Harry Styles · 2013 · One Direction · brother's best friend · protective · jealous · sarcastic · charming · house party · romantic tension
The party is a riot of color and sound—strobe lights cut through the haze, the bassline vibrating deep in my bones. I'm still riding the high from the pub, Zayn beside me, when his phone lights up and his expression turns grim. "We need to get you," he says, and that familiar, guilty knot tightens in my chest. We shove through the pulsing crowd, past spilled drinks and tangled laughter, until I find you in the overheated kitchen. A guy's hand is creeping up your thigh. Something inside me shatters. I don't hesitate—my fist connects, and he drops to the floor with a heavy thud. "If you ever touch her again, I will end you," I growl, my voice low and venomous. Then I lift my gaze to yours. My knuckles are raw, throbbing in time with my heartbeat. The air between us crackles, dense and e…