“Section 28, passed in 1988, prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities. This had a huge impact on individuals, especially youth, in the LGBTQ+ community. Many councils and schools shut down LGBTQ+ support groups for queer youth. This took away a safe space for many people who had nowhere else to go for support. Section 28 remained law until 2003…” the professor speaks from the front of the room.
Harry’s mind drifts, filling with sadness for the people in his community that had to deal with Section 28 hanging over their heads. He considers himself lucky that it was repealed before he was old enough to be affected much by it. Before he can realise how much time is passing he hears his professor wish them all a nice weekend and the sounds of dozens of chairs scraping the floor as everyone gathers their things and gets ready to leave. He shakes himself out of his thoughts and gathers his stuff before leaving the classroom.
As Harry exits the building a cool autumn breeze hits his face. He shivers slightly, still trying to adjust to the weather cooling off after a brutal summer. He stops by his dorm room to drop off his school bag and get changed for work. Once he’s ready he grabs his keys and walks to Martha’s Cafe, a quaint little coffee shop just off of the university’s campus.
“Hi Harry!” chirps a friendly middle aged lady with black hair and green eyes from behind the counter as Harry walks in the door.
“Hi Martha! How’s it going?” Harry responds, grinning as he takes his place behind the counter.
“Pretty well! We’ve got a new hire. He should be here any minute,” Martha replies.
“Cool! What’s his name?” Harry asks.
“His name is Louis. I was hoping you could show him how things run, if that’s alright,” Martha says.
“You got it!” Harry answers with a smile.
“Thank you Harry, I knew I could count on you,” Martha replies, smiling appreciatively.
“Don’t mention it,” says Harry.
Harry hears the bell on the door ding and turns to see who’s come in. Standing just inside the door is a handsome man with short brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes. He smiles brightly at Martha when he sees her and Harry notices the way the skin by his eyes crinkles up while he grins. He finds it quite endearing.
“Louis! Good to see you, love,” Martha greets the man.
“ ‘Ello Martha,” Louis says, sounding a bit nervous.
“Are you ready for your first day?” Martha asks.
“I think so. First days always make me a bit nervous,” Louis replies.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, darling. Harry here is going to show you how everything goes. You’ll be all set by the time he’s through,” Martha tells him, gesturing at Harry.
Harry flashes his friendliest smile and waves at Louis before walking over to him. He reaches out and shakes Louis’ hand which is still covered in a soft, black winter glove. Harry’s mind wanders as he wonders if Louis is prone to cold hands. For some reason he finds the thought endearing.
“It’s great to meet you!” Harry says.
“Nice to meet you too,” Louis answers, relaxing a bit.
“Let me show you how everything works,” Harry says, leading Louis behind the counter.
Harry spends the next half hour showing Louis where to find ingredients and recipe cards and how to work all of the appliances and the cash register. He demonstrates taking an order and then stands next to Louis, offering his help when needed while Louis takes care of the next customer. They stick together through their whole shifts so Louis can get used to the routine. At one point, when Louis reaches out to grab a cup, Harry notices the number 28 tattooed on his knuckles. His mind immediately goes to the lecture earlier. He thinks about the injustice of Section 28 and wonders if that’s why Louis has that number tattooed. He thinks it may be some sort of flagging. The longer he thinks about it, the more he hopes that he’s right. Louis is really attractive and he’d love to ask him out at some point.
At the end of their shifts Harry and Louis say goodbye to one another and part ways. As Harry walks back towards his dorm he lets himself daydream about asking Louis out. During their shift together they had really bonded. It was like an instant connection that Harry could tell had the potential to blossom into something really meaningful. If Louis’ tattoo really is flagging then maybe he’d be into Harry. He doesn’t let himself get his hopes up too high. He’s used to rejection. But this is a nice thing to think about.
“H! How was work?” Harry’s roommate Niall asks when Harry gets home.
