So far it had been a normal morning at Rhythm & Brews, Lauren thought to herself as she continued wiping down the countertop, listening to Christina humming along to the music playing over the shop’s speakers. Currently it was on a playlist called ‘Harry finally left’, a mix co-created by the two for just this occasion. The girls had changed it from Harry's latest cd of nature sounds the moment he'd walked out the door. They'd had a hard time not rolling their eyes the second the whale noises and sounds of waves crashing began to drift through the vibrant bustling coffee house. Harry had come out of the back office and sat, legs knotted, in the middle of the floor, centering himself for his upcoming yoga class that he was teaching. He'd sat like that for twenty minutes, customers casually walking around him, completely used to his antics, until it was time to go. The minute he was out the door and the whale sounds stopped. Lauren was pretty sure she'd even heard someone clap too.

Luckily, the girls had complete control over the music once he left. That is, unless Zayn, who was the manager of Rhythm and Brews and also resident Hipster extraordinaire, wanted to play some band no one had even heard of yet. If that was the case, he took over and they were forced to listen to the sad sounds of Swedish men mourning the loss of who knows what because no one could speak a word of Swedish. Not even Zayn. Though he’d never let you know that.

Lauren put her cloth away thinking that she was thankful today was a sad Swed-less day. The faint click of a keyboard caught her attention and she glanced up to see Louis seated at a table near the back. She felt her heart beat a tiny bit faster, but firmly shoved that back down to where it came from because there was no way in hell she was admitting to feeling anything of the sort for that man. Never gonna happen. Christina leaned against the counter next to her, bumping her shoulder to Lauren's.

“Whatcha doin’?” She asked as Lauren tried to look down and away, but Christina was too fast and followed Lauren's eyeline, her brow lifting in mischief. “Ah, your favorite past time, I see Checking out Louis again, are we?”

Lauren's face turned the tiniest bit pink, but she ignored it.

Christina giggled. “Yup. That's what I thought. Maybe you should go see if our dear English teacher needs a coffee refill while he grades those essays.”

Lauren looked up, glaring slightly at her friend. “Oh, shut it.”

Louis had been a regular at the coffee shop ever since Christina's brother Liam had brought him in one morning on the way to school. Louis had been a new English teacher and soccer coach at the same high school that Liam taught and Liam, being the kind hearted man he was, wanted to help him feel welcomed. They came in for coffee and a friendly chat. Louis had immediately hit it off with Lauren but neither of them wanted to acknowledge the sexual tension that permeated the air every time they were in the same room together. Christina found it highly entertaining and like any good friend took every opportunity to taunt Lauren with it.

When Lauren came back with the pot of house brew and a somewhat dreamy look in her eyes, Christina wasted no time.

“So when's the wedding? I hope I get to be a bridesmaid. I mean, I am your best friend.”

“That's a bold assumption,” Lauren snorted, “If you're going to keep picking at me like this, you’d be lucky to even make the guest list.”

She saw out of the corner of her eye a blur of white and she jumped out of the way quickly. Unfortunately, in trying to dodge the snap of Christina’s towel she caused the full pot of coffee to slip from her hand and dump its contents before shattering on the wood floor. The girls froze, staring down, wide eyed, at the mess between them.

Zayn’s low voice calling from the back room broke the silence, “Is everything alright out there?”

“We’re fine! Everything’s fine!” Christina answered, stifling a giggle.

“Really? Because it sounds like you guys broke something. Again.” You could practically feel his annoyance radiating off of him and he wasn't even in the same room.

“We’ll take care of it! Don't…. don't come out here!” Lauren stammered. Christina rolled her eyes, Lauren was a terrible liar. She could never keep a straight face.

“I'm going to walk out there in ten minutes and it better look just how I left it.”

“I'll get the mop for the coffee, you get the broom for the glass.” Christina said as she hopped over the puddle and headed for the mop bucket sitting near the back office.

The girls started cleaning up the mess, mimicking Zayn’s stern tone and giggling as they went. They hardly noticed the bell on the door jingle as it opened.

“Uh, ‘scuse me.” A deep, southern voice drawled from above. The girls both jumped in surprise, Lauren squeaked and it was followed by a loud crack as Christina’s head met with the underside of the heavy counter.

“Ahhooow,” she winced as the pain shot through her and everything went white for a moment. She slowly stood, rubbing at the tender spot, groaning in annoyance.

