Status: active
Getting Caught in the Rain
7
At six o'clock in the morning on a Thursday, Olivia jumps into Harry's bed, landing squarely on his back. Harry wakes with a start. "What? Wassamatter?"
"Daddy, it's time for school!" Olivia squeals, much too loud, as usual. "I'm starting school today!" And oh. That's right. Olivia's first day of school is today.
"Livs," Harry mumbles, "school doesn't start for two more hours. Go back to bed."
"Oh," Olivia says, sounding slightly put-off. She snuggles down next to him, and they manage to sleep for another half hour before she's poking him and asking, "Is it time for school yet?"
He gives up, getting out of bed and making both of them breakfast. He showers while Olivia gets dressed, and then both of them brush their teeth side-by-side together, with her standing on a stool so she can see herself in the mirror. He does her hair for her, putting it in two little pigtails. And then they just have to wait.
Cara calls shortly before they leave. She and Harry talk for a few moments about what they're both up to, and then he puts her on speaker so Olivia can say hi. "Mummy's on the phone, Liv."
"Mummy! I'm starting school today!" Olivia shouts.
Cara's laughing. "I know, babe. Are you excited?"
"Excited is an understatement," Harry mumbles while Olivia screeches 'yes.'
"Have Daddy take lots of pictures of you and send them to me, okay? And then when I see you next you can tell me all about it. Does that sound good?" Cara and Harry both know that Olivia misses her mother a lot, so they both do their best to keep her involved in Olivia's life.
"Yes," Olivia agrees.
"Okay. I have to go now, but I'll call later. I love you, sweetheart. Have a great day at school."
"I love you too," Olivia says, and Harry takes her off speaker, putting the phone back to his ear. "Hey."
"Is she upset?" Cara asks worriedly. Harry peeks at his daughter. She's putting on her shoes, humming to herself.
"Nah, she looks okay. You'll be picking her up tomorrow anyway, so she won't have to wait long to see you."
"If you're sure . . ." Cara sighs. "Okay. I gotta go. See you later."
"Okay. Bye." Harry hangs up and turns to Olivia. "Ready to go?"
She nods vigorously, so they make sure her backpack is all ready, and he gives her the lunch he'd packed the night before, (a PB&J sandwich, some carrots, a banana, and a juice box) makes her put her coat on, and then they're off.
Olivia sings to him the entire time they drive, and Harry pretends to like it. The boys call, wishing Olivia a good first day, and they make plans to meet with Harry for lunch. They call it a "boys' day" but he knows that they just want to be there for him while he copes with his daughter going to school.
And then they're there. He can see all of the other kids milling about the schoolyard, holding their parents' hands, talking to their friends. This is it. "We're here!" he says, trying to sound upbeat. He gets out of the car and opens her door, unbuckling her car seat. She climbs out and he holds out his hand, scanning the schoolyard for the door, but then looks down when she doesn't take it.
Olivia is looking up at him, wide-eyed, and Harry furrows his eyebrows. "What's the matter?"
"I think I'd like to go back home now," Olivia squeaks. "I changed my mind."
"What?" Harry's torn between disbelief and amusement. "But you were so excited, Livs." He doesn't want to break it to her yet that she's required by law to go to school.
"I know," Olivia says. "But I changed my mind." Then, she whispers, "I don't wanna go, Daddy." Her eyes start to well up with tears, and Harry's heart swells and breaks at the same time.
"Oh, baby." He gets down so he's at her level. "It'll be okay, I promise. You're going to have so much fun and make loads of new friends and pretty soon you'll forget that you were scared."
"But Daddy," Olivia sniffles.
"I know you're scared, but remember what we've talked about? Remember how fun I told you school is?" Harry had read online that in order to prepare your child for school, you should start reassuring them ahead of time, so he got the boys and Caroline and Cara to talk to Olivia about it, telling her how nice it is and all the fun things she'll get to do.
Olivia nods. He continues, "Remember how your teacher sent you a letter over the summer? She sounded really nice, and I'm sure she'll have lots of great things for you to do. It'll be wonderful. What do you say?"
His daughter considers it, wiping her nose. "Will - will you please come in with me?" she asks. Even though she's close to tears, she always remembers to say 'please.'
"Of course, honey." He doesn't want to leave her just yet, anyway. Harry wipes Olivia's face with his thumb before standing up and holding out his hand, and after a moment Olivia takes it, and they walk in together.
They find her classroom, where there's already kids and parents milling around. A woman who looks to be in her 30's walks up, smiling with bright white teeth. "Good morning!" she says with enthusiasm.
