her // h.s. au

02

a/n: ^^look at danielle srsly let me be you

Camilla.

I excused myself to head into the back room and put all of my belongings into my locker. My colleagues had already began working with their kids, either playing with toys or practicing how to read and write.

What I love about Nora's Nursery is that we have freedom: one day we can take a stroll around Central Park or visit the zoo with the kids and another day we can have a chill day and have all the kids get together and watch a Disney movie. Nora had put a lot of thought into this nursery; the colors, decor, and layout all had a purpose and it was the reason why this nursery is so popular among the richest of the rich. There's one thing about the people living in the Upper East Side: they don't settle for anything that's below 'amazing'.

I head back to the main room, where I would the await the arrival of Seraphina.

"Oh, look, there she is!" Nora sang, as she pointed at me. "Camilla, this is Seraphina. Her father just dropped her off. He was in a bit of a rush to get to a meeting."

Excuse my language, but shouldn't a so-called 'protective' father at least make an effort and meet the person who will be spending the day with his daughter? Putting aside my prejudice, I looked forward to meeting Seraphina.

Standing shyly behind Nora was a petite girl maybe of three or four years of age. Her brown hair was perfectly braided into pigtails with a blue bow, and she wore a cute yellow sundress with a cardigan. She was too cute. I knelt down her height and Nora gave her a little push to meet me.

"Hi, Seraphina! I'm Camilla!" I beamed and waved my hand.

"H-h-hi," she stammered, looking down and crossing her legs. It was normal for kids to be extremely shy the first day around. She probably isn't used to this.

"How about I leave you with Camilla for a while? You two can go and have some fun!" Nora clapped, giving me a wink.

"That sounds great!" I motioned for Seraphina to follow me into the playroom. She willingly followed, and asked me quietly to hold her hand.

She tapped on my arm lightly and said, "You're really pretty, Camilla."

I smiled, "Aw, thanks! I love your pigtails today, who braided them for you?"

"My daddy. And I woke up all by myself today so he can make my hair pretty!" she beamed, flashing me a bright smile. Now, we were getting somewhere: she was beginning to open up from her little shy self. Kudos to her father for learning how to braid so intricately.

"Good job! High five!" I motioned my hand out to her, and she reciprocated, "Now, what do you want to do today? We can take a walk in the park, read books, draw, anything you want!"

"Ooh...," Seraphina put her small hand on her chin, in deep thought, "I want to go to the park!" she jumped.

I quickly told Nora where we were heading and Seraphina and I departed on our journey to Central Park. She held onto my hand tightly as we walked down the street.

"So how old are you, Seraphina?" I tried to make some small talk.

"My daddy says I'm four, but I think I'm four and a half," she lifted four fingers up and covered half of her pinky. "How old are you, Camilla?"

Damn, this girl worked quick. I laughed, "I'll be 23 in October."

"When is October?" she inquired, counting her fingers.

"In 3 months, I believe," it was only early August. The heat brushed against my tan skin and I can almost feel the perspiration increasing. Summer in New York is somewhat bittersweet. Reason one: New York is extra crowded in the summer, bringing tourists from international cities to landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Rockefeller Center. Reason two: New York is in the perfect location for hurricanes hit, as we are getting close to hurricane season. Reason three: It's New York City, for god's sake; it's a dreamland.

"My birthday is in December. I always get extra presents from Daddy because it's so close to Christmas!" she cheered, "I love Christmas!"

"Tell me about your daddy. What's he like?" I was getting curious. Her Dad is my age and he can't be that busy to be unable to take care of his daughter.

"Ooh, he's very tall. And he makes me breakfast every morning and he puts all the food into a smiley face on my plate. He works a lot so I usually have Auntie Charlotte or Uncle Oliver take care of me. But they are really busy. So Daddy told me I'm gonna come to a nursery."

"What does your daddy do that makes him so busy?"

"He takes care of sick people. He's a... I forgot the name," she went into deep thought.

"A doctor?" I assumed.

"Ah yes! A doctor!" she exclaimed, "But I miss him sometimes. I have to play alone with my dolls." Seraphina frowned.

"Aw, don't be sad. You see, we are very alike. I haven't seen my daddy in a while," I replied, rubbing her back.

"Why?"

"Well, my daddy goes to work and he doesn't come back for a while. He works on a boat, and he, like your daddy, helps protect people. I miss him a lot, but I have a really great mom. What's your mommy like?" I smiled. I really did miss my dad.

The last time I saw him was when he surprised me on my birthday two years ago. He's constantly being deployed to the Navy and he loves his job so much, he can't say no. Mom and I are always crying the day he leaves. We never know when he's coming back and sometimes we have to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas alone together.

"Um, Daddy says she's on vacation but when me and Daddy go somewhere like on a plane, we come back in a couple days. I haven't seen Mommy in a while."

Oh. On the outside, Seraphina looks like a princess out of a fairy tale, but she is not receiving any love from her mother and her father is constantly working. Appearances are deceiving, but Seraphina is holding up, but there's going to be a day when curiosity gets the best of her and she cannot take it anymore.

"Well, always remember your parents love you. And you can be my buddy," I replied, giving her hand a little squeeze. We've been talking for hours now, and it was almost time for lunch. "You wanna go back to Nora's and get some lunch? I bet you're hungry!"

"Oh yes! Daddy said he packed me apples today!" Sera exclaimed, tugging my arm back into the direction of where we came from.

---

We arrive at Nora's a few minutes later, only to be greeted by her once we walk inside.

Nora glances up at me, a hint of curiosity in her eyes as Seraphina went to her cubby to get her lunch.

"So," she inquires, "how did your morning with Serafina go?"

"We went to the park for a bit, and wow, she's a talker," I laughed, "But we had a fun time nonetheless; she talked about her family a bit."

"I'm surprised..." Nora cocks her head to the right, "Her Dad--Dr. Styles--is a very private person; it's surprising that his daughter is so vocal."

"She's very sweet and it didn't take long for her to break out of her shell," I leaned closer to Nora and whispered, "she doesn't have a mother?"

"Well, that is confidential. Not a lot of people know about Dr. Styles' private life anyways, so why would I have a clue? But, I heard he transferred hospitals recently and he's single," Nora winked.

"Well, aren't you the little gossip girl?" I laughed and looked back to see Seraphina tugging on my shirt.

"Can we have lunch now?" she whispered ever so slightly.

"Yes, of course! We'll have lunch together!"

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