"Okay, so some ground rules. First, keep your tattoos covered. Not that they aren't sexy, but if we're going to sell the whole "Harry Styles is a good man" shit to my parents, then you need to be as clean cut as possible. Second, don't talk about singing. Or your music. Or your past. Or anything else with the words "drunk" and "fuck". My parents aren't particularly simpatico with the Hollywood crowd. Not that they've met any of them, but you know how parents are. Well, I don't know if you know. Are things different in England? What does your mom say about Hollywood? Is she anything like my mom? Because my mom will eat you alive for —"
"Calm down. Everything will be fine." Harry stared out the window as I pushed the car to 80 on the freeway so we wouldn't be late. If my parents hate anything, it's being tardy.
I shoot Harry a look. "No, everything won't be fine unless you obey the rules. You don't know my parents, I do. And I can't have them thinking you're a 20 year old slut who gets drunk at strip clubs every week."
"But I am a 20 year old slut who gets drunk at strip clubs. And I do it more often than that."
I tighten my grasp around the steering wheel. He just doesn't get it does he?
"Rule number 3." I continue. "Do not get all touchy feely with me as long as they're around. We don't want them thinking you've already manhandled me and gotten me pregnant."
"So that episode where I manhandled you on the kitchen countertop last night until you passed out from exhaustion shouldn't come up? Noted."
I whip my head around and stare at him, glancing every few seconds back to the road. "What the hell is your problem? Can you not see how nervous I am right now? And all you want to do is crack jokes which can really kiss a horse's ass with how funny they are." I shift my eyes back onto the road.
"Why are you nervous, Vi? It's just dinner with your parents, not a personal encounter with Al Qaeda. Calm down or I'll make you pull over so I can drive."
"Harry—"
"No Vi. If I didn't know any better I'd think that you were ashamed of me."
I must be blushing like I had something to hide, because when I looked over to Harry he stared back at me with disbelief.
"You're ashamed of me? Oh this is so rich Vi, even for you." Harry shook his head and brought his hand to his lips. I tried to keep my eyes on the road, but Harry rubbing his lips tender with his fingers did bad things with my body. I forced myself to pry my eyes off of Harry and focus on not crashing into anybody. Fifteen minutes to go and we were halfway into a two hour journey. If only I could've decided what to make Harry wear on time. I'd spent 2 hours just to pick out a striped teal and white shirt with a collar and the navy blue skinny jeans he always wears.
I hastily changed lanes and sped up. It was probably a risky move, but the risk was worth it if it helped my parents accept Harry. They were the last piece of the puzzle, the last obstacle I had to overcome to be with Harry. It's been almost 5 months since our last meeting, and with constant Skype calls and messaging we were able to keep in touch as Harry traveled Europe. He had promised me he would come back to me once the tour was over, but the success of the concert motivated the music execs to extend to the tour by adding more American dates. So Harry got a 6 month extension on his tour, which meant being able to come back to Fairview for just two days to play another show. One of which was entirely wasted by the concert.
I haven't really mentioned much about that night 5 months ago to my parents. I mean, how could I? It was one of the most erotic and heartbreaking nights of my life, not to mention the best night of my life. It was the night I fell in love with Harry Styles, the dominating and irresistibly sexy alpha who happened to be chased by at least half of the world's population. And out of all of them, he chose me.
Conversations with music labels, recording studios and execs finally came through right after the extension was announced. Harry, after arguing for months that it would be better for him lyrically to be living near his effervescent muse, finally was able to get permission to shift the recording center up from LA to Fairview. He even bought a little condo near downtown where he could write and record in peace. All just to be close to me.
It took some adjusting in goals, but I decided to focus my attention on Fairview College instead of City College, just so I could be with Harry. My acceptance letter from City College still hasn't arrived, but if things work out perfectly then I'll be living with Harry for 8 months a year while I get my degree and have Harry buy me really expensive gifts. It's all so close I can almost taste it, but only if I can get my parents approval. I need to know that they are okay with me being with him. I can't really describe why, but it feels like betrayal going behind their back to date one of the world's biggest superstars. And I'd rather much they hear about us through me than through the latest tabloids, which is why Harry needs to score on this dinner and charm my parents into actually believing that all the rumors they've ever heard about him were false, even though they most all proved to be correct. If my parents accept him, then its smooth sailing for the rest of my life. Provided we last that long, of course. Not that I'm thinking about the end of our relationship. I need to stop thinking or else I'll crash this car and then Harry will be fuming. Harry is amazingly attractive when he gets angry. I wonder if he'd fuck me on the top of a burning car. Okay back to the road.
