My Sunflowers

Little Lies

Charlie's back was to me but I turned my back to him and faced Harry, just in case. It had been years since we last spoke or even seen each other, things were said, on his part and not left on good terms. I tried to be civil for a while but he would just look at me and stare.

"DJ?" Harry said down to me and I cringed. Harry didn't know who the man in front of him was. How could he? I only just told him the man existed today.

"DJ?" Charlie asked behind me. I looked up at Harry, bringing a small smile to my face before turning around to face Charlie. Five years had aged him only slightly, but he was definitely different. Five years of walking on eggshells and avoiding everything and all that had to do with the name Charlie Crist. And here he was. Green collared and beige pullover sweater, dark jeans, early greying hair, and glasses just like my father, and a very pregnant blonde wife.

"Charlie," I said, slightly sighing his name.

"Oh my god, look at you!" He said, grabbing me to him. A sound escaped my lips and I was sure my mouth was forming a visible circle. "I don't think I would have recognized you if..." Charlie pulled back from me, his hands finding my shoulders. His eyes found the man that said my name in the first place. "If... I know you from somewhere..."Charlie squinted at Harry. Harry stepped a little closer to me placing his hand, once again on the small of my back. If I wasn't nervous before I defiantly was now, but it was already happening.

"Oh yeah well. I'm Harry," he said, his accent even more so than when he spoke to my father. Harry knew who this was now. Knew there is some trauma for me there. Harry was asserting dominance.

"Oh my god!" A light shriek came from behind Charlie, causing me to jump. Harry's hand moved from my back and found mine, intertwining our fingers. "Harry Styles?" Lucy, my brother's wife, pushed past him so she could get closer to us. The line was moving but we were t the back so no one cared that we weren't. "DJ is your sister?" Lucy asked Charlie, smacking his chest with her French-tipped hand.

"You knew this, woman!" Charlie said, making a face at her and covering his chest in self-defense. Something made me think, she wore thee pants in that house.

"Yes, but I didn't know it was this DJ," she replied. In all fairness, I didn't know what she looked like either. Her eyes flew from Harry and back to me and I knew we were in for it.

"What do you mean?" He asked, still confused. Lucy turned to him, clearly annoyed that he didn't understand the nonsense she was spewing.

"Oh my god, Charlie! You clearly don't listen when I talk," she said stomping her foot. "This is Harry Styles. The only man I would ever leave you for. Harry Styles!" She shrieked, motioning to Harry. I looked up at Harry and he was already looking back. He shook his head and chuckled under his breath.

"Oh shit. So I do recognize you. Holy shit, dude. My wife is obsessed with you." Charlie began to laugh. Only stopping when Lucy's hand once again landed on his chest. With a smack hard enough even I could feel it. Never thought I would ever see my biggest childhood bully, get bullied himself.

"Charlie!" Lucy growled but slightly softened as she turned back to Harry. "My best friend, Shonda, and I got tickets to see you in San Antonio. It was one hell of a night." She motioned herself drinking. Harry cringed but she didn't notice.

"Well, I'm glad you had a nice time. Thank you for coming," Harry said, always a gracious man.

"You know, but what I'm curious about is why you're here?" Her question surprised me. I wasn't sure if she meant it as here right now or here with me, but I up at Harry, my eyebrows raised. Harry was squinting back at her. "You guys had this totally cute meeting and you were together?" She asked but immediately continued. "Then you for sure weren't together. Then you may have been together again but then all of a sudden you're actually seeing Olivia, who left her fiancé for you. And during all of that, there was no sign of DJ. But then I find you here? With DJ. What's actually going on?" She finally stopped and she was slightly gasping for air. My eyes were glued to her and I knew the rest of my family were as well. The whole garage was silent. Everyone had heard what she said and I cursed myself for not looking at the tabloids. I was naive and had no idea what was going on with the father of my child when he left our home. I pulled my eyes from her and brought them to Harry. My hand slipped from his. Tears breached my eyes, and I could see the worry in Harry's.