Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Tom's eyes blinked open lazily to meet the soft morning light filtering in through his bedroom windows. A silly grin spread to his face as his mind became aware of the world again, and he remembered the girl he'd met last night. Her eyes had to be the most beautiful he'd ever seen. Their intensity was captivating, and everything about Y/N was so refreshing. She had treated him like an actual person—she hadn't fawned or tip-toed around him or tried to impress him. She was just herself. And even more remarkable, Tom had felt completely himself. It wasn't often that he could be completely open—no barriers or putting on a persona. He felt safe with her, and from the moment they'd met, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her.
**** Harrison had barely gotten any sleep last night, tossing and turning until he finally gave up. He had been absolutely crushed to see Y/N and Tom looking so smitten. His crush on Y/N had been growing for a long time, ever since he'd first seen her. From the start, Harrison had thought she was just really cute, but each time he saw her, he'd notice more and more small details about her that made his heart do a little flip. Like the way her eyes lit up when she remembered a regular's order correctly, or how she always wore the same pendant necklace and fiddled with it while waiting, or the crinkles around her eyes when she laughed. Everything about her made his heart race and his stomach flutter with nerves. Once he began staying a bit longer to talk with Y/N, his fondness for her doubled. She was so smart and funny and always had a comeback for everything.
Harrison had wanted to ask her out for ages, but was so afraid she'd say no. Surely she didn't feel the same way about him—she never treated him any different from other customers. And it would be so awkward if she said no or, worse, said yes and then the date went badly. There wasn't really another coffee option on set, and it wasn't like Tom was just going to quit needing caffeine, so Harrison knew he'd still have to see and interact with her even if she rejected him.
This was part of the reason he had never told Tom about his crush. Knowing Tom, he'd force Harrison to ask Y/N out, and Harrison really couldn't risk it. He had resigned himself to the fact that he'd admire from afar and keep the relationship casual, but that didn't mean he couldn't be friends with Y/N, and hang out together right? Anything was better than nothing, so he'd invited Y/N to his party (a party that he'd actually convinced Tom to help throw, just as an excuse for you to come over without it being too weird or forced—although Tom didn't know that bit). When Y/N had agreed to go, Harrison could hardly contain his excitement! The entire next day, he had been dying to tell Tom all about Y/N, but kept holding himself back. He had never kept a secret from Tom, and the weight of it was torture. Y/N was all he thought about and having to pretend that the party was just like every other part (and not the most important moment of his life) was excruciating.
Once the party was in full swing, Harrison had spent most of the night searching the faces in the crowd, hoping to find Y/N. But she never showed up. Finally, Harrison gave up, figuring that she'd changed her mind, but then, out of nowhere—Y/N appeared, but with Tom. And Harrison knew. Knew his best friend had fallen hard, and there was no returning. Now, Tom and Y/N were going out on a date, and there was nothing Harrison could do to stop it. The way Tom had looked at Y/N... he'd never looked at a girl that way before. Even if Harrison wanted to confess his true feelings for Y/N to Tom, he couldn't go through with it now. He couldn't break his best friend's heart like that. He couldn't make Tom choose between his best friend and the potential love of his life. He just couldn't.
