When Julie walked into the other room with Amanda and saw all the bags she asked. "What's all this?"

"Presents." Lottie said. She, Gemma, and Lou, with her daughter Lux, were already changed and ready to go. "We got you beach wear and something to wear after."

"There're a lot of bags for that. But how much do I owe you? And who do I owe?" Julie asked.

Amanda tried to stop them from telling her by waving her hands at them, but it didn't work. Gemma told her anyway. "Nothing, Harry and Niall got all of it for you and Amanda."

Crap, Amanda thought. She was having a hard time accepting the gifts, and she was the easy one. What was JJ going to do? She was shocked when JJ said, "That was awful nice of them." She was sure there was going to be some sort of argument, but there wasn't. At least not now. What was going on with JJ? Just go with it, Amanda, don't borrow trouble.
Amanda handed JJ her bags. "Go put your suit on. Lottie picked it all out."

Julie pulled the bikini out of the bag and stared at it. "Um, oh hell no, I'm not putting this on. I wear more than this under my clothes." Julie set it down. "You people are insane if you think I can pull that off. Seriously now, joke's over, where's my real stuff?"

Amanda laughed she had warned Lottie that JJ wouldn't go for it, but Lottie insisted. Amanda knew it would fit her, but JJ was conservative beyond what she needed to be. She was a beautiful girl who just didn't see it. She was on Lottie's side, but she wasn't going to say that out loud.

Lottie picked it up and handed it back to her. "This is your real stuff. Put it on. It will look great on you with your color and eyes. I promise."

"It won't fit. Where's the rest of it?" Julie said. "There's no way I can get into that."

"Amanda told us your size, and I'm pretty good at this. It will fit. Put it on." Lottie insisted.

JJ gave Amanda a look that said thanks friend without saying a word. She walked into the bathroom and put it on. It fit, and she couldn't stop staring at herself in the mirror. She didn't wear things like this. It was way too much. She should just take it off. She put her shorts and tank top over it and came out. Amanda looked amazing in her bikini. She was going to drive Niall insane looking like that. Lottie sure knew what she was doing when she picked out Amanda's. JJ was so glad she met Amanda when she first moved to LA. She got the job at the hospital, and Amanda had just started there a few months before and was looking for a roommate. LA was expensive; it helped both of them to move in together. It wasn't long before they were basically inseparable. They had a lot in common but enough differences to help each other through each other's toughest situations. She smiled at Amanda. "You look incredible."

"I thought you were putting yours on?" Amanda asked.

"I did." She continued when Amanda looked at her. "I still have it on. Under the shorts and shirt. They cover a little more at least."

"Come on. Let us see." Amanda said. She got an agreement from the other girls.

Julie sighed and lifted her shirt. She wasn't going to win against four of them. She unbuttoned her shorts and slid them down slightly so they could look. She dropped her shirt and put her shorts back on almost as quickly.

"Why? You look amazing." Amanda said. "Seriously. I don't know why you hide so much."

Julie just shrugged and walked over to get the other stuff ready to go out to the beach.

Lottie gave her a look. "You're going to have to take it off eventually."

Julie just shook her head and packed up her bag.

Niall looked at the clock. What is taking those girls so long, he thought to himself. They were wasting sunlight. He wanted to get in the water and get on the jet skis and just have a fun day off with Amanda. He and Harry were waiting outside for everyone else. They were ready within 10 minutes. He would never understand girls. When he heard the door open, he turned around. His jaw dropped immediately upon seeing Amanda. She looked so hot! The bikini she had on fit her perfectly. The color and style complimented every part of her. She was a beautiful woman, no matter what she was wearing; but to see her like this. If he was fighting himself before, he knew he was going to lose now. He wanted this girl badly. He couldn't be more attracted to her. He was learning so much about her, and she was a beautiful person in her soul which made her so much more beautiful to him every time he looked at her. He walked over to her and touched her cheek. "Wow. Doesn't seem enough but it's all I got. You look absolutely amazing."

Amanda smiled and blushed slightly. Would she ever get used to him talking to her like that? He was such a great guy. Forget he was Niall Horan from One Direction. He was just an amazing guy. "Thanks. Lottie did the picking. She's good. You don't think it's too much? Or too little I should say?"

"Not at all. You look amazing. You're always beautiful though, so I shouldn't be surprised." He kissed her. "Let's get going to the water. They have jet skis. I'm dying to take you out on one."

"You're making me blush. Stop." Amanda said, but she smiled at him. "Yes! That sounds like so much fun! Let's go." They walked hand and hand towards the water.

Harry had to admit Amanda looked damn good in that bikini. Niall was a lucky man. He couldn't help but laugh when Julie came out behind everyone, hair tie in her mouth, pulling her hair back into a pony tail. Everyone else had their swimsuit on, and of course, she came out in shorts and shirt. He should have known. He walked up to her. "Did they forget to get you a swimsuit?" He asked.

