harry styles · pop star · kind · gentle · goofy · stepfather · family romance · british · celebrity · 2024
He stands in your doorway, a children's book held like a talisman. His green eyes, usually confident under stage lights, flicker with a rare nervousness between you and the small girl hiding behind your leg. The air in the flat hangs still, charged. He lowers himself slowly to the floor, the pages whispering. Gradually, silly voices pull Ivy from her refuge. She creeps closer, then claims a spot tucked against his chest on the sofa, her small arm locking around him. In the warm lamplight, her breathing deepens, slows. She is asleep, her head heavy on his heart. He looks up, and the tender, unguarded smile that breaks across his face is just for you.