March 2016

More stories. Same tabloids. No longer just rumours. Instead, correct conclusions.

The Daily Mail. Hollywood Life. Sugarscape. The Mirror 3am.

This time not all bullshit, but clear photos of us kissing outside Lagoon and further speculation about the length of our relationship. The significance of the date has been picked up by the fans and circulated wildly across all social media channels along with the headlines and articles about me and Jess. 

HARRY HAS A GIRLFRIEND... it's official... Cambridge graduate Jessica Bradshaw... together on and off since 2015... pictured together in London and LA over the last year... full on PDA outside London nightspot Lagoon... currently on hiatus from boyband One Direction... beginning a solo career in music, film and television... 

Television? Really? That's news to me. Good job Sugarscape knows more about my life than I do. 

Long term girlfriend... looked drunk and happy together as they left the club hand in hand... singer has always remained tight-lipped about his private life... could it be that this one is for keeps? 

My stomach gives a slow roll and a pleasant tingle as I read that last sentence. 

The two follow each other on instagram and Twitter... Previous love interests include Sara Sampaio, Taylor Swift and Kendall Jenner... 

My stomach gives another roll - an uncomfortable one this time at the sight of Sara's name linked to mine, but it's definitely lessening as time goes on. 

Mail Online has contacted Styles' representative for comment. 

