Ignite.

Wanting to have as much time as possible for Harry to prepare, I’d decided to call him right away. So after snatching my phone from my bag and taking one almighty breath, I hit the button to call him. It rang several times and a small part of me was hoping that he just wouldn’t answer. My mother couldn’t argue with that, could she? Maybe he was still with Louis.

But no.

“Hey, babe,” Harry finally breathed down the phone, sounding like he’d rushed for it.

“Hey!” I chirped back as easily as I could, though my free hand was shaking.

“Sorry I almost missed you, I just got out of the shower.”

Well. He was not with Louis then.

“Oh, it’s no problem. So, uhm, my mother asked me to invite you over for dinner.” The words tumbled from my lips like they were in a race and Harry’s immediate response was a chuckle.

“Dinner, eh? What brought that on?”

“Uh, I’m not sure, really. She just sort of asked.”

“Right, well I’ll be there.” That was it. It was that easy. No question, no worry. Just ‘I’ll be there’. Little shit.

“You don’t have to. I could just tell her you’re busy or-”

“Jude, it’s fine. I want to be there,” he chuckled again, and I almost wanted to smack him. Why couldn’t he just say no?

“Are you sure? I mean-”

“Do you not want me there?” His voice had lowered and he sounded a little nervous and I was immediately slapping a hand to my forehead.

“Of course I do! It’s just...she invited Henry, too,” I let out with a sigh as I crashed onto my bed and laid like a starfish. Harry was quiet for a few seconds, but I could hear light breathing so I knew he didn’t hang up.

“Okay.”

Uhm, what?

“Okay as in you don’t want to come anymore or-?”

“Jude, I will be there. I know how to be civil,” he shot back, a little offended in my seemingly shit faith in him.

“It’s not you I’m worried about.” A deep sigh left my lips as I raked my hand through my hair, wishing my mother had never set up this impromptu dinner.

“Hey, it’s going to be fine. Just try to relax, alright? I really don’t think he would try anything in front of your parents. It’s your dad I’m scared of, honestly.” A small giggle floated past my lips at that.

“Harry Styles is afraid of dads?”

“No, I just want to make sure I leave a good impression. Also, it makes things a bit more difficult going into this not knowing what to tell them about us. I mean, am I coming in there as your friend or…?” It was clear that Harry was not too familiar with the parent territory and it was kind of endearing, really. But I had been thinking of that dilemma as well. What did I introduce Harry as? Because we weren’t just hooking up, but we weren’t technically dating either. And I was not going to try to force the title on us again because we all remember how that turned out.

“I mean, I was thinking I’d just introduce you as Harry. I wasn’t going to tack anything onto it, if that’s alright. Since things are still kind of blurry.” He was quiet again, digesting the thought for a few moments before he spoke up again.

“Okay. Okay, yeah, we can do that. Christ, what do I wear?” And at that I laughed freely and loudly.

“Don’t be such a girl!”

“Shut up,” he whined helplessly and I could just see him throwing one of his abnormally large hands over his face. “I just- good impression, remember?”

“Well, you don’t need to be too dressy. But, y’know, something more than a tee shirt would be good.”

“Right. Okay, I think I’ve got it. What time should I be there?”

“Mm, six thirty-ish?”

“Brilliant. Should I bring anything?

“No, Harry, it’s fine-”

“I’ll bring something. Okay, I’ll see you in a bit, bye!” And just like that, he was gone.

--

The doorbell rang just as I finished my makeup, so I quickly sprayed on some perfume and headed downstairs. Margot was just opening the door when I reached the foot of the stairs. Once invited in, Harry was quick to place a kiss to her cheek and hand off a tin that looked like it was filled with cookies. Son of a bitch.

“Oh, you didn’t need to bring anything!” Margot cooed as she eyed the cookies, but Harry just waved her off.

