Floss // A Harry Styles AU

twenty-nine

The garage had been turned into a kids club today. No one was available to look after Oscar while Harry had a day filled with operations. Zara had forced Geri to come and spend the day with us so she wasn't thinking about Owen so much, and had brought her work, Milly and Ollie along with her. And I'd planned to have Ruby with me today anyway to give my parents a break. She also quite liked being at the garage with me.

So while Ruby and Milly played with Bongo, swapping between the forecourt and the waiting room, Geri sat at the desk in my office with a napping Ollie, and Oscar hung around near me, watching what I was doing to the cars. I'd told him to stand at the side on a big step-stool, but he liked to lean over and ask questions.

"What's that?" He tapped a blue cap closest to him.

I chuckled. "Not very exciting - that's where the windscreen wash goes."

"Oh," he nodded, but he said it in such a way that made me think he'd taken the information and was storing it somewhere for later use. "What are you actually doing?"

"I'm replacing the cam belt." I pointed at the belt on the engine. "Every car has a cam belt on their engine which helps move the camshaft so that both are working together to keep the engine running. Cam belts get worn down after so long and need replacing, sometimes quicker on certain cars than on others. This car in particular," a Volkswagen Polo, "has a shorter belt life, so it needs replacing more often."

Oscar nodded, and continued watching what I was doing in relative silence. I decided to talk him through what I was doing since it seemed to keep him entertained. I'd never heard him talk so much.

At lunchtime, Geri went out with Zara, Milly and Ollie to buy us some lunch. We set it up on the forecourt, and I stripped my overalls down to tie the arms around my waist so my top half could cool off.

Zara wolf-whistled at me. "A real woman, ladies and gents!"

The children laughed at her, but I shook my head and concentrated more on the food.

Geri leaned into me and whispered, "You know you've got a massive love bite in your cleavage, right?"

I was aware. I'd forgotten about it, actually. I hoped the kids were too young to really understand what it was. "It's fine."

"Good stuff, though. It's nice to see you like this."

"Like what?"

Geri raised an eyebrow at me and then drew a heart in the air with two fingers.

I rolled my eyes, even though I couldn't deny it. I was. In love. "Have you had any more trouble from...?" I didn't say his name for the sake of her children sitting no more than half a metre away.

Her expression sombered and she gazed at her children with love in her eyes. "Not at the house, no. He still contacts me every day in bouts of aggression and sorrow and guilt. I think he's drinking."

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"It's so sad. I don't want him to work himself up this way..." She bit her lip. "Not over me. I don't want it to fuck up the kids, you know?"

I gave her a reassuring rub on the back. "I do know. But remember that you're not responsible for his behaviour, Ger. He's a grown ass man. Don't let him make you feel guilty - he is not a saint. What he did to you and August last week was completely unacceptable."

"I know." She sighed. "I wish I could just... go away sometimes. Take the kids with me and forget. But I can't do that to him. For all his flaws, he loves his children, and they love him."

"We can take your mind off it for a night, G." Zara said, having been keeping an eye on our conversation. "Girls night out, maybe in Cheltenham."

She contemplated it. "I don't know, maybe."