Good to know.

~~~~

July 2016 

I open the door of my hotel room and throw my bag on the bed before scurrying into the bathroom, the door slamming behind me as I reach into the shower and switch the water on. Jess is due to arrive in about twenty minutes - she has already texted me to let me know her flight has landed and she is making her way to the waiting car. I hurriedly strip my clothes off and step under the jets, screwing my face up against the flow of the water as it bounces off my skin. I turn around and lean back so the water cascades over the back of my head, squirting far too much shampoo into my hand (I still haven't got used to the length of my hair since I had it cut and it's been nearly two months) and massaging it into a lather. I'm back out again in less than five minutes, a towel wrapped around my waist as I open the bag I had flung on the bed, rummage around and pull out my army uniform costume that I have snuck off set. We're on a four day break from filming and I concluded that no one would notice if I borrowed this while we were away. I know someone who will more than appreciate it, and if I'm not careful she's going to arrive while I'm standing here holding it and grinning like an idiot, and completely ruin the surprise. I made sure I brought the clean version - there are several filthy ones for some of the dirtier scenes that will appear later in the film but this one is clean and unmarked. 

I pull the towel from around my waist and use it to dry my hair vigorously, before grabbing some underwear and stepping carefully into the uniform. I won't lie - I feel a little self conscious and a  bit silly, but if there's one person in the world I trust not to laugh at me, it's Jess. I straighten the collar and fasten the buttons, turning this way and that in the mirror to check I look OK and once I'm satisfied I pick up my phone to see if there is an update from Jess. She hasn't texted me since she told me she was on her way to the car, and I sit down on the edge of the bed and scroll up our message thread to the selfie I sent her of me, Fionn Whitehead and Aneurin Barnard on set a week or so ago in between shooting, in full costume. 

Her reply was a load of horny devil emojis, along with the message, Holy fuck, Harry. That uniform!

You like it? I'd replied innocently. 

Just a tiny bit, came the response with some heart eye emojis.  

I smirk to myself, and the jump as I hear the sound of a keycard in the door. I hurriedly lie down on the bed, trying to appear casual and nonchalant, jiggling about trying to get my arm in the right position without looking like a complete loser. Eventually I give up and hook it behind my head and hope for the best.

"Harry?" Jess calls as the door shuts behind her and I hear the sound of suitcase wheels on the hotel carpet. "Are you here?" 

"Yeah," I call back, and she appears around the corner of the wall, suitcase handle in one hand, her phone and the room keycard in the other.

"Have you been waiting long - " she breaks off as she sees me on the bed and stops dead in her tracks, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open. 

"Not too long," I answer casually, trying and failing to conceal the smirk pulling at the corners of  my mouth. 

"Oh my God," she breathes.

"What?" I ask, frowning in exaggerated and pretend confusion. "Is something wrong?" 

"No," she replies slowly, a smile breaking on her face. "Nothing is wrong. Everything is very, very right."

She drops her phone and keycard on the table next to the bed, kicks off her sandals and immediately straddles me, pushing me onto my back and running her hands over the front of my costume.

I grin up at her and she grins back before leaning down to kiss me. 

"Hi," she murmurs softly.

"Hi," I reply in exactly the same tone.

"How long have you been planning this?" she asks, pulling back and looking me up and down. 

"Umm.. since you mentioned you liked the uniform," I shrug. "I thought it would be a nice way to start our little break together." 

"And they just let you take it?" she asks, massaging my chest and slowly unbuttoning the jacket. 

"I didn't ask," I grin. "That way, they couldn't say no." 

"Harry Styles, you reckless, impulsive man," she murmurs, leaning down again and pressing her lips to mine with fire and passion. I don't let her break away this time, cupping one hand around the back of her neck and resting the other just below her breast. 

"So do you still like it?" I breathe as she begins trailing kisses long my jawline and onto my neck. 

"It's even better in the flesh," she breathes back, opening the jacket fully and lying down on top of me, her hips grinding against mine enticingly. 

I'm already getting hard, and these pants don't leave much room for, er, growth. I'm glad when she reaches between us to unbutton them and pull them down, reaching into my boxers and gripping me firmly with her fingers. 

I hear myself moan, and before I realise what is happening she has slid down my body and taken me in her mouth. I moan again, louder this time as she licks me all over and then begins to move up and down, slowly at first but then with gathering speed. 

It's been more than a week since I've seen her so I know I'm not going to last long, and to be honest I don't even try. I give her ample warning if she wants to move away but she stays put and I come hard in her mouth, my hips bucking and twitching as I try to stifle my own noise. I lie still for a moment after I'm finished, still in the uniform and trying to catch my breath. She pulls my boxers back up neatly and as she comes to lie beside me I push her over onto her back, pulling her top up and kissing her collarbone, her chest and slowly making my way to her breasts. Her nipples are hard and it's her turn to moan as I brush them with my lips, running my hand down to the waistband of her shorts and unbuttoning them with ease. I trace my fingers slowly down, teasing her as I suck her nipples and she whimpers, getting louder each time. I brush the tip of my finger against her and she nudges her hips towards me, letting out a gentle sigh. 