She took the hair tie out of her mouth and finished putting her hair up. "Apparently, you could only afford half the material, so they must've left the other half at the store." Julie said. "You shouldn't have done that by the way. I could've bought my own things."

Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud. She was such a smart ass but for some reason he enjoyed that part of her. Probably too much. He knew she would have something to say about him buying her the clothes too, but he accepted it. "I wanted too. It's not like it's that much. And I'm sure I can afford a whole swimsuit."

Lottie walked by. "It has all its material. You're the one who had to cover it up. I stand by my purchase." She said with confidence.

"So you do have one on." Harry said pulling at her shirt. "Come on. Let's see."

She slapped his hand away. "No. Not now. Maybe not ever."

"You know you've already had on less in my presence." He said quietly to her, remembering the time they spent together.

Julie immediately turned away. She was still angry with herself for that, and he had to bring it up. She didn't want to be his LA booty call of the moment, but that's how she felt. She should have waited, and she knew it. "I don't want to talk about that. And it was dark, and yeah, I just don't wanna talk about that."

He grabbed her hand when she went to walk away. "Wait. I think we need to talk about this." He wasn't expecting that reaction from her. He thought they were great together. Ok, maybe it happened quicker then he thought it would; but they were going to come together at some point, he was sure of it. He had no regrets, no second thoughts. He didn't think she did either, but now he wasn't so sure. "You regret it, don't you?"

"Harry, please." She glanced at his face and saw he wasn't going to give into her this time. She had to be careful how she worded this. She didn't want to hurt him. "I wouldn't say regret. I may question the timing. Maybe didn't make the best judgement call."

"I thought we were pretty great together." He had to admit it stung a little hearing that.

She saw the hurt in his eyes, but he covered it quickly. She reached up and touched his lips with her fingers. She couldn't believe she was going to say this or have to give Harry Styles an ego boost, but it was the truth. And she meant it when she didn't want to hurt him. "You never have to question that. Never. The way you made me feel had nothing to do with it. It happened very quickly and it's just so out of character for me. You're dangerous for me, Harry. I'm not sure I like it." But she sure liked the feeling in the moment and the feelings he gave her when they were near each other. It was all overwhelming for her though. She wasn't quite sure how to deal with that.

He kissed her fingers. "I don't want you to regret it at all." He cupped her cheek and caressed it with his thumb.

"Not regret Harry. Not like that. Can we just go have fun? If you insist, we can talk about this later." Like way later she thought. Or maybe never. How was she supposed to admit to him she thought that she was just a temporary stop.

"Yeah, ok, but we will continue this. I won't give this up forever." He said taking her hand and walking her down the beach.

Dammit, she thought. She could still hope he'd forget though. She set her stuff on the chair when they got down by the water. Amanda and Niall were already racing around on the jet ski while everyone else was in the water. It looked like so much fun. She saw Harry removing his shirt and knew he would want her to go in with him. That meant she had to remove her clothes though, and she wasn't sure she wanted to do that. Everyone else looked so amazing. She once again didn't want to try to compete. She knew she was being ridiculous. It was a swimsuit, and they were at the beach, but she was always self-conscious. She took a deep breath and decided she just had to do it. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt but paused, rethinking taking it off.

Harry watched but didn't say anything. He could tell she was contemplating joining everyone else in the water. He gasped when she finally took off her shirt. Yes, he knew he had been with her already, and he'd felt her body; but it was dark, and even though he knew he liked what he felt, he didn't know seeing it would catch him so off guard. He had no idea why she questioned it at all. When she turned around and took her shorts off, he almost lost it. She had a tattoo on the small of her back. He didn't know that either. He had to see it closer. When she stood and faced him he put his hands on her hips. "I have no idea why you question how beautiful you are. You look incredible. And that tattoo I wanna see it." He turned her around and touched it with his fingertips. He smiled when she stiffened up at his touch. A small black celestial sun with a moon and stars in it. "One day, you'll have to explain the meaning of it to me."

She hated the way his touch made her react every damn time. She didn't want to be so affected by it. She tried to hide her reactions, but she couldn't. Her body had a mind of its own. "Yeah, sure, someday." She was so flustered, she didn't know what to say.

The rest of the morning was filled with lots of fun and laughter. Everyone seemed to let go of their stress and worries and just have a good time with each other. Niall even started a water fight with Julie, which of course ended in her telling him she hated him. Niall laughed every time he got that reaction from her. It was his goal to have her tell him that at least once every time they saw each other. It was quickly becoming their thing. He needed to make sure he became friends with her as well, because he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with Amanda if he didn't also treat her friend with respect. He could tell JJ, as Amanda always called her, was very important in her life, and she would want whomever she was dating to be friends with her. It wasn't hard though. She wasn't hard to like. She was a smartass but also very sweet. He didn't know if he could be Harry though and deal with it all the time. Harry, however, seemed to enjoy her sassiness. All the power to him. He straight up enjoyed the fact that Harry was interested in Amanda's best friend. It should probably make it a little more difficult, but he felt it would be easier to get Amanda to travel to see him if Julie also came to see Harry. And vice versa. Seemed they were a package deal anyway, and he didn't need two. He laughed at the thought. No, he definitely didn't need that.

