Words (Harry Styles AU)

02

I woke up the next morning, my thoughts jumping instantly to the journal I had found. It lay on my nightstand, unopened still from when I had read the second page at the coffee shop. I stared at it for a minute, wondering what kinds of secrets were embedded in the crisp white pages.

My first class of the year started in an hour, so I got out of bed and took a shower in my cramped bathroom. I quickly blow dried my hair, applied mascara, got dressed, and left the building. I headed back to the same cafe I was at yesterday to get a coffee.

The unfamiliar streets were crowded with students, all with bookbags on their backs as they carried their breakfast off to class. I reached the cafe, which I'd learned was named "Café", and the door jingled as I pulled it open.

There was a long line of students waiting to place their order. As I waited for the barista to make my drink, I scanned the shop. The tables were almost empty, except for the one in the corner that I had occupied yesterday. A man was hunched over so that his face was hidden from my view. I watched as he furiously scribbled something in a book, a forgotten cup of coffee beside him. He had textured brown hair that flopped over his forehead in disheveled curls. 

"Ella."

My scrutinizing eyes flickered from the man to the counter where my drink was just placed. I made my way through the sea of people waiting for their coffee and grabbed mine. On my way out, I glanced back at the table and was met by the same stunning eyes that I recognized to have held the door open for me yesterday. I averted my gaze instantly and felt my cheeks heat up, embarrassed to be caught looking at him. I fast-walked out of the shop looking everywhere but the stranger.

My morning classes dragged by slowly, my mind tuning out of the teachers' lectures on their syllabus. I only payed attention to attendance, trying to see if anyone in my class had a first name starting with the letter H. Other than that, I had difficulty concentrating on anything other than the mystery journal I had stowed in my bag.

A girl that sat next to me in my Chemistry class introduced herself to me as Maya. She was a sophomore, and was majoring in Chemistry while I planned on majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry.

"Hey, there's going to be a party at this bar tonight to celebrate surviving the first day. It starts at 9, you should come! The workers won't card you." She told me.

Though it was still a school night, and no one liked being hungover the next morning at school, the thought of meeting new people and possibly finding the journal's owner was too good to pass up. I weighed the pros and cons and decided that it would be worth it if i could find out who 'H.S' was. I nodded at Maya and her face lit up as she grinned back at me. We exchanged numbers and she texted me the address.

Our teacher dismissed us and I stood up, holding my notebook to my chest. 

"Wait, Maya." I said, stopping her before she left the room.

She turned around expectantly. 

"Do you happen know anybody with the initials H and S?" I asked curiously.

Maya furrowed her eyebrows. 

"Don't think so, sorry El. But I have to run, my next class is all the way across campus. See you tonight!" She waved and stalked out of the room.

After my last two classes finished, I walked back to my apartment. I needed to eat dinner and then decide on what to wear to the party. I sat down at my kitchen table with my ramen noodles and pulled out the leather journal from my bag. It had been the center of my thoughts the whole day today, and I couldn't help myself as I eagerly opened up to the next page where I had left off.

This entry was dated to a few days after the first. 

How do you describe a color without using its name?

-red (anger, blood, the color of poppies, love)

-orange (the sun, citris, a sunset)

-yellow (light, the color of sunflowers, a lemon)

-green (jealousy, nature)

-blue (the color of the sky, the ocean)

-purple (dahlias, the color of grapes)

I smiled at the randomness of this note. It was very endearing, in a way. The next entry was almost illegible, probably recorded hurriedly, but I could make it out to be some sort of recipe... iced coffee?

Ingredients:

1lb ground coffee

Half-and-half 

Sweetened condensed milk (2-3 tbsps per)

Directions:

Mix ground coffee with 8 quarts water

Cover and allow to sit at room temperature overnight

Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a containter

Pour coffee mixture through strainer and discard the grounds

Place coffee in fridge and allow to cool

Pack a glass full of icecubes and fill 2/3 full with coffee

Add a splash of half-and-half and 2-3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk, stir.

I loved coffee, and I was glad to discover that this person was also a fan of it. I finished eating and returned the journal back to my bag. As much as I wanted to read more from the complex and interesting book, I realized I had lost track of time and was running late.

I rushed to my closet and pulled out a simple black dress with black heels and applied some red lipstick, getting ready as fast as possible.

I didn't own a car since people usually walked in the city, but it took me a good ten minutes to get to my destination. When I arrived, there was already a constant stream of people going into the bar and the music's heavy bass sent vibrations throughout my body. I pushed my way through the crowd, trying to spot Maya. I eventually found her holding a beer and talking animatedly with a group of people.

She turned around when I tapped her on her shoulder.

"Ella, you came!" Maya practically yelled over the loud music, enveloping me in a tight hug.

"Yeah, I did." I smiled at her. "How's the party?"

"It's great. Do you want me to get you a drink?" She asked, already looking around for a waiter.

"Sure,"

She nodded and ordered me a Heineken before turning back to her group of friends.

"Everyone, this is Ella!" She introduced me.

I went around and shook hands or smiled at each person as they told me their name. None of them had a first name beginning with H.

I took small sips of my beer as I followed Maya around, meeting various people. She knew a lot of the people there since she was at this school last year, and she introduced me to all of her friends. I smiled and nodded during various conversations, but still had yet to find a single person who could possibly be the journal's owner.

Two hours later, it was starting to get too hot in the crowded bar, so I excused myself from the group of people I was currently standing with and told Maya I was heading home. It was late and almost everyone was drunk by now.

"Alright, see you tomorrow then." She pulled me into a hug.

"Bye Maya" I called to her as I left the bar.

I was enveloped by cold air as I exited, and I wrapped my arms around my torso in order to keep warm. Despite it being nighttime, the streets were still filled with traffic and tons of people. I followed the route back to my apartment, eager to get home and take off my uncomfortable heels. I could lie down in my bed after an exhausting day and read more entries from the captivating journal.