Songbird [H.S]

FORTY-ONE

"Lovie, are you nearly ready?"

Harry's voice trailed through the house from Josie's nursery where he was changing the girl into a clean onesie after a bit of a nappy explosion. The baby girl had been quite fussy that afternoon, needing constant cuddles or she'd burst into tears so Harry had taken it upon himself to snuggle with Josie while Marley went upstairs to get ready for their little date night.

It had been a few days since Marley had spoken to the kind lady at the park and since then she'd opened up to Harry more about her anxiety. The boy had listened intently as the teenager revealed her bad dreams and how the thought of Matty coming to break up their family only made her anxiety worse. He had kissed her softly, holding her tighter at night and promised her that they would work on helping her confront the anxious thoughts together.

Since telling Harry about everything, Marley found herself able to relax a little easier. She was no longer hiding how she felt from her boyfriend for fear of stressing him out and while her dreams still continued, they were less frequent and Harry was able to comfort her. Every time she woke with a start, frantically searching for her daughter, Harry was there to cuddle her and place a sleeping Josie into Marley's arms. He'd also stopped taking Josie out of her cot without Marley knowing which had helped drastically.

The teenage boy had suggested the couple spent the evening together, having a relaxed date night while Louis looked after Josie. He thought it would be good for Marley to have a night off without any sort of worrying, plus, it would help her get out of the house to confront her anxiety a little more. At first, she'd seemed a little apprehensive when Harry suggested it but after taking the day to think about it, she thought it would be good to spend some time alone with Harry. Everything had revolved around Josie since she had been born and tonight they could focus more on their relationship.

"I'm just getting changed and then we can go!" Marley called out in reply to her boyfriend's question, pulling on a pair of black flared trousers. Harry had insisted on them having a casual night, both of them not really into fancy restaurants so Marley had kept her outfit quite simple with a white shirt, knitted cardigan and black flares. Her hair tumbled down her back in loose ringlets and her makeup was left minimal with some nude eyeshadow and a bit of lipgloss to add some colour to her look.

"Shit, lovie. You're so fucking beautiful." Harry cursed the moment he entered the bedroom, Josie snuggled sleepily against his chest. "If only there weren't young ears present, I'd say what I'm really thinking."

The boy's lips curled into a cheeky smirk as a light blush dusted Marley's cheeks a light pink. She knew exactly what he was implying but tried to play it cool, knowing that Louis would be arriving any minute. Anyway, she'd be lying if she said she hadn't felt a similar way when she saw Harry stroll into the room in his tight denim flares and silk blouse, half unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows.

Despite the chill lingering in the air, Harry insisted on keeping his sleeves rolled up to display the fresh ink on his forearm. He'd been adamant about getting a tattoo for Josie and worked closely with Zayn to come up with the perfect design, settling on a small sunflower in the midst of his patchwork sleeve with the words 'my little sunflower' in cursive writing incorporated into the stem of the floral design. It was sweet to see him proudly showing off his tattoo, needing everyone to know how much he adored his daughter.

"Don't get yourself all worked up, Bambi. We don't have time for you to be needing a cold shower before we leave." The teenage girl smiled, patting Harry on the back as she went to take Josie from him. He rolled his eyes playfully as there was a knock on the front door, moving to go downstairs and answer it so Marley could savour the last few cuddles with Josie before they had to leave.