Dream On [HS.AU]

Chapter Nine

Halle Henry

"I'm Halle Henry, thanks very much for having me!"

I waved into the crowd as I headed off stage, smiling uncontrollably and in a much better state than the one I was in earlier. Homesickness isn't something I usually struggle with, it just hit me that my job means sacrificing family time, but I soon got over it because I know my family don't mind. If anything, there's nothing they want more than for me to be doing what I'm doing.

It made me realise my happiness is my job. Being on stage, hearing people sing the words and dance to songs I've written fills me with joy. To be doing this as a job is a privilege, and I'm incredibly lucky. I don't want to throw that away because of an hour of homesickness.

Harry was in the wings as I got off stage, Sarah, Adam and Mitch all made their way to their places in the dark. Harry clapped his hands and the smile he was wearing brought one to my face too, because at the start of the tour, he wouldn't admit to enjoying my performances..

When I stood next to him, he put an arm round my shoulder as that heavenly sounding intro began to play through the venue, the same time as thousands of excited screams erupted. I was smiling for him, excited on his behalf because the idea of being the person everyone  is dying to see is incredible.

"See you soon." He said, squeezing my shoulder before skipping on to the stage to get the audience to cheer even louder.

The joy on his face is contagious, and it really is great to see somebody engage so much with their audience and get so much happiness out of it. So many people stand on one spot on the stage, sing the songs they had someone write and then they leave. Being on tour with Harry has definitely taught me how to have good stage presence.

As always, he went ploughing through the first couple of songs without stopping, dancing back and forth on the stage through each guitar solo like he had all the stamina in the world. I watched with a smile on my face, thinking of the time I signed to the label wondering if I'd even get the privilege to meet Harry Styles, and now I'm on tour with him.

"Theres only a few days left of the tour, and then I'll be off writing and recording the next record to bring to you all as soon as possible." Harry tells the crowd, conversing with them like they're friends of his. "But, seeing as there are only a few days left of the tour, we best make it special, right?"

The audience roared as Harry smirked, taunting them with god knows what he has up his sleeve. In all honesty, I don't know what else he can do to make these last few days better, but I suppose he could just do the exact same thing and nobody would think it's any different than the shows he did months ago.

"This next song ladies and gentleman isn't one of mine, it's a cover of a song that came out a few years ago." He says, a devilish smirk creeping onto his face as his eyes make their way over to me, standing off to the side of my stage unaware of his plan. "I'm gonna ask a good friend of mine to come on and help me with this one."

My stomach dropped. I thought perhaps I was imagining things, hallucinating even.

"Ladies and gentleman, if we could put our hands together for Halle Henry." He cheered, raising his arms above his head as he clapped at the same time as thousands of strangers did too.

Baffled, I turned to Mick as if to ask 'what the fuck?', however he just gave me the gentle nudge forward and continued clapping his hands, and then proceeding to whistle. Nervously, I headed towards Harry, blinded by the lights as if I had not been standing in the same position just less than half an hour ago.

I tried to play it cool, waving to the audience as if this was planned, as if I knew I'd be singing with Harry Styles at his own concert, but inside I was screaming. The butterflies in my stomach were doing somersaults and every emotion ever was flowing through my veins and providing me with that high of pure shock and excitement.