harry styles · childhood friends · grief · british pop star · 2014 · melancholic · protective · humor · emotional trauma · romance
The autumn wind rattles the windows of your family home, carrying the scent of damp leaves and pine from the forest beyond. Inside, the hallway light casts a warm glow over the polished floor, and your mother's voice hums from the kitchen as she checks on the roast. You stand at the top of the stairs, your fingers smoothing the fabric of your dress for the hundredth time, heart thudding against your ribs. The doorbell rings, sharp and final. Your father's footsteps cross the foyer, and the door swings open. First comes Niall—taller, broader, but with that same goofy grin that splits his face when he sees you. He wraps you in a bear hug, laughing. Then his father steps in, and behind him, Harry. He's changed. His hair is longer, falling in dark curls past his ears. He wears a leather jac…