Harry remembers the first time he saw him. It was his Tuesday shift and Harry was just going back behind the counter after sweeping up around the tables as Perrie took the man's order. Eleanor was grumbling about how the broken coffee machine made filling orders a million times slower as she made the man's drink. Harry chuckled when she handed it off to him because he was closest to the counter.
"two cream, two sugar!" He calls out. A blond man with black glasses frames perched on his nose and a friendly smile walked up to the counter and received the drink from Harry. As their eyes met, Harry's breath caught and his fake plastered-on-for-the-customers-benefit smile nearly slipped off of his lips. His eyes were the brightest blue he had ever seen and it was breath taking.
"Close your mouth, you're drooling" Eleanor teases after a moment of Harry's staring. Harry realizes that the man had taken the drink and gone over to a table, opening a book and beginning to read as he sipped at his drink. Harry was just standing there staring like a fool so he spun around and gripped Eleanor by the shoulders urgently.
"Did you see his eyes? They were gorgeous" Harry gasps. Eleanor laughs.
"Calm down there tiger" for the remainder of his shift Harry keeps casting hopeful looks towards the blond man, hoping he'd look up and Harry would catch a glimpse of those beautiful blue eyes once more. Just as Harry is removing his green apron as his shift comes to an end, the man stands up, closing his book and shuffles over to the trash bin, throwing out his empty cup and then exits the coffee shop. Harry sighs, knowing that he probably won't be seeing Mr. Blue Eyes again.
Harry was in luck though, as it seemed the universe was working in his favour this week. At exactly 11:00, the same time as the day before, the blond man entered the coffee shop and ordered the same thing as the day before, taking the same seat, but opening a different book. He did the same thing on Wednesday and by Thursday Harry had worked up the courage and decided to speak up. As soon as the man came in, Harry headed to the cash register so that he could be the one to take his order.
"Hi, what can I get for you?" Harry starts politely. The man opens his mouth, about to order when Harry cuts him off. "Wait, let me guess... a grande two cream, two sugar coffee?" The man's eyes crinkle when he smiles.
"Actually I was thinking I'd try something different today. What would you recommend?" Harry flashes a dimpled smile.
"How does the mocha cappuccino sound?" Harry suggests.
"That sounds delicious" the man agrees. Harry gives the man his total and accepts the notes, giving him his due change. Once the man goes to his table Harry spins around to Perrie.
"Did you see that? We totally just flirted!" Harry gushes in an excited whisper. Perrie laughs.
"From what I saw, all you did was take his order" Harry scoffs, but then realizes that that truly was all that had happened. He sighs, but is determined to try again.
On Friday Harry is in the back kitchen when the man comes in at 11 and he is out at his table by the time Harry realizes that it is 11:15 and Harry is disappointed. Now how was he supposed to talk to him? Harry sulks about for 5 minutes or so until Perrie finally gets fed up. She grabs a broom and shoves it to Harry's chest before dragging him out from behind the counter.
"Go talk to him!" She urges giving Harry a shove forwards. Harry stumbles and nearly trips rather ungracefully, but gets his footing and begins nonchalantly sweeping, in 'no particular direction'. He just so happens to end up around the blond man's table and grins as he recognizes the book he is reading.
"Harry Potter!" Harry muses recognizing the 5th book, the Order of the Phoenix. The man looks up, spotting Harry.
"Have you read all of them" Harry asks, leaning casually on the pole of the broom. The man nods.
"I'm working on re-reading them all" he admits.
"It seems you've been doing alright so far if you don't mind me saying. You've had a different book here every day" Harry shrugs.
"You're pretty observant" the man compliments Harry. "Have you read them all?" he asks now.
"Yup! A few times" Harry smiles sheepishly. He rather loved the fantasy wizarding world J.K. Rowling had written about and when he was 11 he had waited for his acceptance letter to Hogwarts and needless to say, had been disappointed. He still liked to imagine that there was a secret world of wizards that flew around invisibly above their heads and took a magical train from a platform that didn't exist every September though.
"Do you want to sit down?" the man offers. Harry obliges, crossing his fingers that his supervisor would be busy for the next little while and won't notice Harry's absence. He leans the broom against the wall beside him before the man and himself are engrossed in a discussion about the serious mistakes they had made in the production of all 8 movies.
30 minutes later they are laughing about the latest episode of a League of Their Own and Harry has fallen in love with this man's laugh.
"I would offer to buy you a coffee but you already have one" Harry smiles. The man returns the smile and nods.
"I'd like lunch though?" The man suggests, raising an eyebrow.
"Great, when are you free?" Harry inquires. The man shrugs.
"The rest of the day" Harry grins.
"I'm off in 15 minutes so how about we go grab something then?" he nods, agreeing and Harry stands, grabbing the broom and beginning to head back to work.
"Oh, wait! I never got your name" Harry stops and turns back around.
"Harry. And you?"
"Nice to meet you Harry, I'm Niall"
