Written by: loveinslowmotion on archive of our own

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Harry woke abruptly to the sound of a high pitched scream. It was still dark and his eyes struggled at first to adjust to the dim light coming from a lantern behind him.

"What's going on?" he mumbled sleepily, looking up at a shadowy Taylor with the blanket held up around her chest.

"I-I heard noises, a-and there— there was a spider, and—"

Harry held out his arms as she stammered to explain, and she sunk back down into his embrace like a child looking for protection after waking from a nightmare. He could feel her heart racing.

"There was a spider on our tent, Harry," she repeated with regained eloquence, voice small and scared. "It fell right down the side."

"'s alright. 's gone now," he assured her, eyes closing again.

"What if it comes inside?"

"It won't."

"You don't know—" Taylor jumped at a rustling sound outside, whining, "Something keeps doing that."

"'s probably nothing," he told her, really wanting to just get back to sleep now that he knew it wasn't a dire emergency. He wasn't a fan of nightly interruptions.

Taylor gave another whine when the noise started up again almost immediately after Harry spoke, and he sighed, "Do you want me to go check?"

"No!" She held onto him tighter. "You'll die and I'll be stuck here forever."

"'m not gonna die. 's probably just a bird or something."

"It's night time Harry, birds are asleep!"

Lucky sods, he thought, but wisely kept to himself. "Then a squirrel. Just—"

"Squirrels can claw your eyes out!"

When it was evident Taylor wasn't going to be getting any more sleep until her nerves had been put at ease, Harry sighed and climbed out from under the covers. He grabbed the glowing lantern and stuck his head out the tent, blinking a couple times to readjust his eyes. The light didn't extend very far out and dark shadows were mostly all he could see, so he waited a minute to see whether or not he could pick up any movement.

"There's nothing here, Taylor," he declared, though just as the words came out of his mouth something bounded through the pool of light. He swore loudly in surprise, startling the creature. He fumbled to zip the tent back up quickly without stopping to watch the source of their disturbance run away.

"What was it?" Taylor asked nervously as he sat back staring at the closed opening to the tent.

"Um, a cat, I think," Harry said, scratching his head. "I think it's gone now."

"I didn't know there were cats out here."

"Wild ones, yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment or so, until Taylor nudged him with her knee to get his attention. "I'm sorry for waking you," she apologised quietly.

"'s alright, love." He gave her a small smile and joined her back under the blankets, switching off the lantern and descending the tent back into darkness. "You didn't know what it was."

"It was the spider that freaked me out," she said, cuddling back up to him gladly. He wasn't as warm after getting up still completely naked from earlier holy shit.

"I know, love. Get some sleep now, okay?"

"Can I have some water first?"

"Um—" Harry fumbled around the pile blindly, eventually having to admit defeat and pull away from her to look properly with the lantern back on. He found her an almost empty bottle and watched her sip at it carefully. Her hair sat tangled around her face and he tried his hardest to imprint the image of her propped up on her elbow with the bottle to her lips like a simple sexy advert in his memory for good.

When she put the lid back on and handed it back, Harry tossed it back where he found it and switched off the lantern for the last time. They fell back into each other easily, and Harry slipped his hand up into her hair. She sighed softly as he massaged her head with his fingers to help relax her again, and the last thing he could recall before he drifted back off were light kisses pressed to his chest and a quiet "thank you."

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When Harry woke up again later, he wasn't sure if he was still dreaming or if he really had a boob in the face. He smirked lazily as he shifted onto his back to get a better view. Yeah, definitely real life.

"Morning, baby," he greeted, receiving a cheery "Morning!" back from Taylor, who was reaching across him for something from their pile. He was blessed with this wonderful view of her breasts for a good while as she rummaged around, and even when she found what she was looking for he was still just as lucky as she swung her leg over and sat up on top of him, straddling his waist with his half hard cock standing against her ass.

"I think you've got this kind of sixth sense," Taylor mused as she cracked open the punnet of strawberries in her hands they were yet to finish. "All this time I've been awake and you hardly stirred, but as soon as I lean over you and you get a nice view, you wake up."

"I could feel it in my heart," he grinned, holding his hands up to his chest theatrically.

"That is not where you felt it," she said factually, wiggling her hips back against him and laughing. She picked a strawberry from the small container and took a bite from the end. By this point Harry was over trying to hold back, and maybe it was just the love-struck haze he was in or maybe she was actually eating the strawberry sensually. Either way, it sure had him wishing her lips were in a different place.

It was as if she could tell he was thinking of the sort, as she smiled and she looked down at him, "Never in a million years did I think I'd ever be sitting naked on Harry Styles, eating strawberries in a tent in the middle of a forest."

"Never in a million years did I think I'd ever have Taylor Swift sitting naked on top me, eating strawberries in a tent in the middle of a forest," he grinned back at her, hands moving to rest on her thighs. He wondered if she often craved this freedom to do whatever the fuck she wished, too. "You know the one thing that would make this better?"

"If you say me riding you, I will force you to eat the leafy part of this strawberry," she threatened with a confident smile, the strawberry in question held up between her thumb and forefinger as she put the rest down beside them.

Harry's grin turned guilty. "You wouldn't."

Taylor raised her eyebrows and held his gaze for a few seconds before she quickly leaned forward, thrusting the strawberry towards his mouth. "Eat it!" she demanded as he pressed his lips shut tightly. She poked him to try to get him to open his mouth, each stab of her finger coming with a chanting, "Eat it."

When he wouldn't budge, Taylor wiped the half-eaten strawberry down the side of his face, which he was pretty sure was actually only so she had an excuse to lick his jaw. She whispered "Eat it" again when she neared his ear, but Harry still wasn't going to give in. He didn't want that in his mouth. But he should've known she wasn't going to relent until she got her way.

Taylor's winning tactic came as a tickle under the arm, which, to be fair, he completely deserved as payback for all the tickling he'd done to her the day before. He didn't think he deserved the top of the strawberry to be plopped in his mouth when he couldn't contain his laughter, though. Sure the bit of juice was nice, but there's a reason you don't eat the leaves. Leaves taste like shit.

Harry spat it out not at all charmingly as soon as he got the chance, and Taylor gave him a disapproving frown. "Yuck! You're so gross."

"You put that in my mouth; you're gross," he said, graceful enough to pick up the spit-covered mess and put it back in the plastic box with the remaining strawberries. She still gave him a rather disgusted look, despite fully intending to put the tops of the fruit she ate back in there too.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she asked, brushing off what she'd just done as she got back to her breakfast.

