He's panicking.

"Harry, just breathe."

"Mum," he returns, inhaling shortly and then exhaling in the same way, "I can not."

"I don't understand what the big panic is for, Haz," his mum speaks calmly, as Harry lets out another dramatic groan and he sets his phone down onto the counter, bringing his face into his hands.

"It's Thanksgiving, Mum," he repeats as he has several times already, "maybe I should call Sophie and tell her I can't go-"

"Don't be silly," his mum coaxes him, "you'll regret it if you don't go. Just calm down."

"Easier said than done, Mum," he tells her with a defeated sigh, bringing his hands back over his face and tries to halt his nervous paces. 

"Right," she remains calm, "what - genuinely - are you so freaked out about?"

Harry exhales, biting his lip, "I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"Fine," he rolls his eyes, resting his chin in his hand. "I just think she's really nice."

"Mhm," his mum hums suspiciously, "keep going."

He sighs dramatically again, his lips twitching into a small smile as he answers, "she makes me feel so normal.. but also that it's okay not to be.." he trails off, clearing his throat in embarrassment, now, preventing himself from listing her many assets, "she's just a nice girl, Mum, that's all."

"Oh, she seems very nice, Harry," he can sense his mum's smile, and he chews on his lip.

"Am I supposed to get her a present?"

"For Thanksgiving? No, darling."

"Are you sure? What if she wants a present?" Panic begins to arise in his chest again, "Mum, I have to get her a present, she-"

"Harry," his mum cuts him off sharply, "calm down, you're starting to stress me out as well. You don't need to get her a present. Sort yourself out, and go and have a nice dinner."

"Okay, okay," he breathes, pinching his lip between his forefinger and thumb, "I have to go, or I'll be late. Dinner is in two hours."

"Okay, sweetheart. Please stay calm - it'll be fun," she sends him some final words of reassurance, and he nods a little too hastily, though she can't see him. As the call ends, he sets his phone down once more, only to receive another incoming call. 

"Hello?" his eyes widen a little at the unexpected call.

"Hey," Sophie's voice rings through the receiver. There's some shuffling in the background, before she speaks again, "just wanted to check you're not bailing on me for today."

"S'a little late, if I was," he muses, a small smile playing on his lips, "half past one." His demeanour is suddenly far more relaxed, and the nervous twitch of his lips has slowed - he's feeling good again. 

"Well, I was hoping that the later I left it, the less likely you were to cancel," she tells him, as Harry feels his grin widening. 

"I wouldn't cancel," he tells her, disregarding his panic from only moments ago. She doesn't need to know about his - minor - meltdown from a few minutes previous.

"I'm glad," she laughs lightly, "I know you're not meant to get here for a while, but - I'm kind of wasting away here, and you're pretty good company."

His cheeks go red with flattery, his teeth grazing over his lip as he bites back a grin, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she replies easily, "if you're not busy, of course."

"I'm not busy," he responds instantly, fingers fumbling with the sleeve of his sweater, as he presses his phone between his ear and shoulder while tugging his sleeves over his hands.

"Great," she sits down on the edge of her bed, "do you remember where the house is?"

"Sort of," he says honestly, "could you send me the address, again?" 

"Sure - I'll see you soon?" she looks for clarification, and once he's given it, the call ends. 

He exhales, and a few moments later a text comes through, Sophie's address enclosed. 

He ignores the rapid thumping of his heart in his chest as he slips his coat on. Under his brown jumper is a white t-shirt, hanging just below the hem of his jumper. His black skinny jeans are paired with his classic brown boots, and for a moment he debates with himself if he should put a hat on - but decides against it. He runs a hand through his hair, sighing. He's growing exhausted with his own panic. 

The walk isn't long to Sophie's house, and so it's only a matter of minutes before he's arrived. He's tempted to text her and tell her he's arrived, but he convinces himself to man up and knock on the door, staring at the floor in anticipation.

"Are you my sister's boyfriend?"

