We were written in the stars

.

He’s like a literal excited puppy roaming around the narrow streets of bazar with Y/N. Everything around vividly colourful as if he’s watching it with pink heart glasses.

It’s rushy. People bumping in him. Some shopkeepers almost dragging him inside their shops and showing him Sarris with their top-tier famous comment of, “Brother buy it for your misses if you really actually love her.” How Harry couldn’t? when they were such lovely with him and Y/N was just shaking her head at him standing near one of the stalls of handmade shoes as he stepped out and showed her the bag with a sheepish shrug.

“You sure you don’t need me to fan you?” She giggles, swiping the lasts of spicy Imli from the plastic paper and sucks it off her thumb, “I’m gonna have pregnant tonsils in morning that’s sure.” His nose skewers up when his throat becomes all tingly from licking his fingers clean and feeling his tongue all funky from the tangy taste of it.

His silk blouse’s getting sweaty from his back and armpits but for Y/N’s sake and to enjoy all of this he doesn’t give in to her polite offers to return back.

“Oye Harry! Come here, help me choose!” Y/N yells from far wiggling the prettily jewelled jhumkas up infront of him, whilst he’s too lost and acting a proper damn Brit refusing to come out from the shop of spices.

He threw the same tantrum when Y/N lugged him away from the group of teenager boys showing him how to make kites and play with marbles.

“Which one?” She bounces on her toes excitedly and he giggles stealing her Kachori from where she put it in her line of sight, “Buhkad!” She pouts because he had two already and a bowl of Falooda all to himself.

“Definitely this one, Lovie.” He smirks through a mouthful pointing the crimson cut earnings and Y/N smiles timidly forgetting that he’s her food thief when he reaches over and takes it from her hand making her wear it himself.

“So pretty..” He breathes out stroking her wrist in fond strokes and takes the tiny mirror from the women seller showing her that his statement’s infact true.

She giggles as he wiggles the mirror purposely to annoy her with the rainbow streaks melting on her face.

They parked the car to an isolated spot and moved to backseat clumsily to watch the beautiful sunset of her homeland, the serenity and warmth of tangerine pink sunshine melting Y/N into Harry’s chest as he cuddles her into him.

“You had fun?” She asks with hopeful bright eyes.

“Absolutely.” He grins lazily and tiredly petting her hair, his chest vibrating with his rasp.

“Now I know what they meant with ‘homeland is where you always want to be’,” He whispers. Sunlight dancing along the golden glow of city lights that bounces of the crystal lakes.

“You. Your heart. Is my homeland.” Y/N feels her heart racing in her ears. The intimacy of his words seeping in each of her bones and igniting it to a radiant spark – they’ve never felt this happy without eachother.

“But what if they don’t, baby.” Y/n raised her eyebrows, Harry was acting more anxious than she was expecting, of course, meeting your girlfriend’s parents wasn’t a ride in the park, but damn he was sweating.

“Harry, talk to me, why are you so scared, you normally do well in those situations, is there something wrong? We can reschedule it to another day if you want-”

Harry interrupted her with a gentle kiss on her mouth, even though it was just a peck, it was enough to stain his lips with red lipstick. “I don’t want to reschedule, baby, I’m sorry if I made it sound that way, I just love you, and I want your parents to like me too, they mean a lot to you, so they also mean a lot to me.”

“I know we’ve been parked in front of their house for the last 10 minutes, but I just need a few moments to….man up, alright?” Harry looked to his lap again, but this time he took her hand on his own, caressing the skin with his thumb.

She tried to hold her laugh, trying to respect his feelings. “Alright, I’ll be here with you throughout your whole man-up moment,” she said, playfully pushing him to the side with her shoulder, trying to see if she could make him smile a bit.

“Also, we are having your favorite dish, chicken biryani," she told him, trying to persuade Harry. "If you think the one I cook is good you should try maa's (mom), she never told me what special ingredients she put in her food to make it better than anyone's else's."

"Oh I do love chicken biryani," he said smiling. "Ok, I think that gave me all the motivation I needed, are you ready?"

"I am, just let me do something–" Y/n quickly cleaned his mouth from her lipstick with her thumb. The cosmetic didn't leave his face completely, but his lips were naturally pink enough for the lipstick to blend in. "–and done, let's go, I'm so excited for you to meet them!"

Harry opened his car door before going to Y/n's side and opening her door for her. Y/n was wearing a dark red skirt and a yellow cropped blouse, Y/n wanted to be a bit dressed up for the situation. Harry was also looking very handsome, wearing a casual chic outfit, with a dark blue blazer.

They intertwined their hands together as Y/n led them to her childhood house. Her mom was eager to see her, she could see her face through the window, as if she was there this whole time, just waiting for them to come in. The older woman barely let Y/n ring the doorbell, she opened it eagerly, a beautiful smile on her face.

"Beta!" (Loving way to call your kid). "Finally you are here, your papa and I have been missing you so much." She hugged her daughter, kissing her cheeks. "You look so pretty!"

Y/n laughed. "Maa, you are acting like we haven't seen each other for ages, we went out for lunch a week ago."

"A week ago is a lifetime in a mother's life, babu," (Loving way to call your kid) she said playfully sternly. "Now who is this fine young man, Harry, right?"

Harry was surprised when his mother-in-law came from a hug, but once the surprise was over he hugged her back, looking at y/n with a look that expressed "Am I doing it right?". Y/n gave him a thumbs up, trying to keep him calm.

"Hm, hi Mrs, thank you for having me, it is a great pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling when she also kissed his cheek.

"Oh my darling, cut the formality, I've been dying to meet you, Y/n told amazing things about you! Come in please!" Y/n’s mom took Harry by the hand and brought him inside the house, Y/n followed them, feeling the amazing smell of the food she grew up with filling her heart with warmth.

"Papa, hi!" Y/n say once they stepped in the kitchen, her dad was finishing cooking food as he turned around.

"Babu, come here, give your papa a hug." Y/n did so, wrapping her arms around her dad. "Don't be a stranger, you need to come here more often!"

"I know papa, I will don't worry. But now there is someone I want to introduce to you!" She called Harry, who was in the back of the room with her mom. "This is Harry, the one I talked to you about." Y/n placed a comforting hand on Harry's back.

"Hi sir, I'm Harry, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," he shook Harry's hand, before pulling him closer and patting his back.

"My daughter talks about you like you are a piece of the moon, Harry, I hope she is not exaggerating in any way, she deserves only the best," he said, sounding friendly, but still serious.

"I can guarantee to you, your daughter is one of my priorities. I wouldn't treat her with anything but love and respect. She is also a piece of the moon to me."

Y/n felt her cheeks warm, no matter how many times Harry told her how special she was, she was still not used to it.

"Good, Harry. Let's all eat them, the table is ready, and the food is too, I hope you will enjoy our dinner."

"I sure will, sir, don't worry." Y/n winked at Harry before sitting on the table, the man taking a seat right by her side, putting a gentle hand on her thigh.

"You are doing great!" She whispered while her parents weren't looking. "Thank you for caring so much about this."

"Don't say thank you, darling, I love you, I'm glad I'm here," he said.

On top of being one of the richest people in the world, he was heartbreakingly handsome and fit - his cut jaw, even if his face was almost always scowling he looked like he just walked off the cover of Vogue, and not to mention his body.

His biceps, his stomach, he had defined muscles that YN had even known exists like up under his armpits near his rib cage, ripples of toned muscle that came from dedication in the gym.

More importantly than that - he was terrifying brilliant, the fact that he created a multibillion dollar company out of his mum’s living room in mere years and now had the life he did now, that was from being intelligent to the point of genius.

YN just felt like she came to the table with little to nothing to offer in comparison.

She was still in college, massively in debt, working at a run down bar, and living in the cheapest accommodations she could find in London.

She would never call herself unattractive but when she got the inkling urge to google Harry and his past flings - well…it shot her confidence in the gutter because he was seen with gorgeous women who modeled and walked runway shows, a different kind of beauty that she couldn’t compare to.

None of this was fair to Harry because he made her feel like the most beautiful, intelligent person on this earth and she knew he was sincere but she couldn’t help but think that after their honeymoon phase…well he would realize that she wasn’t all that special, not compared to the other options.

When they were out, there were constantly women coming up to him, not shy about flirting and making suggestive comments while she was standing right next to him.

It didn’t matter if he bluntly told them to ‘fuck off’, it was always a hit to her already low self-confidence.

