A/N:

Enjoy this cute little vignette that's been stewing for a while. I've been adoring slice of life, lately, and I'm hoping to write more.

Happy holidays to everyone who celebrates! :)

Summary: Hermione had her favorite coffee shop to visit in the mornings before work. Like clockwork, she would go and get her favorite coffee, and like clockwork, the barista would flirt with her. She never failed to flirt back. Muggle!AU, Coffeeshop!AU, Harmony

Words: 756

Prompts: None

"Routine"

Hermione was a woman of habit, and today she woke up at the same time early in the morning in order to do the same thing she did every morning. Instead of making coffee at home, she would don her warmest sweater, hat, and mittens, and trudge out into the snow to head to her favorite coffee shop. Winter in Britain wasn't that bad (when you were used to Scottish winters, all other winters seemed mild in comparison), but the temperature was supposed to drop dramatically next week, so she wanted to delay pulling out her winter coat for as long as possible.

Today, however, saw her entering her favorite coffee shop minutes after the "Open" neon light sign in the window flickered on. This was the only shop in an hour walk from the Underground station that had her favorite caramel macchiato with a vanilla shot all year round. During the Christmas season, however, the barista, who never failed to flirt with her, gave her an extra candy cane when handing over her drink and blueberry scone, like clockwork. This coffee shop was familiar to her, it felt like home, and Hermione knew she could easily lose track of time when there.

But no matter how familiar the shop and employees were to her, the true reason for her coming back day after day was because of the opening manager barista, and how he called out her name for her order. His dulcet tones sent shivers down her spine every time she heard it, and she's never loved her name more than when it poured from his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing too, when he said her name like that, like it was honey spilling from his lips instead of air. Catching her eye, every morning, he would wink at her while he spoke, and when she blushed in response, his smirk grew wider.

"Come here often?" the messy haired barista asked as Hermione approached the counter, eliciting a small laugh from her.

She looked on in amusement as she accepted her coffee, his phone number clearly written on the cup in dark ink as their fingers brushed up against each other. He gave her an obvious wink.

"Only for you, darling," Hermione flirted back, a giant smile on her face, the blush forever present on her face whenever she was here. Despite this daily dance that they did, he never failed to make her cheeks flush in pleasure at his attention. "Do you put your home phone number on the cup of every cute girl you see?" she added teasingly, hiding her smile behind her cup. If anything else, his grin got impossibly wider.

"Only for you, darling," he replied, echoing her words. They shared a laugh before leaning towards each other to share a kiss over the counter. Then he pushed his round glasses back up before jumping back to help his coworker take and make orders for the morning rush.

Hermione continued to grin as she made her way over to the table in the front corner by the large picture glass window, ready to watch the people scurrying by outside on their way to work and get inspiration for her next novel.

And as always, by the time she finished her drink, it was nearly time for her to open up the bookstore.

Standing, Hermione tossed her compostable cup before scanning the small coffee shop for the messy dark haired barista from earlier. Catching his eye, she waved at him, grinning again as he blew her a kiss.

"Have a good day, Harry Potter!" she called out, as she always did. The chatter died down in the cafe as the other patrons watched the display.

"You as well, Hermione Potter!" he called back. He then immediately turned back to the patron in line who had been attempting to flirt with him. "That's my darling wife, did you know? She owns the bookshop across the way!"

Hermione headed out, content in the completion of her morning ritual, ready to open her modest used bookstore. She paused for a moment outside her shop, which really was only a stone's throw from the coffee shop she had just exited, to admire the wooden hanging sign labeled Turn the Page, and her heart swelled with how lucky her life was. As she turned the key in the front door, she couldn't help but look back over her shoulder at the love of her life and smile.

She couldn't imagine herself anywhere else.