Italy had always been Harry’s escape, a place he knew like the back of his hand. Now, on a break from tour, he was finally free to just exist—no cameras, no chaos, just him, his AirPods, and the hum of the city. He was heading home, hands in his pockets, music drowning out the world, when someone crashed right into him. He pulled out an earbud, blinking down at the girl who had stumbled back, clutching a crumpled map in one hand and glaring at her phone in the other.

“Oh, God—sorry!” she blurted, flustered but not panicked. Not starstruck. She didn’t recognize him, and that alone made him relax. “You alright?” he asked, glancing at her mess of a map.

“Yeah, just… completely lost,” she admitted, laughing at herself. “I swear this thing is useless.”

He smirked, already knowing exactly where she was trying to go. He could’ve given her quick directions and kept walking, but something about her made him stay. “I’ll walk you there,” he offered casually, and after a brief hesitation, she nodded.

She was easy to talk to—funny without trying, completely unfiltered in a way that caught him off guard. No awkward pauses, no rehearsed small talk, just conversation that felt… normal. By the time they reached her destination, he wasn’t ready for it to be over. She turned to thank him, and before she could walk away, he pulled out his phone, playing it cool. “If you ever get lost again, you can text me,” he said, handing it to her.

She blinked but took it, typing in her number. “Thanks. Hopefully, I won’t need it.”

He smirked. “Yeah… hopefully.”

He watched her go, standing there longer than necessary before shaking himself out of it. Then, slipping his AirPods back in, he turned toward home, already wondering if she’d ever use his excuse to text him.