She likes to think that she hides it pretty well from Harry, he always got upset when she put herself down with negative thoughts and comments so she tried to bottle that up.

Harry and her had gotten in small arguements in the past six months but it was nothing ever than being a bit peeved with each other, he had a incredible amount of patience and understanding when it came to her, not to often actually getting irritated.

However, she wasn’t stupid, she saw how he could be to his employees, she say how he talked to random people on the street, to the girls hitting on him, sometimes to his own sister.

He wasn’t any of the characteristics that YN explained him as but the exact opposite - rude, impatient, unsympathetic, and easy to anger.

When she talks about the other shoe dropping, she can’t help but wonder if she’ll face the same wrath that others have - she didn’t know if she could handle the cold, uncaring, angry Harry that others got and how she would deal with it.

It just felt unrealistic that he could magically turn it off with her but not the other people in his life but he hadn’t once shown that side of himself to her, not even when he’s been cross with her attitude.

His temper scared her a bit, she thinks back to the first time she really saw it, and it still sticks in her mind.

-

1 & ½ into the relationship

It was a business dinner, one where a whole restaurant had been rented out to celebrate multiple new branches of Style Marketing & Co opening worldwide, expanding to four new countries.

YN had accepted the invitation because she knew Harry wanted her there, that as his partner, she would have to attend these business dinners and events to support him.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, per se, it was more that she didn’t feel like she fit in - as a broke college student, she didn’t have extra money for dresses and shoes to wear to these things.

People weren’t wearing dresses from cheap online fast fashion websites, they were wearing designer brands like Gucci and Prada to somewhat casual dinners.

The suits Harry was showing up in, most of them had a Gucci label on the sleeve or the inside of the suit jacket, she couldn’t imagine how much they cost as she tried to pick from two dresses she got for thirty pounds each.

YN would make do with what she had because she sure as hell wasn’t going to mention this to Harry, she knows that he would automatically either take her to shop or try to hand her his credit card to buy herself whatever she wanted, and she hated accepting any help - no matter if the intention was good or not.

To mention it, that’s probaly what they fought over the most is YN’s stubbornness when it comes to accepting help or gifts - nothing frustrated Harry more than when he tries to be a good, supportive partner and she won’t let him.

It didn’t matter that Harry was worth billions, it was more about the principle.

She had never accepted help before and she never wanted Harry to think that she was using him for his money even though he assured her a million times he’s never thought that.

YN had shown up to the event in the nicer of the two dresses, it didn’t scream expensive but it was nice enough that it could pass for not being fast fashion - a simple black satin dress.

She had been worried that Harry wouldn’t like it or be embarassed that was what she chose to wear but when he knocked on her apartment door to pick her up and she opened the door - his eyes trailed down her body, pausing on her hips and chest then collarbones before meeting her eye with a cheeky glimmer.

“Fuckin’ hell, you look amazing,” He had groaned as he stepped forward, pressing his full body against hers as he tilted her chin up to bring their lips together - his hand coming to run along her belly and hips, massaging roughly as he licks at her, “Don’t even want to go to the party now, just want to get you in my bed.”

“Harry,” YN giggled as he hands moved to palm at her bum, gripping up her cheeks before letting them jiggle - he did that a couple times as he kisses her, “We’re going to be late.”

He lets out a spoiled sigh as he steps back, eyes moving over her one more time, “S’a bit unfair how gorgeous you are. How am I supposed to conduct business when you look like this.”

YN can feel her cheeks heat with a shyness, unsure to ever having someone compliment her in the way he does, “Okay charmer, you’re already getting my pants tonight.”

Harry’s smile fades a bit, eyes becoming more serious, his hand grabs her wrist as she turns to start down the hallway, “Hey, I’m not saying those things just to chat you up. I mean them.”

YN feels guilty she made him feel that way, quickly moving to kiss him again, “I know, i'm sorry that came out wrong. I’m not used to having someone compliment me like that. First time.”

“Better get used to it,” He grumbles boyishly, pinching at her lightly, “I don’t think I’m ever going to shut up about how pretty you are.”

-

The compliments that he gave her definitely boosted her self-esteem for the ride there, however when she walked into the dimly lit restraunt, she felt it plummet again not just because of the drop dead females that were already there but how they were staring at harry.

They were gazing at him openly, with glimmer in their eyes, and they weren’t even shy about it - the blatant openness of their attraction made YN know that it wasn’t just in her head.

Harry doesn’t notice or if he does notice, he doesn’t act like he does - his fingers are intertwined with YN’s as he guides them in, the typical stoney expression on his face.

YN doesn’t know if his employees have ever seen him smile.

Probably not as it seemed Harry’s mission to stay as professional and unemotional as possible at these events, she knows he didn’t enjoy them much either but it came with being a boss - he had to attend these things often.

Harry tries to keep YN included in the conversations as the dinner goes on but she doesn’t have much input on data governance plans or how to better track sales by unit which makes her appear more quiet than she usually is.

And she appreciates that Harry isn’t just ignoring her, constantly turning to whisper something sweet in her ear and his hand is glued to her thigh, rubbing circles in soft patterns or squeezing to remind her that he’s there.

She can’t help but feel the weight of the stares of some of the women, it was her first time at an official event as his girlfriend.

A jealous flare shoots up her spine at the thought of Harry bringing other women as his date before her, she wonders if these girls think she’s just another date that will disappear by the next event.

Which she does decide that she thinks is true because none of the women have shame in the way they smile widely, laugh a bit too much at something he said, compliment him on every occasion they can.

Overwhelming would be a good word to describe it, she’s had a few other boyfriends before Harry, some that weren’t too bad looking but she’d never had anyone be so upfront and blunt about their attraction to her partner.

She wondered if maybe it was a rich person thing she had been let in on because Harry didn’t seem surprised by the flirtatious behavior but he also didn’t acknowledge it all.

YN felt a bit foolish as she pushed her food around her plate, a wave of insecurity making her naseous and the beautiful prime rib in front of her unappetizing.

When she stands to go to the bathroom, Harry follows even though she insists he doesn’t need to but apparently has to go to which has them splitting off at the separate bathrooms.

YN has taken a few deep breaths to calm herself down, calm the nausea that is clawing up her throat because she loves Harry so much and she feels so out of place which is something she knows she just has to push past but tonight it’s hard.

She takes a bit longer than necessary in the bathroom, hoping that Harry would have just went back to the table but as she opens the bathroom door - he hears murmurs from around the corner which make her pause to listen because she could recognize Harry’s voice anywhere.

And even though she doesn’t know the name of the women, she recognized the raspy yet high pitched voice from the table, she was wearing a tight red dress and had been batting her eyelashes at Harry all night.

“Just, there’s- we can, in the bathroom,” Red dress is insisting from behind the wall, YN can’t see anything and so she moves forward a little, there’s a plant which blocks the view a little but makes it so she can peak without being spotted.

Red dress is attempting to corner Harry in the hallway, where he was most likely waiting for YN to come out, and she’s stalking towards him like a creeping predator.

“Why the fuck would I want to go in the bathroom with you?” Harry snaps at her without an inkling that he was interested in what she was, “I’m your boss, do you realize how inappropriate you’re being right now?”

“Don’t act like you haven’t looked at me, I know you have,” She’s undeterred as she continues to walk towards him, “I know I’m your type. I know the girls you fuck. Don’t act like I don’t know.”

“You don’t know shit,” Harry replies, his voice colder than she’s ever heard it, and her heart jumps when she watches Red Dress put her hands on his chest and massage at the skin, fingertips trying to sneak into the gap of his barely buttoned shirt.

Harry’s quick as he grips her wrists on his own, using the leverage he has to push her back, and she stumbles on her high heels, surprised that she was just denied like that.

“You can’t push me like that,” She huffs as she straightens out her dress.

“But you can put your disgusting fucking hands on me?” Harry bites out as shakes his head, “I have a girlfriend and even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be fucking you. Don’t think so god damn highly of yourself, you’re fuckin’ pathetic, Leah.”

“You kissed me- at that Christmas party two years ago and no-now you act like I don’t even exist,” She accuses and YN can tell the girl is starting to get upset like she actually has feelings for Harry.

“You don’t exist to me,” Harry tells her simply, his eyes are dark but unemotional as he tells her, “I was drunk and you were all over me. It was convenient and nothing else. You’re not as pretty as you think you are.”

