***Edited in October 2022***

A/N: Hi-hi, how are we all?? :))

"Leah?!" Ashley's shocked murmur instantly snapped me out of my slumber, "Leah, what the hell are you doing out here? On the couch?!"

"Oh..." I yawned and drowsily rubbed one of my eyes, "morning, Ash..."

"Holy shit, Leah, if you're out here...then who the fuck is in the bathroom right now?!" She sounded a little panicky.

I frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I woke up this morning wanting to take a piss, but when I went to the bathroom, I saw that it was already locked – and I could hear the shower running inside. I figured that it was just you since you weren't in your room, but then I came out here to make a cup of coffee and found you sleeping on the couch!" she told me, "So who in the hell is using our shower?!"

"Oh, calm down," I rolled my eyes, "it's obviously just Harry."

"What?!" Her jaw dropped, "Harry?! As in, Harry Harry? Harry who you went to the wedding with last night?! Harry Styles?!"

I nodded.

"Harry Styles is in our house?! Using our shower?!" She was definitely freaking out – but not necessarily in a bad way, "He stayed here last night?!"

"Yeah," I nodded again as I sat up on the couch.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed, "Wait, so...does that mean you finally broke your four years of abstinence, then?" She began to smile at me.

My eyes immediately widened. "What?!"

"You heard me, Leah."

"Are you actually trying to ask me if we fucked?!" I asked her in total disbelief.

"Hey, it's a valid question!" She defended herself.

"Of course not!" I replied immediately, "Jesus Christ, Ashley, what do you think of me?!"

"Oh, come on. You gotta have a lot of willpower to resist Harry Styles," she giggled.

"I had more than enough willpower, thank you very much," I huffed, "honestly, Ashley, we're not even together! Why the hell would we have sex?"

"Well, I mean...he did stay the night..." she began.

"Don't you think that if we had sex, I would've been in my room with him, and not out here, on the fucking couch?" I rolled my eyes at her, "Look, it was just really late when we got back. He didn't want to make the drive back to London when it was almost midnight. He was gonna try and find a hotel, but...I figured it'd be easier for him if I just invited him to stay here."

"Oh. Well, I suppose that's pretty cool too," Ashley shrugged dismissively, "but man – I really did think you finally got some for a moment. From Harry Styles."

"We barely know each other, Ashley," I rolled my eyes, "not happening. Will never happen."

"Well...alright then. If you say so," she then began to smirk at me a little, "so...if Harry's using the shower, that must mean he's naked...and wet...in our house, right now."

My eyes had to widen slightly at her words.

Oh my fuck.

She is so right...

Harry is naked and showering just a few rooms away...

"Getting a few...mental pictures, are we, Leah?" Ashley asked me with a chuckle.

"I-I...I don't..." I then shook my head vigorously as I refused to give in to my imagination, "damn it, Ashley, just shut up!"

"No need to fight it, Leah," she grinned at me, "Harry's not gonna know if you do just a little bit of imagining," she chuckled once more, "come on, think about it: all that water through his hair, and running down his back, wetting his abs, sliding past his happy trail..."

"Fuck off, Ashley!" I pushed her off the couch – causing her to burst out laughing.

"Oh come on, Leah – nobody can blame you for thinking about Harry Styles showering."

"Please stop," I begged her, "what if he hears you?"

The distant sound of the shower water running in the bathroom stopped abruptly – indicating that Harry had finished showering. A few minutes after that, Ashley & I both gasped softly as we heard the bathroom door opening – causing us to turn our heads in the direction of the hallway – where we knew Harry was about to emerge.

My breath hitched as I saw Harry beginning to walk past the living room – but he soon stopped in his tracks and turned in our direction – his hair and upper body wet, and with a white towel hanging around his hips.

Oh my God...

Oh my fucking GOD.

Fuck, he was so hot.

"Oh, you're awake," he said in a low, quiet voice as he poked his head around the doorway, "good morning, Leah. Did you sleep OK?"

"Morning," I gave him a small, shy smile, "I slept fine, yeah. What about you?"

"I slept pretty well. Straight through the night, actually," he smiled back at me, "morning, Ashley."

"O-Oh..!" Ashley seemed startled that he had greeted her as well, "Er...morning, Harry. Good to see you again."