"Good morning," Harry answers. Olivia blinks at her.
"Welcome to Room 11! And who are you?" she asks.
"Tell her your name," Harry instructs.
"Olivia Styles," Olivia mumbles.
"Hi, Olivia! I'm Miss Campbell and I'm going to be your teacher!" She shakes Olivia's hand before turning her attention to Harry. "I take it you're her brother?"
"Father, actually," Harry says, a little sheepishly. "Harry Styles, nice to meet you."
Miss Campbell doesn't even blink. "Likewise. Okay, Olivia, I'm going to ask you to pick a cubby and put your backpack away, and then you can find the seat that has your name on it. Does that sound good?"
Olivia nods before looking pleadingly up at Harry. "Is it okay if I come with her?" he asks.
"Of course. Parents are allowed to stay for a few more minutes. It was nice meeting you, Olivia. We're going to be having a lot of fun this year!" She waves before going off to greet some people who have just entered.
Harry follows Olivia to her cubby and helps her tuck away her coat and bag, and then he walks around the room with her until she finds her seat. There's a few other kids sitting there with their parents, some of whom Harry recognizes from nursery school and the park. "Look Olivia, there's Maddy and Sarah and Emma!"
Olivia perks up at that, and within minutes she's chattering away to her friends. Harry makes small talk with the moms and agrees to set up a carpool one of these days before Miss Campbell finally claps her hands and says, "Okay, parents! The bell is about to ring, so I'm going to ask you to say good-bye to your child now!"
Harry swallows. This is it. He's actually leaving Olivia alone at school for like, more than a few hours. He slowly stands up. "Okay, Olive, Daddy's gotta go to work now."
"Okay," she says agreeably, and while he's glad she's not upset anymore, he kind of wishes she would recognize the importance of this moment. But she's four, so that's obviously not happening.
"Can I have a hug and a kiss?" he asks, trying not to choke up. Olivia gives him a hug and he smothers her face with kisses. "If you need me, you can call me and I'll come get you, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good. Have fun, listen to your teacher, and be a good girl for me. Caroline will come get you at the end of the day, and I'll be home later and you can tell me all about it." Parents are beginning to leave. Time's up. "I love you, kiddo."
"I love you too."
He kisses her one more time before standing up and walking out. Miss Campbell gives him a sympathetic smile, and he does his best to return it. And then he's walking to his car and sitting in it, only Olivia's not in the backseat. She's, like, in school.
He pauses for a moment, taking deep breaths, before he starts up his car and drives home. He's got a few minutes before he has to leave for work, so he calls Caroline, because he hates how empty the place is. "Hi, Harry," she says when she answers, and he likes that she has him in her contacts.
"Uh, hi."
"Are you okay?" That seems to be a common thing: every time he calls, Caroline usually ends up asking him if he's all right. She probably thinks he's some sort of unstable parent.
"Um, yeah, yeah, m'good. I just dropped Olivia off at school."
"Oh," Caroline says, like she's nodding, "how did it go?"
"Good. She was scared at first, but I walked in with her and she was okay after that. Didn't really mind me leaving."
"That's good," Caroline says. She pauses, and then asks, "So how are you?"
"Me? I'm fine. Just . . . empty-nest syndrome, I suppose." Harry laughs humorlessly. "It's just weird, you know? Being without her." Olivia's not dead, you idiot, he reminds himself. Just at school.
"Yeah, I know," Caroline answers. "It's only a couple hours though, right? She'll be okay."
"I know. You're right."
"If you'd like, I can call you when I pick her up from school and you can talk to her a little bit."
Man, this girl. "That would be nice," Harry says. "Yes, I would really like that."
He hears her laugh. "I figured you would." Then she adds, "Harry, shouldn't you be going to work now?"
"Oh! Shit, yeah, I should. Uh, right. Thanks, Caroline. Like, really." He doesn't exactly know how to say it.
"Of course, Harry. Have a good day." She sounds like she's smiling again. Harry wonders how a person can do that, how someone can smile so hard you can hear it through the phone.
"Yeah, uh, you too." He hangs up and sits on his couch for a good five minutes, thinking about the girl with long hair and bright eyes and a smile that you can hear.
* * *
Caroline stays true to her word and calls Harry when she picks Olivia up. Harry can't really talk, though, because he's got a meeting in ten minutes, but it sounds like Olivia had a good first day, and that makes him happy.
He gets home a little later than planned, and finds Olivia at the table chattering away to Caroline, who is cooking. "Hello," he says, a little uncertainly.