YN knows she shouldn’t feel bad for the girl because she had come onto Harry much too forcefully and Harry was her boyfriend but she couldn’t help the pang in her chest as Leah begin to cry more openly at his words.

Harry doesn’t soften up though.

“I just wanted you to give me a chance,” Leah sniffles as wipes her eyes fiercely but her bottom lip is wobbling as she stares at Harry who has his arms crossed and a unreadable expression on his face.

“I was never interested in you. It would have never happened. If I wanted to fuck you, I would have but I didn’t. Get the fuck over it,” Harry tells her without a care of how devastated the girl seems, “And if you try that shit again, I’m going to make sure you’re fired. Get a fucking grip of yourself.”

“You’re a goddamn dickhead,” Leah fires back at him.

“You have about five seconds to get the fuck out of my face before I fire you right now,” Harry warns her calmly, he looks down at his expensive watch to casually fix the band like he’s uninterested which he really seems to be with the whole interaction.

Leah acts like she’s going to start another round of arguements but with the threat of her job, it makes her finally stomp off as she’s reaching in a bag for a tissue.

YN tucks herself back around the wall for a minute, her mind was reeling with what she just saw and she really didn’t know how to process her emotions about it.

Instead of doing so, she gives herself another minute before she’s coming around the corner where Harry is still waiting with his back against the wall and when he sees her, a wide smile crosses his face.

“Darling,” He grins at her, the previous interaction didn’t show in his body language or face at all, “I can’t wait for this dinner to be over. I was thinkin’ we could take a dip in the pool?”

YN hesitates for a moment, unsure of whether she wants to bring up what she just witnessed - it was the issue of her coming onto him because he very obviously turned her down and wasn’t interested but the way he treated her in doing so.

It wasn’t necessarily wrong in the way that she did touch him without permission but the cruel manner in which he spoke to her without an ounce of empathy and coldness wracking through his body.

Again, did it concern her?

No, it wasn’t really her business.

But there was a bit of a inkling of anxiety, what if she fucks up, what if she does something he really doesn’t like?

Was she going to get that same unwavering coldness?

-

4 months in the relationship

The most he’s ever done while YN was annoyed at him over a stupid event he agreed they’d both attend interrupted her plans for them to just stay home and cuddle.

He’d still been slightly amused by her disgruntled disposition as she came out of his shower, hair in a towel, and one wrapped under her arms as she pointedly tossed her dress on his bed with a bit too much drama.

“I don’t want to go, Harry,” YN tells him with an edge in her tone.

“Then why did you agree when I asked you if you would a month ago?” Harry retorts back but there’s mirth in his eyes as he watches her pout and whine.

“I want to cuddle and watch Christmas movies, its three days before Christmas! Not go sit at some event where everyone jsut tries to kiss your ass all night,” She grumbles as begins to pat her hair with the towel to get the extra moisture out of it, “I’m not going.”

That seems to surprise Harry, eyebrows raising, “I want you to come with me. It’s why I asked you to come. We can come home after and watch all the movies you want.”

“Harry, I always go to these things. It’s the one time I don’t want to go-“

“You’re being a spoiled brat,” Harry sighs but it’s not that emotionless snap she heard that night in the hallway, there was exasperation in his tone, sure, but not what she was expecting, “I really want you to go.”

“And I don’t want to, Harry,” YN stays firm, she just wasn’t in the mood to go sit in a uptight hotel ballroom for six hours on a Friday night when she’s worked and had school all week, “I’m staying home.”

Harry’s definetly annoyed at this point but he simply replies, “Fine.”

“Fine?” YN checks because it’s not that she’s trying to rile him up but she’s desperately curious to see how he responds to her when he’s mad - so maybe she is metaphorically poking the bull.

“I said it’s fine,” He repeats slower, his jaw ticks the slightest and the grip on the hanger in his hand tightens but he’s turning around quickly and heading back into the closet.

YN’s watches him retreat, worried about what’s to come - maybe it’s because she remembers how toxic her parents fights where piled on with how Harry treats people when he’s angry that she expects the worse.

Because she’s not going, she pulls on comfy clothes before slipping into his massive bed and turning on the television as well as the fireplace to get in the Christmas mood.

Harry reappears from his walk-in closet a few minutes later in another one of his pristinely tailored suits, his hair still messy but more managed, and he’s clasping a watch on his wrist.

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” Harry tells her with a void of enthusiasm in his voice, his eyes tracing over her as she lays in his bed, “Call me if you need me. I love you.”

“Harry,” YN frowns because his goodbye was short and to the point, he didn’t come to give her a kiss as he headed towards the door, “Why are you mad at me?”

Harry stops for a moment to look back at her, “I’m frustrated because I pictured this evening with you. I only look forward to going to these things because you’re with me. You’re the only thing that makes them manageable. I get you don’t want to go but I wish you could just push through it for me.”

“I just don’t want to tonight, it’s not every one,” YN clarifies even though she knows he’s not stupid and knows that already - she was just exhausted and didn’t feel like moving for the next twelve to twenty-four hours let alone get dressed up and act interested in stuff she understood nothing about.

“I don’t get why we’re going back and forth,” Harry points out as his phone buzzes in his pocket, he ignores it, “I said it was fine, I told you I love you, and that I’d be back. I didn’t force you to come with me, YN. I’ll be home in a few hours and we can watch whatever movies you want, okay? I love you.”

He’s tenser than usual, his shoulders raised a bit higher but his voice is still a soft rasp, maybe a bit of sharpness but nothing that detectable, and his face isn’t hardened like when he’s mad at other people.

She realizes pretty quickly after he left that she was the one who was in the wrong, it was shitty of her to cancel last minute and then be upset that Harry had a reaction to it.

YN just hoped that when he came in the door that he wouldn’t be cross with her or see that coldness that she’s never experienced for herself cross over his face.

It’s about nine when he finally arrives home, YN had moved downstairs to the living room where she had Family Christmas Vacation playing and a cup of hot cocoa on the table beside her - cuddled up in a ridiculously expensive cashmere blanket.

“Hi,” YN says sheepishly when Harry appears in the doorway, his shoes already kicked off and he was undoing the buttons on his barely buttoned shirt, shucking off his suit jacket and placing it on the arm of the couch.

“Hi,” He murmurs back, his eyes meeting hers for a moment before looking back to unclasp the watch, pulling off a few of his heavier rings, and putting them in a small dish.

“I want to apologize,” YN admits as she grabs the remote, muting the movie as she sits up more from where she had been lounging.

“Yeah?” Harry hums as he watches her, she can’t tell what he’s thinking because his eyes aren’t dull, they’re glimmering and bright but he has a stoic expression like he’s trying to stand his ground, “For being a brat?”

And it’s playful, a smile finally cracking at the corner of his mouth, and fuck, it’s so beautiful.

YN can’t help the giggle that leaves her mouth as she watches him shrug off his dress shirt - he looked a bit obscene in just his tight trousers, his tattoos and rippling stomach leading into a pair of navy blue Gucci pants with a thin leather belt.

“Yes, for being a brat,” She laments but then sobers up to actually apologize, “For canceling last minute, that wasn’t right of me. I shouldn’t have questioned why you were mad because you had every right to be. I’m sorry.”

Harry’s walking over to her, sitting down next to her and sinking into the plush cushions, “Don’t have to apologize, pet. I love you,” and with that he’s pulling her onto his lap until she’s straddling his waist.

It can’t be that easy…

“But Harry,” YN continues because she’s just surprised that he’s not angry anymore because if the situation was reversed, she can admit that she would be annoyed when she got home still, “I really am sorry.”

“And you don’t have to be, okay? I get wanting to stay in. S’fine, darling. It just made me look forward to coming home more, knowing that you were all curled up in my clothes in my house,” Harry rasps and he seems so sincere that she can’t question it anymore, ducking down to kiss him, and in disbelief that he forgave her that easily.

The next morning as she reflected on it, as he made her pancakes in his briefs in kitchen, she realized that she needed to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop, that she had to have more faith in her boyfriend that for some odd reason - he won’t treat her like the rest of the world, he won’t shut her out like he does with everyone else.

-

6 months into the relationship

That was two months ago, this is now, the same feeling is coming back with a vengeance - especially because what transpires is a pretty decent reason to not only get mad but possibly end a relationship.

YN’s stubbornness to be independent has only gotten better by a smidge, if any, and when she is putting the keys in the ignition of her fifteen year old car that she bought for only two thousand pounds of off Craigslist, the engine didn’t so much as turn.

