Malefactor [H.S.]

31*

Harry Styles

The decision to ask Camden to stay over last night was completely impulsive and I have no idea why I did it. It's not like I wanted to hook up with her and was looking for some poor excuse to get her to stay over in the first place. I mean, I didn't want to not hook up with her because sue me, she's hot. My point is, there weren't any sexual intentions behind my proposal.

I was just sitting there, her words rattling around in my head about being sick of Niall. Maybe I felt bad for her. I know first-hand how fucking annoying it is to be around him for extended periods of time, but living with him? I'd be in jail for murder in the first degree if I was put into her situation with no other choice.

Yeah, let's go with that. That's the reason I asked her to stay over.

I'm not sure why I asked her to come to Lilah's graduation today, either, but at least it makes a little more sense. It feels slightly more on-brand for me since I'm getting something out of it this time. Having Camden around means there's an automatic buffer between me and them; it almost feels like a get-out-of-jail-free card.

There's a knock on my bedroom door, followed by it being pushed open a moment later. In walks Camden, her hair straightened as it falls down her back in long, dark locks. She made me stop at Niall's last night so she would have something nice to wear today, leaving her standing there wearing a baby blue dress. It's pretty low cut, my eyes immediately falling to her chest. She clears her throat, forcing my eyes back up. I shrug and offer her a sheepish smile in apology.

"Yeah?" I ask in reference to her sudden appearance.

"The Uber's here. There's a landline in the room I slept in and it kept going off so I answered when I saw it said front desk. The woman on the other end told me they're waiting out front," she explains.

"Fuck, I need another minute," I say. I rush into my closet, grabbing the first pair of black boots I see and shoving my feet into them. My rings are already stacked accordingly and I never take my necklaces off so all I need now is a pair of sunglasses.

By the time I step back into my room, Camden is nowhere to be found. Assuming she's already gone to wait by the door, I shove my phone and wallet deep inside my pockets and take off down the stairs. Sure enough, when I pass through the living room, she pops out of the kitchen with a water bottle in her hand. My eyes fall to it.

"Sorry, I was thirsty," she explains, twisting the cap off to take a sip.

"It's whatever," I say, not really as bothered by the idea of her helping herself to my fridge as I normally would be. There are plenty of other, more pressing things on my mind right now, like the fact that I'm seeing my asshole parents in less than an hour. Camden walking around as if she lives here is the least of my worries.

I climb inside the Uber that's parked outside, checking to make sure it's the correct car even though that's where the building directed us to go. She slides in after me, the driver wasting no time in pulling away before Camden has the chance to put her seatbelt on. His hurried nature aggravates me, watching as she scrambles to put it on. It's not that I personally care that much about seatbelts, but she's made it a point to always put hers on. Isn't it part of his job as a driver to get us where we're headed safely?

A few minutes into the drive north, Camden peers over at me. I look back at her, wishing I hadn't the moment I catch sight of the look etched on her face. I force myself to look back out the window but it's already too late, her sighing quietly as she gets ready to speak.

"So," she begins. "Is there anything I should know about your family?"

"What?"

"Like, to prepare me, I mean." She scoots closer to me despite there being more than enough room for each of us to sit comfortably.