I move on top of her, pulling her shorts and knickers down together and slipping one, then two fingers inside her as I suck her other nipple gently. She cries out as my teeth graze her softly, and after a moment I begin kissing my way down her stomach until I am lapping my tongue against her, moving my fingers in and out at the same time while she moans and writhes beneath me. She looks down at me for a moment, and then closes her eyes, taking a large breath and then letting it out slowly, tightening around my fingers in waves as she comes. I let it slowly fade out before lying down next to her and smiling at her. 

Her breathing slows and she opens her eyes to look at me. 

"Well," I remark. "What a welcome." 

"I'll say." 

"Good flight?" 

"Not bad," she answers. "I don't think anyone recognised me at the airport. There were no paps around, anyway." 

"Yeah same," I muse. 

Although European airports are always quieter than Heathrow or LA, when we were touring as a band we always had some sort of welcome committee in the form of paps or fans, simply because our tour schedule was obviously known and therefore our flight times weren't too difficult to work out. Now however, with no public itinerary, I'm finding anonymity is comfortably within reach. It's amazing and strange in equal measure. It has also made for a peaceful few months for me and Jess and has allowed our transition into a 'public couple' a lot smoother than it would have been if we had done this earlier. Everything happens for a reason. 

We unpack our bags and after a quick shower each we change into outfits for dinner and head on out to a local restaurant to sample some authentic French cuisine. I'm keen to soak up the culture while I can. When touring with One Direction we were lucky if we saw anything other than the airport, hotel room and stadium. It's been strange adjusting to being in a new place (like on location, filming Dunkirk) and not rushing off within 24 hours. Being able to spend more than a couple of days in one place is novel and exciting. And these next few days are a short holiday between filming, for me to spend with Jess. I've been home to London as much as I can, for a day or two at a time and longer where possible, but having a few days off together as enabled Jess to get some time off work and the two of us to travel to the south of France, just a stone's throw from Monaco, for a proper holiday. I've been so looking forward to this. 

"So I've been thinking," I begin, as our starters arrive.

"Uh oh," she grins. "That's always dangerous."

"About us," I continue a little louder, smirking at her comment and choosing to ignore it. "And the press attention our relationship has been getting."

"OK," she nods, setting down her Prosecco glass and picking up her fork. "I'm listening."

"Well, there's still so much speculation," I muse. "I mean, we've been pictured together numerous times now, but I still feel like I want to put the rumours to bed once and for all." 

"You mean, publicly confirm the relationship?" she asks. 

"Well, yeah," I reply. "Something that leaves no one in any doubt."

"The Larries will always doubt," Jess chuckles. "You could post a picture of us having sex and they would insist that you were being forced into it by a long standing management contract or something."

I snort with laughter. She's actually right. "True," I grin. "But I wasn't thinking of trying to convince them. I was thinking more of just being completely open and officially public. Like maybe posting a picture of us together or something."

"But Harry," she frowns seriously, "that would mean breaking the mould of mysterious and incomprehensible posts with cryptic captions. Your fans would definitely think your account had been hacked."

"Har har." I roll my eyes. "I'm serious. I want my social media to include you. If you want that too, I mean."

"As long as you don't post a photo of me looking like a troll," she says emphatically.

"A troll," I scoff. "As if." 

She takes another bite of her starter and chews thoughtfully. "Yeah, I'm ok with that. But you know what we could do to leave no one in any doubt?" 

"Post a photo of us having sex?" I suggest innocently.

She fires a look of exasperation at me across the table. "Post the same photo from your and account and my account," she answers. "With the same caption. At the same time." 

I nod excitedly. "Yes! I like this idea! We could see who gets to a hundred thousand likes first." 

Her nostrils flare but she ignores me, and I grin down at my plate feeling giddy. 

"So is that a yes?" I press.

"As long as you don't piss me off," she says airily, the corners of her mouth desperately trying to pull into a smirk. 

"Is there ever a day when I don't?"

"Nope."

And the opportunity presents itself the following day when we are lounging by the hotel pool, sunbathing, relaxing, reading and generally enjoying being together. I'm texting Jeff and send him a snap of the two us side by side on our sunloungers, and it's such a lovely photo that I get her attention so she looks up at me, and then at the camera before leaning in to me and smiling as I snap a few pictures. 

"This is the one," I tell her, opening the pictures and examining the second one. We're both beaming and she looks fucking incredible - happy, relaxed and in love. 

"What do you mean, the one?" 

"The one we post. If you agree?" 

"Wow - already? I didn't think you meant so soon," she says with a look of surprise. 

"Why wait? This is perfect. You're perfect. We're perfect. I say we do it now before we talk ourselves out of it." 

She hesitates for a moment then grabs her phone. "OK, let's do it. Send me that photo." 

I send it to her on WhatsApp and we both open up our instagram accounts, import and the picture and crop it in exactly the same way. 

"Caption?" she asks. 

"Just a red love heart?" I suggest. "We start putting words on it and people will start overanalysing."

"A love heart it is," she nods. "On the count of three. Ready?"

We count down and press send at the exact same time, grinning at each other. 

Jess cups her hand to her ear and frowns. She holds a finger up to her lips, staring pensively into the distance. "Shh... if you listen really really hard, you can hear the sound of a thousand little Larry hearts breaking..." 

---***---

So if you remember, there are three bonus chapters in No Control | Holding Me Ransom, and to keep the consistency there will be three bonus chapters from Harry's POV too. The first one is already written, and will be the next chapter to be posted. It's been one that I looked forward to writing for several years and I'm excited to share it with you in the next week or so. Keep an eye out for it! :) xx