“It was nothing. They’re just chocolate chip, they’re simple.” I couldn’t fight the grin that was pulling at my lips as I watched the exchange, and soon Harry’s eyes were moving over Margot’s shoulder and settling on me. If anything, my grin widened, and so did his as he moved toward me. I met him halfway in the foyer and was quickly pulled into a tight embrace before his hands came up to cup my face. “You look lovely,” he whispered gently, before placing a soft kiss to my forehead. And boy, did he look lovely, too. His eyes were bright and excited, but his hand was a tad sweaty as it found mine, and I knew he was secretly a bit terrified.

“Are you ready?” I whispered after a small staring contest, squeezing his hand reassuringly. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the lump in his throat, but soon he was nodding gently.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” I wasn’t sure why we were whispering, but I wasn’t going to argue because I liked the intimacy and how private it all felt. So I gave him a soft smile, another squeeze to the hand, and led him to the living room.

Henry had already been there for close to a half hour and not once, to my knowledge, had it been mentioned that Harry would be coming to dinner. So I wasn’t too surprised that upon seeing the two of us enter the room, Henry nearly choked on his last slug of beer. Serves him right.

“Harry, I wasn’t aware that you’d be joining us,” he finally choked out through gritted teeth. And I wasn’t sure if it was to spite Henry or if he was genuinely happy, but Harry just smiled back.

“Your mother invited me.” At that point, both my mother and father had turned to look at Harry and soon they were both out of their seats and making their way to us.

“Oh, Harry, I’m so glad you could make it!” My mother called as she pulled him into her arms, effectively detaching us and leaving my hand feeling cold. A loud kiss was placed to his cheek and I really wanted to gag, but I refrained.

“Well thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Brighton!”

“Oh, stop it,” she gushed, lightly smacking at his arm. “I told you to call me Doris.” Mm, she was just laying it on thick, wasn’t she?

“You’ve met him before?” Henry gaped as he stared between my mother and Harry.

“Oh, yes, he was over about a month ago. Byron, he’s such a doll, he was even helping Margot make cupcakes!” Her hands were clasped together and the smile on her face was blinding and for a second, I thought her eyes might just burst right from her skull.

“Well that was very kind of you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Harry.” My father stepped forward then, extending a hand to Harry, which he readily shook. “Firm handshake,” he commented more so to himself before clapping Harry on the shoulder. “Well, it’s nice to have you.” Harry’s smile only grew as his eyes danced to mine, and I knew that took a huge weight off his shoulders. My dad was normally very upfront about his first impression of a person. If he didn’t like you, trust me, you were the first to know.

So after that whole greeting and everything, Margot had called us for dinner. Harry’s hand fell to the small of my back out of instinct, and I didn’t have the heart to tell shoo him away, so I let it stay there as he ushered me into the formal dining room. My seat was promptly pulled out by the tall boy, and soon he was sitting next to me, shooting me a nervous smile.
And so it began.

--

“So, Harry, are you going to school?” My dad had asked somewhere toward the end of our meal. I was surprised it took him that long to get there, but hey. Harry’s head shot over to him at the mention of his name and he couldn’t help but bite his lip nervously before answering.

“No, erm, I decided to forego university for the time being.” I was pretty proud of him for keeping his voice strong and even. I mean, I knew this was one of the things he was nervous about. Obviously he didn’t want to seem like some lowlife or anything of the sort to my father.

“Are you working, then?” My father pressed, and oh yes, the interview was starting.

“Yes, I actually own a record store with my mate, Noah.”

Sorry, what?

All eyes shot over to Harry at that, because excuse me, owned a record store? Without even thinking, my hand shot out to his knee and squeezed, almost as if asking if he was joking. But he simply -- and very discreetly, might I add -- placed his hand onto mine and laced our fingers together.

“Wow, you own a shop and you’re only…?”

“Almost twenty-one,” Harry answered promptly, a small smile on his face.

“That’s really incredible, Harry. I have to say, I’m impressed.”

Impressed. Impressed. My father was impressed. Hardly anything impressed my father, and Harry just waltzes in and charms him? Of course he fucking does, he’s Harry.

