Absence || Harry Styles AU

♱Benevolentia♱

🥀🕯

"Show me unfailing kindness like the Lord's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."
1 Samuel 20:14-15

Beneloventia - Kindness

Catalina-Rose's POV

"Boy what?"

"You heard me! One whole hour."

"A whole hour doing what Finn?"

"I don't know! I just told Father about the time I stole your five dollars and he said 'apologize to your sister, give the money back, and do one hour father.'"

"He wants you to do one Our Father Finnegan."

"I know Catalina-Rose, that's what I just said!"

"You know what...Okay Finn."

I rub my forehead aggressively as I look down at the distraught little boy. His pale cheek pressed against my bare arm as he plays with the hem of my baby blue dress. Even though he can be annoying, I appreciate my mother taking in this scruffy haired, hazel eyed boy with fair skin.

"Cata, it is your turn." Mother approaches me, her stiff demeanor does not make me uncomfortable, rather the opposite. I nod my head and nudge the sad boy off my arm.

I grip firmly on the rosary around my neck twiddling the pearl beads between my fingertips. As I trail through the pews, avoiding the soul-stripping gaze of the followers with my bottom lip between my teeth; I approach what I've been dreading all day. Stepping closer to the confession booth, I feel the heavy weight on my chest that I was determined to get rid of, suffocate me even more.

The confession booths were jet black with a glossy finish on the outside. Only three were along the white wall. Yet, even outnumbered, they ring us all by the neck. Sure, confessions should be an enlightening moment. But it can also be the most nerve wracking to let the words out.

This is only my second time going to confessions. My mother always urged me to do it more often, especially since she believes I do not confide in her with everything. I should at least ask for guidance from the man upstairs.

My fist on the beads tighten when I saw the shuffling from behind the confession booth closest to me. My heart starts to beat faster when the hand of an individual pushes past the curtains. I step back as the man releases himself from the holy abyss. His pale cheeks were flushed and his eyes were slightly puffy, painted with light pink rings around them.
I move over to the side and watch him brush pass me without a single word.

Cautiously, I step inside the dark room. The tension in the booth was thick.

"Hello father, it has been two weeks since my last confession." I release a sigh as the words pushed themselves out on their own.

"What are your sins my dear?" Father Styles coos on the other side of the booth. The glimmering light from his side sparkled beautifully on my caramel skin. I could not help but get sidetracked ever so slightly.

Taking a brief moment to collect my thoughts. I begin to wonder what have I done wrong. My cheeks tinged at the baffling fact that I did not think about what I was going to say before entering. "I-uh, it's my mother." I begin after a couple of moments.

"What about her?"

"She wishes that I become more in tuned with the church and its teachings. But I-I can't see what she sees. Every time I try and tell her this, it hurts her. Which is something I am not trying to do intentionally. The other day, she-she walked in on me kissing a boy. His name is Sterling. I suppose I like him but she doesn't approve."