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flowerfeast444 · 2 years

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you were a house on fire || h.s. {pt 1}

harry styles x o.c.

summary: After One Direction’s break, Harry tried his best to live anonymously in Chicago. He always told himself he could date "normal" people. After all, he's a normal person too, right?

word count: 1.3k

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She sifted through the green bills again, ensuring fatigue didn't cause any errors in her counting. The girls in her diner deserved evenly split tips; they all work hard, she knows that. She's been where they are, and tips- they're life or death sometimes. The bell above the front door chimed, unsettling her focus. This time of night always put her on high alert, but knowing Lucas was just behind the wall separating the kitchen from the main dining area brought comfort.

Tonight’s patron was a man; alone, only accompanied by a worn leather journal and thick gray scarf. He kept his head down the entire time he led himself to a booth in the far left corner. Usually, this profile of a man would shoot anxiety up her spine. But whether it was the near-visible rain cloud floating over the man’s head or her sheer lack of energy, she found herself standing adjacent to his table only moments after he arrived.

“Hello,” she placed the tattered menu on the table in front of him, “Take your time looking, just call me over when you’re ready to order. I’m Roe.” He nodded in response.

Roe shuffled back to her perch by the register and tried to finish splitting tips as quickly as possible. Every few seconds, she spared a glance at the man in the booth. His dark brows knitted together, shadowing the rest of his sharp features. He remained hunched over the menu until a cuckoo clock on the wall next to him screeched the arrival of three A.M. and made him jolt. He scratched his neck underneath the curls dusting his collar bones. Finally, he called Roe's name uncertainly and she hopped off her stool once again to hover by his table.

He gently asked for a slice of apple pie and a cup of tea. Roe brought him his order and against her fair judgment sat across from him as she did so. He bit his lip, wanting to reject her boldness before he realized the empty pit in his stomach craved more than just food.

“This pie is good.”

“It’s from Costco,” she smirked, “but I will take all of the credit anyway.”

“It’s good,” he complimented gently as if she would leave him were he to speak too loudly.

“Good.”

He took his time drawing the fork to his lips like this was exactly what he was meant to be doing for the rest of his life. Before the man arrived, Roe considered preparing a slice of pie for herself, but the strong cinnamon scent of it in front of her satisfied her enough for now. It wasn’t often that soft, kind men occupied the diner at this hour, so she did her best to paint it in her memory forever. The dark beige of his coat contrasted the starkness of his pale skin, but somehow it worked together well. The coat was made of pure wool, at least she assumed so. She couldn't recall a time seeing such a thing. He had three rings on each hand, each of them was intricate and glittered brighter than any of the cutlery in the diner. With only two bites of his pie left, Roe addressed him again.

“Are you okay?” she set her chin on her palm, absentmindedly reaching her fingers up to twist the ring in her right nostril.

“What do you mean?” his voice was strained, but that could be written off as fatigue. At least, he thought so.

“Ruby’s Diner is nice and all, but it doesn’t seem like a place you’d frequent when you’re really livin’ it up. Especially not at this hour,” she tried to withhold anything but a neutral tone from her words, but judging by the way his bloodshot eyes fell to the crumbs left on his plate when she spoke, she knew she was unsuccessful.

“Just a rough couple of days, you know.” He shrugged halfheartedly.

“Yeah, I know.”

For the rest of that night- or morning rather, words seemed a sparse occurrence. Roe’s co-worker, Jodie, came near three-thirty to let Roe go home. Although she felt the weight in her limbs and eyelids as she traveled back home, sleep held itself from her. The only thing that consumed her headspace was the unnamed man with the apple pie.

Friday floated by innocuously enough with regular customers at the diner asking for this and that. They were relatively polite too; something rare in this part of Chicago. Heat blasted through the restaurant but inevitably yielded to the temperatures outside, causing Roe’s arm hair to stand on end from the bumps raised on her skin. Each plate placed in front of an individual was one more minute closer to the day concluding in sweatpants and blankets. She already felt the warmth begin to radiate in her as she neared her house. River stood at the coffee table, running Hot Wheels over the scratched surface. She felt she should reprimand him, but the table was already beyond repair with little original varnish left, and his cheeks always did look so soft when he gleamed and giggled like that. The warmth Roe had built up, however, immediately dissipated when she caught a glimpse into the kitchen.

”Ari, ” Roe exhaled, shocked, ”What are you doing here?” Arielle’s slender body turned from the kitchen table to face her. She cast her eyes to the ground, tucking her long curled hair behind her left ear. Roe’s heart beat rapidly against her will.

”Hey baby, thought I'd join you for dinner.” Roe remembered the bags of diner food hanging in her hands. She ignored the other woman at first, merely whispering an ”excuse me” as she sped past her to dump the bags on the table.

”I told you, you don't get to call me that anymore.”

Roe unpacked the now cold food. The scent of bread and roast beef summoned the rest of Roe’s family, and she heard their footsteps and chattering grow louder, but she kept her focus on the dinner in front of her.

”Can I help?” Arielle reached a hand to rest on Roe’s forearm. She flared in irritation but made no move to alter their position.

”Keep unpacking the food. I'll get plates.” She kept her voice as monotone as possible, not seeking to invite an argument. As Roe reached in the cabinets next to the sink, a more welcome hand lay on her shoulder. Lucas. Roe took a deep breath and prepared for what might come from her brother’s mouth.

”I tried to get her to leave, I really did. But, she's stubborn, ” he softened his voice in an attempt to keep their conversation private.

“Unfortunately, I’m very aware of that.”

“Do you want me to pick her up and just throw her out on the sidewalk? I can do that if you want,” he joked.

“No, Lucas, it’s okay,” she yawned and pulled her auburn hair away from her face, “there’s no use in fighting her right now. I’ll make sure she’s gone before I have to drop the kids off at school. I can take River with me during my shift at the shop too. I know you’re busy tomorrow.”

He shook his head, eyebrows wound tightly together. His muscles bulged as he crossed his arms, angry heat radiating off of him, “I know you loved her, but I thought after everything, you decided she wasn’t good for you anymore. I don’t care if you’re lonely or horny or whatever, she can’t keep coming back, Rosalie. It’s not healthy.”

Roe turned away from him. The kids already began eating spare fries and chicken tenders despite the fact that Roe still held all of the plates in her hands. The table bubbled with conversation, yet despite all of the commotion, Arielle locked eyes with Roe.

“I know,” Roe conceded, “I know.”

#harry styles #hs #fanfic #fanfiction #imagine #harry styles x oc #one direction #1direction

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