Stage Lights || H.S.

the uncle knobhead

Everyone waited for Harry at the bar. My dad and the other men from Columbia Records drank beers. I stood with Lou, Harry's hair stylist, and we stuck to wine for the night. She was short and skinny, her skin tan and her lips painted red, her hair was messy and wavy, and a crazy shade of grey. Her accent was thick, her arms and hands covered in tattoos and she showed me pictures of a little blonde girl, Lux was her name. I had met Lou before, but we didn't have the chance to talk like we did now.

"She calls him uncle knobhead." she said making me chuckle.

"Calls who uncle knobhead?" A raspy deep voice asked close to my ear.

"I was showing her little Lux."

Lou put her phone and drink down and jumped on Harry's arms giving him a tight hug. He nodded as she said something to him that I couldn't hear and smiled hugging her back. They seemed close and the way he held her seemed to go over the boss and worker relationship. I wonder how close were they really and how was their friendship. On the past few hours I had realized I knew less about Harry than I thought I did.

When she pulled away from his arms, both shot me a look, both with a smile across their faces. Harry pulled me by my waist and I let my face bury in his chest, he smelled like he was fresh out of the shower and expensive cologne. His hand traveled up, his finger touching the skin under my shirt and for a second I forgot my dad was about a foot away from us.

"Did you like the show?" He asked.

"Are you kidding?" I looked up at him, his mint breath brushing against my face. God, I wanted his lips on mine. "You were amazing, Harry. That was..."

"Thanks, Luna." He licked his lips glancing down at mine. That was my cue to pull away. "Did my mum give you a hard time? She told me she cried a bit."

"Mostly during the first song. She squeezed my hard, I thought she was going to break it for a second."

He chuckled. "Ever Since New York is a very touchy song for her."

I wanted to ask why. I had this sudden need to know everything about him, and his family, and his life. I wanted to ask him questions and him to answer every single one of them. I wanted him to tell me about growing up, his home town, his band, his friends, the world. I felt the urge to know every single bit of his life, and a hit of jealousy of every person I met that night that knew him way better than I did. Harry was pulled away from us before I could say anything else.

"So, uncle knobhead?"

"Yeah. Lux came up with it. She adores him. And misses him a lot too, but he always facetimes when he can."

"You two seem pretty close."

"Harry's my best friend." She sipped on her wine. "He was there for me for the worst and best moments of my life. He's easily one of the greatest people I've ever met."

"How did you two meet?"

"I started working for them on the early days of One Direction. Him and I clicked immediately. He met my ex fiancé, Lux's dad, Tom, and they also got pretty close. When Lux was born, I would bring her on tour and Harry saw her grow up, he was always there for her. Still is, as much as he can." She leaned on the bar top next to me. "His sister, Gemma, is also lovely. I'm sure you'll meet her soon. Are you coming to Europe?"

I gulped. I knew Harry's tour was long, I figured, but I hadn't thought about it. I had no idea how long I was going to go without seeing him, I didn't know his plans for the future. I had just now came to terms with the fact that I wanted to see him, but now that he was on tour it would be impossible to do so, specially once the European leg starts.

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder and his body stand next to me. I look up to find him smiling happily. "What are you two talking about?"

"How much of an arse you are." Lou said.

"Hey! Piss off!" She stuck her tongue out.

Lou's phone started vibrating on her hand. "It's Tom. I think Lux's up. It's five back home, she's been quite the early bird these days." She frowned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hazz. And it was nice to see you, Luna."

"You too."

"I hope to see you around more often, eh?"

With that, Lou left us alone at the bar. A bunch of people from Harry's team was around but he didn't move from my side as I finished my glass of wine. I felt like I was drowning in my feelings, I felt my walls building back up as I stood there. Tears sat on my throat and I felt confused and scared. I didn't know what I wanted or where I was going with this. I mean, this couldn't go anywhere.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I just didn't realize I go back to Los Angeles and you keep on with your tour all over the world tomorrow."

"You know I have a couple weeks in Los Angeles before leaving America, right?" He rubbed my back, his hand slipping under my shirt making me shiver with the touch of his cold rings.

"Maybe it's good that we go separate ways and things slow down."

"Yeah." He almost whispered. "So you and Matt Hitt, eh?" He laughed, changing the subject.

"It was last year. We just kissed."

"So I don't have to worry about my friend being competition?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, rockstar." Harry's face leaned in, his lips brushed against mine making me explode inside. This feeling is what they talk about in rom com. The famous butterflies in your stomach. "Can we please get out of here before we make something stupid in front of your record label and my father?" He pulled away chuckling.

"Let's go."

Harry's hand fell on mine and our fingers laced together. I glanced over my shoulders to find Will. He stared at the both of us while sipping his drink. He nodded before I turned back around and followed Harry's steps.

"Did your mom leave already?"

"She wanted to go to sleep because her flight back home is quite early." We crossed the hotel lobby. "She wanted me to tell you it was lovely to meet you." He clicked the button to call the elevator a couple times. "I hope it wasn't awkward to you that she was there."

"No. She is a very nice lady. I'm glad I didn't make too much of a fool of myself in front of her."

"Hmm..." He cleared his throat, pulling me into the elevator along with two older women. "Did Will see the..."

"Vegas pictures? Yes."

"So is that why he looked like he wanted to decapitate me?"

"He did not!"

"Alright. Just a bit."

I laughed. "I tried to explain it to him, us, but--"

"So there is an us."