“Thank you! Yeah, it’s been going really well. Obviously we had a big spike during the holidays and things have kind of mellowed out for now. But once it gets warmer, we’re anticipating better sales.” And then Harry and my father dove into a discussion about marketing and sales because even though my dad was a doctor, all that stuff really interested him. I had to say, this was going much better than planned. Henry had kept his mouth shut for most of the evening, only dropping a few snide remarks. I wasn’t sure if my parents had even noticed them, really. Harry and I did, of course, but as promised, Harry was controlling himself.

And then my father did this:

“So what are your intentions with my daughter, Harry?”

We both nearly spit out our drinks. Henry smirked to himself. Bastard.

“Well I said that Jude should scoop him up, because he seems like he’d be great, you know?” My mother chirped from her end of the table, but my father’s eyes stayed glued to Harry.

“Well are you two dating?” He pressed. I quickly stepped up to the plate.

“Well, Dad, I mean. No, we’re not dating, but-”

“I guess you could say I’m courting her,” Harry suddenly cut over me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. A small blush settled onto my cheeks. Courting me? That definitely had a nice ring to it, no matter how old fashioned it seemed. And I mean, I guess he was courting me. Y’know, taking me out on dates, buying me gifts, definitely making it known that he was interested. We just weren’t at the dating point yet. So yeah, he was courting me.

“Yeah, her and about half the women in the city.” For a moment it seemed that time stood still in the dining room. Everyone’s cutlery had fallen silent as all eyes were on Henry. Had he really just said that?

“Excuse me?” Harry finally managed to croak out, his eyes darting from Henry to my father to see his reaction.

“Why would you say something like that, Henry?”

“Harry’s got a reputation around the city, Dad.”

“Sir, I can assure you that I’ve not been seeing anyone but your daughter.” Harry’s face was falling as he frantically tried to reassure my father, but I could see my father’s face hardening.

“Please, tell me you’re not buying this, Dad,” Henry scoffed with a roll of his eyes as he leaned back in his chair.

“Henry, please. Why are you doing this?” I asked, my eyes glazing over slightly. Things had been going so well and now I knew my father was rethinking the entire evening. Just one comment, and the whole thing came crashing down.

“Because I’m gonna sit here and let Harry feed Mom and Dad the same bullshit he’s been feeding you!” my brother cried indignantly as a glare came over his features. I was grasping Harry’s fingers tightly now, as if that was going to help me get a better grip on the situation. I was panicking now, definitely panicking.

“Henry, language!” my mother scolded, but Henry just waved her off.

“Mom, you don’t get it. Jude does not need to be around someone like him. Yeah, he talks a good game, but he’s not good for her. He’s disgusting and-” My fingers left Harry’s as I quickly leapt up from the table. “Jude, what’re you-?”

“You are pathetic and rude and I can’t believe you’re doing this to him- to us right now! I’m done, Henry. I am so completely done with you.” And with that, I turned quickly on my heel and all but ran from the house, ignoring the frantic calls behind me.

And then once I made it to the end of the driveway, I did run.

--

HIM.

Harry was out of his chair and at the front door in a matter of seconds, just in time to see Jude running- no, sprinting down the street. He was just about to run after her himself, but his name being called kept him back.

“Harry, why don’t you come back inside? I’m sure she’ll get it out of her system and return soon. She used to get like this a few years ago. She’ll be back soon, okay?” Doris called as she placed a hand on his arm and ushered him back into the house.

“I feel like I should go. I don’t think I’m very welcome here at the moment.”

“Nonsense! I’m not sure what’s gotten into Henry, but Byron’s not upset with you. Really, it’ll be okay. I’d rather you stay until Jude gets back. I’m sure she’ll want to see you.”

“Right, okay.” Harry nodded stiffly, following Doris into the living room where Henry and Byron were already sitting. “Maybe I should try calling her?” he offered, and Doris immediately told him that that was probably a good idea. So Harry quickly placed a call to her, but soon her loud ringtone could be heard from her bedroom.

