Your fans have always been the best part of your career.
If there's anything you're forever grateful in life, it's not the achievements or the awards. It's this...
Thousands of beautiful people staring back at you.
And millions of them that got your back on social media.
For years and years now.
They have been there through thick and thins
And their patience with you still makes you wonder sometimes of how they put up with you and it's enough for you to add another line when writing for your next single
It's always been your drive.
To give them your love as much as you can.
And you think it's been years.
You think they always deserve more.
Thousands of beautiful people staring back at you...
"London, thank you so much for such a wonderful night..." you say and thousands of them scream back their love at you.
You don't think you'll ever get used to it.
"...please know that this night was amazing because of you. And I know I sang the last song already but tonight I want to make an exception." you gestured to your staff to bring the acoustic guitar on stage.
"For the past five years, I have never made an exception like this one before but I am just so overwhelmed with all the love and restless support from you guys. And I feel like I need to sing one more song. Please do know, that you will be the ones to only witness this live up here and I'll make it as special as possible..."
You're shaking and your heart is beating really fast.
It feels like fifteen all over again.
When you're about to sing your audition piece to hundreds of people and a four set of judges.
When you're about to step up and reach where you are right now.
You hover your fingers on the fret board and form a chord. This is it. You inhale a deep breath.
This is just your twelfth night and the twelfth place on your touring list for your third album.
Nothing is special about the day.
"I found the love, for me..."
You can't almost hear your strumming at the screams directed towards you.
But your fans know Ed Sheeran's songs is always a part of your craft and they just let you into it when you didn't change any of the pronouns used in the song.
"We were just kids when we fell in love,
Not knowing what it was..."
You can't quite handle your nerves. This is the first time you sang an Ed Sheeran song in your own tour and they only ever know about this song through your spotify playlist you once shared on Twitter.
You're tearing up because these lovely people are singing it back to you. And they look at you like they can't believe you are singing this in front of them.
They always deserve all of this.
"I whispered underneath my breath
you heard it, darling you look perfect tonight."
The rest of the band joined you...
And the raspiness of her voice cannot be replaced by any of this all as she sings and appear from behind.
"And I found the woman..."
Your fans are kind of quick to hear you aren't the one who sang those words because as soon as she finished the first line everyone seems to scream. So loud that you start to think it would actually shake the whole place.
Lauren Jauregui sings the lines looking so beautiful and perfect in her classic leather-jacket-wearing look. And waves to everyone as much as she can before sitting beside you on the mini stairs you've been sitting in.
She never fails to amaze you.
She never had.
And somehow you can't bother to cover the grin plastered on your face because after all these years, you still can't quite believe the person beside you is real.
You let her sing her part just like how you rehearse it backstage but at this point, you completely forgot about the part and everything in between because she's here and she's staring back at you like you're fifteen and sixteen all over again.
A rush of memories came flooding in with every single note she sing.
You see it right through her eyes.
The innocence of love and friendship you both felt.
How it all feels so real and intoxicating.
How you both push and pull towards the idea of it.
All of it in less than a minute.
You both fought to make this possible.
Right in front of the crowd, unashamed and shouting it at the top of your lungs because this feeling just never leaves your body.
How much you really love this woman.
"We are still kids when we're so in love,
fighting against all odds..."
At this point, you are both singing the words. Just like how you used to do for 5 years.
Except, there's just the two of you and you're wearing your heart on your sleeve in front of thousands of sparkling camera flashes.
Except, they don't annoy you anymore because if there's something you want people to know is that you have been loving her all along.
You've been told to stay quiet your whole life that tears are starting to form and it's this moment, right at this moment, for the first time in your whole career, you and this beautiful soul and the people crying and singing the words share a very intimate moment.
Realizing it, you barely manage to stare directly into those eyes and say the words because you want everyone in this whole stadium —the whole world, probably— to know...
"I see my future in your eyes."
That Lauren and only Lauren had set your soul on fire and never once did you try to escape from it.
