that at least she was another step closer to finding the right person who wasn't going to do this to her, who was going to cherish her for the rest of her life, but all of that seemed so far away. Lightyears away from Harry and now Calvin.

The main reason she had even come tonight was because it was Ed who had organised it and she had promised weeks ago that she would make it. How was she to know that she was going to hear "This just isn't working out the same anymore" three days later? At least Calvin had the decency not to show up. His invitation had only been because of her, anyway.

Tonight was the first night Taylor had properly dolled herself up since the break-up, having preferred to lay low and spend some relaxed time with her friends and family instead. She and Karlie had made an afternoon of it, painting each other's nails and doing their hair and make-up side by side with a fun playlist to get them in the party mood. The girl time had been a lot more enjoyable than it had been recently, since it involved less tissues and more laughter. It had helped elevate her mood and make her feel more like her normal self again.

Taylor had let Karlie take the reins and choose her look for the night. She had protested a few options, sure, but she couldn't pretend that she hadn't looked in the mirror by the end of it and felt good about herself. Great, fantastic even. She slayed in an all-black ensemble: a lace top that quite clearly (and daringly) showed off her bra underneath, paired with high waisted shorts and some platform boots. Her bleached hair had been curled perfectly and her winged eyeliner was sharp and precise. Anyone would've killed to look like her right now.

Maybe Calvin should've come, just to see what he was missing. Then again, Harry had been hanging around in her general vicinity for a little while now and hadn't even noticed her, so maybe not.

"Okay," Taylor said when she made her way back outside and sat herself on top of the table Karlie was waiting for her at. "I refuse to sit here thinking about the past. I didn't come here to be sad. We didn't put all this effort into me for that."

Karlie, who had heard a lot of cynical and self-deprecating statements come from Taylor lately, flashed a pearly white grin at the change of pace. "What do you have in mind?"

"I wanna drink this and I wanna dance," she declared, and with a long sip from her glass Taylor thought maybe she could make this night her turning point. Fuck love, she was at a refreshingly relaxed party with her best friend courtesy of another. She was strong; she didn't need some dumb guy who couldn't appreciate her completely or another who had apparently wiped her from his memory so much that he couldn't even see her here now. No, she was done with that.

Or, she was for about ten minutes, at least.

After they had both eagerly downed what was in their glasses, the strikingly similar pair headed hand in hand to what had been dubbed the dance floor. In actual fact, it was the decking that led out from Ed's house, but it was where the stereo system was, so if you wanted to dance close to the music, that was the place to be.

Most people were dotted around the garden, chatting in small clusters with drinks in their hands. Outdoor lights stuck in the ground outlined the paths, a few close to the fence and around the deck all offering brightness to the space. The pool had an illuminous glow thanks to the globes in its wall, too. It was all very casual. If there was one thing Ed knew how to do – aside from craft an incredible set of lyrics – it was get people together for some fun without it always being a massive, crazy thing. They could do whatever they wanted without worrying too much about the aftermath. It was simple opportunity.

While it did somewhat occur to Taylor that they might have a few eyes on them considering they were two of the only people dancing, and, well, she wasn't very good, she wasn't too bothered by the thought. She was used to it.

What she wasn't used to anymore was that slow, rich voice that once had her melting on the spot.

"I'd been trying to figure out what this party was missing, and it turns out it was you," Harry said as he bounded up the couple steps to the deck, that stupid signature smile on his face.

Taylor whipped her head around in disbelief of what she had just heard. "Excuse me?"

"You dancing, I mean," Harry clarified as he walked, not quite over to them but instead leaning against one of the wooden poles, his hands sliding into the pockets of his skinny jeans. "'S not the same without you dancing."

"O-kay," Taylor brushed him off, looking back at Karlie and rolling her eyes. She tried to continue on as if he wasn't there but she could feel his gaze on her, those green eyes piercing into her. It was unnerving.

"Does this look like a show?" she asked him with a slight edge in her voice, as if something as small as that could get him to leave her alone all night.

"I just wanted to say hi," Harry replied calmly. "S'pose we can talk later."

Just as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone again, disappearing inside presumably to find himself something to drink. Karlie arched her brows at her questioningly and Taylor just shrugged. She didn't know what that just was. She tried not to care.

