Everything's Changed. Harry Styles.

17

Trigger Warning
Domestic Violence

***

Now

Harper

"Hey! I'm home!" I dropped my keys on the table, kicking my shoes off.

I stepped further into the house, waiting for David to respond back but he never did.

I decided to look around the house and found him sitting hunched over at the kitchen counter, his back to me.

"Hey, you okay?" I walked up next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react but he turned to look at me with and eerily calm look while pointing at something on the counter.

I looked in the direction he was pointing, seeing a vase of sunflowers. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back at David.

"What? Did you buy me flowers?" I walked to the other side of the counter, getting a better look at the vase.

"No, I didn't." He voice was level, emotionless.

"Oh, who did?"

"I don't know, Harper. Why don't you tell me?" I looked at him, seeing his calm expression turn into one of anger.

"I don't know... was there a note?" He shook his head, coming around the counter to where I stood.

"Are you seeing someone behind my back?" My breath hitched and I looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? Of course not David."
"Then how do you explain the flowers? Huh?"

"I don't know, maybe Mari sent them?" I took a step back as he inched forward, the look in his eye making me nervous.

"Why, would Mari send you flowers?" He kept coming forward and I kept stepping back.

"I've been having a hard week, maybe she wanted to cheer me up? She knows I love sunflowers." I stuttered through my sentence. He looked skeptical.

"You've been having a hard week?"

"Yeah, I uh, school has been rough. You know, the kids are ready for Christmas." I tried to laugh, but hardly anything came out.

I kept up my pace of slowly inching backwards, trying to put any space between us as he moved forward towards me again.

I hit the edge of the counter with my hip and I winced, my feet stopping as I caught my breath.

Within this time David had gotten fully in front of me, trapping me between him and the counter.

His face went calm again as he looked at me. His hand came to rest on my hip that I had just hit on the counter.

I yelped a little as he squeezed, "David, that hurts." I looked between his hand and his face but he just squeezed harder.

I sucked in a breath of air, biting my lip to keep from crying out.

He brought his face close to mine, his breath fanning over me. He leaned in as close as possible, our noses brushing together.

I tried to pull my head back but he hand tangled itself in my hair, pulling my head back.

"David, please stop."

"If I find out you're lying to me, I swear to god Harper." He spit the words out at me. I squeezed my eyes shut, my fingers gripping the counter behind me.

I felt him squeeze my hip harder before he let go all together, pushing off of me and walking away.

I heard him grab his keys and then the door opened and slammed shut, causing me to flinch.

Once I heard his car start up and pull away I dropped to the floor, my hand rubbing the back of my head.

I winced as I felt the area of my hip that he was holding, knowing it would be a bruise in the morning.

I felt my thoughts spiral, bringing me back to when I was a kid in a similar position. Broken and bruised and alone, all the time. Flinching at any loud noise, forcing herself to stay awake at night and stay away during the day. Going crazy thinking everything was her fault.

Except then, I had Harry to lean on. Even if he didn't know everything at the time, he was still there for me.

And now?

Now I'm back in the same position I was. Except now I'm older, and I should know better. And now I don't have anyone.

Mari doesn't know about my childhood and I could never tell her let alone tell her what just happened with David. She would never understand.

The only person I would want to turn to is the only person I can't.

I forced myself to stand up, wiping away the tears that had fallen. I forced my feet to carry me to the bathroom, grabbing my makeup wipes and some advil.

I took a look in the mirror, getting slapped with the face of teenage me. I looked away, I couldn't even stomach looking at myself right now.

Once my makeup was removed and I took the medicine I went back to the kitchen to grab my things, deciding to just take a shower and go to bed early.

When I went to grab my phone I looked at the sunflowers again, knowing exactly who sent them.

I subconsciously rubbed my arm where the tattoo was, more tears welling up in my eyes. I pushed them away, wiping under my eyes.

I grabbed my phone, seeing a text message.

Harry: did you get a delivery today?