It was the beginning of March by the time you finally found a date that suited everyone for Harry's birthday dinner. The work for Niall's new album had really started to come to a crescendo; the launch party was less than a month away and you and Harry had been working late more than usual. Because of this, when Saturday rolled around, you were very thankful for the social event as you could both use a chance to relax and enjoy some good company. Several of the friends you shared were attending, including Niall and Emmy of course.

You felt uncharacteristically nervous as you slipped into your silk dress. You thought maybe it was because you had bought Harry a late birthday gift and was worried he wouldn't like it, but deep down you knew it was something else. Butterflies had been developing in your stomach all day; it reminded you of how it felt when you woke up for school and knew you'd be seeing your crush that day so made sure your hair was extra pretty. But that didn't make much sense, you and Harry were good friends now, why did you care how you looked around him?

As you sat in the cab on your way to Harry's apartment you tried to remember what it was like. Unfortunately, since you'd arrived drunk and horny and left hungover and very quickly, nothing of much use sprang to mind from your first visit. You remembered his soft white sheets and how his body heat engulfed you in the most comforting way, a quick glimpse of the soft shades and wood colours that made up his living room and kitchen, the marble floors in the entryway which meant you didn't put your heels back on until out in the corridor in fear of waking him.

A text buzzed through on your phone breaking you out of your trip down memory lane.

Text me when you're almost here. I'll meet you in the lobby. H x

Okay, I'm 5 mins away x

See you then x

Your heels made a satisfying tap as you walked through into the lobby; the mix of cream tiles, dark woods and peacock blue accents bathed in a warm light was very aesthetically pleasing. Harry spotted you before you spotted him. He watched you devotedly as you took in the details of the lobby, mouth slightly agape at how pretty you looked. Your dress hugged every curve perfectly, the deep red bringing out the colour in your rosy cheeks and lips, hair swaying in sync with your steps; you looked more like a model than any actual models Harry had ever seen. Unlike previous times, he prepared himself before you reached him, hoping to avoid any flustered comments about your appearance. He hoped the couple of glasses of wine he had drunk to help calm his uncharacteristic nervous would also help in this instance. Waving enthusiastically at you as your eyes landed on him, he took a deep breath - he was not gonna balls this up.

"Hey, Harry," and all it took was one beam of your smile for his mini preparation to completely fly out of the window.

"Y-you look stunning, Cecelia, I mean - sorry - hello, let me take that from you. Where are my manners," the nervous chuckle that followed melted your heart as he took the bag of ingredients you had bought with you, placing a swift kiss on your cheek in greeting.

Smiling shyly and tucking your hair behind your ear you responded, "Thank you, there's a bottle of red wine in their for you as well,"

"Oo, thanks, 'm sure that'll go down a very well tonight,"

You told Harry about the meal you were planning on cooking, a tomato and mozzarella risotto which was a recipe you had learnt from your mum - simple, but incredibly tasty - as you rode up in the elevator. This was one part of his building you hadn't forgotten; the way he had pushed you against the wall, wrists raised in one of his big hands as he kept your bodies achingly close. The exact same memory was pounding through Harry's mind. You were definitely both glad the conversation stayed on risotto.

He opened the door for you, holding it open with ease as you walked in; it was a gorgeous apartment, no doubt about it. The design definitely reflected his office - a mix of modern and sleek foundations combined with pops of muted colour and vintage accents. Your walk slowed as you took everything in, Harry had done an exceptional job with the place.

"Harry," you began softly, "Your apartment is so...you." He helped to take your coat off and hung it in the hallway. The sweet, gentlemanly gesture made you smile to yourself, revelling in his touch.

"Did you not think that the first time?" He asked teasingly, head poking back towards you as he sauntered into the kitchen, his voice slow and melodic.

A breathy laugh puffed out of your nose, rolling your eyes slightly you replied, "I can't say I remember paying much attention to the architecture, no,"

You joined him in the kitchen as he looked up from pouring you a glass of wine, "Funny that," playfully dropping his eye to wink at you.

