boys don't cry. [h.s]

thirty seven

December

"Is this it?"

Niall squinted towards the house, so exhausted he was struggling to see even a few feet in front of him. "Yeah, I think so."

Isabel glared at him. "We have to be sure."

"What do you want me to do?" Niall asked incredulously. "Teleport into the house and work out if it's Harry's by sniffing the fucking furniture?"

"All right," Isabel sighed, running a hand through her hair. Niall was crabby when he was tired. "I'm just nervous."

89 Werburgh Croft, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. That's what Zayn had told Isabel about fifty times on the phone while she and Niall were driving to Cheshire from Sheffield last night, but now they were here it seemed like it had all been far too easy, and Isabel stared at what must be Harry's front door with a lump in her throat.

It was a small terraced house, a tiny little front garden leading to red front door with peeling paint. There was a bike that Isabel assumed belong to Cally lying on its side in the front garden, and on the grubby windowsill, just above a withering honeysuckle shrub, was a fat ginger cat, its legs tucked under its body as it surveyed them stonily.

"It'll be okay," Niall said quietly, switching off the engine and rubbing her arm. "It'll be okay."

Isabel swallowed and nodded, smiling at Niall weakly and then finally turning to get out of the car. The pair of them negotiated the huge package out of Niall's boot and carried it carefully between them up the garden path, Isabel's heart racing so hard in her chest she could barely breathe.

She knocked on the door in the absence of a doorbell, her fist shaking as she did so, but before she could have a moment to collect herself the door swung open immediately and Ted Styles blinked at them, confused, paused in the act of doing up his tie.

"Isabel!" he said in surprise.

"Hello," Isabel smiled, accepting a one armed hug from him as she clutched the canvas to keep it upright. "We're here for Harry. Obviously."

"He's with Phoebe at the hospital, he stayed there last night," Ted explained, a polite smile plastered to his face. "Would you like to come in? He'll be back soon."

The pair of them nodded, and Ted nodded before leading the way.

"I'm just heading off to work, actually," he said over his shoulder as Isabel and Niall shuffled down the tiny corridor behind him, struggling to carry the package down a hall that wasn't even big enough for two people to stand side by side. "Jane took Callum to school, you just missed her actually, but she's at work until 5."

They made it into the kitchen and Ted turned to face them, finishing the knot of his tie and smiling again. The room was small, barely larger than Isabel's kitchen in her shared uni house, but it was so cluttered and messy and full of stuff that it felt like home instantly. Three of the walls were lined by countertops and the fourth had a large table shoved up against it, an assortment of homework and finger paintings and bank statements and empty mugs of tea littering the surface.

"Tea, you two?" Ted asked as Niall went to shove the package in the corner, promptly tripping over the cat that had followed them in and nearly tumbling flat on his face.

"Fuck, sorry!" Niall said loudly to the cat. He bent down to stroke it, cooing like it was a baby, and Isabel tried not to roll her eyes. "Who's this then?"

"Crummy," replied Isabel, at the same time as Ted said: "Crumpet."

He smiled warmly at Isabel, the corners of his eyes crinkling just like Harry's. "He's Crummy, yeah, full name Crumpet. He's older than Harry."