Picking Up the Pieces // Harry Styles

Thirty Three

longer one. 

h a p p y  h o l i d a y s <3

Thirty Three

As a start of my new future, I got a job at the bookstore Louis took me to once on our day out. The owners were a couple who met at a bookstore. Charlotte and William immediately hired me and we seemed to click from the first day I had arrived. 

We talked about Shakespeare and his writing and other famous authors ways of telling their beautiful stories. We discussed the meaning of life as we put books back on their shelves according to the Dewey Decimal System. They even let me borrow books to read when I wasn't working at the store. 

Charlotte was like a pistol. Loud  and quick witted, always saying something smart that could make me laugh. William was a gentle giant. Just upon a long conversation with him, I felt like he was a father to me. Their love story was simple. They both just happened to be in a bookstore that day and they reached for the same book after minutes in a aisle without saying a world. They both playfully fought, saying the other could have it. William won his argument, allowing Charlotte to take it home, but not without leaving his number inside. 

"He said to call him and tell him how the book ends," Charlotte rolled her eyes with a laugh. "I think he wanted to know a little more than that." 

"It worked though." William gave her a little wink as I laughed. 

"Moral of the story is to always marry boys in bookstores. Especially if they have the same taste in books as you do."

"What if I met a guy somewhere else?" 

Charlotte grinned. "Dump this guy, and swallow some magnets before you walk into Barnes and Noble."

"Swallow magnets?" I started to laugh.

"Makes you attractive." William prompted for me. "That's her worse one, Scarlett."

"I swallow magnets to become attractive." I laughed so hard I started crying and Charlotte nodded at William, saying, "She gets my humor. Let's adopt her."

They became good friends. They were the sages of my time. I hoped Harry and I would turn out that way. I hoped we could be like Charlotte and William. I hoped we could own a little book store of our own. 

Sometimes he'd visit me. He'd be a nuisance or a perfect child. He might ride the ladder back and forth or help me put books away. Sometimes he'd talk to the older ladies while I rang guests up. It was kind of sweet. He could talk to anyone because he saw the good in everyone. Even in me. 

I had gotten a little surprise on a Tuesday afternoon. I had always thought of Tuesday's as my lucky days, but when Clementine Robinson strolled in, that changed my view on the day. 

I was diving into Kurt Vonnequet's words, disappearing with each word. It was a slow day. Harry would be hee to keep me company afterwards.

A book fell onto the my station and I jolted up with a start. I quickly doggy eared my page and set the book aside.

My eyes locked with Clementine, my bully for a large chunk of my life. 

"Hi," I whispered. 

"Hi." She said back, with a shy smile. 

"T-That's a really good book." I managed to say, my hands shaking as I rang her up.

She held A Monster Calls and looked at the back once more with a smile. "It looked good. I trust your judgment."