Eight | W2S

NINE.

"The prodigy has returned," JJ's voice boomed, quite literally as soon as I step foot into the studio.

Everyone's attention turned to me, and instantly I was surrounded by the people I loved most in the world.

"Hardly a prodigy," I laugh, but I accept the hugs and greetings from all my friends, glad to be back in their company after a very eventful forty-eight hours.

"Maybe not a prodigy, but you had us worried sick," Tobi said, wrapping his arms round my back gently.

"Someone was watching out over you, for sure," Vik added.

"Yeah, what actually happened with that?" Josh asks, standing just to the side of the little circle that had formed.

"I'm not actually sure. I arrived at the airport, found my taxi driver, ended up talking to his daughter on the phone, then the hotel phoned me and said that for some reason I couldn't stay in my original hotel room so they had organised for me to stay in another hotel outside of the city. It was the same company, and they said they'd pay for the transport in and out of Tokyo each day. Genuinely, I was so lucky. Harry showed me the videos of the hotel I was supposed to stay in, I just feel so lucky to be okay. So many people weren't," I explain, still feeling a little overwhelmed with everything.

It wasn't the trip to Tokyo I'd planned, that was for sure. And now it was back on my bucket list, but maybe not for another couple of years.

"Someone was definitely watching over you, then," Josh agreed, and I knew exactly who that person was.

It seemed Harry did, too, because he made eye contact with me from across the circle, managing to give me a little smile.

He still remained the only person other than my dad who knew my real reasoning for Tokyo, and I didn't mind that.

Although, since coming back from the whole ordeal, he'd been acting a little differently. He seemed shaken, which was understandable. To all of them, I'd gone off the grid for nearly six hours.

I probably would've been just as, if not more, shaken up as they were.

"Alright, Kenzie, Harry, can you guys come get mic'd up first please?" Kon shouted out, breaking up the conversation the others were having.

It was easy to slip away, but Harry had beat me over to Kon, so James started to sort mine out.

"Welcome back, Kenzie," James grinned, giving me a little side hug before getting started.

"I was hardly gone!" I exclaimed, laughing it off as he attached the mic to my t-shirt. "I suppose on the plus side, TP gave me my holiday back. I'm gonna save it for my birthday I think."

"That's coming up, no?"

"Nah, not for another couple of months. July. Well, okay, yeah, I suppose it is coming up. Just under two months actually," I work out, forgetting that we're already in May. The year had seemed to whizz by already.

"Doing anything nice for it?" He asks, because in the past I'd be known to throw big parties for my birthday.

"I'm not sure, might end up having a quiet one this year. Maybe go and spend the week with my dad, it's been too long since I went home," I admit truthfully, and I can literally feel Harry staring at me from where he's getting mic'd up.

I stare back, and catch him looking directly at me. I expect him to look away awkwardly, but he does the opposite. Instead, he holds my gaze, and smiles slightly before then turning away.

"Alright. You're all done. JJ! Get your ass over here," James yells, making me and some of the others laugh, as I head towards the snack table.

I sense that I'm not alone, and my intuition turns out to be correct when I spot Harry behind me in my peripheral vision.