𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑! | harry styles

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HARRY walks out of the laundry room first, and I go to the bathroom so that I can clean up. I spend about half an hour fixing my hair and splashing water over my body. Once I feel presentable, I walk back outside.

I am surprised to see that the once sunny sky has turned a deep shade of grey and purple. It seems that the party was over and there were only a few people milling around the lawn.

"Alyssa, you're still here." George is carrying an armful of presents up the stairs. "We thought you left."

"No, I was helping clean up inside," I lie.

"Oh, okay." He nods. "Grandpa says it's going to rain really badly."

"I can see that. Do you need a hand?" I ask.

"No, it's okay. I've got it," he assures me.

I find Phoebe helping Cassidy disassemble the rest of the cake and placing it in baggies.

"Where have you been?" Cassidy asks.

"Inside," I say without anything more.

Phoebe snorts because she knows exactly where I've been and what I've been doing. She can probably smell it on me.

As I'm helping the girls, Anne rushes over. "Alyssa, sweetie, it's supposed to storm. I don't want you driving home in this weather."

"No, it's okay. I can make it."

"I have no doubt that you can, but I just can't let you leave with it like this. It's going to get bad. Please stay the night, for my sake."

I protest some more, but Anne doesn't let up. She tells me that she'll tie me down if she has to. Always the gracious host, she says that Phoebe and I can stay at the house and she has clothes that we can use.

"There are over thirty rooms here, so you're not taking up any space." She smiles and hugs me tightly. "You're taking such a load off of my shoulders. I won't be worrying about you all night."

"Thank you for this," I say before she smiles and runs off.

"This is an interesting turn of events." Phoebe giggles and nudges me.

Interesting, indeed.

I continue to help clean up the backyard, but everyone has to run inside fifteen minutes later when the rains start to pour.

Staying for the night is Phoebe, Cassidy, Ryan, Harry, his four boys, and me. The two oldest, George and Theodore, get into a fight over who's sleeping where, and Harry has to break them up. I don't think he knows I'm spending the night yet, but I don't have time to tell him before Anne is pulling me up the stairs.

"You really do have a beautiful home," I mention.

"It's been in my family for a long time. I would get rid of it if there wasn't so much history here."

"Get rid of it?" My voice goes up an octave in surprise.

"It's just too much upkeep." Anne shakes her head. "Especially for just Desmond and me. We don't need anything this big. But we only stay during the summer, so it's not too bad."

"This is your summer home?" I try not to sound so shocked. I was rich, having inherited money from Carl, but Anne and I were in two different categories. She was far ahead of me.

"Des and I talked about giving this place to Harry and Krista but... Well, that just hasn't worked out too well."

My stomach does a little flip at the thought of Harry and his wife sharing this beautiful home with their kids. I don't like the pictures in my head, so I change the subject.