Getting Caught in the Rain

"Okay," Harry says to his four best friends. Every Saturday evening, they all come over to Harry and Olivia's and have dinner together. It makes Harry feel like a proper family. Right now, all the dirty dishes are stacked in the sink and Olivia is watching the telly. She's just had her bath and gotten in her pajamas and she'll be going to bed soon. "So, what do we want this ad to say?" The five of them decided to write the ad together, since Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn were just as good as legal guardians as Harry was (well, maybe not as good).

"Ummmm," Niall says, gnawing on a leftover egg roll from the Chinese they had for dinner. "You've gotta describe the ideal person you're looking for."

"Right," Harry agrees. He hesitates for a second before he writes, saying the words out loud as he goes. "Single father . . . seeking a nanny for a four . . . year . . . old . . . girl. Must be, er . . . fun loving . . . flexible . . . good with . . . kids. If interested . . . please call . . ." He finishes writing down his number and shows it to his friends.

"What about pay?" Liam inquires.

"Oh yeah." He adds in, pay can be negotiated and says, "How's that?"

"Good," Zayn says, reading it over. "What paper do we submit it in?"

"The Scribe, of course," Harry says. Ever since that reporter wrote that positive review of Louis and Niall's record store, The Scribe is the only paper that the five of them read. Plus, Olivia likes the comics in it.

"Why not post it online?" Niall suggests. "21st century skills and all that."

"Anyone could see it," Harry points out. "And I do not want 'anyone' volunteering to take care of my daughter."

"Point taken," Niall nods. They're all silent after that, listening to the noises on the TV and the bubbly sound of Olivia's laughter. She's at that age where everything on the television is still worth watching and every joke is hilarious whether she gets it or not.

"Hey, Livs," Harry calls. "Come in here for a sec?" He really doesn't need her, but it's been nearly half an hour since he's seen her and he misses her. Maybe he's a little whipped, who cares.

A few minutes later, Olivia comes trotting in, wearing purple fuzzy footie pajamas and clutching her stuffed elephant, Bubbles. She rubs her eyes, and Harry checks the clock. She'll hang out with them for a few more minutes before bedtime.

She climbs into his lap and leans back into his chest, the top of her head fitting just under his chin. "Hi, baby," he says, voice tender.

"Hi, Daddy."

"You tired?"

She nods. "Yeah."

"You can go to bed in a few, okay? I just wanted to show you the ad we made. For your nanny?"

She leans forward, her interest sparked now. She's only just begun to read, so Harry reads it out loud for her. When he's finished, he asks, "How does that sound? Good?"

"I suppose," she says, a little loftily. "But I think you should make sure that they like finger-painting and eating sweets and playing with dolls and reading books and playing princesses and dancing, because those are the things I like to do."

Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn burst out laughing and Harry grins. Olivia smiles too, pleased at making all of them laugh, even though she has no idea why. "Don't worry, bub," Harry tells her. "I'll make sure I write it in. Now, bedtime. Say good-night to everyone."

Olivia makes her rounds, taking her time like she's the Queen, allowing the four boys to kiss her on the head and say good-night before she toddles back to Harry and holds up her arms. "You're getting too big," he says as a mild way of protest, although he secretly thinks to himself, I'll carry you even when you should be carrying me. He picks her up and she does that thing where she tucks her head in between his head and his shoulder, clinging to him with little fingers and toes.

He carries her into her room and sets her down on her bed. She crawls under the covers and he kicks off his shoes and gets in next to her, tucking them both in. "Maybe I'll sleep here tonight," he says, faking a huge yawn. "It's very comfy."

"Noooo," Olivia laughs. "You're too big."

"Me? Too big?" Harry pretends to be insulted. "I'll show you!" He reaches over and tickles her, and Olivia shrieks with laughter, squirming to get away. He stops after a few seconds though because he doesn't want to get her riled up so close to bedtime. "All right," he says, pretending to pout. "I guess you don't want me, then."

