I throw my long, brown hair into a messy bun. I check my appearance in the mirrors of the New Law bathrooms. Not great, but it’ll do I guess. Gathering my library books, I hurry out of the bathroom. I’m late for class!
As I exit the bathroom, I run into someone. Embarrassed, I glance from beneath my fringe to apologise. When I look up, I gasp in shock. It’s Harry Styles!
“I’m sorry Harry!” I say, barely concealing my stutter.
“Don’t worry about it,” he smiles, placing his hand on my arm. “Hey, do you mind if I take a moment of your time? It’s about the upcoming USU elections.”
I can barely contain my excitement. Harry Styles is trying to give me a walk and talk?
“Yeah, sure. I mean I guess! Go ahead” I say nervously, hoping none of my friends in Student Unity see me talking to the Socialist Alternative candidate for union board.
He briskly walks me toward the voting booth at Fisher, but I’ve tuned out. I’m staring deeply into his eyes.
“Anyway, I guess you could say that Adore You is inspired by my admiration for Karl Marx” Harry stops, awaiting my response. He chuckles as I don’t say anything, handing me a how to vote card.
“Just follow the instructions on this. I’ll see you later.” He winks at me, watching as I walk toward the line.
—
Two hours later, I’m studying in the stacks when I get a text from my friend Conrad.
“Hey Bitch! I heard u were talking to that filthy trotskyist Harry Styles outside Fisher 2day. Hope u know who to vote for!”
Conrad is the current USU President. He’s pretty much the Regina George of the University of Sydney. He’s in Student Unity, with all of my friends from SASS.
I go to reply to his text, when I get a new one from an unknown number.
“Hey [your name]! It’s Harry. I got your number from that petition you signed last month. Would you like to get a coffee with me before council tonight?”
I’m hot and flustered all of a sudden. Harry Styles wants to get coffee with me? I send him a reply, trying to act cool.
“Hey, sounds good. Let’s meet at Courtyard.”
—
I’m waiting at Courtyard for Harry to arrive when I realise that I should have picked a more discreet location. Some of my friends from SASS are there, and they wave me over.
“Hey [your name]. Conrad told me you were seen speaking to that Harry Styles. I hope you didn’t vote for him!” Melinda looks at me with hurt in her eyes. I instantly feel guilty.
“I voted for you Melinda, of course! How is your petition to save Manning Bar going?” I know that Melinda’s petition only has 22 signatures, but I need to change the subject.
“It’s going fine!” she snaps. “I have to go. I’ll see you later [your name].” Melinda and her friends march away, just before Harry gets there. Relieved, I walk toward him.
“Hey! Let’s get takeaway and walk to council? I think you’ll really enjoy it.” I’m instantly worried — what if Conrad and Melinda see me with him! Harry senses my fear, drawing me into his arms.
“Don’t worry [your name]. You can sit with your SASS friends, and I’ll text you. It’ll be our secret.” I’m blushing furiously, as Harry releases me to pick up our coffee. He passes me mine and grabs my hand, as we walk toward council.
—
Two hours into council, and nothing interesting has happened yet. I’m sitting next to Melinda, trying to act casual. Harry locks eyes with me from across the room, and I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket.
“Want to get out of here?”
He motions for me to follow him out of the room, so I turn to Melinda and tell her I’m going to the bathroom.
“Okay. Just make sure you stay away from those filthy commoners. They have germs.” She points toward where Grassroots and SAlt are sitting, and I nod my head.
—
I leave the Professorial Boardroom and walk down the steps into the Quad. Wandering through the cloisters, I wonder where Harry has gone. Suddenly, I feel two strong arms around me. Harry turns and pushes me against the wall, leaning over me. I blush as he caresses my cheek with a single finger, winding an arm around my waist.
“I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”
We were sent a link to this fanfiction late Sunday evening. It has also been uploaded to Wattpad.
