Always You

18. Table Hockey

I'm back on tour and currently in Vancouver. 

Ed and I are in the middle of an intense battle of table hockey when Heather asks us to stop the game.

"One second, I'll score here and then - boom!" I take a shot at the goal and score.

"Fuck" Ed stomps his foot on the ground.

I turn and look at Heather who simply rolls her eyes. She is holding a phone out to me. In particularly, my phone. "Oh, did someone ring?"

"Mr Styles is on the phone."

I smile as soon as the words leave her lips. "I'll be back Ed, Carmen take my spot" I call out to Ed's friend. 

I thank Heather and take my phone from her before skipping off into a quiet spot. 

"Hey you" I say into the phone. 

"Hi" he sings. "Sounded like you were in a duel with Ed. I hope you're taking it easy on the old guy."

"Not a chance. I am extremely competitive when it comes to table hockey."

"You mean extremely competitive when it comes to anything."

"Yeah, true point." I sit down and lean against the wall behind me. "Have you gone on stage yet?"

"Two hours until we go out. You?"

"No, twenty minutes for me."

"Well I better not keep you for too long then."

I laugh. "It's okay. Wanna know something funny that happened today?"

"Mhmm."

This just goes to show how much of a klutz I am. "I was exiting the hotel gym and I was too busy texting my mum that I walked straight into the door. I head butted it and it bloody hurt."

Harry bursts out laughing. "How the hell did that happen? Did you not see the door."

"You see, I walked in on the pool side entrance and that door is an automatic sliding door. So when I was exiting I forgot that I was going through a different door and that's how it happened."

"You're an idiot Hailey Hayes."

"Tell me something I don't already know."

We continue talking about what we've been up to until Heather finds me and tells me I will be on stage in 5 minutes.

Harry left to go on tour one week ago. I left three days after him. Since we have been apart we have spoken every day. Whether it be through text, FaceTime or a call, we have kept in contact.

Despite not being face to face with him, it still feels like we've never been apart because of our phone contact. 

I go back to LA tomorrow for a studio session but then fly out again. Harry returns the following week and I return a week after that. That sounds as confusing as hell, doesn't it. 

"I'll let you go, kill it out there."

"Thanks H, I'll try my best." I joke. "Good luck for two hours time - well, a little less than that now."

"Thank you."

After we end the call I jog back to where everyone else is. 

"La laa laaa laaaa laaa laa la." I warm up my vocal chords with the basic exercise. 

"Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits."

"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?"

Alright, that's enough for today. I jump up and down on the spot as I prepare to run out onto the stage. 

Let's do this. 

*

"Detroit you are so loud tonight, thank you for that." The crowd cheers even louder which makes me smile. "So I've been on stage for about twenty minutes now and during the last song I couldn't help but notice a girl in the third row."

I point to the girl. "You there with the purple shirt." I watch as she points to herself and mouths 'me?' "Yes you" I smile at her. "I love your shirt."

Her shirt is purple and she was on the boy next to hers shoulders before which was how I noticed her. On her shirt it says 'Hailey Hayes is my idol.' I don't have any merchandise so she must have made it herself. 

"That looks so cool, it makes me want to make my own merch. I always get scared of doing it though in case nobody buys it."

The girl waves her hands in the air as the crowd around her cheers. 

"Do you guys think I should make merch?" 

They cheer in response.

"Okay, I take that as a yes. Thank you for the feedback guys. Very helpful."

I take a sip of my water before speaking again. "So this next song is called Remind Me. It's a cover by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood."

*

After my set, Aidan my guitarist and I play table hockey whilst Ed gets ready to go on stage. 

"I must admit you are a lot better at this than Ed." I look around jokingly to make sure Ed isn't around. "But shh, don't tell him that."

Aidan laughs. "He will have your head in if he heard that."

Claire my hair stylist and makeup artist joins us. "I want to have a go. But Hailey help me out because I suck at this."

"That's not fair" Aidan whines. "Brad" he calls out to one of the crew members. Brad jogs over, thinking Aidan needs something but instead he points to the game table. "I need you to be on my team man."

"I have to work pal. Just because your set is over doesn't mean everyone can relax." He winks and pats Aidan on the back. 

"Alright, I bet I can beat you two anyway." Aidan says with confidence.

"Bring it" Claire says to him. 

Claire and I won and Aidan was not happy about it. 

"I'm going out to watch Ed's set now. Who's coming."

"Hailey I need to fix your winged liner it is smudged here" she points to the corner on my right eye.

"Can we just take the liner off? It's okay, we don't need to fix it."

Claire nods and we go into my dressing room to get a makeup wipe. After taking off my eye makeup except my mascara and false lashes, Claire, Aidan and I go out to watch Ed's set. 

I get a couple of photos with people and then I see the girl with the purple shirt. "Excuse me, could you please let that girl come to the front. I would like to get a photo with her." I say to one of the security. He nods his head at me and turns to the crowd. 

I don't know how he did it but he managed to get the girl to the front despite the women in the front row not wanting to move aside. I understand why they did it because they didn't want to lose their spot but the girl would move back to her spot after the photo. 

"Hi Hailey, I love you so much. I have followed you ever since your youtube days." 

I hug her. "Thank you so much. You're adorable. Can we get a photo?"

She gasps. "I can't believe you're asking me for a photo. Hell yes."

I laugh and get out my phone. We take a selfie on my phone and then her phone before she moves back to her original spot.

I am definitely Instagraming that picture because her shirt is amazing.