Bring It, Bitch ➳ Harry Styles {completed and editing}

Chapter 36: We All Need a Little Bit of Love

Rayla's POV

We pulled up to an ice cream shop that had been sitting in the same place for as long as I could remember. I remember my dad used to take me here before his company hit it big and he didn't have time for me anymore.

The little bell above the door rang as we entered, making me smile. It reminded me of how I, as a little four year old, used to run in and out the door constantly just so I could hear the bell ring.

An older woman stood behind the counter, smiling sweetly as Harry and I approached her. "Hello. What can I get you today?" Her voice was soothing and kind, reminding me of a nice, loving grandmother.

"What do you want?" Harry asked me, motioning to the various flavours of ice cream that sat in the tubs in the counter in front of me.

"Um...just one scoop of lychee and one scoop of mango." The lady nodded and started scooping my ice cream.

"Interesting flavours," Harry mused, clasping his hands behind his back. "I'll be a little bit less adventurous and go for two scoops of chocolate."

"No problem, hon." The lady hummed as she got our ice cream. "So what have you kids been doing with your day?"

"Just hanging out, driving around town," I said as I tried not to laugh. Harry jabbed me with his elbow and tried to hide a smile of his own.

"That sounds so nice. I remember enjoying days like that with my husband when we still dating," the woman reminisced, a nostalgic smile spreading across her face. "You two are a cute couple, really."

"Uh, we're not-"

"Oh, um, we're not dating," Harry and I both protested at the same time, nervous lips escaping our mouths.

The woman smiled anyways, a knowing smile that made me wonder what was going through her mind. "I see. Sorry about that."

"It's okay, we get that a lot," Harry replied, probably thinking back to how Louis made the same assumptions back at the party.

"That'll be five pounds and fifty two pence." [A/N Idk if that's right I just took a guess]

I reached for my wallet but Harry stopped me, a soft smirk playing on his lips.

"You didn't think I was going to let you pay, did you?"

"At least let me pay for my own," I protested. Harry shook his head and handed the woman a bill and a few coins. I pursed my lips but Harry simply smiled.

"Don't hate me because I'm buying you ice cream."

I rolled my eyes playfully and took my ice cream when he held it towards me. We sat down at a booth and started eating, the sweet taste of the ice cream spreading through my mouth and igniting the memories of my dad.

"I used to come here all the time with my dad," I murmured, digging my spoon into the scoop of mango ice cream.

"Used to?"

"Yeah...when I turned nine my dad's small company finally started to gain some momentum and  he didn't really have time to spend with me anymore."

"That's too bad."

I shrugged and took another bite. "I've come to accept it over the past several years."

"My mum and my dad divorced when I was seven. I don't really see him much," Harry said, kind of sullenly.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, but he shrugged just as I had.

"I'm like you. I've come to accept it."

"Do you ever wonder what life would be like if he was still there?" I asked carefully, not wanting to upset him.

Harry stared at his ice cream thoughtfully before speaking. "Well...I guess I have. I imagine that I wouldn't be like I am now."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, frowning.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I mean that I wouldn't be the guy who's known for sleeping with a lot of girls and who's grades aren't exactly the best. You've said it more than once yourself, I'm an asshole."

"I was angry with you when I said that," I countered, but Harry shook his head.

"But you were right. I was an asshole to you. You called me scum, womanizer, but you know why I never protested against what you said? Because I knew you were right. I didn't want to admit it to your face, but you were right. I wonder maybe if I had had a father figure there to guide me I wouldn't have acted like that all the time. My mom does a wonderful job taking care of me and teaching me to be decent, but I always rebelled because that's what felt good to me. That's what made me feel free. Having both sides of your parents there to raise you is important, you know?"

"I guess it is," I murmured, swirling my spoon around in my cup. The small amount of ice cream I had left was slowly being reduced to a mango ice cream soup. "I had both of my parents, but I feel like part-way through they just half-assed it and stopped caring so much."

"What do you mean? Look at you, you're one of the top students in the school, you're smart, you've got your life pretty much planned out-"

"I was a mistake," I blurted out, cutting him off. "I wasn't even supposed to be born. My dad was happy that he was going to have a daughter, but I don't think my mom was too pleased. She never had as much interest in raising me as my father did. When my dad couldn't spend as much time with me anymore it was up to hired nannies to take care of me while my mom was working. I tried so hard in everything because I wanted to catch my dad's attention again, to make him notice me. I wanted to make my mom proud and I wanted her to show me affection and love. My grades were absolute crap before and I picked them up so I could grab their attention. I wanted to be their perfect little daughter," I said the last part bitterly, feeling angst and regret.

"You know you don't need flashy grades or absolute innocence to capture someone's attention," Harry shot me a smile and finished his ice cream. "You ready to go? I'll drive you home."

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I feel like this was a bit of a shitty chapter idk not my best but update number two of the day is coming in about one hour lol

QUESTION OF THE DAY #1: If you could play a character in any movie, which movie would it be and who would you want to play? I think I'd want to play Johanna Mason from Catching Fire :)

Vote, comment and follow! <3

Lots of love and a Horan Hug,

-Bliss xx