Eleanora [Harry Styles AU]

[9] London

A/N: I'm so sorry! You'll never have to wait that long for a chapter again!!! Ah!!!

It's just because it was the end of term and I had assignments to do and events to attend and cute boys to stalk before I go two weeks of holidays without seeing them.

Dedication goes to madmoisellebelle because she left a nice comment on the last chapter c: That's how dedications are going to work now -- If you leave the best comment and I haven't given you one in the past you'll get one. So get commenting.

Song is Secret Door, again by Arctic Monkeys because I think it goes perfectly with this chapter and who can resist Alex Turner's voice?

Enjoy!

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“You know what? Not important. What we really need to be focusing on right now is getting to the venue before the audience do.” Will decided. He wasn’t all light hearted fun and games; he had a serious side of him that shone through when it was apparent that we’d be fucked if someone didn’t step up and take control. It was rarely seen, but we all knew it was buried beneath the surface, and didn’t question it when it made a sudden appearance.

            Oliver and Alex quietly agreed that it would be best to get a move on, and Andy stood up and motioned us out the door, holding a look of disapproval on his face when I passed him. Eleanora just stood still while her eyes darted between everyone, only enhancing the fact that she was oblivious to what went on in our band behind the scenes.  This would’ve been as exciting to her a getting her mitts on a backstage tour DVD, only she got to witness it live.

            “How was sharing a van with the crew?” I joked, hoping it would transfer me back to the good books and stop Alex from not sparing a single glance at me, when it seemed to do the opposite.

            “Shit.” Oliver responded without a moment’s hesitation. With the van I’d taken absent, I imagined they’d had to pack themselves into the same one the crew travelled in. “Try being forced to share a single seat with Will and having his foot stuck in your face the whole ride.” But he didn’t say it like it was something to laugh at; he said it in pure annoyance.

            As I was ushered out the door of the hotel and in the direction of the van, my eyes drifted back to Eleanora, who stood at the doorway, unsure if she should follow or not. I found myself struggling to escape her magnetic pull. I flicked my head towards the van as a non-verbal invitation for her to tag along. At that she eagerly bounded over to my side and synced her steps with mine.

            She was the elephant in the room; I noticed my bandmates’ eyes flicker to her in curiosity but no-one dared to mention her. It was silently agreed that her presence was a matter eligible for discussion once we had completed the all-important gig.

            We crammed ourselves into the van; the other boys evidently thankful that they didn’t have to share with the crew this time. We only had one extra passenger with us that night. I could only imagine squeezing in four. Once we were all strapped in securely and the vehicle had begun accelerating, the uncomfortable deficiency of bubbly chatter remained. I looked to Eleanora, who was placed in a grey seat adjacent from mine, and gave her a sheepish look. I wanted her to know that this wasn’t normal.

            “You can’t just run off like that, Harry” Oliver decided abruptly, cutting the silence like a knife. My eyes snapped towards him, as did everyone else’s.

            “I planned to be back by morning--“

            “I don’t care. You still should’ve warned us or something. We were worried sick. We tried calling you but you didn’t answer. And then we saw that you’d left your phone with us, so we had no method of reaching you--“