Harry had been to The Coffee Chart only a few times and he was in love with it. The café was just opened about a week ago and Harry had stopped by for the opening since it was the middle spot between the music shop he worked at and his own home.
Harry went on Monday and ordered a coffee that was pretty good. He came back the next day and ordered a different one, better than the last. On Wednesday, he had caught a cold, and on Thursday he was still pretty sick. Friday, he came back and ordered a simple hot chocolate. He was back on Monday, feeling a lot better after his weekend off.
Harry came in, hands tucked into his pockets, green eyes cast towards the menu. Today he'd try a vanilla expresso, warm, considering it was snowing outside on the bustling streets of Holmes Chapel.
"Hello, what can I get you?" A girl at the register asked, smiling at Harry. She was wearing lots of makeup and the top buttons of he work shirt were undone to reveal a sliver of her lacy black bra.
Harry coughed to hide his disgust before ordering his coffee to go and moving to the side. After a minute, Harry saw a very cute guy place a coffee to-go cup on the counter.
"Large vanilla bean expresso, hot, for Styles!" He called in a feminine voice, blue eyes darting to Harry's for a split second before he scurried off.
Harry moved forward and grasped his cup, not really paying attention. It was when he entered Sheets, the music store he worked at, that he noticed the scrawled writing in his cup. At the top it said 'Styles'. Under it, however, it read 'Have a good day, Mr. Giraffe.'
~~~
Harry curiously peered into The Coffee Chart, spotting the same workers as yesterday. The blonde girl who'd taken his order, a dark-skinned boy, and the pretty guy with the blue eyes. Harry had a feeling deep in his stomach telling him who the writer was, he could just feel the connection between him and the boy whose name he didn't even know, let alone age or personality. He looked sort of young, maybe Harry's age, but Harry could be wrong.
He also could be wrong about who wrote it when he saw the girl scribbling on someone's cup. Did she write on all of the cups? Harry's stomach dropped in disappointment. Would that girl really write something so cute and quirky?
Harry ordered a gingerbread latte and waited. He anxiously looked over the bar to see who was writing but everyone was in the way like yesterday. Harry groaned when the black boy called his order out, along with 'for Styles'. He was shocked to see that yet again, under his last name, there was another note.
'Your head is in the clouds... No surprise with your height, Giraffe Boy.'
~~~
Harry was so determined to find out who the writer of the cup was that he came back during his lunch break. He ordered the same as the morning before and waited.
"Here, cutie!" The blonde girl spoke, handing him his cup.
"I'm Isabelle," she giggled, batting her eyelashes. It was her. It had to be her writing these stupidly adorable notes. She was sitting here, flirting with him. Harry sadly read the note.
'Back for more, Sir Giraffe? I knew you couldn't resist. I'm Louis (:'
Harry's head snapped up. "Who's Louis?" He asked suddenly.
"Louis? Oh, he just now left after making your order," Isabelle spoke, eyebrows knitting together. "Why?"
"Uh... No reason... Do you have his number?"
"Yes..."
"Text him and tell him that the Giraffe Boy said hello... I'll see you tomorrow, Isabelle."
And he was gone.
~~~
Today, Isabelle was not working the register. It was a pale older lady, the first older employee that Harry has seen so far. Further back was the black boy and the fairy boy, cute as a button he was.
"That boy with the dark skin, who's he?" Harry casually asked the woman after ordering a mint cappachino.
"Oh, that's RJ."
"Hmm... And the other lad?"
"Mr. Tomlinson? His uncle is the owner of The Coffee Chart. Poor bloke, Louis, over here, works his bum off to make money for university. He's a good one, Louis is."
Harry's heart was beating at an alarming rate. "Oh... Wow."
"He's very nice," the woman spoke, smiling again.
"He looks like it." Harry stepped aside so someone else could order. This time, Harry saw Louis scribble on the cup before filling it and handing it to RJ, who handed it to Harry.
'Meet me here at 6, would you, Giraffe? I need a friend...'
~~~
Harry snugly lowered the beanie down his head and sat in the back booth, waiting for Louis. When the young-looking lad entered the shop, Harry smiled softly. Louis was very pretty to look at.
"Hello," Harry spoke when Louis sat down. Giggling, the coffee boy reached across and wiped hot chocolate from Harry's lips.
"Oops," Harry mumbled, blushing.
"Hi," Louis whispered, grinning at Harry's adorable red cheeks.
"I'm Harry."
"I know, you bloody giraffe, I'm Louis."
"Oh... Yeah. Why do you call me that?"
"You're six feet tall!"
"And you're how many... Four?"
Louis began to giggle again and Harry's insides flushed with warmth. "I'm very glad to meet you, Louis. Will you tell me about yourself? Like... A lot..."
"Only if you do."
~~~
I'm the end, Harry found out Louis was two years older and has been struggling to pay for university since he barely graduated from high school. Harry's family was exceptionally wealthy and so Harry offered Louis a place in his statement after their one-month anniversary of being friends.
Harry asked Louis out two weeks after Louis moved in, writing 'I'm slowly falling more and more in love with you. Be mine? -Giraffe Boy' on a coffee cup and giving it to Louis on a coffee run when Louis was off.
A year into the relationship, the two had made love in their apartment. Louis finally got into university to study music and Harry moved higher up in the music shop.
After four whole years of being together, Harry asked Louis to marry him, and Louis responded with, "Of course, you stupid giraffe, I love you!"
Seven years together, they were buying a house and adopting a pretty little girl named Lilian Anne.
Years flew by, two more adoptions were made, Harry owned the music shop he'd worked at and Louis owned the café. Lilian had children and got married, Harley Viriette graduated and Geo Bryce was growing to be a smart young man.
It got rough when Harry entered his fifties. He was diagnosed with cancer. He lived for another three years.
At Harry's funeral, Louis spoke of how he had met Harry. He sobbed and spoke of how he missed his giraffe. Harry's tombstone was engraved with his name, dates of birth and death, and a single cartoon drawing of a giraffe.
When Louis died twenty years later, single, he was buried beside his favorite giraffe and the only person he'd ever truly loved.
