Harry had been in Paris for two days. On his first, he arrived at 3 PM. By the time he navigated Uber traffic to his apartment and unpacked, the sun was setting, painting the Eiffel Tower in hues of gold and rose. He hadn't complained; witnessing the sunset had been the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.
Today, day two, he woke at 6 AM, just in time to watch the sunrise. He realized he could get used to this. Truly, he could.
His rumbling stomach forced him to brush his teeth, tidy his hair, and slip into one of his expensive Yves Saint Laurent button-ups—a sartorial declaration of “Paris! Look at me! I’m a rich tourist!” Harry had researched the city extensively before moving. He remembered one piece of advice: avoid cars unless absolutely necessary. A five-minute trip could easily stretch into thirty in the notorious traffic. So, he’d purchased a pastel pink retro bicycle with a large basket on the front, the wheels a stark white. He found it aesthetically pleasing and had arranged for it to be delivered to his door upon arrival yesterday.
He grabbed his wallet, phone, keys, and bike, heading out. He wheeled the bike to the elevator, waiting to use it once outside the apartment complex. He noticed a few others on bicycles, and didn’t feel so ridiculous. Back home, he wouldn’t be caught dead riding one. Harry passed three charming flower shops on his way to the café, thinking about picking up a bouquet for his apartment on the return trip.
Upon arrival, he noticed a handsome man seated by the window, and got distracted for a few minutes while their eyes connected. His gaze only broke when an elderly woman scolded him for nearly running into her, forcing him to slam on his brakes and nearly fly over the handlebars. And, Harry changed his mind, that man sitting by the window was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
-
It wasn't uncommon for Louis Tomlinson to be seated in a cafe at 6:30 AM, sipping tea or coffee while checking his emails on his MacBook. It *was* uncommon for anyone to distract him, and when he saw the distraction, he choked on his coffee, earning a few curious glances. He’d deny laughing at the young man’s scolding, but he did smile, a genuine laugh escaping him before he refocused on his work. Louis’ father had left him the family company in his will. His father’s death—a random robbery—had been shocking. Louis was under immense pressure trying to navigate Austin Lawyers. It was his first year as a lawyer, barely out of university when his father was robbed, forced to withdraw thousands, then stabbed seven times and left for dead. Louis had sued the two men involved, securing more than double the stolen amount, and they were sentenced to life. Still, it didn’t fill the void. He had a stepdad, but it wasn’t the same. His mother grieved her ex-lover, but remained composed. His half-sister, Georgia, grieved and was furious that the company was left solely to Louis, not shared. As far as she was concerned, Louis’ mother had changed his name to his stepfather’s, while Georgia’s remained unchanged. She too was studying law. Louis and Georgia had never truly bonded. They were civil when forced to interact, but Louis had always been closer to his other half-siblings, his mother’s children. He recalled Charlotte’s heated argument with Georgia about Georgia’s cruel treatment of Louis. He’d always shared a special bond with Lottie.
When the tall man with long, curly hair and brown boots entered the café, Louis pretended not to stare, even turning to look out the window. His eyes eventually landed back on the stunning man, and when their eyes met, he’d swear he didn’t blush, didn’t feel his heart flutter. But he did. He absolutely did.
When the man got his coffee and breakfast—a poached egg on sourdough with avocado, the exact same meal Louis had ordered—and sat at the table across from him, Louis couldn't help but take in the entire beauty this man was radiating and he didn't even know if this feeling was normal, the racing heart, the wanting to look but not wanting to come off as weird. He hadn't ever felt this way before, not even towards his girlfriend of 2 years or his first ever girlfriend back in high school. There was something about him that he liked-loved and Louis wanted more, he felt the urge to learn everything about him. But, he stopped himself from picking up his things and sitting directly across from the boy eating his breakfast and brushing his hair behind his ear ever so delicately. He didn't want to embarrass himself. But, he kept looking, and he knew the other man felt his eyes looking because he kept looking up with such a cute smile and Louis would melt inside every time he saw those pearly white teeth.
When 7 AM hit, Louis didn’t want to head to the office. He wanted to sit and watch this man who sparked his interest all day, but he couldn't. He had a job to do, a company to run, and a father upstairs to make proud. So, he slowly slipped his laptop back into its bag and took the last sip of his cold coffee before leaving, waving to Melani, the owner, as he exited.