“Ya, okay there?” The southern drawl asked sounding concerned.

Christina blinked a few times before finally focusing on the messy haired, blond stranger who was standing in front of her.

“Looked like you got yourself pretty good.” He continued.

Lauren looked him over quickly. His blond hair was almost as disheveled as his appearance. He wore a simple, white t-shirt that looked older than he was, but was perfectly draped across his broad shoulders. His jeans were worn, so worn, in fact that they had been turned into long shorts and haphazardly cuffed at the end. He looked a little worse for wear honestly. Maybe he was homeless.

“Yeah, just a little bit,” Christina answered, squeezing one shut as it started to water. “Can I help you with something?”

“Yeah, uh, I was actually lookin’ for Harry, Harry Styles?”

“Niall!” Harry exclaimed from the other end of the room, his arms outstretched.

Both girls caught each other's eye. Harry always seemed to just appear, like a drifting spirit that materializes when summoned by name. It never failed to amaze them.

Lauren had been watching the scene unfold in delight from her spot on the floor and was now leaning over the counter, listening to Harry fawn over Niall.

“Ahm lookin’ fer Harry Stah-yls.” Lauren repeated in her best southern accent.

“Shh!” Christina hissed, slapping Lauren's arm. Lauren may be a terrible liar, but she was even worse at talking quietly. “He’s standing right there!”

“Who is that guy?” She continued completely unfazed by Christina’s shushing or Harry’s glare to her over Niall’s left shoulder. “You think Harry’s starting a homeless work program here?”

“I don't know about that, but did you see his shorts? I know I hit my head pretty hard, so please tell me I'm seeing things,” Christina said, leaning next to her on the counter, “but are those... jorts?”

Both girls snorted their laughter and quickly covered their mouths when Harry eyed them again, sending them a silent warning.

Lauren leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. “Those are definitely cuffed denim shorts. I feel like we should take a picture so we can preserve this historical moment.”

Christina giggled. “Where's my camera when I need it?”

---

Niall was glad that he'd finally made it here and he was thankful that Harry was so happy to see him, but as he looked around this place, taking it all in, he caught sight of the two girls behind the counter laughing and he strongly suspected that he was the source of their amusement. He patted Harry's back as he released him and his heart warmed at the wide smile on his friend’s face.

He felt Harry’s large hand clamp down on his shoulder, squeezing lightly but reassuringly. “It's great to see you, brother. How was your drive? Are you tired? Hungry? Let me get you a drink.”

Before Niall could even respond Harry steered him towards the counter where the two brunettes straightened and tried to hide their mirth about what he still wasn't sure.

Harry clapped him on the back. “Christina, Lauren, this is Niall Horan. You've heard me talk about him before. He's my old roommate from when I was at Georgia.” He looked fondly over at Niall and Niall felt his face heat. He reddened more when Christina, he thought it was, giggled.
“Niall was a godsend. I would've never made it through that first year if it wasn't for him.”

“I doubt I was that much of a help. We were both stupid freshman.” Niall stared down at the floor, shuffling his feet nervously.

Christina spoke up from beside Lauren. “Oh god, Lauren! Picture little freshman Harry! That was before he became the reincarnation of a Buddhist monk who also is a yogi.”

Niall's head shot up and his eyes widen slightly at the girl’s laughing tone.

Lauren laughed. “Ah yes, the days before nature sounds and Namaste’s ruled the world.”

Christina leaned forward, looking pointedly at him. “I hope you're not responsible for this.” She gestured her hand over Harry.

Lauren picked up her thread as if they were connected. “Because if you are, we may have to kick you out for forcing this upon us.”

Niall chuckled nervously, looking between the girls and wondering what to say. He looked to Harry but he seemed completely unaffected by their talk.

Harry laughed, looking at the girls with fondness written on every feature. “Don't mind them. They like to put up a good front, but softer than kittens they are when they decide they like you and fiercest defenders you'll ever have.” He looked back at them and gave them a stern look. “Be nice to Niall you two. He's a good guy.”

Lauren and Christina both smiled sweetly but Niall had a faint feeling that they were the type of smiles that a villainess would wear right before she stabbed you in the back. To top off the uneasy feeling, they both answered in unison. “We will.”

Harry turned back to Niall and gestured to the back of the shop. “I'm gonna go change and then I'm going to take you out to dinner. Be right back.”

