Falling | h.s

thirty-seven

HARRY'S POV

This is it. 

This is everything we've been waiting for. 

Two weeks after writing "Golden" and here I was, surrounded by my closest friends in my home, celebrating the official completion of the album. All of the recordings had been perfected, every guitar solo was flawless. 

It was the quickest album I've ever written, while in One Direction or otherwise, and I found myself in shock as we listened through the album all the way through. We still hadn't come up with an album title, but we were sure that we would have one by the time the label approved the final product. For now, we celebrated. 

The whole house is on fire with energy. My living room and kitchen were full of all my closest friends in Los Angeles. Rosie and Janie stood in the kitchen, taking shots from a bottle they found in the back of my cupboard. My entire band stood nearby, nursing beers and glasses of wine as they chatted with Phoebe and her friends. Benjamin joked with Tom and a crowd of friends on my back porch. A Hall and Oates album plays in harmony with the sounds of champagne bottles being popped and laughter. These are my people and this is my place. 

I stood at the top of the stairs, taking a moment to soak it all in. I don't know what happens next, where we go from here. If the label will even like it.

I beeline to the kitchen. Two glasses of champagne and all I want is to be around her. I don't have to kiss her, hold her, touch her. Having her near is enough. 

When I snake my arms around her she looks up at me with glassy eyes and a lazy smile. 

"H!" She cheers and I feel my insides get gooey. 

"Hi, honeypot," I whisper into her ear and kiss her hair softly, making her sigh. 

"I missed you," she confesses, turning to face me. 

"He was gone for ten minutes," Rosie rolls her eyes as she tries to hide her smile behind her drink. 

"What're you girls drinking?" I ask, ignoring Rosie as Janie nuzzles her head against my chest. We were both tipsy and drunk on the idea of being around each other. All I wanted was to touch her. 

"Shots!" Janie exclaims enthusiastically before untangling herself from my grasp. She grabs another solo cup from a stack and uncaps the bottle of brown liquid in lightning speed. "Do a round with us!" She cheers and sticks a cup out towards me before pouring the same amount into two others. I shrug with a lazy grin, making her burst into applause before raising she and Rosie raise their cheap plastic cups. 

"To Harry!" Janie exclaims, clinking her cup to mine, a giddy smile stuck to her lips like chapstick.

"To Janie," I retort with a smirk. I look down at the brown liquid and internally say oh, fuck it, before throwing the liquid back into my mouth. The girls take my action as a cue to throw back their own shots. 

Janie dramatically coughs at the taste as Rosie and I watch her with smirks. 

"Okay, drama queen," I tease, slinging an arm around her. "It wasn't that bad."

"It wasn't awesome," she retorts with a giggle. 

"Want to switch to champagne?" I ask, peering down at her. She gives me a small nod, accompanied by a gentle smile. 

"Please." 

I kiss her forehead before moving across the kitchen to grab her a clean cup and pop open a fresh bottle of champagne. I return to her, pulling her in again, with her new drink in tow. She hums a happy thank you into my side. I lean down to kiss the top of her head again, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.