𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

Late Shift | George Weasley

The bell above the entrance of the shop rang again as yet another customer entered the already crowded coffee shop. I glanced at my watch, seeing that there were only 15 minutes until my shift ended and a sigh of relief escaped me as I turned back to the ever-growing line of customers.

As I called out the finished order my best friend and co-worker, Sam, leaned against the counter, smiling at me. "I've never seen the shop this full, especially on a late Friday afternoon, shouldn't these people be heading home to their families?"

I smiled weakly at Sam, taking yet another order from a customer, exchanging a 20 dollar bill. "Well, Sammy, not everyone has a perfect family like you, besides, shift ends soon and then the shop closes so..."

He was about to answer when our boss called out that he was leaving early, leaving us nodding, a little offended that he was leaving us alone with a crowd of eager customers.

20 minutes later, I was cleaning off the countertops and tables— Sam had left for family dinner— when the bell rang and the door opened.

"We're closed." I said, giving the table a final wipe, before turning around. A man with flaming red hair, freckles and kind, caramel eyes stood before me. He was smiling slightly, the cute dimples in his cheeks catching my attention momentarily before I realised he had been talking to me.

"Miss?" His voice was deep and calming. He took a step towards me. "Are you alright?"

Gosh no. Before me stood the most gorgeous man I had ever seen, asking me if I was alright. I could have fainted in the spot and for a moment I was tempted to do so, if it meant he'd catch me, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle the embarrassment and his enticing manly-ness.

"I— uhh..." I felt myself blushing, something about those caramel eyes made me want to melt. The slight chuckle when he talked, the dimples and the hair, oh the hair. It looked so soft, giving me the urge to run my fingers through it while I kissed him passionately— no, nope, not going there, thank you very much.
"I- uhh yes, yes, fantastic, absolutely marvellous." I ranted, cursing the bad habit and blushing a deep shade of pink from my cheeks down all the way down my neck.

I laughed nervously, feeling strongly underdressed as I watched him and his slightly shimmering emerald suit move towards me. I blushed even deeper (if possible) as I looked down at the dark red zip-up hoodie, washed out baggy jeans, serving apron and paint specked sneakers I was wearing.

He just stared at me a smirk playing with his lips as he tilted his head slightly and it dawned on me that he had said something to me.

How embarrassing.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm a little off today, what were you saying?" I tried not to stutter and just smile shyly.
"Oh, Y/n/n," The ginger muttered under his breath as he studied me with eyes no longer filled with playful curiosity, but a deep kind of sadness. "Don't you remember me?"

I frowned, feeling that I was missing something, a very important part of me, as I gawked at the stranger. Y/n/n. That nickname stirred something in me, a deep feeling that I had forgotten something. Something I desperately had to tell someone, but the harder I tried to remember, the less my thoughts made sense and a deep fog ouded my mind as if put there by a foreign source, by magic.

But that was just ridiculous, there was no such thing as magic. Magic only existed in fairytales and the minds of young children, too pure to be called into the mundane reality. But the strangest wrench in my gut made me want to cry as my eyes were fixed on the man before me, his caramel brown eyes glassy and saddened as he sunk into one of the tables in, what seemed to be, defeat.

"I'm sorry, do- do I know you?" I swallowed, pushing down the lump in my throat that came with the sudden change of emotion. He wiped his hands on the fancy suit pants and composed himself.
"Oh— uhh no I... mistook you for... someone else."

But you do, you do know him, the voice in my head shouts, can't you see, it's him it's...

But his name was snatched from my lips, my conscience in a clenched first, occasionally dangling it before me teasingly before pulling away and sticking its tongue out to mock me. When I looked up to apologise and say— I didn't even know what I was going to say— the stranger had already diasappeared leaving behind a swing of the old coffee shop door and the soft chime of the bell announcing customers.

—

hii, sorry the ending was so abrupt and if there are any spelling mistakes, i'm literally so tired, but i had to finish this first tho.
anyways, i hope you enjoyed all the same.

thank you soo much for 67k, that's so crazy, i almost cried cuz i'm so happy i got this far. i had no idea where this was going when i started writing these and i still don't, but like, i gotta say, i do like the direction we're heading in.

also, happy 1yrs anniversary to this book and thank you so much for all the love and support you've shown over this last year. i just appreciate you all so much and wanted to thank you by publishing a quick  (unedited) chapter. luv y'all<33

💗💗💗

stay safe!!
~j.