Already Home // Harry Styles

long story short

16th June 2022, Manchester.

I feel like I've only been asleep for 10 minutes when my phone starts vibrating obnoxiously on the nightstand. I look at the time to see it's only a little after 5am. 10 minutes wasn't far off.

"Hello?" I whisper. My voice hoarse the way it always is after I just wake up.

"Oh good, You are awake!" I roll my eyes at how lively he sounds. It's literally 5am!

"I am now, thanks very much" I slip myself out of bed and quickly into the bathroom so I don't wake up Taylor. The shock of the cold tiles against my feet sent a chill right through my body. My eyes squinting at the abrupt change from darkness to the bright bathroom lights. Not an ideal way to wake up this. "Why are you awake?"

"Come meet me down in the lobby, 5 mins!" And without even waiting for a reply, he hangs up on me.

"Rude" I speak out loud to the room. I have to sneak around in the darkness to find some clean clothes to throw on. Finding cycling shorts and a pleasing hoodie. No, I am most definitely not too shy or awkward to wear my best friends merchandise thank you. In fact, I'm annoyed I don't own one in every single colour, and don't even get me started on not getting my hands on a beach bag.

Harry is sat on a little sofa facing reception when I come out the lift. He looks fresh. Shorts, hoodie, cap pulled low down his forehead. I'm still trying to forget the image I just looked at in the mirror. Bed head doesn't even describe the way I look. I could easily be mistaken for Hagrid right now. I was very thankful the lobby was empty.

"Good Morning!" He's too chipper for this time in the morning. Too much energy. Not a good sign. That usually means he hasn't slept at all and is running on straight caffeine.

"Is it?" I grumble as he walks to me and plants a quick kiss on the side of my head. His arm has moved around my back and he starts to steer me out the doors.

"I swear to god H, if you think I'm going for a run at 5am you can get fucked" I mutter out quietly, folding my arms across my chest.

"No run, just a walk, c'mon".

We get outside and the sun is a nice shade of orange mixed with the softest pinks , the sky mostly clear of any clouds. It's pretty. It's the middle of the city yet you can still hear birds chirping and there isn't many people around. You wouldn't get this at any other time of the day. Too late for the late night partiers to still be out, too early for the workers to be starting their commute. If it didn't lead to such sleep deprivation, this would be the perfect time to be out.

"What's going on? Why are you awake?" I ask. He's clearly got something he wants to talk about. After a show he's normally knocked out for hours and there's no waking him. Either somethings happened or his little over thinking brain has been on overtime.

"It's really hard to decompress how I normally would when Hayley's flown all the way to spend time with me y'know? So I just needed to get some air" He looks to me and I just screw my face up in confusion as a response. I say nothing, just gesturing with my hand to go on.

"Long story short, I normally would just crash out, you know this. But when she's here, I feel like I need to make an effort to spend that time with her. Need to be attentive, to be sure I'm giving her all that she needs, trying to be enough. And then whilst she's sleeping, I'm laying awake wondering if I've done the right things, said the right things, spent enough time with her. Whilst equally, trying to spend time with my family whilst they are here. It's getting a bit much t'be honest. I don't know how to prioritise everything" His pace has quickened as he's got more animated when he talks. I hate when he does this, he knows I can't keep up. Our legs are extremely different lengths. "Not too much that I'm ready to end it or anything, but it's hard. The over thinking I'm doing lately is driving me crazy. Do I normally over analyse shit this much?"