#(with my first job being in a store where most of my customers and coworkers spoke spanish exclusively | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

whitefoxgirl · 2 years

Text

⏳Ageless⏳ A Namjoon Series {Chapter 2}

Author's Note: This is chapter 2 of the series. I wrote this in between classes so that's why it's so long. I was also advised to do a taglist, so, if you would like to be tagged, just comment on the post and I will add you :)

Pairing: Namjoon x reader (Female Pronouns) Fandom: BTS Warnings: Ageless Namjoon; Namjoon imagining the MC in a sexual way but nothing smutty happens. Genre: Fluff, angst Word Count: 4.8k

Songs that helped me: • "Soft Skin" - Ali Project • "Theme of Love Con (Orgel Ver.)" - Lovely Complex OST • "In the Forest" - Fruit Basket OST • "Want to Get Along" - Fruit Basket OST • "Galaxy Games OST 6" - Star Project OST • "Unjust Life" - Angel Beats OST • "Anxiety" - Angel Beats OST • "Snow Melts Into Spring" - Fruit Basket OST • "So That You're Not Lonely" - Fruit Basket OST • "Memory Loss" - Fruit Basket OST

Tag list: @dreamescapeswriting @ourkarlanicoleuniverse @cutttteeee

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

As Namjoon got to work, he looked at the first editions that were not available to the public, which was in the basement of the store. It was his favorite part of the bookstore, as he read most of them in his youth. He heard someone call his name from the top of the store, Charles, his coworker. He was letting Namjoon know that it was time to open the store, to which Namjoon nodded and got ready to stock books. His job at the bookstore was one that required little to no interactions with other people. This is something that he decided as he didn’t want his clients to recognize him years later, in their old age. Charles, being the saint that he is, thought Namjoon was just socially awkward and that he maybe had extreme anxiety, so he talked to the owner and manager of the store suggesting that Namjoon do bookbinding as a service to those customers who would like the service to happen, and stocking the books that were being delivered.

As the afternoon rolled around a new book was delivered and as Namjoon was stoking the book on its shelf and decorating the table presenting the new arrival, he heard a soft gasp and from the corner of his eye, a figure approach him.

“Junseo!” He heard a familiar voice say, to which he turned to look and smiled as, even though he heard it only for a few hours, he has grown rather attached to it. “Fate did its thing, right?” She said smiling softly, her cheeks where blushed slightly and her body language screamed: “I’m shy but I’m doing my best to interact with you”.

“It did. How are you? It has been a couple of weeks, right?” He asked her while holding a couple of books in one hand. She nodded to the question and pushed her hair back slightly behind her ear. Namjoon took her appearance in, she was wearing work pants, with a fitted black shirt that had sleeves above her elbows, and she was wearing low cut doc martins. She looked like she had come out of work and looked professional. He smiled softly at her appearance as she dressed like she listened to her coworkers and is willing to stand up to them.

“Yeah! I was just looking for something else that Tae Keller released” She looked around and then back at him. He looked at her thinking for a while then smiled softly.

“The… Children’s literature author?” He asked to which she nodded excitedly and responded by saying

“Yeah! I read ‘The Science of Breakable Things’ and I really liked it! So, I was just looking for something else.”

He thought for a second then signaled her to follow him, to which she did. She looked as his tall figure crouched down and grab a purple book with a tiger on the cover coming out of a jar. Namjoon showed Y/N the book, she grabbed it with a gentle grip and looked at the title, ‘When you Trap a Tiger’.

“It’s about this girl, who visits her grandmother and finds that her grandmother is hiding something about her past.” He explained. She looked at him smiling and said,

“Like… A secret that affected her?”

Namjoon nods at this and smiles responding “It’s really good, I find that it really feeds your inner child”

She nods and smiles looking at him saying “Okay, I’ll take it then!”

Namjoon smiled softly and then put his hands on his pockets wiping the palm of his, slightly sweaty, hands gently. He inhaled gently and said, “Yeah, and when you finish it, let’s discuss it over our date?”

Her mouth gaped as she looked at him then giggled gently saying “You remembered!” He nodded and took off the palms from his pockets. She smiled and said, “Okay, it’s a date then.”

He decided to do something he had never done, check someone out, which surprised Charles greatly. As Namjoon was checking Y/N out, he thought about how he has never been a bold person. Even with Suyeon, she was the one who approached him, and even though he did ask her to marry him, he found that he asked too late for his own liking. And so, he decided to be a bold person for the first time in his life.

“So, what’s your number?” He asked her, something she was surprised at, as Namjoon did not seem like the bold type, then she inhaled, feeling her cheeks heat up.

“Is it normal for you to ask girls for their phone numbers?” She asked.

He chuckled at this and said, “Only girls as pretty as you.”

Y/N crunched her nose, cringing, something Namjoon mirrored. Both laughed at this, he shook his head and look at her saying “I mean, I’m usually not even interacting with customers, so… No, you’re my first ever customer and first even person I asked for their phone number.”

She licked her lips smiling and dictated her number, having Namjoon write it diligently and carefully on a piece of paper near the register. After he was done Y/N spoke up saying “And… Just in case, that’s my personal number, so… Feel free to text me or call me whenever you want.” He nodded smiling gently and handing her her receipt. He smiled and said “Don’t… Throw away your receipt. I put my phone number in for you” She smirked at this gently and looked into his eyes smiling saying

“Your personal one I hope?” He chuckled at this and nodded responding

“Yeah, you can call or text me any time.”

She nodded and grabbed her book saying “I’ll text you tonight then” to which he nodded and smiled wishing her a great day.

When she was out the door, Charles ran towards Namjoon and asked him what that was about. Namjoon shrugged his shoulder and smiled gently, to which Charles said “Nah, Nah, Nah! Hold on! Mr. Junseo Jung! You never even look at customers, let alone help them find their books! Who was that?” Namjoon felt his cheeks redden as he said “Just… I just find her interesting, sue me” Charles chuckled and touched his shoulder gently saying “My friend, it’s about time you got out of that shell! You never even talk to me that much!”

Namjoon sighed gently at this because it was true. Even though Charles was a very eccentric person, with a very bright personality and was a very sociable person. Namjoon decided it was best to keep his distance, as he did not want to get to know someone, only for them to be hurt when he leaves and goes no contact 10 years later.

“If anything happens, you’ll know, Charles. You read me like a book” Namjoon looked around as if to signal his joke, to which Charles faked amusement and faked laughed at his attempt at a joke. “Please don��t say jokes like that, ever.” Charles said as he walked away leaving Namjoon to smile at the piece of paper with the phone number he has (lowkey-highkey) been desperate to obtain.

As soon as Namjoon got home, he fed Moni and decided to take a shower thinking of how his day went. His mouth softly turned into a smile when the thought of Y/N ran through his head. He remembered how soft her voice sounded to him, and how he would have liked to touch her fingers when he handed her the book, but reluctantly decided not to as he felt it would overstep an unspoken boundary. As Namjoon got out the shower, he saw that he had received a message. It was from Y/N! He smiled gently and unlocked his phone only to see the first thing she sent saying

“You. Are. Evil!” with a little crying emoji. He chuckled and then texted her back feigning ignorance, to which she replied with

“You know what you did! This is angst! PURE ANGST! How dare you! What do you mean her grandma has cancer?! It can’t be!”

As he got dressed, he couldn’t help but look at the stars outside his window, which prompted him to text her,

“Wanna go out on a mini date right now?” It was 10:30pm, he doubted she would say yes, but sure enough, she confirmed she could, and he texted her that he would pick her up from her house. She sent him a pin as a precaution and then he decided to bike his way towards her house. He felt it was safer for him to bike around town than to own a car. Owning a car would bring a lot of unwanted attention. As he got there, a 30-minute bike ride, he got down and phoned Y/N. She looked out the window and smiled holding her phone and got down towards the building entrance quickly.

“I thought you stood me up,” she said smiling as she approached him. He smiled and shook his head replying with

“No, I just don’t own a car” She nodded and smiled commenting on how eco-friendly the decision was, however, she continued by saying

“I don’t think where we’re going you can bike us, so… Let’s take my car.” He agreed taking out his bike lock to which she said, “You can leave it in my apartment, you know how it is here” Something which, Namjoon once again agreed with.

As they hoped in her car, he couldn’t help but notice the nice scent it had. To him, it radiated her essence. Y/N was excited to have met him again and to her, it truly felt like fate wanted them to meet again, it was even more exciting that he was now proposing a quick hangout. She didn’t exactly know where they were going, however, it didn’t stop her from being excited and feeling like her own clothes didn’t fit with how full she felt from this feeling.

As they made their way to Wassaic Multiple Use Area, the couple couldn’t help but feel nervous at the feeling that they were both experiencing. To Namjoon, this was something new, unexplored, it was liberating to feel so comfortable, and while yes, he was comfortable with Suyeon, it wasn’t enough to feel like he was being himself. It felt as though he was forced into a role, maybe by his peers, his own society at the time, he doesn’t know, but what he does know is that he felt, free. To Y/N, even though it wasn’t new, it felt like something worth exploring and something that would bring her happiness in the end. She has dated before, but nothing felt like this. Not only was Namjoon respectful so far about her as a person, but also listened and was understanding towards her. As they walked down the trail that led them to the stargazing section, at the very top, the couple couldn’t help but gaze at each other from time to time, there was a comfortable silence between them as the insects and little creatures of the night sang their tunes. It felt very peaceful and comforting.

As soon as they approached, Y/N ran to the very top while Namjoon stayed behind and looked at her with a soft gaze, a smile adorning his features. She signaled him to come towards the top telling him that the view was beautiful and as Namjoon got there, the view was beautiful, the stars shined as if only for them and he felt like he was in the best life he could ever have, for the first time, he felt alive.

“It’s so beautiful here, Junseo!” Y/N exclaimed as she looked at the stars. The moon was full, and the sky was clear, it felt like the moon was highlighting everything around them. This did not go unnoticed by Namjoon, as he, did not look at the stars, rather, he chose to look at how the moon’s shine reflected on Y/N’s features. It gave her a soft, gentle, innocent glow like she was made of glass, like she was something Namjoon shouldn’t touch, yet was so inviting to the eyes.

“You’re beautiful…” Namjoon said in a soft whisper, although he wanted to say that to himself in his mind, his mouth moved before he could even think properly. He felt his blood rush towards his cheeks, as he blushed at his own sudden confession. His hand moved towards his mouth in a quick matter when he saw that she had turned to look at him.

“I-… I didn’t mean to say that out loud” Namjoon said, almost like he was defending himself. She chuckled at this and smiled gently. The wind blew gently towards them, making her hair messy. She pushed her hair behind her ear, and looked at him with a gaze that said, to Namjoon, ‘I’m soft by your words.’

“I don’t mind getting compliments, especially if they come from you,” she said, something Namjoon blushed at. Namjoon decided that it was best to leave it at that and looked at the sky. She was right, it did look beautiful, if his eyes didn’t deceive him, he could make out even the milky way, in a very faint manner, but he could.

“I’ve decided… Where I want our date to be.” He looks at Y/N and smiles gently, her eyebrows were high as if to signal him to continue.

“We could go to this really awesome, quiet, café and talk about the book you’re reading” She smiled at this and looked at him nodding.

“But then… I’ll take you somewhere you’ve never seen before” She responded looking into his eyes. Namjoon felt himself smirk gently then looked down. He wasn’t going to tell her that he knew this city like the back of his hand, simply because, the boredom of his long life has turned him into a rather curious cat, thus, he explores every city, town, and state he visits just because he didn’t want to become completely bored with it.

After the date, Namjoon and Y/N headed toward her apartment. She had offered him to stay because it was already 2am when they came back, but he refused as he didn’t think it was appropriate for him to stay. She sighed and let him leave with the condition that they would be on the phone on his way back to his apartment, something that Namjoon obliged. It was now the next day, and Namjoon was getting ready to meet Seokjin for lunch. He sighed as he knew that Seokjin would pick something spicy to eat and began to mentally prepare himself to scold him once again, but for now, he decided to focus on Moni and feed him his raw food. Namjoon, being the attentive owner he is, decided not to feed Moni dry food, which is something he learned from his last dog. He decided that spending money as if it was for two people, was better for his dog’s health than buying dry food. He had heard Seokjin say that Moni was a fancy dog for this, but to Namjoon, it just seemed essential to have him on a well-balanced diet, like he would with his own body.

As Namjoon said goodbye to Moni and walked out towards the restaurant, he began to think about the next day and how excited he was to meet Y/N. He sighed gently thinking about how he has been letting his guard down but then decided that letting it down was better than being in a constant panic. He was glad that there was another person in his life that he could be comfortable with other than Seokjin. Namjoon didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared. He was scared to lose Seokjin, out of everyone, Seokjin has been his rock since they met, and Seokjin was the only one he was comfortable with.

At the restaurant, Seokjin made his way toward Namjoon. Seokjin had decided to eat at a Korean restaurant as he wanted to “feel at home”. Namjoon mirrored this, as he hadn’t had Korean food in a long while, deciding to leave that part of him behind as well. It’s not that he was not proud of his heritage or ethnicity, however, Namjoon felt like had he been out of the norm in the United States, more than he already is while being an Asian man, he would attract unwanted attention, and so, his Korean pride was behind him but never forgotten.

As the waitress appeared she didn’t hesitate to compliment how great it was for Seokjin to spend time with his grandson and how it was rare to see a grandson-grandfather moment in that day and age. Seokjin ordered the tteokbokki and dak galbi, while Namjoon just settled with some bibimbap. He sighed when he heard Seokjin’s order and look at him as if he was ready to scold him.

“I thought we talked about cutting back on spicy food, Jin…” He said, to which Seokjin rolled his eyes and head then look at Namjoon, almost pouting.

“I’m Korean! I love spicy food! It’s in my veins, how could you even think about asking me to cut down on spicy food?” Seokjin exclaimed, to which Namjoon sighed and replied saying,

“I’m not saying to completely give up on it, I’m saying, to eat less of it. Why would you order tteokbokki and dak galbi when both of those are spicy? It’s not healthy to eat an excess of spicy food, Kim Seokjin.” Namjoon said in a slightly rough, scolding voice. Seokjin smiled and looked down at his plate then drank the water that was beside him.

“You would make a great father, Joon…” This is something that Seokjin always brought up and something that Namjoon always got sad about. It’s not that he didn’t want a family, but how could he start a family when he’s ageless? When he doesn’t age? It would bring a hell of a lot of pain just thinking about the possibility of his children dying before he does. Namjoon said something to the effect of “Let’s drop it” to which Seokjin did as he knew that every time that he brought up children or him having a family, Namjoon would become quiet. Seokjin didn’t do this with negative intentions, he just wanted Namjoon to live a life and stop running away from everything every decade or so.

“Namjoon-ah…” Seokjin began to say, Namjoon felt his spine tingle, he loves hearing his birthname as it tells him that he, at the end of the day, was still himself. He hummed, signaling Seokjin to continue.

