It's Been A Long Time
chapter fifteen
february 28, 1975
Celest sat on Harry's couch, her body laid across his lap as he scribbled ideas for lyrics above her, her legs draped over the arm of the sofa as his shirt did around a week ago. The big telephone stand sitting up on her torso as if it were a table, the phone itself up to her ear, taking in every piece of information she was being given. The place was no longer a wreck, the smell of cigarettes still prominent but Celest didn't mind - her apartment did too. All of the dishes found their rightful positions tucked away neatly in their cabinets, the blankets that once tattered the living room were folded, and the ash tray freshly emptied and cleaned, only the ash from the cigarette the two were sharing filled it now.
"Call this number," a mysterious man from Star PR headquarters had grumbled so loudly that even Harry could hear the rudeness in his voice, "let me know when you're ready."
Celest sat up, motioning a scribbling Harry for his pen and notepad, the cigarette being held by the right corner of her lips. "Ready." She replied, jotting down the digits to dial next.
"Thank you for your help." She said once she finished writing and repeated the silly numbers back to her companion on the phone. "Talk soon," she finished before hanging up.
"Guessing you have to call another number? That's the third time someone has relayed you off. Maybe this whole festival thing isn't worth it. I don't even think they can top the last Woodstock," Harry bitched angrily, taking their shared cigarette from between her lips.
"Don't worry, I had to go through this same process with Elliot during every gig ever, everyone does until you can have the chance to prove yourself. Plus, I can pull some strings, trust me." She smiled. Even when she was stressed, she was so beautiful, and Harry couldn't stop staring for a moment before something in his gaze switched.
Harry looked away and sat in silence, shaking his head slightly. He remembered thinking back to nearly a month ago when he thought that a celestial being would probably have at least had the courtesy of helping him get his shit together. And alas, to his surprise, she had began to do just that, unknowingly.
After nearly half an hour of being on hold and pacing around, Celest perked up and greeted the man. She then pitched her client as best as she could. During their time listening to hold music, Harry had picked up his old tattered guitar. He stopped strumming as she began to speak again.
"He'll release his album shortly after he plays the gig, we have it nearly finished but every song is good to go. I can send you a copy of the songs he would sing, and we even have a band lined up and ready to play alongside Harry, and I'll be there every step of the way," She cooed, trying to sound as polite as she could while eyeing the man beside her. She had learned that most men in the industry were turned off by a woman who was determined to get what she wanted, and by her surprise, it was a yes. They were good to go, Harry Styles would be playing at Woodstock 1975 after all.
Of course he wouldn't be headlining, but he was right before one of the biggest pop stars in the industry, Louis Tomlinson. That was a big accomplishment, with only one single on the radio for not even a full month. To everyone's surprise, it had climbed the charts furiously, making its way to the number one spot in no time. Harry could remember the way Celest's face lit up with absolute adornment and excitement as she found out he had beaten Elliot and even Louis just two weeks after it first aired. But despite Harry's happiness, he still seemed to feel like the only reason she had taken a chance on him was to get back at Elliot for being such a horrible person.
Nonetheless, he was still happy to be making somewhat of an income. Maybe he could finally afford something other than cheap non-perishables and jars of pickles for meals.
"Thank you so so much, you won't regret this," she said, placing the phone on the stand and sitting it down on the coffee table in front of him. Harry leaned the old guitar along the couch, sitting up a bit and wiping his hands on his flared jeans nervously. He couldn't remember the last time he had let someone see him so vulnerable.
"So, what's the verdict, Sunflower?" He proposed the question.
"You're on!" She clapped, the grin on her face beaming from ear to ear like a little kid. "Right before Louis Tomlinson on the Saturday night of the festival, in fact."
"What? He's one of the headliners this year." Harry replied, eyebrows furrowed.
"Guess you'd better put on a good show then, eh? Besides, you have two months to ready a setlist and perfect it with everybody. There will be tons of people there ready to see who you are and what you have to offer, so let's get ready to bring them what they want to see. Harry fucking Styles." She smiled, trying to help him see the positives. "Let's go out and celebrate, why don't we?"
Despite Harry's complaints about wanting to go out, he finally caved in and said yes to make the girl happy. She insisted he wear something fancy rather than his flared jeans and band tee, and the fanciest thing he owned was an old all white suit. He wore a black button up underneath, unbuttoning the top buttons to reveal his tattooed body and his necklaces that fell perfectly on his chest.
Celest grinned to herself like a child as she waited patiently for him to come out of his bedroom, and when he did she shot up immediately.
"You look very handsome," She said, grabbing her bag. They had matched unintentionally. She wore white go-go boots with a two inch heel, - yet Harry still towered over her - a white skirt and a white blouse. Her hair was left down. It was naturally curly and somewhat resembled a lion's mane at times. She smiled toward the ground before turning around to get his hand, "Our taxi is here."
After locking his door and checking it before they left, her hand still in his, she guided him to the taxi.
"God, I can't wait until I get out of this place." He said.
"I think I left something in my apartment, we'll stop there before we go out and celebrate, yeah?" She informed him. He replied with a simple nod, spreading his legs wide, resting his left elbow on the small area on the window of the cab and the other hand on his knee. She watched the buildings pass by as they drove to her home, stopping to let them out when they got there. After paying and saying thank you, Celest was greeted by Harry standing next to her, waiting on her to lead him toward the elevator.
Once they arrived at her door, she reached into her bag for her keys. She found them and unlocked the door carefully. The room was completely dark, and before turning the lights on she pushed the door open slightly so that the boy behind her could make his way in. With a flick of the light switch, all of the duo's friends were inside.
"Surprise!" They yelled.
"I hate surprises," Harry mumbled in Celest's ear as he leaned down slightly before smiling fakely as he took in the scene. Mitch held a cake and Sarah a lighter, lighting the candles as he held the cake steady. The cake was white, with 'Happy (late) Birthday Harry' written on it in light pink frosting. Everyone was told to dress fancy, and everyone did just that.
"How'd you find out it was my birthday?" He questioned.
"That's a Celest question," Jeff replied with a nod toward the girl as she closed the door.
"I have my ways, Mr. Styles." She smiled, coming over to his side, taking the cake from Mitch's hands. "Now, make a wish."
Harry blew the candles out swiftly as if he didn't even have to think about what to wish for. He smirked as he did so. Celest went to the stereo and flipped it on, placing a new record from her collection on the stand, muttering an apology for the pink icing, that's all that she had had at the time she baked it this morning. Making her way to the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of champagne from her cabinet before grabbing the knife on the counter to cut the cate.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us it was your birthday," Mitch said as the group sat around the stereo which played Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits, eating the cake that Celest had made.
"It's been a long time since I've celebrated my birthday," He replied. "Don't really have any good memories associated with it."
"Until now," Celest smiled, taking the empty seat beside him as she brought the champagne over. "Now, I know you guys are waiting for another special announcement besides Harry's surprise birthday party. Woodstock '75 is officially a go." She said, popping the top of the bottle off to fill the empty glasses in front of each of the band members.
A series of cheers erupted from the bunch - all except Harry, who couldn't help but have a bitter feeling in his stomach about something going on as he continued to eat the delicious cake with a sour look on his face. 'If she can bake and cook good, she would be good to keep around. At least for a little while,' he thought.