"You too," he smiled at her as well before turning back to me, "Leah, I saw a hair dryer in your room this morning. D'you mind if I use it?"

"Of course not," I replied with a soft chuckle, "go right ahead. Use whatever you need to use."

"Thank you," he smiled once again before disappearing down the hall.

"Holy fuck, Leah..." Ashley spoke up once she knew he was out of earshot, "that was definitely one of the better sights to see first thing in the morning."

"Ugh, I know..." I rubbed my face with both hands and bit my lip, "I'm starting to think that being around him is bad for me..."

"Oh, he's driving you crazy, isn't he?" Ashley giggled."

"How come you're not feeling as flustered as me? It's not fair," I huffed.

"Hey, I love Harry, but I've always been more of a Liam girl myself," she said with a chuckle, "you know that."

"True," I sighed, "God, Ashley...please make it stop..."

"Make what stop?" She asked.

"All these...feelings I get...whenever he's around..." I sighed shakily, "fuck, everything about him just does things to me...sometimes I can't even handle it..."

"Why would you want those feelings to stop?" She smiled at me, "I know what he does to you, and those types of feelings are usually considered good feelings, aren't they?"

"I want them to stop, because I don't want to feel them," I replied with another sigh.

"Why not, Leah? There's nothing wrong with it. And besides, with Harry looking like he does, no-one can blame you for feeling that way."

"These feelings are dangerous, Ashley. They've never done me any good," I lowered my eyes, "all these feelings have ever done is break my fucking heart..."

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean that they'll always do that, Lee," she touched my arm and gave me another smile.

I didn't smile back, and I didn't say a word.

"Leah," Ashley spoke up again, "Harry is the last guy on earth that could possibly break your heart. Is he like all those no-strings guys from high school who only wanted you for sex? No. Is he like Heath? Fuck no. Is he like Cur-"

"Don't," I gave her a warning look – and she immediately shut her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, "but, seriously, Leah – Harry is so kind and respectful to everyone he meets – and especially to women. He couldn't hurt a fly, Lee. How could he ever hurt you?"

"Look, why are you even talking about him like he could be a possible boyfriend for me?" I narrowed my eyes at her, "Why are you even trying?"

"Why not?" Was all she said in response.

"Being with him like that is totally out of the question!" I told her.

"Says who?"

"Says me! How could there be anything about me that he could possibly want? He's far too busy to be with someone who lives two hours away from him, and also has a kid. I'm too much baggage, Ashley."

"And how do you know that?" She cocked an eyebrow at me, "A couple hours' distance and having kids isn't 'baggage' for everyone."

"It would be for him," I sighed, "how would he ever have the time to drive down here just to see me, and then help look after Piper on top of that? Why don't you answer me that, Ashley?"

"Okay, even if it would be a bit tricky, that doesn't mean he wouldn't be willing to do it if he really felt something for you."

"Ashley, please just stop," I pleaded with her, "Harry & I are friends, OK? Just friends. That's how it's going to stay," I then lowered my eyes, "that's how it has to stay."

***

"Mummy!" Piper jumped excitedly in my arms as soon as she saw me in the kitchen, "Good morning, mummy!"

"Good morning, munchkin," I stroked her hair and gave her a warm smile, "did you sleep well?"

"Yes, mummy! Did you have fun at the wedding?" She asked me.

"I did," I nodded with a soft chuckle, "you were a good girl and went to bed on time last night, right?"

"I was, mummy," she replied with a smile, "I promise."

"Very good," my own smile grew as I pressed a loving kiss to her forehead, "now, what does my baby want for breakfast?"

"Chocolate!" She replied with a cheeky grin.

I immediately rolled my eyes. "Chocolate is not breakfast, Piper. How about a honey sandwich instead?"

"Oh – a honey sandwich!" Piper giggled and nodded excitedly, "Yes, please!"

I chuckled and kissed her again. "Alright, pumpkin. One honey sandwich it is."

"Yummy!" Piper clapped her hands delightedly.

"Go sit down for me please, darling. I'll bring it to you when it's done," I told her.

"Okay," she nodded and toddled over to the dining table before climbing onto a chair with a soft grunt – and I broke out an affectionate smile before heading over to the pantry to take out the honey. But I'd barely even started on her sandwich before I suddenly heard her excited voice once again.

