Out of the Ordinary

Chapter 28

"Can't you go any faster?" I asked, my nerves bouncing around inside of me like the silver ball in a pinball machine.

"Not at a red light, lady," the cab driver said.

I couldn't believe I was late. Couldn't believe I'd overslept. Couldn't believe that it took me five straight minutes to hail a cab. Sure, it was six in the morning, but this was Manhattan, cabs were always around.

Only when I was running late for seeing my boyfriend perform on the Today Show did they seem to disappear.

The light turned green, and we crept through the 45th street and Madison Avenue intersection. "Okay, seriously, I was supposed to be in Rockefeller Center forty-five minutes ago, can you please go a little bit faster?"

The light ahead of us turned yellow, and my cab driver slowed to a stop.

"You totally could've made that!" I exclaimed, leaning forward in my seat to glare at him.

He didn't smile, he didn't turn around, he didn't say anything at all.

I sat back in my seat with a long, exasperated sigh, wondering what I'd done to deserve this, and hoping Harry wasn't too upset with me. After all the pushing I had to do to get him to sound somewhat excited about my being there, and all the coercing he had to do on his end to make it happen, I'd let us both down.

He hadn't answered my texts, but I unlocked my phone and pulled up my messages to him anyway, needing him to know what was happening, that at least part of this mess wasn't my fault.

Only a couple blocks away. We've literally hit every red light, I'm so sorry!

"What's all this?" the cab driver mumbled, obviously annoyed, and I looked up.

There was a mess of cars between 48th and 49th streets, cabs and regular cars alike, all pulling over. And girls were stepping out of them, girls of all ages, getting out and running in the direction of 5th Avenue, towards Rockefeller Center.

My nerves spiked, pinging off of my insides with loud dings sounding in my head, and I grabbed my bag. "Just stop here."

More than happy to get me out of the car, the cab driver pulled up behind another double-parked car. I threw him some bills and got out, smoothing the skirt of my dress before taking off in the same direction the other girls were headed. I hadn't rounded the corner on 49th street when my phone buzzed in my hand, and I looked down to find an unfamiliar number lighting up the screen.

It's Lou, the message read. Meet me at the entrance on 50th street. I have your pass.

There was a swell of sound as I passed 49th street, and I glanced over to find a massive crowd of people clogging up the sidewalks, and the street itself, with more and more pouring in from every direction. Stunned for a moment, I stared at all of them, feeling people pass me by on their way towards the commotion. But what really took me by surprise was the sound of the music. The bass was low and rhythmic beneath soft drumming, and then... voices.

Harry's voice. Deep and raspy and beautiful, clear above all of the screams.

And I realized I'd never heard him sing in person before.

I couldn't breathe for a moment, the already cold November air felt even thinner for my struggling lungs, and my heart was pounding. It was as if I could feel his chest under my open palm, imagine the thrum and rumble of it as he sang, the way the breath slipped through his lips, supporting a sound so beautiful, so familiar, and so damn sexy.

It had already been such a long morning, and I didn't have the time to take in what I was doing, or where I was going. But all that was happening was finally hitting me. I was seeing him. Today. In just a few minutes. And he would be in front of what looked like thousands of his adoring fans, performing for them, smiling for them, thanking them...