Amanda watched Niall and JJ messing around and was truly happy to see them get along. Even though JJ made it a point to tell him she hated him every chance she got, she knew it meant she liked him. She would worry when JJ stopped saying it actually. She's been told on multiple occasions JJ hates her. It's just her way, and Niall seemed to understand that right from the start. She was relieved, because she wanted them to get along. It would be super hard to be in a relationship with him or anyone for that matter, if JJ didn't like them or get along with them. Her opinion mattered, and even though it wouldn't determine if she was in that relationship, it was still important. She was so glad she didn't have to deal with it though. It was also nice to see JJ let loose a little. She was so uptight, sometimes so stressed out, she worried way too much about things she shouldn't. Way too much about what people think or say. What she should or shouldn't do. She actually had a huge heart, but she barely let anyone in to see it. She had a feeling Harry would come to that conclusion very quickly, if he hadn't already. She hoped he was patient enough to realize that, even though JJ was tough, she was worth the wait. Give her the time and opportunity, and JJ would love you with all she had and do anything in her power to make sure you were ok and happy. Sometimes to her own demise. Amanda laughed. Wow her friend was difficult. But she loved every difficult part of her. She looked up as she felt Harry's arm go around her shoulders.

"What are we going to do with the two of them?" he asked nodding towards Niall and Julie.

Amanda laughed. "Honestly, I think I will just let them have it out. Long as JJ is telling him she hates him. It's all good."

"Yeah, she's a bit complex, huh?" He asked a little dejected. He recovered quickly though. He didn't want to concern Amanda. "You seem to be making my little Irish friend pretty happy though. I can speak on behalf of all the guys that we think it's great. We are all a little protective of him."

"Thanks." Amanda blushed. "He's pretty great." She caught his tone when speaking about JJ though. She wasn't sure she should bring it up or not. She wanted to make sure he wasn't giving up on her but didn't know if it was her place. She had to say something though. "Everything ok? You sounded a little perplexed with JJ."

He tightened his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, just some issues as usual. Things I guess we need to talk about. She caught me off guard earlier with her reaction to something. I wasn't expecting it to be that big of a problem."

Amanda just nodded; she already knew what it was about. She knew he'd figured out JJ wasn't sure sleeping with him was a good idea. She also didn't think she should mention she knew what he was talking about. She didn't know how he would react to her knowing they'd slept together. "She's hard on herself. She has all these unrealistic expectations. She says out loud she's not perfect and doesn't try to be, but her actions speak different. She tries really hard to be perfect in whatever situation she's in. She has very high standards for herself, and it's sometimes hard to watch, mostly because she would never have anyone else try to live up to them. She will never be easy Harry, but in the end, she would be worth the struggle. Just my opinion though."

He smiled down at Amanda. "She's lucky to have you. Thanks for trying to explain. I'm good though, no worries. I'm not walking away." Just yet, he thought. Wait, where did that come from? He couldn't wait to get with her 2 seconds ago and now he questioned it? All because she wasn't sure she made the right decision sleeping with him so quickly. Yeah, Harry, nice thoughts. He pushed the doubts aside as quickly as they crept in. He wanted her, so there were no problems. Right?

"Ok, ok, ok!" Julie said to Niall. "You win I give up!" She climbed on his back to get him to stop.

"What? I didn't think it was in your DNA to give in. Especially to me, or any guy for that matter." Niall said grabbing her legs and giving her a piggy back ride out of the water.

"Good thing I don't think of you as just any guy then, huh?" Julie said as he put her down. "Panda wants to keep you around, so I'm stuck with you."

"Thanks, I think." He laughed. "Why do you call her Panda?"

Julie shrugged. "Not sure, started it awhile back and it just kinda stuck. I very rarely call her Amanda. In fact, if I do, she assumes I'm mad at her or frustrated with her. Which I suppose I am." Julie laughed. "You better be good to her Niall. You think I'm difficult to deal with now. See what happens if you hurt her."

"You? Difficult? Who could possibly think that?" He said faking shock. He didn't want to find out the wrath of JJ if he hurt her beloved Panda though, so he was going to try his damndest not to. Not that he wanted to hurt her anyway.

Julie just gave him a look when she grabbed her towel.

"Yes, yes, you hate me. I hate you, too." He said as he smiled and walked away.

