Prince in the City [Harry Styles AU]

Chapter 28

Zoe and Carlos's wedding invite in the pic above (not including the specs given in the story, obviously)

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Chapter 28

City Girl's POV:

When I was in high school and through my beginning years of college, I heard all around me that my twenties would be the toughest years of my life. Life would be constantly blindsiding me and I would never know what to expect, and that there wasn't any shame of not keeping it together and asking for help. There were people in my age group who had no idea what they were doing or where their lives were headed, and although I'm not that religious of a person, I can't help but thank any and every God there is that I, fortunately, didn't struggle that way.

School went by without a problem because of my scholarship, and because I had interned at my publishing firm my last two years of college, I was able to get a job without any issue — and it helped that I had established such a great relationship with Teresa. I was able to provide for myself because of my stable job, and never let myself face any situation where money would be lacking, and I was proud of myself for that.

And here I was, twenty-four and undergoing brief training to be the Head Editor of the very publishing firm I interned at. It all seemed too good to be true, as if this was a dream and I was afraid I would wake up from it soon. But then I figured, life had been shitty to me when I was in high school and everything had gone down with my dad, so maybe this was the universe's way of granting me some good karma. Not gonna lie—I deserve it. After what my father put us through and enduring the years following it? I sure as hell deserved it.

"Haven't scared you off yet, have I?" Teresa questioned, her teasing tone snapping me out of my thoughts as I looked up at the older woman. We were sitting in her—soon to be my—office, the wooden desk separating us. We had been discussing some of the details of the job—mostly on working to advance the commercial success of the firm—before I began to briefly drift off.

Blinking away my thoughts, I managed to smile and let out a breathy chuckle as I shook my head and assured, "No, definitely not. Takes a lot more than extra work to scare me off."

Teresa grinned, pointing her pen at me appreciatively as she praised, "That's what I like to hear."

My soon-to-be former boss went over a few more things with me until it was time for my lunch break, which I would be having with Zoe at the nearby Panera. Gathering my stuff, I walked out of the building and began walking in the direction of the restaurant, earbuds in as I listened to some music to accompany my walk. It wasn't too long of a walk, and I got to Panera in about ten minutes.

Walking up to the counter, I placed my order and took the tracker the woman behind the register handed me, before walking over to the drinks dispenser and filling my plastic cup with some Coke. Once I placed the lid and grabbed a straw, I wandered in the small restaurant, looking for Zoe since she had texted me that she was already here.

Spotting her in a small booth for two, I walked over, sliding into the seat across from her as she looked up from her phone at me with a smile. "Hey," she greeted, putting down her cell, "how goes it?"

"I'm being speedily trained to be the boss at my job—it goes rough," I answered with a snort before sipping my Coke through the straw. "What about you?"

Immediately, a grin spread across Zoe's face, looking impossibly excited. "I picked up our wedding invitations today. They're getting ready to be sent out!" she all but exclaimed, bouncing giddily in her seat as her curly hair bounced with her.