Elusive [Harry Styles]

11. Under The Radar

~Harry~

I decided to play it cool for the rest of the week, so instead of pestering Emily I thought I'd go up to my mum's and spend the week in Holmes Chapel, since I had planned to be in LA by now so didn't really have anything planned for a while.

Saturday morning I managed to get myself up bright and early. I cooked myself some eggs, had a hot shower, tidied and hoovered up so I wouldn't be returning to a mess on Friday, packed a bag and I was on the motorway to Cheshire by eleven.

I mumbled along to the radio for the majority of the three hour drive. To most people, a three hour journey would be long and tedious, but I've spent the last five years travelling non-stop, so for me a few hours on the motorway is nothing. I was really looking forward to seeing my family, I hadn't told anyone I was coming so hopefully they'd be pleasantly surprised when I turned up out of the blue.

When I pulled into the road where my mum lives and parked up outside the house, I noticed the curtain twitch and then only seconds later I saw my mum appear in the doorway as I was climbing out of the car.

"I thought my eyes were deceiving me for a minute there!" she called over to me, and I grinned happily. She trotted down the path in her slippers and I gave her a massive hug. "And to what do we owe the pleasure?" she asked jokingly.

"Just thought I'd surprise you," I told her, rounding the car to get my bag out of the boot.

"Bless you," she cooed, patting my shoulders as we strolled up to the house.

It was so nice to be home. The warmth welcomed me in as I took off my shoes in the hallway, looking around in awe. It always seemed to feel like I hadn't been here in years every time I came back, even if it'd only been mere months. The living room was cosy, smelling freshly cleaned and being warmly lit.

"Look who's home," my mum sang, and from the sofa two heads turned to look at me standing tall in the doorway.

"Oh, hello brother," Gemma greeted me in a high-pitched, surprised voice. She was lounging on the settee with her phone in her hand, the cat stretched out across her lap.

"Ahh, Harry. Nice to see you home, where you belong," Robin, my step-father, smiled over his paper.

"Love, why don't you take your bag up and I'll make us all some lunch? You must be starving."

"Thanks, mum." I shuffled past her, leaving a quick kiss on her cheek as I went. I was so grateful for the way she looked after me.

My bag was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs where I'd left it, so I slung it over my shoulder and trudged up the stairs. The door to my room was closed, and it was a bit cold inside as I opened it and went in. It was sightly sad how pristine and un-lived-in it felt, like nothing had been touched in so long.

Since I was planning on staying a good five or six days, I thought I'd make it feel a bit more homely by unpacking my stuff and getting comfortable. I spent a good half an hour just fiddling around with some of my old things, looking at books and trophies from my school days until my mum shouted up to me that lunch was ready.

It was refreshing to have a chat with my family over a nice home-cooked meal, in the comfort of my childhood home where nobody knew where I was or what I was doing. I felt like for once I didn't have to have a filter when I spoke, and I enjoyed catching them up with what'd been going on in my life recently.

Of course I remembered to gloat to my mum about the dish I'd managed to cook myself last night, and she congratulated me, whereas Gemma just took the píss and we ended up being told off for bickering.