Niall watched him walk away, greeting a few customers by name and asking after their days. He could tell that this was Harry's element. He was always the people pleaser and the peace keeper so the owner of a local watering hole seemed like the perfect fit for him.

While Niall had been watching Harry, Lauren and Christina had been watching him. They were whispering quietly when he turned back. He'd thought he'd heard the word ‘jorts’ in there, but had no clue what that meant. He shuffled back and forth on his worn out tennis shoes, looking around awkwardly. He was startled when a man cleared his voice from behind and he quickly stepped out of his way.

A slight, rumpled man stepped up from behind him, “Excuse me? Thing one and Thing two, can I get a refill?”

Christina spoke up first. “Let me get a fresh pot. We broke another one. And before you say anything, Lou, it was an accident.”

“Mmmhmm, I’m sure, but get the fresh pot, I’ll wait.” He set his mug down and Niall chuckled when he read the side of it. ‘English teachers do it better.’ The man stuck his hand out to him and Niall shook it. “I'm Louis. Nice jorts by the way.” He nodded down to Niall's shorts. “These two bothering you? They can be a hand full.”

Christina snorted, but quickly covered her mouth and went to fetch Louis’ fresh coffee. Niall's eyes stayed on Christina as she moved to the other side of the counter. His eyes tracing the long lines of her body as she reached for the pot of coffee. He felt himself blush slightly when he realized what he was doing and quickly looked away, but judging by the smirk on Lauren's face, it wasn't quick enough. Niall cleared his throat and avoided her eyes. “Uh, no. But you're the second person to warn me so I feel like I should be a bit scared.”

Lauren shrugged, wiping down the counter while Christina refilled Louis’ mug. “Eh. We aren't that bad. We are actually hilarious.”

Another man walked out from the back, speaking in a soft muted voice. “They say that a lot, but I've yet to laugh at anything.”

Christina rolled her eyes, setting the pot back down. “Oh, shut up Zayn. No one asked you.
Besides, you don’t find anything funny.”

Niall glanced over at yet another person he was going to have remember. Only this one he wasn't sure he wanted to. Zayn was tall, thin, and gave off a very condescending air as he sauntered closer; like one of those tumblr users who has taken one, basic level Philosophy class and thinks they know everything. His gray hair was growing out to show off dark roots. The dark hair underneath matched his thick framed glasses, his heavy boots, and his overall demeanor. He didn't understand what such a brooding person would be doing here, but Lauren didn't seem to mind at all. “Oh Zayn,” she pouted, patting his chest, “don't pretend like you didn't find me and Christina’s Single Ladies routine last week funny.”

Zayn let out a huff as he rolled his eyes, but playfully ruffled Lauren’s hair as he gently shoved her away, turning his attention to Niall. “Well, look what the cat dragged in.” He snickered, giving Niall a once over as he shoved past him towards the door. He reached up and took the cigarette from behind his ear. “Is Harry doing some kind of charity project I don't know about?”

Niall had always been an easy-going guy, but that didn't mean he let people push him around or walk all over him, especially pretentious assholes who kept cigarettes tucked behind their ear. “Listen, man, I don't know wh-”

“Zayn, didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?” Christina fired back, interrupting Niall.

Louis smiled and leaned onto the counter, “Ooo, this ought to be good. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen a good Zayn Christina fight.” Lauren frowned at him, taking a step back and folding her arms over her chest. Niall could tell she didn't like confrontation, but Louis seemed to be enjoying his front row seat.

“I seem to remember when you were the new guy here and Lauren had to convince us to let you stay.”

Louis choked on his coffee, trying to stifle a laugh. Lauren clicked her tongue at him and swatted his arm, before giving a pleading look to Christina that she either didn't notice or chose to ignore.
“Why don't you just go on and take your little smoke break and take some artsy pictures of some dog shit or something, hmm? Put it on your tumblr. Tag it aesthetic.”

Zayn, who had been lighting his cigarette during Christina’s outburst, looked up with a smirk and shoved his shoulder into the door, stepping outside into the light drizzle, choosing to ignore her rather than start a row.

“See? I told you,” Harry smiled, striding back into the room. His peaceful aura immediately alleviating the tension. “Fierce defenders. Seems you've made it onto Christina's good side already..."

Christina sighed, slamming the pot of coffee she had been holding back into its place. “You know how I feel about Zayn.”

“Yes, I know, Christina.” He responded, chuckling at her raised brow. “We all know.”

