Butterfly [A Harry Styles Fanfiction] *COMPLETED WITH SEQUEl* {Book 1}

Chapter 42: My Lucky Day

He nodded in understanding, seemingly believing the fib I'd just told. I was a little surprised to be honest. He would almost always call bullshit on anything he knew I wasn't being truthful about, but I guess today was my lucky day.

"Anything good?" he asked, gesturing the pile of mail I'd carried in only moments ago.

"Just bills and Charli's stupid dance catalogues," I lied again.

I didn't know how anyone could be duplicitous with the person they loved on a regular basis and not let the guilt eat them alive. I already felt sick to my stomach and it hadn't even been five minutes since I'd inadvertently lied to my boyfriends face.

"What time do you finish work again?" he asked changing the subject.

Today also happened to be my first day back at work. I swear the universe had a sickly twisted sense of humor when it came to my life.

"Four thirty," I replied before clearing my throat.

Harry thought about it for a moment, mentally calculating something in his head.

"I'll just pick you up straight from work and we'll head to my mum's from there."

I nodded in agreement and felt the weight of the world pushing down on my chest.

How could I focus on making a good impression on Harry's mother and sister while I knew I was lying to him about something so newly important?

I needed to figure this out as soon as possible. The worst thing I could imagine was that I would keep it to myself for too long and implicate Harry's trust in me.

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I could feel Harry's body tense as he glanced at Zayn entering The Grind to start his shift, as I leaned in for a goodbye kiss. I managed to catch the side of his mouth and gave him a smile that told him he had nothing to worry about as I shut his car door and waved. He drove off moments later, leaving me alone with my thoughts for the first time all morning. The acceptance letter was still weighing down on my mind and I internally battled with my consciousness to put it aside so I could focus on my first day back at work.

Niall's was the first face I saw as I entered and his lips quirked up into a bright smile when he spotted me. He rounded the corner and let himself out from behind the register and greeted me with a firm hug.

"It's good to have you back," he said, his arms still wrapped tightly around me.

I couldn't help but feel happy at the fact that the hug felt completely platonic, thankfully far from the awkwardness of our once upon a time date night.

"Someone clearly missed me around here," I joked once he let go.

He nodded only agreeing with my statement.

"He's okay..." he said nodding his head toward Zayn, "but he's no you."

It was nice to know I couldn't be replaced and better that Zayn failed at filling my spot.

"Well then, let's get to work."

Niall gestured for me to go first and I leaped right back into my routine without missing a beat.

At lunch, Niall and I walked across the street to the deli and caught up on everything we had missed in eachothers lives and it seemed like I had missed a lot.

Niall and Rachel were now seeing each other but were dead set on taking things slow.

Zayn had asked about me multiple times why I hadn't been in to work- which Naill informed he still didn't know the answer to.