Harry Styles Blurbs (Reader Insert)

All the Love (Barista!AU)

Coffee always made everything better.

That was one thing, perhaps the only thing, that you were absolutely sure of in your life as of late. From the first time you'd taken a sneaky sip of your father's mug at breakfast when he wasn't looking, to the cups that kept you running now as a college student- you were proud to proclaim that you were a coffee enthusiast (caffeine addict sounded rather demeaning).

And although you greatly appreciate the exquisite assortment of drinks that Starbucks offered, a college student budget just didn't allow for it. Especially because you drink coffee so often and you won't settle for anything less than a grande.

So when you see that a new little cafe is opening across the street from the law building on campus, you can't help but be excited. Even looking from across the street, you knew how inviting the place would become. Right now it had a little indigo roof over the front of the shop with a chalkboard sign on the sidewalk announcing the specials to come, and a red font sign on the door that said "Opening Soon". Anything would be better than the burnt out, nasty stuff they served in the campus cafeteria. Even tea would work at this point for you, and that was saying something.

And a week later it was open, and as you crossed the street glancing both ways, hurrying through in a quick break of traffic, you were so ecstatic. The sun was setting and painting your college town in hues of gold and orange that were striking against the dark blue canvas. And there was a chill cold enough in the air to make you nuzzle closer against the scarf you were grateful you'd thrown on this morning.

You're quick to grab onto the handle and throw the door open, sliding inside and making sure that the door doesn't slam shut before turning to take your place in line. The lighting is warm and welcoming, with stringed bulbs hanging over the booths that are on either side of the shop. The counter at the center of the store is lit up with more lighting and a showcase of pastries that look delicious (from the small amount you can see past the incredibly tall couple in front of you). There's bookcases between almost each table and booth, some carrying books and others carrying magazines, but it seems that each case is full of books of a certain shade of blue. There was teal, then blue, then navy and so on as they wrapped around the store. The tables are sparse, but made of granite. And the floors of the shop are made of dark cherry wood.

But what catches your eye the most is the the record player in the far back corner of the shop, hidden away in a little nook where there's buckets of records sitting on the shelf above it. It's playing now, but you can't get a good listen to the song or all the skips and squeaks that make a record, well, a record. The whole shop is decorated in various shades of blue, but not too many, and you vaguely recall reading about how the color blue evokes feelings of calmness in your visual communication class. It seems perfect, not just because blue is your favorite color, but because it's across the street from buildings full of students in desperate need of tranquility.

And just like that, with the aroma of fresh coffee beans and pastries and a quick scan at all the cafe has to offer- you knew it was on your list of favorite places in the entire world.

There's only one problem, though. There's way too many people in here. To the point that you realize there's not a single table left available and that your favorite place might be other people's favorite place too. But the line moves forward and you do as well, determined not to let this run you off. Even if you did suddenly crave the silence of your bedroom, you blamed it on your fast approaching 5 pm caffeine crash.

Every time the door opens behind you, you're hit with a cold gush of air and you turn to glance over your shoulder with furrowed brows to find it completely dark outside. How long had you been waiting in this line?