the latest nights h.s. -a.u

iii

"for on that day he discovered something, something that'd dwell in the back of his head"

***

It was that time of the day again, the part Harry dreaded the most- lunch time. The bell situated on the door rang every few seconds and brought a rush of cold in with it. Customers stood red-cheeked and freezing due to the amount of tables that were taken up.

Ever since Susan thought they ought to add some holiday drinks on the menu the quiet café had turned into a damn zoo. The only upside was that they were making double the amount they'd been making before, so Harry was happy that his pay rose slightly, although the only things he had to pay for was gas and home-y things.

But, Christmas was coming up soon, so he supposed he could use it on presents for his family, including the Landonbrooks. Maybe even Aviana, he thought to himself. Would that be weird? he wondered and was pulled from his thought as a familiar voice rang through his ears.

"A small peppermint mocha with extra peppermint and whipped cream, please."

There Aviana stood in front of Harry, warm cheeks and all. Something he had learned about her the past few weeks is that she liked things a certain way. She was always asking for more or less of something in the drinks she ordered, and was constantly erasing when she was doing homework.

Harry was fascinated with that element of her, and all the others as well. The way she brushed stray hair out of her face or grunted quietly when she was frustrated drew him in more. He thought she was completely adorable. He'd also picked up that she loved reading, for she always brought a different book with her to the café.

"Comin' right up Avi," he smirked and turned around to get a cup. For the past couple times she came he had written funny names or notes on her cup. She just laughed and brushed it off with a smile on her face.

He poured the chocolatey drink into the cup and made a snowman design on the top, he had become pretty good with designs, or so he thought. He put the lid on and used the black marker to write "Avi, are you really an avitar? –H." Laughing to himself, he placed the cup on the counter and rang the bell, flashing his teeth when she picked it up. Her small hands picked up the cup and her eyes read the words, rolling her eyes and walking away with a smile.

She somehow found an open table and began to type an essay, he supposed. Her fingers rushed over the keyboard and she occasionally took a break on her phone. The rush had ended, so it was just the two left alone in the café. Harry put on some Christmas music, coming to the conclusion that it was a bit early for it, but he didn't mind and neither did Aviana.

They sat in silence for a decent amount of time until Harry saw her close her laptop and rest her head in her hands. Before he could process what he was doing his feet carried him to stand in front of her table. He gave her a questioning look and she nodded in approval. He slumped into the chair across from her with a huff.

"So Avi, how are you?" he asked and folded his hands on the table.

She looked out the window, "Tired. Exhausted. Sleep-deprived. Any word to describe tiredness, that's me right now," she turned to look at Harry, "what about you?"

"M' fine, little tired also. Can't sleep well at night, apparently someone in my flat building thinks it's a good idea to blast music in the middle of the damn night," he responds.

Aviana let out a laugh, "someone does that in mine, too. Drives me crazy," she says and pulls up the sleeve of her sweater to toy with the black bracelet tied around her wrist. As Harry looked closer, he realized it had the initials 'a.d' on it, just like the one he had received in the yellow package. His eyebrows furrowed and confusion coursed through his head. How in the world? "I like your bracelet," he lets out, trying to suppress his curiousness. She smiled, "Thank you."

And that was that. Harry didn't want to leave it at that, though, but he didn't want to push to try and found out whom or where she had gotten it from. So, Aviana sipped her drink and slowly started to fall asleep to the sound of the passing traffic.

Once she fell asleep, he decided to leave her be and pick out a book to read quietly. His eyes skimmed the words of the beat up book, occasionally stopping mid sentence to take a glance at the sleeping girl across from him. It seemed she was wearing no makeup that day, Harry concluded. Her eyelashes weren't as full and her cheeks glowed naturally, and he decided he liked her with bare skin, also.

Once the clock struck 10, Harry's shift had come to an end, along with Aviana's nap. He gently shook her arm and quietly told her he was closing up. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep," she said with tired eyes. "No problem, you look cute when you sleep," he complimented and smiled, proud of his bravery. "Thank you," red rushed to her cheeks and she slowly packed up her things.

Once again, Harry took the backpack from her hands after closing up and carried it to her car. It wasn't heavy, she was just very tired and probably would have ended up dropping it, and he wanted to be a gentleman. She thanked him with a yawn and puffy eyes, getting into her car and turning the heat all the way up.

Harry gave her a small wave in which she returned. He got into his own car and watched her drive away, her car blending in with the rest of the night traffic.