The kitchen was stunning; modern soft grey cabinets accented by a black stone island with dark wood stools to match the dark wooden beams. Dark green and light gold pops of colour provided warmth to the neutral colours as well as Harry's personal additions showing that he actually used the kitchen, and most likely enjoyed it too.

A glass of wine interrupted from your daze of appreciation for all things furniture (you absolutely loved shopping for your own apartment, maybe even more than you loved shopping for clothes), you murmured a grateful thank you, taking a generous sip soon after.

"Right how long until everyone else is meant to arrive?"

Looking at his watch, you guessed it was probably a Rolex, Harry replied, "Around thirty minutes or so,"

"Okay perfect I'll start preparing dinner now!" You began rifling through the bag you had bought with you when your eyes focused on something shiny, "Ooo! How could I forget?"

Much to Harry's amusement, you whipped out a string of silver letters which read out 'Happy Birthday Harry' and thrust them in his direction.

"Go and put these up somewhere!"

"At my big age?"

"Hush - you're lucky I didn't get you a badge,"

Laughing heartily, he left the room to go and do as you asked, well...demanded.

◇

The meal was a hit; everyone had helped themselves to seconds and even thirds for some. Everyone was in high spirits with big grins topped by rosy wine-induced cheeks. The soft music that played in the background combined with everyones constant laughter created the perfect atmosphere, you were incredibly happy.

Niall and Emmy had pulled through with multicoloured shiny party hats that would typically be found at a birthday for someone much younger than yourselves, but everyone had enthusiastically put them on. The biggest surprise of the night was the cake Niall had ordered. Big enough to feed about 30 people, it had simple white frosting and a happy birthday message written in italic icing at the bottom. But the best part about the cake, was the picture of a much younger Harry sporting a huge grin that filled half of his face with one eye dropped down in a cheeky wink.

As everyone cooed and laughed over it Harry sat, leant back in his chair, one foot resting on the opposite knee, shaking his head menacingly at Niall. The Irishman just laughed, "I know you love it H, I can see that smirk!"

After lighting 29 candles - yes Niall had bought 29 - and singing to Harry as he blew them out, you graciously began to cut the cake, passing the plated slices around. As you passed a plate to Harry, his fingers brushed your own softly, but with a firmer press as you began to pull away which made your eyes flick up to lock with his.

"Thank you," he whispered.

The sincerity, appreciation and fondness behind his gaze as he said those two words made your eyes glossy with tears - the wine didn't help either, it always made you emotional. You knew he was thanking you for much more than just passing him a slice of cake - it was for the job you did for him day in day out, organising a party with all of his favourite people, making him incredibly happy. You smiled softly back at him, unable to open your mouth due to the slight lump present in your throat.

After filling yourselves up on the delicious cake and a couple more drinks, most of the guests started to make their way out, apart from Niall and Emmy.

Not even two seconds after everyone was out the door, Niall stood instantly, "Right, let's play Pictionary," he suggested, standing behind Emmy's chair and rubbing her shoulders to psyche her up, "C'mon Ems, we've got this in the bag there's no way I'm losing to Harry - I've got a win streak that's not gonna end tonight!"

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriends overly competitive nature she whined, "But I wanna go with Ceece, she's a hidden master of Pictionary!"

"Too late, I call dibs," Harry piped up, raising his hand.

"Hey! I don't wanna be with you if you always lose to Niall,"

"Well too late darling, I need all the help I can get."

Unsurprisingly, just like at work, you and Harry made a great team. It was a tie-break, and you and Emmy had to draw the same thing and whichever teammate guessed first won. The game had gotten far from being PG and the last few things that you'd been drawing were sex related. You burst out laughing when you read what you would both be drawing; the butter churner, a sex position that had become famous from a Love Island contestant a few years back.

