bookworm » larry stylinson a.u.

o n e - intro

chapter one

A quick breeze flew onto his face as he entered the big but nearly vacant bookstore with a frown on his tear-stained face. He kept his head down as he walked towards the escalators and carefully placed the palm of his feet onto the ascending surface. As he leaned onto the railing of the moving stairs, his long curls fell in front of his emerald eyes.

When he reached the second floor, he slid his feet over the escalator, almost tripping over his brown boots. Groaning, he straightened himself up and took in a shaky breath, biting his bottom lip. He walked towards the back of the room, where the small check out counter was located. He smiled half-heartily at Mariam, the old lady behind the cash register, which earned a big smile back.

"Good evening, Mary," he greeted in a hoarse voice. Mariam nodded politely in reply and handed him his new book. He handed her the money, and put the change he received into the tip jar.

"Thank you, Harry," she smiled up at the tall boy, "Well, how are you, sweetie?"

Harry told Mariam what he always told her; he said that he was doing fine, that he was okay and doing better. The smile on his face as he spoke was fake, but it made Mariam happy and he loved seeing her smile. Mariam was like a grandmother to him and he hated seeing her unhappy. Ever since Harry had found the bookstore around the corner of his street, he had considered it his second - if not first - home.

After he was done talking to Mariam, he said his goodbyes for the day and turned around.

Next to the counter, barely fifty feet away, sat a small door that lead to a cosy café. The words "Timmy's Tea Shop" were written on the front door in a pretty pastel pink cursive font. The curtains that covered the door matched the pink letters. Under the name of the bakery was a chalkboard with all the specials written on it neatly in pastel blue chalk.

Harry dropped his fake smile and walked towards the bakery. He opened the door slowly, listening to the bell ring. He loved how the small, cosy bakery smelt of tea and muffins; it made the environment feel safe, in a way.

Harry tucked his book under his armpits, fishing another ten pounds from his pocket. He walked over to the register of the bakery and pressed on the small bell. A quick shuffling sounded in the back before the beautiful boy with the light blue eyes walked out and gave Harry a big grin.

"Hey, Harry. How are you?" He asked, which Harry replied to with a small nod, as to say, 'alright'. "Alrighty then, would you like the usual?" He asked, his soft, mesmerizing voice causing Harry to smile.

"Yeah, thanks Lou," he replied, giving him a small nod.

Louis' ocean blue eyes twinkled with adoration for Harry, knowing that the younger boy was once again going to spend the day at the coffee shop, reading in his own little bubble. Not a lot of teenagers read or hung out at book stores anymore, unlike Harry. Louis sighed and got working on the order right after he took the money and put it in the register.

Harry walked over to one of the booths and sat down. He opened his new book, which he considered his new adventure, and started reading it, tuning out the world around him. The only time he looked up was when Louis placed his order on the table. He then proceeded to chew on the heavenly fresh baked chocolate chip muffin while flipping the pages of the book.

Louis sat in front of Harry, like he always did (Harry always noticed, but he didn't mind, nor did he say anything. Poor Louis must get bored of standing around and taking orders all day, he thought). He put his feet up on the table and took his phone out of his pocket. He then unlocked the phone and went on Twitter.

After about twenty minutes, which seemed like less than three minutes to Harry, the bell above the door rung. Louis sighed and got up, smiling brightly at the new costumer and walking back behind the counter. As he took the costumer's order, Harry listened to his soothing voice. He had calmed down a little bit now, seeing as he was away from everything that gave him anxiety. The costumer thanked Louis as he handed her the to-go order and walked out if the door. A while later, another costumer walked in.

This went on for hours, until Louis' shift was over. He took off his name tag and his apron and hung it on the hook on the wall, leaving it there for tomorrow. He boxed two muffins for himself and bundled up in a thin coat and a scarf, as it was late October and a bit chilly outside.

He walked towards Harry's table, leaning down in front of Harry and tapping his shoulder. Harry flinched away, looking up and softening his gaze. Louis smiled.

"It's time to close up, Harold. I'd love to wait for you to finish that page, though. But then I have to close the shop up and go home." Louis explained, getting comfortable in his seat. Harry nodded and quickly finished his page, bookmarking it by folding the next page and getting up. He grabbed his book and gripped it tightly as Louis got up with him. The two of them walked towards the front of the cafe. Louis turned off the lights, opening the door for Harry before he walked out himself.

The two boys stepped onto the escalators. They traveled in a comfortable silence.

Mariam walked over to Harry once the two reached the first floor. She smiled at them, tightening her scarf around her neck. She always got a lift to her daughter's place from Harry. He had been her ride since the first week he met her.

"Ready to go?" He questioned. Mariam nodded, walking slowly out with Harry and Louis. Louis said his goodbyes, smiling at Harry and kissing Mariam's cheek before walking towards his own car. Harry unlocked his car and opened the door for Mariam. He walked over to the drivers side and sat down, starting the car and watching Louis' car drive out of the parking lot. Harry followed Louis out, and they both parted their ways in the middle.

Everyday was like this for the three of them; Harry, Louis, and Mariam. And they wouldn't change it for the world.