"You," Harry answered cheekily, and she reached forward and pinched his nipple as punishment. "Oww!"

"If you can last as long as you have without sleeping with me, you can wait until after breakfast," she decided, dismissing his pain and the opening of his mouth to protest with a wave of her hand. "I understand that it's a difficult feat. I am, undoubtedly, amazing, and me sitting right here is a thing of dreams, but I believe in the power of your—"

"I swear to god, Taylor—"

"Don't interrupt my speech," she chastised. "Good things come to boys who wait, not boys who butt in to say something stupid."

Taylor smirked down at him as she bit into another strawberry and Harry shook his head, smile on his face. "Excuse me, but I—" he said, to which she threw up her hands dramatically.

"I give up! I tell you you're about to get laid if you wait, and all you do is correct my wording. You're impossible."

Harry laughed, hands settling back on her thighs. She always used to tell him he was impossible; he knew it was in an affectionate way because it always came with a smile playing on her lips. They wouldn't be them if they didn't come with some friendly teasing.

"I would like some Coco Pops, please," he requested politely, and she pointed to the pile.

"Get it yourself."

For a moment he was afraid he'd actually pissed her off, but when he sat up and she held her breath as she stared at his lips, the thought left his mind. All he registered was how fucking close they were despite his fears that he would never have this again, and that she was cupping either side of his face and leaning in to press her lips to his in a soft kiss that tasted sweet and addictive. Harry never wanted to leave this spot, and if it weren't for Taylor throwing all care about her argument from only minutes ago he wouldn't have pulled away from her until long after his lips were numb.

They got their morning dose of each other's affection in a gorgeous display of grinding and groaning that made Harry wonder how he'd ever managed to go so long without Taylor's hands on his shoulders and bouncing breasts as she rode him with all her confidence. Honestly, Harry had always struggled containing himself when they did it so close like this, but even more so now when he realised he'd forgotten how completely fucking hot it was when she took control with these little grunts every time she sat all the way down on him. Even as he came earlier than he wanted to, Taylor kept up her quickened pace until she reached that point too, back arching in his embrace as she halted abruptly with a loud "fuck!" Harry rubbed her back until she opened her eyes again, which were gleaming as she started to laugh. That set him off, and soon they were giggling idiots holding onto each other like they wanted no one else in the world.

"I really did want that," Taylor confessed, eyes crinkling at the corners as she beamed at him.

"You cheeky minx," Harry teased with a chuckle, making her laugh again as he pressed kisses down her neck. "Leading me on like I'm the only horny one here."

"You're not. I promise you're not," she reassured him. He already knew that — he could feel it when she'd been sitting on his bare skin, but he wasn't going to tell her that. She started playing with his messy hair, twisting curls around her finger and sighing wistfully, "I wanna take you home and never let you go."

Harry wanted that too. He wanted to be able to escape into simplicity, to have every day be like these past few. He wanted it in even the platonic way, but it was much easier to slide on a smirk and give a playful nip of her earlobe than it was to explain just how much he adored everything about her.

"Cheeky minx trying to steal me away," he teased. "Are you going to tie me down, baby?"

"Oh you know it, babe. I'll bring out all the strapping and we'll see how long you can handle me," she said, going along with it. Taylor took a lock of his hair in each hand and swung them loosely as she started singing, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whips excite me; na na na na na, come on—"

Harry couldn't help his laugh, the contrast between the young bop of her head in time to her singing and the words coming out of her mouth a fascinating confusion he had always cherished.

"I love you," he said for the first time in the light of day, revelling in her delighted grin and the kiss on the cheek he received.

"I love you too, Harry."

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Breakfast eventually got eaten, but not without the interruptions of kisses and laughter. Harry's favourite was when Taylor balanced two strawberries carefully on top of his nipples, grinning immaturely at her work before she — yes — actually ate them off his chest. She'd laughed, teasing him about how he was going to have a permanent hard-on all day if how they were already going was any indication. Oh what fun they were yet to have.

Surprisingly, it was Harry who insisted that they do the scavenger hunt like they'd planned instead of staying inside and getting as much of each other as they could while they had the chance. Taylor seemed perfectly happy with the idea of the latter, which had Harry wondering just how much she had missed all this. The picture that formed in his head was so wildly inappropriate that he stared at her with darkened eyes and a hardened dick, too embarrassed to ask when she raised her eyebrow questioningly.

Needless to say, it took them longer than it should've to get dressed when Taylor was going around licking her hand and jerking him off to make herself and the blankets they were sitting on a sticky mess. Harry was hardly much better, what with his suggestion that she didn't need a bra when he had hands, which if she hadn't already put on pants probably would've ended with another orgasm as he instead massaged her bare back. Jesus fucking Christ.

"Alright," Taylor said when they eventually stepped outside into the sun, looking presentable but awfully guilty with their reddened lips and a hint of the bruise on the side of her neck she'd tried to cover with make up on the off-chance she bumped into anyone on her adventure. "So whoever makes it back here first with their list complete is the winner?"

"That was the plan, yeah."

Harry smiled as he watched her read over the list in her hands, his own copy tucked into the right pocket of his shorts. She was back in her contacts today with a coat of mascara darkening her lashes. She had on one of his t-shirts, too big on her small frame so that it was more like a dress almost covering her shorts. He wanted to take a picture, but she had her camera tucked inside the bag on her back.

"May the best man win," Taylor challenged, grinning as she extended her hand out to him. Harry shook it once and tugged her into a parting kiss. She held his hand even after their lips broke apart, swinging it a little with a sweet smile before letting go and skipping off with a wave. He watched her go up the track towards the toilet block and he understood why — he'd made her take nature's way again earlier and she'd thrown the roll of toilet paper at his head when she returned in annoyance, but as he pointed out, at least she hadn't needed to pee anymore.

Harry took off down the track they had first explored on a whim. He carried a water bottle in his hand, having let Taylor take the backpack they'd been using over the last few days. He pulled out the list in his pocket and refreshed his memory.

There were fifteen items on the list, but most of them required finding more than one thing before they could be ticked off. It was relatively easy and centred around how lucky you got, but as he should've known by now, Harry's luck on this trip only seemed to score when it came to Taylor.

Harry had a good ten minutes of meandering down the worn in track, three leaves and a stone in his pocket and one tally mark next to the bird category. He spotted a different tree a bit further in — all it took was a squeeze between two bushes and he could pick off a leaf for his collection. Oddly enough, despite insects being on the list, Harry stepped right through without even looking properly. He bitterly blamed the sun for not doing its proper shining duty when he wound up with a spider web on his face.

