Twist Of Fate

Mine...More So Than Usual

Harry's POV
The show's barely five minutes in, and I can already feel the excitement radiating off Bumper's body. The lights on stage are reflecting off her glasses and she looks so lost and focused on the show that I don't even want to move my thumb against the back of her hand, in case she gets disturbed.
"Mus is enjoying it, I see." Niall says, leaning over. I nod my head, my whole attention focused on Bump. I don't want to watch the show, I want to watch her. Her facial expressions captivate me. Her chuckles and giggles lift my spirits. Suddenly, I hear clapping and shouts.
"We won, Harry!" Niall exclaims, getting up. He, Louis and Liam are on their feet, grinning from ear to ear.
"For what?" I ask Niall, getting up as well and pulling Bump up along with me.
"Our album!" He hugs me, and I grin over his shoulder at Liam.
"I guess this is just one of the many awards we'll win tonight," I say. I turn around and kiss Bumper. It's a celebratory kiss, and I savor the feeling of her lips on mine. Bump pulls back after a second, or so because I know she's uncomfortable with the thought of everyone staring. I understand.
"Let's go!" Louis says, making his way down the row of seats and toward the aisle. I tug Bump behind me, as I, too, follow my band-mates.
"Harry, I can't go on stage." Bump says, trying to make me stop and at the same time she's trying to pry my hand off hers.
"Yes, you can. I've never taken anyone on stage with me and I want you to be my first." I say, grinning at her. I pull her so she's walking beside me, and then I wrap my arm around her waist. She's nervous, I can tell. Whenever Bump's nervous she begins to chew on the inside of her cheek and begins to fiddle with her fingers. She's chewing on her cheek right now. "You'll be fine." I whisper in her ear. Bumper nods her head, her eyes glued to the stage.
"I don't want to do this." Bump says, moistening her lips.
"Please, for me." I kiss her forehead, as we ascend the few stairs that lead to the stage, where Maia Mitchell is holding our award. Liam reaches her first and takes the award, kissing her cheek.
"Congrats," Maia says. Louis and Niall hug her and kiss her cheek as well. However, I just smile and extend my left hand for her to shake. Honestly, I don't want to leave Bumper, even for a second. She's a nervous wreck right now and I'm the only source of comfort for her. Maia smiles at Bump and Bump offers her a nervous, yet perfect smile. I can tell it's a nervous smile because I know Bump. However, Maia, or anyone else for that matter, will never notice it. Liam takes the lead for the speech, as usual. Niall and I stand toward his side and Louis' on his other side. Then Liam turns to me, holding out the mic for me to say something. I take it with my free hand, and turn to face the people sitting in the arena.
"Well, this is amazing. I'm not great at these, as you all know." I say, and let out a short laugh. "So I'll make this quick. Thank you everyone for this." I raise my hand which holds the award. "An award isn't just for us. Each award we win has a tonne of supporters behind us. Liam has already thanked them all, so I won't bore you all to death with the list." Laughter passes through the crowd, and I mentally take a sigh of relief. I squeeze Bumper's hand for reassurance and hand Liam the mic. Then, I turn back toward Bump and give her a short, but affectionate kiss. Embarrassment and panic clouds Bumper's eyes. She needs to stop worrying about the on-looking people, and just let loose for once. Liam turns around and we follow suit. Bump keeps moistening her lips, as we descend the stairs that lead backstage.
"Hey!" A man in black glasses yells, practically pouncing in front of us. Of course there's a host here. I want to roll my eyes, but control myself. God, I'm tired and I just want to go home, cuddle up with Bumper and sleep.
"Not again." I murmur into Bump's ear.
*********
"How can you both behave so normal?" Liam asks, as I take out a water bottle from the fridge.
"What do you mean?" I ask, furrowing my brows. I stroll over toward Liam, taking small sips of water.
"I mean, you proposed and Mus said no. Yet you both are acting as if nothing has happened. How?" I take a seat beside Liam and place my feet on the glass coffee table.
"What's the point of thinking over something that'll not happen in the near future? I would love to discuss this topic with Bump, but I know it's not open for discussion in her mind. Plus, I don't want to ruin what we already have."
"That's the thing! We tried - Cheryl and I - we really did. But it didn't work out because things got so awkward. Every time I would say something regarding our relationship, she'd get all snarky and think that I wasn't in our relationship for real." Liam wrings his hands helplessly. "I tried for months after that, but it finally got to me, and now she doesn't even want to speak to me."
"Bump and I are different, Liam. She's different and so she makes me feel different and behave differently." I take another sip of water. "You've seen me around other girls. You've seen me date so many girls, but have I behaved in this manner around any?" Liam shakes his head. "Exactly!"
"Shh!" Liam places his index finger against his lips. "You'll wake Niall, Louis and Mus."
"Right," I murmur. "I can't sleep, Liam. I feel like I've made a huge mistake by proposing. The look on Bump's face...I'll never be able to erase it from my mind." A shudder passes up my spine.
"Yeah, she looked pretty pale. But Mus seems cool with everything." Liam gets up and throws the remote on my lap. "I'm off to bed. Night."
"Night," I say. "You need to choose one, you know?" Liam stops in his tracks and turns around.
"What do you mean?" Liam asks, but I can tell he knows exactly what I mean.
"You know what I mean, so don't act. You rather break one girl's heart than twos." Liam purses his lips, and gives me a curt nod. "Bump shares a lot with me."
"Apparently, and Kate shares a lot with her."
"They're best friends, after all." Why is everything so tough nowadays? I feel like every decision I make has a domino effect, as it can benefit or harm other people. In fact everyone's decision has a domino effect. Mine...more so than usual.