slipping through my fingers (h.s)

late night (boy) talking

Tilly had always embraced routine. Whether it was her skincare routine, her warm up routine for gymnastics, her morning routine or her night routine- she couldn't go without them, and had been this way since she was as little as you both could remember, Lottie surprising you by being the complete opposite and doing everything on impulse in the same way that Harry did. He had just finished up a long song-writing session and was making his way out of the studio you had set up for him downstairs when he noticed the light shining through the small crack between Tilly's bedroom door and the doorframe, along with the soft hum of a sad song coming from her laptop speakers, and he knew something was off. He always knew when something was off with his girls, it was just his thing, as if he was constantly in tune with their emotions and had some telepathic link to them. He peered down at his watch, his reading glasses slipping slightly further down his nose as he did. Tilly was never awake past midnight, yet the dainty hands told him clearly that it was close to one in the morning. He scratched at the patch of stubble beginning to grow on his chin, because he never shaved when he was hyper-fixated on writing new music. Or cut his hair for that matter, which was touching his chin again. His cheek was now rested against the doorframe, and he knocked softly, before letting himself in.

Her room was a mess- completely different from the neat and ordered state she religiously kept it in. Although it was barely illuminated by the soft glow of her bedside lamp, he could see clothes scattered all over her pink window seat, pillows strewn all over the floor, six different half empty bottles of water on her bedside table, tissues scattered across her bed and finally her, wrapped under the covers dressed in one of his old hoodies.

"Go away, Lottie," She hissed, her words muffled slightly as her head was buried into her pillow.

Harry snickered a bit at that, putting on a high-pitched voice in an attempt to mimic his youngest daughter. "Fine, I'll go, god you're so mean,"

She lifted her head up slightly as soon as she realised that it was him, revealing a huge black mascara stain on her pillowcase as she did. As soon as she saw him smile hopelessly at her, she burst into tears yet again, coughing slightly from the force of her sobs.

"Hey baby," He whispered, holding her shaking frame in his arms. "What's got you all upset, hmm? You're going to make me cry,"

"Daddy, I can't, I just, I-"

"You take your time, sweet angel," He soothed, rubbing his hand in circles across her back. "I'm here to listen when you're ready,"

"He said no," She sobbed. "He said no, in front of everyone,"

"You're joking," Harry cackled. "How could anyone turn you down?"

"Well, obviously," She began to catch her breath again. "I'm not pretty enough for him. He probably thinks I'm ugly, because I am,"

"Whoa, hey," Harry warned, taking her chin in the palm of his hand and forcing her to look at his eyes. "Don't you dare say that about yourself, Matilda Gemma, because you know it isn't true,"

She scorned slightly at hearing her full name. "But it is true,"

His eyebrows raised further up his forehead, a line forming in the middle of them like it always did when he was irritated.

"I think we need to look at getting you another eye test," He sighed. "You obviously can't see properly, if that's what you believe,"

"I can see, Daddy," she snapped. "You're just saying that to make me feel better, like you always do,"

"You know that's not true," He replied, sweeping a strand of blonde hair from out of her eyes. "Do I ever lie to you, baby?"

"Sometimes," she began to smile slightly. "Last time we went to the dentist, you said it would be fine, and then they said I needed a filling, remember,"

He almost snorted at that, but put his hand over his mouth to avoid you getting out of bed to moan at him about keeping you up so late. He held his hands up in defeat.

"You got me, Tilly Gem," he giggled. "But I mean about serious life things."

"That was serious!" She moaned, her lips pouted slightly.

He had stopped himself from laughing now, but his dimples were still showing.

"I know, I know," he replied. "But teenage boys are stupid. I mean, I know, I was one, many years ago,"

"When you had that stupid haircut," She mocked.

"Yeah, maybe- actually, that's quite rude, you know," he scolded, but his lips were still set in a smile. "It wasn't my best haircut, but I had more hair than I do now, so that's something,"

That made her laugh, and as she did, he reached down to swipe the leftover smeared mascara from under her eyes.

"Why do you need a boy to tell you you're pretty, hmm? What makes this 'rupert' or whatever his name is, so special? I bet he's punching," He laughed.

"But Daddy, he plays rugby,"

"Ooooh, he plays rugby," he cackled. "But is he going to write you songs, like your Daddy does? Can he even sing like me?"

She stared into space for a second, trying to justify all her reasons for being upset, but they were beginning to fall away.

"That's not fair, Daddy," she sighed. "No one sings like you,"

"That's very kind, Tilly Gem," he smiled. "But you shouldn't like a boy because he can sing, or because he can play rugby, or because he drives a Mercedes, or any of those things. You should like him because he's nice to you, and he cares about you, and he treats you like you're the most important thing in his life. That's what you deserve,"

Her eyes lit up slightly, although they were still glossy. "Do you think?"

"Yes," he nodded. "And if he embarrasses you in front of people, or he makes you upset, or he makes you feel like you should change things about yourself, then he's obviously not the right one, is he?"

"Maybe you're right," She leaned into his arms, feeling his stubble scratch against her cheek.

"The right guy will come, baby," he smiled. "Don't waste your time on guys who make you feel like shit, you're too young for all that rubbish,"

He tucked the covers in over her, making sure her shoulders were fully covered, before reaching over to switch off her lamp.

"And you should really wear your glasses more," He giggled, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead, before approaching the door. "Because you and Lottie are the most beautiful girls in the world, and the best thing that has ever happened to me,"