the coffee shop girl // niall horan

Chapter One

Chapter One

Róisín opened her eyes and stared up at her ceiling, frowning.

The first thing Róisín did every morning was walk to the café, ten blocks away from her London flat. The walk didn't bother her; she loved walking, in fact, and vowed that she would walk to the little café every day for as long as she lived. Every day, she ordered the same thing: a large, caramel latte with a jelly donut. She'd been going there every day since she was thirteen years old; every day for five years. She had never missed it, not once, even that one time she had the stomach flu. She'd gotten up, emptied her empty stomach in the toilet, pulled on her snowboots-it had been the dead of winter-and walked to the café.

Róisín sat up and walked to the window, looking outside to see the ever-present rain as the source of her especially early rising. It was pouring out; she could barely see the street below her. Sighing and closing the flower-patterned drapes, she walked to her wardrobe and fished out a dark blue tunic top, leggings, and a pair of dark blue, white polka-dotted rain boots. Slipping the outfit on, she grabbed her umbrella and braved the storm.

There were puddles everywhere. Róisín looked around, making sure no one was watching, and she saw no one. Smiling to herself, she hopped from puddle to puddle, splashing around and reliving her childhood. She had always loved playing in the rain when she had the chance-though not often- and turning nineteen hadn't changed that. Though growing older had forced her to put aside her childish playfulness, right now she let her guard down and let herself be...herself. For years she had forced herself to become someone she wasn't. Now, here in the rain, she could just be what she wanted to be.

It took almost twice the normal amount of time, but she finally reached the café. Ducking under the overhang and shaking out her umbrella and propping it up by the door (along with everyone else's) she walked up to the counter.

"Hi, Róisín," said Jenny. Jenny was one of the older employees (she was around fiftyish) and had known Róisín since she had been coming to the café. "The usual?"

Róisín nodded.

Smiling, Jenny relayed the order-large caramel latte and a jelly donut-and five minutes later Róisín was sitting in a window seat, sipping away at her piping hot latte and slowly munching her donut, reading a novel she had checked out from the library.

This was her favourite part of the day. Mornings spent in the café with a hot drink and a sugary breakfast, surrounded by the smells of coffee and tea and treats and welcomed by friendly employees and customers. It was her second home, almost.

It was very crowded today, Róisín noticed. Probably because of the rain, she decided, because no one likes to stay cooped up in their homes with nothing to do. The café wasn't outside, but it was-

Róisín jumped about ten feet in the air when the scalding hot liquid touched her skin.

"Oh, fuck, I'm so sorry!" a guy's voice said. It was high and scratchy, and utterly adorable.

Róisín smiled and shook her head. She grabbed a few napkins and helped the guy clean up the spill-five large, pipping hot teas with milk-and grinned at his profuse apologising.

"It's okay," she said. "I'll live."

The guy smiled at her. "Still...I'm really really sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?"

She didn't answer, and a hard pattering on the window brought her attention to outside. It was raining even harder now, and windy too. There was no way she could get home in this weather without getting wet, even with an umbrella.