By the time I've signed my name to basically a small forest's worth of pieces of paper and Paul has made notes on what feels like my entire life history, it's nearly five, and I am already exhausted despite the fact that I've not actually done any real work yet. He's given me a temporary crew pass so that I can get around tonight but warned me that tomorrow will be picture day so that I can get an official one. Best make sure to find some time to wash and straighten my hair tomorrow before we head off to our next stop I think to myself as I stow the hotel key Paul has also given me away in the stupidly small handbag. Cursing myself for leaving my regular sized one, in which I can fit more than a pencil, in my car. We also had a quick chat about the next few upcoming tour stops, and Paul has synced my phone calendar with the crew schedule, so I have no excuses for not being in the right place at the right time. I know that the crew buses are leaving Birmingham tomorrow afternoon to head up to Manchester for the next show the following night.
The list of destinations is overwhelming enough, but as I flick through the flight itineraries, long bus rides and a couple of social events, I am beginning to see that this isn't just a job I'm taking on here, it's a way of life. And talk about being thrown in at the deep end, I've only got four days to get my head around all of this before we hit one of the biggest stops on tour, the o2 arena in London. The only good thing about going back down South so soon is that at least then I can hopefully find enough time to pop home and pack up a few more items, or maybe have Michael bring them to me if all else fails. Now that I officially know I'm going to be on the road for the next few months the meagre amount of clothes I packed seems stupid even to me.
I follow along behind Paul as he leads me down to the floor of the arena and twist my head this way and that as he points out various people to me. When we finally make our way out onto the main floor I am amazed by the change in the hour or so that I've been gone. The stage looks to be wholly assembled now, and lights flash in every direction as the engineers run their pre-show checks. We make our way through the scores of people running this way and that, over towards a tall, pretty blonde, who flashes me a smile that shows off all of her perfectly white teeth as Paul introduces me and she reaches out a hand to shake mine
"Maddie, great to meet you. We're running a little behind tonight, so we'll have to get to know each other as we go I'm afraid, wanna give me a hand with the catwalk?" she asks me in a friendly voice as she turns the light catches her hair, and I spot a shock of bright pink in the back of her blond tresses, and I instantly decide that I like her
"Sure! Sorry I didn't catch your name?" I reply as Paul leaves us to work
"Sammy," she tells me with another smile
"Erm, so catwalk? Thought this was a concert, not a fashion show" I ask, confused as Sammy leads me over to a massive stack of what look to be black metal fence panels by the side of the newly erected stage.
"Ha! Once you get to know H, you'll see that it's kind of a bit of both!" She laughs, and although I really don't get the joke I try and smile along with her as she continues to explain the set up "See that stage down there? H and Mitch, that's his guitarist, they head down there mid-show to sing two acoustic songs. It's H's way of ensuring that even the people in the cheap seats right at the back of the arena's get a good look at him, I think. Anyways he walks straight through the crowd, you know, grasps a lot of hands, receives a lot of flowers, says thank you a lot. Gives poor Jeff a heart attack each and every single night bless him, but H loves it. So we set up the catwalk every night for him to walk down."
"Wow, I'm not surprised Jeff's not too happy about that, must be a security nightmare! One question, though, erm H?" I say raising my eyebrows at Sammy. I've already gathered that this is a nickname for Harry. Still, I'm kind of surprised to hear one of the lowly crew members referring to him by it, let alone implying that I'll be getting to know this mythical man. Surely he keeps his distance from us, little people?
"H is kind of just what everyone calls him. Of course, he's still Harry Styles to you right now, but that'll change. Don't worry, you'll see. He's the best boss in the world. Now grab the other end of this would ya and follow me."
Sammy and I chat happily as we position the surprisingly heavy black barricades along the carefully marked out catwalk area and secure them to the floor. It's relatively dull manual labour, but this is what I was told to expect, and I'm not about to complain. Sammy seems like a real sweetheart as well, she's very laid back and easy to talk to and the time passes quickly as she fills me in on what I can expect here.
