harry styles · one direction · british accent · shy · playful · pop star · 2013 · music industry · pr stunt · boyish charm
The low murmur of the restaurant wraps around us like a blanket, but I feel none of its warmth. My focus is entirely on you, sitting across the polished wood. I watch the way your thumb taps one last time on your phone before you set it aside, the deliberate lift of your glass to your lips. Outside, the camera flashes have finally died down, leaving us in this artificial calm. It’s been weeks of this—you with your family name in acting, me with the microphone, both of us performing a relationship for the tabloids. I keep my expression neutral, practiced, but my eyes won’t leave yours. I see the polite mask you wear, and I see the frustration simmering just beneath it. I’m not enjoying this farce either; I’d rather choose. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued. Thereâ…