Felicity

My eyes slowly open as my body starts to wake up. I'm wrapped up in the world's most comfiest duvet ever and I kind of don't want to leave it. I don't know what time it is, but I assume it has to be early in the morning. The curtains at the windows conceal most of the light, leaving this room much darker than it probably is, but there are a few rays of sunlight peeking through the fabric.

As I scan the room I'm in, the unfamiliar surroundings cause me to worry until I remember where I am. Maybe I was too tired last night to pay attention to what was going on. I know I'm in Atlanta and I know we're at a stranger's house. Well, it's not technically a stranger to Harry, but I can't remember the lady's name. What I can remember is that she has silvery blonde hair and she's really pretty. I'm a really terrible guest.

The trundle bed beside me is empty, the sheets tangled up in a ball as the pillow sits on the floor. I'm guessing that's where Harry slept last night, and seeing as he isn't here, he's either in the bathroom or downstairs with the lady. I didn't even hear him get up. And how did we decide who slept on the trundle bed? Did he lose to me in a game of rock, paper, scissors? 

After rubbing my eyes, I finally get up off the bed and make my way to my duffle bag. I change into a pair of leggings and a fresh shirt before heading into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I catch a little bit of laughter coming from downstairs, hearing Harry's voice echo throughout the house. Somehow that brings me relief, knowing he's somewhere near me.

I run my hands through my tangled hair, trying my best to smooth it out. My notorious flyaways decide not to cooperate with me, so I give up trying to fix my hair and just pull all of it back into a crazy, messy bun. This hairstyle always compliments so many girls, but for some reason, it just makes me look like I walked in from a windstorm. Unfortunately, I have to make do with what I've got.

Exiting the bedroom, I navigate my way through the hallway and follow in the direction of Harry's laughter. As I pass by some pictures on the walls, I recognize the lady in a few of them. I don't know how long she's lived here, but there are a few settings in the pictures that I recognize from back home. She must have lived near me at one point. 

As I get to the bottom of the stairs, the last picture catches my eye. A younger Harry in a baseball cap smiles brightly as the silvery blonde lady has her arm around his shoulders. It's a really cute picture and I wouldn't have noticed it was Harry if I didn't catch those brown curls peeking out from under the hat. Staring at the picture even more, there's something about him that looks different. I don't know if it's his smile or just the fact that he's younger in the photo, but for some reason he doesn't look like the same Harry Styles that I've known these past two days. 

I walk into the kitchen, seeing Harry on the floor with his legs sprawled out. A little girl that looks to be around two years old runs around him, laughing and squealing as Harry tickles her and makes a bunch of sound effects. The lady stands at the kitchen stove, her back to me as she cooks breakfast. It's only a few short seconds before Harry notices me standing at the doorway, a genuine smile gracing his lips.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Sleep well?" He laughs as he stands up, scooping the little girl in his arms as she giggles some more.

"Um. Yeah," I nod as he watches me. "The bed is really comfortable."

"It is, isn't it?" The lady smiles as she turns around. I can't believe I don't know her name. I should have been able to remember it by now. "I've always loved that bed but Tom likes the one in our room much better. I don't know why."

I have no idea who Tom is but I'm going to assume it's her husband.

Harry walks right up to me, tickling the little girl in his arms. It's truly adorable how he plays with her and makes her laugh. His smile is real and I can see it in the way his dimples appear so deep and how his eyes crinkle at the sides. There's something about him playing with this little girl that warms my heart. 

"Felicity, this here is Lux," he introduces as he asks her to say hi to me. I'm a complete stranger to her so she just stares at me curiously before shyly resting her head on Harry's shoulder, waving her arm.

"Hi, Lux," I wave back with a smile on my face. She turns her head away from me and into Harry's body, slowly peeking at me. Her blonde hair is tied into two small pigtails, one of which tickles Harry's chin. I slowly lean towards him, embarrassingly lowering my voice. "Um. What's the lady's name again?"