Suddenly our pleasant conversation is rudely interrupted by a deafeningly loud electric guitar chord reverberating around the mostly empty arena. Jumping half out of my skin I manage to drop the end of the barricade that I am holding, and it crashes down on to my foot, catching the very edge of my pinky toe which is only covered by my soft white trainers. Pain sears through me and raising my leg I grasp my foot tightly in both of my hands, hopping up and down on the spot cursing loudly
"Motherfu..."
"Well well, is that any way to speak in front of your new boss?" a deep, smooth voice asks from behind me. Surprised, I turn to face the newcomer quickly, too quickly for someone hopping about on one foot. I get a quick flash of a well-built man stood with his arms folded across his chest, muscles bulging out from under his T-shirt before the arena starts to tilt bizarrely, almost in slow motion as I lose what little balance I had and topple to my left. Feeling myself falling the ground seeming to rush up to meet my face as I tumble. This is going to hurt, I think as I try and mentally prepare myself for the impact.
Before I can hit the hard concrete surface though, the two muscular arms swing out and wrap themselves around me. Grabbing me around the waist and pulling me close in to the chest of their owner as he prevents me from falling any further and drags me upright. It takes a few seconds for my brain to catch up I stand in his embrace. However, eventually, I remember to release my grip on my own foot, which for some reason I am still bloody holding on to and I reach out and grab his biceps tightly in an attempt to steady myself. I lift my head slowly, because I know exactly who it is that's come to my rescue, and I am desperate to delay the moment that I'll have to make eye contact with him. When I finally do connect my gaze with his, bright green eyes bore into mine, laced with a mixture of amusement and concern and I swear I am so god damn close to him that I could count the tiny hairs on his top lip. Fuck. So much for making good a first impression.
"I'm SO sorry" I exclaim at the exact moment that he begins "Are you ok?" thankfully this social faux pas manages to break the tension a little, and I take a step back out of his embrace and straighten myself up to my full height as I to try and answer him.
"Erm, well emotionally that may take some time to recover from, but I think my toe will survive, thanks for saving me," I say.
A large smirk crosses Harry's plump pink lips as he stares down at me, never breaking eye contact and making it rather tricky for me to get a good look at the man who thousands of women would sell their mothers for a chance to get this close to. Wearing faded blue jeans and a white t-shirt which has the same slogan emblazoned on it as the merchandise that I saw the girls outside changing into, he looks more like every guy I went to school with then a world-renowned megastar.
"Are you taking the piss out of me already new girl?" He asks with a smile and I stare back at him totally nonplussed
"No... Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean, fairly sure that swearing at the top of my lungs and then falling over in front of you, or I guess into you? Is more than enough embarrassment for the first three minutes of meeting you, without taking the piss out of you on top of that" I say honestly, still confused.
"Oh! It's just, er, a few years back I fell over pretty spectacularly on a stadium stage in front of literally thousands of people. And at the time I said that I was 'emotionally bruised' it kinda became a thing." He informs me with a slightly embarrassed smile "So I thought you were making a play on that line, to take the piss. But now, as I'm talking, I realise that I'm coming off as a complete dick as I am automatically expecting you to know quotes I said years ago at some random concert, which really, why would you?"
I watch him intently as he speaks and find myself unable to stop staring at his lips as they form each word, he speaks in a low tone, slowly. As though he is considering each word before he commits to it, I guess years of being interviewed by strangers and trying not to give too much away will do that to a guy. By the time he has finished his little speech though, I find I am biting my own lip in an attempt to stop myself from giggling at his awkwardness.
"How about we try this whole thing again, huh? I promise not to shout curses at you or throw myself at you like a twat. Shit! So much for not cursing. Fuck! I mean, fudge argh!... Anytime you wanna stop me would be great" I ramble feeling my face get hotter and hotter as his eyes continue to bore into mine, but to my utter relief, Harry throws back his curl-covered head and laughs loudly, obviously not offended in the slightest. It's an infectious sound, more like the laugh of an overexcited 8-year-old boy than a grown man, the joy exudes from him, and I can't stop myself from joining in.