“I think, I’m gonna move to a retirement home” Seokjin informed him. Namjoon stopped chewing on his food and looked at him as if he was scared and asked why. Seokjin sighed and said,

“After Eunbi died, I felt alone. And now it’s getting harder to live in that house. My hips hurt more, and my arthritis is getting worse. What if I can’t grip the rails of the stairs well? What if I fall? Who will be there? I live alone.” Namjoon sighed and looked down at his plate saying,

“I’ve asked you to live with me and Moni in the farmhouse.” To which Seokjin shook his head and looked straight into Namjoon’s eyes.

“I can’t live my life running, Namjoon. I’m getting too old for that.” Namjoon looked at him with a soft gaze then looked down at his plate, understanding what he meant.

Although Namjoon didn’t say it out loud, he too was tired of living in fear, of running, of being caught for experiments and other things of that nature. He poked his egg yolk and said,

“I don’t wanna live like this anymore, Seokjin… I’m tired…” He looked around as if to check if there was someone else around him while he said “I’m 94 years old. You’re the only person who I’ve kept a relationship with. I’m just tired of… not living.” Namjoon said feeling his eyes begin to water. Seokjin, being the understanding friend that he is, grabbed Namjoon’s hand gently, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Namjoon looked down and wiped his tears gently, and in a soft voice asked Seokjin “Will I ever age…? I’m scared that I’m stuck like this forever…” Seokjin stood up, sat beside him, and hugged his friend as tight as he could.

Normally, one would be afraid of death, but Seokjin’s theory to this is because you’ve had such a great life, that you want to relive it, or that you’re young and inexperienced and feel the need to do more. However, Namjoon has not lived. He has been alive but never lived. While you don’t have to have children, a partner, or other things to live, this is something that Namjoon craved. He didn’t want to live a thousand lives every decade, he wanted to live one life for a hundred years.

Namjoon understood Seokjin’s decision and decided that it would be best for him as of now, while he thought of a solution. Namjoon decided that it would be best to go home as he didn’t want any more bad news. When Namjoon got home, he laid down in bed and thought about what Seokjin said. Ever since his late wife, Eunbi, passed away from cancer, Seokjin has been alone. Namjoon always offered Seokjin his place to stay, but Seokjin always declined stating the same thing “I can’t run away with you, Namjoon”. Which is something that tug on his heartstring every single time as it was a reminder that he, indeed, as running away from everything.

Namjoon decided to call Y/N, hoping that hearing her voice would bring some peace into his troubling mind. She did not hesitate to pick up the phone after the first two rings. A cheerful “Hello, Junseo!” greeted him. He felt his angst melt away at the sound of her voice.

“Can you do me a favor?” He whispered. She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her, he took her silence as a confirmation that she would help him with his troubles. At first, he wanted her to call him by his name, Namjoon, but he didn’t want her to think that his interest was built on falsehood or that he was faking being himself, so, he opted for the simplest request.

“Tell me about your day… I wanna listen to your voice.” He said in a soft, slightly rough whisper, something that definitely had an effect on her. He proceeded to hear her talk about her day, he learned from hearing her, that she was a manager on a law firm and how crazy it was to hear lawyers gossip about cases like old ladies in church or something of that nature. As she laughed and smiled at the ridiculousness that was happening around her, Namjoon felt his uneasiness melt. As she was smiling and laughing with him; he felt himself laughing at a ridiculous attempt of a joke a lawyer had told her to get into her pants. He liked this feeling and wished nothing more but to treasure it. His smile softly faded, and he asked her.

“What would you do… if from this day forward you couldn’t age?” She was left stunned at this. It wasn’t something that she had ever thought about, never in her 24 years of living had she thought about this question. The questions she always asked herself were always about how would her life end, never, what if it just never stopped.

“I suppose… I would feel lonely, right? Seeing so many people you love and care for pass away, their books closing as no new chapters are beginning…” Namjoon closed his eyes, it was as if he was being validated for feeling the way he felt. Seokjin always validated his feelings, but he felt sometimes that he validated them because Namjoon was a burden. And now, this person, whom he feels comfortable with, says his thoughts, and he can’t help but feel… seen.

“But… I guess… If I had your company, it wouldn’t be so bad, right? Live just becomes boring when you distance yourself, become just another speck of dust, but… If another speck of dust joins you and sees you, then you wouldn’t be so lonely, right? I guess what I’m trying to say is… If I’m with you, comfortable, seen, understood, cared for… Then, I don’t mind not aging.”

This made Namjoon smile, tears running from his eyes. He himself understood that being vulnerable was important, for any human connection, but still, the ever-longing fear of not being old with someone he loved and cared for kept growing. Namjoon decided to be a hermit not only to stop the other person from feeling pain, but also to stop himself from experiencing pain, loneliness, and suffering. That, however, has only caused more pain for him.

“Y/N… I…” he began to say, he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to tell her about his situation, even though it felt like it was too early. He didn’t care if he was being vulnerable if it was her. Namjoon closed his eyes and sighed softly. He looked at his ceiling holding his phone gently on his ear and said,

“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

Y/N felt her cheeks blush at this, his voice was deep due to what she thought was a lack of sleep, and it was filled with so much sincerity and longing. She smiled at this and looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her hair gently as if she was in front of him. She closed her eyes, her smile widening more imagining that he was there.

“I can’t wait to see you too. I… kinda miss you” She chuckled gently. Something which Namjoon mirrored. She felt as if they were moving too fast, but she didn’t care. It felt right, he felt right, it felt perfect, and even if others were seeing red flags, she was only seeing how comfortable, loving, and sweet Namjoon was towards her. He was, to her, a perfect gentleman. Any other guy would have stayed the night, but he didn’t, respecting her space. And even though he didn’t kiss her yet, she felt as if they were both waiting for a moment, a perfect moment, where both of them were completely open to each other. She felt that even though he has opened up a lot, she has done so little, and maybe that’s why he’s so hesitant. But tomorrow will be the day, a day where she opened up over dinner and tell him everything about herself, just like he has been sharing little facts about himself.

“Let’s talk tomorrow, Junseo” she said. Namjoon felt his smile slowly disappear at the false name. Any other person would be happy to hear their name, but Namjoon was presenting himself to the world as “Jung Junseo” and even though he picked the name after his army buddy Jung Jungkook, he didn’t feel like it was his own to be proud of. He would rather prefer his own name being said by the lips he has been dreaming of kissing since the first time he saw them. He inhaled gently bracing himself for his next words.

“Goodnight, Y/N. Dream happy things” he whispered gently and hung up after hearing her say,

“Goodnight, Junseo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As Namjoon laid back, he thought about the possibilities of his date tomorrow. He hasn’t been anxious since he was in the military, a young 19-year-old. He smiled at the thought of him going to his mom and asking her to shave his hair. How nervous he was when he received his uniform, but the sense of nervousness faded as he thought about the fight he was going to put forward. Those feelings are back with him now. The thought of Y/N going up to him like she once did at the restaurant a couple of weeks back, and how she would look. He remembered the figure of her body and thought about how he wanted to explore it in a slow matter and mark his way down and up her body. He sighed thinking that he shouldn’t think that way about her because he was more than just a horny teenager, but he couldn’t help himself. He was sure that he wasn’t just sexually attracted to Y/N, he was also emotionally attracted to her, and this scared him.

He didn’t want to think of a future where she was old, and he was still looking like his 22-year-old-self. Where she was caressing his cheek and he didn’t have any wrinkles, while she had aged gracefully. He hugged his pillow and turned to the side and closed his eyes whispering to himself softly “I’m scared…” something that he hasn’t admitted out loud ever since he stopped aging. Kim Namjoon fell asleep after admitting his fears to himself.

34 notes · View notes

veresiine · 1 year

Text

My retail job, most of the time, involves grocery store curbside pickup orders. So, to vent, I've made a list of things that customers do that bug me (and things they do that don't).

Categories:

Things customers think we hate, but we don't, and actually prefer over the alternative

Things customers do that I hate (that are relatively harmless but inconvenient and/or annoying to me)

Things customers do that I hate (that are rude)

Things customers do that we love

Content under the cut due to length. Also lots of food discussion, as is the nature of the beast.

Things customers think we hate, but we don't, and actually prefer over the alternative:

Calling ahead to let us know you'll be late and giving an ETA

Calling us and asking us to cancel or reschedule your order

Calling us for any change of plans, really. Life happens! We've had all kinds of things interfere with pickups. Births, deaths, car accidents, sudden hospitalizations, customers stranded halfway across the country for days. As long as we know when (and if) you'll be picking up your order, we can make arrangements as necessary to accommodate that.

Things customers do that I hate (that are relatively harmless but inconvenient and/or annoying to me):

Physically showing up in the employee area to inquire about your order progress and/or pick it up. If you forgot your phone and have no other way of contacting us we'll let it slide, but we get frightened easily when snuck up on, and feel pressured and cornered.

Trying to insist on tipping us after we have clearly communicated that we are unable to accept tips and could get in trouble or even lose our jobs over it. We appreciate the initial thought but WE COULD GET IN TROUBLE, we've already turned you down, you're just making it awkward.

Ordering larger amounts of items such as loose green beans, snow peas, or Brussels sprouts, which are sold by the pound. We are timed for every item; we are supposed to spend 30 seconds maximum on each item (locating, bagging, and moving to the next), and your 1 pound of green beans counts as 1 item.

When on the phone, interrupting or rushing me in the middle of my script (Thanks for calling, where are you parked, do you have coupons, how are you paying, etc.). Phone calls are difficult. Sometimes verbal speech at all is difficult. As I'm on the phone with you, reciting the script, I am also getting your order paperwork and/or electronic confirmation ready. The script gives me time to do that. Forcing me to deviate from the script has like a 25% chance of distracting me enough to forget a step, a 25% chance of throwing me off-balance enough that I need some time before I can speak coherently again, and a 100% chance of annoying me.

Asking when we'll get back in stock. We have no idea, 99% of the time, and even if we know it's been ordered, there's no guarantee it will show up on the truck.

Things that customers do that I hate (that are rude):

NOT TIPPING YOUR DELIVERY DRIVER, ESPECIALLY if you're ordering a lot of very heavy items like cases of water or bulk dog food. Even if you don't have the money to tip, at least have the decency to thank them for hauling so much stuff for you!

Ordering massive quantities of, say, on-sale meat items, without first independently calling the meat department. To begin with, if it's on sale, it's quite probable it's already sold out, and even if it isn't, you're clearly just hoarding and making it harder for everyone else. I'm not talking 2-3 big packs of ground beef or 2 turkeys; I'm talking 10 steaks, 5 family packs of pork.

Blaming us for the prices of things in the store. Yes, we know food is expensive. Yes, we know it costs so much more than it did last year. Many of my coworkers are food-insecure and often cannot afford to shop where they work. If we had any say over the prices, we would not be in this boat. Complain about the prices; they do suck, after all, but the instant you blame US, you're being rude.

When we're shopping, asking us where all the items you're looking for are. We are on a timer. The handheld shopping devices are tracking our every second and every action. Most of us are happy to point you in the direction of what you're looking for, provided we know the answer ourselves, but please don't keep coming back to us again and again and again. Also, because we are on a timer, it's nice to keep things straight and to the point. Some of my coworkers prefer it if you still say 'excuse me, could you please help me find ,' but provided your body language and tone of voice are not terribly aggressive, I happily respond to requests such as "BEETS?" and "where's bread?"

Insulting our coworkers. "I know it wasn't you, but the person who shopped this is an IDIOT-" we like them more than we like you. Even if it was a stupid mistake, don't go calling people names. We appreciate you letting us know an error was made and we'll do our level best to fix things and make things right. Besides, with some of the weirder errors, odds are it was made by a teenager who DOESN'T HAVE THE LIFE EXPERIENCE TO KNOW BETTER. Please don't be a jerk.

Things customers do that we love:

Ordering yogurt, especially multiples of each flavor. This is very good for our pick times! It's nice, quick and easy. Multiple produce items are also nice!

Giving notes on what you'd like as a substitution. "If this flavor is unavailable, please get X flavor". Or "I have a coupon; please stick to Y brand." We know what you want, you get what you want, everyone wins.

"Thank you!" notes. We read every one of them! Sometimes a simple 'thank you!' written in the order notes is exactly what we need to get through

Shout-out to one family of customers who find creative ways to bypass the 'no tips' rule. What they do is unrealistic for the average person to emulate, and I'll not get into specifics on the off chance someone from corporate sees this, but I will say they are much appreciated.

#veresiine irl #I think I'll do one for lab clients next

2 notes · View notes

mitsulite · 3 months

Text

I forgot to mention some key details to why I’m so disturbed and disgusted by my time with A. I totally feel like I was taken advantage of. But I usually feel that way in some capacity after a relationship ends. Like I mentioned, I’m a pushover.

Well J and I had a kind of rough week. He was incredibly sick and we didn’t talk much. During that time, I’m at work, actually having a good time and in a good mood. My coworker greets someone and without looking up I also welcome them in. And I finally look up and it’s fucking A, walking into my store and staring straight at me. When I tell you it felt like I had seen a ghost!!! I immediately felt my stomach drop and I was trying to keep myself calm and stop myself from shaking. I just started working faster and tried not to look up, but I could feel him on the other side of the glass watching me. I wanted to cry. In that moment I wish I had told my coworker in the past so that he could sense what was happening. Thank god he was the one to make his stuff though. A couple times I glanced up at the cafe and he was staring at me. I never maintained eye contact and to be honest I’m not sure what my physical reaction was when I first realized it was him. I don’t know if I smiled or if I grimaced or if I looked scared or what.

I felt so violated. My job is my safe space. I feel at home and protected when I am there and with my coworkers, and in that moment that was taken from me. When I got a second I ran to the back to drink some water and what I was feeling sunk in and hit me. The anger, upset and honestly the rage. I felt this was incredibly inappropriate to show up unannounced at my job and then stare at me waiting for me to initiate conversation. And most of all I just wanted to talk to J. I wanted to run to him and tell him what happened so he could protect me. Ughhh.

The next day I was off but I’m pretty sure he showed up again. He came again the next day. This time he chats up my coworker for an extremely long time, it felt like he was stalling to get a second with me when I wasn’t so preoccupied. I overhear him telling her that he “missed us” and we were all so cool and had good vibes. Like bro come on. Everyone knows him as a guy who creeped out a lot of the girls and made them feel uncomfortable. Another reason why I’m embarrassed I let him have me. This day once again I was pretty preoccupied making drinks, but he stood there at the glass and says to me that he’s only in town for a few days. And I just nodded and smiled. Obviously hoping I would want to get together. You know another annoying thing from when we were together, not only was he constantly mentioning me telling my now ex about us, he would also ask when I was going to tell my coworkers about us. Like bro what that was never going to happen!!! He never respected how I wanted to be in the “relationship”

The next fucking day. He comes again. He’s actually the very first customer in the drive through before we even open. My coworkers notice it is him (remember how they all view him) one of the coworkers in particular was extremely put off by him. He is quite flirtatious and she hates when men are flirtatious with her. So he was a bit flirty with her in the past and she didn’t like it. Now she is convinced he came back just to see her. And I can’t even tell her the truth. I asked if someone else could please help him and I’m surprised she actually did. Probably because I always do the same for her. And then she tells me that he told her to tell me “peace”, which I took as him leaving for good. Haven’t seen him since and that was Sunday.

