one
she poured the steaming black liquid in the maroon colored mug, her hand accommadated with a slight shake. astrid desperately needed sugar, she hadn't eaten all day and it was just now hitting her. hopefully the black coffee would help, although she didn't prefer cream.
the shop was empty for it had closed well over thirty minutes ago. astrid lived only a few blocks away and she didn't have a car, so if she wanted to get home before it started snowing she'd have to hurry. she decided to make herself a grilled cheese using jean's recipe that was taped to the wall above the great stove. it was her absolute favorite, and although astrid wasn't the best cook, she somehow managed to whip up a mean grilled cheese.
as she chewed the spongy bread and melted cheese, astrid played on her phone, scrolling through twitter. she didn't follow many people - just a couple of celebrities that she liked and her friends from high school. she was well aware of how different her and her classmates were, they all had plans to leave maine and go to college, while astrid was stuck.
she'd been stuck here since she was eight, the day both of her parents died in the fire that burned her house to ashes. the memory delicately danced in her mind, her emotions getting the best of her as tears filled her eyes. she wiped them away with the back of her hand, one half of her grilled cheese in the other. now was not the time to get emotional.
somehow astrid liked working at the shack, it was a small diner jean owned and sat in the middle of the town's main street. people from school always showed up, and even though they made fun of her coworker, jeremy, they left her alone. it was a "perk" of having her whole family dead - people didn't mess with her.
astrid jumped when she heard a knocking noise. she was halfway done with her grilled cheese, a bite still in her mouth as she gingerly chewed. moving her head to see who it was, she had to squint to see through the darkened room. the town was so small that it was very peculiar someone would show up after closing times - everyone knew everyone, meaning everyone knew when the shack on main street closed.
she could barely make out a boy wearing a heavy brown coat that went to his knees. he wore his hair in a type of ponytail, and the only indication astrid could make about it being a boy was his angular jaw that jutted out from his face. she slowly got to her feet, a spooked feeling in her gut. she was uneasy about answering the door to a stranger - especially after eight pm on a sunday night.
"hello?" she yelled through the door, refraining from opening it and letting the stranger in. "we're closed." she hesitantly added, taking another step towards the store's entrance and flipping on the light. she could see the boy more clearly now; he was somewhat familiar, his hair pulled away from his face and tucked into a bun on top of his head. his skin was pale, plump pink lips swollen from the cold, a white cloud emanating from his parched lips every time he exhaled. green eyes almost glowed in the darkness of outside, almost surprising astrid as she studied him over. the bright light from the street lamp beside him made it easier to conclude that he did not look like a killer.
"i-i know, but i was hoping for directions," he stumbled for words, visibly shivering from the cold. the way he said directions was peculiar, like dye-rec-tions. people around here only said der-ec-tions.
astrid hesitantly unlocked the door, the boy immediately shouldering his way in to keep from the cold. "thank you," he said, rubbing his large hands together and exhaling into them.
astrid was speechless, looking at the boy. she instantly remembered who it was and was almost sure it was someone famous. he resembled a model - and the way he stood there, hunched into his hands and biting his lip as if he was nervous, clued her in. "what-what do you need?" now she was the one stuttering, disoriented at the boy in front of her.
the boy bit his lip, turning towards her. his eyebrows squeezed together as he scanned the room, an unreadable expression on his face. astrid had to tilt her head back to glance up at him, since he was a few inches taller than her, his legs looking like sky scrapers. that was another thing that struck astrid as odd - the boy was wearing jeans too tight for his legs and a shirt that was meant to button up to his neck except it stopped at his torso, revealing his flesh underneath. she couldn't complain - she had a nice view of his tanned skin covered with two swallows. though no one here ever wore anything of the sort, no wonder he was so cold. he dressed for fashion, not for warmth. "is there a motel somewhere? or a bed and breakfast?" he asked.
if she knew better, astrid would have laughed. "maybe an hour away you'll find one, but not here. no one new ever comes to town."
the boy's lips curled up, a single dimple popping in his cheek. the feeling of knowing his from somewhere intensified but she couldn't place her finger on it. even though she didn't know him, the sight of his smile made something melt in her stomach.
"w-why?" she spoke up, filling the silence. she knew if it lasted any longer drool would form in her mouth.
"i just need a place to stay at for tonight. my car broke down a few blocks back, and i'm absolutely freezing," he commented.
astrid didn't know what to tell him. he was a complete stranger, she couldn't just invite him into her house. but his car broke down and it was almost negative degrees outside, she wouldn't be able to sleep knowing he'd be out there freezing. she looked him over again, biting her lip nervously. "i'm astrid," she finally said.
a small chuckle escaped his lips. he pulled his hand from his pocket, jabbing it in the air for a handshake. the action surprised her - it was so formal, so respected. "harry." he said, and it finally clicked in her.
astrid looked up at him, startled. "harry styles?" her eyebrows drew together as she finally remembered. harry was a popstar, a singer in a band. astrid had forgotton the name of it, but all she knew is that harry was widely popular and very important in the world of fame.
(this chapter is v short and the chapters wont be generally long, sorry if that annoys you or not idk
i picture astrid as joanna kuchta she's a cute model ha
ok vote or comment what u think idc)