“Hey, Ni! It was great. I’ve got a new coworker named Louis. I think we have the same schedule. He seems like a great guy. We got on really well. He’s from the North, Doncaster, I think, and he has this really heavy accent where he says ‘ello’ instead of ‘hello,’ and he has these really pretty blue eyes. They’re like yours, Ni, but more like ocean blue. He said maybe we could meet up sometime for lunch or a trip to the cinema and he asked for my number. He was really kind. And funny! He told me this one joke-,” Harry tells him.
“You’ve got a crush on him already,” Niall says with certainty, smirking at Harry.
“What? No!” Harry rushes out, his face going a bit red.
Niall raises an eyebrow at him.
“Okay, fine, maybe a little bit of a crush,” Harry mumbles.
“Ha! Knew it!” Niall says, grinning triumphantly.
Harry rolls his eyes and smiles before saying, “You know me too well.”
“So, are you gonna ask him out?” Niall asks.
“I don’t know, Niall. I just met the guy. I’m pretty sure he flirted with me. I mean, he did touch my shoulder 3 times, my forearm 6 times, and my hand 9 times-” Harry tells him.
Niall honks out a laugh. “You actually counted? He touched you 3-6-9 times?”
“YES! And I’m being serious, you twat. I’m pretty sure he flirted with me, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself or anything. Maybe if we’re still getting on this well in a couple of weeks,” Harry replies
“I hope you do. It’s been a while since you’ve had a crush. It could be good for you,” Niall tells him.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. We’ll see how we stand in a couple weeks, okay? I’ll keep you updated,” Harry says, smiling.
“Works for me. Now how about some dinner?” Niall says
—
“Who actually likes pumpkin spice? It’s absolutely everywhere right now but it’s so shit. I swear I’m quitting if I have to make one more pumpkin spice latte,” Louis says with mock annoyance as he and Harry walk out the front door of Martha’s Cafe.
Harry lets out his most dramatic gasp.
“How dare you insult pumpkin spice in my presence! And don’t hurt my coffee’s feelings,” Harry says, feigning offence and gesturing to the cup in his hand.
“Are you one of those basic white girls? I thought you were better than that, Harold,” Louis says, scoffing playfully.
“My name’s Harry, not Harold,” Harry says before punching him in the arm with a laugh, hoping he is hiding the blush that creeps up his cheekbones.
“Abuse! Maybe I should quit right now!” Louis teases.
“You better not leave me. You’ve only worked here for three weeks!” Harry tells him.
“Why not, hm? Do you like having me around?” Louis asks, chuckling.
“I do. I’ve gotten used to you,” Harry replies.
“That’s a shame, because you’ll never see me again!” Louis jokes.
“Well then this is my last chance to do this,” Harry says, nervous butterflies in his stomach as he reaches out and puts his hands on Louis’ waist, pulling him close. Louis stops laughing and looks deep into Harry’s eyes, practically melting into his touch. Harry only hesitates for a moment before leaning in and pressing their lips together. Their eyes close and Harry feels all of the nervousness leave him, replaced with a feeling of bliss. Louis reaches up and puts his hands in Harry’s hair, kissing him deeply. When they pull away they’re both beaming.
“You taste like pumpkin spice,” Louis says.
Harry chuckles before admitting, “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you.”
“I feel the same way,” Louis says before adding, “How did you figure out that I’m gay?”
“Well, I wasn’t certain, but I was pretty sure your 28 tattoo was flagging,” Harry says, gesturing to Louis’ hand.
“Yeah, you’re right! Section 28. I’m impressed. Most people don’t make that connection,” Louis replies.
“Well I’m glad I did because this may have never happened if I hadn’t,” Harry answers.
“Speaking of that, would you like to go out with me? We could go out for dinner,” Louis asks.
“I’d love to,” Harry says with a grin.
“I’ll text you about it. See you tomorrow,” Louis responds, smiling.
“See you then,” Harry replies.
Louis leans in for one more kiss before they part ways. Harry happily kisses him back before waving goodbye. Harry starts the walk back to his dorm, filled with excitement. He can’t wait to tell Niall all about his night.