So during all of this while I’m just wanting to talk to J and he’s no where to be found. I texted him on that Saturday just being like wtf dude? It could have been an argument but of course it wasn’t because it’s him and I. He apologizes for upsetting me and I apologize as well for being so up and down and needy. We make up. I told him about A, how he had been coming in and making me super uncomfortable. J is my angel and got really protective, asking if I want him to beat his ass and shit. Which makes my heart do a pitter patter. My dad was so protective of me and I miss that type of male energy since he passed. I told J how embarrassed and upset I was about everything. He never lets me feel bad about things and never blames me for anything. I love him.

A is gone and I hope I never have to see him again. You’d think he would have texted me after showing up at my job, since he has been texting me periodically since I ghosted him. But no. I guess he felt it better to just stalk me and make me feel uncomfortable at my job. I kind of wanted him to text me so I could tell him I have a serious boyfriend now. But then again I’m glad he didn’t because I fear I would be too tempted to be cruel and tell him that my new man made me realize I was never really in love with HIM. But that’s harsh isn’t it? He still thinks we are soul mates. We are so far from that. I honestly think I’ve found my soul mate in J.

I had never heard this term before. But one night I was 75% asleep when a voice in my head suddenly said “I’m tied by you” I immediately wake up and put a note in my phone. And now I’m seeing all this stuff about soul ties and being tied to someone. I had never heard that phrase especially phrased as “tied BY you”. So yea. I think my intuition knows. Sometimes I think he’s done witchcraft on me. It feels like it.

0 notes

suhacidal · 8 months

Text

hello

it's been so long since i've spoke on here. i do apologize, to myself, for falling out of a practice that is so healing and transformative for me. now i am taking the time to sit and honor my need of expression, regardless of what is taking place around me.

so, here we are, in the last (full) weekend of the month. i can't say i'm shocked by how alarmingly fast the time has flew, because it was just mid-july, and i was celebrating life to the fullest. i started mones, flew back to my former state to party (and see the oomf-ilf...but that didn't happen), and spend time with my dysfunctional family.

now it's september. it's been a month at my new job, two months on mones, five months sober. alot to take in, really! this weekend, i was supposed to be spending time with my mother and sibling, but circumstances arose for that to be rescheduled (to my ultimate surprise). i think it was a necessary shift, given this would be the first extended period of time i've had off from work since starting. if they were still to have visited, i fear we all would've been miserable! so instead, i've been perpetually cleaning my room, which i think can be classified as my own personal hell. i can say i have been doing this task for the past several months, seemingly making little to no progress, regardless of the long, laborious hours that were allocated for completion. alongside that, the weekend has been spent battling lengthy bouts of anxiety and mania! it's safe to say that they are WINNING. i am getting my ass whooped severely in this battle. nonetheless, here i stand, living to tell my story.

i think the recent manic-induced depressiveness (or depression-induced mania) can be chopped up to 3 things:

my new job. so, i began working a new job in late august, which i am so grateful for! i quite literally asked for this job. i went in, looked around, and asked if they were hiring. to my surprise, i was greeted by the store manager with an application and on-the-spot interview! that day was overall amazing. my interactions with strangers were much friendlier than usual, and the consistent vibe for the day was abundance. abundance of smiles, abundance of opportunity, abundance of amazing experiences. this i thought would set the tone for my work interactions and environment, especially given that the manager i spoke to almost immediately asked for my pronouns. i would love to live in a world where that is the norm, regardless of presentation. me being very visibly queer was obviously going to warrant some confusion and curiosity, so i let it be. fast forward to me starting, my first day was great! the customers were eating me up, i was learning the registers (this is a retail job btw), and i had not one bad interaction. that was until we were near close and i was standing with my manager as she talked to a customer. she began introducing me while in the same breath misgendering me. now...as previously stated, i truly understand the confusion, but she asked me my pronouns. it kind of rolled off my back, especially since she immediately corrected herself. she started apologizing to me and said that she "slipped". this statement stuck with me. because, is that how you actually think of me? in the vain of which i was misgendered; is that actually what you see? and not the identity i was vulnerable enough to come to you as--the one you sought out of me? i tried my best not to spiral and allow grace for mistakes and growth within this new environment; an environment that is not mostly or all queer like i'm used to. this would have been a sentiment i held onto if that was the only time this happened. my manager proceeded to misgender me again, as well as most of my coworkers. i was flabbergasted at this point and heavily considered tendering my resignation. i very obviously am not respected in that space or being regarded as the individual that i am, so why should i stay? the thought has been on my mind for a moment now, and i've been trying to devise a plan to make sure i'm not jumping ship with no lifeboat. needless to say the entire debacle has significantly impacted my mental health. this is without considering the interactions with customers. their perceptions of me can range from one thing to another instantly, no matter how i'm dressed, no matter how i sound, no matter how i begin to perform what i think will appease their curiosity around how to approach me. it's all very tiring and has made me question the basis of disregarding my wellbeing for the sake of money, and even partially for the sake of social interactions. i truly don't know where to go with this one.

hormones. now, this one is a more modern realization. i've been going back and forth and back and forth on what could possibly be perplexing me so, only to realize the massive emotional shift i'm undergoing. it was much more obviously felt within the first few weeks of taking them, but i feel now the noticeability has faded into the background. as with anything that becomes a routine, i've grown used to the thoughts and emotions that have became amplified by the presence of hormones. it's taken quite the toll on me, honestly. i can't lay in bed most days like i'd like to. i feel as if i have to put on a mask and perform for a crowd of people every day. i've began to be more assertive and possibly mean within my interactions because i felt as if i was just being pushed over. never in conversations around gender, though. whatever the customers perceive me as is their business. although, i am growing weary of the polarizing views. but i'm guessing that's something i'll have to learn to live with...? i don't know.

the looming, overarching shadow of dread casted by responsibilities i've yet to attend. there are alot of things in this world i'd like to do. attend to these responsibilities is not one of them, however i know i must to live worry-free. well...worry-free of these responsibilities. there is so many other things i have to focus my worries on, and these do not need to be taking up so much space. almost 70% of the responsibilities consist of facing emotional traumas in regards to my parents. another reason i was so grateful for the opportunity to be alone this weekend is because of the strange relationship i hold with my mother. yes, i love her, and yes, we ki down very often, but there is alot to be addressed within our dynamic that has been left unacknowledged or simply unspoken. her perception of me aligns with those that are convoluted by societal definitions of gender norms, which obviously creates some distance. i do my best to give transparency and vulnerability despite this major character flaw. i've explained to her the meaning of nonbinary, just not in my case scenario. i just don't know what's to come of it when i do finally demand respect. i know it needs to happen ASAP especially because...what have i got to lose? besides the odd relationship where alot goes unsaid, my livelihood is not at stake for me standing in my authenticity and claiming visibility in front of my parents. i don't know why i act as if it's life or death for me in this situation. the whole thing has been bothering me for quite some time now, and even more so with the progression of physical changes induced by hormones.

another thing i forgot to mention in my first point is the newfound access to recurring deposits of money. it's convinced me that the world is at my fingertips and i can spend my whole check in a week without batting an eye. i know my first few checks went to rent, but the last one, i couldn't tell you. actually, yes i can--that one went to bills as well. it's unfortunate that living in this world means working to survive. not to rest or reap the fruits of your labor, of course! i've been compulsively shopping with what i have left from squandering on bills. the manic spending of money has made things more dreadful for me, because i'd like to save. i've been too deep in the "live like it's your last" mindset for a while now and it's time for a change. i cannot say i'm completely disappointed with those decisions (i acquired some cool stuff), but i could be doing much better and living wiser without the see it, want it, have it attitude.

the main thing keeping me afloat right now is another planned trip back to my former state, this time specifically to reunite with oomf. also for a friend's wedding, but that's tbd. the details were given to me in passing and forgive me if i don't remember the very vague sentiments that were expressed. this friend also doesn't talk to me often, or at all for that matter! we may have exchanged one or two conversations since i moved. mind you, this person was a best friend to me, so imagine my shock when i was left on delivered for months. anyway, a trip away from the usual humdrum of life always gets me going, and this time i actually will get to stay with my oomfita. things have been rocky for us lately, so i'm kinda riding on this trip to provide us with some stability, and maybe even deeper connection. it's going to be their birthday so i'm hoping to make it very special. (me being there should be special enough...just saying.)

i can truthfully say that sitting down and intentionally dedicating time to write and express has lifted a weight off of my shoulders, and tended to some of the overwhelming anxiety that has been plaguing me for who knows how long! i must do better at holding myself accountable to talking/writing, even if there isn't much to say. i also have to give thanks to the soundbath i've been listening to the entire time i've given correspondence. it's been itching my brain in all the right ways. i just feel very zen and very light, finally releasing so many thoughts that have been with me for so long. i thank myself for getting up here, because i know it was not easy. i am excited to come and visit again tomorrow. hopefully with some prompts!

#life update

0 notes

selamat-linting · 11 months

Text

man, the working conditions in this country are bad. i know a girl who worked in an NGO and her hours are ridiculous. a couple of times she had to leave town and when she came back home at 2 am she's expected to go back to work at 6 in the morning. my friend, the patrick bateman wannabe, he worked at a retail chain store during the pandemic and he have to pay for his own covid test everytime he gets symptoms (which was often because he was an essential worker with chronic illness) and he didnt get paid while he's on sick leave. a few months ago my sister was a temp worker in a cafe but she might as well be a staff who just dont have the benefits nor the job security because they kept calling her to come to work. even if she's permanently hired she will never get any substantial promotion because the hotel management spesifically stated they dont want their management position to be filled with people who might be distracted with childcare (women). my mom worked 10 hours six days a week cleaning hotel rooms to pay for my education and she was paid only 2/3 of the minimum wage there. my crush had to work from 5 am to 6 pm in his current job and the stress was too much he got sick on the first month of working there. i know another guy working as a courier and his job also required him to work 10-12 hours. hell, all of my previous jobs had a special day every week where it doesnt count as part of your job but you still had to come to do extra 4 hour work on top of your regular shifts. or jobs where they dont count the extra hours needed to close after a busy day. there was a point in my life where a coworker had to take me home almost everyday because we got overtime until its 1 am. the job i have now has much better hours but im still expected to be on-call everyday just in case a customer wanted something and i have to go see them. and my customers, if theyre not bougie, theyre a part of the working class that gets paid better than the rest of us and still they have unpaid overtime and stress that drains their will to have a hobby outside of getting shitfaced with your coworkers once a month. i was in trade school and one of my first memory of being there was seeing my classmates who majored in operating and fixing heavy mining equipments, most of them boys as young as 15, watching a "workplace safety" video that mostly consists of pictures of people getting crushed by cranes and trucks, and learning to accept that yes, there is a chance you'll die and there's nothing you can do about it. by the time im 20 years old i already know two cases where a friend of a friend died on their retail job from overwork. my crush almost died in a workplace accident once! i havent even talked about how my other friend wanted to be a nurse, to the point of advertising that her kidney was on sale on facebook marketplace, only to realize how little they get paid despite the expensive education, long working hours, and the health risks. i haven't even talked about the kind of shit sex workers here face on the job. or the little kids in my town who had to walk 10 kilometers a day every night before school selling tissue boxes and snacks to help pay the rent! its 2023 and child labor is still a thing! there are kids as young as eight years old who had to help their parents make stone bricks! and the worst part of how things get this bad is that we did try to stop things from getting worse. the working class in my country did organize and made progress, but we were all fucking killed for it. it wasnt just the us backed genocide in the 60s or the kidnappings in the 90s, there was so many cases of state repression that get swept under the rug. so no, i dont use morals when it comes to the bourgeoisie. i dont have sympathy and i wont make excuses when i say would kill even the children of the ultra-wealthy if i have to. theyre lucky my organizing job right now is talking to people and making stupid little pamphlets instead of shooting them.

#posts about my life

0 notes

bearpillowmonster · 2 years

Text

I thought I'd talk a little about my job and how I've been trying to view it. So if you've followed me for a while, you'll know that I've hated my previous jobs, one was so bad that I went to therapy (not that therapy is only for when things are bad) but I was hoping this one was different and without jinxing myself, it is.

First off, it pays more. I decided not to take overtime because I learned that they'll take advantage of you whenever they can and I spend enough time there as it is. But the overtime I do get is much higher, before I'd have to work hours just to get what just one or even half an hour of overtime here would get me. But it also rolls over, if I'm 5 minutes early for my shift then that saves and rolls over which isn't much but it builds up, I can get a free 10 dollars like it's nothing. At my old job, they just rounded everything up, if I went in at 5:27, they'd just say 5:30, so much time was lost.

I have some pretty good supervisors, which is always great, they don't push me too hard and let me take my time, even customers let me take my time because it's not their time I'm wasting if you catch what I mean, they get paid by the hour so if they spend an extra 10 at the store, it's no big deal, they probably want to take a break from their work. And what I mean by that is that they come to you and order what they want, sometimes by phone and you prepare instead of them coming in and shopping and you stand there by the register. This actually lets me learn what everything is and where everything is. That allows a huge shift in the culture because everyone knows everyone so you can just shoot the poop or give tough love.

My mom can make fun of things relentlessly which originated from my grandpa which originated from my great grandma who's from Germany, it's just a family thing, we complain for fun so coming to work before is like being a different person because I can't say what I say at home but these people that I work with now do exactly that, sometimes to people's face, they don't care and that's rare! I actually hold myself back from making fun of people most of the time because I'm still deciding if it's a negative practice if it's all in good fun but it makes me kind of comfortable, almost like I don't feel the need to make fun of people anymore because with my old job, I constantly needed an outlet to complain and now, I don't feel that. And I've made it a point to myself that I don't have to tell anybody anything I don't want to so nobody knows about my illness or past love life or what I'm supposed to be doing at 6am or over the weekend. Yet I still feel welcomed if I ever wanted to express that or hang out after work or something, I had such a disconnection with coworkers at my last job.

I'm never alone, which sounds scary but I've had jobs where I was indeed alone and that made everything harder, so many things could've been fixed had I just had more people to work around. I can go to the bathroom when I want, I don't have to ask or have someone complain "can it wait?"

At my old job, I'd work night shifts and morning shifts all different days of the week including weekends but this job is the same hours every day, 5 days a week. I remember I'd be working holidays when the managers would be off because they said that I didn't have enough seniority, no extra pay. I had to miss cook outs with my family because I was working. Not only do I have more holiday time but I also get Paid Time Off pretty much after the probationary period which I think I'm past now.

So I get a lunch every time too, that was a rarity at my last job and the best part is that I choose when to take it whenever I want and it's closer to my house so I can just go home for a while instead of spending the money to eat at Wendy's (again, when I had a lunch). I've also made it a point to myself that even with the overtime thing, I can be late if I want, I don't have to rush, I'm allowed to finish my food if I'm still eating even if it's time to go, I can walk in a few minutes late and luckily, I'm in the position that I don't get in trouble, they actually understand that "it happens", they're late sometimes too, no big deal but again, that overtime thing is a good motivator because I try to time it just right so I have even numbers on the board. Plus I don't hold anyone back by doing that, nobody has to wait for me to come back from lunch to go, or for me to come to work for them to get off their shift.

