☆ 21: Payback ★
I rip my blankets off me, hoping that the cool air will help calm me down.
This is the first time that I've had the dream while on tour. That means it's been weeks since the last dream, which is the longest I've ever gone. Usually it'd be every couple of days that I'd be woken up due to that dream. I don't know what it was that's making the dreams come less. I can only guess that it's because I'm back in America. My body knows that I am going back to my parents. It knows that I'm trying to reach out.
I take a deep breath as I turn on my side. The sound of the boys heavy breathing and snores fill the otherwise quiet bus. That was a good sign, considering I didn't wake them up. Not even Harry was up and for some reason, I found myself disappointed.
The past two times I had the dream, Harry had been there for me. He helped me, whether he was aware of it or not. Now, he wasn't awake for me to go to.
Half of me wants to wake him, but the other half, the more respectful half, knows that I shouldn't. Despite that, I find myself getting out of my bed and pulling open the curtain to Harry's bunk. The blanket is draped over his waist, exposing his chest. It was hard to believe that mere hours ago, my body was pressed up against his. I can't help but stare at his torso. For a skinny guy, he is very well built. His defined pecs and abs stuck out, drawing my eyes to them. His chest rose and fell with his slow steady breathing.
Forcing myself to look away, I pull the curtain back even further. There was no harm in sleeping in there with him, right? As long as I stay on top of the covers, there will be no harm done. I mean, it was either crawl into bed with Harry or go for a late night walk. All alone in Las Vegas.
Without thinking, I slowly climb into his bed, trying hard not to wake him. Once I'm in, I turn on my side, molding my body with Harry's. And just like that, I suddenly felt better. My hands unclenched, my breathing calms and my throat opens up. I don't know what it was about Harry, but for some reason, he made me calm. Even when we weren't on the best terms, he still managed to help me.
Suddenly, Harry's arms wrap around me, making me jump as his sleepy voice is fills my ears. "Couldn't sleep?"
"God, you scared me," I complain.
"Well, I can say the same about you," He points out. "I'm not the one sneaking into someones bed at the dead of night."
He was right of course, but I wasn't about to admit that. So instead I answer his first question. "I couldn't sleep."
Harry let's out a sigh, his hot breath hitting against my neck causing me to shiver. He removes his arms from my waist. When he does this, I look back at him curiously. Almost mad that he moved his arm. He looks back down at me, expectedly as he leans up on his elbows.
"Wanna go for a walk?"
I smile at him. "You just read my mind."
~*~
"So, are you ever going to tell me what all this is about?" Harry asks me curiously.
We were sitting on the curb, outside of the dirt lot that our tour bus was parked in. After walking for a good forty minutes, Harry and I had found ourselves back where we started. Deciding that we weren't in a rush to get back inside, we stayed out.
"What, what's about?" I ask, pretending that I didn't know what he wanted.
"You know, with the whole waking-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night thing," He says.
"Well, technically, I didn't mean to wake you up," I say in my defense. "I thought you were a heavy sleeper."
"I did, too," Harry says with a laugh.
"Well, it's not my fault that the one night I decide to sneak into bed with you, you decide to wake up," I say in protest.
Harry smirks, "You do realize how creepy that sounded, right? You sound like some crazed fan girl."
I pause, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as realization strikes me. Good job, Paige you just made yourself sound like a stalker. Care to embarass yourself anymore?
However, I'd rather look like a crazed fan girl than let Harry know what really happens in my dream. Right now, I don't think I can bare the thought of letting him know what's happening in my dream, whats going on with my parents. Although he probably deserves to know since he's been here to comfort me, but I'm just not ready.
So until then, I'm more than thankful that Harry doesn't try to pressure me into telling him. He let it go.
"You know what I meant," I say nudging him playfully as I turn my head in hopes of hiding my blush.
"Yeah, but I just like seeing you blush," He teases.
"Jerk," I mumble, looking back at him.
"You don't mean that."
Of course, he is right. I don't mean it. This was a new Harry. A Harry that I can hold a conversation with; A Harry that I don't have to worry about; A Harry that is willing to put just as much work into our friendship as he did our fake relationship. This Harry is anything but a jerk.
However, at the moment, I wasn't going to admit that.
"Oh, but I do," I say teasingly. "Harry Styles is the biggest jerk I know."
"You take that back," he says feigning hurt.
"Never," I say slowly, pronouncing each syllable as slow as possible.
"Well, then if you don't take that back, I'll just have to post this extremely embarrassing photo of you on Twitter," He says as he reaches in his pocket for his phone.
"You have nothing on me," I challenge.
"Oh, really?" He questions as he sear he's through his phone. "Then how do you explain this!"
He shoves his phone in my face. It take a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the sudden light, but after it does, I gasp. Somehow, Harry had managed to get a picture of me asleep, my mouth wide open. But that wasn't it, in my nose, there were two coffee straws stuck up there.
"How did you even...?" I trail off.