Harry's freak out was quite a hilarious display, but luckily for him there wasn't anyone around to see him wave his arms around in a desperate attempt to get the web off his face. He was more concerned about the possible owner lurking on his body somewhere, waiting to find a good bit of skin to sink its fangs into and poison him so any chance of him having a happy ending was erased. He'd be left lying in some dirt somewhere until another camper or maybe Taylor herself found him, and god knows what that would do to her. She'd go back home heartbroken and guilty, and probably with a major arachnophobia.

Jesus, a few minutes away from Taylor and it was like his mind was trying to compensate with what she would say if she was right beside him. If only it had stopped him from walking into the web in the first place.

Picking off his leaf with at least a more interesting story than "I pulled it off a branch," Harry continued on his journey with a mental note to properly watch where he was going from now on.

It was another nice day out; they had to thank the heavens for the lovely weather they'd been granted over the course of their trip. The benefit of heading out in spring — it wasn't too hot, nor was it pouring with rain. It was helping him tick off his list too, with the few dandelions dotted around bringing about bees. It was taking him less time than he'd anticipated.

That thought was naive though, wasn't it?

Sweet little Harry, hiking through the woods, thinking about his ("She's mine now, right?") girl, and thinking about what he would like as his reward for winning their competition. Sweet little Harry, confident despite understanding he might not be the only one with half the list crossed off. Sweet little Harry, casually walking it off as he tripped on a stick, so unaware of what was to come.

Harry's luck turned to shit, quite literally, approaching twenty minutes into the adventure. (Arguably, Harry's luck turned to shit when he walked into that spider web, but at least things picked up for him quickly after that.) Peacefully taking a sip from his water bottle, he had the benefit of adding another tally mark to his bird count. What else did he have? Bird poop on his bare arm. The bird that had him so close to ticking off the category decided it needed to go just as it flew over him. Charming.

It's meant to be good luck, he reminded himself after a good yell at the offender. He found a wide leaf from a nearby bush and, sparing some of his water for a necessary cause, managed to wipe off the sloppy mess. At least it hadn't landed somewhere else. A shit to the face would've been beyond disgusting. Taylor would never let him live that down, either.

Harry continued on, poop free, for a couple more uneventful minutes. It was a dry spell after the gooey mess that had descended upon him, cursing him so that he couldn't find anything else he needed. There was the list in his hands, tempting him so close to the finish, yet he had drawn to a halt.

Literally, Harry stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear voices further down the bend in the trail. Voices that sure as hell didn't belong to the only other camper he wanted to hear from.

A quick glance around his surroundings, Harry found himself making a dash around the closest bush to his right. He crouched down in the dirt as he listened carefully to the approaching chatter.

Okay, so hiding behind a bush wasn't the smoothest move, but what else was he supposed to do? Running off back in the direction he came probably would've caused an intriguing disturbance, and what if he was followed back to their tent? If Taylor wasn't already there, she could easily get caught that way. So really, it was in their best interests for him to sit with leafy coverage and wait for whoever it was to walk past. He'd deal with making it back to camp unnoticed later.

Harry had found himself quite a nice spot, actually. The bush was large with thick leaves, coming up to about his chest when he was standing. He had no clue what kind it was, but he was fairly certain eating any of the tiny berries hanging in between branches was out of the question. To his left stood one of the tall, old trees dominating the forest. Together, with the rest of the plants lining the trail, it made the perfect hiding spot.

Harry watched the army of ants heading up the tree trunk as the bodies came close enough to be eavesdropped on.

"Why don't we steal the keys and get the fuck out of here?" one voice suggested.

"Because you're a shit driver," came the blunt reply from another girl. Harry could only decipher their pairs of footsteps on the dirt floor. They were walking slowly.

"I honestly can't stand another minute of this," declared the first girl. "We're leaving in what — five hours? Five fucking hours. This is the stupidest idea dad's ever had."

"It hasn't been that bad."

"We had to pee in bushes, Bianca. That's primitive!"

Harry smiled at that. Just two girls complaining — there was no harm in that, as long as he kept his cover.

"Fine, I have a better idea," she continued. "Did you see that black car up in the parking lot? That's fucking expensive."

Hold up.

Harry perked up, eyes darting from the ant family running the length of the tree to the vague direction the girls were in. He knew that car. That was his fucking expensive car.

"Why don't we take a proper look at it, eh?"

No. No you fucking don't.

"Anna, we—"

"Who do you think it belongs to? People don't just buy cars like that unless they have money; it's gotta be someone famous. Who lives around here?"

Harry crossed his fingers. Don't say me don't say me don't say me.

"Um, I don't know... Taylor Swift has a house here, doesn't she?"

Fuck.

The sound of footsteps ceased just past Harry's hiding place. He held his breath instinctively.

"Do you honestly think Taylor Swift would come out here and have to deal with peeing in bushes?" asked Anna incredulously. "You're out of your fucking mind. She could afford to rent out every room in every hotel in the city; why the fuck would she want to come out here?"

Booking out an entire hotel — huh, maybe Harry would have to consider that for next time.

"She might just want a break away from people. She might like camping," Bianca reasoned. Harry guessed she was the younger of the two, and at this point he liked her more than the other girl.

"Right, and I suppose she doesn't just date boys so she can write songs, too?"

Oh fuck this Anna girl. How bad would it be if Harry just jumped out of the bushes and fought her on this?

Really bad, yeah. Stay seated with your clenched fists for your own good, Styles.

"I can't believe you still say that."

"I can't believe you still defend her."

Harry couldn't believe he was listening in on an argument between two teenage girls over his sort of girlfriend. (She wasn't his girlfriend, was she?)

"You ready for her next album?" Anna pushed on. "Might as well call it "Harry Styles" and make it easier on everyone."

"Why are you always such a bitch about her? What did she ever do wrong, apart from date a guy in boy band? That wasn't even wrong; people like you just made it shit for them."

"If she didn't want people to shit on her relationships, maybe she shouldn't be such a whiny slut."

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

If Harry were to fashion a flag out of a twig and some leaves right now, it sure as fuck would feature a massive "B" on it. If he couldn't defend Taylor himself, at least someone was. He'd always hated this shitty, pointless view. He craved the day both of them could spend time with someone without it becoming this insane debate.

"Why don't you learn what you're talking about before you say it, huh?" Bianca proposed, and Harry nodded in silent agreement.

"Oh, and you're an expert, are you? Do you know her, B? Did she tell you all this?"