I even got a budget of 150$ to buy clothes from their shop so I'm sporting a new Champion hoodie plus a few others. I'm not forced to push commission based commercials like credit cards or promo cards or whatever.

I'd go to bed at night and hear different computer and phone sounds in my sleep then have nightmares about, and while I don't hear that now, I still hear the people I see every day's voices but I've decided to let it flow through me rather than fight it and have it resist back and that's worked out well for me actually, maybe because I don't hate the people I work with. Now I'm fully bracing myself if my outlook starts to change but it's been a month and a half so please let things remain good.

#work #job

0 notes

chronically-autistic-dinosaur · 2 years

Text

I’m glad I have managers who take mental health seriously. I’m glad I have managers who take the time to check up on me and ask how I’m doing. I’m glad I don’t have to be forced back to work when I’m not ready yet.

I work ONE shift (3 hours) every month or so right now. It’s in the evening when the store is less busy so less chance of customers being 💩 to me. There’s also less employees which means less teasing about my continued use of wearing a mask.

Compared to where I was last year (and even late 2020 when I had my first anxiety attack), I’m doing considerably better mentally. Yes, I’ve had to increase the dosage of my meds slightly…but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be able to function as I am. Not working as much and not being around triggering situations (mostly customers not respecting my personal boundaries about COVID) has helped me immensely.

Most of my family and some of the older coworkers I talk to think I should just find a new job and/or talk to my managers about increasing my hours. They don’t seem to understand that that isn’t the solution. The reason I have REDUCED hours is not because I’m being punished or anything. It’s simply because I can’t work a lot right now without having some sort of anxiety attack. When I’m ready and feeling good mentally, I’ll slowly increase my hours. I’m not just going to jump back into 4 days a week just to end up back at square one where I am.

I’ve been making my mental health a priority since January. I started with 3 shifts a week with a week off in between. That worked for a bit but it wasn’t enough. Then it was 2-3 shifts up until my province lifted all COVID restrictions in March. After that, I wasn’t even going into work because my anxiety was too bad. I’d wake up, get ready for work, and then say nope and call in. I hadn’t even left my house and I was already on the verge of breaking down because I knew what sweet hell was awaiting me at work 🫠 Eventually, I went down to 1 shift on Wednesday…and it was every Wednesday up until the last month or so. Now it’s like one Wednesday a month and the rest of the time I’m off just chilling and focusing on myself.

Mental health is important and if I didn’t have the support of my managers, I don’t know where I’d be. I don’t even work a very demanding job, yet my mental health has taken a toll-mainly because of the pandemic. A person doesn’t have to be a CEO of a company or a pilot or a doctor or a teacher or any other high stress job to have 💩 mental health. Even people like me who work at a grocery store (and I’m not even a cashier) deal with anxiety/mental health problems. So do certain musicians, but this post isn’t about him so 😂

#my post #long post #mental health #anxiety #take care of your mental health #mental health is a priority

0 notes

plus-size-reader · 3 years

Text

Weird

Stu Macher x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2755 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Stu developing a little bit of a thing for Randy’s coworker at the video store

Just a weird little thing my brain cooked up, with not too much intricate plot to speak of.

—————————————————————————————————

He’d been staring at you for an hour.

If he didn’t knock it off soon, Stu was sure that it would start to get creepy but he couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t like he could just walk right up to you and start a conversation.

You probably wouldn’t even recognize him.

Besides, Stu wasn’t a super good conversationalist to begin with. He always got tongue tied and made inappropriate jokes at inappropriate times. There was no telling how it would go, especially with you.

Stu’d had his eye on you all this time, and while he had never had trouble making friends, it was different with you.

All he could do was walk around the aisles of the video store, doing his best to look busy as he browsed the video selection.

He had always liked movies, and wasted away plenty of night watching tapes with his friends but as of late, the movies had little to nothing to do with his frequent visits to the Woodsboro rental, and everything to do with you.

At first, it was innocent.

One night while he and Billy were looking for a couple blockbusters to occupy their time, he noticed you behind the counter where he typically would have found Randy.

It should have ended there, but because Stu was Stu, of course it didn’t.

The next day at school, he had given his strangest friend the third degree about who the hottie in his place was and found out that you were new.

Randy didn’t know too much about you, other than the fact that you chewed gum the entire time you were on the floor and that your favorite movie was Frankenstein.

It was hardly enough to get to know a person, but it seemed to appease the man enough to end the barrage of questions.

At least for a while.

It wasn’t until he came in six or seven times without his partner in crime that Randy started to get suspicious over just what Stu thought he was doing here.

After all, he had a girlfriend, a very hot girlfriend, who he could be spending time with instead of stalking you at work.

Not that he actually went out of his way to ask the blonde right away.

While his being there so frequently definitely looked weird, there were plenty of explanations for what Stu could have been doing, and in all honesty, he kind of freaked Randy out.

Besides, if all he wanted to do was look through the VHS tapes, there wasn’t really anything he could do about it. Billy and Stu were both good customers and as long as they kept renting movies, it was all good.

If you just so happened to be there when he came in, that was just how it was.

After all, you worked there so you were bound to be there pretty often. That meant that, coupled with the amount of time Stu and Billy spent there looking for good stuff to watch, you were bound to run into them quite a bit.

There were a lot of regulars.

Woodsboro was a relatively small town and you got familiar with people’s faces, especially those you saw all the time, but that didn’t mean you really knew them. You had begun to recognize Randy’s friends, but they were little more than that to you.

Maybe that was why you seemed to be so oblivious to Stu’s constant attention on you. To you, he was just another customer, one that you were even less familiar with then most of the others because Randy handled all of their business.

You very rarely even interacted with them at all.

Not to mention that you were extra busy tonight with the murders and all that. The residents of this town had taken that terrible act as inspiration to have their own blood-soaked horror movie nights in the comfort of their own homes.

There were so many people here tonight that you weren't even sure you would have had time to notice any individual person at all.

You may not have had time, but Randy certainly did and he’d had enough.

Not only was what Stu was doing inappropriate because he had a girlfriend, but it just made Randy feel kind of weird. You were a really cool person, sometimes Stu would have known if he ever bothered to say hello to you, and you didn’t deserve to be gawked at while you were trying to work.

“You’ve been looking at that for a while, you need help deciding?” Randy asked, less than subtly catching Stu in the middle of his ogling, not that the latter seemed to care in the least. Randy worked with you all the time, surely he saw what Stu saw.

You were hot.

That wasn’t his fault.

All he did was notice.

“Nah man, I’m good” he hummed, even going as far as to wink at Randy, making it painfully obvious that he knew exactly what he knew. There was nothing wrong with checking out a cute girl, and if anything, he assumed that Randy was just jealous.

After all, Stu was sure that he hadn’t made a move on you yet.

“You know Y/N’s a person right? you could just go talk to her” Randy scoffed, snatching the tape from Stu before he could argue.

This whole thing had been going on for too long and it was starting to get ridiculous.

Stu didn’t say anything for a second as he thought over what Randy was proposing. It couldn’t have hurt to actually talk to you, even with as nice as just staring at you for the last hour or so had been.

There was a small chance Billy wouldn’t like it, with the threat it would pose to their long con it would pose, but when the blonde glanced over at his friend to find him chatting up a few girls of his own, he made up his mind.

It wasn’t like talking to you would be the end of the world or something. It was just a conversation and it was like Randy said, you were a person after all.

You had been stacking VHS tapes on the displays around the store for the last few hours, filling in gaps here and there, and by this point, it was like muscle memory. You didn’t really think about it as you put each case on the wall, hardly paying attention to your surroundings.

This was just supposed to be a job to help pass the time and give you a little bit more walking around money, and you didn’t get paid enough to cater to every customer's every need.

That kind of thing was much more up Randy’s alley, who treated this job like the greatest thing to ever happen to him. If someone had a question about a movie, you pointed them in his direction and kept on stacking.

...but that wasn’t always going to work.

Out of nowhere, you heard someone clear their throat behind you, too close to be directed at anyone that wasn’t you.

Naturally, having worked here for a while, you assumed that it was just someone with a question about where to find something and turned around. Helping people find the things they were looking for was literally your only job, after all.

What you could have never expected was Stu Macher, standing there with an almost expectant grin on his face.

“Can I help you find something?” you asked, practically reciting from the script you were given when you were hired here. He was probably looking for some movie full of Jamie Lee flashing her tits, just like every other guy around here was.

Whatever it was he needed though, he needed to get to it.

You had to restock all of these shelves with titles from the back, a task that would surely keep you here until midnight anyway.

The longer he took to get to the point, the more behind you would be.

Besides, it wasn’t like he needed you specifically for that. He could have just as easily asked Randy for whatever horny horror fest he was searching for.

Not that such a simple idea had struck Stu in all the time he’d been here, doing whatever it was he was doing.

“I’m actually just looking,” he hummed, shrugging in a way that should have sent him back to where he had previously been browsing, if it hadn’t been for the fact that it was a complete and total lie.

Stu was only here for one reason, and one reason alone.

He had to make a move.

If he didn’t, it was becoming clear that Randy was thinking about it and there was just no way the blonde was going to let that happen.

“You come here often?” he tried after a few seconds, letting himself lean a bit over you, consuming all the space that your height didn’t occupy.

It was quite the line, you had to give him that, not that it was anything other than awkward given his clumsy, goofy delivery and the dopey look on his face.

He wanted to be cool about this whole thing, and to come off mysterious and suave, like Billy always did, but it wasn’t working. Obviously, because as soon as he said it, you laughed.

You actually laughed.

It was hardly the reaction Stu had been expecting from you, or any guy could have expected under the circumstances, but he assumed it was better than you just shutting him down right off the bat.

At least if you were laughing, you weren’t walking away.

“What?” he laughed, an almost unsettled edge to his desperate attempt to salvage any part of this interaction. Given all the time that he’d had to prepare for what exactly it was he was going to say to you, it should have been much better than that.

...but you had to give him some credit.

As awkward as this was, he put himself out there in a way that took a lot of courage, courage that most guys around here didn’t have. Normally, they would just make some crude attempt at sexualizing you then call you fat when you rejected it.

Stu was already vastly ahead of the douchebags you were used to.

“Nothing, that's just much more of a line than I was expecting, Randy put you up to it?” you questioned, catching sight of the way the male in question was gawking over at the two of you, not even bothering to pretend he wasn’t snooping.

It wouldn’t have surprised you if he set it all up to be funny, but Stu didn’t seem to find the same understanding. In fact, he was almost insulted by the idea of what you were suggesting. Like he couldn't just hit on a pretty girl without a reason?

He’d done it plenty of times before without cause.

“Nah, I just wanted to get to know you a little better” he shrugged, continuing to talk even as you leaned down to gather a few of the movies from the storage boxes, headed to the rom com section to stock them on the shelves.

It was sweet, in a strange way.

He was really weird, you couldn’t act like he wasn’t, but there was also something about him that was almost endearing.

“Well, I’m a captive audience until six so ask away” you allowed, a small smile on your face as you tried to focus on doing your job while also maintaining a conversation with the man in front of you. You were trying really hard to keep it as professional as possible, but it wasn’t exactly easy.

After all, he was laying it on pretty thick, making it overly clear just how interested in you he was even though he was trying to convey an air of casualness.

“Okay, what’s your favorite movie?” came Stu’s voice again, accompanied by the tapping of his fingers on the shelf.

You thought over his question for a second or so, doing your best to figure out what he wanted you to say before you decided to just go with it. Talking to Stu wasn’t the worst thing you would have to do today, and based on how it was going, it might actually help pass the time.

At least he was entertaining.

“It depends on what genre you’re looking at, I guess. I like all kinds of stuff” you decided, standing up briefly to find him leaning over the shelf separating the two of you, his face in his hand.

If nothing else, he certainly seemed to be pretty enthralled with this conversation.

It was something you didn’t get super often, and it would be a lie to say that it didn’t feel nice to have someone so interested in every single word that fell from your lips.

It was no wonder he was so popular.

“I’ve always been a horror guy myself. Like any of those?” he asked, tapping his fingers gingerly on the shelf as he spoke, syncing up his words rather nicely as he grinned at you. He was hoping, not so secretly, that you did.

As much as he was clearly attracted to you, his obsession with gore was a big part of Stu’s life and he didn’t want to miss out on it in any way.

It would just be a huge bonus if you liked watching them with him, so that you could watch them together for date nights and stuff.

It would be a good time, not to mention the fact that he and Billy only ever really did that.

“Yeah, I do. That’s actually why I started working here” you informed, thinking about just how quickly you had applied for this job once you found out they were hiring. Of all the places you could work in this town, it just felt like the place.

It was perfect.

“That’s great, I was hoping you'd say that” Stu allowed, smiling at you as he thought about it. All in all, this was going a lot better than he could have ever assumed and now that he knew he could check the horror block with you too, he was thrilled.

You couldn't have been more perfect for him.

“Maybe we could watch some sometime, at my folks place?” he offered, a twinkle in his eye as he finally got to the point that he’d been waiting for all this time.

The two of you had never really had a conversation alone before now, because his friends were always tagging along. However, it wasn’t as if he’d made too bad a first impression, as strange as he was.

You were kind of lost as to what could have brought this on so suddenly but watching a movie or two at his house couldn’t have been the end of the world.

He was harmless, and besides, it could have been fun to get to know him better.

You stopped, straightening up to look him in the face, that same sly grin there that he hadn’t been able to wipe off his face in this entire time.

“Yeah, we can do that. You can just get my number from Randy and call sometime” you smiled, turning back away to finish up the last of the box from the back. The sooner you finished this up, the sooner you could start cleaning up from the rush.

For you, it was a simple enough suggestion. Randy and the rest of your coworkers all had your telephone number and seeing as they were pretty close, it would just be easier for him to get it there.

If your manager found out you were flirting on the job, you would never hear the end of it.

Though, for Stu, it was far less innocent. He had only really just interacted with you in this new way but now that he had, he wasn’t exactly a huge fan of Randy already having your number.

Especially not knowing how much the male in question likes you.

“Cool, cool, I’ll talk to you later then” Stu nodded, turning around to find Randy still watching intently. He seemed to really think that he had a shot but now that Stu had made up his mind, there was no way he was ever going to let that happen.

You were too good for him to just let you go so easily.

755 notes · View notes

havethetimeofyourstyles · 3 years

Text

in which a new relationship sparks up in the restaurant.

a/n: hi loves! i’m back with a new story, and this is for nat’s @harrystylescherry playlist fic challenge! the song i chose is ‘say it’ by maggie rogers, which is one of my absolute favorite songs! hope you all like it, please reblog and leave feedback!

