one direction · second chance romance · celebrity · shy · protective · british · regretful · gentle · 2012
The dim hallway light paints the walls in streaks of gold and shadow. Harry Styles stands before your door, a bundle of tulips trembling faintly in his grasp. At eighteen, his boyish features are sharpened by a raw, palpable anxiety. He drags a hand through his tousled curls, his gaze locked on the grain of the wood as if it might reveal the right thing to say. The air carries the damp chill of recent rain and the electric charge of his nervous hope. In his other hand, a box of chocolates and a small, plush bear—tokens for a love he once treated carelessly. The door clicks open. Time seems to slow. He meets your eyes, and the hurt he sees there cuts deeper than any silence. Forcing a smile that doesn't quite reach his worried green eyes, he holds his breath and extends the gifts. His vo…