It's a Sign of the Times

Chapter Four: A New POV

I take a swig from the bottle of water in front of me. Music is already coming from the stage but I barely register it. I'm so focused on my breathing and making sure that I don't strain my voice before we have to go onstage. Final mic checks were done only five minutes ago and everything feels so rushed and last minute. It's never like this. Our tour, Take Me Home, has been going so well up until this point. I feel a hand clap on my back. "You okay?" It's the voice of my friend and fellow band-mate, Niall. 

"Yeah, just needed to take a minute by myself," I explain. "Everything's been so hectic tonight and we still have to perform. I don't know if I have it in me to put on a show."

"Hey, you'll be okay. We're all going to get through it if it bloody kills us," Niall laughs and heads back to the rest of the group. 

He's right. I'm actually excited for tonight. We've made it to Columbus, Ohio and we're performing at Nationwide Arena tonight. It's so different performing in America, but I like the change of scenery. Everything's different on this side of the world. 

I get up and join the other boys at the side of the stage. 5 Seconds of Summer is currently performing, as they've been opening for us throughout the duration of our tour. They've already finished their first song, "Voodoo Doll," and moved onto their rendition of "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. It's not very good in my opinion, but not much of their music is my style anyways. Really the only reason that they're on tour with us is because our publicists recommended that we treat them as equals rather than competition. It looks good if the most popular boy bands are working together, I guess. It doesn't really matter that much to me, but I guess our team should know what's best for us. I'm not the biggest fan of Ashton though. He and my sister, Gemma, have been getting a little too close for my liking. It just means I have to keep an extra close eye on her these days. 

The band begins their final song, "Heartbreak Girl," and the five of us are motioned to get into position. The five of us give each other encouraging nods and line up. 5 Seconds of Summer closes their song and the arena is filled with the sound of screaming and cheering fans. The lights shut off and we switch positions. It's always surreal to to stand on a dark stage with a roaring noise surrounding you. It's pitch black when I turn my mic on and I know that the other guys are doing the same. I hear our cue and the lights turn on. I'm breathless at the sheer number of people that stand before me. They're all standing and cheering. I catch a couple yelling out our individual names and I try to make out which ones are yelling "Harry!" but it's too hard from where I'm standing. The beginning notes of our first song play and we begin our practiced set starting with "Up All Night." The five of us clap along to the beat as Liam starts us off. 

"It feels like we've been livin' in fast forward, another moment passing by," his voice floats around the arena and screaming fans sing along. 

It's only a moment before my part in the song comes up. I lean forward and sing, "Katy Perry's on replay, she's on replay, DJ got the floor to shake, the floor to shake. People going all the way, yeah, all the way. I'm still wide awake."

The five of us join together for the chorus, hopping around the stage and brushing fans hands. I grin at the sight of thousands of people singing along to the song. As I skim the crowd for moving lips, I notice one girl in particular who isn't singing along. In fact, she's not even looking at the stage. I look at the two girls beside her who are jumping around and singing like the rest of the crowd is. She was probably dragged here by her friends, but it's ridiculous how she's not even trying to enjoy herself. I catch myself staring and drag my eyes away from her. 

* * * * *

We're on our seventeenth song and she still hasn't really gotten into the music yet. I know this only because she's the only girl here who's captivated my attention this way and I continuously have been checking up on her. Not in a weird way, but I'm just trying to figure her out. I've caught her eyes a couple different occasions, but each time she just looks away. She took out her ponytail about halfway through the concert and now her long, red hair sits messily on her shoulders. Even from this far away, I can tell that she doesn't have loads of makeup on. We start on our eighteenth song, "She's Not Afraid," and I finally catch her eye again and this time I give her a smile before she looks away. Maybe the song was resonating with her and she was feeling braver. I look away, but I can see her friends grabbing her and jumping around excitedly and I laugh to myself. Maybe they saw me smile at her. 

I suddenly have an idea and I feel so much better. I'll just invite her friends backstage and they'll drag her along with them and I'll get the chance to talk to her! I relax and put a lot more energy into the song than I normally would. Maybe we'll even head to a party afterwards and I'll get to know her better. And knowing the rest of the band, her friends would have plenty of people to talk to as well. 

* * * * *

The rest of the show speeds by. We close with our infamous "What Makes You Beautiful" as an encore and then we head backstage and I pull aside Zayn and Louis and let them in on my plan.

"Wait, which girl?" Zayn asks, confused.

"You want to invite someone that didn't even enjoy the show?" Louis asks incredulously. 

"Just trust me on this, guys. You'll understand when you see her. Besides, she had two friends with her so it's not like it'll just be the two of us," I explain. "Let security know so they can grab her on her way out."

It won't be long until I know your name, Mystery Girl. Until then.

xx, Harry