Harry Styles

The way things have changed with Renleigh made me really happy. She was so much more open to things and willing to try as she put her past to rest. She wasn't one to dwell on it so it wasn't so hard for her to let go of the thoughts. It was more so the impact that it had on her that she needed to get rid of. I knew that wasn't so easy—building up a trust in someone when so many let you down beforehand. But she was doing amazing. I was extremely proud of her.

I was spending the day with my siblings which meant no work or Renleigh for the day. Both of them were staying the weekend at my house, actually, which I was excited for because it had been a while since we got to be together for longer than a day. I missed them and still to this day, they were the ones to keep me grounded.

I picked up Olivia from school first and then because we had like half an hour to wait for Mason, we went for an ice cream. After both of my siblings were with me, I had to drive back home-home to get them clothes. I prayed and prayed that my mother would not be home because I knew my luck and that shit always played against me so I had a feeling she would be right there, waiting for us by the gates.

As I drove up the driveway, I was glad not to see my father's Aston Martin or my mother's Bentley. I parked right by the steps so we could all quickly get in.

"Alright, you have about ten minutes to get your shit and then I'm leaving," I shouted after my siblings because they literally ran up the stairs to get ready. I had a strong feeling their stuff was not packed yet. They were so unprepared sometimes.

Once the footsteps were no longer heard, I assumed they all made it upstairs so I wandered towards the kitchen. It was empty which was not something I was used to when I came here. I rarely did. The placed haven't changed since I fully moved out though, so it felt like I never left.

I opened the two-door fridge with both hands at the same time as I puckered my lips and ran my gaze through the content of it. Then closed it not a minute later because I was just curious. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and leaned on the kitchen island as I scrolled through my notifications.

Eventually, I made it to my last conversation with Renleigh and so I just decided to FaceTime her instead. I put my phone up against the packet of cookies that were on the countertop and then propped my elbows up to be able to hold my head up in my hands. When the whole unavailable shebang came up, I called her again and then once more until she picked up. I had the greatest view of her office ceiling as opposed to her stunning face.

"What do you want?" she mumbled as I heard the soft noise of her fingers pressing down on the keyboard in the background.

"Hello to you too," I said. "Just wanted to see what you were doing."

"Working," she mumbled and then faintly heard her curse before she repeatedly hit the backspace button. At least, I assumed that was what happened. "Why? What are you doing?"

"Just waiting for Livvy and Mason. They're staying at mine for the weekend and they need clothes and shit," I filled her in although I have mentioned it to her yesterday.

"Oooo," she said. "Nice."

"You sound angry, what's up?" I asked because I knew that tone. And when she used it, it didn't matter what I said as long as she dealt with it.

"I'm not going to lie, you called at the worst fucking time possible but because I'm going through a change as a person I picked up."

"After me calling you thrice."

"That's not a word so quit saying that before I block your number."

"No."

"Whatever," she sighed and then her voice faded as she walked away, heels clicking against the floor. She huffed when she sat down again and I saw a bit of her hair fling into the camera. "You know—I can't stop thinking about making friends and that's your fucking fault."

"How come?" I laughed.

"Because you planted the damn seed about it in my mind."

"I could plant my seed elsewhere," I smirked as the words left my mouth and chuckled lightly.

"You disgust me, did you know," she mumbled as she picked up the phone and I could finally see her.

Her hair was down and curled, her eyeliner black and sharp as her fake lashes waved at me from behind her glasses every time she blinked. Her lips were a soft pink colour and they were shiny which I knew was from the lipgloss she used whenever she didn't feel like wearing lipstick. Her cheekbones sat highly on her face and were contoured to perfection as were her jawline. At the same time though, she looked so much healthier than she did like five months ago.

How long has it been since we started hanging out? Damn.

"It got you to pick up the phone, did it not?"

"No," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I kind of miss you."

"Kind of?"

"That's all you are getting so don't even fish for more."

"Alright-alright," I chuckled and she smiled softly.

"I have a mani appointment in like an hour—what colour should I go for?"

"Umm... well..."

"Let me rephrase," she sighed when she noticed I was at loss for words. "What colour do you want to see wrapped around your dick?"

