This Love

Chapter 87

HARRY STYLES

Three Weeks Ago

"Would it be okay if I had another slice?" Scarlett sheepishly asked, already reaching for the serving knife tucked into the shepherd's pie casserole dish.

"Of course, darling," Anne laughed, and I'm sure she was beyond shocked that Scarlett had it in her to eat so much. Even on one of her good days with her eating disorder, one hearty slice was still plenty to keep her satisfied, but then she was on her third. "I'm so glad you like it so much."

"Yeah, I want to learn how to make it, but Harry is scared I won't cook the meat all the way," she accused me with her mouth full, making me sputter on my water as my mother looked at me like I'm a disgrace.

"I never said that!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I said that it's a difficult recipe for someone who rarely cooks, but you're leaving out the part when I said I'd be happy to make it with you whenever you want to. You just don't want to."

She rolled her eyes to Anne, which made her laugh, of course. "Anyway, thank you so much for making this for me, like always."

"I'm happy to, like always," Anne took my dirty plate away, and in her absence, Scarlett nodded at me as if to silently say that we should spill the news soon. "So how is Hailey doing? And Seth and his girlfriend? I'm sorry they couldn't come."

It wasn't so much that they couldn't come, but everyone had been sort of steering clear of Scarlett in the last week and a half or so. She was still very much experiencing her mood swings and it took close to nothing for her to snap or cry. Often, it was both.

"They're all good," Scarlett answered. "Aubrey and Seth decided to move in with each other on a whim last weekend since her lease was up, and Hailey and Christian are still going strong. She's obsessed with him and he's a good boy."

"I'm glad to hear that," she started filling a kettle with water to place on the stove for tea, no doubt. "And how have things been for the two of you? I can't wait to come see the house, but it's beautiful in the photos."

"I love the house," Scar confirmed. "We ordered a bed frame and a mattress for what will be your room, and it should be there by the end of the week so you'll need to come stay with us as soon as possible."

"I'd love to," she insisted on taking Scar's plate when she stood to rinse it in the sink.

Gemma and Michal then walked through the door in perfect timing, both apologizing for missing dinner for the millionth time. Our idea to go to Manchester was so last minute that they already had dinner plans with another couple, but that ended up being for the best when Scar ate most of the pie herself anyway.

"What'd we miss?" Gem exhaled as Scarlett carefully embraced her, mindful of keeping her midsection away. Her bump was getting much harder to conceal now.

"I was just putting the tea on," Anne gestured to the couch for us to sit in the living room, where there was a plate of the cinnamon and peanut butter biscuits that Scar had requested.

"Did you two just want to get away from London?" Michal asked as we all sat down around the sectional.

"Sort of," Scarlett chuckled. "I was craving those double chocolate chunk muffins from the bakery Harry used to work at, but we also brought gifts."

Anne appeared pleasantly surprised as she started handing out mugs of tea to go with the biscuits. "Oh?"

"Yes, so please sit down," I grabbed her hand before she could go back into the kitchen and most likely start cleaning something.