That was another thing about Harry: even after a brief interaction, he got you under his spell. He wormed his way into your head so you couldn't stop thinking about him, so you would do anything you could just to see him again and let him enchant you some more. He was awful and charming and his timing was ridiculous. He was unbelievable.

Taylor managed to avoid him for a while, though in the back of her mind she knew her efforts would always be futile. After they tired of twirling around by themselves, she and Karlie joined in on a conversation by the pool with fresh glasses in their manicured hands. They mingled around, ended up sitting around on the grass with Ed and one of his mates who Taylor was almost certain had taken some mind-altering substance since he kept staring into the glimmering water and muttering words of astonishment to himself.

"Maybe we could make a secret collaboration album," Taylor mused, twisting a stray strand of her hair around her finger. "Drop a surprise announcement and blow everyone's minds."

Ed smiled knowingly. "What happened to taking a break?"

"Let me live," she laughed. "Don't even worry about it, the world's not ready for a sound like that anyway."

"Or a tour like that."

"God, touring with you again would be so much fun."

"I want good seats if this happens, y'know," Karlie added in, pleased when she received an assuring pat on her thigh and a promise that she would. She soon excused herself to go to the bathroom when they started throwing around ideas for the imaginary tour, most of them silly thanks to neither of them being close to sober anymore.

That was when he came back.

Since the spot next to her was now free, Harry meandered his way over (ironically) without Taylor even realising until he sat his long limbs down beside her. He smiled at her when she turned her head to him and in her surprise she automatically offered one back.

Harry didn't try to interrupt, just let Taylor and Ed carry on talking. It was Ed's friend who changed the direction of the conversation with another one of his random comments, and that was when Taylor became more aware of Harry's presence next to her, how that even if she didn't want to admit it to herself she wanted him there. He had always brought a certain spark out in her, something a little playful and a little dangerous. She hadn't felt it in a long time, and with the alcohol loosening her demeanour she realised she wanted it back.

In her peripheral vision she could see Harry tapping his fingers on his thigh and out of habit she immediately tuned herself into the song that had started playing through the speakers to see which beat had caught his attention. Taylor smiled at him when she recognised it as one they had once listened to together, and they held each other's gaze for a moment too long before Harry stopped tapping and took a risk by holding his hand out to her instead.

"May I have this dance?" he asked chivalrously, a request that often bode well with her. Taylor impulsively accepted before she had the chance to think it through.

Getting to their feet, they moved further over so they had some space where they wouldn't be crashing into anyone. They weren't the most graceful dancers, but they had always flowed together. Even after hardly saying a word to each other in months, they clicked back into each other effortlessly. They anticipated the other's next step without question, looking almost like it was rehearsed as Harry twirled her around. They had had a fair bit of practice in their time, after all.

If there was any chance of Taylor being able to walk away from this unaffected, any chance of her remembering that she had sworn off caring about him or any other man for that matter for at least a few hours and telling him to get the hell away from her so she could relax in peace, that was taken away as soon as Harry started singing to her.

His voice was low and rich, still managing to hit the right notes despite the alcohol she could almost taste on his breath when he pulled her in close. He was aware he had cracked her resolve, too, since he had no problem in drinking up her look with his crystal eyes or letting his hands occasionally wander her body freely when he had the chance. Taylor made no effort to stop him: her will to had vanished. She could feel her confidence dripping back into her veins, and part of her knew that tomorrow she would feel stupid for letting a boy be the one to do that to her, but tonight – tonight Taylor was going to embrace it. A little impulsive fun always did some good, anyway.

Harry chased her down the garden as a new song kicked in, Taylor giggling and spinning around with the freedom of her decision to let loose. She let him catch her behind one of the thick trees towards the back of the yard, let him rest his hands on her waist and stand a little too close for someone who was supposed to be just a friend now.

"You look amazing tonight, Taylor," Harry complimented, bringing a cocky smile to her face.

"I think you're just saying that 'cause you can see my bra."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Liar."

The pair of them grinned at each other through the shadows.

"I can't believe you really cut all your hair off," Taylor commented, her hand slowly sliding to rest on the back of his neck where a tumble of curls should've been covering.

