21 Murders | Harry Styles AU (discontinued)

X. Secrecy

"I'm blaming you if I hurt myself,'' I laugh, my feet shifting barely above the floor so I can block out all possibility of embarrassing myself in front of Harry. Whether or not he heard me goes unknown as my wrists are gripped in his hands and forced down. "Holy shit,'' I murmur. "When you said five star meal, I didn't think you meant it."

Displayed out before my eyes lays a large table decorated for the occasion, two candles lit and glimmering in the dark kitchen as a flower in a vase sits in the middle of the table. Place mats are bestowed on either end, fancy plates set in their designated spots along with a large bottle of wine and two wine glasses.

"This is beautiful,'' I whisper into the air, a smile finding its way onto my lips at the sight of how much effort went into proving his point. As sweet as this is, I remind myself that it was, in fact, based off of Harry's want to be right, which once again, rules very high on his personal achievements list. "I'm impressed, Harry, this is very sweet."

"Yeah well I haven't had company in a while and figured I'd crack out the big guns,'' he breathily chuckles, one hand grabbing the back of a near seat and hauling it outward for me to sit in. "A seat, madam?"

"Yes, sir,'' I nod, smoothing out my shirt and sitting in the surprisingly comfortable seat. I find myself mentally laughing at his taste in furniture; every piece in his house being comfortable even after first glance. "So, what is this?" I speak up, eyeing the plates hungrily.

"You've never had Chicken Parmesan?" He quirks up a surprised brow, my head shaking in return.

"To be honest, my family wasn't much of a sit-down-at-dinner group. The closest thing to family dinners we had was the occasional fast food stop while on a long road trip. My mother was always too busy working to cook and my dad didn't make it a priority, so me and Coven always just ate with friends or resorted for ourselves."

"Oh,'' Harry speaks, slight silence making its way into the comfortable conversation. I don't feel pity for myself nor do I wish that he does, which is why I am relieved when he speaks up again. "Tell me about your brother Coven; were you two close?"

"Eh,'' I shrug. "I don't think there is truly much to tell about him that you don't already know from my record. That is, I am assuming you've read it considering the circumstances." My eyes flicker up from my food, the grip on my fork a little less enthused as I reminisce on my poor relationship with my brother. "You have read into it, haven't you?" I glance up seeing his sorrowful expression.

"That is correct."

"Yeah, there isn't much to tell then." I state, biting the inside of my lip with my teeth. "Besides that, I doubt you'd want to hear about the dysfunctions of my family. What about yours? I know your father but you've never brought up the rest of your family."

My change of topic leads Harry to awkwardly shift, reaching for the wine bottle and quirking his head to the side as if to ask if I'd like any. "Wine?"

"Sure,'' I nod, watching him pop the top with an opener and pour the perfect amount into two tall wine glasses. The dark liquid reaches the top of the rim before I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Thank you,'' I smile, grabbing the glass and lightly clinking it with his.

A puff of warm air is spilt through Harry's lips as he sets his glass down, looking back to his plate and then to me. My unanswered questions seem to be a tough spot for him, considering the obvious mood change and altered personality shift.

"My mother passed away while I was young,'' he solemnly states, looking me in the eyes with a certain restraint. The grip on his wine glass tightens as his hands turn a whiter shade, my heart breaking at the sight.