𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒀𝒐𝒓𝒌 {𝑯.𝑺}

Chapter Twenty Two | Pity Party

"And your home? Your childhood?" He asked, clearing his throat. His eyes flickered down to his hands, which were folded in front of him. "Am I allowed to ask that question?"

I blinked in surprise. Deep down, a warmth spread within me. "Well, we're acquainted now aren't we?"

"I suppose so." He shrugged. "Friends, perhaps?"

"If that's what you'd like."

"I'd like that very much."

My cheeks were sore due to how much he was making me smile.

I felt silly for being so awestruck by him. But I understood why.

He was no longer Harry Styles: the gorgeous singer that everyone fawned over. Today, he was simply a human, with dimpled cheeks and a crooked smile. He was someone who blushed a lot and stared a bit too hard; a boy that had piercing green eyes, and smelled absolutely wonderful. He was kind of odd and dressed funny sometimes. In certain moments, he could be very intimidating. But today, Harry was no longer a face that I had memorized through the screen of my phone. He was so much more now that we were acquainted in person.

It was like admiring a painting from far away-knowing the gist of it and the title that it held-and then being able to look at it up close for the very first time. You were able to see the intricate details of the painting that you hadn't seen before. Getting to know Harry was like that.

"Well, my family is kind of..." I mumbled, trying to find the words. He was waiting patiently for me to speak, completely at ease. "My parents separated junior year of highschool. I had a lot of family troubles. My dad struggles with alcohol addiction."

Harry had impeccable listening skills.

He was completely tuned in to me-as if I was the only person in the world. It was rare to find people that listened to you. I knew this because I grew up in a family that managed to make me feel invisible, even though they were the very people that were supposed to make me feel the most heard.

And with my track record of zero friends at school, I hadn't come across anyone else that particularly cared for me either-not until I met Alice. Aside from her, Harry was the only one that was interested in my existence.

So it was easy to open up to him. I didn't have to think about it or feel ashamed. Harry made me feel accepted.

"My mom isn't around a lot. She's married now with someone else. I'm not particularly fond of him but she's happy, so that counts for something. I have a twin brother. His name is Aiden. He battles an eating disorder and it's not really going well for him at the moment. He's hit another relapse so he's bedridden right now." I continued, analyzing the way his eyebrows furrowed.

He sucked in a breath, tearing his gaze away from me as his eyes became misty. His Adams-Apple bobbed, teeth sinking into his bottom lip before he released it. "Mia...."

I smiled, shrugging it off. His words remained unspoken, looming in the air. But he didn't have to say them for me to understand. "It's okay." I sighed. "Sometimes life is hard and frustrating, and completely confusing. But if you can't change the one you were destined to have, then I think it's important to change your outlook. To gain a new perspective. It isn't all that bad." I smiled at him, trying not to shrink in my seat. I knew that look. It was pity.

"You take care of your brother?" He assumed, after a few moments of digesting my words.

I nodded. "Mom's distant. I think it's just her way of coping. And dad drinks, which is his escape. So Aiden doesn't have anyone. I'm all he's got. I'm all my dad's got." I exhaled softly, running a shaky hand through my hair. "I live with them both. But it's not bad all the time, Harry. It's just-"

"What about now?" He asked, lips pressing into a thin line. "It's bad now, isn't it?"

I hated to admit it.

I hated feeling like I was complaining.

But sometimes, my life really did suck.

I felt trapped. If I left, I couldn't forgive myself because I would be leaving my family to self-destruction.

But if I stayed, I was leading myself to self-destruction. And I just couldn't figure out which choice was worth the gamble.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "It's pretty bad right now."

His eyes closed on their own accord and he nodded, grimacing at my words.

I found myself bearing my soul to him.

"I'm sorry if I'm trauma dumping on you." I added.

He opened his eyes, looking at me with a hint of disbelief on his features. "You don't ever have to apologize. I like to know these things about you, even if they aren't necessarily light hearted."

I nodded, breaking our gaze and focusing on my fingers in front of me.

"I want to know more." He continues, leaning in. His voice was soft; encouraging. "If you're comfortable with that."

From my childhood to now, Harry seemed to drink in every single detail. He frowned when deemed necessary and laughed when I laughed.

By the time I was done, we had ordered three hot chocolates and two more batches of cookies. It was evening time now, right when the bakery was beginning to settle down for the day. I couldn't believe that time had passed by so fast.

"So, that's me." I concluded, exhaling heavily. My mind was buzzing. I didn't think I ever talked about myself so much.

Right when I was done speaking about my childhood, Harry dove into other topics, interrogating me about a plethora of things-from general to specific questions.

He smiled in approval to all of my answers. I liked music of different genre's and different eras but my favorite musician was Donna Summer. All of my past boyfriends had no idea who she was. But Harry's face lit up the moment I mentioned her. It made me happy.

Unfortunately, our conversation was interrupted when he got a phone call. He smiled at me apologetically before answering. I busied myself with my phone, scrolling through twitter absentmindedly as I tried not to eavesdrop on his conversation. His emerald eyes glazed over me blankly, expression neutral as he focused on his call.

Pretty soon, he was hanging up, turning to me with an exhale. "I'm sorry. That was my friend Sadie."

"The one you're staying with?" I asked, remembering that he had mentioned her earlier.

"Yes, she was just checking in. She wanted to know if I was okay." He slipped his phone back in his pocket, features lighting up suddenly. "You'll have to meet her one day, Mia. I think you two would get along great."

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of another future plan with Harry.

"Okay."

He seemed content with my answer, gaze lingering on my smile before giving a delayed nod. "Sweet."