Adopted by Harry Styles

Talking With Harry

(Song: Where We Start by Vance Joy)
Ellie's POV
Harry opens the car door for me and I get in while he's still holding my arm. "You can let go," I say annoyed. "I'm not leaving." He let's go and slams the door shut before getting in on the other side.

"Do you want to explain yourself?" Harry asks as he begins to drive.

"Um, there's not much to explain," I say. "I have a boyfriend and we kissed. That's what couples do."

"First of all, El, you just met this boy and you're already having full on make-out sessions," he starts. "Second, this boy is a senior. I don't think you realize that seniors are know for taking advantage of younger girls, okay? And finally, above all the rest, I trust you enough to let you ride home with him, and you disrespect me by not telling me where you were going. So, I think you're wrong about that; you have a lot to explain."

"Dad, I'm in high school. I can make my own decisions when it comes to who I date. I know what I'm getting myself into. And I didn't know we were coming to the coffee shop until two minutes before I walked in the door. I probably would have texted you if you didn't come over and start yelling. It's like you don't want me to have fun," I say angrily. Harry has no right to tell me who I can and can't see. He's just assuming Kyle is a terrible person because he's a senior.

"You know that's not true. There's nothing I want more than you to have fun, but if you're doing it in a way which could get you hurt, then I'm not going to allow it," Harry says. Of course. He's trying to make himself seem like the good guy by saying he's protecting me. 

"I don't care what you say. You can't stop me from seeing him," I say with a huff.

"You're right, I can't stop you from seeing him at school, but outside of school is another story, young lady," Harry says.

"Whatever," I say and roll my eyes. It looks like Harry wants to say something back to me, but he purses his lips and says nothing.

We finally get home, the last five minutes of our car ride were completely silent.

"Go inside and wait in the kitchen. I'll be there in a minutes," Harry orders. I don't respond, but follow his orders anyway. I unlock the front door with my key and sit at my chair in the kitchen.

Harry comes in a few minutes later and rests his arms on the counter in front of me. "Look at me," he says with a sigh as he runs his hands through his hair. I look up into his green eyes but don't say anything. He waits a few seconds as he thinks of what he's going to say before speaking.

"I don't want to get into an argument, okay?" He says, running his hand through his hair again. He looks pretty stressed, not gonna lie. "I know you're going through a lot," he pauses. "But I'm just trying to help. That's my job. I can't have you getting mad at me like this whenever we disagree about something. I promise I'll try to be a little more open minded about everything, if you promise that we can work things out when we disagree, instead of just ignore each other."

I look down at the table and play with my fingers.

"Come on, El, talk to me," Harry whispers, grabbing my hands and squeezing them lightly.

"Okay," I say softly. "Sorry I'm being such a hassle all the time. I understand if you're mad at me." I really should try to be kinder to Harry. He isn't trying to make my life hell, he's actually doing the opposite. I've just been only thinking of myself lately, and that's not fair to anyone, especially Harry.

"You're not being a hassle, love. I was just like you when I was your age. It's just how teenagers are," he says. "To be completely honest, I probably still act like a teen sometimes," he chuckles.

I smile back at him. I love how Harry is kind enough to just forgive me like this. He's wasting his time trying to give me a good childhood, I treat him terribly, yet he still loves me. I hope I can be like him when I'm older.

"Let me get you a snack and you tell me how your audition went. I want to hear all about it," Harry says. I see him turn around toward the fridge.

"It went really well, actually. Kyle said that I got a part that most of the time underclassmen don't get," I tell him.

"That's great! I knew you'd do awesome," he says and places a bowl of cut up strawberries in front of me.

"Thanks," I say and pick up a berry, slowly bringing it to my mouth and chewing it.

"You're welcome," he says and comes to sit down next to me.

"What were you doing in the coffee shop?" I ask, hoping I'm not intruding too much in his personal business.

"Oh, I'm writing a song with Louis. It's almost done. I can't wait to show you," he says.

"Well, I can't wait to hear," I tell him.

"Good because I'm dedicating it to you," he says, looking at me to see my reaction.

"Really?" I ask excitedly. He nods his head. "Thank you, Dad. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"Well, you're the nicest thing to ever come into my life, so I guess we're on the same page," he says with a wink.

I giggle and nod my head. "I guess we are," I say.

I finish the whole bowl of strawberries, surprisingly. I don't know what came over me, but I felt kind of proud of myself for doing it. For once, I just saw healthy, delicious food, and not the number of calories.