[AN: This chapter is just awful and posted way later than I meant to. Sorry. :(]
[Harry’s POV]
I stood on the stage listening for my cue as we went through our sound check. I looked over at Carrie who was sitting in the front row of seats next to Nora just glaring at me. I hadn’t meant to offend her. I just wanted to protect Lou.
[Liam]
I keep playin' it inside my head
All that you said to me
I lie awake just to convince myself
This wasn't just a dream
[Liam]
'Cause you were right here
[Harry]
And I should've taken the chance
[Liam]
But I got so scared
[Harry]
And I lost the moment again
Louis walked up next to me his eyes focused on Nora. I sighed.
[Harry and Louis]
It's all that I can think about, oh
You're all that I can think about
My mind was running a mile a minute. I closed my eyes as we all sang the chorus. I know it sounds weird, but I got my best thinking done whenever I was singing. There had to be a way to fix the Louis-Nora problem while getting Carrie to forgive me.
[Everyone]
Is your heart taken?
Is there somebody else on your mind?
I looked over at Nora who winced as Louis watched her. I glanced down at the ring on her left hand. There was someone else on her mind all right.
I'm so sorry, I'm so confused
Just tell me, am I out of time?
I looked over at Lou who seemed upset once again. Why does he keep doing this to himself? I have to get her out of here. Nora was slowly breaking his heart again and again.
Is your heart breaking?
How do you feel about me now?
I can't believe I let you walk away
When, when I Should Have Kissed You
I should, I should oh, I should have kissed you
I should, I should ---
There was a loud screech as one of the microphones misfired.
“Sorry! Sorry!” one of the crew guys said as the music stopped. He raced up to the stage grabbing Niall’s microphone, which he gladly handed over. “Take a quick five minute break while we figure out what’s wrong.” We all nodded as the crew started shouting orders and started searching for a new microphone.
“I think I’m deaf in one ear,” Niall joked placing a hand over his right ear. We all chuckled as he then started requesting some kind of snack to ease his pain. That lad is way too focused on food. I looked over at Carrie who was watching me from the corner of her eye. She still looked mad. I had never been one to upset a girl so much. I really couldn’t blame her for getting mad at me though. She was protecting her friend too. I guess I understood where she was coming from as well. I sighed and began to walk over so I could apologize, but I was pulled back by my t-shirt.
“Boo?” I asked looking over at Lou who held onto my shirt. He looked---determined. “Can I help you with something?”
“We need to talk Harry,” he said with a frown. Harry? He only calls me Harry when he’s mad. My heart stung a bit to hear the angry tone to his voice.
“Later,” I said prying his fingers from my shirt and looking over at Carrie. “I need to—“
“No,” he said grabbing me and pulling me backstage away from our friends. “We’re talking about this now. This has to stop Hazza.” Well at least he wasn’t calling me Harry anymore.
“What has to stop?” I asked staring around the dark corner of the backstage where he had dragged me.
“Stop being mad at Nora. You have no reason to be upset with her. Nora is a good person.” I knew that. I knew she wasn’t an awful person, but she was hurting Lou.
“I know that okay?” I said plopping onto the ground. Lou sat down as well, and I rested my head in his lap letting him play with my curls. It felt nice to be like this again. If only he would stop obsessing over a girl. It wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t right. I just wanted my happy best friend back.
“You know none of this is Nora’s fault. So if you want to be mad at someone then you need to be mad at me.”
“I am not going to get mad at you Lou Bear,” I said closing my eyes as he continued to finger my curls. “You’re my best friend. I can’t stand to see her hurt you like this.”
“Haz, Nora isn’t hurting me. I’m hurting myself.” I sat up and looked at him in confusion.
“What? She’s the one who can’t get over her dead husband!”
“But it’s not her fault that I’ve fallen for her. She and I talked, and she has been upfront with me about everything.” He sighed and I frowned at the hurt in his weak smile. “She never encouraged my crush. In fact she discouraged me every step of the way. I know exactly where I stand with her.”
“Yeah, but you can’t help falling for her. It’s not like you can just make yourself fall out of love.”
“And it’s not like she can make herself fall out of love with David and then fall for me.” Touche. Lou had me there. “She didn’t make me fall for her. She didn’t make me trail after her like a lost puppy dog. I’m responsible for feeling the way I do, not Nora or anyone else.”
“I just want you to be happy Lou.” He nodded and rubbed my back in soothing circles. “You’re my best friend, and I want you to be happy.”
“Well right now I’m happy with how things are in this moment, okay?” I knew he was lying. He knew he was lying, but I nodded along because that’s what a best friend does when the other one is hurting. “Now tell me what you did to Carrie because if looks could kill you would have been dead several times already.” I smiled and started to explain about my freak out onstage earlier. Louis started to laugh heartily.
“It’s not funny Lou!” I shot back smacking him on the arm.
“I can’t believe Harry Styles yelled at a girl. I appreciate the caring sentiment Haz, but no wonder she was shooting you death glares.”
“She is never going to forgive me,” I said with a groan. “I just made a horrible first impression on a hot girl all because of you.” Carrie had been sweet, and honest, and smoking hot. I had hoped to further our flirtation, but my mind had been so filled with thoughts about Nora and Louis that things had seriously gone downhill.
“But Harreh,” Lou said in mock hurt. “I thought you loved me! Are you saying that Larry Stylinson isn’t real? We were going to get married and everything!”
