LIGHTHOUSE // a harry styles au

five

"She came running into the room like a lunatic. I literally thought someone was breaking into the place or something!"

Harry was laughing across the table as he swirled an exceptionally large forkful of spaghetti around. "What was it then?" He chuckled just before shoveling the pasta into his mouth.

"Oh it was definitely a cockroach," you made an exaggerated face as if you were going to throw up, laughing with him as he covered his mouth with a closed fist.

You took him to a little mom and pop Italian restaurant that your old university roommate introduced you to years ago. She had family that lived in the area who had a nice property with a pool, so you spent a few summers going up there with her. That restaurant stuck based solely on their homemade pasta. You learned they made it fresh on site every morning and the proof was in the taste. It was funny - you kept that place a little secret, only taking your mom a handful of times. Until now.

"So you've lived in some interesting places, huh?" Harry asked once he swallowed his bite, reaching a hand out to grab his drink.

"Oh yeah. Some real shitholes honestly," you laughed softly. "But it was worth it. Have my place now and was able to bring my mom here. So it worked out."

"You moved your mom here to live with you?"

It was your turn to cover your mouth around a bite of eggplant parmesan, nodding as you chewed. There was something intimate about eating with a person for the first time, especially in this scenario. You and Harry were getting along, and talking more than ever before, but there was still this tiny bit of hesitance from both your ends. A natural nervousness that anyone would feel when you're just starting to get to know someone, before you're really comfortable with them. It was a weird place to be in, and one that you admittedly hadn't been in a long time.

"Yeah," you finally spoke, picking up your water for a sip as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, she doesn't live with me. She's a few floors down in my complex."

"Wow, that's really nice. You have a good relationship with her then?"

"Oh, yeah," you nodded as you looked down to your plate to cut another piece of eggplant with the side of your fork. "She's my best friend. That was the hardest part about deciding to stay here. But I promised her, once I could, that I would help her move here. She had me when she was really young and didn't have a lot when I was growing up, yanno? She couldn't just up and move here with me."

He nodded just barely, listening intently. "And your dad?"

You shook your head as you chewed another bite. "Wasn't in the picture."

"Oh," he blinked, his eyebrows furrowing in remorse. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," you smiled reassuringly. "He left when I was two. So yeah, it's just been me and mom for a while."

"That's so... fucked up." He shook his head in disgust, leaning back in his chair. You watched him pull the sleeves of his hoodie up, a sprinkling of tattoos immediately coming into view on one of his forearms. You blinked in surprise at the amount of ink, intrigue knowingly written all over your face for a moment. There were so many you couldn't help yourself from taking in a few of them. A mermaid, a rose, an anchor - all standing out immediately with a scattering of tiny pictures around his wrist. How had you known this man this long and only now discover an extensive array of tattoos like that?

When you looked back up to Harry, he was watching you intently, his head cocked to the side minutely. So you blinked yourself back into the conversation. "I mean, it is what it is, right?"