If you love me let me know

PROLOGUE

SONG: NEED YOU NOW BY LADY A

It was a few weeks after Katherine had passed away, Harriet had come round her brother's house for her daily visit to check up on her grieving family. Keys jingling as she took them out of her back pocket, turning them in the lock opening the door carefully.

"Benjamin?" She called out as she stepped into the hallway of the house, seeing it being in a tip, looking like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks.

"Benjamin?" Then the sound of soft footsteps came from down the stairs to reveal Harriet's niece, Rosie running up to her. "Auntie Hattie!"

"Pumpkin!" Harriet opens her arms wide as Rosie runs into them wrapping her small arms round her Auntie's neck, picking her up pecking kisses all over her face making Rose giggle.

"Where's Dyl?" Harriet swung Rosie's small body round to rest on her hip, her arms still loosely wrapped round her neck.

"He's upstairs in his room."

"Where's your Dad?"

"Still at work."

"Who dropped you off from school?"

"One of Dylan's friends mum." She put her back on the ground and took her hand, leading her into the kitchen, checking her phone to see the time. 6:45pm.

"I'm assuming you haven't had anything to eat then." Rosie shook her head. Harriet opened the top drawer next to the oven getting out a takeaway menu. "Have a look, to see what you want I'll go get your brother." She gave Rosie the menu before running upstairs to her nephew's room.

"Dyl?" She knocked on the door. "Dylan." No answer. "Okay I'm coming in." She opened the door startling the boy as he took his headphones off. "Hey kiddo."

"Hey Mad Hatter." He smirks.

"I told you not to call me that." Harriet whined, slightly nudging him as she scooted on the bed to sit next to him. "We're ordering a pizza what do you want?"

"Just a plain please."

"Whatcha drawing?" Dylan turned his notebook to show his Aunt. A dark drawing with no colour at all. A man with a dark cloud over their head. He got it from her, the art skills. She was the person who had bought her his first art set. He'd always come over to her house when Katherine was pregnant with Rosie. Watching her when she was painting, when he got older he'd always copy her. It sounded really cliche but Harriet always painted something colourful, happy and something that felt positive. She'd always paint how she saw the world. Her comfort place was sitting on the decking outside her house with a pad and pencils drawing what she saw in front of her. However, Dylan's style changed after Katherine, now it was dark, no happiness what so ever, no sunshine.

"It's good."

"Dad doesn't think so."

"He just doesn't understand, he still worries about you though. Harriet moved on the bed to sit next to her nephew as Dylan rested his head on his Aunt shoulder. She was the only person he felt safe with especially since he lost his mum. Relaxing into her touch as she slightly ruffled his hair.

"Grief is hard Dyl. You've just got to take it day by day. And just remember your Dad loves you and he's only looking out for you. And you can always talk to me. Okay?" Dylan nods. "Come on we better get downstairs quick before Rosie orders the whole pizza place." Dylan giggled along with his Aunt.

"I'll be down in a sec." Dylan begins to tidy up his art things scattered along his bed as Harriet wanders back downstairs to check on Rosie. 

"Hey Pumpkin Dylan is only having a plain cheese one, tell me what you're having and I'll order it for you." Harriet picks up the menu, dialling the number as Rosie points to the pizza she wanted. After you ordered the pizza Dylan came down and waited for the food at the table with Harriet and Rosie whilst Harriet helped Rosie with her homework.

The doorbell went. "Pizza!" Rosie cheered. 

"Guys set up the table." Harriet got out her purse from her bag getting some money out to pay the guy. When she opened the door to find her brother looking tired, shirt untucked and ruffled, bags under his eyes.

"Hey where did you come from?"

"I came to do my daily check on you, but you weren't here for me to do that."

"I'm so sorry I'm a terrible father." he sighed.

"Your not Benjamin, you're going through a hard time and at the same time trying to provide for your family. No one's expecting you to be perfect." Harriet wrapped her arm round her brother's shoulders as she saw the pizza guy walk up the steps to the house. "Thank you." Harriet smiled at the man as she passed him the money. 

"Come sit down Benjamin, I ordered you a large pizza."

"Meat feast?"

"Meat feast." she nodded with a smile as she handed out the other pizza boxes to her nephew and niece taking the other to herself. All four of them sat down at the table as a family, forgetting all their problems, enjoying their time together.

"Thanks for all your help Hattie, couldn't have done it without my baby sister." Benjamin nudges Harriet with his elbow.

"I was thinking, about moving in with in you guys."

"Hat-"

"No i won't take no for an answer, just till you get back on your feet again, I'll drop off and pick the kids up from school get dinner ready so you don't have to worry. It will help."

"Thank you so much." Benjamin brings Harriet into a warm, tight hug. 

"No need to thank me." She nudges him again with her elbow as she walks out the house to her car. "I'll text you."

"See ya later Mad Hatter." Benjamin chuckles as Harriet holds up her middle finger in the air at him as she gets into her car.