Remember Me [harry styles] ✓

15 - Ants and pants

"For the feeling that I get when you are gone, I want to write you a song."

Qudos Bank Arena is huge and from where I'm standing, Harry is merely an ant.

A very talented, overly energetic, prancing about...ant.

He's not hard to miss though, having changed into a pair of loose yellow and burgundy trousers the moment we'd located the dressing room backstage. They don't even remotely go well with the tour hoodie but he tells me that I haven't seen anything yet. That tonight's suit will blow my mind. 

I've situated myself way up in the heavens in section fifty-seven while Harry runs through the set list and the crew faff with the controls. Observing from the front row had reminded me too much of the Hicense Arena. Of being pushed up against the iron railings with other people's perspiration on my skin. And I want this experience to be different - not tainted by the drama we're moving away from. I want to be here as his friend. As his Juni. Not the scorned penpal with heaps of cried-over letters stashed under her bed. 

Harry wiggles his fingers in my direction whilst belting out lyrics to one of the many songs of his that I don't know, and I wave back. Even from up here I can see the dimpled grin stretch across his face and something about knowing that it's meant for me, that it's because of me makes my pulse quicken. A part of me still wouldn't be surprised if I woke up at some point and discovered that these past few days have been a dream. Nothing is ever this easy. This good. 

"Can Juniper please make her way to the stage." 

My head snaps up as Harry's voice echos around me and reverberates in my chest. He's now completely stationary, beckoning me down with those slender, ring-clad fingers of his. 

Hell no.

"Yep, I'm speaking to you, Juni. You are the only Juniper in the building I'm afraid." He moves the hand not holding the microphone onto his hip. He's now oozing with sass, grinning at me wickedly like a force to be reckoned with. I haven't got a clue how clear I am from where he's standing but I shake my head anyway. This is supposed to be his soundcheck, not an opportunity to embarrass the crap out of me.

When did Bring-Your-Best-Friend-To-Work Day become Humiliate-Your-Best-Friend-At-Work Day instead? 

"Juni, if you don't come down here now," the sound of him licking his lips crackles through the speakers. "Then I'll do this tonight at the concert instead." 

I'm up and out of my seat before my brain even has time to think about it. The soles of my shoes catch the steps as I reluctantly hurry down them and towards the main floor of the arena, biting down on my lower lip the whole way. Harry's such a little shit and it's taking all my will power not to launch myself onto that stage and throttle him or even just bolt out of the nearest exit. 

If he even dared to call on me in front of thousands of people tonight, despite my previous thoughts, I actually think I might quite easily become sick of him after all.

"Here she is - my biggest fan!" He calls out in a singsong voice as I approach.

What a little-

I narrow my eyes at him and he wiggles his eyebrows. He knows full well that he's pushing his luck. He seems to be determined to take everything to a whole new level - flying me out to Sydney, ordering enough food for an army. Now this. My cheeks are burning a furious scarlet and it doesn't help that Adam and the lady on the keyboard are grinning at me as if Harry's idea is the best thing since sliced bread.

I begin to climb the stairs leading up to the platform where Harry and the band are waiting. I don't know what it is exactly that they are waiting for but if Harry thinks I'm going to sing then he's got another thing coming. Only the contents of my bathroom has the privilege of hearing such an atrocity.