"Daddy!" Olivia screeches, and then she's flying at him and jumping into his arms. Harry hugs her back, burying his face into her hair, and he closes his eyes and smiles.
"Hey, kid. How are you?"
"Caroline is making macaronis," Olivia says with excitement. "Macaronis with meat sauce."
"What?" Harry lifts Olivia up and carries her back into the kitchen. "Why are you cooking?"
She glances up at him and shrugs. "One less thing for you to do."
"Well, now you have to stay for it, I hope you realize that."
Caroline raises her eyebrows, but a slow smile spreads on her face. "Oh, really?"
"Yes!" Olivia shrieks. "Yes, please stay! Oh please!"
Caroline pretends to think, tapping her chin. "All right, I'll stay. But only for you, Princess Olivia, not for that silly daddy of yours."
"You wound me," Harry says, and she laughs.
So once dinner is ready they all sit down and eat, and Olivia chatters on and on about her day at school and how nice Miss Campbell is and how fun the work is and how she can't wait to go back, and Harry listens intently to every word. He's glad she likes school, he really is, but the bad part of him is also kind of put out that she's not complaining about it and insisting that she stay home with him forever.
The dinner is excellent. "It's my grandmother's recipe," Caroline says. She winks at Olivia. "It's top secret."
"Top secret?" Olivia repeats, her eyes widening. "You mean like a spy?" One time, Louis had read a chapter or two out of Casino Royale to her and ever since Olivia perks up at anything to do with spies.
"I guess," Caroline laughs. "She was from Bristol."
This is really the first Harry's ever heard about Caroline's life. It's not as though she keeps herself guarded with lock and key; they just never really talk about her family or where she's come from or things like that.
"Are you from Bristol, too?" Olivia asks, like she knows where the place is.
Caroline nods. "I am." Harry silently commits that to memory.
"We're from Holmes Chapel, in Cheshire," he tells her. "We moved here once I finished school so I could get a job."
"I'm from Manchester," Olivia boasts.
"No, Ols, you were born in Cheshire. You and I moved here when you were two, remember?"
"Oh." Olivia's eyebrows furrow for a few seconds before she shakes it off. "Okay." Caroline laughs again, and she and Harry share a secret smile across the table. It pulls at something funny in his stomach.
All in all, it's maybe one of the best dinners he's ever had.
"Daddy, it's time for school!" Olivia squeals, much too loud, as usual. "I'm starting school today!" And oh. That's right. Olivia's first day of school is today.
"Livs," Harry mumbles, "school doesn't start for two more hours. Go back to bed."
"Oh," Olivia says, sounding slightly put-off. She snuggles down next to him, and they manage to sleep for another half hour before she's poking him and asking, "Is it time for school yet?"
He gives up, getting out of bed and making both of them breakfast. He showers while Olivia gets dressed, and then both of them brush their teeth side-by-side together, with her standing on a stool so she can see herself in the mirror. He does her hair for her, putting it in two little pigtails. And then they just have to wait.
Cara calls shortly before they leave. She and Harry talk for a few moments about what they're both up to, and then he puts her on speaker so Olivia can say hi. "Mummy's on the phone, Liv."
"Mummy! I'm starting school today!" Olivia shouts.
Cara's laughing. "I know, babe. Are you excited?"
"Excited is an understatement," Harry mumbles while Olivia screeches 'yes.'
"Have Daddy take lots of pictures of you and send them to me, okay? And then when I see you next you can tell me all about it. Does that sound good?" Cara and Harry both know that Olivia misses her mother a lot, so they both do their best to keep her involved in Olivia's life.
"Yes," Olivia agrees.
"Okay. I have to go now, but I'll call later. I love you, sweetheart. Have a great day at school."
"I love you too," Olivia says, and Harry takes her off speaker, putting the phone back to his ear. "Hey."
"Is she upset?" Cara asks worriedly. Harry peeks at his daughter. She's putting on her shoes, humming to herself.
"Nah, she looks okay. You'll be picking her up tomorrow anyway, so she won't have to wait long to see you."
"If you're sure . . ." Cara sighs. "Okay. I gotta go. See you later."
"Okay. Bye." Harry hangs up and turns to Olivia. "Ready to go?"
She nods vigorously, so they make sure her backpack is all ready, and he gives her the lunch he'd packed the night before, (a PB&J sandwich, some carrots, a banana, and a juice box) makes her put her coat on, and then they're off.
