In the heart of the city, nestled among the hustle and bustle, stood a quaint coffee shop. It was a place where aromas of freshly ground coffee beans spread through the air, and laughter mingled with the sound of brewing espresso machines. Harry, with his unruly curls and a welcoming smile, found solace in the art of brewing the perfect cup of coffee.
One morning, Harry's clumsiness took over. As fate would have it, a freshly brewed coffee ended up spilling onto on of Harry's regular customers, a sharply dressed CEO named Louis Tomlinson.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Harry exclaimed, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he rushed to assist Louis.
Louis, taken aback by the unexpected collision with scalding coffee, was more flustered than hurt. His irritation, however, was evident in his voice.
"Watch where you're going next time!" he snapped, wiping at his shirt with a napkin before swiftly exiting the shop, leaving Harry feeling mortified.
Days passed, and Louis continued to visit the coffee shop, his demeanor distant and somewhat irritable each time he encountered Harry. Despite the initial mishap, Harry remained determined to make it up to Louis somehow, greeting him with a warm smile and flawless service every visit.
Yet, Louis seemed unyielding, his annoyance evident in his short responses and visits. But Harry persisted, offering genuine kindness, even though he had to face Louis' coldness each time. Harry hoped to be able to melt the icy barrier between the two of them at some point in the future. He always liked to be on good terms with his regulars.
As time went by, Harry noticed subtle changes in Louis' behavior. There were glances that lingered a moment longer, or a hint of a softened expression in the middle of a stern expression.
"Your usual, sir?" Harry asked, already taking a grasp of a white paper cup.
"Yes. I will pay by card." Louis added, earning a simple hum and nod from the curly boy.
Louis observed as the barista prepared his drink, adding a little biscuit on the side.
"Here is your drink. It will be £4.99." Louis took his gold credit card out, paying for his very needed morning coffee.
Afterwards, he devoted Harry a super tiny, barely noticeable, smile.
"Thank you." he grabbed his cup, and that biscuit, before he exited the shop.
One day, as Harry handed Louis his usual order, their eyes met for a split of second, and Harry couldn't help but notice a flicker of something different in Louis' gaze. Perhaps, a glint of realization.
"Thank you." Louis said, his tone of voice warm.
"You seem... different today." Harry remarked, unable to contain his curiosity.
Louis hesitated for a moment, his usual guarded exterior faltering.
"I've been... unfair to you, and I apologize for that. I apologize for being so distant."
Harry was taken aback by the unexpected apology. "It's okay. I understand. Is everything all right?"
Louis sighed, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I've been... thinking a lot lately."
Their conversation remained puzzling, leaving Harry quite intrigued. However, in the following days, there was a noticeable shift in Louis' demeanor. He began to linger a little longer during his visits, engaging in casual conversations with Harry, and even allowing Harry a glimpse into his life beyond his business.
"Your usual order, right?" Harry asked with a smile plastered on his lips, when he realized Louis was standing before him.
"Yes, my usual." Louis nodded to what Harry said.
"Are you alright? You seem a bit... distracted." Harry devoted Louis a glance before he got back to work.
"I guess so. My dog cut his paw open on a walk yesterday." so, that was the reason why Louis' little smile was absent that very morning.
"I am sorry to hear that. I am sure it will heal soon. He will be okay." Harry placed the coffee on the counter, devoting Louis a sympathetic smile.
"Yeah, you are right. Thank you, Harry." Louis' gaze lingered over the boy in front of him for a little bit longer, before he grabbed his coffee.
"Goodbye." he turned about, exiting the shop with swift steps.
Through their conversations, Harry discovered Louis' passion for animals and his love for literature, a side that the world rarely got to see. And in turn, Louis found himself drawn to Harry's genuine kindness, his unwavering optimism, and the way he brightened up the café with his contagious laughter.
As the days turned into weeks, Louis made an important decision. He arrived at the coffee shop proper early one morning, not for his usual order, but with a purpose in mind. With a nervous yet determined heart, he approached Harry, who was quite busy behind the counter.