A voice far different from the one he'd expected greets him, and his eyebrows raise. It's a boy - positively with the same chocolate brown eyes as Sophie, and hair similar in colour. He briefly remembers Sophie mentioning a younger brother..

"U-Uh, I.." he trails off, blinking rather rapidly, "no, I'm not."

"Who are you then?" the small boy asks, and as Harry goes to open his mouth, the boy is shoved out of his view. 

"Sorry, H." He's now greeted with a more familiar grin, and the roll of eyes behind her naturally thick eyelashes. "Skylar doesn't know when to shut up. He knows you're here for dinner - come in."

A genuine smile now begins to grow on his face, as the door is held open for him to enter. Immediately, he's greeted with a homely smell - the smell of cooking, that practically makes his mouth water. Skylar's forehead is against Sophie's hand, as she pushes him back from taking a hit at her, and she bites back a laugh.

"Go help Mom with dinner, Sky," she laughs lightly, "you annoying little shi-"

"Sophie!" A scolding sounds from the kitchen, but it's quite obviously only light-hearted, as Sophie bursts into laughter, and Skylar sticks his tongue out at her. A small smile twists onto Harry's lips - it's so nice to watch her laugh.

"Mom, Harry's here," Sophie calls now, sending Harry a brief glance, "but we're going upstairs before dinner, so can you please keep this little rat preoccupied?"

After a little more conversation, Sophie leads Harry upstairs, and down a hallway. Harry fumbles with his fingers, teeth instinctively gripping his bottom lip in thought.

"Sorry, I was painting before you got here," she smiles, the sleeves of her oversized burgundy sweater hanging over her fingertips, much like Harry's. She reaches over to shuffle some bottles of paint aside, pulling a cloth over a large easel before he can examine the work upon it, and tucking some brushes away.

"What were you painting?" he asks, interested.

"An artist never tells," she grins, sitting down on her bed, crossing her legs, as Harry takes a seat at least half a metre away.

"I'm not sure that's a real saying," he chuckles, and she shrugs.

"It should be." She shuffles back to lean against the headboard of her bed, as Harry watches her rather closely. "I don't bite, you know," she tells him, noting the considerable distance between them.

"I know," he mumbles, shuffling an inch or two closer.

"I like that sweater," she tells him, fingers gently running over the hem of it, "we should play beer pong again so I can steal it."

He rolls his eyes with a slight grin on his lips, "Is that your new tactic?"

"No, but it definitely should be," she winks playfully, eyes falling to where his hands rest in his lap, "you haven't repainted your nails in ages."

His cheeks flush, eyebrows raising a little as he glances down at his short nails, free of colour. He had never expected her to notice that. "I lost my nail polish," he tells her honestly. 

Sophie ponders for a moment. "Did you ever paint them anything other than black?"

"No," he rubs the back of his neck, "I nicked the black from Gemma, and she didn't have much else."

Sophie stands up suddenly, heading over to a vanity in the corner of the room, and picking up a small bottle from it. "What about this?" She hands it to him.

Harry takes it in his hands, his tongue subconsciously poking between his lips in concentration. It's a soft, metallic colour, somewhere between silver, gold, and pale pink.

"S'pretty," he says in slight awe.

"Can I put it on you?" she asks, "it'll suit you."

His cheeks flush, a smile that he can't hide growing on his lips, "You want to?"

"Is that even a question?" she asks, as she takes her seat on her bed and pulls his slightly shaky left hand into her lap.

-

i'll continue that whole adorable sitch in the next chapter nEVER FEAR !!

i'm so sorry for being pretty MIA for the past two weeks. i'm really behind on updates, but LEMME COMPLAIN FOR A SEC

i had serious, serious writer's block, i'm grossly sleep deprived, i'm really sick, AND I STARTED THE PREQUEL FOR RAIN aMONG OTHER THINGS man im a mess pls what did we expect

i promise i'll try and update more frequently. thank u for being patient mwah ur all angels

aLSO i went to liam's headline london show last week?? life is fucking crazy i love that man with my whole heart

i hope this chapter, though it was really fucking boring in my opinion, was worth the wait. i love u 

- S xoxo