Grumps n’ Sweets
Pairings: CEO!Harry x Chef!Y/n
Summary: Harrys mending on his broken heart when he runs into the one person that could save him.
Warnings: Slight angst, swearing, aggressive behavior.
Word count: 1.5k
Harry still cried into his pillow every night wishing she was there. He’d never forgive himself for fucking everything up. He didn’t even know where she was, or what she did. Had she gone back to Georgia? God knows. Maybe she went to live with her dad in Miami. Probably not, but things might have changed.
“How are we doing today Harry?” Ruth, Harry’s therapist, asked.
“The same,” he replied flatly.
“Sad?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “And angry.”
“What’s going through your head right now?” Ruth wondered.
“I’m furious with myself. I can’t believe I let her go, and I can’t believe I still haven’t fucking done anything about it.”
When they had broken up, and Harry began seeing Ruth, he decided to not ever tell her her name. So they just said her, that was all that was needed to say, he would get too emotional if he heard her name again. He saved his tears for his pillow.
“If she were here, what would you do? What would you say to her?”
“I-I’d ask if I could touch her, and I’d apologize for everything. And if she said I could touch her, I’d h-hug her so tight. And tell her I love her, an-and I’ll never hurt her again,” he was getting emotional. So his lips formed a straight line and his soft tone turned cold.
Ruth had asked this question once before, and she knew that over the years Harry only became more remorseful. So she knew that couldn’t be all he had to say. “Harry, try not to shut down. I know this is so hard for you, but you won’t get anywhere if you close yourself off.”
“‘ave a meeting. Thank you Ruth, I’ll talk to you later.”
That was that, shutting his computer, he blew his nose into a tissue before walking to the conference room.
He was always a closed book. He wasn’t exactly mean, but private. That all changed when she left. His moods became permanently sour, he was stoic and cruel. An intern getting him the wrong coffee? Fired. Walking into his office without permission, even though you knocked? Fired. People could hear his screams from all around the office when someone was fired. His comforting smile was never seen again.
***
“What?” Harry spat.
“U-um they were out of uh- the um almond croissants,” Laura, his new intern, stuttered.
“Uh uh I uh don’t fucking care! Go to a different bakery then!”
Harry didn’t care for the pastry, you could barely taste the nuts and if you did it was just a burnt flavor. He usually just let it sit on his desk until he was too hungry to wait for Laura to bring him what he actually wanted and pick the almonds off to eat it. Although Harry hated the taste, he loved the smell. He ordered it every morning, reminiscing how she used to have one every Saturday morning and pouting about how it was cold once she actually sat down to eat it.
“I did, they didn’t have any either.”
“Then get me a chocolate one,” he ordered.
“Y-yes sir.”
Those he actually liked, but
ate with a sour expression.
***
“Mr. Styles?”
“What?”
“I have your coffee,” Laura smiled gently. She placed the cup in front of him.
“The fuck is this, Laura?” He spat as he tried to look through the small hole you drink from.
“It’s your coffee!” She was too loud and chipper.
“‘Chai Tea Latte’ sound like my order?”
She jumped back at his booming voice.
“I- No Mr. Styles, I’ll go get your coffee.”
“Black fucking coffee one sugar! What’s so hard to remember?” Laura picked up the coffee and fled from his office, her heels clicking against the tile.
***
Harry sat back and sipped his coffee, frowning at the creamy taste. Storming out of the office and to the elevator, he harshly threw the cup into the trash can beside Laura’s desk. Huffing and glaring at his useless assistant. You would probably feel his anger if you were to stand next to him. He was fucking fuming.
“Medium black coffee, one sugar,” he mumbled.
“Okay! What’s the name?”
“Harry.”
And there she was. Just kneading some dough he could only assume was for the croissants. Has she been here all these years? At the little coffee shop across the street? The one with the candles on the counter? And the display of little cakes and tarts? She’s been hidden away in that kitchen all this time?
“Styles Da-”
“It’s me, Laura. Move my next meeting to this afternoon,” he demanded.
“Ok Mr. Styles, anything else?”
“No, goodbye Laura.”
He sat down at a table in the middle of the shop, where he had a good sight of her moving around and cooking. He even forgot about his half drunk coffee until it was cold. And only left when his client called to inform him he was on his way.
***
He did the same thing on Thursday. Moved all his meetings and appointments to the afternoon so he could sit and watch her. Now he didn’t need to eat those god awful croissants just so he could have a little piece of her with him; now she was actually there, and he could eat whatever he felt like.
Then again on Friday.
Even came in on his days off just so he could see her.
The 5 different baristas had even begun to remember his coffee order, since he was trying to go through the food menu to find what he liked best. So far it was the Lemon-Strawberry scone.
Harry didn’t know what he was going to do about it, he’d have to speak to Ruth. But for now, he was content with just being in her presence, even if she was in another room entirely. She was there, and happy, and that’s all that matters.
***
“Would you like some lunch Mr. Styles? That coffee shop across the street has some really good fresh pasta!”
“Sure, get me whatever. And a salad.”
Wait. The cafe across the street? Nevermind, he’ll get it himself.
“Actually Laura, why don’t you take off the rest of the day? I’ll get my own lunch.”
***
He found time to go and sit at the small shop at around 2:30. It was relatively empty and his usual baristas were nowhere to be soon.
“I’ll be right with you!” A voice shouted from the kitchen. Y/n’s voice. She walked out and stopped in her tracks, and Harry’s breath caught in his chest. This was not how he was planning to confront her, what now?
“Harry,” she sighed.
“Y/n.” His heart was going a mile a minute. He had butterflies in his stomach.
They just stood and stared for a moment.
“We’re closed.”
“You just said you’d be right with me,” Harry almost whined.
“Well, now we’re closed.” She was short and uncaring, “come back earlier tomorrow then.”
So he did, and requested for the chef to take his “allergy specific” order. He had no allergies, he just wanted an excuse to talk to her.
“Harry, I have to work. Order something or leave, I can’t stand here all day.”
***
Everyday this week, He would stand outside the shop’s front door at exactly 9:28 A.M. Two minutes before they open. Thinking of how he was going to make her smile, and how he’d ask for her number.
And everyday this week, Y/n unlocked the door and made a beeline for the kitchen before he could even start his sentence.
He frowned deeply when it wasn’t Y/n who unlocked the door on Friday morning. Pouting to himself as he ordered his coffee and stomped his way back to his office. Even though she refused to acknowledge him, seeing her up close was keeping him going.
And after another two weeks of being completely ignored, he decided to show up 15 minutes before they opened, that would surely guarantee that she said something to him.
He wasn’t expecting it to snow, but he decided to go along with the plan anyways. Maybe he should’ve worn some warmer clothes though.
He was too busy blowing warm air onto his hands to realize the door open.
“What Harry? What do you want?”
“Please, Y/n. C’mon. Just five minutes, please,” he begged.
“No, Harry. Go back to your office.”
***
“She won’t fuckin’ talk to me!” He shouted.
“Harry, deep breaths. She doesn’t want to talk to you, she’s not ready. You need to give her space-”
“I don’t want to give her space, I want her to talk to me,” he whined. Deep down, Harry was a soft, sensitive baby. There were 4 people that got to see him like that, Ruth, his mom, stepdad, and sister. No one else.
“Don’t push it, if you push her, she’ll be less likely to want to talk, Harry. You need to let her think.”
“She’s had weeks to think! I’ve stopped by everyday for weeks! Sometimes multiple times a day!”
“Is that letting her breathe and giving her space, Harry?”
“No,” he frowned sheepishly. His eyes filled with tears and he let out a whimper.
“But I love her.”
Part 2