He starts laughing as he walks away, shaking his head and flashing me a wink. "Hey, Lou," he speaks as he looks right at me, making sure I catch her name. "What do you have planned for the day?"

Lou, who's name I now know, shrugs her shoulders as she fills some plates with food. "Nothing really. Was there anything you wanted to do?"

Harry sits down at the table with Lux in his lap, letting her play with his cell phone. "Can we go to the aquarium? Have you been there yet?"

"No, we haven't but we can definitely go! I know Lux would love it."

I walk over and sit down next to Harry as I thank Lou for the breakfast. She's whipped up a stack of assorted pancakes and strips of bacon, all of which look really delicious. I've been going to that diner at home for a couple years and even though I love their pancakes to death, they don't look nearly as good as the ones sitting in front of me now.

Harry, Lou, and I make small talk as we eat. It's mainly Harry and Lou doing the talking as they catch up on each other's lives. I don't know how long they've known each other, but they are obviously very good friends. I'm curious to know what the age difference between them is. Lou seems a lot older than Harry, so I wonder if she's his godmother or something along those lines.

It's refreshing to be around people that genuinely like to talk with one another, instead of people who just talk so there aren't awkward silences. My family is the latter. As an only child with parents that are kind of terrible at family dinners, we never have much to talk about. There's always some kind of work related stressor that keeps my parents from talking, and when they do decide to talk to break the silence between us, it's always on the topic of my academics and how well I'm doing in school. I don't think they've ever asked me about things I like to do or what I have planned for the weekend.

Sitting here at the table with Harry and Lou is comfortable and enjoyable. I don't have the urge to excuse myself from the room. The conversation is easy and the air between us all is friendly and happy, unlike my table at home where the conversation is forced and the air is stale. I actually want to stay here and be a part of the chat.

Once we finish eating, Lou takes Lux upstairs to get dressed and ready for the aquarium. I follow Harry up to the room we're staying in and sit on the bed after opening up a few of the curtains to let in some light. 

"So," I start, unable to take my eyes off of him as he changes his shirts. As stubborn as I can be, I have to admit that I just can't help but stare at his bare chest and abs. I feel wrong for doing so. "How do you know Lou?"

Harry shrugs, sliding his shorts down his legs. I'm caught off guard for a moment, thinking he's about to strip right here in front of me, but fortunately he's only changing into a pair of jeans, jumping up as he pulls them over his hips. I can't imagine the steam coming out of Colton's ears if he would have found out Harry bared all in front of me.

"She's a friend of a friend. I met her through a good friend of mine and we just kind of hit it off. She's pretty much the sister I never had," he stops for a second, a weird look taking over his face. His left hand rests on his hip as his right hand swings around as he speaks. "Actually, that's a lie. I do have a sister. Um. Lou is the older sister I- wait. Gemma is older, too. Damn it. Uh, Lou is just a really good friend. She's a second sister to me. When my actual sister left for school, Lou was the sister I had at home. I don't know if that makes any sense."

"Oh," I laugh as I wonder why that seemed so complicated for him to explain. He could've just told me that she's like family to him. "She's really nice."

"That she definitely is," he places a beanie atop his head and fixes the curls peeking out from underneath. He pauses for a moment before he looks over at me. "Are you going to get ready or what?"

"I am but I don't want you to look."

"Why? Who cares? I've already seen you in your underwear, remember?" He raises a brow and grins as he double checks that his jeans zipper is up. "And you were soaking wet that time, so there wasn't that much coverage. I'd say by now we are comfortable enough to get dressed in front of each other, am I right?"

"Just get out!" I laugh as I feel my cheeks become really hot. Did he really see that much of me?

Harry chuckles to himself before grabbing his jacket and heading towards the door. "Hurry up. I want to get there before the crowd does."

As he shuts the door, I change into a different shirt and put on some light makeup, trying not to take very long. Not only is Harry waiting for me downstairs, Lou and Lux are probably waiting as well. I rush putting on mascara and fixing any pieces of my hair that have come out of place. I slide my feet into a pair of black boots and grab my jacket that's hanging off the side of the bed.

