Caroline let out a groan as she woke up the next morning, her head pounding from the alcohol that she had consumed the night before. Adding to the pressure, Mercutio was sitting on her head, kneading his claws into her hair.

"Okay, Cutio, I'm getting up," she grumbled, wanting nothing more than to bury her head farther into her pillow. As the cat left his spot on her head, Caroline looked at the clock on her nightstand and her eyes went wide, "Nine o'clock?!" She exclaimed, throwing the covers off of herself and falling from her bed to the floor.

Scrambling to get dressed, she threw her hair in a ponytail and slipped on a pair of jeans. Pulling on a simple sweater, she stumbled downstairs to the shop. Nancy stood at the counter ringing a customer up, "Good morning, sunshine," she called to the blonde.

Caroline sent the leaving customer a smile before letting out a loud groan and pouting, "How stupid was I acting last night?"

"Very," Nancy smiled, "But... Neil walked you home, so you were in good hands."

"And who walked you home?" Caroline asked, eyebrows raised with genuine concern for her friend's wellbeing.

Nancy was silent for a moment, skimming over the pages of a magazine but not really reading it, "I didn't go home."

"So, that isn't a new shirt," Caroline smirked, noticing the dark tee that the girl had never worn before.

Nancy's jaw dropped in mock shock, "You know, I saved your ass today! Hell, I even let you sleep in, and this is the treatment I get?" Nancy shook her head as Caroline brought a book in front of her mouth to cover her giggles.

"Thank you for running the shop for me this morning," She said after the small bout of laughter,  "Though next time wake me up, I nearly had a heart attack looking at the clock," Caroline grimaced as she sat in her stool behind the counter, the snow making the outside ten times brighter.

Dorthy, the romance novel enthusiast, approached the counter a small stack of books in hand, "You two look like you've had a night."

"It was a night indeed, Dorthy, a very embarrassing one," Caroline groaned.

Dorthy smiled, "You're young, make mistakes, you'll learn from them when you're older. Like I made the mistake of marrying a hardass-" this comment making the two girls burst out in laughter "Learned from that one: romance novels are your friend."

"You have a lovely day, Dorthy," Caroline smiled as Dorothy held up her book.

"Oh, Harlequin Romance is going to make sure that happens," The woman chuckled as she made her way out the door, passing a tall, lanky man on her way out. She poked her head back in and looked between him and Caroline as the man-made a beeline towards the counter, "Or maybe I should stay here?" She raised an eyebrow.

Nancy let out a single loud laugh, "Oh, jeez, Dorothy you kill me."

The older woman grinned before giving a cheeky, "Toodaloo."

Neil stood in front of the counter, hands in his jacket pockets as he smiled nervously. "Hi," he shifted on his feet slightly.

"You're here at an odd time, skipping out on work?" Nancy asked as Caroline looked down to her lap in a sort of shame, a bashful blush bloomed across her cheeks.

"Taking a break," Neil's eyes lingered on Caroline for a moment, "I wanted to see if you two were alright since last night you two were a little out of it."

Nancy snorted, "A little is a bit of an understatement, but-"

"You told your friends about us," Caroline said suddenly, a small smile slowly spread across her features.

The blush was transferred to Neil's face as he was taken aback by Caroline's comment, "What?"

"Last night. When you introduced us to your friends, Geddy said 'so they're real'," Caroline looked to Nancy, "So, that means you told your friends about us."

Nancy grinned at Caroline, pursing her lips and stepping out from behind the counter, "I've got to... stock books," the brunette said before quickly fleeing the scene.

If the two adults could get any redder they'd be strawberries, Caroline looked at her lap again, "I may have mentioned you, and Nancy," He quickly added in," A few times, mainly in explanation."

Caroline looked up with a tilted head and furrowed brow, "In explanation?"

"I've been late for work every day this week because I've been coming here," Neil confessed.

"Neil!" Caroline gasped, "You shouldn't be coming in for books if it's making you late!"

"It's the only time I can come in, we rarely take breaks this long and we usually get out pretty late," Neil sighed.

"Well, if you ever want to come by to look at the books, or read with Mercurio a while- he would love that by the way," Caroline grinned, mustering up the courage to grab a pen and paper. She was surprised her hand wasn't shaking like a leaf as she scrawled out her number on the white sheet, "You can call and I can open up the shop for you."

"Oh, Caroline, I couldn't possibly ask you to-" Neil tried to reason, but Caroline shook her head, pushing the sheet of paper towards him.

"I insist," She watched as Neil folded the paper and carefully put it into the pocket of his jeans. Behind Neil's arm, she saw the flailing hands of Nancy- who was grinning like a madman and silently cheering to herself.

Caroline stifled a laugh as she looked back to Neil, who was checking his watch- damn that pesky watch, "I better get going," He smiled softly, "But, I'll definitely take up your offer."

As he walked towards the door Caroline felt herself deflate with every step. She didn't want him to go, "You can call at any time," She blurted out.

Neil nodded, opening the door and taking a step out. He paused for a moment, only halfway visible to the blonde at the counter. Caroline turned back to her work, sighing sadly as she thought he had left for the day.

"Oh, and Caroline?" The woman perked up, looking back at the man ducking in the doorframe, "I don't just come in for the books."

Caroline tried to keep her composure as Neil ducked out of the shop again, a large grin spreading across her face. Little did she know, Neil was doing the same.