The boys counted you in and you began drawing two stick people in the position, which was proving to be extremely difficult.

"Girls, what the fuck is that?" Implored Niall, while Harry just giggled like a school boy at the inappropriate drawing. Having become so used to Harry being serious and businesslike most of the time, you hadn't seen this giggly, silly side to him and you suspected it was because of the alcohol, but you liked it nonetheless.

"Just look at it and think!" Cried Emmy in exasperation.

You added the finishing touches to your drawing, the boys still completely mystified.

"Uhhh, is it a sex position?"

"Yes Harry keep going!" Your competitive streak was definitely out in full swing.

He sat forward, elbows on his knees, head resting in his open palms. It made you laugh how strongly he was concentrating.

"Ems - 'av not a clue princess, that's certainly not one we've done before," muttered Niall grumpily; whether that was because he was close to losing or because he hadn't done that position, no-one was sure.

To try and spur Harry along you started imitating the squatting position that the male would do in this particular position. Even though it distracted Harry immensely - his eyes trailed the exposed skin of your soft thighs hungrily, which had been exposed by your dress riding up - your reenactment did work.

"OH! It's that one from Love Island - fuck! What's it called?"

"YES Harry!"

"You watch Love Island?"

"Nooo, he's gonna get it!"

The combination of yours, Niall's and Emmy's reaction overlapping each other was a mix of joy, disbelieving disappointment and whining at being close to losing. Harry's head hung low, short mussed up curls reaching between his knees as he muttered "Fuck, fuck, fuck what is is?"

"C'mon Harry you got this!" You encouraged.

Abruptly he jumped up, arms raised high in disbelief at having got it, "The butter churner!!"

A loud celebration left your lips as you bounded into his arms. He picked you up and twirled you both around as Niall and Emmy complained and argued over who's fault it was that his win streak was over, but it quickly faded into silence when they spotted the way you two were currently embracing.

"S'not fair," moaned Niall, "I bet they did that position and that's how they won!" He thrust his arm out, palm facing upwards towards you and Harry who was now slowly setting you back on your feet, arms wrapped around your waist. You were standing so close that your chests touched every time you breathed out, which happened a lot since you were both panting slightly. Blinking up at him a few times you quickly broke out of your little bubble, you'd only just caught what Niall had said and a blush crept over your cheeks.

"Niall! Don't say that, it's none of our business what positions they got up too," Emmy's words held conviction but you could tell she was trying really hard to stifle a laugh.

"S'okay, I can confirm that did not happen - not sure I would've been able to maintain that with how many tequilas deep I was," Harry admitted sheepishly.

You laughed, he certainly wasn't wrong.

Bidding goodnight to Niall and Emmy with big hugs and promises to do this again soon, you stayed back to help Harry tidy up. He insisted you didn't have to, but you'd feel bad having cooked in his kitchen and then not helping to clean the mess. Plus you still had to give him his present.

You washed the dishes up, the soapy water warm on your skin, humming along to the soft melodies flowing from Harry's speakers. Harry leant against the wall watching you as you swayed gently with the music. He was enraptured; thoughts of this, of you, being his life flashed before his eyes. The wine had made him feel light and hazy but his thoughts seemed clear as crystal.

"Want some help?" His soft dialect made you jump slightly, "oh 'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you,"

"That's okay Harry," smiling you said, "Actually we can carry on with that in a moment, I've got something for you..."

He eyed you curiously, unsure what other surprises you had in store for him. You walked over to the brown paper bag you'd bought with you, and started pulling out the gift with your back to Harry. The gift in question was a journal, similar to the beat-up brown leather one Harry had, but this one was black and had 'H. E. S.' printed in small golden lettering at the bottom. With the journal clasped up to your chest, you turned around, a nervous look on your face.

"For you." You said shyly, handing the journal to him, arms outstretched.

Green eyes flicked from your face to the journal, widened, and then back to your face, "Cecelia..." he whispered.

