Two days later.
"Are you sure you want to do this ?" Harry asks, adjusting the collar of his shirt.
"I am sure. Anyway, we'll have to do it sooner or later" I shrug. I take off my clothes and head to the wardrobe feeling Harry's eyes on my body.
"Stop staring and get ready, you pervert" I giggle and hear him chuckle behind me as I put on my new pink dress.
"Could you help me please ?" I step towards him and turn my back to him, lifting my hair so he can zip my dress. He gently does it and places a soft kiss on the back of my neck.
"Are you ready now ?"
"Yes" I grab my coat and my handbag and we exit the house. I'm feeling more and more nervous about this meeting between Harry and my father. First of all because I haven't seen him since I moved to London and we haven't talked since the fight when I was in New York and also because he despises Harry more than anyone. But I want him to see that Harry is not the guy he thinks he is.
"It's okay baby, it's gonna be fine" Harry interrupts my thoughts, aware of how nervous I am. I force a smile and he cups my face before placing a soft and tender kiss on my lips.
"Love you" I whisper
"Love you too"
~~
We eventually arrive at the hotel where my dad is staying during his trip to London. It's a small and cosy one, not too fancy. Harry presses my hand in his and whispers in my ear "everything is going to be fine"
I reply with an "I love you" and knock at the door of the hotel room. Immediately, my dad opens the door and a forced smile pulls at his lips when his eyes meet mine. I step inside the room, Harry behind me and I see my dad's jaw drop at the sight of him.
"Hello sir, very nice to meet you. I'm Harry" he says, stretching his hand towards my dad to shake his. My father looks at Harry's hand then looks back at him and mumbles with his jaw clenched: "as if I didn't know who you are"
I glare at him then roll my eyes and step further into the room. My eyes widen at the sight of all the food on the table.
"What's all this ?"
"I ordered some food for the lunch. Maybe more than necessary" he shrugs "anyway have a sit !"
"Thanks for having us" Harry says politely to my father as he takes a seat around the table.
"Hm" is all my dad can answer, without even looking at him. "So Charlotte, you were at the hospital. Are you feeling better ?"
"I am thanks. I just had a broken rib but it's no big deal" I shrug "Harry, however, spent a week in a coma because he was shot right in the heart"
Harry's eyes meet mines and he shakes his head, a frown on his face.
"And ? You're not expecting me to feel bad for him are you ? It's entirely his fault if he's been dumb enough to choose to put himself between you and the girl who was trying to kill you"
My mouth falls open at his words and I glance at Harry to see his reaction. He's as shocked as I am and I can see his jaw tensing.
"Dad" I snap, glaring at him. His gaze is harshly focused on Harry but immediately softens when his eyes meet mine.
"Anyway, let's have lunch"
~~
It's been two hours since Harry and I arrived at my father's hotel room and everything went quite well, except for a few cutting remarks from my dad towards Harry.
"Excuse me Sir, do you mind if I use your bathroom please ?" My boyfriend asks politely.
"Hm... I guess"
My dad doesn't even look at him and shrugs as Harry gets up to leave the room.
"Dad, couldn't you be a little nicer to him ? Is it that too much to ask ? You don't even want to get to know him ! You judge him for his tattoos and his appearance !"
"I know enough about him ! He's not good for you ! Just open your eyes and look around you ! I know everything Charlotte ! Victoria had been kidnapped for a day because of him. Do you realise the trauma it could have caused for such a young child ? You ended up locked away in the middle of nowhere because of him. You were almost shot, you broke a rib, you spent two weeks being miserable, you almost failed your final exams and you know whose fault that is ? His ! Harry's fault ! And on top of that you make the headlines of every single newspaper"
He stands up as the anger takes over him and I just stay still on my seat, not able to make a move. He's right and I hate to admit it. Harry has totally disrupted my life, but not entirely in a bad way though.
Before I can open my mouth to say anything he cuts me off
"Now I want you to stop seeing him."
"Lol..." I can't help laughing at his last sentence and he shoots me a glare.
"I'm 19 in a month. Do you seriously think you have the right to give me orders ?"
"Yes because I'm your father and you have to obey me."
"Well, if you acted a little more like a father then maybe I would reconsider it."
"Don't be insolent. You have to respect me."
"And do you think you respect me ?"
"I do. That's why I'm asking you to stay away from that faggot. If you had an ounce of respect for yourself you wouldn't date such a looser. I'm just saying that for your own good honey"
He says it with a fake and hypocrite smile. Here we go again. Him insulting Harry, him saying that he's a good father and only does the best for me. This time I can't let what happened a while ago take place again. I stand up and look at him straight in the eyes to show that he doesn't scare me.
"Stop saying you're acting for my own good ! You're only acting for yourself because you're the most selfish person I've ever known. I'm so done with you dad !" I yell, shaking my hand in the air. I pause for a few seconds to calm myself and keep speaking, but this time I'm not yelling anymore: my tone is just lower and harsher. "Actually I can't even call you "dad" anymore. I'm too ashamed to have a father like you to be honest. Well we can't even call you a father because that's not really what you are. In 19 years you've never been there for us. Seriously, where were you when Vicky was born and mum and I had to wake up every night when she was crying ? Where were you when mum was pregnant and you were away for days, leaving her to struggle all alone ? Where were you when Vicky spent a week in hospital ? You never visited her ! And what about when I moved to London ? You've never visited me once either, or even give me a fucking call when you heard what happened last week with that psycho ! You've never been here for us. You were always away, fucking your boss to get your damn promotion. That's all you can do anyway, fuck your boss. That's what you do best right ? And what about that "promotion" ? Do I have to remind you that mum died because you were ready to do anything to get it ? Because I've never seen any proof of that promotion. You said you were doing all this so we can have money and live comfortably but you've never paid us anything. I have to pay for my food, my clothes, my accommodation, and I had to ask for a scholarship. Do you realise that the last time we had a real and normal talk, like a father to daughter talk, was when mum died ? Now I don't want to see you again. I want you out of my life !"
By the time I was now speaking, Harry is back from the toilets and is embarrassingly standing in the corner of the room, staring at the scene with wide eyes.
I'm breathless by my speech and my cheeks are soaked with tears. My father is standing in front of me, his jaw clenched and his gaze focused on the floor. Without saying another word, I grab my bag and leave the room, Harry right behind me.
~~
Harry's point of view
Charlotte rushes towards the elevator, sobbing as she wipes away her tears.
That was a big argument but she did the right thing to stand up to him like that. Her asshole father deserved everything she told him.
"Baby..." I grab her arm and pull her into my chest. She starts crying even more and I gently rub her back, whispering comforting things in her ear.
"I hate him so so much" she sobs, pulling away to get out of the elevator and head towards the car. "What did I do to deserve such a father ? I have no one left Harry. My mum is dead and my dad, well... It's like I've never had one."
She opens the door of the car and huddles herself in the back passenger seat. Seeing her so miserable again just breaks my heart. I wrap my arms around her and carry her to put her on my lap.
"Shhh you have me. You'll always have me baby"
She shakes her head and I cup her face, gently running my other hand through her messy hair. She finally looks up at me, her eyes glossy and her cheeks flushed.
"I love you Styles"
"I love you too my babe"
With that, she leans towards me and crashes her trembling lips on mine.