"Didn't I say the same thing about you?"

"I'm not the one who has literally shaved the sides of their head."

Harry laughed as she started touching his hair, running her fingers all through the much shorter length. He didn't complain about her messing it up, not when he was happy to have some kind of physical contact with her again. She could play with his hair all night and he would leave contented.

It was amazing how quickly they slipped back into their usual manner with each other. After they had gotten over the initial awkwardness that had come between them after they had split, they had had no problem in relaxing into their natural connection whenever they saw each other again. It was comforting, in a way, to have someone they had once been romantically involved with be so... chill. They could talk, joke, tease, dance, kiss, fuck, and neither of them made it into a big deal. They always knew they could come back to each other when they needed it. Knowing that they always had someone who could love them was a powerful thing.

"Does it feel weird to you?" Taylor wondered, still stroking his hair.

"It's taken a bit of getting used to, yeah."

"How's the movie going?"

"Intense. Pretty cool, though."

"Please don't tell me your character dies."

"Why, would you cry if they did?"

Taylor grinned as he raised his eyebrows curiously. "I'd be a weeping mess, obviously."

"Well, I can't give you any spoilers, sorry. You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else."

With the faux pout she put on, Harry almost, almost kissed her. Any other time and he might've. He'd done it plenty of times before: kissed away the pout that was too cute to resist. Part of him thought she only did it just so he would kiss her. Too bad he didn't realise that now.

"Not even a little hint for your favourite blonde?" Taylor pressed.

"No, Niall's not allowed any hints either," Harry replied cheekily, earning the slap on the arm he promptly received.

"When did you demote me?"

"When I texted you 'knock knock' and you never replied 'who's there?'"

"That was last year; I was busy!"

"Bullshit!"

"Your joke was probably shit anyway!"

"Wanna say that to my face?"

"I just did!"

The scream Taylor emitted as Harry started tickling her certainly caught people by surprise. Thankfully the party wasn't turning into a crime scene like automatically assumed, but rather a playground for two adults who always seemed to lose themselves in their own little world whenever they were together. With shoes that really weren't made for running, Taylor made her escape when Harry let her go just for the chase. She hurried away as best as she could, looking as awkward as ever and feeling more free than she had in weeks. Who knew she only needed something to drink and some fresh air in her lungs and someone she thought had given up on her to make her feel good again?

Harry stayed a few strides behind her, a wide grin on his face as he watched her bound around like a baby giraffe trying to find its footing on such spindly legs.

"I'm gonna break my ankle on these!" Taylor laughed loudly, which was definitely a possibility if she didn't look where she was going. Harry took that as his cue to close the distance between them, jogging up and wrapping his arms around her waist. She squealed and kicked as he lifted her up off the ground, throwing her head back laughing as he spun them around. The youthful freedom that Harry exuded was exactly what she had missed most.

"Are you going to apologise now?" he asked, keeping a tight hold on her.

"I'm sorry!" Taylor relented only so he would put her down, and when she found the ground again and turned around to face him she suddenly had a wicked smile on her lips as she said what she really meant: "I'm sorry that the truth hurt your precious feelings."

Harry's eyes widened, his smile drawing into a smirk as equally challenging as hers. "My precious feelings are incredibly hurt, Taylor; I don't know how we can move past this."

"I think I have a pretty good idea," she countered, and with her hand resting on his jaw and her slowly leaning in Harry's heart was jumping for joy, but apparently she wasn't going to make it that easy. Instead, Taylor simply patted him on the cheek and walked away. She just strutted off and left him staring after her in awe – oh yes, flirty Taylor was back.

As she glanced around the garden trying to locate where her friends were at now, Taylor counted in her head. One, two, three – she could already hear hurried footsteps coming up behind her on the grass. Harry caught up to her quickly, his mesmerised expression as he fell into step beside her almost comical. The power was in her hands now. She just had to decide how she wanted to use it.

They walked in palpable silence back over to Ed and a very stunned Karlie who had returned to see the unexpected, Taylor only speaking up just before she sat down. "Can you grab me something to eat, please?" she asked, and of course Harry was going to nod dumbly when her request came with a gentle touch of his bicep. He headed up to the house and Taylor had two searching stares on her when she dropped to the ground. "What?"

