flower. h.s ✔️

four.

My eyes drifted across the TV screen as I absentmindedly flicked through the channels, I'd been doing the exact same thing every day since I got home on Saturday. The only relief being that Brian was still here.

Not that it meant a lot considering he'd been glued to Harry's side for the last three days, I didn't know exactly what they were doing but I had a vague idea that it was Brian explaining how not to kill me and/or get me killed.

The only downside, well one of the downsides was that Harry had been given the spare room right across the hall from mine. I wasn't used to having someone in the house with me constantly, let alone literally being right across the way from me.

The other downside was that I knew any day now or in fact any hour now Brian was going to appear and say goodbye. I didn't understand why he had to "take a step back" from me, he'd been working for my Father longer than I'd even been alive.

He'd known me since I was born, my Father trusted him, I trusted him, I didn't understand why he couldn't stay around.

At least I had the impending doom of starting university on Thursday, which was only just over a week away. If that wasn't bad enough, I was going to have Harry with me, every single day.

I hadn't figured out just how that was going to work or even how my Father had managed to swing it, but I wasn't sure I really wanted to know.

I'm sure it'll be a nice surprise if I go back to uni and theres a brand new library donated by my family. That'll win me friends, not.

"Poppy."

I jumped as Brian spoke me to and I twisted from my slumped position on the sofa to look at him, his head jerking for me to follow him and I did obediently. I guess this was it.

"I'm heading off now." Brian started and I swallowed thickly as we stood in the entry hall, I didn't know where Harry was but I had a horrible feeling he was probably watching and judging from his little hiding place.

"Styles knows what to do in every kind of situation, emergency or not. Don't give me that look young lady, it's for your own good."

"So everyone keeps saying." I muttered sourly making Brian frown down at me.

"Because it is Pops, no-one wants to see you hurt, especially not your Father." Brian patted my arm gently and I sucked my teeth, knowing he really couldn't give two shits about me. "Or me, kid."

"Why can't you stay?"

I didn't mean to sound whiny but I didn't like Harry and Harry definitely didn't like me.

"Your Father has other things he wants me to do, Styles is a good kid, you probably have more in common than you realise. In the end you'll have forgotten all about me." Brian smiled and I rolled my eyes.

"That's not true, and you know it."

"Sometimes life doesn't always go the way you want it to Pops, you know that. Besides you'll be too busy with your course to even worry about anything else, but if it gets really bad and you miss me too much you know you're always welcome at mine. Anne always wants to see you."

"I'll be there every day." I told him seriously, earning a look from Brian and I smiled sheepishly. "I don't even know why this is happening, it doesn't make any sense! I don't even know what Harry's meant to do!"

"You know how it is Poppy. Your Father is a powerful man and a lot of people don't like that but its best if you don't know. Once you get involved you're stuck and you have too much potential for that, its better this way."