A Dreamers Dream

Two hearts, one home. Los Angeles, California. USA.

Maddie's Perspective

I am so caught up in the excitement after the show finishes and Harry, and the band leave the stage, that I don't even notice as the tearful crowd thins out around me and whittles down to nothing. One minute we are surrounded by thousands of crying, screaming fans, all hugging each other and commiserating the end of Harry's first worldwide arena tour, and the next you could almost hear a pin drop in the near-empty venue. Even the crew have started to filter off in various directions, some heading backstage, and others starting the tedious process of dismantling Harry's set up for the final time.

"Well, I guess I should probably do some work," Sammy grumbles unhappily as she stretches up out of her seat. Clark disappeared to the bathroom ages ago now and never came back, so it's only the two of us sitting here chatting away, happily catching up on all the stuff we've missed in each other's lives whilst we've not been speaking. I tell her all about my recording and writing sessions, about my ill-advised kiss with Dean and the excitement of signing my contract. Whilst she fills me in on all the crew gossip that I have missed out on since I've been gone. If it weren't for the churning in my stomach reminding me that I still need to actually speak to Harry, I'd almost be able to convince myself that I've never been away.

"Mind if I join you?" I ask her. True to form, I am being a coward. The last thing I can cope with doing right now is making my way backstage to find Harry and talk to him. I just don't have the balls. At the same time, I don't want to just leave without speaking to him at all, so I figure that if I hang around, he will either come looking for me or he'll call, and maybe I can distract myself in the meantime and try and get my heart rate to go back to something resembling normal and my hands to stop shaking.

"Ha! Sure, but don't expect me to share my wages with ya!" Sammy giggles and stretches out her hand to me. I place mine in it, and we make our way hand in hand down towards the barriers that flank the catwalk between the two stages and start our usual routine of dismantling them, just like old times.

I heave up a heavy piece of the metal barrier and cringe at the ache in my arms as I do so. Over the weeks I was part of the crew, I built up a little more upper body strength and physical tasks stopped being quite so tricky for me, but it seems that any muscle I gained has turned back to soft, squishy fat during the time I've been in LA, either that or the barriers have gotten heavier which seems unlikely.

"Well well, would you look at that, a real live music artist with a record deal and everything mucking in to help out the little people. You're making me look bad." a deep, smooth voice booms out from behind me.

My mind flashes back to all those months ago in Birmingham when Harry was a complete stranger to me, just a face I'd seen on television occasionally and my new boss, who crept up and startled me and my breath catches in my throat. Caught completely off guard yet again, I turn to face him quickly, too quickly... the arena starts to tilt bizarrely, almost in slow motion and I lose what little balance I had whilst trying to carry a heavy section of barrier and topple to my left, feeling myself falling as the metal crashes to the floor, the ground seems to rush up to meet my face as I tumble. Deja-vu, I think to myself as I once again, try to mentally prepare myself for the impact.

Before I can hit the hard concrete surface though, two tattoo-covered muscular arms swing out and wrap themselves around me, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me close in to the chest of their owner as he prevents me from falling any further and drags me upright. It takes a few seconds for my brain to catch up as I stand in his embrace, but eventually, I lift my head slowly, desperate to delay the moment that I'll have to make eye contact with him. Unsure of what I will see when I finally do connect my gaze with his, and his bright green eyes bore into mine. When our gazes finally meet I stare in amazement as his pupils dilate and I feel his arms tighten around me, pressing me even more tightly against him until there isn't a single centimetre between us.