Olivia sings to him the entire time they drive, and Harry pretends to like it. The boys call, wishing Olivia a good first day, and they make plans to meet with Harry for lunch. They call it a "boys' day" but he knows that they just want to be there for him while he copes with his daughter going to school.
And then they're there. He can see all of the other kids milling about the schoolyard, holding their parents' hands, talking to their friends. This is it. "We're here!" he says, trying to sound upbeat. He gets out of the car and opens her door, unbuckling her car seat. She climbs out and he holds out his hand, scanning the schoolyard for the door, but then looks down when she doesn't take it.
Olivia is looking up at him, wide-eyed, and Harry furrows his eyebrows. "What's the matter?"
"I think I'd like to go back home now," Olivia squeaks. "I changed my mind."
"What?" Harry's torn between disbelief and amusement. "But you were so excited, Livs." He doesn't want to break it to her yet that she's required by law to go to school.
"I know," Olivia says. "But I changed my mind." Then, she whispers, "I don't wanna go, Daddy." Her eyes start to well up with tears, and Harry's heart swells and breaks at the same time.
"Oh, baby." He gets down so he's at her level. "It'll be okay, I promise. You're going to have so much fun and make loads of new friends and pretty soon you'll forget that you were scared."
"But Daddy," Olivia sniffles.
"I know you're scared, but remember what we've talked about? Remember how fun I told you school is?" Harry had read online that in order to prepare your child for school, you should start reassuring them ahead of time, so he got the boys and Caroline and Cara to talk to Olivia about it, telling her how nice it is and all the fun things she'll get to do.
Olivia nods. He continues, "Remember how your teacher sent you a letter over the summer? She sounded really nice, and I'm sure she'll have lots of great things for you to do. It'll be wonderful. What do you say?"
His daughter considers it, wiping her nose. "Will - will you please come in with me?" she asks. Even though she's close to tears, she always remembers to say 'please.'
"Of course, honey." He doesn't want to leave her just yet, anyway. Harry wipes Olivia's face with his thumb before standing up and holding out his hand, and after a moment Olivia takes it, and they walk in together.
They find her classroom, where there's already kids and parents milling around. A woman who looks to be in her 30's walks up, smiling with bright white teeth. "Good morning!" she says with enthusiasm.
"Good morning," Harry answers. Olivia blinks at her.
"Welcome to Room 11! And who are you?" she asks.
"Tell her your name," Harry instructs.
"Olivia Styles," Olivia mumbles.
"Hi, Olivia! I'm Miss Campbell and I'm going to be your teacher!" She shakes Olivia's hand before turning her attention to Harry. "I take it you're her brother?"
"Father, actually," Harry says, a little sheepishly. "Harry Styles, nice to meet you."
Miss Campbell doesn't even blink. "Likewise. Okay, Olivia, I'm going to ask you to pick a cubby and put your backpack away, and then you can find the seat that has your name on it. Does that sound good?"
Olivia nods before looking pleadingly up at Harry. "Is it okay if I come with her?" he asks.
"Of course. Parents are allowed to stay for a few more minutes. It was nice meeting you, Olivia. We're going to be having a lot of fun this year!" She waves before going off to greet some people who have just entered.
Harry follows Olivia to her cubby and helps her tuck away her coat and bag, and then he walks around the room with her until she finds her seat. There's a few other kids sitting there with their parents, some of whom Harry recognizes from nursery school and the park. "Look Olivia, there's Maddy and Sarah and Emma!"
Olivia perks up at that, and within minutes she's chattering away to her friends. Harry makes small talk with the moms and agrees to set up a carpool one of these days before Miss Campbell finally claps her hands and says, "Okay, parents! The bell is about to ring, so I'm going to ask you to say good-bye to your child now!"
Harry swallows. This is it. He's actually leaving Olivia alone at school for like, more than a few hours. He slowly stands up. "Okay, Olive, Daddy's gotta go to work now."
"Okay," she says agreeably, and while he's glad she's not upset anymore, he kind of wishes she would recognize the importance of this moment. But she's four, so that's obviously not happening.
"Can I have a hug and a kiss?" he asks, trying not to choke up. Olivia gives him a hug and he smothers her face with kisses. "If you need me, you can call me and I'll come get you, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good. Have fun, listen to your teacher, and be a good girl for me. Caroline will come get you at the end of the day, and I'll be home later and you can tell me all about it." Parents are beginning to leave. Time's up. "I love you, kiddo."
"I love you too."
