evergreen ↠ harry styles ✓

+45

"May I sit?" she asked. It felt wrong. She never had to ask such a thing. Not because she felt entitled but because Harry would've pulled her down into his lap by now.

"Sure," he nodded.

Harry had a mug of something before him and she didn't notice until then. A plate that had a wrapper on it, and a crumpled-up napkin. Harry had to have sat out there for a while. When did Dexter order the Clubhouse closed, and Harry essentially prisoned?

"I didn't know you were out here," she mentioned to fight the urge of explaining how she ended up there. It certainly wasn't because she stalked him. The last thing she wanted was to freak him out after everything that happened. River thought she had done enough to cause him pain.

He nodded again as if to confirm he heard her. "Your father called and ordered the place closed. I thought it was interesting but I couldn't exactly say no to him."

"I'm sorry."

Harry chuckled. "For what?" he asked. "I'm glad to not be working."

There was nothing else he said. No reasoning behind why he was glad to be out here, alone. A little while ago he would've confided in her without even having to ask.

"I didn't order it."

He frowned. "What?"

"For the Clubhouse to close," she clarified. Harry breathed a quiet 'oh' as he understood what she meant. "I didn't want to come because I'm likely the last person you want to see but my father thought otherwise."

"That's not true," he claimed. The small bundle of hope began to blossom in River's chest—until, of course, she realised there was no point in feeding this hope. "I always want to see you. I'm glad you are here."

"You are?"

Harry nodded again. It seemed like the words refused to come to him. "Yeah. I'm used to having you around."

The comment made her smile. It was impossible to control so she chose to embrace it instead.

"You haven't been keeping up with the news I take it?"

"Nope," he said almost immediately.

"I think that may be for the best," she mumbled. Subconsciously twisted the engagement ring around her finger. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what there is to say, to be honest," he agreed with a smile that seemed more forced than genuine, and most certainly nowhere near founded upon joy.

"My father dropped me off to get some closure," she revealed. If Harry didn't know how to open up to her anymore, she could show him the way they used to talk. Perhaps she needed it more than he did. "I'm not entirely sure why he thought this was the best way to do it but I can't fault him for doing something relatively nice."

"I wouldn't say it was relatively nice," he laughed. River frowned, and he sighed. "River, they forced your hand when you least expected it, and now they are basically saying you need to cut me out of your life completely. I wonder if you were sent to sack me."

"Darling, no," she said. Blood rushed to her cheeks immediately because she forgot she had no right to refer to him with that name now. Harry's eyes flickered up to meet hers instantly, brightened with recognition, and something else—familiarity. Instead of focusing on it more, she moved on quickly. "If they wanted you out of the business, they would've done it themselves."

"So you believe your father had pure intentions with this."

River nodded. The look on Harry's face reflected the question he wanted to ask. "He shared something with me, something about his past, that truly made me view him differently. I believe him, and that he had true intentions with this—regardless of how uncomfortable it may be for us right now."