Great. So she had no phone.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll be back soon. I wouldn’t worry,” Byron told Harry once he saw the frazzled look on his face. Harry nodded and took a seat on the couch, his eyes stuck on his phone. It was like he was waiting for her to call back, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen, really. So he waited.

--

It had been over an hour. Where was she? Why hadn’t she come back yet? What if something had happened to her? She had no phone, they would never know! Harry was getting worried, like seriously worried.

“I think I should go look for her,” he finally said as he rose to his feet. Henry was immediately mirroring his actions.

“I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t need your help, thanks,” Harry shot back darkly, his angry gaze piercing Henry.

“Listen, she’s my sister and we’ll probably find her quicker this way. I’m going.” His tone was final, so all Harry could really do was roll his eyes and head for the door, snagging his coat along the way.

Soon the two boys were in Harry’s Range Rover and pulling out of the driveway. Harry had seen Jude make a right out of the driveway, so he headed in that direction.

“So, any ideas?” Harry called softly, his voice still gruff as he spared Henry a small glance.

“I’m not sure. She’s never been gone for this long. Normally she’d just run up the street for fifteen minutes and then run back.”

“Helpful, thanks,” Harry spat back with a shake of his head.

“Don’t be a dick, Styles.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, weren’t the one who just made your own sister run away? Don’t talk to me about being a dick. I think you win that one.”

And with that, the car fell silent.

And Harry was okay with this, because it gave him time to think. Jude had never mentioned any of those runs from a few years ago, so she had never mentioned anywhere she would have gone. And Christ, it had been over an hour. At that point, she could have called for a cab and gone anywhere. She could be in the city or- Bri. Of course, she probably would have called Bri.

Harry quickly wriggled his phone out of his pocket, his eyes darting back and forth between the phone and the road as he looked for Bri’s number. He still didn’t remember when he got it, but he assumed it was some time that Alex’s phone had died.

“Harry Styles, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Bri’s voice soon came from the speaker, the phone making it sound all tinny.

“I need your help. Have you heard from Jude? Or are you with Jude?” Harry gasped out frantically, thankful that she had at least answered his call.

“Uhm, no? Why, what happened? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do a damn thing, her peach of a brother did.” Harry ignored the scoff that came from Henry.

“What happened now?”

“She does’t have her phone, idiot.”

Fuck. Henry had a point. Jude couldn’t have called Bri.

“Fuck, of course she’s not with you, she doesn’t have her phone. I’ve got to go, Bri.”

“Wait, Harry-!” But he had already hung up.

“Fuck,” Harry growled, his hand slamming against the steering wheel.

“Dude, chill out.”

“Oh, would you shut up? She has been gone for over an hour, we have no way of contacting her, and it’s fucking freezing out! She could be hurt somewhere and there’s nothing I can do, so don’t fucking tell me to ‘chill out’!” The curly haired boy roared and Henry immediately fell silent.

Although he would never admit it, that was the point where Henry was finally starting to realize that perhaps Harry really did care about Jude.

“I’m sorry-”

“Shut up. Just- do not talk to me right now.”

So they lapsed back into silence. They drove for another fifteen or so minutes before they came upon a park. Without conferring with Henry, Harry pulled into a spot and quickly shut off the car.

“Why are we here?” Henry finally asked, his brow knitting as he looked over to Harry.

“I figured it’s worth checking. It’s all we’ve really got right now.” Not looking back at Henry, Harry threw himself out of the car and headed toward the small gate to the park. It was a huge park, and annoyingly, there were only a few street lamps dotted around the area, making it incredibly difficult to see anything. And then it started to snow. Because of course it started to snow. That was just what Harry needed. With another small growl, Harry moved deeper into the park, calling out Jude’s name.

And then he spotted a small swing set in the distance. Because yes, of course Jude would want to be on the swings.

--

HER.

“Jude!” The voice cut through the silent air and I slowly peeked my head up from its hiding spot in my sweater. I was seriously regretting not grabbing a jacket. I was regretting running out of the house altogether, really. Why didn’t I just storm up to my room?