"Vi? Vi....Hello?" A snap of Harry's fingers in front of my face brings me back to Earth. "You're ridiculous. I knew you were still tired after last night. Pull over, I'll drive."
I cover my mouth as a yawn escapes my lips. "No Harry, I'm fine. I told you, it's a really long and confusing way to my parents' house. You would just get lost while I sleep and then we'd end up on the Mexican border. Besides, I don't see the point of us getting there on time anymore. It's not like you were going to try to please them. I mean, it might not matter to you, but I thought you'd understand that it means a lot to me." My voice is calm and leveled. Not angry, not frustrated, but completely business like.
Harry reaches over and takes my hand. "It matters to me too, Vi. But sooner or later they're going to learn everything you're trying to hide from them. It might as well come straight from the source." He brings the hand to his lips and places a gentle kiss. "If you want me to follow the rules, I will. But I sincerely think that we're going about this the wrong way."
We ride silent after that, me not having any reply and Harry not having any elaborations. We just let the intensity of the moment soak in until the butterflies in my stomach soon became birds that pooped all over my stomach walls. I have the words on my lips; I just can't seem to decide if I should say them.
"I'm not ashamed of you, Harry. I'm not going to be ashamed of my heart." I almost whisper. Harry stays deeply quiet and stares out the window.
The car stays silent for a while. The road is mostly clear, so we're able to stop about half an hour away from my parent's house for a gas break. Harry goes to tinkle while I stay behind and fill up the car, my mouth parched from the intense atmosphere of the car. I didn't know arguing with someone could drain you this much. I'm just done filling the tank when Harry steps out of the station with a beer in one hand and a diet Pepsi in the other. He walks up to me and holds up the diet Pepsi.
"I thought you'd be thirsty." He takes a sip from his beer. "Say, what do you think about gas station restroom sex? I think it would be worth a try—"
"Harry, throw that away! You're not going to my parents buzzed off of beer."
"I'm not going to get buzzed off of one beer. You know it's a little insulting of you to think I have a tolerance of a 12 year old." He adds large swig from his bottle to prove his point.
I roll my eyes and ignore the Diet Pepsi as I sit in the car. Harry falls into the car right beside me. "I don't know if you think the whole 'bitch turned angel turned even bigger bitch' thing is attractive, but all it makes me want to do is slap the shit out of you."
I laugh, his harsh words going into one ear and flying out of the other. He puts the moron in "oxymoron". Okay I know that was a shitty pun, don't judge. The last thing I need today is to feel more insecure; I'm already on edge with Harry as it is. I look over to see Harry laughing.
"What?" I ask him as I put the car in gear and start rolling forward.
"You just have the most adorable jokes. It's cute."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Don't worry. I'll try not to be such an oxymoron moron from now on."
My face drops. Well shit.
I keep my eyes on the road and try to breathe deeply to get rid of the blood rushing to my cheeks. Harry must have noticed because he stops laughing.
"Look Vi I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay, I'm not mad. But to be honest, it's a little insulting of you to think I have a sense of humor of a 12 year old." I say in a sarcastic tone. I feel proud at how I handle myself. Turning the tables on someone has never felt this good.
"Haha, you have a pretty good one, that's for sure." Harry deadpans. "It's not the first time you've sprouted off without knowing. You do it all the time when you're asleep."
I almost flip the car over. I talk in my sleep? "What have I ever said in my sleep?"
Harry gives me a smug look and grins. "Fuck if I'm gonna tell you. You were out of luck when you turned my own joke on me."
"Harry this isn't funny. I need to know what I've ever said to you." Does he think I can just forget about this and relax? I'm on fucking DEFCON-1 right now.
"No." His curt reply stings me. What is his problem?
I glance down to where his beer sits and grab it by the head of the bottle.
"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" Harry almost shouts at me as I pull down the window and hold it dangerously close.
"You shouldn't be drinking anyways. So what do I say in my sleep?" I ask extra sweetly to convince Harry I'm back to being a bitch. Always am, always will be.
"Violet. Give me my beer." Harry's voice is deep and demanding as I keep my eyes on the road. My shoulders tense up . Five months later and his dominating voice still gives me shivers. I don't know if I'll ever get over it.
"Do you have an answer for me?"
"No."
"Then fuck if I'm gonna give you your beer. Last time, Harry. Are you going to tell me or do you want to say goodbye to your beer?"