"Taylor's genuine but everyone's too delusional to see it! Everyone thinks they know who she is because she writes about her experiences in her songs but they don't try and look. Not properly, anyway. Anyone with half a brain could see she was happy with Harry but no one could see through their careers and look at how they fit as people."

"Yeah, she was real happy until he—"

Fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.

Caught up in his Taylor Defence Squad mode, Harry hadn't considered the long term consequences of sitting next to a tree favoured by ants. He hadn't even noticed the few that had crawled up his shoes, but he certainly noticed the one on his shin that was apparently a fan of biting. He hadn't thought twice about slapping it dead, only acting out of immediate reaction.

But now he could think clearly, since the girls had stopped talking at the foreign sound, and he realised that he could've easily flicked off the little menace instead of whacking it with his palm.

Oops.

"What was that?" Anna asked warily after a few long seconds.

Harry waited for an answer, waited for one of them to walk right over to his hiding spot and point him out. He waited for the inevitable freak out, from both the girls and from the rest of the world when they posted it everywhere. "Fans Find Harry Styles Hiding in Bushes" — he could see the headlines now.

Harry heard footsteps and he bit down hard on his bottom lip. This was it. This was going to be their downfall.

"Where are you going?" Anna demanded as the steps continued back past Harry and up the way they had first came.

"Back to camp. I didn't want to walk with you in the first place."

"You can't leave me here. What about the car? Bianca. Bianca!"

With the sound of hurried steps to catch up, Harry waited until they faded and he could hear only the sounds of nature that had become their constant soundtrack. He stood and backed up as soon as he felt safe, swearing under his breath as he brushed the rest of the ants off. Jesus Christ, what just happened?

Harry hastily headed back the way he came. He could finish the list by overlapping his track, and if he couldn't manage it he could just accept defeat. That was certainly better than getting caught and winding up on the cover of every tabloid.

By the time he had all but one item ticked off, Harry had lost track of how long it had taken him. He was sure Taylor would've already finished by now, so he wasn't really in much of a rush. He wandered casually yet he was hyper-aware of any unusual noises, for the most part letting himself enjoy the freeness he felt walking around in nature all alone. It reminded him of the break he got from everything when he went home to his family. He would have to take Taylor back there again someday.

The last thing on the list was the easiest. From the start, he had decided he was going to leave it until last. It seemed like a fitting ending to the challenge.

Already having passed the tree he had attempted to climb what felt like forever ago, Harry picked one that looked relatively similar. He found a stick on the ground and a smooth bit of bark and started carving "H + T" into it as neatly as he could manage. Even if they returned to their busy lives and things didn't work out, this would always be there. Their initials would stand engraved in this tree and in another where Taylor had done the same, for as long as the bark didn't heal itself. Anyone passing by could see it if they had a keen eye, and maybe they would stop and wonder where whoever these two were were now. Maybe they would write their own initials. Maybe they would hope for the best.

Or maybe no one would notice and it would be just another secret to add to their adventure.

Whatever happened after Harry stepped back from the tree, it didn't matter. What mattered was getting back to his girl and making the most of the last definite hours they had left.

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Harry's return trip to camp was a delayed one. With his anxiety of bumping into someone else at its peak, a rustling from further into the woods sent him running to the opposite side of the trail. He took cover behind another tree, also popular with ants, and, as it turns out, directly next to a cosy home for wasps.

At first, Harry had absolutely nothing to do with the bush a metre or so away that housed the ruthless stingers. He was standing as normally as one can behind this tree, quickly realising that the sound he had heard wasn't from a human and that now he just looked like a paranoid weirdo.

It was when Harry noticed a fucking huge spider web between a couple branches not all that far from his head that the bush came into play.

Harry backed away from the tree with a "What the fuck lives in that?!" stumble. He scanned the web for any sign of its creator, but the only thing that turned up was the wonder of why he could hear so much buzzing. He made the fatal mistake of brushing against the bush as he turned around to investigate.

Harry preferred the bird shit on his arm over the shooting pain he had now.

"Mother fucking— son of a bitch—" he spat, cupping his hand over the sting as he got the fuck out of there. "Fucking wasp, what the fuck—"

No, seriously, what the fuck? Bees are so forgiving, only stinging you if they really feel threatened. Wasps are like their scary older brother who has violent tendencies, stinging you for the pure fun of it. Harry hardly posed a threat; wasps just have no chill. No chill, only fiery stingers that could very well come back for more if they feel like being bigger assholes.

When pouring the remaining drops of water he had over his arm offered weak relief, Harry's next reaction was to pull out his phone.

Text: to TAY TAY ❤️

Injury. SOS.

He spent minutes of walking waiting for a reply, until it eventually occurred to him that she was probably out of range again. Fuck her dodgy signal, fuck nature, fuck himself for this stupid idea of an adventure. Fuck everything.

Several more minutes of grumbling and frowning in pain, their clearing came into view and Harry clambered into the tent to find a surprised-looking Taylor with half a cookie in her mouth.

"Did you get lost?" she guessed through her mouthful as she moved over to give him more room to sort himself out.

"I got stung," he pouted, showing off the red mark on his upper arm like a child come running to their mother. "I texted you but you didn't reply."

Taylor's expression instantly etched into a frown as she wriggled closer and inspected his sore. "Oh, babe," she breathed, looking up at him in concern. "What happened? What can I do?"

Harry described his wasp encounter dramatically as Taylor rummaged through the first aid kit for something to help ease the pain. It had dulled on his walk back but it still hurt, the goddamn bastard bug. She rubbed some cream over the sting, which didn't really help but she gave him an apology kiss so he thought he would be okay in the end.

"So how'd you go with the list?" Taylor asked, fingers running through his hair as a soothing distraction. He wanted to lie down and close his eyes and have her take care of him forever.

"Alright," he replied. "I got there eventually."

"Sounds like you had more of an adventure than I did."

"You don't know the half of it."

So as they compared their leaves and their rocks and their photographs, Harry recounted his spider web incident and how he'd been pooped on and the run in with the girls in great detail that had Taylor wide eyed and laughing. She told him about how there was toilet paper all over the ladies room like a mummy had unravelled themselves in there and that she'd seen a really little bird chase a butterfly and how she had been on the phone with Karlie until her signal cut out. It reminded him to text his mum again to let her know he was doing alright and that he would call her tomorrow. He didn't wait for her reply.

They didn't know what to do with the bits of nature they'd collected and had spread over the blankets. Taylor offered to press the leaves in a scrapbook, but none of them were particularly unique. She ended up doing a messy leaf rubbing on the back of her list with a Sharpie as Harry looked over one of the Polaroids she had taken.