"Now, that completely changes everything," I said. She laughed and raised her eyebrows in question. "Well, you always do red."

"Is there anything prettier or more powerful than red?" she asked. "No. The answer is no."

"Why are you asking me then?"

"Aren't relationships about compromising and shit? I don't fucking know mate. I just did what I wanted to with Wolf."

"Yes, they are. But also, you are free to do whatever you want with me. I'm not going to control you."

"Okay stop talking about deep topics. I just wanna know what colour you want around you coc-,"

"Livvy!" I exclaimed. "Hello!" I gave Renleigh a look as I interrupted her to not finish the conversation although there already might have been parts that my little sister heard.

"Oh, fuck," Kensington chuckled from my phone as Olivia ran towards me and I picked her right up then sat her on the edge of the kitchen island. "Hello Olivia!"

"Oh—hi," she said and then turned to me and mouthed, "Who is it?"

"It's Renleigh," I answered. "You met her at Romeo's birthday, remember?"

"Oh!" her eyes widened as she picked up my phone and started to wave at my girl frantically. "Hello! You told me my hair was pretty!"

"Did I—yes, I did!" Ren saved herself quickly as she smiled at my sister. The way her mood changed from when she spoke to me to the way she did with Livvy was insane. It was like she was completely honest with me about how she felt and didn't feel like it was needed to be a certain way whereas with my sister, it was kind of like she felt as though she had to be super happy and problem free.

"You have glasses!" my sister pointed out.

"I do," Ren said. "Don't be on your phone too much or you'll end up like me."

All the way to mine, Olivia and Mason spoke to Renleigh on the phone—who eventually left for her appointment—and that was fine with me because that way, my siblings didn't have the chance to argue. By the time we got home, Kensington was due to sit down and get a new set of nails so it was kind of timed perfectly.

"Hal! Can you make us food?" my sister asked as I held her in my arms. I had her bag in my hand whilst Mason opened the front door and with that, Dax almost instantly ran into him as well.

"Sure, but you need to take your stuff upstairs first," I let her down and gave her the bag as well. Usually, they both slept in the guest room which was their room really. Then again, my sister had the tendency of stumbling into my room around midnight and asking for a cuddle which just resulted in her spending the night with me.

She literally rushed up the stairs to get rid of her things whilst my brother sat on the floor and played with Dax. The attention my dog got whenever my siblings were over was probably the best times of his life although I was sure my lovely neighbour gave him enough of it on a daily basis.

"Harry?" Mason called as I closed the door and put our shoes against the wall properly.

"Hm?"

"Can I give you an advice?"

"Sure?" I looked at him with my eyebrows furrowed and I chuckled.

"Use a yellow colour corrector on the middle of your hickey and a green one on the outsides of it if you want to cover it up because the way you put whatever you did over it is not working," he laughed and I felt the impact of the shock that hit me.

"Excuse me?"

"Just trust me," he laughed as he eventually stood up. "I'm surprised she didn't tell you."

"She?"

"Renleigh," he said. At this point, I was even more confused. And I guess he saw just how speechless I was because Mason continued. "I had a hickey during the placement I did with her and I guess she didn't want me walking around her company with it so she took care of it."

"Wow... Wow."

"I know," he said. "So, if you need the correctors, I have them here with me."

"So, you have a hickey now? From who?"

"No, I don't. But you do. I saw it when you picked me up from college but didn't want to say anything because you know how Liv is. She will start asking stupid ass questions."

"Alright-alright, now tell me who you are going out with because I'm lacking this information."

"Eh... I don't know if it's going anywhere. There's not much to tell," he shrugged. "I'm kind of tired of relationships."

"Mate, you are seventeen..."

"And you are twenty-four."

"Yes... but..."

"You are pretty speechless today," he mocked me and then walked into the kitchen. I just stood there as I listened to him wash his hands in the sink and then he walked back out. "Call me when the food's done. I'll be doing my assignment."

"Yeah- yeah, sure," I replied although he probably didn't hear it because he was long gone by then.