As I quickly move around the room to get ready, I accidentally bump Harry's duffle bag off the trundle bed and onto the floor. All of his things that were once tucked away inside have fallen everywhere, scattering across the carpet. I scramble to put it all back together in such a way that doesn't look like it has been touched. I don't want Harry to think I've been purposely going through his stuff. 

My eyes land on a brown leather journal as I lift some of his clothes from the floor. The front and back covers are scribbled all over, and it looks to be several years old with the wear and tear it sports. I haven't seen him with a journal and he certainly hasn't spoken of one. I'm not sure if this is something he keeps a secret, but I'm extremely tempted to open it up and read what's inside, even though I know that is so wrong to do. 

"Felicity! Are you ready?"

I jump up as I hear Harry's voice call me from downstairs, dropping the journal from my hands. Quickly I shove the book back into his bag and walk out of the room, exhaling a deep breath and feeling shaky as if I just got caught with the journal. Harry stands at the bottom of the stairs with Lux in his arms as he watches me make my way down.

"I'm ready. Let's go," I say as I walk right by him and out the front door.

The four of us fill Lou's car, Harry sitting in the backseat with Lux. It's only a short drive to the aquarium, and sitting in this car with the two children in the back giggling like crazy makes it feel even shorter. We get Lux's stroller set up and Harry volunteers to push it around. He walks ahead of Lou and me, looking very excited to be here.

Being the sweetest person that she is, Lou pays for both mine and Harry's tickets. I try to protest and offer to pay for at least half of my ticket, but Harry places his hand over my mouth and tells me to just say thank you. 

Before we walk into the building, there is a green screen set up where people take our picture and we can view it on the way out. So of course, the four of us stand together and smile for the camera. Lou holds her daughter, the two of them smiling so nicely. I don't smile for the picture because right as the camera snaps, Harry comes up behind me and pinches my sides. I yelp as he tries not to laugh, earning a scowl from me. The photographer hands us a card with a number on it, shaking his head at the two of us. I hit Harry in the chest as we step into the building, causing him to have a fit of laughter as he wraps an arm around my shoulders. 

As we scan our tickets and walk into the aquarium, we're greeted with a tapered hallway made of a fish tank on either side. These gold and green colored fish all swim in the same direction, almost looking very robotic. I walk alongside Lou as Harry takes Lux's tiny hand up to the glass. It's really cute to watch the two of them together. It's a side of Harry I didn't know existed, and to be honest I really like it. He hasn't acted like a jerk since we've been in Atlanta, and I think it's because of who we're visiting. 

When we get through the hallway, we enter a huge foyer-type of room filled with a lot of people. There are five different sections to explore, as well as a large food court in the center of the room. I wait for someone else to make a decision on where we will go first because I'm a little overwhelmed with the view. 

"Can we leave the Ocean Voyager exhibit for last?" Harry asks, pointing in the direction of the sign. "I heard that's the massive one with the whale sharks."

"Sure," Lou smiles, looking around the place. "I guess we can just go around the exhibits in a circle to make it back to that one last."

The first exhibit we walk in is a mixture of a children's playground, some glass tanks, and a couple of touch pools. We spend some time at the first pool, watching and petting the stingrays and sharks that swim by us. At first I was too nervous to place my hand in the water. I mean, who know if one of the sharks has a lapse in judgement and bites my finger off? I'm sure the aquarium wouldn't have dangerous animals in touch pools, but it still freaked me out. Without fail, Harry finds humor in my fear and anxiety, making a few jokes before he grabs my hand in his and helps me to touch the animals. He's gentle and cautious, making sure I don't freak out before I'm able to get close to a stingray. By the time I actually touch one, the slimy contact grosses me out but leaves Harry laughing at my reaction. As much as I believe it to be disgusting, it's really kind of fun.

The next touch pool is filled with horseshoe crabs and a bunch of other creatures I don't care to know. I don't want to touch those, so I sit on the side, washing my hands as Harry helps Lux to touch a few of them. Lou and I walk around the rest of the exhibit, looking at all the fish and the sea turtle as Harry takes Lux down the children's slide.