WORD COUNT: 13.8k words of waiter!harry x waitress!yn

WARNINGS: angst and some smut

COME INTO MY INBOX AND LETS TALK ABOUT ‘SAY IT’ i’d love to know your thoughts!

pls rb to share <3

It was eleven in the morning when Harry walked through the back door of ‘Spring,’ ready to start his long day of being on his feet while waiting tables.

He walked to the staff’s lounge that held their lockers and a bench before looking around to see if anyone else was in the locker room; he turned the dial of his lock pad to open his blue locker. His coworkers would always tease him about being so secretive when he knows that no one would actually steal from him, but better to be safe than sorry, and he couldn’t imagine how awkward that would be confronting one of his coworkers if they actually had stolen from him.

He put his white canvas tote bag that was printed in a brown text that said ‘Celestial Natural Foods’—a store in Hawaii—in his locker and hanging it on one out of the two hooks before grabbing his black waist apron and tying it around his waist.

The restaurant’s attire was a simple white or black button down with black trousers. The manager of the restaurant, Irene, told the staff that they could choose either color shirt whenever they pleased. As for jewelry, she didn’t mind when her waiters and waitresses wore jewelry, as long as it wasn’t interfering with how they held the plates of food, causing them to drop it. Harry was glad to hear that Irene allowed jewelry because his rings and necklaces made him Harry. Twisting his rings and fixing his necklaces, he took a quick glance at the small mirror that was stuck on the inside of the door with a magnet, and combed his hair back with his hands before closing his locker shut and locking it.

He washed his hands at the sink next to the locker room, and he smiled at the commotion and noise from behind him that came from the kitchen crew. They were prepping for the dinner hour, chopping up various vegetables, making the restaurant’s famous dressing and sauces, and baking the side dishes that usually took a while in the oven.

“Hey, Harry!” Jet, one of the sous chefs, greeted as he looked up at Harry with a big smile as he continued chopping up cabbage like the professional chef that he was.

Harry chuckled, amazed at his knife skills. “Hey, Jet. How are you today?” He leaned against the stainless steel countertop as he talked to Jet through the open space of the shelves, where the food rested under the heated and dim light when it was ready to be served.

“I’m doing great! How was your three day vacation?”

“It was okay. It went by fast, but I missed it here anyways,” Harry responded with a smile. Jet laughed, nodding.

“Well, we missed you too. Anyways, Irene told me to tell you that she’s looking for you.” Harry squinted his eyes slightly, not knowing whether Irene looking for him was a good or bad thing, and Jet seemed to notice what he was thinking. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure it’s nothing bad.”

Harry nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. Jet was his closest friend at Spring, ever since Harry started working as a waiter three years ago. He desperately needed a job because being his own boss and freelancing as a photographer could be difficult sometimes; and building up a client list when he first started out was even harder. But three years later, he was able to get his name around through his clients, and he earned enough where he could technically quit his job at Spring and focused purely on photography; however, Harry liked the restaurant too much to just quit—he liked serving people, believe it or not. His charms go a long way for respectful and kind customers, and of course, a great tip. Most of his friends always worked here as well, as he didn’t have quite a lot of friends since he moved from London, but his coworkers had become his very own friends, and he loved them too much to leave.

“Thanks, I’ll see you when we open!” Harry said as Jet waved to him, watching him walk around the counter to find Irene who was talking to a woman he’s never seen before.

He’s always loved walking through the restaurant because it had such a friendly and open vibe with white painted walls, trees planted in a line in the middle of the floor, and a big glass ceiling for a solarium ambience. His favorite part was that there were no walls to separate the dining area from the kitchen, so customers could see straight through the kitchen and watch the chefs work on their food with just a turn of their heads.

“Ah, there he is,” Irene said once Harry was close enough. “I’m glad you’re early.”

“Irene, I’m always early, what do you mean?” Harry breathed out a chuckle.

“I know you are. I’m just glad you’re extra early today because I need you to train this lovely woman next to me.” Irene stepped out of the way to reveal you to the waiter that was going to train you today.

Harry looked at you, and immediately, his breath was caught in his throat. The light that was provided through the glass ceiling cast down at you, giving you a glow that was ethereal, and he mentally thanked the interior designer of the restaurant from so many years ago for insisting on putting a glass ceiling instead of a regular, covered one. There you were, standing in the open light as you flashed him a smile that almost made him collapse due to how weak his knees were, and he physically had to place a hand on the brown wooden table next to him to keep himself up. You were stunning, to say the least.

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” you offered him a hand, smiling softly at him. He shook your hand, feeling the softness of your small hand and how it contrasted to his large and somewhat rough hand.

“I’m Harry. It’s lovely to meet you.” He smiled, two dimples indenting his cheeks. You noticed that his left dimple was more prominent than his right, but either way, you thought he was a gorgeous man.

Yours and Harry’s eyes had lingered a bit longer, and once you had caught yourself staring, you forced yourself to take your eyes off him, even though it was difficult to. And that’s when you knew it was going to be a slight problem working around him.

“Now that introductions are out of the way,” Irene interrupted. She turned towards Harry. “Harry, this is our newest addition to our waiting staff. You’ve been here long enough and it seems like you’re here everyday, so I’m going to leave her with you to train.” Once she was down, Irene turned towards you. “Y/N, you’re going to train with Harry for the rest of the week. It’s usually two weeks that are required for training, but since you’ve had waiting experience before, I’ll knock it down to one, and by the end of the week, we’ll see how you’re doing and where you are with everything. Sounds good?”

You nodded excitedly, giving her a bright smile before she clapped her hands and said ‘great.’ Harry looked at you the entire time, and he just knew that you were the type of person that could light up a room with your beautiful and bright smile.

Irene turned towards Harry once more. “Show her the ropes, introduce her to people, and just make her comfortable, yeah?” Harry nodded, teasingly saluting at his boss as he earned a laugh from her.

Irene left, leaving the two of you, but your attention was preoccupied with the restaurant as you eagerly looked around, getting familiar with the place you’d hoped to be stable at for a while.

Harry cleared his throat, to which you immediately looked at him. He gave you a smile before he said, “So, ready for your first day?”

“Ready!” You exclaimed, tone a bit too excited, making you slightly embarrassed, so you curled your lips into your mouth and looked around the restaurant again to hide your slight embarrassment.

Harry giggled. “Don’t look around too much—you might get tired of this place before you even start,” he teased, completely forgetting how shy and embarrassed you looked.

“I think I’m gonna like it here,” you confessed immediately, feeling a certain comfort once you walked into the restaurant. Hell, the moment you researched the restaurant, you loved the place.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Harry led you around the counter where customers could watch the chefs in action as they cooked their meals. “This is where you could get all the supplies needed—napkins, extra plates, utensils, place mats, everything should be here. If not, then it’ll usually be in the kitchen, right over here.” He walked over to the kitchen where there were more supplies under the table, and pointed below the table. “Here’s more if the ones behind the counter run out, and if they do run out and you just so happen to be there, please make sure to refill it.” You nodded understandingly.

Harry walked you through the steps of how the system of the restaurants worked as he imputed a demo order into the system on the touchable screen. There were five order screens, one in each corner of the restaurant, one behind the counter, and one in the kitchen; there shouldn’t be any collision or anyone waiting for one of the severs to finish with the screen because there were only about four to five servers working every shift considering it was a small restaurant. Harry then walked you along on where to pick up the order as every dish had its receipt with the order printed on the paper along with the table number. He told you that the table numbers are in order of how the tables are set up—number one starts with the countertops since it’s closest to the entrance, following along the walls, and the tables in the middle were numbered last.

You liked how easy their routine and system was that you were sure you’d have it down by the end of the week. Harry made sure to introduce you to the staff that you two passed by as he led you throughout the restaurant; he made you feel comfortable right from the bat, making sure to make a few jokes here and there that certainly released some tension in your shoulders from nerves. You were grateful that he made you laugh--you were worried that you wouldn’t like your coworkers or they would be mean and snarky because you’re the newbie, but with Harry, it seemed like you two were getting along quite well; he was polite, helpful, and kind.

“So, that’s pretty much it.” He looked at the time on his Apple Watch, reading a quarter to six in the evening, 15 minutes until Spring opened for dinner. “Do you have any questions?”

You tried thinking of anything that you could ask, but your mind seemed to have collected all the information Harry had told you and retained it quite well. “No, nothing I can think of at the moment.”

“Great. For now, do you mind checking the placemats and the table decor for me?” You nodded helpfully. “And then if you have any remaining time left, just chill out and take a breather for a second, and then come find me when we open.”

“Okay. Sounds good.” You smiled at him sweetly, making him smile back before he walked away and towards the kitchen.

You headed towards the dining room, making sure the woven placements were symmetrical and even; you also straightened out the utensils that made their way out of line or off the tablemats. You did this for the rest of the ten minutes you had of peace before you made your way through the restaurant to find Harry.

The entire time you were in the dining room, Harry was in the locker room, mindlessly on his phone to waste time. He was lucky that he didn’t have to do anything before the restaurant opened, so he had some spare time to relax for a bit. He tried cooling down to get the pink flush that painted his cheeks off, but that’s what happened when he was around you; immediately, you had already had this effect on him, making him blush and nervous around you, and he didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was the way you brightly smiled at him, practically gleaming; or the way you laughed at his jokes, which even he could admit are a bit corny and bad—a very dad-like joke, but you still laughed.

Whatever it was, he knew that he was fucked.

Dinner time was a rush. Spring was busy and full; the reservation booklet was booked with no space to cater to walk-ins.

You were shadowing Harry as you followed him around like a lost puppy, watching him interact with the customers, occasionally pulling out his charm so he would get a big tip. You couldn’t imagine if you were a customer and Harry was your server because your face would heat up instantly, and it would be difficult to contain a smile on your face. He had such a natural charm to him, making him naturally flirty as he flashed customers his smile and laughing at their horribly made jokes.

For half of the night, you simply followed him around, watched the paths he took when he got the customers’ food and his overall routine of things. With every table he got assigned to, he made sure to introduce you to the party, always glancing over at you once he said your name as you greeted the customers with a bright smile. Harry nearly had to stop every time he glanced over at you as it seemed like your beauty always distracted him.

You helped him with dealing with the plates, beverages, and getting extra necessities such as cheese, hot sauce, or extra utensils and plates for the table.

Once the restaurant died down a bit, you and Harry were able to walk a bit slower, relaxing each time a party leaves. When there was about an hour and a half left of your shift and till the restaurant closes, Harry asked you if you’d like to take orders, saying it’ll be best if he observed how you would talk and serve the customers, and you excitedly said ‘yes.’ Harry was only assigned to five to six tables during his shift, and since it was near closing time, there were only two that had just arrived.

Harry politely introduced himself, telling the parties that you were new and shadowing him, but you were going to take over for the rest of their stay at Spring. He watched you kindly talk to them, occasionally making small talk as you laughed with them; you talked about your favorite items on the menu, along with your favorite selection of wine. This time, Harry helped you with your tasks that you had done before you two switched off, and he immediately admitted to himself that the two of you made such a great team. It was only your first day here, and he already saw how naturally the both of you moved around one another, along with communicating so well with each other.

You were bidding the last party in the restaurant goodbye with a wave and telling them to enjoy the rest of their evening before you grabbed the mason jar that held the bill, along with the tips. You walked over to the kitchen where Irene was counting all the money and placed the mason jar besides her, giving her a smile before walking over to the locker room.

Harry was sitting on the bench with his phone in his hands, and looked up once you entered the room.

“How was your first day?” He smiled.

“It was actually really great. The energy here is amazing.”

“Well, I’m glad. You’re a natural, and it helps both of us that you already have restaurant experience.” Harry completely put his phone away into his tote bag, giving you his attention, which you really admired. Some people would make small talk and quickly end the conversation to go back on their phones. “Where did you work before, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I actually moved here from NorCal—San Francisco—just two weeks ago. But I worked at one of the restaurants at Pier 49. The restaurant was pretty small and we weren’t as busy as it was here, only on the weekends we would get a bit busy. So, this is definitely completely different than being outside and smelling the fresh ocean a few feet away,” you explained, chuckling.

“Wow, SF, that’s quite the trip. But we’re glad to have you. I think you’re fitting right in.”

“Thank you. I already like it here.” Harry gave you a warm smile, grateful that you had a great first day, and that Spring gave you a good first impression for you to stay.

The two of you chatted a bit, talking about the customers you had and laughing at the jokes they made or the conversations they talked about. It was kind-hearted and fun, and a conversation that made you feel light; it wasn’t anything serious. It ended when it was time for closing, cleaning up and making sure everything was in order for tomorrow afternoon’s shift.

Irene handed the staff their tips for the night, which you amounted for $120 for a Sunday night. It wasn’t bad for your first night of tips, and you knew you would be working a lot more since this was your only job and you weren’t doing anything else.

As everyone walked outside into the staff parking lot, everyone said their goodbyes to one another, spreading apart and walking out to their vehicles.

Once you opened your car door, Harry called out for you from the opposite side of where you parked.

“Yeah?” You raised your brows.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He offered a smile before getting into his car and starting it, but he waited until you were safely inside of your car and out of the parking garage, and then he would leave.

He couldn’t help but notice the smile that appeared onto your face before you got inside your car, and he couldn’t help but think about how incredibly beautiful you are.

The entire week went on just like your first day. You were getting more comfortable with the flow of the restaurant, and where everything was. You continued shadowing Harry, but some days, he would let you serve your customers for the entire shift.

Now that it was Friday evening, you couldn’t wait to relax the next day. You had told Irene that you were available all days of the week, and since you were new and still needed to complete training, she scheduled you for Sunday to Friday, getting Saturday off, which you appreciated. When you told yourself that you were able to work all day, you didn’t realize how exhausting and tiring that was until it came down to the end of the week as your feet ached, telling you to sit down for at least an entire day.

Once it was closing time, you were finally able to catch a breath as you cleaned up part of the dining room. Chatter and laughter was heard from the kitchen quite loud as it echoed against the walls; you smiled, enjoying the sound of laughter, especially when it came from people you knew.

As you were mindlessly wiping down tables, Harry walked up to you with two cocktails in his hands, smiling as he handed you one. You raised your brows, hesitant to take it from him as you wondered if it was allowed to drink since you were technically still on the clock.

“Irene made them for us, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he said as if he read your mind. You breathed out a chuckle, taking a glass before thanking him and clinking your glass with his before taking a sip of the cold tequila drink. You sighed in relief, and Harry giggled. “Do you have any plans for tonight? I know it’s almost midnight, but I mean…you could still.” He felt his ears heat up, feeling a tad bit nervous when he was around you.

“No, I don’t. I don’t really have any friends in SoCal, but I can't wait to go home and sleep.”

“O-Oh okay, I was just gonna ask if you’d like to stay for a bit longer.”

“Here? For what?” You asked curiously.

“Well, the lot of us get together after night shifts to do a mini celebration at the end of the long and busy week. We only do it Fridays since that’s when most of us are working all together,” he said referring to the bunch laughing and talking in the kitchen. You did notice now that you had been working with the same group of people, and partially that was because you only mostly worked night shifts and so did the rest. “We usually stay for an hour—drink, eat, talk. It made us closer, actually, so I’d thought you might like to join since you’re new,” he invited.

