Red String 2 {h.s}

Chapter 9

Harry wakes up on Friday, December thirteenth, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement. He's poured his literal heart into this album. Every lyric, every melody, every horn, string, drum beat or guitar riff feels like an extension of himself. He had turned his phone off yesterday evening in order to try and get a good night's sleep, with Amy helping him relax and take his mind off of things. His mum and sister had flown in last night for the show. Amy's parents would be arriving around noon today. He showers and when he comes back into the sitting area of their suite, Amy has a full breakfast set up at the table that she got delivered from his favorite breakfast spot.

"You need to keep your energy levels high today," she says, fixing him a plate with everything he likes. She gets him an herbal tea, the kind his vocal coach recommends. Amy has been very keen to learn all the ins and out of Harry staying healthy on tour, starting with his voice. Harry has watched her attentively listen to his team lay out instructions for rest, exercise and nutrition for on the road. She seems to have taken on the role of caretaker of Harry, not something that has ever come naturally to her before but a job she is taking seriously. Today she is focused on nutrition. Making sure he gets enough protein will be even more important now on his vegetarian diet. His exercise program will be easier to help him maintain. Harry's discipline is something that Amy admires, as she is often still sleeping by the time he comes back from his morning jogs. He told Amy he likes jogging because he can be out in public and no one bothers him, something that rarely happens in his life.

Harry sits down in a chair at the table and Amy places the heaping plate of food in front of him with a kiss on the top of his head. No one has ever looked after him like this, other than his mom, and he is interested to watch how Amy adapts to tour life. It's certainly not for everyone, the days can be long and living out of a suitcase is difficult, but he thinks if anyone would thrive on it it would be Amy.

Amy is purposely not talking, conscious of allowing Harry to preserve his voice for tonight. She likes these quiet moments they have together. When Harry finishes eating, he turns on his phone and he is flooded with messages. He skims through them, replying back to as many as he can. Him and Amy watch a few silly videos from the likes of Lou Teasdale and her daughter Lux dancing in the kitchen to Watermelon Sugar, or one from Niall playing on his guitar, Cherry. Amy is blown away by the number of messages from celebrities. She's been kept apart of that area of his life but tonight she'll get her first taste of it.

The plan is for Harry to leave for the venue and Amy to come closer to showtime with her parents and Anne and Gemma. Amy and Harry say their goodbyes. He knows he'll be anxious until he sees her again. Her presence effects his mood so much, so he'll be waiting for her all day and her magical words she'll have ready to send him off on stage with.

Amy insists on going with Tom to the airport to get her parents, and runs to them giving them both a big hug when she sees them come out of the arrivals building. They make the short trip to the hotel and Amy shows them to their suite. All of them are staying on the same floor, and her parents are amazed at how luxurious the place is.

There's a knock at the door and it's Anne and Gemma, coming to meet Amy's parents for the first time. Anne's warmth is enough for anyone to love and Gemma and Harry share the same ability of being able to talk to any person of any age and background. Amy is overjoyed watching how well they all get along. It's a huge relief to know their families can be friendly. Amy has yet to meet Harry's dad, Des, but it seems they have a bit of a strained relationship. When Harry was younger he always thought his parents breaking up was a mutual choice and there wasn't any big problem. The older he got the more he wondered how anyone would walk away from his mum, who he thought was completely wonderful. When Harry gained success with the band, Des began showing his face a lot more, volunteering to come on tour. Harry loved it when he was sixteen and seventeen; felt like he was getting the chance to know his dad that he never had when he was younger. But the more time he spent with him, the more he realized that his dad might not have been as blame free and unproblematic as he thought. Harry still sees him a couple times a year and they talk on the phone occasionally but he doesn't feel guilty anymore about not having a strong connection to him. That decision was made by a grown man leaving his family, not a seven year old child.