One Thing Led to Another || Harry Styles OU

Part One

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Today's not a good day.

It all started with a pink sweater. I'm not a "wear pink on wednesdays" kind of girl, but when October 3rd falls on a Wednesday, how can you not make it a thing? Even if only to instagram it and make your little cousin think you're the coolest (which she definitely already thinks, so I need to keep it up). My baby pink sweater was, then, set to be worn since last week - it was planned, it was decided, it was like the rest of my wardrobe didn't even exist. So, when I put it on this morning and saw the huge stain on my left sleeve, I wanted to cry. I honestly still don't know how it got there.

Then, with my red sweater on and ready to leave the flat, my weather app told me the probability of rain was 5%. Now, I think you can agree when I say that's low - the leave-the-umbrella-home kind of low. Unfortunately, my blonde hair was soaked and sticking to my face before I even got to the subway.

Finally, when I got home from my thesis meeting, more than ready to take a warm bath, the first thing I noticed was Honey – the little puppy I got not even a month ago – hadn't ran to me. She was not in her grey bed next to the couch (her usual spot) and her food was still in her bowl (a huge warning sign). With my heart threatening to jump out of my chest, I found her curled on my side of bed, whining when she spotted me on the door. Now, maybe she was just having an off day like me, but she hadn't been acting like her playful self the night before either. With a sigh, I called my aunt and asked if I could take the puppy with me to the store, promising she would behave nicely. If I'm completely honest, I don't think she was thrilled - but she said yes nevertheless.

Now, a few hours later, I let out a tired breath, thanking God I'm fifteen minutes away from closing up. I'm still in a bit of a mood since this morning, so having to make small talk to each customer this afternoon tired me down more than any other day. It also doesn't help that Memory Lane is now a stopping spot for every damn tourist. Truth is, I only have myself to blame and, even though I normally beam with pride, today it makes me even madder. Between decorating the store in a new style every month and creating the most aesthetically pleasing Instagram for it (it had a few thousand followers within a couple of weeks and they're still rapidly growing), the number of customers keeps on increasing.

I'm organizing a pile of books in the front when Honey whimpers from the back room where I left her with a toy. She's been like this all afternoon, so I stop what I'm doing (once more) and go behind the counter, opening up the door that leads to a tiny office and letting her come to me. She takes a few seconds but then decides to come out. Recognizing I'm probably done for the day, I kneel so I can reach my dog properly, petting her head softly. "What's going on with you, love?" I whisper, letting her crawl into my lap for a cuddle. I let out a giggle, deciding it's probably better to finish the book pile after closing up for the day anyway.

Needless to say, I'm less than pleased when I hear the door open a few minutes later.

I let them wander around for a bit as I need to recharge enough energy to put yet another smile on my face. Despite feeling irritated towards anything that moves, I'm also feeling worry as I've never felt before. This new-found responsibility I have for this tiny being in my lap was overwhelming from the start but seeing her slightly sick is not doing wonders for my well-being either. I just want to go to the vet and put all my worries to rest.

I sigh, rubbing her belly one last time. "C'mon now, I'll be with you in a second." I whisper, giving her a little kiss and placing her down. She turns her face slightly to the left as if she's begging me not to go. My heart tightens.

Damn dog.

It takes all in me to take my eyes off her soft golden hair. I look up, only to see a grinning face peeking through the counter.