Independence

Chapter Twenty Six

"Don't let me goo..." I sang to no one in particular. Honestly that song was stuck in my head. It was funny how Harry never really mentioned it. I mean, we had been together for a couple days now and he hadn't mentioned it once. He had to have seen it right? Isn't that the reason I was allowed back on tour, because of that song?

The more I thought about it, the more it began to mess with my head. How is it possible, with all the social media in the world, for him to not have seen it?

Well, I guess I never brought it up. I was too busy...um...being with him. But now it's a little awkward that he doesn't know, I mean, everyone else does! Plus it's part of the new setlist...

I shook my head and adjusted my ear piece as I refocused on the performance ahead of me. No time for this bullshit, I had to deliver the perfect comeback show. My career was on the line, but then again, when is it not?

"Hey Lena," Jack said into my ear piece, "can you sing 'Don't' by Ed Sheeran? I don't know I just really like that song and I think I deserve a reward for this past week."

I giggled before stopping dead in my tracks and giving a quick squeal.

"Jeez okay I didn't realize I was talking to a fucking tea cup pig," Jack said sarcastically, but I ignored him and started bouncing on the platform, completely unaware of the fact that it was rising.

"What is your deal, Elena?" He exclaimed.

"I'm seeing Ed tomorrow! I totally forgot! Harry hooked us up and I'm so damn excited oh my gosh I love him so much I can't believe I--"

I stopped short as the spotlight hit me directly and the band strummed a few awkward chords. Shit.

"Oh, um," I began as I stared out into a sea of pre teen girls, "did you all hear that?"

Suddenly the stadium erupted in approving screams as they confirmed that they had indeed heard me fangirling over Ed Sheeran. And probably Harry too.

"That was pretty unprofessional of me, wasn't it?" I said with a small smile, overcome with relief that these people still respected me.

"You're so much more real now, Elena," Jack whispered into my ear piece, "you know I did that on purpose. Harry already told me where he was taking you."

I couldn't help but grin as I brought the microphone back to my lips. I've never felt more content.

Harry's POV

I chuckled softly as I watched her shift awkwardly on stage. Her soft cheeks were blushing so furiously that I could see them from my seat. She looked more beautiful than ever, flushed and excited like a little girl on Christmas morning. She's so oblivious, how could she have missed the fact that the platform was rising and her mic was turned on? Doesn't matter, I loved that it happened.

And so did everyone else.

In all five years of fame, I had never see the fans react so well to a girlfriend. Granted, she's not spared of hate. She gets loads of it. But people still buy her songs, sing at her shows, and genuinely care about her. She has this aura that envelops you in a sense of happiness. She's the light of everyone's life; bubbly, happy, and cute.

I loved her.

I watched her intently as she began to strut about the stage, flipping her hair back and forth like Taylor used to do. She wasn't a phenomenal dancer, but her energy makes up for it. She was absolutely buzzing today for some reason. Maybe it was the Ed tickets?

"Okay before I hand you over to One Direction, I have one last song for you," she said as she took her seat behind the piano. Why was she doing that? She sang all her songs plus the covers, what could I be missing?

"It seems that everyone but the person who this is about knows, so I figured I'd make it pretty obvious." Her red lips curled into a smile as she searched for something in the audience. My heart started pounding when her eyes locked on mine. Is this a song for...

"You," she finished my thought, "I wrote this for you. And for some reason, you made it really difficult to show you." She winked and cracked a sly smile, which made my heart throb in my chest. She played the opening chords and I felt shivers down my spine, but it was nothing compared to what I felt when she started singing. Her radiant voice echoed through the stadium, and it took me a couple seconds to realize that it wasn't an echo at all, but rather the sound of thousands of people singing along. They all knew it. I turned to watch the crowd as they waved flashlights and cell phones and screamed the lyrics to this beautiful song, and when I turned back she was practically belting with joyful tears rushing down her cheeks.

"Seems like these days I watched you from afar, just trying to make you understand!" She was smiling through her tears at this point, and I was so caught up in her beauty that I didn't even realize my own silent tears. Then she did a vocal riff that gave me goosebumps as I felt almost every emotion possible.

This song was for me. She wrote it for me. She's beautiful.

I love her.

As she finished, the crowd erupted in a thunderous applause that made my ears ring. She stood up, teary eyed and beaming, took a huge bow and blew me a kiss. I cheekily caught it and put it in my pocket, making her burst into a fit of giggles.

"Treat the boys good tonight, Boston, some of them might be a little fragile right now." She smirked and winked at me again as I shook my head at her wit. After all this time, how could she still make me feel this way? I was completely and utterly infatuated with a woman who I never thought would change me. But here I was, sitting front row to her performance of a song written about me, crying because she touched me in ways that no one ever could. She broke my hardened shell that I built up in spite of the world, and she showed me what it feels like to feel. Really feel something.

The lights faded out as she disappeared beneath the stage, the audience still screaming and cheering as if she was still there.

Look how far you've come, Elle.

"Hey mate!" A familiar Irish voice called, "I can't believe you've never heard that song! The rest of us gathered around the fucking TV at 8am just to watch her perform it!"

Niall was sweating already and bouncing up and down with adrenaline. But his words made me pause as I wondered what the fuck he was talking about. He seemed to pick up on my confused state and continued.

"Her Good Morning America performance? When she debuted that song? Hellooooo?"

"She sang that on Good Morning America? Why didn't I know about it?"

Niall laughed and threw his hand on my shoulder to steady himself. "You big idiot! That's how everyone knows about it! And in case you don't remember, you went MIA for weeks..."

But he was interrupted by a flash of sparkle that ran right in between Niall and I, planting it's soft lips on mine.

Elena.

"Did you like it?" She breathed in between kisses, both of us still passionately making out.

"Jesus, Elle," I gasped as she jumped on my waist, "I loved it. I love you."

She smiled as she wrapped her hands tightly around my neck, drawing herself closer to me so she could whisper in my ear.

"Don't ever let go."

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest at her soft desperation.

"Never."

"Eh-hem!" An uncomfortable Niall coughed. Shit, he was still there. "You know I'm a big fan of you guys but we kinda got a show to do."

Elena pulled back as she smiled at me, her red lips stretching as her mouth pulled into a wide grin accentuating her dimples. Her blue eyes sparkled as she leaned in to kiss me one more time, but I didn't let go.

"You have permission to let me go right now," she giggled as I squeezed her bum and pecked her lips on more time before running after Niall.

Now I really couldn't wait for Ed Sheeran.