"I took two of those ones," she told him without looking up from her drawing. She knew which one he was staring at. "I thought you might like to keep one. It should be around somewhere."

"Yeah, thank you," Harry smiled as he looked down at the photo of her tree carving. "TS + HS" in a surprisingly neat love heart, done on a tree just outside their tent. It looked so hipster in the soft Polaroid filter and he already planned on pinning it up in his apartment somewhere. They'd taken so many these past few days; he wondered what he could do with them once they divided the stack between them.

"It didn't really work," Taylor decided, holding up her black blob of a drawing with a disappointed frown.

"You've got to use crayons," Harry pointed out.

"Note to self: pack crayons next time you go camping."

Taylor grinned, setting her paper aside and starting to move their collection of things with it. Harry wondered if there actually would be a next time, if maybe they could find another ground to sneak out to and spend a couple of days at. Better yet, maybe they wouldn't have to hide. Maybe they could be open about everything (well, almost everything) and things could work.

"So, I was thinking about my prize while I was waiting," she added casually, smile teasing her lips. "I still want a prize; don't think I forgot about that part."

Harry laughed; he knew she wouldn't. He asked what she wanted and shut his eyes at her request, tempted to peek when he heard her rummaging around behind him.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he felt something being placed on top of his head. Taylor didn't answer, just pressed her lips to his and pulled his hair tie out. She shook his hair out and whatever she had put on top slid off, and she whined as she pulled away.

"Your hair's too shiny," she complained. "I guess you can open your eyes now."

Harry blinked to see Taylor smiling at him, head tilted and a strand of her hair across her eye. He brushed it away and pulled her into another kiss, only short when she broke away to speak again.

"I'm actually your prize."

He raised his eyebrow questioningly. "I thought I wasn't supposed to get a prize."

Taylor smiled. "I want my prize to be you, which means we both win."

Harry followed her pointed finger to the open box of condoms now sitting beside him, one packet lying on the blanket by itself. His lips curved into a smirk.

"What are we waiting for?"

━━━━━━━━

The rest of the lovely day's sun was wasted on the two huddled up in the tent, so engrossed in each other to care what weather they were missing out on. What they had missed was each other — for so goddamn long they had missed each other, and who knows when they would get the chance to break the cycle again.

Lying bare on top of the blankets, they cuddled and talked and munched through the food they had left between the kisses that instigated another round of playful sex. They giggled and teased each other all throughout, Harry's favourite when he whispered a bad pun in Taylor's ear and she laughed and asked for "More, babe," and he'd thought she meant more puns, not more of his dick. ("What do you call dangerous precipitation?" "Oh my god, Harry, babe, I didn't—" "With a steak to the heart." "A rain of terror.")

Aside from all the feelings and attraction, Taylor had to be his favourite in bed for the simple reason of being the only one to appreciate a mid-fuck pun. Very important.

"What do you think would happen if someone walked in on us right now?" Taylor pondered during one break, hair tangled and with Harry's hand idly fondling one of her breasts. They'd become unable to tear apart from each other, always had to be touching in some way. Her own hand was fiddling with his hair.

"Depends who it was," Harry said, smiling softly down at her. Lying propped up on his side, he looked down fondly at the girl on her back gazing up at him with starry eyes. That look had become permanent ever since he'd thrown their nature collection outside and taken off her clothes.

"At least if we were fucking and they took a picture I could hide underneath you and deny everything."

"You'd deny all this fun we've been having?" he asked with mock shock, sliding his hand down her body and back between her legs. She was still wet, from her last lot of come or from being beside this gloriously naked man for hours, he wasn't sure.

"Oh you're shit," Taylor laughed, whining as his fingers moved up and down slowly. "A photo of this would ruin me."

"If it had to happen, it might as well be spectacular, eh?" Harry smiled as she bit down on her bottom lip when he teased her opening with one fingertip. "Get a really good deep throating shot. You can be sitting on my face, if you'd like."

She shook her head. "Something passionate. Show them how we really feel."

"Would you like a passionate fuck now, love?"

"I would like a cookie."

Harry started laughing as she smiled up at him, innocent and expectant. He pulled his hand away and licked his fingers clean before finding her a cookie, which she accepted delightfully. She guided his hand back to her breast as she ate, and he managed to decipher a "Feels good with your huge hand" through her cookie-muffled speech.

"'s not that big," he argued, despite the massive fingers spread out on her pale skin. Taylor challenged him to compare it with her own to prove her point, laughing as they pressed their palms together.

"This is why I always liked holding your hand," she grinned at her smaller one. "And... I feel safe in your arms. That could be for a couple of different reasons, though."

"Do you really?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah... Like, I was kind of... I wasn't always sure where I stood with you, but I knew when we were together that I had your undivided attention and that you wanted to take care of me." She intertwined their fingers and met his gaze, smiling. "Not to sound really cliché, but you make me feel special in a way that I haven't felt before."

Harry leaned in to kiss her sweetly, heart warmed by her words. "Not to sound worse, but I don't know what I'd do without you."

Taylor nodded, lips curved up as she chased his once more. "I'm really gonna miss you when we get back."

"What's gonna happen between us?"

"I don't know."

That wasn't the answer he'd been hoping for. Harry wanted an elaborate explanation of how they were going to give their relationship another go — fuck everyone else's opinions. With their growth over the past year, in maturity and confidence, they could take on anything. King and Queen of current pop. They were going to be the best damn couple anyone had ever seen.

Underneath his hopelessly optimistic ideas, Harry knew that was just another fantasy to add to the list.

Silence fell between them, and Harry broke it with not the most welcoming statement: "Louis said you were going to leave after this." She frowned slightly and he clarified, "On the phone yesterday. He said you were gonna leave and if you didn't you would eventually."

"Oh, Harry," Taylor sighed sadly, giving his hand she was still holding onto a squeeze. "I don't want to. I really don't want to, but I don't know how we're going to make this work. You're touring, I'm going to be doing album promo, you'll be doing album promo, I'll be touring, you'll be touring — how are we supposed to work around that?"

"We can still video chat. And we'll have breaks, so we can hang out then," he said. "It won't be easy, but—"

"But what if it happens again?" she interrupted seriously. "What happens if everyone goes crazy like last time and we don't get left alone? I don't want that to come between us again."

Harry gave a small nod, glancing away. She was right. Ever since they'd broken up and he'd thought about them getting back together, he knew that argument was right. He just wanted with every fibre of his being for it not to be.