My girlfriend was giving advice to my brother on how to hide a hickey well and then he passed the knowledge onto me. That came as a shock to me but also something completely expected from someone like Renleigh. I couldn't really complain to be quite honest because she only had good intentions when it came to my siblings. She had shown more love and care for them in the few times she met and spoke to them than our parents ever did.

As I got over what happened, I actually began to make food for all of us. Olivia joined me soon enough and ordered me around as she sat on the kitchen island. She told me all about her day and week, actually, in about five minutes before she started to tell me how 'pretty' and 'funny' and 'amazing' my girlfriend was. She called Renleigh my girlfriend. Multiple times. She refused to address her by her name even though I corrected her with every sentence she spoke.

"Can you invite her over for tea?" she asked me excitedly.

"Livvy, she is at work. She won't be going home until you're already in bed."

"But it's the weekend and nanny lets me stay up an extra two hours," she tried to convince me.

"That doesn't change the fact that Renleigh will be tired and prefer to go to bed rather than come over," I explained. Knowing her, she was probably going to pull an all-nighter.

"Can you call her again?" she started to beg. "Pretty please, Hal!"

"Olivia, stop," I chuckled. "It's like you are more excited to talk to her than spend time with your favourite brother."

"Wellllllll," she giggled and I looked at her with a fake hurt expression. "She's so pretty!"

"I think I heard you compliment her more than me today," I pouted. "I'm not feeling very pretty."

"You are so pretty, Hal! You could be a prince!" she stated. "And then your girlfriend-,"

"Renleigh."

"-could be your princess and you could become queen and king in the end and rule the kingdom!" she carried on. "Wait... United Kingdom. Maybe you should talk to Queen Elizabeth and see if your girlfriend-,"

"Renleigh."

"-could swap with her and so she could make you her king and you could rule our country!"

"Shut up, Olivia," Mason laughed as he walked in.

"No!" she fought back. "Go away, Masy!"

"Call me that again and I'll put you in the bin."

"Oi, leave my bin alone," I interrupted. Mason actually would have put our sister in it and I knew that would have ended up messy.

"When will the food be ready?" he groaned. "Bloody starving."

"When I tell you it's done," I replied back and he huffed. "Go find something to watch."

Liv and I chatted some more about Renleigh as I cooked and Mason said he'll nip down to the corner shop for something to drink because according to him, water was not enough.

"Alright then," I sighed. "You go and get your table and sit in the living room," I told my sister as I turned off the hob. She clapped her hands as she pulled out one of those trays that had legs so it was easier to eat in bed.

I was almost done with my meal when I started to wonder where the hell my brother disappeared to which was very bad of me but I was starving and also too into the movie to notice. I decided to call him but as I dialled his number, the front door opened.

And I should have been prepared for a surprise because my brother was full of them. But I wasn't. Although perhaps this was just flat out shocking.

"What the fuck happened?" I asked in a stern voice as my eyebrows furrowed. For one, I had no idea what Renleigh was doing here and for two, my brother was... "Who the hell did this to him?"

"I have no idea," Ren answered as she walked after Mason. He took off upstairs, most likely towards the bathroom.

"Livvy, do you want more food?" I asked my sister before I went upstairs myself. She didn't even hear me because she was too focused on the telly. That allowed me to leave her alone and take the steps by two to get to the bathroom as quickly as possible.

"Ouch, fuck," Mason hissed as I neared the bathroom and then found him sitting on the toilet as Ren stood in front of him. She had a full-on work attire on, heels and all. "I'm fine, before you ask."

"Really?" I asked with a condescending tone and a grimace on my face. "So, you haven't just been beaten up, then?"

"Harry..." I heard Renleigh scold me and she looked my way for a second.

I inhaled deeply before I folded up my arms and asked. "What happened?"

"Renleigh ran over me like she did when I got an allergic reaction to weed," Mason said sarcastically. The mentioned woman stifled a laugh but they both quieted down when they didn't find me amused. "I'm alive. You can untwist your knickers."

"I don't see how this is funny, Mason."

"I never said it wa- ouch."

"Sorry-sorry," Kensington mumbled. "I don't know how to stop the bleeding and I'm not gonna lie this is making me feel a bit nauseous so-,"

"Move," I sighed as I grabbed everything that I would have needed to patch up Mason's eyebrow. "You'll have a scar here..."

