Harry

Walking around the shop, I'm strangely drawn to all the supernatural items. I don't know why. Maybe it's the way some of these books and trinkets look a million years old. Maybe it's the way that each thing holds a different story. Maybe it's just because I've fallen for the city's stupid ploys to draw in tourists. Obviously all the stories about New Orleans and witches are going to draw people into the city, and here I am, one of the idiots that's been tricked.

I can't stop myself from touching everything in the shop that I come close to. My fingers glide over every shelf, the spine of each book I see, and every object that looks unfamiliar. Some objects look so old, I'm afraid they will burst into a pile of dust if I even try to touch it. Occasionally I have to rub my fingers against my jacket, wiping away the dust and dirt that accumulates at my fingertips. 

"Do you believe in witches, little boy?"

A voice from behind me scares the shit out of me, nearly causing me to drop the glass figurine I'm holding in my hand. I inhale a deep breath to calm my nerves before carefully setting the object on the shelf and turning around.

The shop owner stares up at me ... literally. He's probably about half my height with his head looking proportionally too small for his body. His beady eyes never leave my face as I just stare down at him in confusion. He called me a little boy, didn't he? Does he realize I'm tall enough to step on him and not even notice?

"Uh. Witches? No."

"Well, you should," the guy takes a step forward as I take one step back. "They're all over here, living amongst regular humans. In disguise! The French Quarter is full of them. Werewolves and vampires, too!"

I roll my eyes at the words coming out of his mouth. He's delusional. I'm not going to get sucked into the stupid city myths and legends of all this supernatural shit. At least, not anymore than I already seem to be. This guy is really making me snap out of this trance. 

"I can show you the books!" He turns around, jumping in his step as he waves me to follow. "You'll believe me!"

"No thanks," shaking my head, I stick my hands in my pocket and turn away. "I was just browsing and I think I'm done now."

"You don't want to see the books? All the stories of witches and vampires from this city are in it," he almost frowns before grabbing a book off the shelf in front of him and blowing the dust off the cover. "This one is good! It's a book of spells. I have seen-"

"I've got to go," I interrupt him. He's giving me a headache and I don't have time for this anymore. Felicity has been gone for a while and I need to make sure she hasn't been kidnapped. I pat the man on the shoulder before walking right by him. "Cool shop."

He starts yelling at me to wait, trying to convince me to continue looking around the shop. He's very pushy, and if he really wanted me to buy something, he should probably chill out. I wasn't going to purchase anything anyway, but if I was going to, he totally turned me off by coming at me so strong.

I worry about Felicity. Remembering that her phone ringing was the reason she walked out of the shop earlier, I begin to feel concern build up within me. I think I can safely assume it was her boyfriend that called, and I just hope that he hasn't said anything to make her cry. Seeing the way her green eyes dull in color as she speaks with him is like a stab in my chest. It pains me to see her look so hurt. He makes her feel so small and I want to strangle him for it.

All of this bullshit makes me want to meet this guy in person. I want to see what Felicity has been dealing with. I also want to give him a piece of my mind and punch him in the face. Surely, I could knock him out. I know a few things about a good fight. On the other hand, I have no idea what this guy looks like or how big he is. There's always the possibility that he could snap me in half with two fingers. I definitely think Felicity is worth risking my life, but maybe I shouldn't get involved in their situation.

When I finally step outside of the shop and onto the street, I spot Felicity across the sidewalk. To my surprise, she's not on the phone. Instead, she's speaking with a guy that looks like a walking twig with hair and dressed in a suit. His large coat gives off the illusion that he's a big guy, but the thinness of his hips and the way his legs are so tiny are clear indicators that he's about the size of my pinky. 

The guy turns his head to the side, pointing at something across the street. The moment I catch a glimpse of his side profile, I instantly recognize who it is. Of all the people on this street to bump into, Felicity somehow meets Zayn. I was really hoping that she would forget all about this guy so I didn't have to talk to him.

It's not that I don't like him, I just don't know him. Niall and I may have met him in Chicago years before and hung out with him in that city for a couple of days, but that was the extent of my interaction with him. I haven't spoken a word to the guy since then. I don't know anything about him. Just because Niall keeps in touch with him, doesn't mean I'll know the same things he does about this guy. 