“Um….wow,” a familiar voice said from near us. I looked up to the shocked violet eyes of Carrie. Shit. “I hate to ruin this moment, but the stage manager says you guys need to wrap it up. You have one more song to practice.” She turned to go, and Louis stood up and stopped her.
“Hazza Bear needs to apologize for his poor manners,” Louis said shoving her in my direction. “You two have five minutes before I let Liam come looking for you.” And then he was gone. Carrie looked at me warily before turning to leave again.
“Care Bear wait,” I said, and she paused with her back to me. “I’m sorry okay? I took my overprotectiveness towards Louis to an extreme.” I stood up as she continued to face her back towards me. “Nora is a good friend and a good person. I let my anger overtake me.”
“That’s not why I’m mad,” she said softly. I wished she would turn around and face me for once.
“Then why are you mad?” She turned to face me, and I could see a sheen of tears in her eyes.
“D—did you only ask me to come because you wanted to get Nora away from Louis? Were you ever just interested in me?” She shook her head sadly speaking before I could answer her. “What was I thinking? You’re Harry Styles and I’m just—“ She broke off and the tears began to fall. I reached up a hand to brush them away, but she flinched and stepped back.
“Care Bear, it’s not like that all,” I said reaching out. She stepped back again. I tried to flash her an encouraging grin, but she just got more upset.
“Stop it with the nicknames. You’re the biggest flirt of the whole band, and everyone knows it. Even if you were interested in me your mind would change the minute a prettier girl came along.”
“Carrie Brooks! Stop it right now! You know that’s not true. Harry is a good person,” Nora said stepping over to us. Was Nora defending me? Nora looked at me with a small smile before turning back to Carrie. “Weren’t you the one who told me how much of a wonderful guy Harry was?”
“That was before I met him,” Carrie protested. “He was just using me.”
“If you think that is true, then you need to open your eyes Carrie,” Nora said simply. “I made Harry call you with that dare because I could tell he was already smitten with you.” Smitten? Seriously, who says smitten? Focus Harry. Nora is defending you to the girl of your dreams here. “He called you over here to spend time with you. If he wanted help getting me away from Lou he would have just talked to you on the phone.”
“Why are you defending him?” she asked wiping her face dry. “He wanted you to stay away from Louis.”
“So did you,” Nora said simply making Carrie’s face turn red. Wait. What? But Carrie had been the one who had told me to let them be.
“That’s different,” Carrie said looking over at me. “I was just trying to give you some friendly advice. I know how much you care about David. If I could I would bring him back for you. I told you that it was hurting Louis if you couldn’t let David go.”
“Funny,” Nora said softly. “Because it sounds like you feel exactly the same as Harry does. I’m willing to bet that you let your emotions got out of check. You two are so alike it’s scary. Now let’s go before Liam organizes a search party for Harry.” She walked off and Carrie stood there still looking at me.
“I didn’t call you just to help me break Louis from Nora,” I said knowing she needed to hear it from me. “I called you because I like and want to get to know you. Give me a chance tonight to make it up to you?” Carrie nodded her agreement. I smiled and took her hand in mine walking out onto the stage. She tried to drop my hand when everyone saw us, but I held it tightly in my own. No one noticed us as Niall was busy chasing Ammie around the stage as she held something in her hand.
“Are those cookies?” Carrie asked watching the two. “Ammie! Put those down! You’ve had three cans of coke and cookies for breakfast. You don’t need anymore sugar today!”
“You heard her!” Niall shouted to Ammie. “Give up the cookies!”
“NEVER!!!” Ammie shouted back still running. “I asked you if you wanted A cookie Nialler. ONE cookie. Not the whole bag!” She came to a stop behind Carrie peeking out from behind her as she laughed.
“You shouldn’t just offer and then take them away,” Niall said panting as he came to stand in front of Carrie and me. “That’s just rude. Plus I’m hungry!”
“You’re always hungry Ni,” Liam added in. Niall turned and stuck out his tongue. Carrie pulled her hand from mine and reached behind her expertly nabbing the cookies from Ammie.
“No one needs any cookies right now. The boys are going to finish their sound check and then we’ll go to lunch. Everyone agreed?” Carrie asked looking across the stage. Everyone nodded and we all began to go to our seats or spots on the stage. I smiled as Carrie walked past me towards the front row of seats. She stopped and turned around making her way back to me. “I forgot one thing.”
“What’s that?” I asked as she smiled at me.
“This,” she said before promptly lowering her lips to mine. The touch of her lips on mine was like heaven.
“Go Carrie!!!” I heard Ammie yell out in the background as she pulled away. She smiled and waved before taking her seat next to Nora. This girl was going to be the death of me.
“You going to be okay mate?” Louis asked stepping up next to me with his signature smile in place.
“I think I just might,” I said as he ruffled my curls. I smiled over at Carrie who waved a cute little wave. Tonight was going to be amazing.
[AN: Why do I fail so much at writing chapters from Harry’s POV? Gah. Well pretend to like it anyway okay? Oh and tell me what you want to happen in the comments because I love new ideas. Plus it means less work for my lazy brain.
Work has somehow become an actual career for me and it’s no fun. Even on my days off I’m still doing things for work. I hate being an adult. Why can’t I just marry a member of One Direction and wander around with them on tour?]