"Gonna make me look tougher, eh?" he joked and I just didn't understand how. Some people might have said he only looked roughed up but never having seen my brother hurt in this way, this was considered bad in my head. "Oh, don't look at me like I should be crying."

"I just don't understand what happened."

"I got cornered. That's all," he sighed. I shook my head as a million and one thing ran through my head. He was only going to the shop down the road. He had gone to it before and he was fine which was the reason why I let him go again.

"So, they roughed you up and left?" I asked him confused.

"Took my money and then left, yeah," he added. "Doesn't matter though. I'm alive."

"How did you end up here?" I asked Renleigh as I cleaned out my brother's cut and then put a bandage over it.

"I was on my way over, actually," she sighed. I glanced at her to see her leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed and one leg bent in front of the other. "I spoke to Mason an hour ago and he mentioned that Olivia wanted to see me. So, I thought I would nip in and say hello."

"Right," I nodded. "Well, thank goodness you were there on time. Again."

She hummed in agreement and that was the conversation over and done with. I patted my brother's leg as I signalled him it was done and he could get up. I watched him look in the mirror and pucker his lips as he nodded a few times whilst he turned his head.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Renleigh asked to break the silence.

"Um... no," he answered but I didn't believe him. It was too hesitant. But I didn't push it. I knew he would just get mad at me and I didn't want to be on his bad side.

He walked away after that and I began to put the things I used away. I heard as Renleigh walked closer and saw her sit down on the toilet from the corner of my eye.

"Stop," she said softly as she pulled me towards her by the bottom of my shirt. I looked at her for a short second and then sighed as I gave in. "You seem so angry. You need to control your emotions."

"My brother got beaten up, how am I meant to react?"

"Not like it's his fault?" she asked rhetorically. "I know you are overprotective of your brother and you are not mad at him for what happened—at least I hope that's the case—but the way you glared at him I think might have made him feel ashamed for what happened and also like it was his fault."

"Whatever. I don't want to talk about this."

"Okay," she gave in which I was grateful for. It bothered me too much to even think about what happened.

"How come you're here?" I asked as we walked out of the bathroom. I flicked the lights off, too. "I mean why were you coming over?"

"I told you. I spoke to Mason before. Thought I would surprise you and Olivia."

"Right-right," I nodded as I remembered that she did tell me. "Sorry. M'just still in shock. There's always something with that lad."

"Let him live," she pushed me a bit and I chuckled. "Oh! Look," she grinned as she stretched her arms out and showed me her freshly done nails. "Red."

"As per usual," I commented.

"Well, you didn't bloody help, did you?"

"You know what you didn't do?"

"Let me guess—talk about my feelings?" I rolled my eyes at her sassy commentary and shook my head.

"No," I replied.

"Well then?"

"You haven't kissed me yet today," I said quite seriously which caused her to raise her eyebrows.

"Is that so?" she asked with an impressed facial expression. It made me smirk. Playful Renleigh was high up on my favourite sides of her. "How did you work that one out then?"

"Have we seen each other today? No. That's how," I said as I stepped closer and pulled her to me by her waist. She nodded as she smirked and allowed me to kiss her gently. I couldn't help but sigh in content, her lips felt soft and warm against my own. "Mm-hmm, much better."

"Good," she grinned at me and I chuckled as I looked at her. She was in my arms and happy. She didn't fight me or try to hide her feelings. She was open and comfortable with us being together. "Oh god, can you smell the onions on my breath? I ate like a full packet of chewy after my lunch-,"

"No," I interrupted her. "I'm just- I'm really happy."

"Wanna know something?"

"Go on," I encouraged her because the tone she used made me curious.

"I'm really happy, too."

• • •

a.n.

omg pls the connection that liv and mason have with ren is probably one of my favourite things lmao they are both so in awe of her and love her so much ok i'm gonna stop right here before i ramble again 

i know not much has happened lately like they are strangely fine and stuff but i guess you should enjoy it while it lasts cos as of right now i'm writing some action in the future chapters although whether that's to do with our couple or outsiders is definitely something to think about

but until then, don't forget to vote and comment xoxo