It's Just Ann

Chapter 21 - Soundtrack

They notice I'm in the room as well, her head snapping in my direction and wide blue eyes on me. I can see how she tenses, the hand that was strumming the strings reaching for the hand of the boy that also turns to look at me and my heart stops.

I just stare blankly at him, trying to process why such a big celebrity is in this room.

"H-Ha—" I mumble, not even able to utter his name.

It's not like I'm a directioner or anything, but I still know of One Direction and Harry Styles. They are huge, how could I not? And never in my life I imagined I would run into him whilst meeting Ariel Hamilton.

"Shh," he says, putting his index on top of his lips. "Don't tell anyone you saw me here. It's a secret," he adds, winking as he entwines fingers with the girl.

"You two are... dating?" I ask and the girl looks down, cheeks as bright as her hair.

"Secretly," he replies and I have to press my lips together not to laugh at this situation, just because I can't believe it.

I would have never imagined international heartthrob and new indie artist, who's known for her shyness, are a couple, but as I look at them now, holding hands and leaning into each other, I can see something you can't find that often in this industry. Trust, support and love that pours out of them and is impossible to miss.

"Your secret is safe with me," I smile, putting myself together after the shock. "And it's a pleasure to meet you both," I add, taking a step forward and holding up my hand to shake. "I'm Ann Tachibana, from Tachibana Productions."

"Hi, I'm Ariel Hamilton," the girl shakes it first and I can feel her slightly tremble.

"It's such an honour to meet you, Ariel. Can I call you that? I'm a big fan. Currently obsessed with your album. It's beyond wonderful. My favourite track is My Villain," I continue, referring to a song that isn't a single yet but that won my heart the first time I heard it.

"Thank you so much," she replies with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for giving her this chance," Harry Styles says, shaking my hand next and I just nod. "I'll leave you two alone now. I sneaked here without telling anyone. I'll get in trouble if I stay longer. You'll love the song she's working on," the boy says and I smile at him, seeing right there Ariel's biggest fan.

The boy leaves us alone and I keep my smile, trying to make her comfortable. I notice she grabs the guitar again, using it almost as a shield.

"I'm really excited about this and I just came here to personally meet you and listen to what you're working on, and to offer any assistance I can," I offer, making sure she notices this isn't a big deal. She was already signed, I just want to see her progress to get a feeling of the song, and to have that in consideration for the rest of the soundtrack.

"Do you wanna listen to it now? It's not completed yet, I'm still polishing it," she says and I nod enthusiastically.

"Please. I'll control my fangirl," I try to joke and she chuckles lightly.

She sits more comfortably, putting the guitar on her lap and focusing solely on that. I look for a place to sit and listen to it carefully. She starts strumming a soft melody that merges peacefully and perfectly with her voice, her humming until words start to come out. Words about friendship, trust and nature. About the world we live in and how we are part of it, not just living on it. It's a song with power and a strong message, a song that took the core of the stories and exposed it with a melody. The tempo goes up in the chorus, making it catchy but still powerful, and I get goosebumps when I hear her hitting those high notes, playing her guitar with a passion that I haven't seen before. She becomes one with her guitar, just like the characters become one with nature, connecting with their element.