"What happened to forgetting about the past?" Karlie immediately reminded her.

"Present me wants a snack, and present Harry–"

"–is looking at you like an eager puppy who'll do anything to make his master happy," she finished for her. "What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything to him; is it crazy that a man might actually like me and want to do something nice for me?"

"I didn't mean it like that–"

"I know." Taylor leaned back on her hands, tilted her head up and looked up at the sky dotted with a sprinkling of stars. "I just changed my mind. That's all."

"As long as you know what you're doing."

"I do."

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Taylor didn't.

As they drifted around, chatting to a couple different people or just between themselves, Taylor found too much pleasure in leading Harry on. Unnecessary touches, flirty comments, lustful glances – she was toying with him in exactly the way she knew he wanted her. It wasn't new behaviour: they often acted like this around each other, but it had been so long since they last had that it was sort of exhilarating now. Neither of them were tied down into anything and the possibilities were endless.

When they separated for a little while further on in the night, it was only as a practiced segue for another rendezvous. It was too easy for Taylor to excuse herself to go to the bathroom and sneak a glance at Harry on her way, the brief moment of eye contact all he needed to know that now was when he was supposed to do the same. She found him a few minutes later waiting outside the door, leaning against the wall and looking unfairly sweet as he gave her a dimpled smile. She let him take her hand and lead her upstairs, knowing exactly what she was walking into and finding some small comfort in knowing she could still get what she wanted.

The door Harry took her through wasn't the one she had been anticipating, though, which probably should've been her first hint that Harry had something irresponsible up his sleeve.

"Ed will kill us if he finds us in here," Taylor told him as she glanced around the bedroom she rarely entered. They had passed guest rooms that both of them had stayed in before on the way, and she wondered why he hadn't chosen one of them.

"'S not like we're doing anything," Harry contradicted, but the cheeky grin on his face suggested that he was hoping it wasn't going to stay that way forever. "Where better place to go for a bit of privacy than the one room no one would expect to find anyone?"

"Your logic is still stupidly smart, y'know that?" she said with an amused smile, sitting herself down on the carpet instead of on top of her unsuspecting friend's bed. Harry chuckled as he sat close to her, tapping his knees where he had crossed his legs.

"I've missed you," he confessed, his unexpected honesty taking Taylor by surprise.

"Why?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Must be your finesse," he teased playfully, which made her smile despite herself. "'S just really nice seeing you again."

"Likewise," she agreed genuinely.

"Are you doing alright?" Harry went on to ask, and Taylor started to think that perhaps when he had said earlier that he wanted to talk that he had actually meant it. "I heard about what happened with... I'm really sorry, Taylor."

She shrugged plainly. "It happens."

"You loved him."

"It wouldn't be the first time someone I loved let me down."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them and Taylor immediately felt guilty for the unnecessary jab at him. Harry had been young – they both had, really. It wasn't their fault that their timing had been wrong, and it had been far too long since then for them to still be poking at their past like that.

Reaching out and taking his hand, intertwining their fingers and bringing his gaze back to hers again, Taylor smiled softly. "I'm sorry. I missed you, too. Really."

Harry easily went back to grinning. "I'm glad – it would've been awfully embarrassing I said that and you didn't feel the same."

"Did you really doubt that I did?"

"Maybe a little."

"Will this change your mind?"

Yes. Yes, of course it would. Not once had Harry ever been able to resist Taylor's kiss, and she knew that damn well. As she leaned in now, she was blissfully reminded of the flutter of her heart whenever she had his soft lips on hers. She could barely remember the last time she had kissed him, but now she was reassured it had been way too long since she had. Way, way too long.

When they broke apart, Harry's smile was cheeky again. "I think I might need a little more convincing," he decided, incredibly delighted when Taylor laughed and shuffled on top of him to give him some more.

Kissing Harry was ridiculously fun. She could do it for hours – she had done for it for hours, just immersed herself in the total indulgence of having someone who so intensely focused on making her feel as every bit adored as she deserved to, maybe even more so. The way his strong arms wrapped around her, his hands occasionally running up and down her back and sliding over her waist, gave her a sweet sense of protection, as if in that moment she was completely safe from everything else in the world. Taylor could simply melt into the enjoyment of being with an incredible kisser, everything else – every doubt, every worry – fading away in the background. Nothing else had to matter; she could lose herself in him.