We move onto the next exhibit of freshwater animals. There's multiple tanks of different types of fish, as well as a river type of tank above our heads. Harry enjoys the alligator tank, pointing at the albino alligator and trying to take a picture of himself with the animal in the background. He goes on and on about how he's never seen one before and how it's one of the coolest things he's seen. Lux giggles hysterically at the sea otters at the end of the exhibit, squealing each time one swims by her. 

Before we make it to the biggest tank Harry is looking forward to, we explore the other two exhibits. He takes Lux to the penguins, the two of them having a great time watching the birds waddle around and dive into the water. The beluga whales are my favorite, always reminding me of the baby beluga song we learned as a child in school. I think Lou's favorite exhibit is the tropical reef gallery, watching the jellyfish float around in their tanks and seeing all the colorful fish swim around the coral. Actually, I think her favorite part is watching Harry entertain her daughter everywhere he goes. 

When we finally make it to Ocean Voyager, I swear Harry's entire face lights up. His eyes are glued to each window we pass, hoping to see a whale shark swim by. We walk into an underwater viewing tunnel, watching the different fish swim by and the different sharks swim above us. When we see a whale shark swim right over our heads, Harry grips my arm tightly in excitement as he points to it, a huge smile on his face. Both Lou and I laugh as he picks up Lux, nearly running out of the tunnel.

At the end of the exhibit, there's a large glass wall where we can sit down and watch all the fish swim by. Harry takes Lux right up to the glass, sitting on the floor and pointing at different stingrays and sharks and watching the whale sharks go across. Lou and I sit on the large steps towards the back of the room, observing the sea animals as well as keeping an eye on the children we came here with. 

"So," she smiles as she crosses one leg over the other. "How long have you known Harry?"

"Actually, only two days," I laugh, watching as her facial expression turns to one of surprise.

"Really? I would have guessed a lot longer than that by the way you two interact."

"I suppose you get to know someone pretty well when you've been driving in a tiny car together for hours on end."

"That could be true," she nods her head, her vision trained on Harry as she talks. There's a silent pause before she continues to speak, turning to look at me. "I hope you don't get mad, but he was talking with me about you while you were still asleep."

My heart nearly stops for a second at her words. Why would Harry be talking about me? What does he even have to say? Well, there might have been a lot to say with the way we've fought over the past two days, but I still want to know what exactly he said about me without directly asking her about it. Has he said only bad things? A piece of me feels very irritated at this information. 

"You were?" I ask, trying to sound calm and casual instead of confused and annoyed.

Lou nods her head, pointing her finger back and forth between Harry and me. "You two have a lot more in common than you probably think."

"How so?"

"Well," her shoulders rise a bit as her voice jumps up a few octaves. It's almost as if she doesn't want to tell me, as if she would rather have Harry discuss this with me first. But now that it's in my head, I want to know right now. "He's told me that you don't do things for yourself. He said the things you do are to make other people happy instead of yourself. Believe it or not, he used to be exactly like that."

Her last sentence catches my attention. It reminds me of yesterday when Harry said that we have a lot in common. But I can't imagine him being any different than he is now. Harry gets on my case for doing things that I don't want to do, so I can't picture him being the one that did a bunch of stuff for someone else's happiness. He doesn't seem like he would have had some life altering moment. I just assumed that his personality now is how he's always been. But apparently I'm completely wrong according to Lou.

I don't know how to take in this information. I want to be annoyed and upset with Harry for talking about me without my knowledge, but I also want to ask him if what Lou said is true. I'm not sure what reason she would have to lie, but it just doesn't seem quite right. Maybe she doesn't have the right judgment about him. At my silence, Lou continues to talk, her gaze wandering back towards Harry and Lux.

"There was a time that I told him he has a decision to make in life: either you are the passenger or the pilot. I think he's taken that to heart because honestly, I have never seen him happier than he is now."