flower. h.s ✔️

sixteen.

The distinct ringing of a video call danced around my room as I sat waiting and listening to Hozier's soft and beautiful voice filled the room.

When Max finally answered my text and we set a time I assumed that he'd answer my call promptly, but when did my brother ever do anything expected of him?

I shook my head as I looked through some of the papers on my desk to kill some time, I had several case studies that were due in the next few weeks and I suppose I should actually do more than the several paragraphs I currently had.

The sound of the call connecting made me look up, the screen of my laptop now filled by the bright white wall of my brothers flat and his almost unfamiliar face in the centre of it and I smiled brightly.

"Hi!" I beamed watching as Max rolled his eyes but smiled never the less.

"Hi Pops. Fuck me you look like Mum more and more every day." Max swore and my smile faltered slightly.

My eyes drifted away from the screen and towards the photo frame alongside it on the desk, finding Mum's smiling face easily and I swallowed.

I laughed awkwardly, I didn't think we looked anything alike, we had the same eyes and that was about it. Oh and we were both brunettes but by that standard, Harry and I would look alike.

"How are you? How's things?" I asked instead, watching Max as he was momentarily preoccupied with his phone before he looked back towards me.

"I'm good." He shrugged, "Same shit different day, you know how it is."

"How's New York?" I tried again and received a long look from him.

"Busy and loud. Exactly what it was like ten years ago." Max gave me a pointed look and I frowned.

"I was eleven! How am I supposed to remember that far back." I laughed slightly, "Are you coming home for Christmas?"

"Jesus Pop its only October." Max groaned and I pouted.

"I haven't seen you in almost three years! I miss you!"

"Yeah well unlike some people I have an actual job and not some college course I can piss about with." Max snapped and I flinched back in my chair.

"Yeah because getting a job in a company your Father owns and runs isn't peak nepotism." I snapped back making Max roll his eyes.

"It's university, not college. But you'd know that if you were here."

Maybe it was best that Max wasn't here, we seemingly did always bring out the worst in each other, but wasn't that was siblings were meant to do?

The two of us sat in silence for a few minutes, I had no idea what Max was doing but I kept my eyes firmly pointed away from the screen as I crossed my arms over my chest. I wonder what Harry's doing right now.

"I'll try to come home for Christmas."

My eyes snapped back to the screen to see Max looking at me, his brows furrowed above his eyes and I immediately felt bad for being mean.

"Would be nice." I said, a smile forming on my lips.

"Hey so I heard you're being baby sat." Max smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"It's stupid."

"Is it a man?" Max asked and I gave him a pointed look. "Course it is, when did Dad ever think a woman could do things?"

"Harry."

"Huh?" Max grunted and I rolled my eyes at him in sort of good nature.

"The guy who's living with me. His name is Harry." I explained watching as Max nodded and with the mention of Harry, I remembered Liam. "Oh! I saw Liam the other day, he says hi."