"Harry!" I saw Piper scrambling off the chair and running up to Harry who was just entering the living room, "Hi, Harry!"

"Good morning, Piper," Harry replied with a chuckle, "how are you?"

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, "Did you stay at our house last night?"

"I did. I hope you don't mind," he smiled down at her.

She immediately beamed up at him. "Are you gonna stay tonight, too?"

Harry chuckled once more and shook his head. "No, not tonight. I have to go home really soon. But I'm glad I get to see you before I leave."

Piper giggled and began to hug his legs, and he responded by crouching down to her height and letting her wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head against his shoulder.

"Do you like hugs, Piper?" Harry asked her with an affectionate smile.

Piper smiled back at him and nodded – her little hands clinging to the collar of his shirt – and my heart immediately swelled at the sight of them together. I then bit my lip as I contemplated asking Harry to stay a little longer, since I could see how excited Piper was to see him again, and I knew she'd be sad once he leaves.

"Harry," I spoke to him after Piper finally let go of him and let him rise to his feet, "would you like some breakfast before you go?"

He smiled at me. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. Why wait to buy some breakfast when you can have some right here?" I smiled back at him, "What do you feel like?"

"Oh, I'm fine with whatever you're having," he replied, "I'm not fussy."

"I was just planning to fry an egg and slap it on some toast," I said.

"Sounds perfect," his smile grew.

My smile began to broaden as well. "Alright. You want a cup of coffee, too?"

"That would actually be great," he said with a chuckle, "I'm sort of dreading this two-hour drive ahead of me. A coffee would really help me through it."

"I feel you," I let out a chuckle of my own, "no problem. Do you want any milk or sugar?"

"Oh, no milk – but one sugar shouldn't hurt," he replied.

"Oh, right. You're a black coffee man," I said with a nod, "how daring of you," I told him cheekily.

"For sure," he chuckled again, "thanks, Leah. I appreciate it."

I smiled at him again. "Don't mention it. I'm more than happy to help."

"Yay! Harry's staying!" Piper jumped up and down excitedly on the spot, "Mummy, can I sit next to Harry, please?"

"Why don't you ask Harry if you can sit next to him?" I suggested with a soft chuckle.

"Can I, Harry?" She looked up at him hopefully.

Harry smiled down at her affectionately. "Of course you can. In fact...how about you show me where you sit, so that I can sit next to you?"

Piper giggled. "I sit over there, next to the window," she pointed at the chair she'd been sitting on earlier.

"I would be honoured to sit next to the window with you, Piper," Harry told her – his smile already starting to grow.

Piper beamed at him and tugged at the hem of his shirt – pulling him to the dining table and making me chuckle once more at how happy being around him made her. I couldn't resist watching them for a few moments longer as they sat down together – with Piper unable to stop smiling as Harry helped her into her chair.

He's so good with her.

He really, really is.

***

"Again!" Piper shouted excitedly, "Again, Harry, again!"

Harry laughed. "Doesn't it make you dizzy, Piper?"

"No!" She grinned at him and shook her head vigorously, "Again!"

She reached up to him and bounced up and down on the spot – and Harry smiled and chuckled before picking her up once more and cradling her upside-down – making her squeal and giggle as she kicked her legs delightedly against Harry's shoulder.

"Mummy!" Piper called to me through her endless giggling as she glanced up at me from Harry's arms, "Hi, mummy!"

I laughed and waved at her from where I was leaning against the wall and watching the two of them affectionately. 

This was about the third time she had asked Harry to hold her upside-down this morning. I had been initially worried that Harry wouldn't like sticking around for as long as he was – but I didn't get any vibes like that off him at all. He hadn't glanced at the wall clock once – and he was dedicating all his attention to the excited Piper. With every moment he spent with her, a warm and affectionate smile was constantly spread across his face – showing just how much he was genuinely enjoying being around my baby girl. And...it touched me.

It really, really touched me.

Ashley came up and leaned against the wall beside me – nudging me with her elbow and giving me a knowing smile.

"You and Piper would be too much baggage for Harry, huh?" She asked me quietly but smugly, "You sure about that, Leah?"

"I thought we were dropping this," I murmured back quietly.

