Sequins & Zippers

Part 5 | Second Guessing & The Pink Suit

Aurora makes her way to Mitch and Adam's dressing rooms and does her job there. She's interrupted when she's fixing a small stitch on Sarah's blouse.

"Oh Aurora! Glad I found you," Jeff's voice echoes through the otherwise silent dressing room. "Harry was getting worried, said he hadn't seen or heard from you. He'll be done with soundcheck in 15, should I tell him to find you here?" Aurora can hear her heartbeat in her ears.

"Uhm, uh," she's trying to stall to get her thoughts together. "I'm almost finished up here, actually. Just tell him I'm fine and I'll be back to his dressing room to help him get ready later on."

"Oh, okay." Jeff is surprised by her response. Jeff doesn't know everything but he knows enough to know something isn't right. "Do you need anything, Aurora?" He offers her a small smile.

"I'm alright thanks." Just leave me alone please, she wants to say.

Aurora's done her best to hide and Harry never came looking for her. She's realised how lonely this all could get if she really decides to end everything with Harry. Lonely and exhausting. She can't pretend like everything is okay though, she has to follow her gut. But what about following her heart? She's still wrestling with her thoughts and she can't seem to win. She's gotta stick to her gut, she just isn't sure what it's telling her to do right now. Aurora curses to herself again, the millionth time on this tour, this day even when she catches herself daydreaming about her and Harry at the bar in Spain.

When she gets to Harry's dressing room, she notices there isn't much noise coming from it, some rattling, which Aurora only assumes is Ayae picking through her supplies. Normally Harry's room is so lively, his voice warm and cheerful, but there's nothing.

Harry looks up from his hands when he hears a light knock on the propped open door. He normally keeps it closed when he's getting ready but he made a point to keep it open for Aurora. She notices this without a doubt.

"Ror,' he says softly when he sees her. She's wearing the same crewneck she had been wearing when he came to her hotel room in Hamburg, but instead of leggings, she has dark blue ripped jeans on. She's somehow made the sweatshirt look like she's picked it up from a cool vintage shop when he very well knows it's her high school honor society sweatshirt. She's got clunky boots on her feet and her hair drapes around her shoulders, flyaways falling in her face. He wants nothing more to tuck the hair in her face behind her ear and wrap her up in a hug. He knows that he shouldn't though. There's something going on but he doesn't know what. "Alright?"

She nods, "Yeah, bit tired is all. You?" She reciprocates trying to make all of this as normal as possible. To say that Harry is confused is an understatement. She didn't show up for coffee at the hotel that morning. He's confused and worried and sad when he should be happy and content and everything good. Just nights ago he kissed the girl he had been crushing on since last May. How could everything change so fast?

"I'm alright," Aurora doesn't mirror the small smile on Harry's face when they meet eyes. "Did you not get my note?" Harry asks quietly, his smile fading. Aurora stays silent and looks away from him.

"Was exhausted when I got to my hotel last night and must've missed it," she lies as she reaches for the glittery suit.

Harry thanks Ayae when she says she's finished. Normally sticking around while they pick on Harry or Harry picks on Aurora, she opts to leave them alone now, instead. Ayae can tell from Harry's almost silence in the past hour and the interaction she's just witnessed that she doesn't need to be in the dressing room any longer.

Harry tries to keep up some small talk with Aurora but they both grow exhausted from the run of the mill conversation between them. The silence is deafening and they're both sick of it but neither know what to do. Aurora ties the bow on his shirt and out of habit Harry dips his head down towards her to watch her movements and study her focused face. He can see her hands trembling, more than usual and his heart hurts looking at her.