Neither of them had any idea how much time had passed when they parted, only that it was enough to deeply redden and plump their lips and have them itching for more. Harry caressed her cheek, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin and smiling at her in admiration. On impulse she leaned in and trailed small gentle kisses up his jawline, down his neck when he tilted his head to give her more access. She wished his hair was long again so she could mark him without it being obvious; she nibbled his earlobe instead and drew a deep sigh out of him.

"Damn it, Swift," Harry laughed a little, making her grin too. "I've really fucking missed you."

"Do you believe me now?" she asked, aware that anything she said in his ear in that sensual tone of hers was going to have good results.

Harry hummed a yes, his hand sliding up underneath her lace top and resting on her spine, a cold indent of the ring he was wearing sending a slight chill down her back. "Tay, I know you're not, like, normally into it, but d'you wanna try something with me?"

"Depends what it is." Taylor sat back a little to look him in the eyes again, running her own hand down his inked chest. "I might say yes if you took off your shirt," she proposed friskily. She started undoing his buttons for him, pushed it back off his shoulders and let him be the one to toss it aside. Much better.

"You'll have to get off me for a sec," he told her, and she only did so because she was intrigued about what he had in mind. He had always liked the idea of being the one to get her to do something different for the first time; he got off on the power trip, she thought, just like she sometimes did.

Harry got up and crossed over to the dresser, opening the second drawer down and searching through. He pulled out a sock, which confused her, but it wasn't the sock itself he was after: it was what was inside it.

Oh my god. That was why he had brought them in here. He had hidden a stash in a place he knew nobody would dare look because nobody here was rude enough to snoop through Ed's things. He was stupidly smart, alright. So stupidly smart.

"You don't have to," Harry told her as he carried the small zip-lock bag over to her. Damn right she didn't have to. She hadn't touched the stuff in twenty-six years; what made him think she was going to change her mind now?

When he saw her bewildered expression, Harry was quick to reassure her. "Really, 'm not going to make you. Me and Ed and a couple others were gonna maybe use a bit later, but I think it would be more fun with you."

Taylor licked her lips slowly, barely tasting her lipstick anymore. "Why?"

"Well, 'cause you're Taylor," he laughed. "You're always fun. And, like, I s'pose this doesn't really count for much, but you look really, like, your style is sexy daring. Like you're a dangerous woman."

"Maybe," she couldn't help but smirk a little. "Is that yours, though?"

"Yeah, 's mine. D'you really think I'd steal from a mate?"

"I don't know, you seem pretty happy to make out with me on his bedroom floor," she quipped, and he grinned as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Am I out of line for asking you this?"

"Yes," she replied frankly. "But..."

'But you make me want to do it anyway.' 'But you do make me feel dangerous.' 'But I trust you.' – There were hundreds of endings to that sentence, and it scared her. It scared her to think that Harry could so easily influence her into doing something she never would.

"What's it like?" she asked tentatively.

"'S like..." Harry chewed his lip in thought. "'S like letting go of everything. Like everything that's going on in your head just floats away and you're free."

"That sounds nice," Taylor admitted quietly, and Harry reached for her hand.

"You don't have to do it. I'll put it back and get us a drink inst–"

Taylor's lips pressing to his cut off his sentence. She kissed him long and intense, his eyes blowing wide when she pulled back and impulsively said, "Show me." If anyone ever asked, she would just lie. No one had to know what she did behind the scenes; she already had enough secrets about what she and Harry had done together, what was one more?

Even if it had been his idea and he must've had some confidence that she would say yes, Harry still seemed giddy over pulling the blunt and a lighter out of the bag to share with Taylor. It was a big deal, really, and if she hadn't already been getting drunk on liquor and the taste of Harry's lips she probably would've said no. But in a way, Harry was also right: she did look sexy and daring, tonight especially, and that was precisely how she felt when she was around him. He made her feel like a dangerous woman, and while whether that was a good thing or not was debatable, it was pure fact that nobody else made her feel that way. Nobody else could bring out the hidden reckless side of her that Harry could. That had to count for something.

