the dollhouse | h.s.

sixty three

"Lucky them." I reply, causing Holly to playfully push my shoulder.

I grab my keys from the table and Holly asks me where I'm going. I tell her I'm just 'getting us breakfast' and she bids me goodbye without further questions. That's the first.

-

I push open the door of the Café and I'm met with the usual sight; a few people sitting down, drinking coffee and typing on their MacBooks and Elsie and a brunette barista taking orders and serving people.

Elsie sets down a cup of tea down on a table and then walks over to me, her black pumps making a clicking sound against the floorboards.

"Harry. Can I help you? Coffee... Tea... A treat?" Elsie says with her hand on her hip, obviously trying to stall me for some reason.

"Can I have the box, please?" I say to the blonde waitress.

Elsie chuckles and leans against the door frame. "I peaked inside. Interesting."

"I told you it was none of your business what was in there."

"Oh, please. Like I care." Elsie says, applying an extra, unneeded coat of her famous red lipstick.

"Elsie! Table 3!" The barista yells from behind the counter. Elsie rolls her eyes and yells, "On it!".

"How'd you even get into waitressing? From your... old job... To a Parisian art school, to this?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Haven't I told you? After my 'old job'" Elsie says with her fingers making quotation marks in the air, "Zayn took me in, and then I got accepted into the art school, but didn't have enough money for tuition... So, here I am. Best job I could find."

"Right. Can I have the box now?" I ask, checking the time on my wristwatch.

"Here," Elsie says and she grabs the box from the window ledge next to us.

"What are you doing? Why would you just leave this in the open?" I say, snatching the box from her hands.

"Oh, relax. I've got jobs to do. Don't you? Any new smuggling duties, a new murder mission, maybe?" Elsie says, smirking.

"You don't know me, Elsie."

"Oh, Harry. Yes, I do. You know that. Anyways, goodbye." Elsie says and then walks off.

I roll my eyes and leave the Café. Hopefully this is the last time I will ever have to do so.

-

| 12:19PM |

When I step into mine and Holly's apartment, I see Holly wearing black jeans and a Calvin Klein jumper, dancing around the kitchen listening to Fleetwood Mac on the radio.

"What are you making?" I say, greeting Holly with a hug.

"Sorry, I totally forgot you were getting breakfast and decided to make an omelette." Holly says. "Where is the breakfast, anyway? Strange packaging for breakfast." Holly says, looking at the box I'm carrying.

Shit.

"Oh... This isn't breakfast. I forgot too, actually."

"What's in the box then, babe?" Holly says, pulling her blonde hair into a messy bun.

"Oh, something I ordered online came in." I'm such an idiot. Of course she knows I'm lying; the box isn't even cardboard.

"Hmm... Well, okay!" Holly says, kissing my cheek. "You hungry? I can make another one."

"No, thank you. It's alright."

Holly takes her plate and sits down at the table. I sit down opposite her.