Your bottom lip worried between your teeth, "D'you like it?"

"I...I don't know what to say, it's perfect."

A relieved grin spread across your face; he did like it, "I noticed how used your journal was looking so I found this one and thought you'd like it since it's quite similar."

"I love it, thank you so much," the huge dimpled smile that graced his face made you weak at the knees.

"You're welcome..." you trailed off as he started slowly walking towards you and didn't stop until he was practically chest to chest with you. Harry placed the journal behind you on the island you lent on, his eyes unreadable; you weren't sure what he was thinking or what he was going to do. You maintained the eye contact, but just as he began to lean forward, you flicked your eyes to his stereo when you heard the opening chords of one of your favourite songs, eyes fluttering closed briefly as a serene smile graced your lips.

Harry stared. His hands ran down your arms and grabbed your hands lightly before walking a few steps backwards, "Dance with me."

Don't tell me I've been dreaming...

"I - what?"

When you're standing there in front of me...

Pulling at your hands softly, he repeated his previous sentence, "Dance with me."

It's just the simple things you see...

His warm hand guided yours to drape over his shoulder, pulling you close. The other linked slowly with yours and brought your joined hands to rest by his fluttering heart.

It's all the things you do to me...

You relaxed into his embrace, blinking up at his suddenness and how well he could read you to know your love for this song; you knew the look in your eyes reflected all the feelings you'd seen in his when he'd thanked you so intimately earlier. Your bodies swayed slowly to the beautiful song as you rested your head on his broad chest, smelling in his unique scent of sandalwood and mint, now joined by a hint of musky red wine.

You only have to look my way, for me to know it's not in vain...

His heart felt like it was a bird trapped in a cage, wings beating so fast, senses completely overcome by your touch, your smell, your everything. Harry had longed to be this close to you again, but he knew it couldn't last forever which made him hold you just a little bit tighter, head resting atop of yours.

When everything is crazy, you find a way to make it right...

The song built, almost to the end but your steady sway didn't falter, not until Harry began to pull away. He kept the hand that was already intertwined with yours together as he lifted them up and twirled you around under his arm.

Yes, I love and I love and I love and I want you...

You were pulled swiftly back into his chest, breath coming out of you in a stuttered gasp as he lent you back to arch down towards the floor, your hair tickling the tiles beneath you.

It's gonna be til the end of time, I'm gonna love you day and night...

Harry pulled you back up in such a slow and sensual way your toes curled in your heels. Your bodies began to connect back together; thighs, hips, chests until you were nose to nose, panted breaths mingling together, one hand wrapped tightly with his in a classic ballroom stance, the other wound in the soft hairs that faded into his neck.

It's only you that makes it right.

Your eyes were wide, all you could see was the different shades of green in his eyes; he completely surrounded you. Harry lent his forehead against yours and furrowed his brow, eyes shutting tightly. He was going back and forth in his mind with what to do, should he kiss you, even though he knew you both had to put your professional relationship first? Sighing decidedly, knowing now was not the right time, he placed a feather-light, lingering kiss against the corner of your mouth.

You felt the imprint of his soft, pink lips against your skin as he walked you down to the lobby, felt them the entire cab ride home where the lights that blurred against the rain-splattered windows seemed brighter than usual; everything seemed brighter than usual. You felt them still as you took your makeup off, fingertips tracing the exact place he had kissed you, centimetres away from where you had actually wanted him to kiss you. And as you lay in bed with the lights out, you fell asleep still feeling them.

told you it'd be a long chapter ;) 

I don't usually do goals for my chapters but if I could get as many votes as possible for this one, the sooner the next chapter will be up! so if you're enjoying the story please share it with your friends, it would really help me out! 

also the song in this chapter is called 'til the end' and its by the talented jessie ware, give it a listen as you read the last section to get the full effect of the moment :) things are definitely starting to build up now...

kait x