#and YES the title is from sunflowervol6 if you cant tell from my url thats my fave song on the album and everything i post has to relate to

[sunflowervolvimp3]

More Than a Melody

Warnings: None

Pairing: Amateur musician!Harry Styles x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Thank you guys for following! I wanted to try out the idea of an au for my next fic, and an au I really really love is amateur musician!harry who plays in bars and writes his own music in a little one bedroom apartment so that’s basically what this is. This first part is more of an introduction, but if you guys like it, I’ll write more!  Please let me know what you think, and if you want more!

{masterlist}

If it were up to you, you would’ve been staying in that night.

“Except it’s not up to you, Y/N.” Charlotte rolled her eyes, rooting through your bedroom closet and tossing clothes onto your bed.  Or, more precisely, onto you.

“It should be.” You rolled your eyes back at her, pushing the clothes off of yourself. “I have a psych test tomorrow, and—”

“And it’s just going for drinks at a pub!” Charlotte sighed in exasperation. “It’s not a huge deal. You can spare one evening out!”

“If it’s just drinks…” You flipped a page in your notebook. “Then why are you tearing through my closet?”

“Because you don’t seem to own anything that doesn’t say ‘I only leave my flat for uni and grocery shopping’.” She said flatly. “Seriously, I know you have going out clothes.  Are you hiding them from me?”

“I can’t hide anything from you, you’re the world’s most intrusive roommate.” You muttered, getting off your bed to open a drawer in your dresser. “Here.  Check here.  And I do only leave the apartment for class and groceries.”

Charlotte bumped your hip with hers to get you out of the way, and continued her assault on your wardrobe. “I know.  What a boring life.”

“Don’t be rude.” You chastised her, picking up the clothes on your bed and placing them back on the hangers she’d pried them from. “You’re trying to get on my good side, remember?”

Charlotte tossed another tank top at you. “I’m trying to help you!  When was the last time you went out for drinks?”

“I don’t remember.” You shrugged. “But it probably wasn’t the night before a test!”

“You need to relax. Have a bit of fun.” Charlotte said firmly, throwing another top at you. “Let your hair down.  Take off your bra.  Get on the bar and dance.”

“I’m not really a ‘dancing on the bar’ kind of girl.” You said flatly, returning to your seat on the bed. “Besides, I thought this was supposed to be casual drinks with friends? Why would I be dancing on a bar?”

“You never know when you’ll need to dance on a bar.  It’s not the type of thing you plan.”

“My apologies.  I have limited experience with the subject.”

“You’re forgiven. We’ll change that another night.” Charlotte pulled out an off the shoulder top with a triumphant grin on her face. “Tonight, you’re going to put on that shirt and your dark blue jeans and those little heeled boots that, by the way, I need to borrow for a date next week, and you’re going to go out for drinks and have fun!”

You groaned, taking the top from her. “Why is tonight so important?”

“Because you’re stressed and need to relax.” Charlotte paused. “And because there’s this guy coming out that I want you to meet.”

Your expression grew colder. “Charlotte—”

“I know—”

“I told you I’m not ready to date again!”

“I know!” Her voice turned pleading. “But Y/N, I promise, Jack is a really nice guy!  He’s nothing like Parker—”

“That doesn’t matter.” You looked down at the shirt in your hands. “I’m not—I can’t—”

Charlotte sat down next to you on your bed, wrapping an arm around you “Parker was a cheating asshole. A liar.  He didn’t deserve you.” She said softly. “But you can’t shut yourself in forever because of what he did.  Come out tonight, just for a bit.  If you’re not enjoying yourself, we’ll come home.  I promise.”

You sighed, but you nodded, agreeing to what Charlotte said.  That was how, less than two hours later, you found yourself in the outfit she chose, nursing a cocktail at a table in a crowded pub.  Charlotte did her best to include you in conversation, but because everyone at the table were her school friends, you found it easiest to sit back and listen to the conversation instead of adding to it.  Although, truth be told, you were only half listening to the conversation, which is why you had to ask Jack to repeat his question when he spoke to you.