He’d claim it was an accident—that he somehow dropped it or tripped and it flew through the air and landed exactly where he wanted it. But Louis definitely slipped his card into the basket of Harry’s bicycle and noticed the man's beautiful smile as he too noticed what Louis had done. So, Louis hurried off towards the office and couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
-
Harry grabbed the card and slipped it safely into his wallet, not wanting to lose it. He debated when to contact the man he nearly got injured just looking at, eventually deciding evening would be best. He’d learned from the card that he was a lawyer, and knew he’d be busy.
On the way home, Harry stopped to buy a lovely bunch of flowers for his apartment and noticed a "Help Wanted" sign in the window. He applied, and the elderly lady hired him on the spot, charmed by his happy, confident, and bubbly personality. It was only his second day in Paris, and Harry already had a job. He was quite proud of himself.
He wondered if he’d mention his new job when he called Louis later, or if that was weird. What would they even talk about? Why was he worrying so much over this? He hadn’t stressed this much about talking to a man before. Why was this different?
Harry helped a man pick out flowers for his wife, whom he’d argued with last night and wanted to make up to. It made him happy helping others, hopefully making them happy too. He could totally live in Paris for the rest of his life. Yeah, he really could.
Colette had Harry finish his shift by cutting thorns off roses and bundling fresh flowers for tomorrow's sale. To keep them fresh, they stored them in a large, refrigerated room. He learned Colette closed at 5 PM weekdays, 7 PM on Saturdays, and 4 PM on Sundays. He received four shifts a week, Monday through Thursday, as Colette’s daughter helped on the other three days she wasn’t in school.
“Bring in your bank details tomorrow, dear, so we can set up your payment,” Colette said as they pulled down the shutters. “Okay, thank you so much for hiring me today. I hope I’ve done a good enough job.” Harry, a perfectionist, mentally berated himself for any flaw in his work. “Oh, darling, you’ve done a wonderful job. You’ve sold more flowers today than I have in the past week. Thank you.” He smiled at the praise. “I’ll see you at 8 AM tomorrow! Would you like me to bring you a coffee? Tea? Breakfast?” Harry had already planned to return to the café for breakfast. “Oh, no, I’ve got tea and coffee in the back! You can help yourself to that too!” Colette said, a small, elderly woman Harry found adorable. He placed his flowers in the basket of his bicycle, then headed home, arriving only five minutes later and wheeling his bike back to the elevator.
The first thing Harry did was place his flowers in water, then light his candles. He loved his sweet-smelling home. He then stripped his clothes and put them straight into the washing machine before heading off for a shower and hopping into fuzzy socks, track pants, and a t-shirt. It was starting to get cool, and Harry seized any chance to wear his fuzzy socks.
He curled up on his balcony and watched the sunset again, deciding to call Louis, retrieving the business card. He let it ring a few times, his heart racing with each ring, and felt disappointed when it went straight to voicemail. Louis was probably busy, right? He had a huge job, it wasn't just anyone could become a lawyer.
-
Louis noticed he had a missed call when he finished with his last client. He almost ignored it, but then realized it could be the man he saw that morning. Louis, a lawyer, had access to tricks and tools. He did a background check on the number and found it was new, belonging to Harry Styles. Searching the name on Facebook, Louis smiled seeing he was originally from Cheshire, England. He grabbed his personal phone and dialed the number, his heart fluttering when he heard “Hello” on the other end.
“Hey, uh, it’s Louis, from the café.”
“Oh, hey! Yeah, I tried calling earlier.”
“Sorry I missed it! I was with a client. Oh, this is my personal phone so um, use this number.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah.”
“So, uh, what’re you doing?” Louis smiled at Harry’s question, noting it felt like a high school crush’s first phone call.
“I’m actually still at the office. I’m done for the day though. I’m just sitting by the window watching the sunset.”
“Me too! Only I’m on my balcony watching it. Not like in your office.” Louis laughed at that, loving the sound of Harry’s laugh too.
“Hey, can I call you back tonight? I’m gonna head home and I’ve gotta stop by the grocery store on the way.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll talk to you later then?”
“Bye, Louis.”
“Bye, Ha-, uh, have a nice time watching the sunset!” Harry laughed, and Louis wanted to melt into a puddle of tears. “I will.” His reply was short and simple, but left Louis weak in the knees as he said another goodbye and hung up the phone. How could he nearly let his name slip?!