Masks Off

o n c e i n a l i f e t i m e

"When I close my eyes, All the stars align, And you are by my side"

They say love hits you hard, like a truck. We are told that when we are hit by the vehicle we call love, we die and are born again, only happier, brighter, with more smiles. They tell us when we find love, every color seems to stand out a little more, and grey areas aren't so grey. We are told that we need to hold on to love, cherish it, hold on to that person and cherish them, and praise every little thing about them.

But how do you cherish and praise someone you don't know?

|N.H|

The blonde sighed and rested his forehead against the cool marble counter of Shakers, a small cafe off Fifth Avenue. He shut his eyes briefly before hearing the small bell atop the entrance door ring. He frowned at the thought of a customer, but still sat up straight and gave his best smile. "Welcome to Shakers!" He said cheerfully. "I'm Niall. What can I get you today?" He asked the man in front of him.

The blue-eyed man smiled his way. "Uh, can I get two raspberry scones and a date with the curly-headed cutie always working the kitchen?"

Niall chuckled. "Yeah, I'll grab those for you, and I'll see about Harry. He's not the type to date just anyone, Mr. . ."

"Tomlinson," the man said.

Niall nodded at the familiar name. Where had he heard it before? Mentally shrugging to himself, the blonde sent the older man a smile before inserting his order. "5.37," Niall said, before holding out his hand for the money.

The business man nodded and placed a ten in Niall's hand. "Keep the change," he said, before going to take a seat by the window.

Niall pulled out the remaining 4.63 and placed it in the jar Harry had set aside for donations towards Red Nose Day. He smiled to himself, before he walked into the kitchen.

Across the way, a tall, lanky lad with a mop of curls atop his head was humming and moving his hips to some Shakira and Rhianna song that had been all over the radio that month. "Hey, Harry!" Niall called out, effectively startling the giant, who tripped and fell, dropping the bag of flour he had been holding.

"Oh no, Niall! Look at what you've made me do," the boy whined out, before rising to his feet and attempting to dust himself off. His attempt only resulted in a large white cloud flowing up to his face, causing him to sneeze.

Niall laughed until his cheeks turned red and tears threatened to spill. He clutched at his side as he watched Harry get back up to his feet. "T-there's a guy out there asking for raspberry scones a-and you," he managed to say inbetween his laughing fit. He sighed and wiped at his eyes. "Proper fit, too. Don't know why he'd ask you on a date, though. Especially when I'm right here," he joked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Piss off," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and leaving a noticeable white streak of flour, which Niall chose not to comment on.

The curly haired boy placed two raspberry scones on a plate and exits the kitchen, leaving white footprints with each step.

Niall giggled to himself, before leaving the kitchen and going back to the register. He put on a bright smile as customers started piling in just in time for their lunch breaks.

××

Hours later, after Niall left Shakers and went to volunteer at the pet shelter after he jogged downtown to go take twelve dogs for a walk, and after he did a quick three-hour shift at a local pub, he reentered Shakers, tired and looking like he was on the verge of death. Thank goodness he only had another two hours before closing time.

He looked up as the bell above the shop rang and two men entered. One was the Mr. Tomlinson from his morning shift and the other was. . . Hot. Niall had to blink a few times before he cleared any naughty images of the man with the birthmark from his head.

The man from that morning, Mr. Tomlinson, was talking animatedly to his friend. "No, you don't understand, Li! They have amazing food and tea, and coffee, but, ew. Not to mention, their baker, Harry, he's super tall, has curly hair, big eyes, perfect lips for sucking di—"

"Welcome to Shakers! What can I get you two?" Niall asked, quickly cutting off the blue-eyed man's words.

Mr. Tomlinson immediately smiled at the blonde. "Oh, uh, a black tea with a little bit of cream and no sugar."

Niall nodded and typed in the order before looking to the other man. "A-and for y-you, Sir?" He asked, swallowing thickly at the good-looking gentleman.

The lightly bearded man smirked at the blonde's stutter. "I'll have a black tea. Straight. And, uh, what do you recommend to snack on?" He asked, leaning forward on his elbow to smirk at the boy.

Niall blushed brightly. "Uh, well, the, uh, lemon cakes go rather well with tea. Perfect for dipping, if you, uh, like to dip, that is. I-if not, then I would suggest the, um, mini strawberry shortcakes," he stuttered out, turning into a puddle before the large man.

The business man grinned. "One of each then."

Niall nodded and typed in the order. "7.32, Sir. Oh, and your name?"

The man smirked. "Liam," he said, dropping the boy a wink and a twenty. "Put the rest in your charity jar."

Niall is pretty sure he found his soulmate.