Matilda | Harry Styles

FORTY-SEVEN

As soon as the plane touched down in California, everybody was practically straight back into work mode. I supposed it was instinct for them all, but I definitely had to consciously put myself back into it, in all honesty. 

It wasn't like I hadn't been taking many photos on our week off, but it was different, here. I was photographing Harry Styles, on tour, rather than my boyfriend Harry on our vacation. Harry had his sunglasses on in the back of the car, with his fingers laced through mine as he watched out of the window. I sat sandwiched between him and Pauli, with the other three sitting opposite us. 

I felt Harry nudge my knee with his to capture my attention, and I looked up from where I'd been mindlessly zoning in on Elin and Sarah's conversation. I followed his gaze out of the window, just as we passed by the museum he'd taken me to on what I supposed was technically our first date. I smiled fondly as my chest thumped nostalgically at the site of the parking lot and the exterior of the building. I'd taken in every little detail I could when we'd been there, and I couldn't help but think about the beautiful little garden hidden behind those museum walls; how much I'd loved being there with Harry so early on.

California felt pretty symbolic for us. We'd met in London, yes, but California was arguably where we really started. It was where he'd finally made a move - a proper one - and where we'd officially decided to try things out with each other. We'd been inseparable ever since. Just driving down these streets, they felt rather sentimental, though it hadn't been hugely long since we'd been here and everything had happened. Being here with him again, and feeling how everything had transformed - even when we'd kissed like we had our last time in LA, I could've never imagined we'd end up the way we were now.

I pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek as we both looked out at the museum, and his knee remained nudged against my own. I leaned against his shoulder, feeling him wrap his free hand around my knee, now. I glanced down at his hand, noticing a plain black hair tie of mine around his wrist, that I'd helped him tie into the front of his hair a couple of times to keep it away from his face when it was hot in Italy. I almost drifted off to sleep like that, just with how comfortable it felt, before I heard a buzz of screams and cheers that caused my head to lift instinctively from his shoulder.

"Here we go," Pauli murmured, as I looked up to see how the car was surrounded by lines of fans as we approached the final venue for the US shows. I felt a pulse of adrenaline through my body as I looked out of the tinted windows, and I caught a beautiful little smile pulling on Harry's lips. I knew sometimes it was a lot for him to handle, and I knew he enjoyed his privacy - but equally, this was his world. This was his life, and I knew he missed it whenever he went without it; I knew he loved doing this.

He let go of my hand as everybody got out of the car, and Harry was almost swarmed. His security formed a barrier around the group of us, but it didn't do much to deter the way everybody's arms were flailing out to try and reach Harry. It wasn't often that there were crowds waiting outside of venues like this, but it wasn't completely uncommon, either.

 I was between Elin and Mitch as the group of us were led through, with Harry in front of us. I could hear him uttering polite 'hello's and 'thank you's despite how people were fiercely grabbing at him. I could see a number of girls in tears at the mere sight of him, as his security did their job in forming a wall around the group. I could hear the whole band's names being screamed at individual points, but Harry's was the resounding one - over, and over; people dying for a glimpse, or a touch, or the tiniest smile from him in their direction.

"Isabella!"

I was surprised to hear my name called as Harry entered the arena in front of us, and I was almost through the door myself. I turned my head on mere instinct; it was such an infrequent thing to happen to me in these crowds, that I hadn't quite mastered ignoring it like everybody else had.