A Dreamers Dream

After the show. Toronto, Canada.

Harry's perspective.

Listening to the cheers from the crowd as my girl takes her final bow and starts to leave the stage, walking towards me with a huge smile on her face as she waves goodbye to the audience, my heart feels like it's going to burst with pride. Her set was amazing, and clearly, the fans thought so too if their applause is anything to go by.

When she first started singing her first cover track, I could hear the tremor in her voice caused by her nerves and see her guitar vibrating on her knee as she shook slightly and it took absolutely everything in me not to rush out there and comfort her, somehow I held myself back, and I'm glad I did because by the second track she seemed to have gotten on top of things. She belted out the chorus to her second song like a pro, and the crowd were right there with her, singing back every line of the well known 80's song and applauding loudly when she finished, it was heart-warming to see, it even made me wonder if maybe, just maybe if/when we go public with our relationship, my fans might actually take to Maddie, unlike most of my ex's, and not give her such a hard time on social media. When she launched into Story of my life, I had to lean against the wall to steady myself a bit and actually felt myself tearing up. Listening to her sing Ever Since New York in the guitar store in Nashville was amazing, but hearing the reaction of the crowd when the woman I love sang one of the bands biggest hits.. that was something else entirely, I wish the rest of the boys had been here to see that. I really hope someone got that on video.

I'm not going to lie when Maddie first leaned a little closer to the mic stand and tentatively asked the crowd. If they minded her singing one of her own songs, I was absolutely terrified and wondered if this was the right time and place for that. I mean, the whole reason I suggested that she just do covers was because she had such little time to try and rehearse anything else and I didn't want her putting undue pressure on herself, stepping out on a stage like that is hard enough for me after how many years? I can't imagine how scary it must have been for her, but listening to her sultry voice echoing around the almost silent arena as she played the track, and watching the fans linking arms and swaying to the slow, acoustic ballad, I don't think I've ever been more proud of anyone.

My face is actually starting to hurt from smiling so wide, and the second that she steps off stage I throw my arms around her from behind, careful to avoid her new guitar and pick her up, twirling her in a circle as the applause dies down from the arena behind us and my pre-show playlist starts blaring through the speakers.

"Harry! Put me down!!" She squeals and after one final spin, I relent and place her soundly on the floor, careful to make sure that she has her balance before I let her go, being all too aware of how clumsy she can be. I want this night to stick in her memory as the first time she performed her own song in a sold-out arena, not the first time she fell flat on her face after walking off stage.

"You were amazing!" I tell her, peppering her flushed face with kisses and making her squirm in an attempt to get away from me.

"Yeah?" She says questioningly, raising one eyebrow at me as if she can't quite believe what I am saying. Something in her tone seems... off, and I take a step back, holding her at arm's length and bending my knees slightly so that I can look her right in the eyes.

"What do you mean, yeah? Of course, you were! I am so fucking proud of you right now, Trouble!" I say as firmly as I can, how can she possibly be doubting that? "I don't think I know anyone else who'd have had the balls to get up there and sing their own song, with no time to rehearse it, you were brilliant! Why didn't you tell me you were going to sing an original? I could have gotten you more time at soundcheck to practice it."

"I didn't know I was going to do it then. I didn't honestly know for sure that I was going to play it until I started the track." She admits, looking down at the ground and scuffing her feet. "It seemed to go down, OK, though."