I knew January would be cold, but this is ridiculous. New York is so much chillier than London at this time of year, which surprised me.
I'm currently doing my weekly routine. Every Saturday morning, I go to the laundrette on 34th street to do my laundry, obviously.
I've lived here 7 months & still haven't met a single friend. Except the little Chinese woman who owns the laundrette, Mrs. Chow. But she doesn't really count. I laughed at my thoughts as I walked through the door of the cosy building. The radiation of heat hit me as soon as I stepped through the door.
I lay my basket of washing down on the floor as I hung up my navy blue coat after shaking the few little snowflakes that had landed on the shoulders.
My chocolate brown hair was slightly dampened by the the winter weather outside, causing my natural curl to show.
As I began my laundry, I was startled by the voice coming from the sore room in the back.
"Miss Tally!" The voice called, I turned to see the short, dark haired Chinese woman running to my side. She stopped before me, observing my figure.
"Oh Miss Tally," she gasped, taking my hand in her own. "I swear you get more beautiful every time I see you!" Her words made me blush, she was so sweet and very welcoming.
"Thank you Mrs. Chow you're so sweet!" I giggled, squeezing her hand.
The sudden ding from the doorbell made me jump. By instinct, I turned to where the noise came from. A tall male, with a dark green beanie & a black winter jacket stepped through the door with a pair of worn out brown boots on his feet.
I didn't even realise I was staring, till he looked straight at me with a devilish smirk on his face. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green, but they seemed to change depending on how the light would hit them.
"Mr Harry!", I looked back to Mrs. Chow who was shuffling over the the male near the doorway. "I haven't seen you here in months!" She clapped her tiny hands, clearly excited by his presence. "What brings you back dear?" She smiled through her every word.
"Hello Mrs. Chow," he's British too! His accent was thick and chalky. "Gemma was in earlier with some washing & asked if I could pick it up. And because I'm such a gentleman, I easily obliged." He chuckled.
Oh, Gemma. Great, he has a girlfriend. I let out a faint sigh, then continued with my laundry. I leaned over the machine, removing the now-clean white washing. After the bedding, my white jeans & a few t-shirts, I leaned further into the machine to reach the individual pieces of my underwear and the bottom of the drum.
"Hello!", someone was right beside me. I suddenly jumped, tossing the handful of underwear up in the air.
"HOLY SHIT!" I squealed, clenching my chest to try and get a breath in. I looked up to see who caused me such a fright.
I was welcomed by the familiar green eyes I was almost drooling over minutes before.
"Um, hi..." I choked. A smiled formed on his face, reaching from ear to ear.
"What, what did I do?" I panicked.
"Nothing, it's your accent. It's very similar to mine..." He chuckled.
"Yes, I noticed." I couldn't help but giggle at the stranger, who was causing me to be a terribly nervous wreck.
"Where are you from, might I ask?" He's so polite, it's nice.
"Oh, I was born & raised in Cheshire. I live there till I was about 14, then my father moved me down to London so I could get a better education." I smiled through my words.
"No way " he gasped. "I'm from Cheshire!"
"No way, are you shitting me?" My mouth formed into the shape of an "O".
"Seriously, why don't we know each other already?" his laugh was melodic, and quite infectious.
"I have no idea!" I joined him in his happy state, before looking around the small shop. I couldn't help but erupt into laughter when I noticed my underwear was scattered all over the floor. "Oh my god!" I cried, holding back my giggles.
"What?" He hopped up.
"My wet underwear is all over the floor..." He burst out laughing once again, before helping me pick it all up.
I tossed the handful I had into the drier, as he passed me one of my bras & a thong. Oh My God. I couldn't help but cringe. My cheeks shot crimson, as his hands left my undergarments.
"I never got your name," he finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Oh, I'm Natalia Ray Simmons. But you can call me Talia, Tally Ray or just Tally." I giggled, putting my hand out for him to shake.
"Well Talia, I Harry Edward Styles. But you can call me Harry." he grinned, shaking my hand.
"So what brought you out to 'The Big Apple'?" He chuckled.
"Well I graduated from Oxford after studying Law, I figured New York would have more to offer, job wise." I smiled before turning the drier on.
"This is going to sound weird..." He looked straight into my eyes. "But I studied law at Oxford two years ago & moved here for the same reason..." He looked at me with wide eyes.
"Now you're seriously shitting me." My mouth returning to the familiar "O" shape.
"You have quite the potty mouth!" He chuckled. "But no, I'm not shitting you." He smiled.
"That's so weird..." I gasped, followed by a giggle.
"Yea, my big sister Gemma & I moved out here, I don't exactly know why she came... But I'm kinda glad she did." The heat rose to his cheeks, as he looked towards his feet, clearly embarrassed by his little confession. Meanwhile, a smile grew on my face. Gemma is his sister, not his girlfriend. He might be single.
"I think that's lovely." I smiled, before putting another washing in the machine.
"Um, I know we just met, but would you like to get a coffee?"
"I'd love to, but I need to stay here with my washing." I sighed.
"Hey, Mrs.Chow!?" The tall stranger I have come to know as Harry, called.
"Yes Mr. Harry?" She smiled, shuffling her feet towards us.
"Would you mind watching our clothes while we grab a coffee?" He smiled at her and what a perfect smile it was. His teeth were pearly white, his lip sat perfectly plump around them.
"Yes, of course dear!" She giggled. I freed from my trance as Harry clapped his hands.
"Are you ready Talia?" He smiled, heading for the door.
"Sure, let me grab my coat!" I returned the smile. And with that, we left the cosy store & re-entered the hash weather of January in New York.