There was no signal that the key had activated any type of triggers to start the car - the was no clicking or whirling, nor any lights on the dashboard, absolutely nothing.

“Are you kidding me,” YN groans as she uselessly turns the key a few more times like it will magically start up but is met with nothing as expected which makes her rest her forehead on the steering wheel, “Fuck.”

She knew that she had no money in her bank account to get the car towed, let alone take it to the mechanic and pay for whatever needs fixed - who knows it might not even be fixable and her affording a new car right now is laughable.

Literally anyone else in the world may consider this to be a good time to ask their billionaire significant other for funds to help with the fix or a new car but not YN.

It’s not like it doesn’t cross her mind, it would be the easiest fix, she knows Harry would take her out that day and purchase her any car that she wanted but she wasn’t using him for his money and just because he had an exorbitant amount of it didn’t mean that she was entitled to any of it.

YN felt like she didn’t get to this point in her life, of working so hard, just to rely on a man - maybe because she sees how much her grandma struggled because she got married and had kids instead of going to college or she sees her mum who relied on her father and that turned fucking south quick.

YN is frustrated with herself when she feels hot tears start to trickle down her face but she can’t do anything to make her car turn on, and the pub she works at isn’t too far.

She normally may walk to save gas money but she lives in a bad part of town which means that walking to her job requires her to walk through all the other unsavory streets of her neighborhood.

It didn’t phase her much, she didn’t grow up in the safest area either, it more so made Harry worry - he really hated where she lived and he hated even more that she wouldn’t let him put her up in a nicer apartment.

There’s no other choice when she grabs her purse from the passenger seat and gets out of the car, locking it even if it's pointless, and beginning her trek to work.

Harry visited her every night that she worked if he didn’t have a work dinner, business meeting, or something that caused him to be out late after he left the office.

YN tries not to let her car worry her too much but she is still in her last semester of university and she’ll have to take a bus now because it’s too far to walk and the bus adds almost an hour onto her commute.

The anxiety about being car-less doesn’t fade much throughout the night of serving patrons, she’s not a chipper as she usually is, and just wants to be done for the night.

The pub closes at eleven on weekdays and she was on closing shift, Harry trails in around ten, still in his suit and as always, much too overdressed for the run-down establishment.

There’s not many people in the bar at this point, all the regulars who spent hours at the bar a day knew Harry by now so they didn’t get starstruck when they saw him but there were always a few people playing pool or sitting in a booth who would whisper when they realized who he was.

YN was distracted, didn’t see him walk in, has her back turned as she’s polishing a glass, and hyper focusing on trying to get a smudge out of it when she hears a smooth rasp that she’d be able to know anywhere, “Excuse me, darling. Can I get a rum and coke? Maybe a kiss?”

A smile automatically grazes her face, she can’t help it as she turns around and puts the glass down, “I don’t serve men who talk to me like that.”

“Oh no? What do you prefer, sweetheart? Baby? Or was it the kiss? I could go for a myriad of other different things, maybe your mouth on my -“ Harry is grinning widely as he watches YN flush with embarrassment as she shushes him with a stern look.

“You have no shame,” YN accuses as she pulls out a glass for his drink, scooping the ice.

“None,” Harry agrees, his dimples flashing deep in his cheeks, something she always loves to see, “But I would like my kiss.”

YN slides the drink across the bar to him, leaning over to quickly peck him, not wanting any of the other sleazy men at the bar to get any ideas or say anything creepy (even though Harry would correct them).

“Where’s your car?” Harry asks like he just remembers it was a question he had, he takes a sip and watches her as she continues to do little tasks to start to clean up for the night, “I didn’t see it anywhere on the street.”

It was street parking, usually YN was able to get a spot right near the front of the restaurant so she did not have a long walk to it at night when the bar closed and she forgot that Harry would catch onto that.

“It wouldn’t start when I was trying to leave for work. It did nothing when I turned the key in the ignition, I think that my engine died or it’s something big that needs to be fixed.”

“That car's old as dirt. It’s not worth it to put any money into it at this point. You need a new car,” Harry points out and logically, she knows he’s not wrong but he makes it seem so easy - it is easy for the man who has a multi-million pound car collection.

“Yeah, let me just go out tomorrow and get a brand new car,” YN’s tone is a bit sharper than she intended and the sarcasm was dripping through every word which made Harry’s smile falter slightly.

“Okay, let’s,” He challenges as he puts his drink down, “Our seven month anniversary is coming up in about two weeks. Let me buy you a new car to celebrate.”

“Harry,” YN warns as she knew how this was going to go down, “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Harry replies as fire starts to flicker in his eyes, he wasn’t going to let this go, “Don’t help my girlfriend when I have the full capability of doing so? You don’t want a new car? Fine. Let me buy you a used one or pay to fix your car.”

“No,” YN shakes her head, her hands shaking with irritation as she tries to keep her attention by wiping down the glasses that just came out of the washer.

“It’s not an option, pet,” Harry tells her, he’s being firm in a way he only he when he wants his way and knows he’s right, stubborn meet stubborn, “I’m not asking you. I’m telling you that’s what we're doing. You’re not walking here and then back home at night. You have to get to school.”

“I’ve told you a million times, I’m not going to use you for money, Harry,” YN grits out because she knows this isn’t going to end well, most of the times she can push off Harry’s generosity with a little fight but she didn’t see them getting out of this one without a few scratches.

“You’re not using me. I’m trying to help you. You’re my girlfriend and I want to make sure you’re safe. You’ll be safer with a car,” Harry matched her energy now, putting his glass down and sitting back, arms crossed on his broad chest.

“I can’t ask you to buy me a car, that’s absurd,” YN doesn’t think he sees how mental that is, to just offer to buy someone a car, and maybe it’s because her bank account looks like the opposite of his but this isn’t an everyday event - people just don’t buy other people cars.

At least not in YN’s world.

Harry pulls his cellphone out of his inner jacket pocket and puts it on the bar, looking down at it pointedly before meeting YN’s frustrated stare, “Do I need to show you my bank accounts? Even just one of them? I make enough money in five minutes to buy you a brand new car. Would I not be an asshole if I didn’t offer? Plus, I want to buy you one. I’ve been wanting to since I’ve seen the shitty little sedan.”

That offends YN, she’s not going to lie, it’s why her voice is edged with annoyance when she says, “Don’t talk shit on my car. I had to work for nearly a year to afford it. I worked hard for that car and I don’t appreciate you saying that, Harry.”

Harry seems to understand what he said wasn’t nice by the guilt that flickers over his expression and he reaches out for her which a bit begrudgingly she steps forward and lets Harry take her hand.

“I’m sorry, you're right. I shouldn’t speak down about that. Please, baby. Let me do this for you. You know we’re going to be together, you know I’m going to marry you. All my money will be yours soon anyways. Just let me do this one thing right now,” Harry’s nearly begging, she knows how important it is that she’s safe, she knows how much he worries about her safety.

However, there is just something in her where she doesn’t allow herself to say yes to his offers despite all the good intentions behind the words, she knows that there are no strings attached but she just can’t accept any of it.

“Harry, I’m not letting you buy me a car or give me money to fix it. End of story,” YN’s voice is shakier than she’d prefer because she doesn’t know how she’s going to make it work but her pride was stupidly more important than transportation.

“Telling me ‘no’ isn’t an option,” Harry’s soft smile has completely disappeared, the dimples carved into his cheeks were gone, and his jawline was tight and sharp, “I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re fuckin’ insane if you think I’m going to let you walk home from the pub at night or take three buses to get to university.”

“Harry,” YN tries again because it’s a losing battle, she’s going to start to give in either because she knows she actually needs help or because she doesn’t want this to start a fight, “I just-“

“Enough,” Harry says firmly, louder than his normal tone, a few patrons look over at them before quickly minding their own business again, it was the loudest he’s ever been with her.

“I’m not arguing anymore with you about it. You have until tomorrow before your shift to figure out how I’m going to help you. Whether it’s money to fix it, going to get a new car, taking one of the cars I already have.”

YN couldn’t lie and say that she wasn’t startled by his harsh tone, the anger and irritation dripping into his features which she’d seen before but usually it was directed at everyone else but her, his patience was typically on a longer thread than this.

“Finish your shift,” Harry bites out, he pulls out his wallet and throws a hundred pounds down to cover his five pound drink before standing up, “I’ll be in a booth, finishing some work.”

