within the meadow √ h.s.

e i g h t

delilah and harry had a lot in common, but they were still opposites. they both loved being outside with the fresh air and life surrounding them, but the seasons they preferred were different. harry loved spring when everything was fresh and vibrant. delilah loved autumn when the air cooled and nature calmed down. they both loved dogs, but harry preferred long haired and delilah preferred short haired.

they figured that all out on the date, and delilah learned that harry was an only child and he learned that her family was quite large and complicated. dates didn't really become a priority for them.

"if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?" delilah asked as harry sat with a pencil between his lips while he furrowed his eyebrows at the sketch he was trying to complete.

harry had asked delilah if he could draw her that day because something about that specific day had harry's hands craving to capture what his mind saw when he looked at delilah's glowing skin and messy curls while she sat in the field of flowers with a smile on her face.

"hm, probably greece," harry mumbled with the pencil still stuck in his mouth.

"did you know that greece is roughly the size of alabama? and about seven percent of all of the marble in the world comes from greece," delilah added while staring up at the sky.

delilah released her tongue she held when it came to facts. harry grabbed the pencil out of his mouth and looked at her with wonderment. he knew she read a lot, but he never knew she absorbed so much pointless information from her books. he loved this part of her that she finally let him see, and he grew even more admiring of her.

when she saw him gazing at her rather than drawing, her cheeks heated up and she smiled to ease the awkwardness she felt she created. "what?" she almost whispered.

"you're just so damn cute," harry smiled and picked the pencil back up to continue his sketch. delilah's cheeks began hurting from the large smile that wouldn't leave her face as the sun warmed her skin and harry captured every detail.

an incessant ringing led to delilah shuffling to find her phone and when she answered and spoke for a moment, delilah shot up from her seat on the ground and hung up after repeating that she was on the way.

"i'm so sorry, harry. i have to go, my brother's girlfriend just went into labor," delilah said in a rush as she gathered her few belongings from the floor.

"oh, how exciting. do you need a ride to the hospital?" harry asked standing as well.

"no, no. it's at least a two and a half hour drive, thank you so much for offering though," she said.

"are you sure? i don't mind at all," harry insisted.

"oh, what the heck. let's go," delilah smiled as they hurried to harry's car and left the meadow.

+

in no way was harry prepared for the complicated details of delilah's family, so when it finally hit her that he would possibly be learning more about her than she was ready to share, her stomach twisted with discomfort. there was worry in her lungs and fear on her shoulders as they pulled into a parking spot at the hospital.

delilah knew harry was wonderful, and she never felt judged when she was with him, but she didn't want that to change if he were to learn more about her past.

delilah walked up to the receptionist with a smile, asking for her brother's girlfriend's room number. "hi, could you tell me what room rosalie daniels is in please?"

the receptionist smiled. "may i ask what your relation is to the family?"

"i'm the father's sister," delilah responded only to be met with a confused look on the lady's face. delilah already knew why the lady had furrowed eyebrows and slightly squinted eyes in thought and suspicion, she was used to it. "adopted."

harry heard delilah clarify this and was shocked. he was sure this wasn't how he was meant to find out, and that's why delilah had an uncomfortable look on her face when she said she was adopted.

when they finally got the room number after delilah added that harry was with her, they made their way through the halls in silence. delilah knew harry heard her and hoped with everything in her that her life wouldn't come unraveling all at once and hoped she could contain an ounce of control that she lacked throughout her life.

"i-uh i just want to warn you that the twins are a bit of pranksters," delilah said softly in front of the door. "last time i saw them i was the victim of one of their worst pranks. they're super sweet, but just don't let your guard down around them."

harry chuckled before delilah pushed open the door and the six people standing around the bed turned their heads quickly before running up and embracing the small beauty in a sundress next to harry. he realized why the woman at the front desk appeared baffled when delilah said she was a sister because she looked absolutely nothing like them with her curly hair and darker complexion. she could really only slightly resemble the older woman who harry assumed was her mother, but he assumed it was a coincidence.

delilah introduced harry to her family and they welcomed him without question and were just happy that delilah actually had a friend she was willing to introduce to them. she made her way to the bed where a tired yet beautiful woman laid cradling the newborn that brought everybody to the hospital that day.

"congratulations, rosalie. she's so beautiful, i'm so happy for you two," delilah said hugging both her brother, gabriel, and his girlfriend, rosalie. harry congratulated the two and stood against the wall next to the other siblings.

the twins that sat in the only two chairs in the room next to harry stood up and offered him their seat, which he foolishly took. when he sat in the chair he didn't realize that the twins had left an open pudding cup on the seat he took, so when he plopped down quickly on the chocolate pudding, it was too late and the sweet had already been splattered on harry's bottom making him shoot up while the twins laughed and high-fived.

"toby! caleb! you just met him and you're already pulling your stunts on him?" laura, delilah's mother scolded while she stood at the end of the bed. delilah looked over at harry and sent glares at the twins and made her way to him. she apologized multiple times before harry assured her it was no problem.

"we were welcoming him into the family!" caleb defended.

delilah had a napkin in her hands that she handed to harry before he furiously began wiping his pants. when delilah's sister, malia, walked out of the en suite, delilah pushed harry in so he could clean himself up.

since harry was from a completely different world, he never had siblings to argue with or tease, so as he cleaned himself up he had a faint smile on his face because this is the type of family harry was always interested in, even though he was grateful and loving of his own.

baby amelia was welcomed into the torres family the same day as harry. delilah torres and harry styles drove back that night with sweet thoughts and bright eyes before they went their separate ways to different lives.