Past Perfect (Harry Styles AU)

1. Disappearance

"Yoo-hoo! Anna Catherine! Over here, sweetheart!" Aunt Sylvie's voice carried above the voices of every other person in the airport. From the escalator down to the baggage claim area of Logan Airport, Anna sighed, resigning herself to living with her aunt this summer. And to think that it was only June.

"Aunt Sylvie, I'm over here," she shouted, trying without success to stem her aunt's frantic waving at the poor young girl that she had mistaken for her niece. Aunt Sylvie paused, looked around and then turned in the direction of Anna's voice. Seeing her niece at last, she beamed.

"Anna Catherine! My goodness, my eyes get worse every year. There you are. Come here, come here and give your favorite aunt a hug." Aunt Sylvie immediately enveloped her in a bear hug, which packed a punch in spite of her diminutive frame.

Hugging her back, Anna couldn't help but smile because she was her favorite aunt. Granted, she was her only aunt.

"Oh, Anna Catherine, look at you. You are a beauty queen. Are you plucking your eyebrows? They look glamorous, just like Rita Hayworth's." She pushed Anna back, turning her head by the chin to complete her perusal.

Anna grimaced at the comparison, not having any clue what century Rita Hayworth was from. Comments like that were fairly typical of Aunt Sylvie who had zero filters. A few months ago she was on Long Island visiting Anna and her Mom on the night of Anna's sophomore dance. As Anna and her date were leaving, Aunt Sylvie pulled her aside to whisper, "Anna Catherine, do you have something in your bra? I didn't think you were that big." Of course, Aunt Sylvie only thought she was whispering. The reality was that everyone in the room heard her. The other reality was that Anna did have something in her bra, and she spent the whole night with her date staring knowingly at her chest.

Luckily, since Anna knew absolutely no one in the Boston area, she didn't have to stress over Aunt Sylvie's comments damaging her reputation. Smiling and hugging her aunt more firmly she told her, "It's good to see you too, Aunt Sylvie. Hey, I only brought a carry on so we don't have to hang around here. I'm good to go."

She smiled, linked her arm with Anna's, and turned to leave. As they turned Anna was hit in the face with the subtle smell of alcohol, a consistent problem with Aunt Sylvie for the last three years. She wasn't an alcoholic or anything; at least, she didn't swagger or slur her words. She just perpetually smelled like she had downed a bottle of Robitussin. Anna's mom told her that she "self-medicated" in order to deal with Anna's father's disappearance.

Once outside the terminal Aunt Sylvie asked, "Are you hungry, sweetie? I planned on taking you to the Chowder House tonight, but if you're starving we can grab a bite in Boston first and then head out."

Anna's mouth watered at the mention of her favorite restaurant. Aunt Sylvie lived in the boondocks of Massachusetts. She claimed a Rockport address but really lived in a small fishing town called Pigeon Cove, which was about an hour drive from Boston. There wasn't much in Pigeon Cove so she had to go to either Rockport or Gloucester to find any signs of life. The Chowder House was in Rockport, about a 10-minute drive from her cottage.

"The Chowder House is good," Anna enthused, readjusting her shoulder bag and struggling to keep up as Aunt Sylvie meandered through the parking lot. Aunt Sylvie was in great shape for her age so it was no walk in the park keeping up with her. She was fiftyish with lustrous auburn-colored hair (not from a bottle, she was quick to tell anyone who gave it more than a glance) and a perfect complexion, both of which were blessedly passed on to Anna. However, that was where the resemblance ended. Anna's eyes were blue where Aunt Sylvie's were hazel and Anna was a good two inches taller than Aunt Sylvie's five foot two. Where she was rounded, Anna was slender, which had its definite downside (recall the bra-stuffing incident).