“I'm gonna go check on him.” Lauren said quietly, slipping past the group. Niall watched through the large glass windows of the shop as she tentatively approached Zayn as if he was some wounded animal. He also noticed he wasn't the only one watching the two.

“He seems like a real charmer.” He snorted.

Louis nodded, not taking his eyes off Lauren, “Yeah, she really is.”

“I wasn't..”

“Well, it was nice to meet you, mate, but I have to get back to these essays.” Louis interrupted, clapping him on the back. “See ya round!”

“How do you feel about vegan food?” Harry asked, slinging his arm around Niall's shoulders. Harry had organized a vegan support group back in college, so it was nice to see some things hadn't changed. “There's a new place down the way I've been wanting to try, but no one will go with me.” he said, raising his voice to make sure everyone heard him. He glanced pointedly at Christina, who was pretending to gag behind the counter.

“Never mind her! You'll love it.” Harry promised as he dragged outside and down the street towards dinner.

---

A short walk later and Niall found himself in a small, dimly lit restaurant; most likely so you didn't see how unappetizing the food looked. He cringed as the server placed a tiny, ceramic cup full of a murky green substance in front of each of them.

“It's Panna Cotta Ninjin Gari.” Harry said, stirring the substance. “It's so full of flavor. Really takes your taste buds on a journey through the senses.”

“This looks like wet grass.”

“You haven't even tasted it yet, Niall! Just give it a try and let it tell your tongue a story.”

Niall sighed and finally tasted the concoction in front him. Oh god. It was an explosion alright. An explosion of wet grass clippings; cold, seasoned grass clippings.

“Have you given any thought to where you might want to live?” Harry asked, jerking Niall out of his lawn soup nightmare.

“Ah, no. I don't really know what's around...I just came straight to the shop.” Probably should've looked into that before I packed all my shit up. He thought to himself.

“Well, if you don't have anything in mind, I know Louis is looking for a new roommate. You met him, right?”

“Yeah, I remember him.”

“He's fairly new here, too,” Harry continued, digging into some questionable bread. “He teaches English and coaches soccer at the high school so you probably won't see him too much.”

“Is he vegan?” Niall asked tentatively as he watched Harry slather his bread in something that he thought was supposed to be butter.

“Sadly, no. I'm the only one who has any concern for our animal friends, unfortunately,” Harry sighed. “But you'll like him. He's easy to get along with.”

“Is he?” Niall cut in, “because after the ringer I got put through today, I'm not so sure. “Those girls…” he rolled his eyes. Just thinking about them was exhausting.

“Christina and Lauren? Oh, they're harmless. They're sarcastic and think they're comedic geniuses, but don't let them know that.” He warned sternly, pointing at Niall. “You gotta beat ‘em to the punch. Wear your jorts again.”

“What the fuck are jorts?!” If he had to hear that word one more time he was going to lose it. Why was everyone so concerned about what he was wearing?

Harry seemed slightly taken aback by his sudden outburst. “Well, ya know, it's jeans, but shorts. Jorts!”

Niall slumped back against the vegan wooden chair with a huff, flinging his hand in the air. “I didn't realize my clothes were so offensive to everyone. Honestly, they can all kindly f-”

“Heeeeeeey heeey.” Harry said gently, holding his hand out as to stop him from getting up and storming out, leaving his perfectly full plate of kale chips unattended, a terrible travesty in his book. “They mean well. They're just pushing you to see if you'll push back, that’s all. As harmless as butterflies.”

Niall huffed, “If butterflies had forked tongues, then I’d agree with you.”

Harry sighed, “You gotta let what they say roll right off. They don’t mean any of it. Not really. I mean, you already had Christina defending you.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Niall sighed, glancing out the window next to him at the street slick with rain. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the long drive, or maybe it was due to the cold cup of lawn trimmings he had begrudgingly finished that was making him very aware of how tired he was.

“C’mon,” Harry motioned to him, standing up from his chair, “you can crash on my couch tonight and I'll put in a good word with Louis for you tomorrow. He's always in first thing in the morning, although I don't think it's for our spectacular tea blends.”

Notes

A/N: We hope that you've enjoyed this second part of Rhythm & Brews and we hope that you will keep reading! You can follow our tumblr @ Rhythm & Brews and ask us anything you'd like! Maybe you even want to talk about a character or see some of their background! We take requests for behind the scenes storyline too! Happy Reading! *C & L