Taylor's heart was racing as she intently watched him light the end, the flame a bright orange glow in the room only illuminated by the faded light streaming in from outside through the open blinds. She almost hated to admit it, but Harry looked so cool with the joint in between his lips, breathing the smoke in and out effortlessly. She wondered how many times he had actually done it before.

To her surprise he didn't hand it straight over to her for a turn, instead asked her to come a little closer. Harry took a long drag and rested his free hand on her cheek, blowing a stream of smoke at her parted lips. It wasn't so harsh as taking it directly, but it still made her cough a little.

"Doesn't smell very nice," she remarked with a wrinkled nose.

"D'you wanna stop?" Harry asked kindly, yet she shook her head.

After a few more goes, Harry encouraged Taylor to try to smoke the joint herself. In a coughing fit that wasn't nearly as trendy as she would've liked to come across as, she quickly decided to leave that up to Harry. Alternatively, she breathed in his second-hand smoke, which was much easier to handle. It was unexpectedly sensual, too, the way that he blew it between her lips and how he kissed her slowly with his mouth slightly open. She had to admit, she much preferred the taste of him before, but he was right: she already felt lighter. Her senses were relaxing and everything felt gentler. It was unlike anything she had experienced before.

In a way, it was reassuring to be tying it with something so familiar. Straddling back atop of Harry's lap, Taylor was confident in him and how he would always take care of her, confident that this wasn't some kind of set up that was going to ruin her image but something he genuinely wanted to share with her for the pure connection between them.

The only thing on her mind was Harry. Harry was so pretty, Harry was so cute, Harry was so sweet, Harry was such a good kisser, Harry's skin was so smooth, Harry's tattoos were kinda strange, Harry's hair was still great, Harry's cologne was funny mixed with marijuana, oh my god I'm smoking a fucking joint with Harry Styles.

After a while, Harry set their contraband down and focused all the attention he had back on Taylor. They kissed with tainted breath, slow and intense. Taylor marvelled over the feeling of Harry's tongue playing with hers, the sensation of it suddenly stranger to her now. Her shirt ended up on the floor with his at some point, and the touch of his hands on her bare back was amazing. All she wanted was for him to keep touching her always.

They were so wrapped up in the feeling of each other that the door opening was nothing but irrelevant background noise. It was nothing to them, until they were properly interrupted.

"Taylor!"

The blonde reluctantly broke from Harry's lips and turned her head, blinking a couple times to adjust to the bright light pouring in through the open door. She waved at the tall figure in the doorway and laughed at herself for no real reason.

"Oh god," Karlie stared in an unpleasant mix of horror and disbelief. When Taylor hadn't come back from her bathroom trip, Karlie had been aware that she was almost definitely going to find her with Harry, that the chances of them fooling around was fairly high, but this – walking into a room filled with the distinctive smell of weed and seeing her best friend happily sitting on their ex-boyfriend's lap hadn't remotely crossed her mind as a possibility. Had she stepped into some kind of parallel dimension? She thought she was concerned about Taylor before, now that feeling had multiplied indefinitely.

"You've been missing all the fun," Taylor grinned, completely oblivious of the internal screaming that was currently going on in Karlie's head.

"I can see that," Karlie replied candidly. Harry had taken to kissing Taylor's neck instead and she really didn't need to be standing there watching.

"Wanna join?" Taylor asked her in such an innocent tone that almost had Karlie laughing at the strong contrast between that and what she was doing.

"No thank you," Karlie naturally declined, just like Taylor should've. She was about to point out something of the like but she noticed Harry starting to speak in Taylor's ear and knew her attention was lost now.

It was a good thing Harry kept his voice low, since as soon as Taylor gasped and giggled, "Shh, she has a boyfriend!" Karlie decided she did not want to know what fantasy he had in mind. She got the hell out of there – she would deal with Taylor later when she wasn't so... influenced.

"Look, you made her leave," Taylor whined when the door shut and they were left alone again.

"She wasn't interested," Harry had at least enough sense to point out. "Wanna lock the door for us, babe?"

