slipping through my fingers (h.s)

record shop rescue

"Are you sure you're going to be alright on your own?"

"Yeah, I just need to try and find something for my Dad," Lottie replied. "I'll be fine,"

When the girls were younger, it was easier for you and Harry to keep them safe from the press. You were in control of where they went and who could interact with them- but those days were long gone, with Tilly already learning to drive and Lottie coming close to sitting her GCSEs. As much as it scared you, you both knew that you couldn't always safeguard their teenage lives, despite wanting so hard to keep them in your tiny family bubble. When album release dates came up, it always seemed to get more extreme, and whilst Tilly had learnt from this, there was no way that 15-year-old Lottie was going to scrap her plans just for the sake of the press who in her own words, had 'ruined her dad's life'.

It was a busy Saturday afternoon on Carnaby Street- she knew that. But within the crowd of people, she didn't notice the group of paparazzi following her- until she closed the front door of the record shop and turned to look behind her, the flash of a camera reflecting off the glass window like lightning, only it was a clear spring day. She hoped desperately that they were following someone else and gave them time to disperse themselves whilst going up to the till after finding a Fleetwood Mac record for her Dad- but all that actually happened was that the frequency of the flashes increased.

"Oh my, it really is true," The girl serving her gasped, clocking onto Lottie's shocked gaze, her eyebrows furrowed in the same way that Harry's did when he was confused by something.

"What's true?" Lottie laughed slightly whilst slotting the record into her tote bag.

"You're Harry Styles' daughter, aren't you?"

Lottie blushed slightly. "How did you-"

The banging on the windows only got louder as she turned around to face the cameras.

"Christ alive," She gasped. Lottie wasn't usually one to be frightened of anything: whilst Tilly was much more of a nervous overthinker like you were, Lottie followed on from Harry, having a very chilled out perspective on life. But in that moment, as she bit her lip, she began to feel a pit growing at the bottom of her stomach. There was no way she was getting out of that shop by herself.

---

"Daddy, please," she muttered, listening to the dial tone on her phone for longer than she would have hoped. Finally, a deep muffled voice answered.

"Hey princess, you okay?" Harry exhaled, his voice still tainted with tiredness after a long day at the studio.

"No," Lottie sobbed slightly.

"No? What's happened, baby?" He said, his tone changing suddenly to a panicked one. Lottie barely ever cried, and whenever she did, it always meant that something was very wrong.

"I don't know what to do Dad," She began to cry. "I'm in this record shop, and all these paps are waiting for me outside, and I'm trapped in here, and I-"

"Don't cry, baby," He sighed. "I'm coming, okay? Send me your location on text and I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?"

----

The rover juddered slightly as Harry put his foot down far too quickly when he pulled off the drive, his hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, dark Gucci sunglasses shielding the frown that was on his face. You and him had always agreed that no matter what, you would never let them upset your little girls. They'd crossed the line.

Harry almost knocked out one of the men standing next to the car as he opened the door after he had parked up at the side of the road. He didn't care. He could only just make out his daughter's shaking frame through the distorted glass windows, her eyes widening as she noticed him making his way through the crowds of people outside.

"Hey Harry, is it true that one of your daughters is dating Louis Tomlinson's son?"

"Fuck you," he grunted as he pushed the door open.

As soon as he put his arms around Lottie, she burst straight into tears, black mascara trailing down her face.

"Hey, now," He breathed softly, running a hand through her long brown curls. "It's all alright, I'm here now, you're safe,"

"I can't," She sobbed. "Go out there,"

"Well you're going to have to at some stage, aren't you poppet?" He sighed. "But you've got me with you, okay? You just stay close to me and keep your head down, okay? Here,"

He took off his sunglasses and put them on her face, tucking her hair behind her ear as he did.

"You don't even have to look at them, see? Now let's get you home,"

He tucked his coat around her as they marched through the crowd, and he quickly opened the car door for her to get in, before he got in the driver's seat and rolled down the window.

"Harry, why are you being so aggressive? Something's bothering you? Your marriage?"

He rolled his eyes. "You stay away from my daughters. Follow me around all you want, but you stay away from my girls, you hear me? They didn't sign up for this," He shouted, before closing the window.

Harry turned around to take in Lottie's wide-eyed gaze, rubbing soothing circles across her back, rain beginning to lash at the bonnet of the rover. Her body sunk into the leather passenger seat slightly at his touch.

"I'm okay, Daddy," she whimpered slightly. "Just wasn't expecting that,"

"I know baby, and it's not fair, is it?" He sighed, gazing at her over the top of his sunglasses. "I'm sorry you have to go through all of this because of your Dad and his silly songs,"

A small smile graced her lips, dimples forming on her cheeks in the same places as Harry's did.

"They're not silly, Dad," she giggled. "I love them,"

His green eyes lit up. "You do? What were you doing in a record shop, hmm?"

"I can't tell you," She laughed, putting her hand over her mouth to reveal her green painted nails. "I got you something, I'm not telling you any more than that,"

"You didn't need to do that, poppet," He smiled. "But I am excited to see what it is,"

She smiled slightly again, as he reached over to kiss her cheek.

"Lottie baby, remember a while back when me and your Mum said to you about going out when I'm releasing new music,"

Lottie grunted slightly. "Daddy, I'm not a prisoner, I want to go out,"

"I know you do, babygirl," He exhaled. "But all I want for you is to be safe when I'm not here, okay? So please, promise me that you won't go out on your own, not until this blows over a bit,"

"But Tilly can-"

"I've said the same to your sister," He cut her off. "I know you hate it, and I would too, but I don't want these crazy people to be following you and making you upset again, hm? It breaks my heart, so you need to promise me, okay? Just for a little while,"

She frowned at him, her lips pouted, and he mimicked her face, before breaking into a smirk, and she began to laugh again.

"Okay, fine, I promise," She moaned.

He took her hand in his, holding it up to his lips, before kissing it softly.

"Thank you, Lottie baby," he smiled. "And if something does happen, you know I'll always be there, don't you?"

She nodded, now beginning to fiddle with the radio stations on the dashboard.

"I love you, Lottie baby," he beamed, before turning the keys in the ignition and setting off, leaving the crowd of cameras far behind them.