“What was that, sorry?”

“I asked where you’re from, and how you met Charlotte.” Jack smiled at you, taking a sip of his beer.

“I’m from America, but I’m in London for school.” You answered. “I met Charlotte during our freshman year.  We were roommates.  Still are, actually, except now we rent an apartment a few blocks from campus instead of sharing a tiny dorm.”

“That’s wonderful.” Jack replied, his hand moving closer to your arm. “And you like London, then?”

You could tell Jack was flirting.  It was obvious in his body language, his tone of voice, and how he found every uninteresting thing you said absolutely fascinating.  He was an attractive guy, and you were flattered, but you couldn’t reciprocate the flirtation, so you tried your best to shoot for friendly. “London is amazing.  I really love it here.”

Your side conversation continued for a few minutes as Jack asked more questions about you.  There were a few moments when you could sense Charlotte’s eyes on you, watching the two of you interact.  You did your best not to focus on it, and ignored her prying questions when Jack got up to buy the table another round.

“He likes you, Y/N! You should give him your number!” Charlotte insisted.

You shook your head. “Nope. He’s nice, Char, but I’m not looking to date anyone.  In fact…” You checked your watch. “I should get home.  I have more studying to do—”

“What?  You can’t leave yet!” She shook her head. “You haven’t even heard the musicians!”

“Musicians?” You asked in confusion.

Charlotte nodded. “There’s live music here every week, and some of the musicians are really good!”

“Maybe another time, Charlotte.” You smiled apologetically and grabbed your bag as you stood up.

“Leaving so soon?” A voice you didn’t recognize rang through the bar through the speakers around you.

You turned your attention to the stage.  The voice seemed to belong to the man standing at the microphone, his eyes on you. He had curly brown hair that was pushed back from his face, with a single curl still hanging down on his forehead. He was grinning, dimples visible from where you stood, and his eyes reflected the mirth apparent on his face. He was wearing high waisted slacks and a t-shirt, the logo faded to the point where you couldn’t read it.

You flushed when you caught his eye, hurrying to grab your jacket and leave the bar.

“You didn’t answer the question, love.” His voice was amused, laughter apparent in his tone. “People usually wait until I’m halfway through my set to grab their stuff and leave. Are you already bored?”

He kept his eyes on you like he was waiting for an answer.  Your friends were staring at you too, as well as everyone in the bar.

“I…” You cleared your throat, more heat rising to your cheeks. “I have to go.”

“Why?” He raised an eyebrow. It was clear to you that he was enjoying this exchange. “Where do you have to be at 11PM on a Thursday night, besides in this pub?”

“She has a test tomorrow!” Charlotte called towards the stage.  It was clear to you that she was enjoying this, too.  

“A test?” He smirked a bit. “You’re already out and a few drinks in.  It’s too late to study for a test.  The best thing you can do is sit back down, grab another pint, and listen to some music.”

“What’s happening?” You heard Jack whisper to Charlotte as he came back to the table with the drinks.

The man’s eyes looked over Jack, something changing in them, but his tone stayed the same when he addressed you again. “See?  You’ve got another round.  Stay, please. Enjoy the music.”

Charlotte tugged on your arm, pulling you back down to your seat.  You felt your face burn again as the man smiled.

“There we go! Alright, now that that’s all sorted out…” He walked over to the corner of the stage and grabbed a guitar from its stand, slipping it over his shoulder. “Nice to see you all again. M’name’s Harry, and I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to play for you tonight.  Is everybody doing well?  Nowhere else they need to be?”

The customers of the pub clapped, a few people calling out answers in response.  Harry’s eyes flickered to you one more time before he continued to introduce the first song of his set.

Conversation at your table began to carry on, quieter than before, but you still didn’t participate. This time, however, it was because you were watching Harry sing.  Your attentiveness, while partially due to his talent, was caused by your embarrassment at being called out.  You felt the least you could do was pay attention.