"I don't think you're ready for it, babe," she added, as if she hadn't already put a pin to his bubble of hope. "I don't think I'm ready for it. I really, really want this to work, Harry, and maybe if we wait it'll be better."

"Wait until when?"

"I don't know... Until you can't take it anymore and you show up at my apartment with a thousand roses?"

Harry couldn't help his small laugh. "Bonus points if I serenade you."

"Exactly." Taylor was smiling softly as she brought her hand up to run through his hair again. "Babe— hey, c'mon, look at me. You love me right?"

Eyes now locked on hers, he nodded quickly. "Yeah."

"You'd do anything for me?"

"Of course."

"Then I want you to wait until you're super sure you want a relationship again. 'cause you're not sure right now, are you?"

Harry wanted to be able to disagree, but he couldn't do that to them, not when he so desperately wanted them to last. "I really... I really want to do this properly," he told her. "I, um... yeah. You're right."

Taylor leaned up to kiss him, and he was somewhat surprised, considering the we're-about-to-put-our-clothes-back-on-and-stay-that-way vibe of the conversation. "This doesn't mean I want you any less, y'know," she assured him, and Harry's lips tugged at a cheeky smile.

"'s kinda making me want you more."

"Well, I'm not ruling out what we've been doing now, if you're still interested."

"Do you really think I'd say no to that?"

"Not when you're always so horny."

Taylor tried to hold back her laugh but she couldn't for long, the both of them dissolving into giggles. Harry kissed her again, all smiles between them. "I love you," he whispered, and she said it back in her pull of his body on top of her and the intensity of her lips.

They would be okay.

━━━━━━━━

By the time it was dark, they'd both lost count of how many times they'd accidentally choked on food while trying to eat whilst laying down and of how many orgasms they'd shared. All they had left were some rejected lettuce leaves and slices of tomato after triumphantly making it through everything else. And as determined as Harry was to get through the whole condom box before they left, he thought that maybe, maybe his enthusiasm for eating Taylor out had squandered that goal.

"I can't, Harry— I—"

"You can, baby, you're almost there—"

"I can't— I— Ughh—"

Taylor looked and sounded absolutely wrecked. Her hair was a tangled mess of waves, her lips a permanent shade of red, and dark love bites littered all over her pale-skinned torso. She'd had more sex in this one day than she'd had this past year, and as eager as she had been every single time they had put away the snacks and conversations for another round of fun, neither of them were superhuman.

Even so, Taylor moved in time with his thrusts, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open with a string of unfairly erotic desperate moans escaping constantly. She writhed underneath him, tugging hard at his hair when he went deeper. Harry loved it when she was so raw and uncensored.

"God, Harry— I— I can't, baby— I'm— fuck—"

"You're doing so good, baby, you're almost—"

"Fuck, Harry—"

Her back arching, Taylor looked like she was in pain when she bit down on her bottom lip as Harry quickened his pace. That barely lasted long, with lips parting and an unashamedly loud cry of his name taking its place. Harry cursed as his own orgasm was snatched from underneath him at the sound. By now he was certain that there was nothing sexier than the sound of Taylor Swift coming.

Panting breathlessly for the wonderfully unknown'th time, Taylor wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, holding him close and tight and refusing to let go. He wouldn't complain, not when he slipped one arm around her waist and the other under her head to return the embrace. She wouldn't complain that it was uncomfortable laying on his arm or that she didn't want him limp and still inside her, not when he was cradling her head in his hand and whispering how much he loved her.

Because Harry really loved her. Harry had fallen for her in the most naive way before he had ever even met her. Harry liked her more as soon as he did. Harry had never been able to get her off his mind from that moment on, and that's how he knew she was someone special. His feelings weren't a phase, they weren't about to fade out when another pretty girl came along. Taylor had always been the most captivating woman in the room and Harry loved every inch of her. From the top of her head to tip of her toes, Harry loved her. From her dorkiness to her seriousness, Harry loved her. From her gentle smiles to her gorgeous moans, Harry loved her. And for not one single minute had he ever regretted any of it.

Which was exactly why he had quickly gotten over her suggestion to wait. Harry's heart knew where it was and where it wanted to be, and all he had to do was wait for his mind to finish catching up. He could manage that.

It was Harry who made the first move to break apart. Taylor barely let him go far, just enough for him to tie off the condom and set it aside. She cuddled back up to him when he lay on his side, cheek pressed up against his bare chest. He could feel that her heartbeat still hadn't settled.

"You alright, love?" he whispered, rubbing her back gently.

"I think... it's possible to have too much sex... so your whole body feels like... jelly," she answered slowly and softly. "No, not jelly... Like... Like kind of weightless... but also heavy? I wanna sleep for days."

Harry smiled to himself over his tired girl. "Do you want a quick nap, love? We should start packing soon."

"I don't wanna go," she declared, nuzzling up against him. "I wanna fall asleep with you and wake up with you tomorrow and the next day and all the days after that."

"I know, Tay, I know. D'you wanna take your contacts out for me, love? You can have a nap now."

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah, love, you should."

After a very reluctant effort to move, Taylor dozed off almost straight away when her head returned to the pillow. Harry continued rubbing her back until he started feeling sleepy himself. There wasn't any point in trying to stay awake, not when there wasn't anything to do and he had to drive soon. He closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep with her in his arms for the last time in god knows how long.

Unfortunately, it didn't even last long enough to reach the hour mark.

"What on earth was that?" Harry jumped, snapped awake by a loud echoing crash too close for comfort. He started disentangling himself from Taylor, who was blinking through the darkness in confusion.

"I think we got hit," she mumbled, rolling onto her back and rubbing her eyes. "Come back, you're warm."

Harry was searching for his clothes by the light of his iPhone, finding them rejected at either end of the tent. He tugged them on awkwardly while Taylor watched him with a pout.

"Do you have to check?" she complained sleepily, and he shushed her as he searched for the torch to investigate the source of their disturbance. Harry was glad he did, too.

"Taylor? Taylor, love, come check this out."

Outside, the torch beam revealed a fallen tree branch only a metre or so away from their tent. It was probably part of Camping 101 not to pitch your tent too close to any trees for the very risk of a branch coming loose and dropping down, but we all know Harry wasn't clued up on all that.

"Holy shit, we could've just died," Taylor gaped when she emerged clothed a minute later to see the thick branch laying in the dirt, alone and menacing with its width and leafy extensions.

The pair of them stood awestruck at the idea of what could've happened. As concerned as they were about being caught by someone out here, it hadn't occurred to either of them that the trip could be fatal.