"But it could've been fuuuun," Taylor pouted as she started crawling over to the door to switch the lock – like they should've at the start.

Harry unzipped his jeans and started wriggling out of them, his gaze still on the back of Taylor. "I only really want you," he told her; it was a shame that neither of them were in the right frame of mind to understand how much truth those few words honestly held.

"That's cool," Taylor responded with genuine casualness. She sat back down on the spot and tugged off her boots, following suit with her shorts. "I'd worry you'd think she was prettier, anyway."

"No one's prettier than you."

"She literally gets paid because she's pretty."

"C'mere, I'll pay you in something better than cash."

Taylor crawled back over into his open arms and Harry awarded her a few quick kisses. She started giggling, louder when in a quick sweep he pulled her to the ground and rolled on top of her. His dominating presence above her gave her a rush of excitement, a kind she hadn't felt in a long time.

With eager kisses that affirmed how much they were into it, it thrilled Taylor when Harry politely asked if he could see her breasts. Who was nice enough to ask for permission these days, especially when her body language was giving him a major green light? It made her giggle again – she was doing a lot of that now – and once he took her bra off and got his hands on her she was convinced that she never had to wear one again as long as he was around to hold them for her.

"That feels amazing," Taylor was in awe over the attention he was offering her chest.

"Wanna feel something better?" Harry suggested, and of course she was going to nod quickly. Apparently she had seen nothing yet.

Getting her to move up onto the end of the bed (since she had now forgotten about the wrongness of doing anything there), Taylor propped herself up on her elbows as Harry pulled her underwear down off her legs that were dangling over the edge. She eyed his own pair, a smile on her face as she admired the thick line prominent under the grey fabric. She hoped he was about to take them off too, but instead he kneeled down and hooked her legs over his shoulders, no hesitation in giving her centre one long lick. Taylor gasped, and he was right: the sensation of his tongue beginning to lap at her fervently was so much better. Crazily, unbelievably better than anything she had ever felt before.

It took no time at all for Taylor to stop holding herself up, her eyes closing as she laid back and rocked her hips against Harry's mouth in a bid for more friction. She was gasping and moaning as he worked her well – the sounds went straight to Harry's crotch but he held off on giving himself anything before he pleased her first. He swirled his tongue all over her, long licks and speedy circles over her tip. Taylor could barely comprehend how much she was enjoying it; she never wanted him to stop. She wanted his head between her legs forever, licking her and– oh.

Taylor's cry was much louder than she would normally allow outside her own house when Harry started sucking down on her clit and quickly drew her orgasm out of her. Her whole body flooded with a wave of ecstasy, her legs shaking as they clamped around his head and even still when her muscles relaxed again moments later. She struggled to catch her breath, especially when Harry kept his mouth on her to taste all her release. She wanted to tell him that was the best she'd had for as long as she could remember, but all she managed was a breathy "oh my god."

That was exactly what she repeated when she eventually fluttered her eyes open and saw Harry standing back up, totally naked with knees leaning against the edge of the bed and a hand wrapped around his member. He was only pumping relatively slowly, making it last as much as he could as he – and this was what was blowing Taylor's mind – got himself off over simply looking down at her bare blissful body. What she didn't realise was how often he did this alone: got himself off over a fantasy of her in his mind. It was like a dream come true to be able to do this with her right here.

His imagination could only conjure up pictures, but real Taylor was able to sit up with a mumbled, almost child-like "I wanna" and reposition herself so she could easily take him into her mouth. Harry's jaw dropped as he watched her enthusiastically slide his length between her lips and start to swirl her tongue around the head, like he had done to her. His fingers tangled in her platinum hair and he barely lasted long, soon tossing his head back and groaning low as he filled her mouth.

"Salty," Taylor stated when she pulled back, licking her lips and smiling at him joyfully.

With Harry looking down at her and laughing, he crawled up onto the bed properly and they shuffled to the centre of the mattress where he propped himself above her and kissed her delightfully. It quickly became more hurried, the both of them having hooked on a taste for more. They touched and grinned, Taylor whining when Harry grew hard again and didn't fulfil her expectations by immediately doing something about it.

"What?" Harry breathed against the skin of her neck, peppering a few kisses along the soft space.