"Violet, you give me that beer right now. I mean it." His voice was more angry than demanding now. It was clear to me what this was; it was a play for control. This was him trying to dominate me like he always does. Too bad it only works when he has me laid out over his dining table begging to get fucked. I give him one last glance. Harry's face is pure frustration and defiance. I laugh inwardly and chuck the bottle out the window.
"What the fuck? You have some real fucking issues, Vi. Now I can't even take the edge off of meeting your parents." Harry slams back into his seat with a thump and rubs his temples. He takes a few deep, pacifying breaths.
"Why does everything have to be such a battle with you?" I ask myself more than him. If he could just take me seriously and not try to have everything his way, our lives would be so much easier together.
He doesn't respond, so I don't pressure him and focus on driving. We're just ten minutes away from my parents' house and at this rate it's seeming more and more like a mistake. We aren't ready for this. How can I expect Harry to get along with my parents when he can't even get alone with me?
"This isn't going to work if you fight me at every turn." Harry breaks the silence between us. I take my time to answer. This isn't a topic that I want to talk about, but I can't resist the urge.
"I'm not the kind of girl to go down without a fight."
"Yeah, I know. It's one of the things I love most about you."
I swallow and realize my throat's clamped shut. For once, I have nothing to say. Harry takes his time to speak again.
"It's just...the way I am, Vi. You know that. I need things to go my way. My way is the right way. It's how I've built my career, it's how I've become who I am. Don't hate me for it."
I take a deep breath. "I don't hate you for it, Harry. I'm just not gonna act like it's okay."
Harry gives me a tight smile. "I didn't expect you to."
We pull up to my parents' house only 30 minutes past 6. I look in the rearview mirror and play with my hair as Harry fixes his tie. I take out a bottle of my perfume from my bag and spray Harry a few times to make sure he doesn't smell like alcohol. It's better he smell like a woman than a drunk. Harry doesn't say anything as grabs the bouquet of flowers he got for my parents and steps out of the car. I give myself one final look in the mirror and step out too. I take care not to look angry as I walk up to Harry who's waiting for me at the beginning of the footpath leading up to the front door. I stop as soon as I reach him and grab his elbow to get his attention.
"Look Harry, this is a big step for us. I mean, this could be the foundation of potentially years of dinners and barbeques and Christmas parties. But it was wrong for me to be so demanding in the car. I love you just the way you are, and my parents will have to love you that way too if they want me to be happy. You make me happy. So do what you want in there. Swear, drink and tell my mom the story about the time you had a threesome with two Japanese porn stars. Just be you, okay?"
Harry stared at me for what felt like minutes before nodding tersely and grabbing my hand. I followed him up the path to the front door and waited as he rang the doorbell. Chimes began booming inside the house as I heard the click clack of heels walking across the wooden floor. My mom has clearly dolled herself up for this visit. I wait nervously for the door to open, wondering how my parents will receive the infamous Harry Styles. Harry stands there patiently, tranquil and calm. The door opens to reveal both of my parents, smiling wide as they take in the sight of me and my guest.
"Why hello baby!" My mom exclaims as she pulls me inside the house and throws her arms around me. And to think it had only been almost two days since I last saw her. She lets go of me and turns to face Harry, who had wordlessly shaken my Dads hand. I swallow in preparation for what was to come.
"You must be Harry Styles! It's a pleasure to meet you! Violet has told us almost nothing about you so you've come here with a clean slate. If only she had warned us about how handsome you are."
Harry smiled his wide, breathtaking smile that made his entire face glow. "And here I was thinking Violet was as beautiful as they come, Mrs. Andersen. Your home is spectacular! Are those Valentino valences I see?"
I stood there, confounded, as my mom and Harry bonded over drapes. Drapes! Who'd have known that Harry could actually be a gentleman if he wanted to be? My dad walks up to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder.
"He seems like a nice guy. You're mom loves him already." My dad stares at them in quiet contemplation.
"It would do you good to complement her on her taste, Dad. She loves it when people notice." I smile as I watch my mom go on about the difficulties she's faced trying to decorate our home to her liking, all while a patient Harry nods enthusiastically and laughs at her jokes.
"Come on guys! I'm starving. You can talk about Persian rugs after dinner." My dad calls out as he heads for the kitchen. My mom grabs Harry by the hand and leads him towards the hall. Harry winks walking past me and lifts his hand behind him. Laughter bubbles out of me as I grab his hand and squeeze it tight.
You're perfectly made for me too, Harry Styles.