He kisses her one more time before standing up and walking out. Miss Campbell gives him a sympathetic smile, and he does his best to return it. And then he's walking to his car and sitting in it, only Olivia's not in the backseat. She's, like, in school.
He pauses for a moment, taking deep breaths, before he starts up his car and drives home. He's got a few minutes before he has to leave for work, so he calls Caroline, because he hates how empty the place is. "Hi, Harry," she says when she answers, and he likes that she has him in her contacts.
"Uh, hi."
"Are you okay?" That seems to be a common thing: every time he calls, Caroline usually ends up asking him if he's all right. She probably thinks he's some sort of unstable parent.
"Um, yeah, yeah, m'good. I just dropped Olivia off at school."
"Oh," Caroline says, like she's nodding, "how did it go?"
"Good. She was scared at first, but I walked in with her and she was okay after that. Didn't really mind me leaving."
"That's good," Caroline says. She pauses, and then asks, "So how are you?"
"Me? I'm fine. Just . . . empty-nest syndrome, I suppose." Harry laughs humorlessly. "It's just weird, you know? Being without her." Olivia's not dead, you idiot, he reminds himself. Just at school.
"Yeah, I know," Caroline answers. "It's only a couple hours though, right? She'll be okay."
"I know. You're right."
"If you'd like, I can call you when I pick her up from school and you can talk to her a little bit."
Man, this girl. "That would be nice," Harry says. "Yes, I would really like that."
He hears her laugh. "I figured you would." Then she adds, "Harry, shouldn't you be going to work now?"
"Oh! Shit, yeah, I should. Uh, right. Thanks, Caroline. Like, really." He doesn't exactly know how to say it.
"Of course, Harry. Have a good day." She sounds like she's smiling again. Harry wonders how a person can do that, how someone can smile so hard you can hear it through the phone.
"Yeah, uh, you too." He hangs up and sits on his couch for a good five minutes, thinking about the girl with long hair and bright eyes and a smile that you can hear.
* * *
Caroline stays true to her word and calls Harry when she picks Olivia up. Harry can't really talk, though, because he's got a meeting in ten minutes, but it sounds like Olivia had a good first day, and that makes him happy.
He gets home a little later than planned, and finds Olivia at the table chattering away to Caroline, who is cooking. "Hello," he says, a little uncertainly.
"Daddy!" Olivia screeches, and then she's flying at him and jumping into his arms. Harry hugs her back, burying his face into her hair, and he closes his eyes and smiles.
"Hey, kid. How are you?"
"Caroline is making macaronis," Olivia says with excitement. "Macaronis with meat sauce."
"What?" Harry lifts Olivia up and carries her back into the kitchen. "Why are you cooking?"
She glances up at him and shrugs. "One less thing for you to do."
"Well, now you have to stay for it, I hope you realize that."
Caroline raises her eyebrows, but a slow smile spreads on her face. "Oh, really?"
"Yes!" Olivia shrieks. "Yes, please stay! Oh please!"
Caroline pretends to think, tapping her chin. "All right, I'll stay. But only for you, Princess Olivia, not for that silly daddy of yours."
"You wound me," Harry says, and she laughs.
So once dinner is ready they all sit down and eat, and Olivia chatters on and on about her day at school and how nice Miss Campbell is and how fun the work is and how she can't wait to go back, and Harry listens intently to every word. He's glad she likes school, he really is, but the bad part of him is also kind of put out that she's not complaining about it and insisting that she stay home with him forever.
The dinner is excellent. "It's my grandmother's recipe," Caroline says. She winks at Olivia. "It's top secret."
"Top secret?" Olivia repeats, her eyes widening. "You mean like a spy?" One time, Louis had read a chapter or two out of Casino Royale to her and ever since Olivia perks up at anything to do with spies.
"I guess," Caroline laughs. "She was from Bristol."
This is really the first Harry's ever heard about Caroline's life. It's not as though she keeps herself guarded with lock and key; they just never really talk about her family or where she's come from or things like that.
"Are you from Bristol, too?" Olivia asks, like she knows where the place is.
Caroline nods. "I am." Harry silently commits that to memory.
"We're from Holmes Chapel, in Cheshire," he tells her. "We moved here once I finished school so I could get a job."
"I'm from Manchester," Olivia boasts.
"No, Ols, you were born in Cheshire. You and I moved here when you were two, remember?"
"Oh." Olivia's eyebrows furrow for a few seconds before she shakes it off. "Okay." Caroline laughs again, and she and Harry share a secret smile across the table. It pulls at something funny in his stomach.
All in all, it's maybe one of the best dinners he's ever had.