YN watches as he grabs the black leather messenger bag he came in with that stores his laptop and makes his way to a booth in the far corner where no one would bother him and there was an outlet to plug in his computer.

He occasionally did work when he came into the pub, it was only when the establishment was so busy that YN didn’t have time to chat with him because she was too busy bartending or running food.

It was a clear message now due to the fact that she wasn’t busy, he didn’t want to interact with her right now because he was angry with her and it didn’t make her feel good.

Normally he’d be glancing up occasionally to meet her eye, giving her a cheeky smile or a wink but now she couldn’t catch his gaze because he kept his eyes strictly on the screen in front of him as he typed away.

This may be the first time that Harry has officially been mad at her.

The irrational side of her wants to throw a fit and tell him that it’s not fair that he’s mad, she’s allowed to turn down money and cars.

The logical side of her knows that Harry is trying to be a supportive partner who has the means to provide her help and that it’s only an offer out of kindness and love but nothing else - no strings attached if he would help her.

Those two polar opposite sides were fighting with each other right now because she didn’t know what to expect with Harry’s anger directed at her for once.

People slowly start to filter out of the pub as it gets closer to the eleven pm close time and by the time YN has the bar completely wiped down, glasses cleaned and put away, and garnishes cut for tomorrow - it’s just Harry and her left.

Harry tucks his laptop into his bag and slips out of the booth, he was breathtakingly beautiful even when he was tense with his lips tight together, a dent between his eyebrows, and frown lines lightly traced into the skin around his mouth from always scowling.

They’re silent as they walk to his car, parked right in front, the suicide doors swing up automatically when he presses the unlock button his fob and YN is getting into the passenger side.

As the engine purrs to life, smooth and barely audible, Harry’s adjusting the temperature on the touch screen and asks, “Am I taking you to your apartment or home?”

Home.

He never said my home, my house.

It was your apartment or home - like the slightest invitation that it could be hers too.

“Home,” YN decides because even though it might be better to have a bit of time apart if he’s truly upset with her, she doesn’t want to spend the whole night awake in her bed and wondering if he’s just contemplating their relationship.

She knows the fight isn’t that serious but her insecurity always creeps in during moments that she’s unsure or nervous.

Harry nods but doesn’t say anything else as he pulls away from the curb, his fingers are tight where they’re wrapped around the wheel and the normal hand that’s on her thigh is instead just resting limply on his own.

YN isn’t going to cry.

She’s not going to cry just because Harry’s a little upset with her.

It’s quiet for the first five minutes of the car ride and YN realizes that Harry has no intention of breaking the silence first, he doesn’t even look like he’s about to talk at any point.

“I’m sorry,” YN breathes out after a bated breath, “I shouldn’t have gotten that defensive with you. I know you’re just trying to be a good partner to me.”

Harry doesn’t look over at her but he sighs, broad shoulders slumping in relief as he murmurs, “You’ll let me buy you a car then?”

And that is not what YN was insinuating or hinting to at all.

“That’s not what I meant, Harry,” YN’s tone becomes sharp again because he misinterpreted her apology, “No, I’m not. I’m just apologizing for my reaction to your offer.”

The more relaxed look that had crossed Harry’s face disappears back into the same stoic expression she saw when they were leaving the bar when she looks over at him - she can see his jaw muscle twitch as he grits his teeth like he’s trying not to speak.

“I’m not accepting your apology. You don’t sound sorry,” Harry replies curtly, eyes directly on the road ahead, “I do not care if it means I buy you the cheapest car on the market. I’m not going to have my fuckin’ girlfriend walking alone at night in the city or struggle to get her education when I can help it. You’re not letting me take care of you which is what I am supposed to do as your significant other.”

“Boyfriends don’t just buy their girlfriends cars!” YN points out with a lift in her voice, a bit hysterical, and she throws her hands up in exasperation like it’s an obvious point.

“They do when they’re fucking billionaires!” Harry retorts but he’s loud enough now that he’s nearly yelling, making YN jump in her seat with the unexpected increase in volume in the small car, “They do when they can because they don’t want their girlfriend to have to suffer or have a harder life than they need to! But apparently you just like being fucking difficult!”

YN was at a loss of words, partly because she was surprised by how frustrated he is and partly because she knows he’s right - she knows that she’s being stubborn and that she’s being difficult, there’s an easy solution she isn’t taking it.

When YN doesn’t speak Harry continues, “I know where you come from. I know how much you’ve fought for what you have and that you don’t want to rely on anyone. If you can’t rely on the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you have fucking no one. I know you’re prideful, I am the most prideful bastard on this earth but if you can’t be vulnerable with me then I must be doing something wrong.”

That kickstarts YN to say something because she doesn’t want him to every think that her stubbornness is due to him or because he hasn’t been a good partner - that’s never ever something she wants him to ever feel because he’s the exact opposite - he’s so fucking wonderful.

“Harry, that’s not-“

“No,” Harry cuts her off, “I have nothing more that I want to talk about right now.”

YN has never been shut down like this by him, she has to try one more time, “Harry…”

He shakes his head though, hand coming up to pause her words, his voice is dead serious but softer, “I’m not talking about this anymore tonight. I want to go home and go to sleep.”

YN looks down at her hands, folded in her lap, and swallows a few times to choke back tears - she feels like a crybaby, she started the fight and now that Harry stood his ground with her, she feels like crumbling in on herself.

Even in his state of frustration with her now, he still wasn’t acting like the man she’d seen yelling at employees or turning down females who were trying to take him home - that wasn’t her Harry, she didn’t know the person who acted that way.

Her Harry was still right next to her in the car, it didn’t feel like the stranger with anger issues but it still hurt to see his guard up like he didn’t want to talk anymore because he didn’t want to risk showing emotion.

It’s not even another ten minutes to the house, pulling into the garage where there’s a fleet of other cars taunting her, and Harry’s cutting the engine quickly before the doors are folding back up.

They have such a routine of Harry’s hand on her thigh in the car, him intertwining their hands when they’re walking into his house, and neither happens.

Harry doesn’t make a move to hold her hand, instead he’s walking into the house without looking at her - already shrugging off his suit jacket and tossing it carelessly on the kitchen island which was unlike him, kicking off his leather boots without a glance at where they land as he makes his way towards the staircase.

Normally, he would have kept all his clothes on until they were in his walk-in closet where he would meticulously put his shoes back in their spot and put the dirty clothes in one of his many hampers specific to certain items.

It’s no better when they’re upstairs because Harry is disappearing into the walk-in closet to change, coming out a minute later in a pair of grey joggers.

He has a shirt of his and a pair of sleep shorts she leaves at his house in his hand, along with a pair of underwear that she keeps a few in a drawer in the closet and hands it to her.

His face is blank when she mutters a “thanks.”

Only nodding at her before he’s getting into bed and opening a book that he had laying on his bedside table without glancing her way.

She showers quickly, scrubbing the scent of greasy food and cigarette smoke out of her hair and off her body with his expensive body wash before changing into the sleep clothes.

YN pads over to the opposite side of the bed but doesn’t slip underneath the covers yet, sitting cross-legged instead, and grasping her hands together, “Harry.”

Harry doesn’t look away from his book, flat as he responds, “Yes?”

“Why do you not want to talk to me right now?” YN hates how she sounds a bit whiny, needy.

“We tried to talk and we argued. We were going back and forth. I told you that a decision needs to be made by tomorrow night. I’m frustrated and I don’t want to fight even more than we have. I’m setting a boundary and I’m done talking about it for the night, I want to go to sleep,” Harry closes his book, placing it back on the table before he’s finally meeting her eyes albeit warily.

YN bites her bottom lip because she wants to keep talking about it but she also knows that the points he’s making are valid and she doesn’t want to be disrespectful by pushing him.

“Okay,” She agrees, feeling like a scolded child, and she doesn’t really know how to act so she gets underneath the plush comforter and pulls it nearly up to her chin, facing away from him, and burying her face in the pillow to avoid tears.

A few moments later, she can hear rustle as Harry moves to switch off his lamp and flood the room into darkness as lays down but she feels hands wrap around her waist until he brings her into his chest to spoon.

“Just because I’m frustrated doesn’t mean I don’t love you,” Harry reminds her as he presses a kiss to the nape of her neck then her shoulder blade, “You’re stubborn and not listening but I’m so fuckin’ in love with you I can’t see straight.”

