Butterfly [A Harry Styles Fanfiction] *COMPLETED WITH SEQUEl* {Book 1}

Chapter 45: The Later The Better

Cami's POV:

The time flew by as my shift felt like it was on fast forward. There was a constant, large flow of customers at all times and Niall and I barely had a second to catch our breath. Even Zayn seemed to be working a little harder than he normally did and without him, The Grind would have been even more hectic than it already was. Things started to slow down around five and Zayn was the first one to take his break. Niall and I were leisurely serving the few customers that had filtered in with ease compared to the rush the afternoon had been.

"So, how are things with Rachel?" I asked, as I poured steamed milk into a paper cup and then handed it to the women waiting for it.

Niall's cheeks rose into a flushed smile. "Really good actually. She's been out of town the last few days for her cousin's wedding, but she'll be back tomorrow night."

I couldn't help but notice the light in his blue eyes as he spoke about her. It was a similar gleam to Harry's when he spoke about me.

"I'm so glad that things worked out for you two," I replied honestly.

Niall nodded. "Me too. Thanks for pushing me to go for it."

"Anytime," I winked.

At least one good thing came out of that awkward date we so horribly suffered through.

"So, what are you up to tonight?" he asked as he washed the counter top with a rag.

I took a minute to think about it and realized I had absolutely no plans. Harry had left my apartment early this morning and we hadn't made any plans for tonight. I hadn't hung out with Niall in what felt like forever and it would be a nice change for once.

"Nothing much," I said as I shrugged. "How about you?"

"Well, my good friend's birthday was yesterday and we didn't get a chance to celebrate " Niall joked sarcastically.

I chuckled knowing he was talking about me. "Don't worry about it. I'll have another one next year," I mocked.

"Why don't we go grab a drink or something after we close up?" Niall asked, clearly ignoring my party pooper attitude.

"Let's grab food instead. After last night, I don't wanna drink ever again," I mumbled as I thought back to my killer headache.

"Please, you'll be over that by next week."

"Probably," I admitted.

_______________________________

Business picked up a little later in the evening, but was nothing like it had been earlier. Stan came to check in and wished me a belated birthday along with a tight hug. He stayed for a little while and caught up with Niall and I for about an hour. Him or Meryl usually came in once a day to make sure everything was running smoothly, but for the most part, let the senior employees take care of things. Me or Niall typically locked up, and tonight we were both working a closing shift.

Since things died down quite a bit, Stan gave Zayn permission to leave early, on his way out. Eager to leave, Zayn called Liam to come pick him up and quickly balanced out his register. It was strange now how little communication I had with Zayn. When he first managed to manipulate his way into the job, he always had snide comments or gave me menacing looks. After I had come back from my time off, he hardly spoke to me and thankfully, it was for the better. I knew Harry wasn't very happy with the fact that he worked with me at all, so minimizing my contact with him was best for everyone involved.

As the door chimed and a customer walked in I couldn't help but giggle at the irony.

Speak of the devil.