Cold Coffee

Chapter 18

[Sydney's POV] Being the nervous nelly I was in these types of situations, my OCD kicked in and was I constantly fixing each and every placement on the table and every picture frame around the house. I was adjusting the painting on the wall in the living room when I felt a pair of hands rest on my waist.

"Take a deep breath. Relax," Harry whispered softly. I sighed and turned around to face him and planted a soft kiss on the tip of his nose.

"I'm just nervous to meet your family, and I want to impress them," I said, resting my forehead against his.

"Sydney, my mum loves you, so she's already put in a good word. Trust me, you're fine."

I took a deep breath and kissed him sweetly. We were having a party at the new house with Harry's family and friends, and I was a nervous wreck. The doorbell rang. My eyes almost bugged out of my head and I swallowed hard.

Harry chuckled. "You're fine," he insisted, dragging me to the door. He opened it, and Anne stood on the porch with Gemma and Robin. "Hi guys," Harry said, kissing them each on the cheek as they walked inside. "Gemma, Robin, this is my girlfriend Sydney." I blushed as I smiled and said my hellos.

"So nice to finally meet you, sweetie," said Robin, pulling me in for a bear hug. This action caused laughter from the rest of the Styles family.

"I've heard such great things about you, love! Great to meet you," said Gemma, kissing me on the cheek. Lastly, Anne pulled me in for a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"The house looks wonderful, hun." I smiled and thanked her, and the five of us got settled in the living room. The rest of the guests weren't coming for another hour. Harry and I had ordered food from a caterer, so Anne and Robin went to help him in the kitchen, leaving Gemma and I in the living room.

"Sooo," she began. "Harry finds it embarrassing to discuss his love life with his older sister, so maybe you could answer some of my questions?"

My cheeks turned red. "Ermm.. yeah, sure," I said nervously.

She giggled, her laugh sounding very similar to Harry's. "Nothing too personal, just some basic facts!" I sighed with relief. "How did you meet?"

"January, in a coffee shop in New York," I said, biting my lip; I remembered it like it was yesterday.

"And how long have you been together?"

"Since February."

"Wow," she said under her breath. "How on EARTH do you keep up with him?" she gasped.

"I dunno," I said with a laugh. "He's been pretty good to me."

She giggled again. "You probably get the puppy dog side he uses on mum. I get the annoying little brother side of him." I looked over my shoulder into the kitchen, catching him pouting to Anne. "And there's a prime example," Gemma said. The two of us laughed as Harry caught us staring, flashing a cheeky grin in our direction. I could definitely see Gemma and I getting along well.