You didn’t take long to think of an answer—to weigh out your choices of wanting to go to bed at a somewhat reasonable time or stay an extra hour and hang out with your coworkers.

“I’d actually really love that, thank you,” you accepted his invitation with a sweet smile, making Harry’s heart pound just a tad bit harder against his chest.

“Great! Well, come on into the kitchen when you’re done. The chefs are cooking up some food,” he said before he walked away, leaving you to finish up your tasks for the night, which didn’t take you any more than ten minutes to finish up.

You walked into the kitchen and Harry immediately handed you a plate that you gladly took. Jet excitedly waved to you to go over to the stove so he could serve you.

“Allergic to anything?” He asked to make sure you weren’t going into the emergency room tonight.

“Uh, shellfish when it’s consumed. I’m okay to be around it, though.”

“Oh shit, this would not be good for you.” His eyes widened as he immediately dropped the large silver serving spoon of the lobster risotto; it looked absolutely delicious. “Good thing I’m prepared. Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?”

“Love.”

“Great!” He started plating your plate with the food before handing it back to you with an ‘enjoy!’ as you thanked him.

Once everyone was satisfied, you all headed out to the dining table, settling on a large rectangle table comfortably. There were about twelve of you, and it seemed like everyone had assigned seats since they immediately went straight to their spot and placed their table or drink in front of it.

You were a bit lost, not knowing where to sit, and the only person you’re reasonably close to was Harry, but it seemed like he was a bit preoccupied chatting with Quinn, another chef.

“Y/N! Sit next to me, yeah?” Ivy, one of the waitresses called out for you. You smiled, thankful she was the one to ask you, and you gladly took a seat next to her.

Harry took the seat in front of Ivy, diagonal from you, and he really wished he was the one sitting next to you.

“Damn, I really should get a large circle table for all of us so we could see each other’s faces,” Irene suggested, and the group agreed, but everyone wondered where it would be placed since the restaurant had no space for another large table.

Everyone broke out into their own conversations, chatting with one another freely and as loud as they wanted.

“How was your first week here, Y/N?” Ivy asked.

“It was great! I really love this place.” Harry looked at you as you talked with Ivy. He really could get lost just looking at your beauty, and sometimes, he would have to knock himself out of his glare to prevent him from getting caught. He was just so captivated by you, and it didn’t take a lot of effort for him to be so drawn to you.

Ivy had definitely noticed Harry’s stare from the corner of her eye, and admittingly, she got jealous because she’s had a small crush on Harry ever since she started working at Spring four months ago. But it wasn’t like she was going to do anything about it because it seemed like he didn’t take interest in her, so she wasn’t going to force it. However, it didn’t slip past her that you occasionally glanced over at Harry as well—briefly averting your eyes towards him once he took a sip of his water or someone had pulled him out of his attention on you to make conversation.

Gently pulling you by the arm, Ivy leaned over to whisper into your ear. “Harry’s totally crushing on you.”

You pulled back, shocked. “What?” You mouthed.

“He can’t stop looking at you—it’s so obvious.” You simply chuckled, shaking your head slightly as your cheeks felt warm, not from the alcohol or how close everyone was sitting, but because you couldn’t even believe that Harry would have a crush on you. Sure, you two had spent the entirety of your shifts together, but you didn’t think that he would have a crush on you.

You tried not to think of Ivy’s words for the rest of the night, and you tried even harder to not look at Harry to catch it he was staring at you. Your thoughts seemed to make you more drunk when you were trying to sober up to drive back home. You only had three cocktails, which was quite mindless of you to be drinking when you had to drive home, but you simply wanted to have fun because you deserved it, and you were comfortable and making friends. And everyone seemed to be drinking as well as they were getting a ride from the more responsible ones who were driving and leaving their car in the parking garage during the night.

Once everyone was all out of their social battery with their plates and glasses empty, you all started to clean up, helping one another to make the process of going home quicke; there were two people washing the dishes and two people drying as the rest put those dishes away and cleaned the table.

Just like every single night, everyone said their goodbyes in the parking lot before going to their cars to head home for a good night's rest.

You were sober, but you didn’t feel safe enough to drive, and you don’t know if that’s the alcohol or the thoughts of Harry making you dizzy. So, instead of walking to your car, you took out your phone and opened the Uber app, knowing you’d be able to get a ride home quickly since it was past midnight on a Friday night.

“Hey, whatcha doing?” Harry asked, walking up to you once he noticed that you weren’t going to your car. He made it a habit to watch you get inside your car and leave the parking garage safely because anything could happen in the few minutes if he left before you.

“I’m calling an Uber. I don’t wanna drive back…” you replied before looking down at your phone again.

“Oh, I could drive you home, if you’d like?” He offered politely.

“Really? You don’t have to do that.”

“I insist. I would feel better knowing that I was the one that got you home safely.” The corners of your lips couldn’t help but turn up into a smile as your heart fluttered against your ribcage.

“That’s really sweet, Harry, I’d like that,” you accepted. Harry grinned, leading you to his car as you followed; he walked over to the passenger seat, opening the door for you, which easily almost made your knees buckle in. How is he such a gentleman and so incredibly kind? You wondered, thinking about how rare it was to meet a man without anything leading to more than a conversation.

You thanked him before getting into his car; his car was very clean and he had a Saturn air freshener that hung on his rearview mirror, admitting a fresh lemon scent throughout his vehicle. Harry got in, handing you his phone to play some music and to enter your address before starting the car and driving out of the parking garage. You played Daniel Caesar, which you thought was the perfect kind of music for a night drive since your place was fifteen minutes away from the restaurant. The two of you sang along to ‘Hold Me Down’ as he watched you from the corner of his eye, adorably swaying in your seat to the song as you muttered the lyrics.

The sunroof cover was open, giving you an orange glow every time the car passed by a lamppost. Unconsciously, you both looked at one another every time the car stopped at a red light, both smiling at one another. You were thankful that it was dark out as it hid your big smile from how much you were giddy just looking at Harry.

Once the navigation told him that your place was on the right, he parked against the curb in front of your apartment complex. You unbuckled your seatbelt before turning towards him in your seat as he turned towards you as well.

“Thank you for the ride, Harry. It was really kind of you to offer.”

“Not a problem. Don’t be hesitant to ask again. I rarely drink when we have our after-hours dinners, so you’re free to drink all you want and I’ll be glad to take you home,” he told you, and you smiled, nodding your head.

“I’ll keep that in mind. It’s just been a while since I drank and hung out with friends,” you explained.

“No worries. I’m glad you had fun, I assumed?”

“Yeah, lots of fun! I really like it there, and you made it bearable and fun as well as my trainer,” you admitted. Harry felt his cheeks slightly redden, and just as you were thinking, he was grateful it was dark out.

He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad. You’ll be on your own now. No need for me anymore since you’ve pretty much gotten everything done so quickly,” he chuckled, a dimple indenting his left cheek, making you hold in your breath.

“Can I still ask you for help if I need you?” You asked innocently, leaning your elbow against the middle console as you rested your chin against your fist. Harry pursed in his lips as his mind focused on the last three words that slipped out of your mouth--I need you. It was merely an innocent question relating to work that he shouldn’t think too much about, but he couldn’t help it.

“Of course. I’m always gonna be here if you need me,” he responded, keeping it friendly. At that, you smiled, nodding your head in acceptance. You gathered your belongings that rested at your feet before turning to face him again. Leaning forward, Harry thought you were leaning in to kiss him, which he wouldn’t mind whatsoever, but that dream was crushed when you wrapped your arm around his shoulder, giving him a hug. He hugged you back, placing his hand against your back and slightly rubbing his hand up and down, hoping you couldn’t feel his heart hammering against his chest at the feel of your upper body slightly pressed against him.

You pulled away, giving him a shy smile. “I’ll see you on Sunday. Drive safe, okay?”

“Always do. Sleep well.” He bid you goodbye as you got out of his car, walking over to the entrance of your apartment complex. You turned around before you opened the door, waving at him before heading inside.

Harry drove off to his place, the opposite direction of your apartment, passing Spring. He could’ve honestly been home already in the comfort of his bed, but he didn’t mind taking you home at all. That only meant he got to spend a bit of more time together, but he noticed that with every passing second, minute, and hour, he felt himself falling for you just a bit more.

You’ve been at Spring for almost a month, and you couldn’t believe how fast the days went by. The more you worked, the more you started to feel a place at home with the restaurant. It was welcoming and fun, and all the credit was due to the people that you surrounded yourself with. You felt a difference in your attitude, your mood, and you liked the change that it brought you--you felt happy.

Being in San Francisco your entire life was great up until it wasn’t. It was a toxic place for you simply because of the people that you were surrounded with. You noticed that you were always on fight-or-flight mode, ready for someone to make one comment at you so you could snap at them. You hated being and thinking like that, so the best thing you did for yourself was to move away from the toxicity of your hometown, and you were glad that you did.

It was another usual Friday evening, after hours at Spring as you sat in your usual seat next to Ivy as the two of you and Harry were laughing about a story Ivy was telling about her ex-boyfriend in college.

Harry looked over at you, heart swooning as he watched you laugh, wiping your under eyes from the tears that had slipped out. It was a beautiful sight, he’d say; you had such a beautiful smile and contagious laugh that he loved hearing, whether it’d be from the kitchen as he was in the dining room or in the locker room—wherever it was, he always smiled to himself when he heard it.

The two of you had gotten quite close, making the work environment bearable and fun. When you would be in the same area at the same time, you had this thing where you would bump his hip with yours lightly, and he would bump yours right back—of course, when there weren’t any food or drink handling. There would always be light conversations within those hip bumps, comfortably getting to know one another, whether it would be asking quick-fire questions or a random story about one another’s lives that would come to mind. It wasn’t an ordinary setting or time to get to know each other, but it made things fun because the two of you would come up with more questions to come up with the next time he bumped into you. It was nice having a thing with you, he thought.

There would be moments during those little meetings when your fingers would brush delicately against his, sending shivers to his body. It was simply overwhelming in the best way possible.

Everyone called it a night, doing the nightly routine of tidying and cleaning everything up. Despite the long shift and being on your feet, you still had quite a bit of energy that you would like to use up so you could get a night’s rest. You looked at your friends, seeing if anyone was up for a late night adventure just based off of their posture and how often they yawned, and it seemed like everyone was exhausted, for obvious reasons. But you’d ask one person before you decide to go alone.

Once everything was clean and ready for the Saturday’s brunch, everyone walked out of the restaurant, walking over to their cars.

“Hey, Harry?” You called out, making him instantly turn around at the sound of your voice.

“Yeah, love?” The pet name had merely slipped out, and you felt your face getting warm, shyly smiling.

“Uh, you could totally say no and I would completely understand why because it’s Friday night, and we had a long shift, and you must be tired-”

“Y/N?” You stopped talking, raising your brows. “Breath, yeah? Take your time,” he interrupted the rambling that you hadn’t known you were doing.

Nodding, you took a deep breath. You didn’t know why you were nervous, but every time you were around Harry, he just made you feel a certain swarm of butterflies entering your stomach.

“I’m not as tired as I thought, and I wanna end tonight with some sweets. So, would you like to come with me to get some dessert? Again, you could say no.”

Harry smiled. “I’d love to,” he replied with no second thought.

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course. Plus, we could finally talk properly. Hate always walking away from our unfinished conversations.” He breathed out a chuckle, running his clad ring hand through his curls.

“Great! Oh, uh, do you mind if we take your car? I took an Uber here, but I’ll compensate with buying you cookies and paying for your gas,” you suggested, keeping your excitement at bay.

“No worries, c’mon. But I might take you up on the cookie offer.” He smiled, opening your door for you, which never failed to make you swoon.

As he started the car, warming up the engine and turning the heater on, you two debated on where to go. You suggested going to Insomnia Cookies in Santa Monica, which was a twenty minute drive from Downtown LA, and it closed at two In the morning, but only if he was down to drive the opposite direction of where you two lived. And luckily, he didn’t mind the drive because he was always down for a late night drive and adventure, especially if it was with you.

The car speakers played Frank Ocean, he merged on the 101, tapping his fingers along with the beat against the steering wheel. You subtly studied him as he drove, just as you did when you would glance at him across the restaurant. He always mindlessly curled his pink lips into his mouth, a habit that he, assumingly, had for years. You noticed how he would always play with his rings; his thumb would reach over to his other fingers to play with the heavy, metal rings; not helping that your mind would instantly go to what else his hands could do, especially to you, to your body, but you had to immediately snap yourself out of your thoughts to prevent them from going any further. Not to mention, the way his eyes always lit up; they had a natural gleam to them, making them incredibly irresistible to not look in his green eyes.

He was captivating in all the right ways, and you felt yourself falling for him quite quickly, making that fear inside of you light up, inflaming your body with anxiousness.

Your thoughts soon vanished when Harry pulled into a parking space in front of your destination, and he turned off the car. He turned to look at you, giving you a small smile before getting out. You decided to buy Harry anything he’d like, which he got the same six pack of cookies as you.

Harry suggested eating in his car, which you agreed. Although the cold in SoCal wasn’t the same coldness as it was in NorCal, you didn’t want to stand around and freeze. The two of you make light conversation, talking about social media and enjoying the warmth of the fresh baked cookies. You then realized that you hadn’t followed him on Instagram, so you asked for his username, which was just his first and last name.

“Your pictures are amazing,” you complimented.

“Stalking me already?” He teased. A smirk on his face present, making you roll your eyes as you didn’t know if you wanted to slap or kiss the smirk off—always wanting to go for the latter. “But thank you. I, uh, I actually took those myself.” Your eyes brightened. The photographs posted on his Instagram were mostly portraits of beautiful people, some of them were landscapes of a field or the mountains, but most of them were portraits. You knew very little about photography, thanks to the ‘Beginning of Photography 1’ class that you took in college, but you could see the depth of the picture and the way they’re taken; the emotion was clearly there, making you feel intensity through the picture.

“Wow, you’re really talented, Harry.”

He blushed, looking down at his lap for a moment before looking back up at you again. “Thank you so much. I’m a freelance photographer.”

“Do you plan on leaving Spring to focus solely on photography?” You asked curiously. He softly smiled; he could hear the genuine tone in your voice, and he really appreciated that.

“I’m not sure. I’ll have an appointment, maybe, three or four times a month? But the restaurant brings in more money, especially the tips,” he explained.

You nodded. “Well, for what it’s worth, you’re extremely talented, and one day, you’ll be at the place you want to be. Everything will work out.” Harry smiled in appreciation of your words, not saying anything else.

Taking another bite of his cookie, he changed the subject. “So, do you miss any of your friends in SF?”

You raised your brows, not expecting that question, but you answered honestly. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t. A month before moving here,” you began to open up vulnerably; you hadn’t spoken to anyone about this. “I got out of a long relationship—quite toxic, honestly,” you said, looking at him. He had this look on his face that was so comforting, not a word coming out of his mouth, asking for details; it didn’t tell you that he was nosy or pressing you to tell him more. It simply told you that he was there to listen, whenever you were ready to tell him, and you really appreciated that.

