Perspective || Harry Styles

27~ Showtime

I woke up to my phone ringing. I smirked at the familiar sound of One Thing playing as Cara's ringtone. I saw Grace's name on the caller I.D. and pressed the green answer button.

"BITCH you're finally awake! Jesus Christ, grab your shit and get over here!" she demanded.

"What?" I was still waking up.

Grace groaned, and I could imagine the roll of her eyes.

"The concert? We're seeing One Direction tonight! I know that's not a big deal to you anymore considering you're fucking Harry Styles, but I have been dreaming of tonight for a long ass time, and it's going to be perfect. Now get over here before you ruin it. We need to make posters."

I dug through Cara's collection of clothes until I found the outfit I'd picked out with Grace at the mall on the first day this all started. I felt ridiculous putting it on, and I wondered if Cara would have felt any different if she were still in her own body.

I grabbed a small breakfast and said goodbye to Cara's mother who was surprisingly awake. I made my way to Grace's house where she talked nonstop about how the night would play out. She had the set list memorized, and she asked if we could get backstage with my connections. It would piss off Jeff, but it would happen. I had come to like Grace, and I knew meeting the boys (and myself) would make her unbelievably happy.

Together we made posters and Grace even wrote a letter to the boys. She wouldn't tell me what it said, but I would find out soon enough. She took three hours to do her hair and makeup, insisting she had to look absolutely flawless when she met One Direction.

She made us leave about six hours in advance even though we had seats at this show. She wanted us to be the first inside. I wasn't about to ruin her experience by complaining, so we waited outside in the  heat with dark grey clouds threatening us from above. However, the complaints from Grace about the wind abusing her hair did not seem to end.

Eventually the doors opened just before the rain started, and we were safely inside without a drop on our skin. The concert would start in thirty minutes. I felt like I'd been waiting for this day all week, ever since this craziness began. It was finally here.

***Cara's Point of View***

"Louis, I don't think I can do this," I said, holding a hand to my stomach and trying to push down the queasy feeling I got while I peeked through a small opening backstage. The crowd was enormous, and it made me want to hide in a hole let alone go out in front of all those people and do a performance I didn't know as well as I should've.

"Oh, come on, yes you can!" he encouraged. "You've been practicing with me all week. You've got this down, Cara. Just believe in yourself. I know you can do this."

"Thanks, but encouraging words won't make my stage fright go away in the next twenty minutes."

"Okay, okay, but think about it. Look at all you've done this week, all you've done since this madness started. Last weekend if someone asked you to do all of this, what would you have said to them?"

"I would've told them they're insane," I admitted.

"Exactly. You didn't think you could do any of this. Performing on the Today show, accepting awards, walking the red carpet, dealing with paparazzi, facing the media's accusations. But look at you. You've done it all."

"Yeah," I marveled, the corner of my lip turning up slightly. "I have done it all."

"You've mastered in a week what Harry and us have spent years learning. What's a silly concert in comparison?"

"But see, that's just the thing. You guys have been playing arenas for years. You've faced these crowds a thousand times. You've played these songs a thousand more. You know what you're doing because you've done it effortlessly so many times in the past, but I haven't. They'll notice. They'll see the difference. I can't imagine it's hard to spot. I can't pretend to be someone I'm not."

Louis smiled and chuckled an amused kind of laugh.

"What?" I demanded.

"You can't pretend to be someone you're not? Well, the summer heat must be getting to your head darling because that's exactly what you've been doing all week."

I smiled too.

"We've got a show to perform," he added. "And we can't do it without you."

"Louis, Harry! What on Earth are you doing? We have fifteen minutes before showtime, and Lou is waiting for you!" Jeff shouted. Louis rolled his eyes and made his way to the stylist's chair to get prettified before walking out on stage.

I tried to keep Louis' words in my mind until the show started by repeating them over and over again in my head. I was afraid if I forgot them, I'd lose any courage he just gave me.

Fifteen minutes turned out to be no time at all, and before I knew it I was standing among the other four boys waiting for our cue to head on. I could see the crowd from where we stood, Louis' words echoing through my mind. He patted me on the back and gave me a nod as if to remind me of everything he told me. I can do this. 

When the music started, we all ran out singing into our microphones. I knew all the words, remembering all the things I practiced with Louis. By the end of the first song, I was breathless and tired from moving around so much. How could anyone do this for a full hour and a half? I knew I had to keep my breathing even in order to sing properly.
 

I never knew how hard live performances could really be.

AUTHORS NOTE

I feel like this took forever omg im sorry MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! I love you so much and thanks for being patient!! These next few chapters I think are going to be the end. Just so we're not all surprised when I post an epilogue :/ I might end up making it longer, but I'm not sure. I have a lot of other new ideas I want to start and I've promised myself I'd finish this before Christmas break ends. I probaby wont stick to that but whatever xD THANKS FOR READING ILYSM<3 x