All the tension in YN’s body melts at his sweet words, sinking back further  into his hold and putting her hands over hers where they’re laying on her tummy, “I’m so in love with you. It seems too good to be true sometimes, you’re so good to me.”

Harry continues to plant kisses along her skin, chuckling softly before murmuring, “I wish you could be inside my mind sometimes. I could show you all I want to do is care, protect, love you. Maybe it would make more sense to you why I do the things I do but since that’s not an option, you need to trust my intentions.”

“I’ll make a decision by tomorrow night,” YN finally agrees as she brings his hand up to kiss it, “When you pick me up tomorrow from work, I’ll tell you what I’ve decided.”

“Thank you, baby,” Harry sighs with relief, flooding his tone.

It makes YN feel guilty that she’s been stressing him out in the first place but now, she has to figure out how she’s going to fight her pride and put her relationship first.

-

YN luckily didn’t have class today which meant she could focus on homework as she relaxed at Harry’s house.

She had a shift from four to eleven at work but besides that, her day was free.

Harry was off to work before she even woke up but all she could think about was her decision on what she was going to do.

Harry was a CEO - he thrived on precision and being punctual which meant he wasn’t going to forget about the deadline he had set for her tonight.

She really is struggling to find the solution which is the middle ground of Harry helping her but not fully relying on him for his monetary contribution.

Nothing is clicking when she checks her bank account which has a hundred and thirty pounds to last her until tonight if she’s tipped well ( the only reason she has a hundred is because Harry tipped her that unreasonable amount).

YN’s halfway through a discussion board post when her phone begins to ring, the light twinkling song signaling that it’s her grandma calling her, and she answers right away, “Hi gran, everything okay?”

“A little birdie told me that you’re being a stubborn mule,” Rosemary chimes in her motherly tone, an lift of scolding and enough of it to make YN feel like she’s being told she’s bad.

YN loved that Harry and Rosemary had a great relationship.

She hated that they talked shit behind her back about her without any shame or secrecy.

Harry was using reinforcements, he knew that Rosemary would help give YN an extra push in the right direction if he couldn’t get her there on his own and he had definitely called her this morning to complain about her.

“Wonder who that would be,” YN replies with a huff.

“You should accept his help,” Rosemary tells her with no wavering in her words, “You know this is the man you’re going to marry. He just wants to help you.”

“You’re the one who taught me to work for everything I’ve got, don’t accept hand-outs, don’t-“

“Do not twist my words,” Her gran cuts in with a harshness, any lightness in her voice was gone with how stern she now was, “I have taught you to work hard, to not give up, and to not spend your life relying on people, that’s true.”

“I did not teach you not to accept help when needed from trusted people,” Rosemary reminds, “There were times that I couldn’t afford winter jackets for you and your sister despite how much I was working. Frank Jackson, down the road, offered to buy them and you think I wanted to accept the help? It wounded my pride that I couldn’t afford them myself but I said yes to his help because you being warm in the winter was more important than my damn pride.”

“Swallow your pride, YN,” Her gran tells her with conviction in her tone, “Your life partner offering you help doesn’t make you weak or not capable. This isn’t the time to dig your heels into the ground and put up a fight. Your pride isn't of any use if it destroys you in the end.”

-

YN respected her grandmother with everything in her, for the next few hours the words she spoke let spin and process through YN’s mind a million different ways before she finally makes her choice.

Harry had another business dinner that night as well as taking prospective clients to a theater show which meant he was pulling up to the pub right around the time her shift ended.

YN’s slipping into the passenger side with a small, unsure smile as Harry returns it cautiously, waiting for whatever she’s about to say.

It looks like he’s bracing himself for another round of arguments by the way he’s tense and uncomfortable.

“You called my gran,” YN pants out, a bit out of breath from the sharp chill in the air.

“I did,” Harry confirms, fingers tapping nervously on the wheel, “I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t tell her to call you. I asked her for advice on how to deal with….with your stubbornness.”

He has the decency to look sheepish as he admits it.

YN reaches over to take his hand, pulling it into her lap, and telling him, “I made a choice and I’m sorry that I have made this so difficult but I’m…I’m still learning to let you help and it’s hard.”

Harry brings her hand up to kiss her knuckles, waiting for her to continue.

“I was thinking that I could maybe use one of your cars until I can save up enough to either repair mine or buy a new used car? That way you’re not spending any money and I can still try to pay for it myself.”

Harry studies her face for a moment, lips pursing as he thinks about what she just suggested, and he doesn’t look upset, just thoughtful, “I’ll agree to that but with one contingency. If in six months you still do not have the money, I can either give you the car you’ll be driving or I can buy you one.”

YN knows she won’t have the money in six months but maybe in six months she’ll feel more comfortable with him buying or giving her one and much to his surprise, she says, “Deal.”

“Mmm,” Harry hums as he leans over to console to kiss her, hand cupping her jaw, “I like when you let me spoil you, s’ my favorite thing in the world to do.”

“I worry about when we will have kids, can you imagine how spoiled they-“ YN’s eyes widened at her admission, “I didn’t-I just.”

Harry cuts off her anxious blabbering with a sweet, honey smile on his face, kissing her once again and saying, “They’re going to be the most spoiled.”

-

The next morning, YN is still half-asleep when Harry drags her out of bed at six, and he’s already fully dressed about to leave for the day when he brings her into the garage.

He clicks a fob in his hand until a white Porsche’s headlights blink to signal it’s unlocked, that’s been parked front and center, and it was one of the newest cars in his collection.

“I want you to drive this one. It’s by far the easiest one in my collection to drive if you don’t have experience with luxury engines. It drives smoothly but operates just like most sedans,” Harry hands her the keys before he’s kissing her cheek in a rush, “I’m sorry, I’m already behind. Call me if you have any questions, I love you.”

“I love you,” YN says distractedly as she holds the key and looks at the car.

She can’t even stomach thinking about how much he paid for this and she’s going to have to drive it this morning to get to school.

She has driven a few of his cars in the past but it was always with him in the passenger seat but now this whole car was going to be her responsibility, she really shouldn’t be worried because she’s always been a safe driver.

YN decides she needs a few more hours of sleep before she builds up the courage to drive that thing.

-

The drive to school was fine, Harry wasn’t lying when he said it was a pretty easy car to use, and there weren't any super fancy buttons or paddles that she needed to push.

She wasn’t as tense when she was pulling onto the highway after her last class of the day, the fear of something happening had started to dissipate all together as she turned up her music and began to sing along to it - she could actually herself getting used to driving this thing.

YN had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things she wanted to make for dinner the next night when she didn’t have to work and so she turned down a different street than usual if she was going to Harry’s house.

It’s a residential road in one of the nicer neighborhoods.

She's noticed a car coming up the side road out of one of the housing plans but they have a stop sign where YN doesn’t.

As anyone would, it doesn't even track in her mind because they’re going to stop at their stop sign so YN doesn’t prepare herself to have to hit her brakes or try to swerve when the other sedan doesn’t stop.

YN lets out a surprised scream when realizes that the driver of the other car doesn’t yield to the stop sign which results in them hitting the passenger side door of the Porsche going at least fifteen miles per hour.

YN doesn’t have time to think before the airbags are deploying which are hitting her right in her mouth as she slams on her brakes until she comes to a full stop - her car now in the middle of the road where it’s been pushed by the other vehicle.

She’s so shaken by the extremely loud clash of the impact, the smokey smell emitting from the deployed airbags, and the burning pain on her chest where the seat belt seized up and did its job.

YN just sits in shock as the people from the other car, two men, rush out to open her door to make sure that she’s okay, and YN just feels stuck in her seat as she comprehends that she wrecked and the car was damaged.

Harry.

What the fuck was she going to do?

Her brain was in such confusion, anxiety, and trying to process the traumatic situation that she couldn’t think of what she should do.

The obvious option would have been to call Harry but her brain was telling her that he was going to be furious with her that she wrecked his car.

“Are you okay?”

“Miss?”

“Do we need to call an ambulance?”

YN finally snaps out of her stupor as she shakily unbuckles her seatbelt, wincing as it comes off her chest, and getting out of the driver’s seat to stand next to the two extremely worried men.

“I think…I think I’m okay,” YN mumbles as she takes a few steps, nothing feels broken and the only thing that hurts is her chin from the impact of the airbag and the friction burn on her chest, luckily her neck, back, and head didn't hurt at all.

