I swallowed slowly for responding, "Yah, uh… Fizz has a bit of a thing for you."

Harry gave me an almost disappointed look. "But I thought I heard you say 'I can't blame you for the interest'…"

I coughed awkwardly and looked down at my shoes, thinking that maybe I could get some inspiration from the linoleum below our feet. Unfortunately no perfect answer was found there so I was forced to look back up at his piercingly green eyes and respond, "I mean, you're a good looking bloke, Harry, you know that. I was just trying to make her feel more comfortable about her feelings toward you. It was just a passing thought."

Harry almost looked disappointed which hit me like the punch to the gut. He shrugged it off and then regained his regular composure by flashing his signature smirk at me.

"Well, at least I know someone out there fancies me. I can add Fizz to the list of five people that have ever show any interest in me." Harry joked before taking a swig of his drink and slamming it back down to hide his (as I was reading it) broken pride.

"I didn't know I was being invited to a pity party, this is exciting." I teased, beaming at how affected Harry was getting by the conversation.

I liked this side of Harry because he so rarely let it be shown. It was his vulnerable and sensitive side and it intrigued me even more than his usual confident and almost mysterious self. There were no questions to be asked with this Harry because everything was so out in the open, whether he intended it to be that way or not.

Now, it could have been the booze but I was feeling particularly pushy so when he didn't respond immediately to my ploy, I straight up asked, "Harry, are you married to your work or have you ever really had a relationship?"

Once again he looked at me with those big eyes that almost reminded me of a sad puppy dog and shook his head. "No time, really. Between the business side of things and keeping the animals healthy, I barely have enough to keep myself safe. I've also never really been the best at translating my feelings for someone into any verbal or physical action."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Have you ever kissed anyone before?"

"I had to kiss Niall once because of a dare. It was awful but outside of that I've had a few snogs with some girls when I was younger but those never really meant anything to me. I guess you can call me a bit pathetic when it comes to the love department." Harry explained, looking down at the ground with embarrassment.

How quickly the tables had turned from me being put in a vulnerable spot to now him being in the spotlight of brutal honest. The difference was that he was being totally open with his answers while I had straight up lied to him. I decided to take a risk and mend this mistake.

As Lottie so frequently says You Only Live Once.

"I think you're really special Harry and there's something about you that makes me want to know more every single time that we are together. Your compassion draws me in and if I'm going to be brutally honest, you're fit as hell."

The words all came stumbling out of my mouth before I could actually register what I had just admitted to. His surprised eyes told me that I had probably revealed too much but then he just smiled.

"You don't have to say that, Lou." He murmured bashfully, his cheeks red. "You're way too kind for your own good. You don't always have to indulge my blatant calls for validation."

"But I want to." I quickly responded, moving closer.

Whether it was rational or not, Harry Styles was the only thing I saw before me in the moment, the only thing I cared for and the only thing I wanted. So desperately I yearned for him but was so unsure of how he felt for me. The risk was in putting myself out there and I no longer had to fear that any longer for I had already done it. Now, all I had to fear was rejection.

If he didn't want me back, I would be all right. I wouldn't dwell on it (at least not forever). Things wouldn't change between us.

"You're the best thing to ever happen to Alexander's." Harry shared, looking straight into my eyes with something that could have been lust or just deep appreciation. I wasn't sure but I was fine with either option.

"I'm glad I can help." I muttered, a little disappointed at where the conversation was going instead of concentrating on what was going on between us.

Harry opened his mouth to say something else but before the words passed through his lips, my phone rang in my pocket. I gave him an apologetic look but quickly snapped open the phone.

"Louis? Oh my god…."

The voice on the other side of the phone was panicked and clearly upset. I couldn't tell if it was Lottie or Fizz but whoever it was, was clearly freaking out.

"Yes, I'm here. Shhhhhhh darling, it's going to be fine. Please tell me what's wrong."

"Daisy's gone. We went to put her to bed with the sitter and she just… wasn't there. She only left behind a little drawing but we're worried and…. We need you at home, Louis."

"What? She just disappeared?"

I didn't understand what was going on but I was now in complete panic mode. My little sister was missing and I wasn't at home to find her. I had only been a parent for a few months and I had already screwed it up.

"I'm not sure but will you please just come home?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

I quickly closed the phone and tore through the pub, collecting my jacket from where the rest of the blokes were sitting. I didn't have time to explain so I ignored their questioning calls. Only when Harry grabbed me by the arm did I realize that I had left him alone.

We were outside of the pub and I was trying to desperately hail a cab. To my dismay, I didn't exactly have the knack for it apparently. Harry stepped out into the street without a second thought and flagged one down.