"Get your arm off the girl mate." Niall said as he walked up to Harry and Amanda.

"Hey, I didn't bug you when you were messing with the other." Harry teased Niall and kept his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, she's all yours now. Thanks for sharing." Niall teased back. "But seriously, let go of the girl." He tried to be serious and hide his laughter.

"Yeah, Yeah, Niall. Back off the girl. Got it!" Harry leaned down and kissed Amanda's cheek. "Thanks for the talk beautiful. Watch out for this guy." He slapped Niall in the shoulder, winked, and walked away.

Niall laughed and put his arms around Amanda. "So, have you had a good time so far?"

"Yes absolutely it's been a dream. Wish it didn't have to end." Amanda said looking up at him.

"Well, today may have to end, and maybe this break, but we can always anticipate the next time. The fun doesn't have to end today." Niall told her.

She smiled at him. "Yeah? I like the sounds of that. I wouldn't want this to be over before it even had a chance. I really enjoy spending time with you." Amanda said almost shyly.

"Good, I was hoping you might say that." He leaned down and kissed her. Longer and deeper than he ever had before. "You ready to rest a little? I think we should go out tonight. They did buy some evening wear for you, right?"

She was breathless when they separated. She couldn't speak at first. Wow. She nodded and then managed to speak. "Yeah, where are you taking me?"

"Well, we are all going to a VIP part of this amazing restaurant that a couple of our friends own. It will be loads of fun." He promised.

Great Amanda thought. It would be fun, but she thought they would be spending the night together. She was getting so frustrated. She was jealous of Harry and JJ, and she wanted to scream at Niall, but she wouldn't. Not yet. In due time. "Sounds great."

Julie sat down on the edge of the chair. She was so exhausted, and she was fading fast. She put her face in her hands and rubbed her forehead. Harry sat down next to her. "Hey, you seem like you're spent. Wanna go back to the beach house and lie down?" He asked rubbing her shoulder.

"I have to work in a few hours. I'm afraid if I go to sleep, I'm never going to wake up." She said still with her head in her hands.

Harry was disappointed. Once again, he didn't want her to go to work. He wanted her to stay with him. "I will make sure you get up on time if you insist on going to work again." He wanted to spend the night with her again. They had a lot to talk about. He couldn't leave it like this, and before he knew it, he and Niall would have to leave.

"Ok. I'm not sure I can move though." She leaned her head against his shoulder.

He stood up and took her hands. "C'mon let's get you some sleep." He walked her to one of the bedrooms in the pool house. "You shower and change here, and I will use the other shower. I will be back to tuck you in." He squeezed her hand and left.

Julie got in the shower. Great, Harry and a big, comfortable bed. This is what got her in trouble in the first place. Maybe if she hurried she could be asleep before he came back. That way, it wouldn't be so tempting. She showered quickly and changed. She thought she had pulled it off, but Harry walked in right as she was climbing into bed. Shit! She thought. This was exhausting. She was mad at herself for sleeping with him, but it took everything in her power to fight her own body when she was with him. She lay down on one side of the bed and pulled the soft white comforter over her. She took a deep breath when she felt him slip into the bed beside her. "Just want to hold you while you fall asleep." He said quietly to her. She felt his arm wrap around her and even though she had her back to him, she could sense his every breath. She closed her eyes tighter as a tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't want him to sense her crying though. She put her hand over his and willed herself to fall asleep in his arms.

Julie woke up with a start. She sat up and rubbed her face. What time was it? It was dark out. That meant she was late. Very late. Harry said he would make sure she got up. Wtf! She jumped out of bed to get her stuff and heard Harry coming back into the bedroom. "You promised you would get me up in time to go to work. It's dark so I know I'm late. Not nice Harry!"

"Hey." He grabbed her from behind. "Amanda insisted I let you sleep. She....."

Julie interrupted him. "Well she has no right..."

Harry put his fingers up to her lips. "She called and got someone to take your shift. She said that if she couldn't find anyone, she would wake you; but she made one phone call, and said it was covered for the next two nights."

"She can't just do that." She said exasperated. She pulled away from him and sat at the edge of the bed. She put her head in her hands again. She was so tired she could barely put together a sentence.

"She was just trying to help. You're exhausted. You can't keep running yourself so thin." He said.

She shook her head in her hands and then looked up at him. "I wouldn't be if someone wouldn't have kidnapped me." She couldn't help but smile slightly at him. "You are so bad for me." She twisted her lips at him. "I'm going back to bed then."

"First dinner. You have to eat. Get dressed. Lottie has your outfit. I promise I will have you home in your own bed as soon as we are done eating. Scouts honor" He said.

"Harry, were you ever a scout? Or a UK version of a scout?" she asked.

He laughed. "No, but I stand by my promise."

*if you are enjoying the story please vote/comment/share. I would love to be able to respond.

*the story is complete fan fiction