At the sight of Harry appearing through the lightly falling snow, tears pricked at the back of my eyes. He was here. He found me. I watched as he dashed across the grass, nearly slipping a few times now that the ground was slick from the snow. Soon he was approaching me though, so I moved from the swing as quickly as I could, which wasn’t so quickly as my body felt like it was frozen in place. And then he was right in front of me.

Before I could jump into his arms, he was pulling off his thick coat and wrapping it around my shoulders. And then I was being crushed against his chest as he held me tightly, his arms wrapped around the small of my back. My own arms quickly circled his waist as I pulled myself impossibly closer, shoving my face into his chest and breathing in his warmth. “God, are you okay? You scared the shit out of me. But I found you, I found you. Everything’s going to be okay.” He was near constantly placing kisses to the top of my head, pulling me in even more.

“I’m sorry I ran away,” I finally mumbled into his shirt, feeling increasingly stupid for this whole thing. But Harry just chuckled quietly.

“Don’t be sorry, babe. I get it. I just really wish you would have had your phone. I was worried sick, you know.” I pulled back slightly, taking in his face. His eyes had very slightly glazed over as he stared down at me, and I could help but lean up and place my lips to his.

“I promise I won’t run away again,” I whispered against his lips before pecking them once more.

“Jude, you’re okay!” I heard Henry call from the distance and I couldn’t fight the groan that escaped my lips.

“What the hell is he doing here?” I muttered darkly, my eyes trained on Harry’s. He shrugged lightly.

“He insisted on coming with me. He was worried about you.”

“He doesn’t get to be worried. This was his fault.”

“I know, baby, but try to be nice, okay?”

“Are you seriously defending him right now?” I scoffed, but before Harry could answer, Henry was upon us and peeling my body away from Harry and into his own arms.

“Thank god you’re okay!” Henry cried as he held me tightly, but I shook him as quickly as I could.

“Yes, no thanks to you.” My brother swallowed roughly as he watched me move back to Harry, who then helped me properly put my arms into the jacket. Mm, it was still warm from Harry and his smell was all over it.

“Let’s get you home, okay?” Harry murmured against my temple after he placed a small kiss there. I nodded silently and let myself be tucked into his side as he led me back to the Range Rover. Henry immediately and silently got into the backseat and soon we were headed back to my house.

My parents coddled me like I knew they would. They never got mad when I ran off like that, surprisingly. They just showered me with hugs and kisses and told me how glad they were that I was alright. So I could live with that. But there was still one more issue.

“I want to stay with Harry tonight.”

Even Harry was surprised, as he eyes quickly widened as he looked over at me. Both of my parents had the same shocked expression on their faces before my mother finally spoke.

“Uhm, I’m not sure about that, Judith. Why don’t you-?”

“I don’t want to be around Henry right now. I want to stay with Harry.” I was going to stand my ground on this one. Surely they had to understand that I was upset with Henry and I knew that he was staying the night at the house.

“Babe,” Harry tried to reason with me, but I shook my head.

“No, I’m not sleeping here tonight.” So I ignored their still shocked faces and ran upstairs to grab my phone. And then I was back downstairs and grabbing Harry’s hand and heading for the door.

“Where are your clothes?” my mother called to us, her voice teetering on frazzled.

“Harry’s got clothes,” I called back, wrapping Harry’s coat tighter around my body for emphasis.

“Judith-”

“Goodnight!”

I slammed the door behind us and practically had to drag Harry over to his car. He seemed in a sort of daze as he helped me in before going to his own side.

“Hey,” I called quietly as he pulled out of the driveway, bringing his eyes over to mine. “It’s okay that I’m staying over, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I just wasn’t expecting you to demand it like that in front of your parents. But you know you’re always welcome at my place. Always.” His hand slid into mine over the center console and he squeezed it tightly before I brought our hands to my lips and kissed his knuckles.

“Thank you. Tonight really meant a lot to me,” I told him in a near whisper, and he squeezed again.