Walking up to the two of them, I try my best to not let it show just how much I don't really care to see him. I am curious as to what they're talking about, seeing Felicity nod her head and smile a lot. As I get closer, she looks over at me and waves. Zayn turns around and as his eyes land on me, a grin spreads across his face as recognition settles in his expression.

"Harry Styles!" He pulls me in for a hug, catching me off guard. My arms are stuck to my sides as he tightly hugs me. He finally lets go and pats me on the back before stepping away. "It's been a long time! I heard from Niall that you'd be coming down here. I didn't realize it was this soon."

"Oh, uh. Yeah, I guess he forgot to mention when we'd be here," I awkwardly scratch the back of my neck. This conversation is slightly painful.

"It's okay, I'm glad to see you again!" He points over to Felicity and smiles. "You know, I didn't believe her when she said she knew you."

"How did you two ... ?" My voice drifts off as I look between the two of them. I don't know how to get the words out of my mouth without sounding awfully rude.

"I bumped into him by accident," Felicity answers as her cheeks turn pink. "I wasn't paying attention as I was walking."

"Technically, I quite literally ran into you," Zayn laughs and shakes his head. "But it's a good thing that happened because I wouldn't have known you were here! Say, where are you staying for the night? There's an extra room in my place that is most certainly open to you."

"Oh, I don't know if-"

"We don't have anywhere to stay," Felicity cuts me off and bites her bottom lip. "But, I mean, if you really don't mind we'd take you up on your offer."

"Of course I don't mind! My place is free, unlike a hotel," he sets his hand at the back of her shoulder and leads her down the street. "So where are your things? Let's bring them over to my place."

I follow behind the two of them closely as they walk together. It's odd and I don't like it. I haven't seen or talked to this guy in years and now I'm going to be staying at his house for the night? I'm cursing Niall for making this suggestion. 

As I observe Felicity and Zayn, I notice just how much of a smooth talker this guy is. He's too fucking smooth. Everything that comes out of his mouth seems to be the right thing to say. He's irritatingly charming and has Felicity eating out of the palm of his hand. It makes me roll my eyes so hard, I can see the back of my skull. 

I'm not entirely sure if I'm annoyed or jealous, but I'm pretty sure I'm annoyed.

"Harry, the keys."

I snap back to reality when I hear Felicity's voice directed at me. She and Zayn stare at me as we stand beside my car. I must have been on autopilot this entire time because I didn't even realize we walked all the way back here. I guess I was too lost in my own thoughts to be paying any attention.

"Uh. Right," I pull the keys out of my pocket and unlock the trunk, grabbing our bags.

Zayn steps in and grabs Felicity's bag from my hand. "You picked a nice parking spot. My place is actually just two blocks that way and three blocks down, at St Louis and Dauphine. Easy walk."

"Thank you again," Felicity smiles as she follows him down the street. "This is very sweet of you to let us stay at your place."

I lock my car and take a few running steps to catch up with them. I think I'm definitely more annoyed than jealous. I feel left out in this conversation as they keep walking ahead of me. Do they remember I'm here, too?

"I couldn't let you stay in a hotel here. They're far too expensive, especially last minute," Zayn smiles back and adjusts the strap of the duffle bag on his shoulder, making sure not to crease his coat. "Now, I do have to say that I only have one room. The bed is big enough for two people, but if that doesn't work I have a couch that pulls out into a bed."

Felicity glances back at me, like she's looking for permission to stay in the bed. I hope she's not assuming I would take the bed and leave her to the couch. If anything I'd be the one on the couch.

The three of us walk the short way to Zayn's place. He was right when he said it was an easy walk. The blocks are short, unlike those in New York. It took us no longer than ten minutes before we stood in front of a tiny little house. The dark red bricks that make up the home look like they have been through several storms, looking dirty and worn out. Boston ivy covers half of the house, resembling some kind of monster trying to consume the home. The vines are nearly rid of leaves because of the winter, and I can only assume how pretty all of this actually looks in the spring or summer when there are vibrant leaves everywhere. 

