Harry

"What do you think about this?" 

I hold up a dress, watching as the fabric sways back and forth. It looks a little short but it's very sexy. I can picture Felicity wearing this, the way it would hug her body in the right places and show off every physical aspect of hers that I love. Yes ... love. At this point I shouldn't beat around the bush about my feelings for her, except ... I don't know if I should express those to her just yet.

Anyway, if she doesn't want to buy this dress then I will buy it. I'll take her out to dinner tonight so she can wear it. It'll be a date and then-

"Absolutely not," Felicity interrupts my train of thought. The look on her face as she stares at the dress in my hand informs me that it's not as great of a choice as I originally thought. She shakes her head before going back to rummaging through the clothes on another rack. "It's a halter dress."

I have no idea what that means so I stare blankly at her. I'm a bit confused and it doesn't look like she's going to elaborate.

"What's bad about a halter dress?"

"They're just not my thing. I don't really wear them because they aren't very flattering on me."

"But I think this one would look great," I hold the dress up again and picture her in it. She'd look stunning with it on. I don't know what she's talking about.

"That's sweet of you to say ... but no," Felicity sheepishly shrugs before moving onto another rack in this tiny boutique.

We've probably walked into three different boutiques already. I'm not sure if she's looking for something specific or if she's just browsing, but I'm certain Felicity has gone through every clothing item from each shop and has walked out empty handed each time. Is that weird? Maybe I have this misconception that a woman can't walk into a clothing store without buying something. I mean, both my mother and my sister would always find something to buy wherever they went. 

I trail behind her after I reluctantly place the dress back on the rack. As we walk across the shop to the sale section, I find a small armchair and sit myself down while I wait for Felicity to finish up her browsing. I don't really know what's so special about tiny boutiques like these. They're not very impressive. They always have the oddest clothing, like funky patterns on dresses and bows on every product in sight. It's really ridiculous looking, and I don't know what draws women into it. It's ugly.

Then again, I'm a male. These kind of things aren't up my alley. I also don't know anything about fashion, so maybe this crap is trendy or something. 

We apparently don't have the same taste in clothes either. In the first boutique we walked in, I tried to help her out finding whatever it was she might have been looking for. When she was rummaging around the shirt racks, I'd try to find a shirt she might like. When she was browsing through the dresses, I'd pull out a couple of them and see if she liked them. I could see the employees in the boutique giggling amongst themselves as they watched me cluelessly pull items from the racks and seek Felicity's approval. But with each item I held up, she would lightly laugh and shake her head, claiming it wasn't something she would wear. 

It's definitely a lot more difficult to try and help someone look for something when you don't even know what you're looking for. I will admit I felt a little embarrassed that I couldn't find anything that was up to par, so I've held back on participating in this shopping thing as much as I was before.

Eventually Felicity grows bored of the little boutique, having gone through every rack and jewelry table in the shop at least once. I get up from the armchair and follow her out into the wintery air, trying not to seem like a wimp as a gust of wind blows right at our faces. As the two of us walk down the street looking for the next shop to walk in, I find myself thinking back to the events of last night. My heart beats a little faster as I remember the way we danced in the club and the way her body felt against mine. It was so electric and addicting. I really haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I definitely can't stop thinking about our kiss.

"Hey," I nudge Felicity with my elbow as she scans the opposite side of the street. The thought of our kiss brings something else to mind that I kind of want to talk about. She turns her head to look over at me, curiosity apparent in her eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

She shrugs her shoulders and zips her coat all the way up. "Sure. What's up?"

For a moment I hesitate, unsure of how I should go about the question. I don't think there's a way I can ask it without her thinking I'm trying to imply something, which isn't entirely the case. 

"What are you going to ... I mean, how are you ... um. So your boyfriend ... have you talked to him?"

Felicity grows quiet for a moment. She inhales a breath as she stares at me, looking away when she exhales. She crosses her arms over chest and keeps her focus on the sidewalk in front of us. 

"No, I haven't. He's called me a couple of times today, but I just don't have the courage to answer him."

"Are you going to talk to him about ... you know, us kissing? Or ..." My voice trails off as I can't really think of anything else to follow. This is such an odd thing for me to try and put into words because I just can't think of any words to say. I don't even know why I feel so nervous bringing this up. 

"Of course I will. I mean, I should," she nods her head. Her nerves are getting to her as she begins to fidget with her fingers, picking at her nail polish. "But is it better for me to just wait? It's kind of crappy to talk about it over the phone, right? I should just do it face to face."

"Oh. Uh, yeah I guess so," I hesitantly nod in agreement. I don't actually know if I agree with her. Obviously it's a bit shitty to break up with someone over the phone, even just confessing that you've kissed someone else, but I also think it's something that shouldn't wait to be said.

Maybe I'm just being irrational. It sucks to hear her say she's still going to see her boyfriend because ... well, I don't know. I was hoping that after these past few days and after having shared a kiss she wouldn't want to be near him. I guess if she's going to break up with him, she would need to see him to be polite and get some closure. 

"What are you going to say?" I speak up again. I'm so fucking nosy. "Are you still planning to stay with him?"

"I don't think so," Felicity exhales a deep breath and stops picking at her nails. She pauses for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest, doing her best to block the cold wind from hitting her body. "He sent me a message while we were in New Orleans that I couldn't stay with him anymore. I don't really want to anyway. I might just book myself a hotel or something. Somewhere far away from him."

Just hearing her last sentence causes me to sigh in relief. Knowing that she's no longer planning to spend her break with her boyfriend makes me so much happier. She doesn't need to be around that asshole any longer than she has already. The fact that he told her she can't stay with him angers me. That guy is such a prick.