The both of us slipped inside and I muttered to the cabbie, "Alexander's emporium, please."

The cab took off into the night as I settled into the silence that Harry's company provided. Usually he wasn't so quiet but I could tell that he was respecting whatever was going on for me but I was thankful I didn't have to take the ride alone.

"Daisy's missing." I explained ten minutes into our drive back to the zoo.

"Oh my god, Lou, I'm so sorry." He murmured, his eyes full of worry and compassion.

Goddamn those perfect eyes of his, I thought, he could tell an entire story with them without even moving his lips once. I'd listen for hours…

"It's all right, I just… I shouldn't have left them tonight…. I can't ever leave them again. They need me." I muttered, the frustration with myself apparent in my voice.

Instead of responding verbally, Harry did something that meant so much more to me. He took my hand in his and squeezed it supportively like a promise that everything was going to be all right and that it wasn't my fault.

I melted into the comfort of the contact and went so far as to lay my head down on his shoulder. Whatever was going on between us was confusing but would have to wait for further clarification at another time. Right now I needed to find Daisy.

Daisy had left a small picture of what seemed to be a cat of some sort on her bed. There was no note to explain where she had gone, only the scrawled drawing and a very upset group of sisters (namely her twin, Phoebe).

I made the girls recount the entire evening from moment to moment, trying to figure out when she could have ran off to. I discovered that she had gone missing somewhere between brushing teeth and story time which had always been a production back when my parents were alive. Story time was always a big part of the bedtime routine and as much as I could, I tried to keep that up (as much as Lottie pretended to hate it).

That's when I got a strong feeling in my very core. I immediately stood up and went to search out our copy of the 'jungle book', which my sisters had always adored. We kept it on the bookshelf in the front room but when I reached the bookshelf, it was nowhere to be found.

Wherever Daisy had gone, she had taken the book with her.

"Girls, what was Daisy's favorite part of the story?" I demanded, turning toward them with intensity.

Harry watched my sleuthing with complete support (and slight amusement) as I began to deduct where my little sister had gotten off to.

We had decided not to involve the police quite yet because it was clearly a case of running away and I sincerely didn't want them questioning my custody of the girls. We just didn't need to be torn apart right now.

"She liked the tiger. For some reason, even though it was evil, she liked it." Phoebe answered immediately, her eyes full of worry for the fate of her twin.

"We don't have any tigers…" Harry noted.

I looked down at the photo she had drawn and noticed something I hadn't seen before. In small letters that I had assumed was an attempt to write out her name like an artist's signature was something else.

RINGO.

"Oh no… Oh my god, please no…" I stammered, realizing exactly where my little sister was.

I took off out the front door and into the cold night air. My little sister might be in the hands of a lion and it was my entire fault. I zigzagged through the enclosures, animals squealing at my presence, desperately searching for Ringo's cage.

Harry ran after me and when he caught up, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"Ringo. Daisy drew Ringo on that page." I blurted as his eyes widened with shock.

"Follow me." He advised as we ran through the darkness.

The feeling of being completely out of control was suffocating to me but I somehow was able to keep it together with Harry by my side. The caring, gorgeous zookeeper was keeping me sane when everything around me was going to hell.

We came to a halt at the edge of the cage and what I saw made my heart jump up into my throat. Daisy was petting a sleeping Ringo with her little hand, looking at him like he was an answer to her prayers.

"Daisy." I hissed, hoping to catch her attention.

She looked up to me with her solemn eyes and I knew that she felt lost without Mom and Dad. This was her way of mourning and it was devastating to me.

"Daisy, darling, I need you to come to me. As much as Ringo is usually safe, we can't risk his reaction to you when he wakes up. Walk slowly toward us, okay?" Harry advised and the tone of his voice was so calm and collected, it was astounding.

Daisy looked in autopilot as she did as she was told. She looked like a little ghost in her nightgown as she walked toward us. She slipped under the fence and with a breath of relief; I collected her up into my arms.

"I miss Mommy so much." She murmured into my ear, her little hand holding on to our copy of the jungle book. "And Daddy too. It hurts so much."

I kissed the top of her head and whispered, "It's okay, Daisy, it's going to be okay."

Her tears flowed down her face and I couldn't help but get choked up as well. I looked at Harry and mouthed 'Thank you'.

He looked at me with those green eyes of his and simply nodded.

Even when it felt like everything was breaking, I had to something to hold on to. My hope that someday this zoo would bring joy to my family and heal the wounds that fate caused us. Thankfully, Harry Styles was there to help that along.