What a story that would be, huh? "Bodies of Pop Stars Harry Styles and Taylor Swift Found Crushed in Woods." The media would have a field day with the speculations over that. Only having giving limited information on their whereabouts and their intentions, who would be there to confirm or deny whatever wild ideas got published? The whole thing would be a kind of mystery, which wouldn't be the worst way to leave the world, but certainly not the best when rumours about why the fuck Harry and Taylor were found naked in a tent in the woods would be posted literally everywhere.

"Guess we might want to get packing, then," Harry said, breaking the daze they had both descended into.

Taylor nodded, and they slipped back into the tent and started sorting through their things in silence. She went through her bag, neatening everything and checking that it was all there, while Harry dealt with their supplies and the rubbish they'd collated over the last few days. He stacked the cooler and their bags outside as she folded the blankets back up into tidy rectangles.

A quiet kind of sadness had fallen between them — not because they'd luckily escaped a tragedy, again. This was it. Their getaway was nearly over.

After setting the blankets and pillows on top of their things, Taylor tucked herself under Harry's arm, the pair of them facing the now empty tent. "This has been a few of the greatest days, you know?" she said softly, looking at him with a smile. "Thank you so much for this."

"Thank you for going along with it. I wasn't sure you would."

"You've got to live a little sometimes, don't you?"

Harry smiled, pressing a kiss to her hair. "You know what I've realised? Camping is so... intense."

Taylor laughed harder than she should've. "I actually hate you," she teased.

"Think we can manage to get this thing down, now?"

"Probably not."

They did, though, since Taylor located the instructions and was in charge of their every move. It didn't go completely smoothly, of course, with Harry tripping over the poles and fabric on multiple occasions. Oh Harry, always providing some good entertainment.

Juggling their belongings up to the car park with only the light of the torch and the moonlight streaming through the tree tops to guide them, they laughed and joked along the way, teasing each other whenever one of them would jump at an unexpected sound. Taylor almost dropped everything in her arms in laughter when Harry burst into a very dramatic and very loud rendition of (I've Had) The Time of My Life. She tried to quieten him, but ultimately she couldn't resist succumbing to the song. By the time they made it to his car, they had graced the grounds with a ridiculous duet and uncontrollable laughter.

"Babe, did you get a parking ticket?" Taylor asked, still giggling as she waited for him to unlock the doors so she could dump their stuff inside.

"Fucking hope not," he said as he put what he was carrying down on the hood of his car. He'd completely forgotten the conversation he had overheard earlier until he lifted the piece of paper tucked under the windshield.

"Follow me on Twitter @pxstelanna18 xo" read the blue ink, curved in girly handwriting.

Harry started laughing again and he handed the note and the torch to Taylor for her to read. "It's from the girl from earlier. The mean one who wanted to snoop around my car. She actually did it."

Taylor giggled while he grabbed his keys and let them in. "Dare you to do it," she grinned as he did a quick check of the outside, just in case the note wasn't the only thing the girl left.

"Then she'll know it was me here."

"Not necessarily. She might be too excited to make the connection."

Maybe so, but Harry wasn't going to take the risk when they'd managed to disappear so well. They piled their things onto the back seat in another balancing act, and after an argument over whether or not Taylor should venture into the dark and quite frankly horror movie-like bathroom (she did), they were on the road.

It was a quieter journey than the one on the way there, the radio on and filling the car with some background noise. With her phone plugged into the charger, Taylor messed around on it for a while before she dozed off again. Harry kept one hand on the wheel and the other on her thigh, glancing over with a fond smile every so often at her relaxed in the seat beside him. The empty road was straight and long and he drove just under the speed limit. The clear night made him want to drive for longer than they had.

By the time the scenery out the windows started to build back up into the city, Harry was hungry again after skipping a substantial meal. He woke Taylor up gently and suggested they find somewhere to stop. She welcomed the idea with a smile, and she surprised him when they spotted a sign for an upcoming In-N-Out Burger and she started unbuckling her seatbelt.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying hard to focus on the road and not on Taylor climbing through into the back seat.

"We've made it all this way, we're not about to be pictured buying burgers," she explained as she lay down on the floor. "Don't suddenly crash, 'cause I don't want to die, either."

"I'll try not to," he smiled, shaking his head in disbelief over the effort they were going to.

With one of the darker-coloured blankets thrown over her, Taylor stayed hidden while Harry went through the drive thru, trying to act casual as he ordered food for two. (Or three, really, with the excessive amount of fries they'd impulsively decided on.) He was as polite as ever to the star-struck girl working the window, even when she started to tear up instead of handing over their order. He signed a napkin for her and wished her a good night while Taylor stifled giggles in the background.

"That's not how you hide, love," he chastised with a grin as soon as he drove away.

"I love how sweet you are with everyone, it's very endearing."

"I could say the same about you."

Cruising through the empty parking lot, abandoned for the night with the shutters down on the closed storefronts of the small shopping centre, Harry pulled to a stop under the outer rim of a lamp post's glow. Taylor re-emerged from under the blanket and climbed back into the front, laughing when he tapped her ass on the way through. She kissed him before settling herself with her back against the door, her long legs stretching across to rest on his lap, bare toes wiggling freely.

Their late night dinner of cheeseburgers and fries was eaten through a sing-a-long session with the radio. They belted out a variety of tunes, made more interesting with the Great Chip Challenge Harry started.

"We're not leaving until you get it right," Taylor stated when a fry hit the window instead of her open mouth. Not once had he managed to throw one on target ever since he'd tossed one at her for fun a few minutes earlier.

"'m gonna get it," he said confidently, only to completely miss again. Those damn direction skills.

"Look at all these fries you've wasted, Harry," she said, pointing accusingly at the few on the floor, one hanging out of the shoes she'd slipped off. "You look like a loser. Do you want to be a loser?"

Apparently her encouragement came a bit tough.

"Bet I could get it first shot," she added, though when he challenged her to live up to her word she missed just as he had.

"You look like a loser, Taylor," Harry mocked, picking the chip up off his lap and waving it around emphatically. She rolled her eyes and shoved one in her mouth herself.

When Harry eventually did manage to succeed — thank god for all the extra fries he'd ordered — it was met with an excited cheer and enthusiastic high-five, hands slapping together loudly. They stayed parked there for a while longer, talking and dragging out the inevitable goodbye. But they couldn't put it off forever, as much as they wanted to, so when Taylor got a "Where are you???" text from Karlie they thought they should probably face that fact.

Their singing ceased for the rest of the ride, replaced by silent stares as the radio rolled on. Taylor was watching him pay attention to the road — well, mostly. Harry could never really stop himself from glancing her way, knowing smiles creeping up on their faces every time. He wondered how bad the consequences would be if they took off for a couple more days.

