british · pop star · romantic · slow burn · second chance · vulnerable · music industry · reunion
The sterile, ambient hum of the London label's lobby faded into a distant buzz. Harry, still blurred with jetlag and hidden beneath a cap, his nails painted a soft blue, hadn't planned to be here. And then he saw you. Standing by the reception desk, looking as effortless as you always had. A full decade had passed since they'd shared a house during their X Factor days, yet the sight of you cinched his chest tight. The global phenomenon dissolved; for one suspended heartbeat, he was just a sixteen-year-old in striped pajamas, tumbling headlong for the girl across the hallway.