By the time Harry finished his set an hour later, the number of people at your table had dwindled. Almost everyone was gone, except for Charlotte, Jack, and you.  Once Harry finished his last song, however, Charlotte stood up.

“Alright, I’ve got to get going.” She grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. “See you later, Y/N.  And Jack, I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“If you’re going, I should go too.” You said, beginning to stand.

Charlotte shook her head. “No, you and Jack still have half your drinks to finish.  I’ll just call a cab for myself.  Jack—” She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Make sure she gets home safe, alright?”

“Of course.”

And then you and Jack were alone.  This was, you suspected, all part of Charlotte’s plan, as she had a mischievous glint in her eye when she walked away.  Her absence left a silence between the two of you.

Jack took a sip of his drink. “I’ve just got to run to the men’s room.  Will you be alright on your own for a few moments?”

You nodded, sensing genuine concern in his voice. “I’ll be fine.  Go ahead.”

You nursed your drink while Jack was gone, scrolling through your phone absentmindedly to pass the time. Part of you considered just leaving while he was gone to avoid the weird pseudo date you’d been left on, but it seemed rude.

“So.” A now familiar voice pulled you from your thoughts. “You stayed, then.  And all your friends left.”

You looked up to see Harry standing over you, a charming smile on his face.  Heat rose to your cheeks again, the embarrassment from earlier still fresh in your mind.

“I did.  And they did.” You nodded. “You were really good, by the way.  Your cover of Landslide was amazing.”

“Thanks.” Harry’s smile grew bigger, but then turned sheepish. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you earlier.  I didn’t mean to.”

“Oh, it—it’s fine.” You tripped over your words. “I’m glad I stayed.  It was nice.  And who needs to pass every test in their classes, anyways?”

Harry laughed. “Exactly. But still…could I buy you a drink, maybe?  To make up for it?”

“Oh, I don’t—I should really be getting going, actually.” You said apologetically. “I’m just waiting for—”

“Hey, Y/N.” Jack returned from the washroom right on queue, one hand going to the back of your chair while the other grabbed his beer from the table. “Hey, Harry, right?” Jack smiled. “You put on a good show, mate.  We really enjoyed it.”

“Thanks, mate.” Harry’s eyes flickered between the two of you. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned his attention back to you, his tone growing bolder. “So you’re heading out, then? I can’t convince you to stay for another drink?”

“Thank you, but no.  I do have to get going.” You stood up, glancing at Jack as he watched the interaction between you and Harry with guarded eyes. “It was nice to meet you, Jack.  And you too, Harry.  I’ll…see you both around sometime.”

“Wait, Y/N, let me walk you home.” Jack grabbed his jacket, but you shook your head.

“No, you still have half a beer left.  I’ll just call a cab.” You slipped your own jacket on. “Thank you, though.  I’ll see you around.”

You turned around before he could stop you, quickly making your way to the door.  You shivered once the cold outdoor air hit you, your eyes scanning the streets for a cab.

“Y/N!”

You turned around, surprised to see Harry outside in just his t-shirt.

“Harry, it’s freezing!” You exclaimed. “Go back inside!”

“Can’t.” He said with a shrug.

You sighed. “And why is that?”

“Because you’re out here.” He said simply, pulling a pen from his back pocket. “And you’re about to leave, so—” He grabbed your hand, scribbling a phone number onto the back of it. “Here.  Call me.”

“What?” You tried your best not to focus on how warm his fingers were on your hand. “You don’t even know me.”

“That’s why I’m giving you my number.” He chuckled. “So we can get to know each other.”

“But—”

A cab pulled up to the curb, and Harry reached down, opening the door for you. “Here.  Get home safe, love.”

Confused at the turn of events, you climbed into the cab, and Harry shut the door behind you.  

“Where to, miss?” The cabbie asked, and you muttered your address to him.

When you glanced through the back window as the cab pulled away from the curb, Harry was gone.

(part ii)