Harry switched off his headlights when they neared Karlie's place, and with some careful slow driving and coordination over the phone they pulled up outside. Turning off the engine, they descended into complete silence, no pop beats to keep their spirits up any longer. They didn't even look at each other at first, as if that would change anything.

When their gazes finally did meet, Taylor's lips slowly turned up into a smile. She leaned across and held his face in her hands, taking him by surprise at the intensity of her kiss. One last kiss before they had to part ways — might as well make it a memorable one.

Neither of them wanted to pull away, but they couldn't linger around for too long. It was late, it was likely no one would be around to notice, but the risk was always there. Taylor grabbed her bag from the back and smiled at him, and Harry tried his hardest to imprint this one last memory in his mind forever. He wanted to remember her look of not wanting to leave.

"I'll call you tomorrow," she said quietly, eyes staying on his as she reached for the door.

Harry nodded, and his "I love you" came out in a rush.

"I love you too," Taylor smiled at him one more time before slipping out of the car and into the darkness, white shirt — his white shirt — glowing in the night. Harry watched her until she was gone, disappeared behind the safety of closed doors. He watched the building longer than necessary.

The air in the car was different without Taylor there. It was too quiet, too lonely after spending all this time with her by his side. Harry thought he could still smell her shampoo, the sweet scent fading with every moment spent driving away from her. A lump formed in his throat when he wistfully wondered how long it would be until he could smell it again.

Returning home was worse. It was cold and empty; everything left exactly how he had left it. As much freedom as he felt being able to do whatever he liked in a place of his own, it suddenly felt wrong not to be sharing it with someone. There was so much more he could do with the space if there was an extra body. More photographs, more records, more decor, more of all those personal touches that make a house feel like home. This didn't feel so homey anymore.

Harry left most of the supplies by the door, only taking one of his bags back to his room. He started unpacking just for something to do. He needed to busy himself, needed to keep his hands doing something so he didn't have to think so much about everything else. He threw a bundle of clothes in the laundry to be washed and returned his toiletries to the bathroom, debating having a shower but deciding against it. He wasn't ready to wash off the last few days.

For half an hour Harry wandered around from room to room restlessly. Normally he was good at finding things to do on his own, but nothing was catching his interest. The only thing that felt right was calling Taylor, and even that didn't sound like the wisest idea.

The next best thing was, apparently, looking through the Polaroids he'd kept. They had split them up between them earlier in the afternoon, and Harry let himself indulge in the memories while they were still fresh in his mind. (He would later do this again and again whenever he couldn't reach her and missing her got too much.)

With his half of the collection spread over his bed, Harry studied each of them, small smile fixed on his face. He started arranging them in different groups — in order of which they were taken; according to what was in the photo; according to their colour scheme; and which ones were his favourite. That group was the hardest — his favourites.

If he absolutely had to decide on only one, Harry would pick the Polaroid of Taylor blurry from laughter. He'd taken it laying down with her sitting on his lap, glasses on and shirt missing. That wasn't even why he liked it — she could've been wearing anything and he would've always been drawn to her wide-opened mouth, eyes closed and head tilted back at something silly he'd said. That happiness was what was really beautiful.

Harry set the Polaroid down on his bedside table and collected up the rest. He began putting them around the house, random spots for him to rediscover in the next day. Maybe that would help him.

He took his time getting ready for bed. He gave his teeth a good brush as well as his hair, washed his face and patted it down with a towel. He moved slowly as he climbed out of his clothes and into his bed, switching off the lamp and curling up under the covers.

Harry dared to light up his phone, only to find it as empty as it was every other time he'd hopefully checked it that night. This time it didn't stop him from unlocking it and starting to type a text.

Text: to TAY TAY ❤️

Have a good night, love. Missing you already xxx

Putting his phone back on the table, Harry turned over; he wouldn't wait around for her reply. He grabbed the extra pillow on the other side of the bed and hugged it to his chest, as if it could really compensate for having no one to cuddle tonight. It was better than nothing, and it eventually let Harry's mind settle and drift off into a peaceful sleep.

━━━━━━━━

The first thing Harry did the next morning was check his phone. He barely even let himself fully wake up first, just giving a rub of his eyes before fumbling for it on the table. The clock read midday, but he didn't care about that. What he cared about was the notifications from the girl he'd spent the night dreaming about.

Text: from TAY TAY ❤️

Catching up with Karlie last night and I crashed before I saw this, sorry!!

I really miss you too :( xx

Harry smiled lazily as he typed back.

Text: to TAY TAY ❤️

Hope you had a nice sleep love xx

Setting his phone down beside him on the sheet, Harry stretched, his smile turning into a laugh. He rolled on his side and onto his stomach as he grabbed the pillow, hugging it again as he grinned blissfully. She missed him. This whole thing hadn't been some vivid over-the-top dream of his. She actually missed him.

Reaching for his phone again, he quickly started typing.

What should I have for breakfast? What did you have? xx

He rocked side to side, feeling like an excited kid. He didn't think he should be feeling so happy over being in love with someone he couldn't call his own just yet, but he'd survived the first sleep without her, so maybe he could handle all the rest. Maybe this would be like telling her in the first place — not as bad as he'd feared.

It was only a few minutes later when his phone buzzed with replies.

You only just woke up, didn't you? Well, babe, I had Karlie make me eggs, but I'm thinking you should have Coco Pops.

I love you xx

With the last message came an attachment, which he opened eagerly. It was a photo of the first Polaroid she'd taken — the one of him, mouth open wide and tongue sticking out ready for the spoonful of cereal half way there. This — this was exactly what he wanted with someone. He wanted someone to take pictures of these seemingly insignificant moments and see the beauty in simplicity. He wanted to remember eating those Coco Pops and trying to climb that tree and her falling over trying to dance and piggybacking her back to camp and building a fire and roasting marshmallows and hearing her album for the first time and kissing her again and dancing in the lake and sharing a shower and losing at cards and cuddling with her and playing badminton and almost getting caught and eating too much and making love to her. He wanted to remember making her smile and making her laugh and making her moan and making her roll her eyes. He wanted to remember how it felt to hold her hand and have her in his arms and have her lips on his and be inside her again. He wanted to remember the way she sounded in the morning and in that intimate night and how she sounded saying those three beautiful words.

For the rest of his life, he wanted to remember these days where he first really felt what it was like to be in love and to be loved.

Harry couldn't stop smiling as he typed back.

From the very first day xxxx