Songbird [H.S]

TWENTY-FOUR

It had been a week since Harry's world fell apart and it wasn't getting any easier for him.

Each day that passed only seemed to get harder as the reality that Josephine was truly gone sank in. His eyes no longer held their usual mischievous sparkle, his skin was pale and his cheeks tear-stained as he found it hard to get out of bed most of the time and Marley noticed the boy would randomly burst into tears throughout the day. The entire Styles family was finding the loss hard but nowhere near as much as Harry.

From the moment Harry had told her about the news, Marley had been right by his side to provide a shoulder to cry on. She'd practically ran down the street at three in the morning, still in her pyjamas so that her boyfriend didn't have to go through all this alone. She had taken the week off work so that she could be there for Harry, calling his work to let them know both Niall and Harry wouldn't be available for shifts and just taking care of him. If she wasn't wiping his tears or cuddling him as he spoke about childhood memories with his grandma, she was making him small meals and gently reminding him to try maintaining his basic daily routine.

It broke her heart to see the boy she loved going through so much pain when she could do nothing about it. She just hoped that by being there for him, Harry would realise that even though he no longer had his grandma to turn to, he still had a whole lot of people waiting to love him just as much as she had.

Today was the first day Marley left Harry on his own for the day. It was something she was very reluctant to do considering he was still fragile but he had insisted she should return to work. They needed money for when the baby arrived and if they both stopped working it would only make it harder to get everything they needed. Besides, Harry was starting to show signs of improvement. Grieving was a difficult process but after wallowing in a depressive state for a week the boy was starting to realise that life, unfortunately, carried on and that perhaps keeping himself busy would be a welcome distraction.

That day, the Styles family were holding a little get together in the evening - almost like a memorial for Josephine. They were having a very small funeral where only very close family were in attendance that afternoon and then later back at their house was a wake for anyone else who wanted to pay their respects. Marley sadly couldn't attend the funeral with Harry due to work but she'd promised him she'd be at his house before the memorial started so he could be with her.

Her day had been incredibly hectic and she'd come home from work with an aching back and completely exhausted. With a couple of hours to spare, Marley was planning on going home and taking a short nap so she'd be refreshed and ready to spend the rest of the night with her boyfriend.

However, her plans were quickly scrapped the moment she'd settled into bed and it became very clear the house wasn't empty as she'd originally thought.

Her brother was home. And he had a friend round.

The sound of his headboard rhythmically rattling against their neighbouring bedroom wall was enough to make the girl huff in frustration and shove a pillow over her head to try muffling the sound. However, what really pissed her off was the low moaning coming from his bedroom that was only getting louder by the minute. Like a grumpy toddler, Marley tossed and turned with a pout as she tried to find a position that would block out the sound enough for her to fall to sleep like she desperately wanted to. When a loud, muffled groan filtered through the wall, Marley gave up. It was no use.

"I'll kill him, I swear." She grumbled to herself, letting her anger fuel her actions as she found herself storming out of her room to stand outside her brother's closed bedroom door. Immediately, she began banging her fist against the wooden surface with determination, pausing for a moment to see whether the noise had stopped. She stood, glaring at the door with her arms folded tightly across her chest, her foot tapping impatiently as the noises continued. Grumbling to herself, Marley began to bang even louder, refusing to stop until she heard silence from inside her brother's room.