By the time we've both finished laughing the heat in my face has finally dissipated and I am feeling much more at ease. I extend a hand out to him to try to introduce myself properly. Realising as I do so that Sammy has gone off to retrieve another section of the barricade and Harry and I are entirely alone in the centre of the arena floor.
"Mr Styles, I'm your new crew member, Maddie, please don't fire me," I say with mock sincerity as I wait for him to take my hand.
"Maddie, two things, firstly don't ever call me Mr Styles, that's my dad, Harry or H is just fine. Secondly, We're huggers around here" He says and opens his arms wide
I step forward a little self-consciously before remembering that not two seconds ago I was pressed tightly against his chest without invitation, at least this time it's a two-way thing, I think to myself as I place my arms around his frame, he's skinnier than I'd have expected, but it's clear he works out, his chest is rock hard-pressed into mine.
"Thanks for not firing me," I say cheekily with a small smirk as we pull away from one and other and Harry rummages a hand through the pocket of his jeans.
"Here, for you." He says handing me what appears to be a concert ticket "For tonight's show, I think it's only right that everyone who works here gets a chance to see what all their effort is for. It's a good seat too" he adds with a smile, and I notice dimples pop in his cheeks. I am starting to understand why the woman outside are queueing to get as close to this man as possible, he sure is nice to look at.
Glancing down at the ticket, I notice that it's a front-row seat in the stand closest to the main stage and I am amazed, I mean, I know it's his show and everything. He can give tickets to who he likes, but seriously, shouldn't these kind of seats be being sold to the highest bidder on StubHub? Not being handed to the newly hired dogsbody who's not even passed her security checks yet.
"Thank you," I tell him, a little surprised "I've gotta say I didn't expect to so much as meet you, let alone have you handing me a front-row ticket to your show" I admit
"Why wouldn't I meet you?" Harry asks, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion "I know all the crew here, without you guys I wouldn't be able to do what I love every night, I consider these people my friends" he adds as if its the most obvious thing in the world and I feel a little foolish. I don't know exactly what I was expecting from Harry Styles, but this man in front of me certainly wasn't it. I guess I had some preconceived notion that he'd be kinda full of himself, having been part of one of the biggest bands on the planet since he was a kid. Still, he comes across as humble and easy-going, not at all 'Hollywood' I think to myself as I finally read the slogan on his chest, Treat people with Kindness. In the ten minutes I've known him, I can attest that he definitely does that. Deciding it's probably best to change the subject at this point rather than dig a bigger hole for myself, I say the first thing that pops into my head.
"I was listening to your album on the drive up today, and it's great! But nothing beats hearing music performed live, I look forward to seeing the show" I tell him popping the ticket into the back pocket of my own, no doubt much less expensive than his, jeans.
"Thanks, I'm glad you liked it, although I guess you wouldn't exactly tell me if you didn't. Just remember, I know where that seat is, so don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you tonight to see if you are really enjoying it"He teases me just as a voice calls down from the stage behind us
"H, you ready mate?" Calls a good looking dark-haired man in a London accent, who has a bass guitar slung across his shoulder.
Harry turns away from me for a moment and gives the man a nod, before facing me again "Duty calls, it was good to meet you, Maddie. Enjoy the show." he says and starts to walk towards the small set of stairs that Sammy and I secured not half an hour ago to the centre of the stage.
"Oh and Maddie? Totally agree, nothing beats live music" He says over his shoulder before joining his band on stage and picking up a star-covered acoustic guitar.
"Can you come give me a hand getting this stuff back into the vans?" Sammy calls to me from the other side of the arena, as she gestures to a pile of rolls of tape and various tools sitting by the exit and I begrudgingly turn away from Harry and his band and make my way over to grab up an armful of them and follow her out the back door of the arena. I hear the muffled beginnings of Harry starting his soundcheck. I guess I'll have to wait until the show begins to hear if this boys any good or not.