classic » liam payne au

Classic

A/N: My first AU! Here's a little introduction :)

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It was a regular cloudy autumn day in Bristol. My worn out boots padded across the sidewalk, damp from the morning’s rain. My hands were stuffed in my jacket as I walked down the street, my hair blowing in my face and sticking to my lips. 

It felt good to be back home. I had gone to my father’s in Charfield for the last few weeks of vacation, before I was to go back to uni for my second year. My mother had told me countless times how much she had missed me being home, but I was the one who missed it. The house smelled of cinnamon and pumpkin, the usual fall scent, and I had longed to be reminded of it. 

I passed by the bakery where my friend Clarissa worked, and waved to her when I saw her serving someone through the window. She gave me a smile, subtly waving back, and I continued. I would have to stop by on my way back home to pick up some banana muffins for my mother. 

I headed in the direction of my favourite record shop. It had been a good few weeks since my last visit, and I felt obligated to check out what was there. On almost every occasion, I had walked in empty-handed, and walked out with a rather great 80s album. George, the lovely sixty-something year old man who worked by himself in the tiny shop, always helped me pick out something different each time. 

“Trust me, I remember all the good and the bad of the eighties,” he would start off the same every time, and then pick up a record. “This is the good.” he would tell me, waving the record in front of me. Each time, I gave him an appreciative smile and thanked him. I would say George and I were pretty good pals. 

A smile made its way onto my lips when I saw the familiar sign that read simply,George’s Records, and my feet made themselves move a little faster than before. 

I guess you could say music was my only love, well, besides my family. I dedicated all of my time to music, and it really helped get me through all the schoolwork during uni, too. Ever since I was twelve years old, I would lock myself in my room, headphones in my ears, and go into my own world. Even though I’m now twenty, I still find myself doing the same. 

My hands come in contact with the entrance door, and I pull it open, slipping inside the tiny shop. The bell above the door chimes, signalling that someone has entered. 

“Hello George,” I say while I look down at the floor as I rub my shoes on the mat, making sure I’m not going to track in any dirt. 

“’Fraid George isn’t here, miss.” an unfamiliar voice replies, and my head lifts up. It in fact is not friendly old George, but a young man that takes in place. “How can I help you this afternoon?” he asks politely, giving me a smile. 

“Um…” I mumble, looking around the shop before my eyes meet his again. I’m not very good around new people, it’s a bit of a problem I have. 

“My name’s Liam.” he tells me, and I feel like it’s only proper that I tell the man my name.

“Violet,” I say, walking closer to the front counter. 

“Ah, George told me I might meet you. The girl with the thing for eighties music, right?” he grins. I notice he’s got very nice features. Dark brown hair that was cut fairly short, but longer on the top. His eyes were also brown, but sparkled with kindness. 

“Right,” I smile, amused that George would mention me to this lad. “Speaking of George, where is he?”

“He’s not been feeling well lately, and decided it was time to let someone else step in with him. I’m his nephew.” he tells me, tapping his fingers against the counter. I nod and bite my lip, feeling awkward. “So, did you want to have a look at some records?”

“Um, yeah.”

“…Did you want me to show you some?” he asks, raising an eyebrow, and I nod again. “Alright,” he laughs to himself, coming out from behind the counter and holding his hand out in front of him. Hesitantly, I take it, and he slowly shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you, by the way. I’m guessing you’re from around here?”

“Yes, not too far from here.” I answer. “Yourself?” I ask, because he does look familiar, though I don’t recollect seeing him at the shop before. 

“Yep, just a few blocks. But technically I live in a dorm, so a bit farther.” he shrugs.

“A dorm? Where do you go?”

“University of Bristol,”

“Really?!” I ask excitedly. “So do I!”

“I knew you looked familiar!” he chuckles, just as excited as I am. “I think we might have a class together…” he wonders, putting a finger to his lip.

“Hmm… criminology?” I ask, and he shakes his head. “Pyschology?” another no. “Then it’s got to be literature.”

“That’s it! Literature.” he smiles. “Hm, weird that we’ve never talked before.”

“I don’t think it’s all that weird,” I shrug. “I’m not a very social person, a bit awkward, actually.”

“I could tell,” he teases. “Seems you’ve warmed up to me already.”

“Well, you take literature, which is my major, how can I not warm up to you?” I say, but I think it’s his charm and not so much the fact that he takes literature. 

He laughs, a bright smile playing on his lips. I decide that his laugh sounds nice, and his smile looks nice, too. “Anyways, music. What are you into eighties pop?”

“No way,” I scoff, shaking my head. “Classic rock, of course.”

“Really?” he asks skeptically. “I would not have pegged you for a classic rock girl.” I open up my jacket to reveal my shirt and he smirks. “The Smiths, huh?”

“One of my favourites.” I smile, doing my jacket back up. 

“Well, they certainly are classic.” he nods in approval. “I actually think we just got a couple records from them. Do you have them all?”

“Missing two.” I shake my head. “Meat Is Murder and Strangeways, Here We Come.” I sigh.

“You’re in luck! We’ve just gotten shipments of those. I think George was looking out for you.” he laughs. 

“I guess he was,” I smile, and follow him to where the albums are. 

He picks up two CD’s and hands them to me, but I just look at them. “What? You don’t want them?”

“Well, I do. But I don’t really do discs… I prefer records.” I say, biting my lip. 

“Ah, very old school, are we?” he cocks an eyebrow, grinning. “Alright, Miss Violet, here are your records…” he trails off, pulling them off a shelf. 

“Thank you very much,” I say sincerely, and we both go back to the counter so I can pay for them. 

Liam hands me the white bag that contains my records, and I take them, holding the handles tightly in my hand. 

“I’ll see you in lit then.” he smiles just before I leave. 

“See you in lit.” I agree, giving him a small wave before opening the door, sounding the chimes, and exiting. I smile down at the sidewalk and tuck some of my dark hair behind my ear. I look up for a quick second to see Liam watching me walk away from the shop. 

I think I’ve made a friend.

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A/N: Tell me what you think! I hope you liked it! Watch for updates :) xo thanks for reading lovelies ~ mwahh xx