You hadn’t realized how hard it was talking about your past relationship because it had been all bottled up until now. A deep breath came out of your mouth, and Harry immediately realized that it must’ve been a hard subject to speak about. Unexpected to you, he reached over to grab your hand, holding it gently as his thumb caressed your skin. He hoped he masked his nervousness well, making the smallest physical touch with you when, really, his pulse was hammering against his veins, heart pounding through his chest as his breathing began to feel erratic, but outside he remained cool, calm, and collected as if the touch didn’t drive him insane.

You tried not letting Harry’s thumb, caressing the back of your hand, affect your ability to speak a coherent sentence, so you continued. “Uh, my ex was cheating on me with someone in our friend group. He told me not to worry about her, but you know how that goes when you hear that phrase. It was with a girl that I used to date—my first relationship, actually. The worst part of it was when I found out, I took him back when he promised he wouldn’t do it again and claimed that he loved me, and then I took him back again, and again and again.”

Harry inhaled deeply, trying to not let the hand holding yours squeeze tightly so the blood circulation cuts off because he felt angry. He was so mad because how could anyone do that to you? Sweet, kind, and lovely you?

“When I told him I couldn’t handle it anymore—all the lies, cheating, and betrayal—I broke up with him. Our friend group turned against me, completely ignored me. Now that I think about it, I noticed they started to be cold and rude towards me once they started sneaking around, and I have no clue why because I didn’t do anything to them. Guess they were just covering up for them because everyone knew except me, and I just felt so stupid because I was so clueless to think he ever loved me to forgive him so many times.”

You started to sniffle as the bad memories that you lived through for the few months of the betrayal started to come up again. You were doing a good job not thinking about it when you started working at the restaurant, and you didn’t plan on telling Harry tonight, but you trusted him to let go of all the agony that you bottled up inside your mind.

“Hey, come here,” he said, opening his arms up. You gladly rested your head against his shoulders, wishing the middle console wasn’t there so you could press your body against his. He hands rubbed your back just as it did when you first hugged him, and to say that you hadn’t been craving for his touch was a complete lie. “You’re not stupid whatsoever. I understand why you did what you did, but that doesn’t make you stupid. It makes them stupid for betraying your trust and forgiveness over and over again. You’re not in the wrong here nor was it your fault, love.”

You nodded against his shoulder, and you felt him place the side of his face against the top of your head, cuddling up to you, which immediately put a smile on your face. Harry’s comfort had immediately made you feel better—it made you feel safe. You hadn’t felt so comfortable in someone else’s arms in a very long time, and considering that you’ve only known him for a month, you’d say it’s quite unbelievable how comfortable you are in his hold, especially opening up to him like you did.

Pulling back from his hold, you looked up at him, giving him a smile. The weight on your shoulders suddenly felt lighter once you opened the bottle and poured out the contents in it. Talking to Harry was refreshing, a fresh breath of air, and you inhaled the crisp oxygen gratefully, knowing that being vulnerable and opening up had changed your friendship.

It was Sunday evening, and you were cleaning up to prepare for closing. It had been a long day, even though you only worked for four hours; it just seemed that you were running around more than usual.

But you were glad that the day was over, and you could take a long nice shower to end your night. Throughout cleaning, your coworkers had said goodbye, leaving through the back door, which you found odd because everyone usually heads out at the same time, but you didn’t think too much of it.

Once you were done in the dining room, you looked around, finding the restaurant completely empty, but everything seemed to be in order, so you headed over to the locker room.

When you rounded around the counter top and into the kitchen, Harry jumped up from his crouched position, startling you as you took a step back, gasping with your hand over your heart.

“Holy shit, you scared me,” you said breathlessly.

Harry chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, I thought you still knew I was here.”

“I thought I was completely alone, and hiding behind the counter doesn’t help.” You and Harry laughed. You hadn’t noticed the two plates of food and wine glasses that were filled with sparkling soda sitting next to him on the stainless steel counter, and you wondered for a moment if that was for you and him. “What’s that for?”

“For us, if you’d like. I made it quickly once everything was slow and we were starting to close,” he said shyly, rubbing his tattooed forearm.

Your brows raised, eyes widening slightly. “You made this? For us?”

“Yeah. Today marks one month being here, so I decided to make dinner to celebrate.” You were quite speechless at the thought; it was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful that Harry went through that trouble of making a meal to celebrate a somewhat significant date. Tears started to well up in your eyes, making the man in front of you blurry. “Oh, wait, no. Please don’t cry. You could definitely take this to-go, if you want! I know you’re probably tired, but-”

Harry was cut off by your arms wrapping around his shoulders. He was taken back at first from the impact of your body crashing against his, but once he regained his balance, he immediately wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you tightly.

Your scent was impeccable—quite alluring for running around for a few hours. He knew he smelled like food, the smoke from garlic and onions sautéing, and vegetables cooking. He buried his head into your shoulder, holding you close. This had been the first time you two were ever hugging outside of the comfort and safety of his car—no middle console to interfere, no awkwardness in trying to figure out how to give a proper hug in a confined space. He enjoyed it a lot—the way your body was pressed up against his. It made him happy, it made him feel safe.

The intimate moment lasted for a few minutes, simply just hugging one another in relief in the kitchen, swaying slightly as complete silence surrounded the two of you.

Once you were satisfied (although you think you would never be satisfied enough if you’re not in his arms), you pulled away, coming face-to-face with him. Your cheeks were slightly damped from the few tears that had fallen out, but weirdly, it gave you a natural and happy glow, and you were feeling exactly that.

“Harry, thank you so much. This is the sweetest and most thoughtful thing someone has ever done for me.” You looked up at him through your wet lashes, warmly smiling at him.

“You’re welcome. Shall we eat?” You nodded, and he unwrapped his arms from around your waist, letting you go, which he wished he hadn’t. He grabbed the two heavy plates that were filled with honey garlic chicken with sautéed spinach and mushroom on a bed of rice, and you grabbed the glasses, reaching over to place them onto the countertop before the two of you walked around to sit on the high stools.

The two of you ate in comfortable silence, and you thanked and complimented him for the lovely meal. There was light conversation, asking questions about each other’s childhood. Listening to Harry talk about his life in England was so fascinating to you, and you wished that you had grown up with him because he seemed like such a fun and kind kid to play with. You learned that his sister and mom were back home in London, and they visited every six months, and he would occasionally go back home as well, if the bills weren’t stacking up and he was good with money. His words and mind seemed to get the best of him, slipping out about how much they would love you and that he’ll invite you to lunch whenever they visit to meet them; and he hoped he didn’t freak you out. You simply blushed, nodding your head, and not saying anything else.

The more you talked to him, the more you found yourself staring at him as you listened to what he had to say. You’d come to terms a few weeks ago that you really liked his eyes—how green they were, and how they stare into you, giving you his full attention. You liked his hands, his hair, his nose, his cheeks, and most of all, you liked his lips. You couldn’t blame alcohol for these thoughts because Harry replaced wine with sparkling soda, so these were completely sober thoughts racing your mind. His lips were something you glanced at often, trying not to glare at them too much as he talked as you didn’t want to get caught for admiring them. They were so pink, and he occasionally bit them and curled them into his mouth, making them pinker. You liked when he would take his fingers and pinch his bottom lip, a habit that he seemed to form throughout his life. You suddenly wanted to kiss him—really, really bad.

You shook off the thought immediately, being completely sidetracked with your infatuation with Harry. Was it an infatuation? No, you knew the feelings you felt for him felt much stronger than a simple admiration for your coworker.

Once the talking had died down and the plates were empty, you and Harry decided to clean up. You quickly took both of your plates, beating Harry to the sink to wash the dishes. He chuckled as he watched you fast walk towards the sink; he soon followed with the glasses, placing them carefully into the sink. He decided to dry the dishes, finding the dish rag on your right side. So, he leaned over, placing his left hand on your waist, chest slightly pressed against your back as he grabbed the rag. You turned your head to the right, dropping your shoulder to turn more of your body towards him. He was close and it made you feel flushed; you felt your cheeks heating up once he looked down at you, faces inches away from each other.

You turned back around, quickly placing the last dish on the counter before you turned off the water. Harry was still close in proximity, not making any effort to move away from you. Turning around, your back was now pressed up against the edge of the sink. Harry rested his hands against the edge, trapping you with his arms. Your breath began to deepen, heart beating quite harshly against your chest as Harry looked into your eyes, briefly glancing at your lips, and slowly trailing them back up into your eyes. He brought one hand to graze the side of your face gently, skin prickling with goosebumps.

“You’re so beautiful,” he complimented honestly.

“Thank you, you are too.”

“I mean it. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Listen, I-I really like you, and we haven’t known each other for long but I just…can’t get enough of you,” You smiled, averting your eyes to his lips before looking back up; your cheeks and neck felt incredibly warm from his confession. Bodily, you placed your hands on his waist, pulling him towards you to close the gap between you two; Harry smirked at your action, liking the way your bodies were pressed up against each other.

“Are you gonna do anything about it?” You raised your brows curiously.

“What would you like me to do?” His hands were rubbing up and down your back soothingly.

“Hmm…a few things actually,” you muttered—more to yourself but Harry definitely heard from how close you two physically were. Your fingertips were mindlessly drawing circles on his lower back where his slightly wrinkled white shirt was tucked into his black jeans.

“Care to share?”

You took a deep breath, looking him in the eyes that captivated you quite clearly. “Want you to kiss me.”

The corner of his lip turned up as he curled his lips into his mouth. “Can I please? Been wanting to for so long.”

“Tell me.” Harry raised his brows. “Tell me how long you’ve been wanting to kiss me.”

He curled his lips into his mouth, looking down at your soft lips before back up at your eyes. “Ever since I saw you for the first time. So, please let me kiss you. Do you want me to?”

Harry quite literally took your breath away, breath stuck in your throat before you cleared it. Nodding your head quite eagerly, you softly said, “Yeah, want you to.”

With that, he trailed his hands from your waist, up your spine, to your shoulders, and up to your face where he placed his hands on both sides, gently holding your face delicately as if it were a piece of art that was crafted for months, years; he didn’t want to drop or break the precious masterpiece that he cradled with his hands.

His thumb caressed your soft cheek, giving your lips one last look before he leaned in and connected your lips with his. You sighed deeply once you felt his soft lips touch yours, and your shoulder visibly relaxed, letting go of everyone that may have held you back.

You wrapped your arms tightly around his neck, pulling him in closer. A spark ran through your body as your lips molded together so perfectly in sync, making the firework inside of you pop into a beautiful and magical scene.

Whimpering against his mouth, you suddenly wanted more of him; he was, in all ways, addicting. You unconsciously lifted your right leg, bringing it up to his hip, making Harry press himself against your core, holding your thigh. He started to feel himself harden inside of his pants from the way you’re kissing him, the way your hands gripped his hair, and the way your tongue effortlessly swiveled against his.

You pulled away from his lips quite breathlessly, lips swollen. “Want you.”

“Me too—want you so bad.” He leaned forward to kiss you again, and once he did, you pulled away, only leaving him with a small kiss to his lips. Harry pouted, making you chuckle.

“That was the best kiss I’ve ever had,” you confessed.

Harry smirked. “Well, I’ll be glad to do it again.”

“Wanna get out of here? C-Can we go to yours?” You asked shyly.

“Yeah?” You nodded. “You sure?”

“Absolutely positive.”

Harry gave you a smile and another kiss before he backed away, grabbing your hand to lead you to the locker room where the two of you grabbed your belongings from your lockers. Quickly after, you two were out the door of Spring; Harry locked up, and walked you two over to his car where he, yet again, opened the passenger door for you.

The entire ten minute drive to his apartment, his hand never left yours. It delicately sat on your thigh with your hand on top of his, palm against the back of his hand as your fingers intertwined with his. Harry found it difficult to drive properly because all he ever wanted to do was either kiss you or look at you, and since it was just a bit after midnight, he hit all the green lights, so there was continuous driving and less kissing and looking. But that just made it quicker for him to get to his place.

His apartment was on the second floor, which didn’t take long to get to, but catching up to Harry’s long strides as he practically dragged you up the stairs—no patience to wait for the elevator—was tiring you out.

Once his front door closed, he immediately pushed you up against it, cradling your face in his hands as he kissed you feverishly. You practically could feel him smiling into the kiss, happy to have his lips on yours, and it completely tied your stomach into knots as the familiar flutter you felt in your chest made itself present.

You’d come to realize, in the kitchen, that kissing Harry was everything you ever imagined. His soft lips molding and connecting with yours so perfectly made all of your dreams and realities come true. He just had a way with how he worked his lips as well as where to put his hands. But you were eager to find out what else he could do.

Harry was the one to pull away first, which he even surprised himself with, but he led you to his bedroom, which you were too excited about. He closed his bedroom door, taking your lips in with his again, backing you up against his bed as he gently placed you on top of it, hovering over you.

His lips trailed to your cheek, your jaw, and down to your neck where he lightly nibbled and sucked on your soft skin. You felt him lick your skin, soothing out the small love bite that he left on your skin before he pulled his head from your neck.

“You sure you want to do this? I’d be happy just kissing you.”

You smiled. “I’m sure, wanna touch you. You’re sure too?” You asked consent from him as well, making his cock twitch in his pants.

“Very sure, love. You have no idea.” He sat on his knees as you laid below him, and he’s sure he’s never seen someone look so beautiful as you do; he was completely enthralled by your beauty. “Can I take this off?” He referred to your shirt, playing with the buttons on the front. You nodded, biting your lip.

He leaned his weight on one side of you, placing one arm behind your head as you rested against it. He took your mouth in with his as his other hand began unbuttoning your white shirt, impressively with one hand. Once he got to the bottom, he sat up again, as did you to take off your shirt and your sports bra. You didn’t wear anything sexy to work because you wanted to be comfortable while waiting tables.

Harry looked at your bare torso, licking his lips before he wrapped his lips around your nipple, sucking and licking the pebbled bud before switching to the other. His lips then placed small kisses down your body and to the hem of your pants, where he looked up to see you flushed from just his kisses.

“Harry…” you whined.

“What is it, beautiful?” He smirked.

“Please, take it off.”

“I’m getting there, love, don’t worry.” A breathy chuckle came out of his mouth before he unbuttoned your trousers. Your hips raised off the bed, and he swiftly took them off, leaving you in your nude seamless underwear. “Fuck, you’re so stunning, Y/N, I swear.” You looked at him and smiled; you were clearly at loss for words because of how Harry was looking at you. He wasn’t looking at you with complete admiration, like he was so lost in his daze of his sight. And that thought made you even more aroused.

He gave you another kiss to your stomach before taking off your underwear, situating himself in between your legs, lying on his stomach. Harry looked up once more to find you staring at him, eager to watch what he’s about to do; he placed a kiss to your inner thighs, gently nibbling on your flesh, making you squirm.

“Harry, please. Need to feel you,” you pleaded, brows crinkling.

“Tell me what you need,” he teased, earning an impatient scoff from you, but Harry chuckled at your frustration.