Zayn unlocks the front door and motions for us to come inside. As I step into the house, I'm immediately in awe. This house has to be magic. It looked so tiny on the outside, but on the inside it's massive. Maybe it's the witchcraft of New Orleans that the guy in the shop was talking about. They've casted some sort of spell on this house to trick your eyes into thinking it's small and not worth a second glance but it's actually stunning on the inside. 

There are only a few rooms in the house but each of them look huge. I can see up the stairs that the first door leads to a laundry room with a bathroom right beside it. Zayn makes a note that the only other room up there is his room, the master bedroom. On the first floor, there's a living space in front of me, a radiant kitchen towards the back, a bathroom down a narrow hallway to the left, and another bedroom at the end of the hallway.

Zayn points to the last bedroom before he begins walking in that direction. "So this is my spare room. I'll just set your stuff in there until you've got your sleeping arrangement settled. If one of you decides on the pull out couch, it's over there in the living room. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"A water, if you don't mind," Felicity smiles as she lifts her duffle bag onto the bed.

"Harry, would you like anything?"

I shake my head and set my bag down. "No thanks."

Zayn nods before walking out of the room, leaving us to ourselves. Felicity smiles brightly at me and sits down on the bed.

"Harry, he is so nice! I'm so glad you know him. Before you walked out of the store, he was giving me all these recommendations of places to go eat and see. He's like our personal tour guide."

"Yeah. He's nice," I laugh as I see how excited she is to be here.

She leans back on the bed, falling onto the pillows. The smile on her face is bright for a brief moment before it slowly fades. Felicity rolls onto her side as a look of sadness takes over her face. She props her head up in the palm of her hand as she picks at a loose thread in the comforter. 

"I talked to Colton earlier."

"I think I could have guessed it was him that called you."

She exhales a breath and stares at the fabric beneath her. "I'm confused. I don't know what to do about him anymore. Things don't add up."

"Like what?" I ask with concern as I sit down beside her.

"His money, I guess. I don't know. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it. I don't know the whole story," Felicity sighs and runs her hand over the comforter as if to smooth it out. "He sent me a few text messages after our phone call. I was reading them on the way over here. His usual use of profanity was slim to none, and I think he's genuinely hurt by my actions. I feel guilty."

I don't know what to say in response. I don't want to tell her what to do about her relationship. If I said what's on my mind, I'd tell her to dump that asshole because she deserves someone better than that piece of shit. I'd tell her that he's only saying all that shit to mess with her head and reel her back to him. I'd tell her that her newfound confidence and budding sense of independence is pissing him off because he doesn't hold control over her anymore.

There's so much I want to say, but I think I should keep my mouth shut. As much as I want her to leave the guy and go out to find her own happiness, that's something I think she needs to do on her own. She needs to make that decision herself and not because I tell her that he's an asshole.

Before I have the chance to say anything, Zayn walks back into the room with a glass of water for Felicity. He sets the glass on the bedside table and steps over to lean against the doorframe. 

"So if the two of you are interested, there's a place I go to with some friends that I think would be a good time. They play great jazz music," he grins and chuckles, as if there's something so funny about that. "Anyway, I was planning to go there tonight. You're more than welcome to join me."

"I'd love to," Felicity sits up excitedly before glancing at me. "We should go with him."

I nod in agreement, smiling at her. It really doesn't sound that bad. I've never listened to jazz music, so I don't know what to expect. But I think it'll be fun. Anything with Felicity is fun. 

"Perfect," Zayn looks down at the expensive watch on his wrist. "Well the music there starts in about two and a half hours. We can leave a little before then. That gives you time to get ready and rest up if you need."

"Okay. Well if you two don't mind, I think I'm going to take a shower," Felicity smiles before nudging me off the bed.

Zayn and I step out of the room before she shuts the door behind us. As much as I would have thought that being around this guy would be awkward and uncomfortable, the more I'm around him the more I start to remember why Niall and I were so drawn to this guy a few years ago. He radiates a friendly charm that keeps people wanting to be around him, which explains Felicity's fascination. 

He turns his head to look at me, a smile taking over his face. "You know, I've kept in touch with Niall all these years. I think it's time we catch up on each other's lives."

A/N: Hi. Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been away from the computer. I also haven't really connected with the New Orleans chapters like I have with the previous cities, so it's been difficult trying to rewrite these scenes. I hope you're still enjoying the story, and thanks for all the support x