as it is || harry styles au

twenty-seven

a.n. — hope you've all been enjoying and having safe holidays! events hit 2 million reads and as it is will be hitting 100k reads soon ahhhhh (;

i v o r y

Christmas morning went by smoothly.

     Harry slept on the couch in the living room that night, the main reason being my air mattress barely fit Jamie and I let alone two grown adults.

     Jamie grilled Harry with questions in the morning about whether or not he caught Santa leaving all the presents while he slept downstairs. Harry stood firm with his answer that he was asleep while Santa finished most of the cookies and milk and left all the presents under the tree and in the stocking.

     Soon enough, it was nearly noon. Harry, Mom, Jamie, and I were stuffed full of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs (plus mimosas for the adults). Jamie was busy jumping from toy to toy, game to game.

     Then the doorbell to our apartment rang.

     I had just tossed back the third mimosa when I heard the voices of Emerson, Jenna, and Mickie.

     Jamie dropped everything and ran to the door while I sat a few moments with my jaw dropped open, waiting for my ears to connect to my motor functions.

     I came to my senses in time to watch Jamie give each of them a hug. "Zizi Em! Jennie! Mickie!"

     "No you guys did not," I blurted in disbelief.

     My three best friends stood before me in my hometown of Camden, Oregon. They flew across the country to be here on Christmas Day. This couldn't be real.

     "Hey, girly." Mickie pulled me into his embrace first.

     "How are you here?" With him being almost six and a half feet, my voice was muffled into his signature sherpa jacket. 

Jenna hugged me after. I squeezed my old roommate extra tight. "We couldn't miss a Christmas with Jamie," she said. "Plus, we had to meet Harry. Em talked him up."

Em practically yanked me from Jenna's grip and into their arms. "Ive, I've missed you. It's been too long."

It hadn't even been two weeks, and although it was said teasingly, the sentiment couldn't have been more truthful.

I felt Harry's presence right beside me. He offered a hand to Em, which Em ended up pulling to bring him into a hug instead. "Nice to see you again, Harry."

"Guys, this is Harry!" Jamie exclaimed, tugging on Mickie's arm. "His name is Styles just like me! He's the best."

     My son's sweet words combined with the mimosas and my friends making a cross-country trip on Christmas Day to be here with us had tears brimming to the surface.

Mickie shook his hand. "We've heard great things. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Not as much of a pleasure as it is for me," Harry countered, shaking Jenna's hand as well. "Truly. It's an honor to meet you guys."

"So formal. Is that a British thing?" Jenna joked.

"Harry moved when he was thirteen years old. Then he met Momma and they became best friends," Jamie explained the history he had no idea they already knew. "My best friend's name is Bobby."