"Hello, Harry." Louis began, his voice showing off a hint of nervousness.
Harry looked up, a warm smile gracing his lips.
"Louis, what can I get for you today? Your usual, or something else?"
Louis hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he spoke.
"I am not here to fetch a coffee today." saying that resulted in making Harry frown in confusion. The intentions of Louis' visit were unclear for him.
"Oh, then something else you would be interested to try?" Harry solely thought about beverages and food.
Louis would have loved to shout out what he felt, but no words were getting out of him properly. This was one of the hardest challenges he had to face in a long while.
"I'd be interested in taking you out." Harry's head snapped up, his gaze shifting to Louis' face.
Harry's face reflected pure confusion and astonishment.
"Would you like to grab a lunch sometime?" Louis fumbled with his fingers out of nervousness, staring directly into Harry's breathtaking green eyes.
"Ehm..." Harry's back straightened as he took a teeny step backwards.
Louis, overwhelmed by his confession, and disappointed with Harry's reaction, chickened out.
"Sorry, forget it." he turned about, exiting the shop as fast as he managed to.
As soon as Louis arrived to his office, he tugged at his own hair. The whole sitautaion was beyond frustrating and embarrassing for him. He didn't even get his morning coffee, which meant a day full of grumpiness in his case. What bothered him more was the thought of coming back to get his coffee the upcoming day. He wasn't sure if he should ever come back to that café.
The following day, Louis got discouraged the moment he saw Harry through the glass. Taking a deep breath in and out, he was ready to head straight to work, but then he stopped in his tracks.
"Hello, what can I get-" Harry cut himself off mid sentence, noticing the person whom was standing before him was the infamous CEO.
"Hello, I'd like my usual." Louis' fingers tapped on the counter restlessly. Harry struggled to follow.
"So, a coffee?" he remarked, his gaze full of confusion.
The only thing Harry got in response to that was a simple nod.
"Okay." Harry took a cup from under the counter, getting back to work.
Meanwhile, Louis chewed on his bottom lip, his mind waging an internal battle with itself.
"Sorry, what milk do you usually get?" Harry's voice quivered at the question. It was more than clear, he was very out of the place thanks to Louis' approach.
"Whole milk." a small, shy smile tugged at the corners of Harry's lips.
"Of course, sorry." Harry took out the right kind of milk, pouring a small amount into the paper cup.
"Here is your coffee." Harry placed it on the counter, right before Louis.
And finally, Harry gathered the courage to speak out loud about what had been bothering his mind all night.
"I would have loved to grab lunch with you, but I understand if you changed your mind." Harry's cheeks covered crimson red blush, his lips creating a straight line.
"Would you?" Louis couldn't believe his ears.
"Yes, lunch, dinner, anything really. I am not hard to please. Sorry, I am just jabbering at this point." Harry bit his lip to silent himself, shaking his head slightly.
"Dinner tonight. Does that sound good?" Louis clutched the coffee closer to his chest, feeling his heart pound in anticipation of an answer.
"Yes, that sounds amazing." a wide smile grazed Harry's features, making Louis' lips curl into a smile as well.
"Alright, I'll pick you here at seven." Harry exhaled the breath he had no idea he was holding until then.
"Alright, yeah." he had hard time containing his happiness inside, but he tried his best to remain composed in front of Louis.
"Great. I'll see you later." with smile still playing on his lips, the CEO turned around, heading towards the exit.
As soon as Louis disappeared from Harry's sight, the curly barista could finally let his guard down, embracing the excitement and happiness bubbling within him.
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A/N
Hi! I want to wish Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates, even though I am late. Better late than never. I hope you liked the new one shot as much as I enjoyed writing it. Would you be interested in part two? Let me know!
Louis turned 32?! Like, what is going on? I am still stuck celebrating his 28th birthday😭. I just can't wrap my head around the fact he just turned 32.
I hope you are having a peaceful time, and if not, just remember it won't last forever.
I am sending lots of love! Stay safe❤️