Holly hustled out of her car, winding her tawny hair into a tight bun. Kiersten and Kj were expecting her over twenty minutes ago. She hadn't meant to overslept, in fact, she'd actually set her alarm clock for once. Only, Holly's exhaustion from her late night bathroom monitoring had dragged her into a deep sleep. She didn't wake for her alarm clock or when Kiersten assaulted her cellphone fifteen times in a row.

Entering Cafe Grumpy, Holly spotted the two lovebirds in the back sharing a coffee cake. Exasperated, Holly collapsed into one of the chairs at their table, smiling sheepishly. The dark circles under Holly's eyes weren't concealed by her lightweight foundation, and one lacy strap of her ruby cami hung loosely off her bony shoulder. It wasn't hard to tell Holly was a mess; she usually looked worse. Besides being late, she was off to a good start that day. "You know me, always late."

"You look hideous today," Kiersten commented, nudging her boyfriend. "Doesn't she look gross?"

Holly wasn't fazed by Kiersten's words or when Kj shrugged noncommittally, saying, "I guess so."

"It's this stupid bathroom attendant job. The concerts last until around eleven, and I don't get home 'til well past one."

Kiersten nodded sympathetically. "If it makes anything better, I'm moving back in soon."

Around the time the two girls stopped going out every night, Kiersten decided to move in with Kj. It was a permanent arrangement that Holly primarily didn't mind so long as Kiersten kept paying her part of the rent. Holly's insignificant paycheck couldn't cover the monthly costs of the spacious studio alone. Five months later, Holly had been silently begging for Kiersten to move back in.

"I thought you liked living with Kj."

"I keep forgetting to put the toilet seat down, and there's a 'No pets' rule," Kj explained.

Confusion flickered across Holly's face, but Kiersten didn't allow her a second's thought. "I kind of have a little kitten named Spotty. Kj doesn't want him at his place, so we'll keep him a secret at ours. Is that okay?"

Despite Kiersten's rudeness and disregard for rules, she had an insouciant personality and knack for persuasion. Holly knew this all too well. No matter what she said, Spotty and his stinky litter box will end up staying. She sighed, placing her elbows on the table. "Do I have a choice?"

"No, not really. Don't worry, Holly, you'll like him. He's a good kitty, and he doesn't leave the toilet seat up like someone we know." Kiersten gave a pointed look to Kj who rolled his eyes, pulling his girlfriend in for a kiss anyways.

Holly averted her eyes. She scanned the establishment, familiar brown curls catching her attention. She watched the guy at the cash register, effortlessly pulling out a twenty from his back pocket. Holly was sure it was him, but found herself disappointed when he turned around. His eyes weren't the opulent green ones she was anticipating. Now that she'd been disproven, she realized his hair was too curly and frizzy, his legs too short and shoulders too broad. This wasn't the Harry she'd steadily grown more curious about as the days went on.