“Thank god, we were so busy bullshiting we weren’t paying attention. We’re so so sorry,” The man apologizes as his eyes widen, realizing exactly what car he just hit, “Oh my god, this…shit.”

Like he just realized that his insurance is either going to go up or kick him off after hitting such an expensive car.

“Is this your car?” The passenger of the other car asks as they wait for authorities to show up.

“My boyfriend’s,” YN replies shortly, shakily.

“I hope he a nice guy, I’d break up with my girl if she even put a dent in a car this nice-“

The driver elbows his friend with a scolding look before trying to mend the situation, “He can’t be upset, she didn’t do anything wrong.”

It just sends her spiraling further.

It wasn’t long until the police showed up to file a report, offering both parties to be checked out at the hospital but both her and the other men declined.

They were nice, apologetic, and YN was too numb in the moment to be angry with them for being careless.

“Where would you like this towed?” The police officer asks as he jots information down on his notepad.

“Er, Jeffey’s?” YN fumbles out the first mechanic shop she can think of, the cheap one that does work on her car.

The cop laughs because he thinks she’s telling a joke but his smile disappears when he realizes that she’s not, “I can guarantee they don’t work on this type of car there. I would recommend sending it straight to the dealership.”

“Oh, um - okay, do that,” YN nods jerkily, her hands shaking and the cop goes back to his car to call for a tow.

The tow truck driver takes her along and drops her off at the dealership as well where she sits in an expensive leather chair as she waits for someone to come speak with her.

A man in a sharp suit with gelled hair and a confused look on his face walks over to her after about thirty minutes, “Hello, I’m Rich. I was expecting Mr. Styles?”

“Oh,” YN was stumbling over her words and at the time, she didn't realize that it makes her look suspicious and not like she’s a bit traumatized because she was just in an accident.

“I am his sales associate that he contacts when he’s purchasing a new Porsche,” Rich explains slowly.

Harry had a certain person for just buying Porsches?

That was a thing?

“I just sold him that car about a month ago.”

“I’m his girlfriend,” YN says weakly, she was trying to be professional but was coming off as flighty and nervous as her leg shook, “I’ll be paying for the repair.”

Why the fuck did she just say that?

“Alright,” Rich says easily enough, “Would you like to come back to my office so we can discuss what needs to be repaired? Our mechanic just emailed me the quote. Of course, we don’t know how much the other driver’s insurance will cover but most insurances won’t cover the full price of luxury repair but cover a percentage.”

Fuck.

YN walks back to the office with him, her college backpack still on her shoulder as she ignores the eyes following her with curiosity and suspicion all the way.

Rich hums as he clicks around on his computer, pulling up the quote, and tilting the screen to show her what he’s looking at, “As you can see, the passenger side front and back door will need replaced, the windshield is cracked in three places which will need change-“

He continues to rattle on about what needs to be fixed but all she can see is the estimated cost at the bottom of the document for the parts and labor without insurance coverage.

Fifty-five thousand dollars.

For a car.

To fix a car.

YN thinks she might throw up or pass out or both.

“YN? Are you alright?” Rich asks after he asks a question she doesn’t respond to.

“Yes,” But it's a whisper, she doesn’t know what to do, and everything is fuzzy as she says, “Um, you can just-. Fix the car and I’ll pay whatever isn’t covered by the insurance.”

The salesman doesn’t look convinced and instead offers her a kind smile, “I know you’ve been through quite a bit today. Why don’t you call me tomorrow once their insurance has contacted us and we can discuss?”

YN nods as she gets up, “That would….that would be better. Thank you for everything.”

And she feels like she’s basically running out of that dealership.

After she’s left, Rich picks up the phone, and dials a number right away but it’s rings and rings and rings.

“Hello, you’ve reached Harry Styles at Styles & Marketing Company. Leave me a message and I or my secretary will return it at the earliest convenience. Thank you.”

“Mr. Styles, it’s Rich from Hampstead Porsche….”

-

By the time she leaves the dealership, she’s cutting it close to her shift at the pub, and she doesn’t really have any other choice than to order an Uber that cuts into her already short funds.

When she gets into work, going to the bathroom to change into her work clothes, she removes the sweatshirt she was wearing, and hisses as she sees the burn on her chest - right between her breasts where the seatbelt had rested.

She has to be careful as she tugs her shirt on but whines when the soft fabric brushes the tender skin, it makes tears prick at the corner of her eyes and realizes her body is aching a bit more as the day wears on.

Her shift is long, feels like it drags on for nearly a century as she messes up on quite a few drink orders and pours the wrong liquor in a cocktail - all her mind could think about was that Harry would break up with her for getting in an accident in his car.

YN had made the mistake of looking in the folder that Rich had when he’d try to show her different estimates or what not, her eyes stumbling along the lines until she realized that Harry had paid nearly two hundred thousand pounds for the car.

She isn’t expecting Harry when he walks in around ten, he’s in more casual clothes because he had an earlier day at work, and blended in more to the crowd in some Nike jogging shorts and a hoodie.

YN can feel herself forcing an excited smile when Harry sits down at the relatively empty bar beside a few regulars who were already nursing their drink of choice.

“Hi darling,” Harry greets with a wide smile, the one when he’s actually happy, it makes his dimples pop and the crows feet near his eyes more prevalent, “Car run okay for you today? Any issues? It wasn’t park out front.”

“I parked it a few blocks away, the street was er…busy when I got here,” YN flat out lies and she feels awful for it already, like the truth was clawing up and out of her throat, making her nauseous and dizzy, “It was a nice drive. Smooth like you said.”

Harry doesn’t think anything of it, taking a swig of the rum and coke that she puts in front of him, “I’m glad you liked it. I’d really love to give you that car. I’m hoping you fall in love with it and don’t want to part with it.”

YN’s stomach is on the floor because fuck, he’s so sweet and genuine.

And right now, she feels like an asshole.

“Maybe,” YN shrugs noncommittally and Harry’s watching her, curiosity in his eyes as he smiles like he thinks she’s downplaying how much she actually likes the car.

“Just think about it, m’heart,” Harry hums and then he’s leaning over the counter, just like he always does, his hand comes to firmly grip her chin to pull her lips to his but a sharp ache shoots through YN’s body as it’s right where the airbag hit her.

YN flinches, instantly pulling away with a hiss, and Harry’s eyes widen in confusion at her reaction.

She fumbles before she says, “I’m at work. I can’t kiss you at work.”

“We kiss all the time while you’re working?” Harry responds with hurt laced in his tone, “You act like I just hurt you or something. I was just trying to show you some love.”

YN sighs as she mindlessly wipes the same spot on the bar, “I’m sorry, I know. I just-it’s just been a long day.”

Harry backs off, watching her carefully as she finished her shift but he’s trying to talk about things that will brighten her mood, trying to make her feel better.

It doesn’t work.

As they’re walking out after she locks the door, Harry backs her gently up against the brick wall, hands coming to her hips, and lips pushing against hers.

“I missed you so much today, my love. I was so relieved that you made a choice. So good to me.”

YN kisses him back for a moment, willing her mind to just forget about everything for a moment, and that’s easy to do when his tongue is teasing at hers and he smells like he just walked out of a Tom Ford advert.

But then his hand is coming to palm at one of her breasts which in turn makes her bra brush against the burn on her chest which has her pushing him off once again, making him step back with narrowed eyes.

“Not tonight, Harry. I just told you I didn’t have a good day,” YN snaps as she feels like she’s about to burst into tears any moment if she lets down her guard at all.

Poor Harry is absolutely lost as to what was going on with her tonight.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to make it worse,” Harry puts his hand up in surrender, “What’s going on? It seems like more than just your professor being a dick. Did I do something? Are you mad at me for making you decide on transportation?”

“No,” YN groans, running a hand through her hair, “I’m not mad at you for anything, Harry. It’s not about any of that, okay? I’m just…I’m tired and I’m ready to go to bed.”

“I’ll walk you back to your car and then we can go to mine,” Harry says as he goes to intertwine their fingers but YN can’t let him do that because there is no car to walk towards.

“I forgot my laptop charger in the pub,” It wasn’t a lie but she also had a spare at home, “I really just feel like sleeping in my own bed tonight, Harry. I just need some time to myself, you know? It’s really been stressful these past few days and I’m not going to be any fun to be around.”

Harry's face drops in disappointment but he nods in understanding, if YN could feel any lower she would because Harry doesn’t deserve what she’s doing right now but it feels like she has dug a hole that she can’t get out of.