“Need your mouth on me. Please, want you to eat me out already.”

Now, who was he to deny that request? So, that’s what he did—he slowly licked your clit multiple times before licking into your hole, collecting your arousal on his tongue. He used your wetness to lubricate your clit, completely assaulting your sensitive bud. Your back arched as the sensations ran through your body, hands gripping the sheets below you tightly that they practically wrinkled. Harry moaned against your clit, making you buck your hips into his face.

“Fuck, Harry…” you dragged out, throwing your head back into the pillows.

For a few minutes, Harry continued devouring your taste, not stopping until you came all over his mouth and you were completely shocked by his will to not stop until you’ve had your orgasm from his tongue.

He replaced his tongue with his fingers, slowly entering your wet hole as he fingered you. You moaned louder; the tips of his fingers curling up to meet the softness of your upper walls. His unoccupied thumb rubbed your clit in slow circles, something that he noticed you really liked based on your hips thrusting upwards and your hand gripping his hair harder that it felt like you were going to rip out his locks.

“So pretty, love. So wet for me.” The simplicity of his words had made you feel the familiar bubble in your lower stomach, and you wanted to release it so bad.

“Harry, I’m gonna…cum,” you groaned out, biting your lips.

He continued his pace on your clit, but added a tad bit more pressure, causing you to jolt a little. His fingers that were inside of you repeatedly brushed your g-spot, making you close your legs, but Harry pried them open, encouraging you to release.

“C’mon, baby. Want you—need you to cum for me. Can you do that? Can you give me what I want?”

“Mhm,” you nodded, mouth ajar as your voice was hitched in your throat. A few more thrust and rubs from his fingers, and you hit your high, releasing around his long fingers as he slowed his movements, riding out your orgasm while praising you for your peak.

“That’s it. There you go.” One of his hands rubbed your stomach, calming you down while the other hand gently played and cupped your pussy as you unconsciously and slightly thrusted your hips into his hand.

Once you had relaxed, you opened your eyes; Harry was kissing up your body before he kissed your lips so sweetly.

“Hmm, you’re so good at that.” He smiled, kissing your neck as he started to rut his hips on your thigh. You felt his hard on through his pants, and you knew that wasn’t comfortable whatsoever.

“Can I touch you?” You asked. He pulled his head from your neck, facing you as he was about to say it was completely fine if you didn’t, but you spoke up first. “That can’t be comfortable, and I wanna touch you—if you’d let me.” You were looking at him with innocent eyes, even though he knew what you were about to do was going against anything innocent. Plus, the way you were looking at him only made him more aroused.

“Course, let me just get out of these.” He got off the bed, but stayed closed; he was about to unbutton his shirt, but you stopped him quickly, replacing his hands with yours. Harry dropped his arms to his side once your lips were attached to his neck, giving him a small hickey on the underside of his jaw. The feel of just your lips on his skin made him bite his lips as a chill ran through him. You sat on your knees and started unbuttoning his white shirt, and with every button you undid, you gave him a kiss to every bit of his skin that was left exposed until you reached the hem of his pants.

You looked up at him on all fours, and he watched you press another kiss to his tattooed torso. “Mind if I take these off?” You toyed with the hem of his pants.

“No, please, don’t mind at all.” You smiled, looking back at his bulge, which outlined through the fabric of his pants. You palmed him, making him hiss through his teeth. He hadn’t felt another person’s touch in so long, so your lips and touch felt overwhelming in the best way.

You unbuttoned his pants, which he was fast to get out of, leaving him in his black briefs. You positioned yourself to lay flat on your stomach, thankful that Harry’s bed was the perfect height to where you don’t have to strain your neck to suck on him. Kissing down his happy trail, you left a prominent love bite in between his tattooed leaves that were so perfectly inked on his lower abdomen. You then kissed his hard length through his briefs, making Harry breathe heavily. He’s never felt so teased in his life, but you were making it all worth it because nobody had ever made him feel so aroused.

Finally, your fingers gripped the hem of his briefs and tugged them down so his cock could departure from the strained material. He was big, and you knew that from when he was driving to his place earlier as his cock was pushing against his pants, making you excited and eager. But seeing it right in front of you made you salivate.

“Holy shit, you’re so big.” All he did was smirk at your words, knowing that fact quite clearly. You grabbed a hold of him as you held his dick upwards before you licked the underside from base to tip. Harry breathed in through his nose once he felt the smallest bit of contact from your mouth.

Your mouth began to work on his tip, sucking and licking up the precum that had spilled out of his tip before you started to take more and more of him in your mouth. It was Harry’s turn to fill the room with his raspy and deep moan, and the noise he was making was triggering your arousal. Harry had a full view of your mouth on him as well as a great view of your entire backside, not missing the way he noticed how you started to subtly move your hips into the sheets.

As you sucked on him, taking him further into your mouth, Harry dragged his fingers from your shoulders, down your spine, and to your ass that was out in the open with no shame whatsoever. His hands kneaded your flesh before slapping on cheek, which made you moan around him.

“Like that?” He went back to his standing position, leaning back a tad bit to get a good look at you. “Tell me, do you like that?” You looked up at him, making direct eye contact with him as your cheeks hollowed and you sucked hard around him before letting out a ‘mhm.’ Your mouth was working wonders on him while your hand was fondling and playing with his balls, making him throw his head back and accidentally bucking his hips up into your mouth, hitting the back of your throat. “Fuck, sorry, baby.” He moved your hair to check up on you, but all you did was place your hands on his ass and pulled him towards you until your nose touched his pubic bone. Harry let out a throaty moan, and your hands pushed and pulled his lower body until he understood what you were doing.

So, he took control, holding your head steady before he slowly started to thrust into your mouth; the tip of his cock brushed against the back of your throat. There was a string of spit that was dangling from your mouth and connecting to his balls—a sight so filthy but helped him get right on the edge.

“I’m gonna cum. Love your mouth so much. So beautiful for me, so perfect.” Harry’s hips began to jerk sloppily, indicating that he was close. With just a few more thrusts into your perfect mouth, he spilled down your throat as he stopped thrusting, keeping you halfway on him. A series of curses and your name came from his lips as he shut his eyes. You took every drop that he offered, trying to swallow every bit of content as best as you could, but some of it had spilled out of your mouth due to how much he overfilled your mouth with his cum.

Harry seemed to be in the middle of calming down from his intense orgasm, so you took the time to clean up. Pulling back, you wiped your mouth and licked your fingers as well as cleaning his cock with your mouth. What you didn’t notice was that Harry was watching you the entire time; he lowered his head, neck straining from looking up too much, and saw you eagerly cleaning and licking every last drop that had fallen from your pretty lips. The sight was enough to make him hard again if he wasn’t too spent.

He collapsed on his bed next to you, his head was next to your ass, to which he pressed a small kiss to your hip in gratitude. You moved to lay your head on his stomach, looking at him and giving him a small smile.

“Come here. What are you looking at me like that for?” He reached out for you, and you moved again, resting your elbow next to his head before giving him a kiss. The kiss didn’t deepen any further, just molding your lips with one another as he tasted himself on your tongue.

“Nothing. You seemed to have enjoyed yourself.”

“Very much did, thank you. Did you? You could be honest with me.”

You giggled. “Honestly…I had a really great time. You made me feel really good. The best I’ve felt in a really long time,” you told him honestly, and Harry smiled at that.

“Do you want to stay the night? I’m always in a cuddly mood after anything sexual—well, I’m always in a cuddly mood, period.” You laughed, nodding your head before kissing his cheek.

“I’d love to. Can I use your restroom, and do you have a spare toothbrush?”

Harry nodded, getting off the bed before leading you to his bathroom where he gave you a toothbrush and some of his face wash. He left you to do your business and told you that he would have a change of clothes.

Once you were done, you walked out of his bathroom, still naked, and was met with Harry in a pair of gray briefs and a change of his clothes in his hands, handing them to you. He gave you a kiss to your forehead before going off to the bathroom and leaving you to change.

You replayed the evening in your mind over and over again as you changed—you really enjoyed his company and him as a person. Harry was a more than nice guy, who seemed to like you for whatever reason, and you liked him too. Maybe a bit too much, and you felt like you liked him more than you projected—dare, you say that you were falling in love. But you couldn’t let yourself feel that way; you were beating yourself up for it. In all honesty, you were scared, so you had a habit of not portraying the entirety of your feelings out on the table so people could perceive it.

Your mind was racing with so many thoughts in your head, repeating and spitting out every insecurity that your previous ‘friends’ had told you in the past—calling you a slut and how you couldn’t keep anyone around because they both ended up cheating on you. Your head was telling you Harry would do the same, and as hard as you were trying to deny that because Harry was the kindest person you’ve ever met, it was all you could hear. You couldn’t do this, no, you couldn’t feel like this, you thought. You felt like you needed to protect yourself before you were in too deep.

Without even knowing, you were frantically grabbing your clothes and shoes that were all thrown across Harry’s floor. Your heart was racing, mind telling you to ‘leave’ and that ‘nobody is going to love you,’ so that’s what you were doing, leaving.

You made it out of his bedroom, so close to the front door until you realized you had forgotten your purse. Turning around to go back, you were met with Harry leaning against the frame of the hallway entry, holding your purse in his hands.

“Not planning on saying goodbye?” His voice sounded defeated, the complete opposite as to what it was prior. He looked down at his feet, not even able to make eye contact with you when he was always keen on making direct eye contact when talking to someone, but seeing you walk out his bedroom door when you were supposed to be waiting for him in his bed to cuddle was heartbreaking.

“Harry…”

“That’s all it was to you, I’m guessing? You know you could’ve said no to staying the night, I would’ve understood. But to say yes after we’ve been intimate, and getting my hopes up? I-I thought you liked me, that’s all, and I’m stupid for falling for it,” he ended with a scoff. He felt extremely vulnerable; he laid his feelings out on the table, let you see his body, and it seemed like you just picked and chose your cards straight from the deck to only have Harry fold.

“No, that’s not it-”

“Then please tell me what it is before I drive myself into the wall thinking what I’ve done wrong!” He raised his voice—not too loud where it startled you, but enough to where he simply let out his frustrations.

“I like you, Harry, I do. But we can’t be together.” You didn’t know how to put it into words, so that was the best you could come up with.

“And why’s that?” He furrowed his brows, walking towards you, but keeping a safe distance. “Give me a good reason why, and I’ll let you go—I’ll leave you alone. We’ll simply be coworkers who don’t talk to each other. I’ll-”

“I’m scared, okay! I’m scared because I cannot fall in love with you, even though I’m already in too deep. I’ve done it once and i-it hurt me.” You were on the verge of bawling, maintaining your emotions. “I-I cannot feel this way so soon—fresh out of a relationship…I’ve only known you for, what? A month? We barely even know each other, Harry-”

“See, now, that’s where you’re wrong. You think I don’t know you, but I bet that you know I know you quite well. Probably more than all of your bitchy friends back home who you’ve known for years.” You stayed silent, not knowing how to respond, but he was right, he did know you better than anyone you knew back in SF. “If I didn’t know you then I wouldn’t know that your favorite thing to eat while you were growing up was chocolate croissants. Your favorite color often switches every few days, but some of them are, and specifically: maroon, evergreen, mustard yellow, burnt orange, and beige. You love watching kids cooking competitions in your free time and often root for the one who is doing miserably and knows who won’t make it to the next round. You’re learning how to bake, which is what you said that you’ve always wanted to learn out to make proper pastries, and based on what you bring to work for us to try, you’re on the right path to being a baker.”

“I’m…” you were at a loss for words, tears lining your eyes. All of the questions and playful conversation you and Harry had during work had come around in his words; it showed that Harry really listened, and when he did, he didn’t forget every detail you’ve told him. Your heart felt like it was in your stomach, making your stomach flutter in giddiness and shock.

“I could go on, honestly, but it would be an entire list of things that I’ve remembered about you.” Harry softly smiled down at his feet. “All I’m saying is this: I like to think I know the basics of you, and I still have a lot to learn about you. But don’t run away from me, please. If you want to and you don’t want anything to do with me, that’s fine, but I can’t let you walk out without trying not to stop you.” He sighed, completely putting himself out there as he was practically begging you to stay. “I really like you, Y/N, I mean it. I don’t care if we’ve only known each other for a month. I don’t care that you just got out of a relationship. I mean if you’re still in love with him or have a bit of interest in him still, then that’s different-”

“I don’t,” you interrupted, shaking your head no. It was the truth; you hadn’t felt love for your ex in a really long time, and you simply stayed with him and kept forgiving him just because it was comfortable.

“Okay…”

“It’s just…I don’t want people to think I’m some kind of person who moves on from relationships so quickly. I-I mean, I didn’t come here just to find myself in another relationship, y’know?” Your tone was concerning, like all of your worries were piling up into one big stack that made your head hurt from thinking too much.

“No one’s gonna think that—I don’t think that. Besides, it isn’t any of their business.” Harry walked even closer to you, inches away as his hands grazed your upper arms. “Let me ask you something, does this feel right? Being with me?” You nodded with no hesitation. “Say it,” he instructed, wanting to hear the words come out of your mouth.

“This feels right.”

Harry smiled at you comfortingly. “Okay, then let it be right.”

“I’m scared,” you admitted, looking down. He lifted your chin up with the soft touch of his fingertips, goosebumps littered your skin with just his simple touch.

“Me too, but I’m doing surprisingly well at hiding it. We’ll go slow, okay? No pressure into labeling; let’s just go with the flow, alright?” He suggested, and you softly muttered an ‘okay,’ reaching up to wrap your arms around his shoulders, giving him a warm and grateful hug.

“I’m so sorry-” you said into his shoulder, but he quickly cut you off.

“No need to be sorry, I understand.” His understanding makes you even more soft as you hugged him tighter; a few tears slipped your eyes, streaming down Harry’s shoulder.

After a moment, the two of you pulled away, feeling so much relief from the hug and conversation.

“Is your offer on staying the night still up?” You asked hesitantly.

He smiled. “Yeah, it always is. C’mon.” He took you by the hand, leading you to his room and into his bed—not for the actions of pleasure, but for a nice and comforting cuddle.

You situated yourself on his chest, comfortably trailing your fingers up and down his skin as his arm was wrapped around your shoulder.

Lifting your head up to meet his face, he smiled at you before you gave him a sweet kiss to his lips. It didn’t lead to anything, it didn’t even deepen; just the feel of his soft, pink lips on yours was enough to make you feel bliss.

You pulled away. “Slow?” Harry chuckled, nodding his head.

“Slow.”

Your face warmed up as you smiled, cheeks aching; you positioned yourself back onto his chest for the night, taking up all of his space on the bed when your side was completely empty as you held him close. Even though you’ve only known him for a month, you felt yourself falling; because ultimately, it felt right.

please come into my inbox and tell me your thoughts, feelings, and favorite moments! thank you for reading <3

#playlistficchallenge #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles au #harry styles angst #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles ff #harry styles fanfic #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles one shot #harry styles writing #harry styles fic #harry styles imagine #harry styles #hs

978 notes · View notes