Moon Tower

22.

this chapter has been edited and updated. enjoy!xx

The day after picking up Gemma and Anne was spent in my apartment, mostly by myself. Thankful that last night's dinner went off without a hitch, I was more than okay to let Harry spend the day with his family on his own.

Like I had told Gemma that afternoon, my parents drove up to LA to have dinner with us, bringing our families together for the first time. Not that I worried that everything would go terribly wrong, but when I saw my mom talking animatedly with Gemma and Anne and Harry catching up amicably with my father, I released a small sigh of relief, and I was able to enjoy the rest of the night.

I thought I had done a good job of masking my inexplicable worries through wide smiles and attentive ears, but Harry must've sensed some of my anxiety. Throughout the night, he would take my hand and squeeze it affectionately under the dinner table, or shoot me a reassuring smile that lit up his whole face in between conversations.

The night ended with everyone going their separate ways, my mom and dad back to Orange County, and Gemma, Harry, and Anne back to Harry's house. Harry tried to convince me to meet them back at his place, but I declined under the guise that he should spend some quality time with his family. There was sincerity behind those words, but a bigger, perhaps sillier, part of me felt slightly embarrassed by the idea of Harry and I sharing a room while his mom was under the same roof. I'd only just met Anne, and I didn't want to make any wrong moves while she was here. Staying at my apartment when sleeping over at Harry's most days was the norm for me might have been a little extreme, but I wasn't going to leave anything up to chance. I think Harry saw right through me, but he didn't fight me on my decision to go home alone, just promised to call me later as he walked me to my car, kissed me goodnight, and sent me on my way.

He did call later that night, and we stayed up longer than I cared to admit, but only because he had a special request for me.

I was a little surprised when Harry asked if he could email me a digital copy of his album, and if I would listen to it and report back to him with feedback. His request caught me off guard because I would've thought he would want to be with me when I listened to it for the first time, but when I asked him, he said it was easier for him this way.

***

"You told me you would give me an honest and unbiased opinion if I ever needed one, remember?" Harry said into the phone.

I was silent on the phone for a moment, trying to recall when and where I said that. It didn't take me too long, I remembered the night Harry opened up to me about worrying what others might think of his new music, and I remembered telling him that I would give him my opinion if he ever wanted it. More and more Harry impressed me with his memory and his ability to recall even the smallest moments we've shared in the six or seven months we'd known each other, and more and more my heart endeared itself to him.

"I did say that, didn't I?" I asked. "Alright, one unbiased opinion of Harry Styles' upcoming album coming right up."

"You're the best. I love you," Harry said, breathing out a relieved sigh.

"I am, and don't you forget it," I chuckled. "Should I listen to it while you're on the phone? How do you want to do this?"

Harry explained that it would be greatly appreciated if I listened to the whole thing on my own and then call him back with my thoughts, so that's exactly what I did. It made me wonder if that was why he didn't insist on me staying the night at his place, but I pushed that thought aside to make room for focusing on his album.