Olivia just laughs again. "Can you read me a bedtime story?"

"I suppose," Harry says. "What shall we read?"

"Goodnight Moon?" Olivia asks. That was Harry's favorite book when he was little, and now it's Olivia's, too. He pulls it out from her bookshelf and sits down on the edge of her bed.

Olivia snuggles down under the covers and he opens the book and begins to read. "In the great green room, there was a telephone, and a red balloon, and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon . . ."

When he finishes the story, he looks over at her. Her eyes are half-closed, but he can tell she's watching him. Harry smiles and puts the book back on the shelf, turning off her light. He bends and kisses her forehead. "Good night, Olive," he whispers.

"Night, Daddy," she mumbles sleepily. He turns to leave, but before he can, she says, a little louder, "Wait!"

"What?"

"You didn't say you loved me to infinity and beyond."

Harry smiles, because of course Olivia couldn't let him forget. He'd been saying that to her ever since she was born. "I love you to infinity and beyond, baby."

"I love you to infinity and beyond more." Satisfied, Olivia turns over and within seconds is fast asleep. He watches her for a moment and just loves her, loves her with everything he's got, before he remembers his friends are still here.

He goes back into the kitchen in time to see Louis hanging up his phone. "Is Livvy asleep?" he asks quietly.

Harry nods. "Out like a light. Why were you on the phone?"

"I just called The Scribe," Louis says importantly, like having a contact who works for the newspaper is a big deal. "They post new ads every Monday, and they'll be in the paper for a week. You can post them again each week or you can subscribe, which is what most businesses do, and they'll post your ad automatically."

"How much does it cost?"

"It's around 6 pounds per column inch, so a two-by-two column would be 24 pounds," Louis says. "Would that work?"

"Yeah, fine," Harry says, nodding. He really wants to put his feet up and relax, but the dirty dishes in the sink are calling him. With a sigh, he goes over and turns on the faucet, squeezing soap onto the sponge. Zayn wordlessly comes over and starts to wash next to him, and Harry is grateful. Somehow, Zayn always knows what to do, and he never has to use a lot of words to express himself. Harry wishes he could be like him sometimes.

"Think we got time for a game of FIFA?" Niall asks.

"Your arse is mine, Horan," Louis swears, and Liam calls the winner. The three of them stampede into the TV room, momentarily forgetting that there's a toddler in the next room. Olivia sleeps like the dead, though, so Harry's not too worried.

Zayn and Harry wash in silence for a few minutes before he says, "So we're really doing this, huh?"

"I guess so," Harry says, not needing to ask what "this" is.

"We're really allowing some stranger to take care of her?"

"They're not got be a stranger, man. We're gonna interview 'em, see who we like, see who Olivia likes. We'll try 'em out and if it works, it works, and if it doesn't . . . well . . . we'll figure something out."

"You're surprisingly on board with this," Zayn notes. There's no venom in his words; there never is. Zayn speaks softly but firmly, letting his thoughts flow free like a butterfly hatching from its coccoon.

Harry shrugs. "I wasn't at first, but then I realized that we really do need this. I work all day and so do you and Liam, and Lou and Niall are starting to actually get somewhere with their store. I don't want her to have to go hang out at my mum's or some friend from school's house all day. It's easier this way, easier for her. I just want her to be happy."

They wash in silence for a little more, Harry scrubbing the dishes and Zayn drying them and putting them away. Finally, when the last cup is stacked in the cupboard, Harry says, "Wanna go play FIFA?"

"Sure," Zayn says, and the two of them start to head out of the kitchen. Then Zayn says, "Wait."

Harry turns. "Yeah?"

"Haz," he's got a gentle smile on his face, "Olivia is happy with you, and she'd be happy with whatever you did. The kid adores you, bro. It's obvious every time she looks at you."

Harry shrugs and smiles back. "C'mon, Malik, enough with the sappy talk. Let's go." But as they sit down on the couch to watch Louis beat Liam, Harry mumbles, "I think I adore her, too."