"Yeah, we were," she said, "Leah, look at him. He loves being around her. He's doing all this just to make her happy."

"That's because he knows she thinks the world of him," I replied, "he does everything he can to make his fans happy. That's a common fact."

"You and I both know that this is starting to run deeper than that, Leah," Ashley told me, "when you gave her that warm milk after she had her sandwich, didn't you notice how he took a napkin and wiped off the milk she'd gotten all around her mouth?"

"Of course I did," I rolled my eyes.

"Then you know that that wasn't a celebrity trying to keep a fan happy," she said "that was a paternal instinct, Leah. He's not even responsible for her, but he still felt that need to look after her all the same."

I didn't respond, but I let out a soft sigh.

She really did have a point.

"Look, it could've just been some sort of...default thing," I suggested, "maybe he used to do that for Lux...so, he's just used to doing that kind of stuff."

"Which only proves my point even further," Ashley rolled her eyes, "how many times have we seen Harry treating Lux like his own daughter, Leah? And you're really trying to tell me you can't see him doing the same to Piper?"

I sighed again. "Ash...if you're still trying to convince me to give dating him a go...him liking Piper and him liking me are two very different things."

"Neither of which are impossible, Leah," Ashley replied, "just think about that."

Before I could respond, she straightened herself out and went back to washing the dishes from breakfast – leaving me alone with Piper and Harry once again.

"Harry, can I show you something I drawed yesterday?" She asked him as he put her down.

Harry smiled at her. "Sure you can. What did you draw?"

Piper didn't respond and instead smiled back at him and giggled before she took his hand and pulled him down the hallway – making my eyes widen a little.

Uh-oh...where is she taking him..?

Biting my lip, I quickly caught up to them and watched as Piper pulled Harry into her bedroom. As I poked my head around her door, I saw that Harry was crouching down and patiently waiting as Piper shifted through the messy pile of her drawings that she kept next to her doll house.

"I found it!" Piper announced happily as she pulled one of the drawings out, "Aunty Ash said I could show you next time I see you!"

She toddled over to him with her picture and sat down on the floor beside him before handing the drawing over to him – and he smiled once more before taking the piece of paper from her and looking it over.

"Oh, wow!" His smile immediately began to grow, "Is this me? Did you draw me, Piper?"

"Yeah!" She giggled and nodded, "Do you like it, Harry?"

"I like it a lot, Piper," his eyes were lit up with affection as he examined the drawing, "you are quite the little artist, aren't you?"

Piper giggled again before she turned her head towards me and smiled brightly. "Mummy, I drawed a picture of Harry! Do you want to see it?"

I smiled at her. "Of course I want to see it, darling," I entered the room and crouched down beside her as well.

Harry looked up at me and smiled before handing the picture over to me – and I braced myself as I inwardly began to wonder if she made him look like a skyscraper again. But, once I did see the picture, I was actually quite surprised.

I could tell that Piper had put more effort than usual into this one particular drawing. She made sure she actually drew his hair around his head and not all over his face this time – and she had even used a green felt pen for his eyes, and a red felt pen for his mouth – as opposed to her other drawings where she usually made all facial features the exact same colour. Clearly, she had drawn this in Ashley's presence, and she must've checked in with Ashley regularly to make sure she was doing everything right.

"Aw, Piper..." I couldn't help smiling tenderly since I could see how much she wanted the picture to look perfect, "this is beautiful, munchkin. It's one of your best pictures yet."

"I wanted to make it really pretty, because I wanted to show Harry," said Piper.

I put the drawing down on the floor so that I could wrap my arms around her and stroke her hair.

"You're getting better and better at drawing, my darling," I lovingly kissed the top of her head, "I'm so proud of you."

Piper giggled and happily snuggled into the crook of my neck. As she hugged me, I saw Harry pick up the drawing once again – another warm smile spreading across his face that made both of his cute dimples pop up as he admired it. I only needed to look at his face once to see how happy seeing Piper's picture had made him. Clearly, he wasn't expecting it – and clearly, he was deeply touched by her efforts.

When Piper pulled away from me and saw that Harry was still admiring her drawing, I saw a beaming smile spread across her face – delighted to see how much he liked it.

"Thank you, Piper," Harry extended his arm and hugged her as well – which she happily accepted and willingly lapped up, "do you want your picture back, or can I keep it?"