Taylor wrapped one long leg around him and hoped he would get the hint, and he did: he just liked to mess with her. It took her impatiently giggled "Just fuck me already!" to get him to slide in deep into her, making her gasp and cross her other leg over him too as he began thrusting. Taylor's memory of how much she had always enjoyed being with Harry was instantly refreshed; playing favourites wasn't something she particularly liked to do, but he was undoubtedly hers. He was genetically blessed on all fronts and he flaunted it. He loved to please somebody else in the rawest of ways and it damn well showed – he knew he was fucking fantastic in bed and he loved to hear about it.

So since the substances had thrown Taylor's care out the window, to say Harry was liking her being unashamedly vocal was a ridiculous understatement. He could barely keep the grin off his face as he watched her in fascination with every drive of his hips that had her moaning (and still offering the occasional giggle over how wonderful she was feeling) underneath him. For over a year he had been dying to do this with her again – while he had prayed that the possibility of them reuniting this way tonight was going to happen, he hadn't pictured this.

As Taylor held one hand tangled in his hair and the other on his back, she encouraged him through it, matching his thrusts with rocks of her hips. It was steady and thorough, Harry soon graced with a loud curse that he was sure anyone who had ventured inside the house would be able to hear.

"There again, please– god–" Taylor writhed underneath him, scrunching her pretty face as she muttered something about 'him never getting it there like you' and giving Harry an unnecessary ego boost.

"There?" Harry asked needlessly, all the confirmation in the way she desperately moaned again when he repeated his motion.

"Yes– god– Harry –"

A few shallow thrusts that had him hitting her in that one magic spot was the end of Taylor. She pulled a little too hard on his hair as her back arched, the pain of it only seeming to add to Harry's own orgasm when he couldn't handle the way Taylor sounded as she came undone. His own groan was low and loud as his hips stuttered to a halt and Taylor swore it sent an extra rush of ecstasy right through her, swore that she could come again at just the sound.

They simply laid there for a while, relishing in their heightened euphoria. When Harry pulled out and rolled off her, Taylor naturally turned to cuddle up to him, her fingers tracing over the tattoos on his torso in enthralment. The butterfly had a nice rhythm to outline, but her favourite of his random collection would always be the ship she had watched be drawn on his arm.

When Taylor glided her hand up his chest and rested it on his cheek as she leaned in to kiss him again softly, Harry was brought back from his drifting thoughts and wonderfully reminded that he wasn't dreaming (or having one hell of a trip out). He smiled at her lazily when she pulled back and looked at him so fondly, her red eyes filled with a warmth that tickled his heart. A warmth all for and all because of him; he still loved her. He believed that completely, and even if he thought somewhere in the back of his mind that she had just used him as a rebound, he was holding onto hope that maybe she felt the same someplace in her heart. As much as he had altered her senses, a look like the one she was wearing now could only come from a place of adoration.

"What are you thinking?" Harry wondered quietly, playing with a strand of her bleached hair absentmindedly.

"I'm thinking..." Taylor pouted as she glanced up, as if the answer was written on the ceiling and not in her own head. "I'm thinking that you're the best person I know. And that I want some nachos."

Harry laughed at that, more so when she started giggling too and tapped a small fist against his chest.

"I don't know why!" she beamed in honesty.

"D'you wanna see what we can find?"

Taylor nodded and was thankfully reminded by him that they weren't in one of their own homes before she walked out without bothering to dress first. She blushed an adorable "Oops!" and wriggled back into her clothes – well, all but her underwear, which she shoved in Harry's hand with a coquettish smile on her face and told him he could keep. They were tucked safely in his back pocket for the time being; he had a bit of a collection of her things going on by now.

With their shoes left behind, they emerged from the forbidden room they should never have entered in the first place. Taylor giggled as Harry shut the door behind them and she pulled him into a shameless kiss out in the open light. She teased him about the wild state of his hair and smiled at him captivatingly, skipping away before he had the chance to retaliate.

Taylor danced down the hall and yes, she could be the flirtatious, daring, dangerous woman when she wanted to be, but more than anything she was the sweetest, most genuine person anyone at the whole damn party had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Taylor was everything, and for now, she had never felt more free.