“Alright, are we still having dinner tomorrow?”

“Of course,” YN nods, hoping she can figure something out by then, which what the fuck was she going to do, “Go home, I know you’re tired. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Harry responds slowly as she pecks him, she knows that he wants to follow her back into the pub, walk her to his car but he also is trying to give her the space she’s requesting and so a bit hesitantly, he gets in his car and by the time YN’s back out of the pub, his car is gone.

-

Harry had been uneasy since last night when he went home alone.

He had called her nan, her sister to see if she had called them about anything that was wrong and both confirmed that she hadn’t which made him just so fucking confused to why she was acting like a nervous wreck last night.

Even though she said it wasn’t, he wondered if him getting frustrated the other night and demanding that she make a decision made her question their relationship or think he was controlling.

All the possibilities were running through his mind when he stepped into his office at seven in the morning, his office phone flashing red which meant he had voicemails.

The first two are from different departments within the company but the third one is from a number he doesn’t recognize.

“Hello, Mr. Styles. This is Rick from Hampstead Porsche. I was calling in regard to your recently purchased Porsche Panerama. Today it was towed into the shop after an accident and the female driver, YN LN, reported that she was your girlfriend. She approved the work to fix the damages and stated that she would pay the difference but we didn’t want to start work until we had a guarantee it would be paid and she didn’t give us a credit card. I understand that she was in an accident but she seemed nervous and jumpy. I wanted to confirm that she was indeed your girlfriend or if we need to contact police about the stolen vehicle. Please give me a call back at your earliest availability.”

“I knew it was something,” Harry hissed to himself as he ended the voicemail, standing up and walking right back out of his office, telling Dorothy to cancel everything on his schedule that day.

-

YN startles awake at the sound of her bedroom door being opened, she had been in such a deep sleep she never even heard her front door being unlocked, and when she startles awake, Harry is standing in the doorway in a dark navy suit and a scowl on his face.

“Are you out of you god damn fucking mind?” Harry seethes as he stays in the same spot, not moving anymore into the room, “Have you actually lost your fuckin’ mind?”

YN was taken aback by the anger in his voice, the rasp, and the fire in his eyes, his shoulders were broad and tenses, fist clenching at his sides like he wanted to wreck something.

“Harry, I’m so so sorry. I’ll pay you back,” YN begins to plead with hot tears streaming down her cheeks, she knew she was going to get caught, it was a matter of time.

“You’ll pay me back?” Harry scoffs as he looks at her in bewilderment, “You’ll pay me back?” He repeats in complete and utter disbelief.

“As long as it takes, I know I don’t have the money right but I’ll find a way to. I promise,” YN sniffles as she sits up, crawling closer towards the end of the bed.

“You think I give a fuck about the money?” Harry nearly roars, her neighbors can surely hear him and she was quiver where she was sat as he took a deep breathe to try to calm himself down, “You think I give one single fuck about the money or the fucking car, YN?”

YN doesn’t know what he means, her eyebrows knitting in confusion, “I…I didn’t mean to lie. I was just scared that you would be mad at me, break up with me.”

Harry laughs without humor as his bottom lip starts to quiver, almost like he’s about to cry, and YN is taken aback by it, “Do you not hear me? I don’t give a fuck about a car or about money. You could have been hurt and you didn’t tell me.”

And then it clicks for her.

He’s not upset about the wrecked car.

He was worried about her and only her.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to lose you,” YN whimpers as she looks down at her hands, “I thoug-I was so scatterbrained after the accident, I didn’t know what to tell you, and the guys at the scene said dumb stuff and I panicked.”

Harry finally takes a step forward but he doesn’t touch her, “Nothing means anything if I don’t have you.  How could you possibly think that I would care about a car more than you?”

YN frowns because she didn’t think about it like that.

She knee walks closer until she can wrap her arms around Harry’s waist and bring him closer, pressing her face into his stomach as she speaks, “I don’t think that. I know, I know how much you love me. I just…fear took over. The thought of you not wanting me scared me so much that I acted irrationally. It’s not an excuse and I’m so sorry, H.”

He doesn't respond but YN feel’s his stomach tense and releases quickly, when she pulls back to glance up, she realizes that he’s crying - eyes red rimmed and he’s brushing away tears with his fist.

“Oh, Harry,” YN murmurs in surprise, she’s never seen him cry, and to see it for the first time was startling as he swallowed harshly to try to get himself to stop the onslaught of tears.

“I love you so much,” Harry chokes out as he looks at the wall, embarrassed so he’s not making eye contact, “I…I need to be there for you even if you think I’ll be mad. Nothing is more important to me than keeping you safe, baby. I don’t-“

Harry takes a shuddering breath before he continues, “I can’t live without you. I wouldn’t leave you, m’heart. I need you so much more than you need me.”

“That’s not true,” YN argues quietly as she reaches up to thumb away the falling tears, “It’s the other way around. I need you more than you need me.”

“It’s not,” Harry shakes his head adamantly, “I’ve never loved someone like I love you. Darling, you could wreck every single car I own and I would still worship the ground you walk on. I don’t care about money or cars when I have you. I did before but fuck, I don’t need anything but you. I’d give it all up.”

“I’m sorry,” YN apologizes again because she doesn’t know how she can emphasize how sorry she is, “I’ll never lie like that again. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, I’ve already forgiven you,” Harry tells her as his tears finally come to a halt slowly, “I’m not mad at you but you can’t hide things from me like this ever again or I will be upset. I can’t imagine what you went through yesterday.”

And when Harry goes to kiss her, once again fingers come to her jaw, she flinches back with a whine to get out of his grasp.

“Are you hurt?” Harry demands urgently, eyes widened in concern, “You went and got checked out right?”

YN shakes her head sheepishly, “I felt okay after it happened. Just a bit sore, the airbag hit my chin and the seatbelt hurt me a little.”

She was definitely downplaying it.

“For fucks sake. I can’t believe you. Not getting checked out? Out of your damn mind,” He grunts as he’s gently trying tugging her shirt over her head, the burn was starting to scab and it appeared irritated, pink around the edges, and it looked as painful as it felt, “Baby.”

YN lets him examine the marks, his fingers dancing over her skin lightly, “It’s not bad,” She promises, “I’m just sore and the burn is the only thing that actually hurts bad.”

“We need to go get you checked out,” Harry moves away, beginning to dig through her drawers to find fresh clothes for her to put on, “Just to make sure that you’re okay. I want them to look at that, make sure it's clean and doesn’t get infected.”

YN wants to argue that she’s fine but she knows he’s right and she also wants to do it because she knows that it will calm his nerves as he helps her get dressed to go to the urgent care.

-

Everything was okay. Just like YN had thought, her jawbone was bruised and overall she was achy from the impact but there was no sign of concussion or serious injury.

Harry draws them a bath that night, helping her in as she winces as her body protests, the bath water hitting her chest making her squeak at the sting before getting situated.

“The car will be back next week for you to drive until then you can take my Audi,” Harry tells her as he massages the bottom of her feet, an amused smirk coming onto his face, “The other driver’s insurance only covers twenty-thousand in damages. Mind telling me how you were going to cover thirty five thousand pounds?”

YN pouts, splashing at him a bit, “I was freaked out, I don’t know!” But his fond expression makes her giggle, “I didn’t know what else to say at the moment.”

“I can’t wait until you have my last name, my bank account,” Harry tells her.

YN laughs again, “You know most men would never say that.”

“I can’t wait until you can’t push away my money because it will quite literally be your money too,” Harry smiles cockily as he pulls her a bit closer to move up to her calves.

“You’re too good to me,” YN shakes her head, pointing her toes until they dig into his stomach and make him pinch them in response, making her squirm and him chuckle.

“You’re going to be spoiled for the rest of your life whether you like it or not,” Harry informs her with a raised brow, “Always going to provide for you. M’going to be the best husband.”

“I know you are,” YN leans forward until their chest are pressed together, kissing him and when she tries to adjust so she can straddle his lap, she groans as her bones protest, “I may not be able to pay you back for the car in money but when I’m not as achy…”

“Are you suggesting sexual favors in lieu of money?” Harry questions as he helps her sit back down in a more comfortable position, “What kind of man do you think I am? You think I would accept that trade?”

YN can’t help but nudge his soft length with her foot, teasing.

“You’re a hundred percent right, I would if the favors are coming from you,” Harry agrees as he wraps his hand around her ankle, “I think we have a deal, m’heart.”