"Do you want to keep it?" She asked him with a grin.

"Only if you're happy to give it to me," he replied.

"Oh...wait! Let me write something on it!" She took the drawing from Harry and took it to her little table where a couple of coloured pens were lying on the tabletop.

She grabbed a pen and began to carefully scrawl something on the bottom-left corner of the page – her little tongue sticking out a bit and slightly squinting one of her eyes as she took her time to write as neatly as she could. Once she was done, she grinned and put the pen down before running back to Harry and giving the drawing back to him. Curious about what she'd written, I rose to my feet and glanced over Harry's shoulder to take a look.

To Hary
From Pipper

I couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle at how she'd spelt her and Harry's names – amused at the way she'd spelt 'Harry' with one 'r' instead of two, and 'Piper' with two 'p's instead of one. And, looking at Harry's face, I could tell that he was amused, too.

"Now you can keep it, Harry," Piper told him with a giggle.

"Thank you very much, Piper," Harry replied with a soft chuckle, "I'll never lose it. I promise."

"Do you pinky promise?" She asked him.

Harry smiled at her and nodded – wrapping his pinky finger around hers without hesitation.

"I pinky promise, Piper," he told her before hugging her once again.

Piper giggled happily and willingly hugged him back – closing her eyes and laying her head against his shoulder – and I had to let out a soft gasp as the very sight of it just made my heart swell and burst.

Maybe Harry really did have the fatherly love that Piper needs.

But the question was, though...to what extent was he willing to give it to her?

***

"Thank you for letting me stay over, Leah," Harry told me as he slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, "it was very kind of you. I really appreciate how generous you've been."

"Ah, don't mention it," I waved at him dismissively, "call it a return favour for keeping me away from complete loneliness at the wedding last night. And besides," I smiled at him, "you really made Piper's morning. You're probably gonna be all she'll talk about at her kindergarten today."

"Hey, Piper's really sweet. I was more than happy to keep her entertained," he smiled back at me.

"It's a shame that Ashley had to take her to kindergarten before you could leave. She would've loved to hug you goodbye," I said with a soft chuckle as I walked him to the door.

"I know. I would've liked that, too," Harry chuckled as well, "but...you will say goodbye to her for me, yeah? And Ashley too?"

"Of course. As soon as I see them again, it'll be the first thing I do," I told him.

"Thanks, Leah," he smiled once more, "and...you know, I...I have quite a bit to do that'll keep me in London for a little while, but I hope we can catch up again soon."

I had to force myself to hold back a gasp.

"Yeah, sure," I nodded and smiled back, "you have my number. I'm ready when you are. No rush, though."

He chuckled again. "Great. I'll let you know as soon as I'm free."

I giggled. "OK, Harry. That sounds good."

He put his bag down on the floor to take my hand and kiss my cheek – making my breath hitch as he warmly pulled me into a hug. I bit my lip and sighed softly as I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders – knowing that it was only a matter of moments before we had to say goodbye.

"Thanks again," he told me with another smile as we pulled away, "bye, Leah."

"Bye, Harry," I shyly returned his smile.

He picked up his bag once more as I unlocked the front door and held it open for him – trying my best to hold in my growing sadness as he left the house. I then peered around the door and watched him as he unlocked his car and tossed his bag into the back seat – looking back at me and giving me a wave and a warm smile – and I sighed and waved back as I watched him climb into the front seat and slide behind the wheel.

I gently shut the door and locked it once again – lowering my eyes as I heard his car's engine start up outside before he reversed out of the driveway and drove off.

Will he actually remember to call me?

Knowing that I had to start getting ready for work myself, I made my way back to my bedroom – twisting the doorknob and pushing it open before walking through the door. However, as soon as I entered the room, my eyes widened, and I had to let out a gasp as I was taken aback by how tidy the room was.

Oh my God...

The bed was beautifully made, and resting on top of one of the pillows was a small piece of paper with some sort of message scrawled on it. Frowning slightly, I went over to the bed and picked the paper up – my eyes widening even further as I realized that it was actually a note from Harry...to me.

I'll never forget this, Leah. Thank you so much.

You are truly wonderful.

Harry x

A/N: I enjoyed writing this chapter :)) I hope you enjoyed reading it xx