"You can stay with me instead," I find myself offering. I'll be staying at my sister's place and I have no idea if she even has the room for another person, but I highly doubt she will mind if Felicity crashes with us for a week. At least, I hope she doesn't mind. Felicity can sleep in the bed I'm supposed to have and I'll take the couch if necessary. "My sister will be cool with it, I'm sure."

"Harry, that's very sweet of you. Really, I appreciate the offer but-"

"You won't be intruding," I interrupt as I step in front of her, grabbing onto her shoulders and stopping us in the middle of the sidewalk. She looks up at me with widened eyes, like I've completely caught her off guard by holding onto her. I give her shoulders a gentle squeeze before letting go, sliding my hands down her arms until there's nothing left for me to touch. "It's not intruding if I invite you ... which I am doing. Stay with us for the rest of your break."

Felicity hesitates for a moment as she bites down on her bottom lip. I can see by the expression on her face that she's having an internal debate about my statement. I don't understand why she would need to think about it. My place is free and away from that bastard of a boyfriend.

Her phone buzzes in her coat pocket, and the two of us don't even have to look at the screen to know who it is. Even though she doesn't pull out the device, Felicity exhales and takes a step back before continuing to walk down the street.

"I'll think about it."

The two of us walk side by side, braving the cold and allowing a comfortable silence to develop between us. She isn't looking at the shops and boutiques anymore. Instead, she admires our surroundings with the occasional stare at the cement beneath her feet. It's strange. I can gather that there are a lot of things on her mind. Hell, there's a lot of shit in my mind, too. And while she doesn't look like she's planning to be the first to speak on these topics, I have no issue being the one to initiate the conversation.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: I'm a nosy motherfucker. I'm just super curious about what's going to happen between us and between her and her boyfriend. It's difficult, especially after that kiss last night, to not want to ask all these questions. I'm eager to find out what she's going to do.

Honestly what's happening is that I'm being selfish. I want Felicity to break up with her boyfriend and be with me. Of course I want her to break up with him because he's a piece of shit and she deserves better than that, but I also want them to split up because I want to be with her. I want to know everything going on in her head because I want to know that we have a real chance of being together. 

"Do you know what you'll say to him?" I ask after it has been silent far too long between us. Maybe it's a smart idea for me to just shut up and move on, but I can't calm my curiosity. 

As the two of us cross the street, Felicity shakes her head and keeps her eyes on the ground. "Not really. I plan on telling him about everything, and I hope it won't be too difficult to have this conversation with him. He might listen ... or he might not. He's not very good at listening in the first place, and I'm afraid of how he will react to the news."

I'm not entirely sure how to respond to that, so I just stay quiet as we walk. Is she afraid of his reaction because he might get violently upset? It probably isn't a good idea for me to be with her when she speaks with him, but I'm beginning to think that I should be there in case anything goes wrong. I'm not afraid to get physical with this guy if he does anything to make Felicity feel uncomfortable. 

Before the two of us get any colder, we walk into the first shop we see. It's a small trinket store, which is much more bearable to be in than a clothing boutique. There are a few cool little items on shelves and hanging on racks that I know my mother would adore. Austin souvenirs are arranged on a large table in the middle of the shop. T-shirts are folded in piles on the table, along with pet accessories decorated in the nearest collegiate pattern. It's an interesting and entertaining store, and it's the first one we've walked into that hasn't made me want to walk right out. 

We're in the shop for a solid thirty minutes, laughing at and browsing through all the items. Felicity insists on purchasing these woven bracelets for the two of us. They look like friendship bracelets as they match in design and color. As much as I'm not a fan of wearing some girly-looking bracelet, I don't want to turn it down. I'll wear it every day that I'm away from Felicity after this winter break.

"If you don't mind me asking," she speaks up as she adjusts the woven bracelet on her wrist. The two of us walk out of the shop and head down the street together, doing our best to ignore the cold wind blowing at our faces. "Why did you decide to leave New York?"

"I don't know," I shrug my shoulders and sigh. There's no real reason I'm moving across the country. I feel bored of New York City, but I don't know what makes it boring for me. The lifestyle is expensive, but I'm moving from one expensive city to the next. Other than the fact that my sister is living in LA, I don't really know why I'm going there. "I guess I just didn't like the people there. I also live on my own, so it eats at my wallet."

"Are you going to stay away from New York forever?"

"Probably not. But, I mean, there's really nothing going for me over there. Other than Louis, there's no one in that state that I care about. Niall is in Tennessee, Lou is in Georgia ... Liam is somewhere else in the world. I have nothing left in New York."

"But I'm there."

The words come tumbling out of her mouth at an almost inaudible level, and the second she realizes I've heard what she said, her cheeks instantly turn a deep pink color. At her statement, I come to my own realization that what she said is true. She's in New York and I'll be on the other side of the country. I don't know why I started feeling like she would be staying in California with me when we get there. I've forgotten that she has to go back to school. And why would she stay with me anyway? We aren't together. She has no reason to stay in Los Angeles. 

Fuck. This really sucks.

"Well ... you should just stay in LA," I force a laugh. I'm joking, just a little bit. Another part of me is completely serious.

"I'd love to but I don't think that decision would go over very well with my parents. I need to finish school," she half heartedly laughs and twists the bracelet around her wrist before looking up at me. "It would be a lot of fun, though."

"I agree."

It grows quiet between us again as we continue to walk. A smile creeps its way onto her lips as she turns to face me. "But you should visit a lot. You can come up on a weekend and we can hang out."

"That would be nice."

"If it's not too much," Felicity hesitates and picks at her nail polish. "Maybe we can go on another road trip. I have a week for spring break. We could drive to Florida."

I look over at her, noticing the way her nerves color her cheeks pink. 

"I'd love that."

A/N: I don't know if I've used this gif already, but credit to manips-r-us on tumblr :)