"Oh, you gotta love Louis," He says with a smirk. "You happen to be a pretty heavy sleeper, too. Niall was pretty much hyperventilating the whole time Lou shoved the straws in your nose."
"When did this happen? I never fell asleep on the plane," I say still confused as to when and where they did this.
"It was when you slept in the day you were supposed to go get Eleanor," Harry informs me. "Did you know that your nose did this whistle thing when the straws were up there? It was hilarious."
"No! I didn't know that," I say, my jaw dropping in disgust. "You better delete that picture."
"Oh, I don't think I will," he replies slyly. "You know, I could post this to get you back for that whole Barbie Girl thing and Harriet Styles. Besides, I think the fans want to see just how pretty my girlfriend looks when she's sleeping."
"You wouldn't."
"Would I?" he challenges.
I narrow my eyes at him, shifting my gaze between him and his phone. All Harry had to do is press one simple button and we will be even. "Please, don't."
"Okay, I won't," he says slowly, narrowing his gaze at me. "But only if you say that I'm the coolest person you've ever met."
I give him a dead look. "Are you kidding me? What are we twelve?"
"Hey! You're in no position to be insulting me," He says shaking his phone in my face.
"Fine," I mutter. "You're cool. Now delete it."
"Come on, Paige. I think you can do better than that," Harry says. "I change my mind. You now have to say these exact words. 'Harry Styles is the sexiest man I've ever laid eyes on."
"So, you want me to lie?" I gasp loudly in a joking voice.
"You wouldn't be lying," He says, then into my ear, he adds. "You know I'm sexy."
I bite my lip, turning my head away from him. I didn't need a mirror to know that my face probably resembles a tomato.
"You suck, you know that?" I say stubbornly.
"Do you want me to press send?"
"No!"
"Then say it."
I don't even know how this conversation got this way. One minute we were talking about my dreams and somehow it got to Harry making me admit that he's sexy. What is this?
"I'm going to post it," he warns, hovering his finger on the 'ok' button on his touch screen. "One, two, thre-"
"Okay okay!" I say quickly. "HarryStylesisthesexiestmanI'veeverlaideyeson. There, happy?"
Harry drops his hand and closes out of the Twitter app. "I always knew you had the hots for me. Control yourself, Paige."
"Oh, yeah," I say rolling my eyes dramatically. "I've always had a thing for guys that resembles a poodle."
"That's a weird fetish," he teases. "But I'm not judging."
I don't even bother trying to correct him. I just let out a loud laugh. Its almost hard to believe that a week ago Harry and I weren't talking. Never would I have expected him to be one of my closest friends. It's weird how some things work out.
I pull my knees up to my chest as a light breeze rolls in. In the distance I can make out the bright lights of The Strip and the distant humming of cars on a nearby high way.
"Do you think Paul is going to get mad if he finds us out?" I ask curiously, breaking our comfortable silence.
"Paul won't even notice we're gone," he answers caucusing. "In case you forgot, I'm a pro at sneaking out."
What's weird is that I had forgotten that simple detail. Isn't that what brought us into this situation in the first place? Harry's 'reckless behavior'. I still wasn't sold on that. I knew Harry wasn't going out and doing everything the tabloids claimed he was.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you sneak out so much?" I ask him cautiously.
"To get wasted, why else," he answers seriously.
I look up at him in shock. Maybe I had pinned him wrong. Maybe he was the type to sneak out to go party. It wouldn't be the first time I had misjudged him.
"You're kidding, right?" I ask.
A slow smile makes it's way across his lips. "Of course. I don't need to sneak out for that."
"I'm being serious, Harry," I say with a laugh.
"Okay, you want the truth?"
I have to bite my tongue in order for me to resist the urge to say, 'No, Harry. I want you to lie to me. That's why I'm asking.' Instead, I just nod in response.
"I've been getting homesick," He answers truthfully. "Being on tour all the time, being away from my family, my mom, it sucks. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I'm so grateful that I am lucky enough to have everything that I do, it's just sometimes I miss them. It's weird not seeing my mom everyday."
I can definitely feel for him. Maybe Harry and I weren't so different after all. Here were both were, two teens just missing our family. Management is keeping him from his family and the law is what kept me from mine. I would've given anything to be with my parents again. I know the feeling.
"So, that's why you sneaked out?"
He nods his head. "Yeah, anytime I felt homesick, I'd go out and just walk it off. I had to constantly remind myself that I'll see them again soon."
"When was the last time you saw them?"
"Last Christmas," He says sadly. "I was supposed to visit my mom when we went back to London after our Promo tour in Australia."
This caught my attention. "And why didn't you?"
"Vincent said I couldn't leave London because we had too much to work on," He replies sadly.
Harry didn't have to say it, I already knew it. Back then, Harry didn't only blame me for what management was doing, he blamed me for keeping him from his family. Suddenly, I felt guilty. This was something I could easily relate to. I'd hate anyone that stood in the way of me and my parents. Now, I don't blame Harry for acting the way he did.
I may not have been the original reason Harry couldn't see his parents, but I became a reason. The moment I agreed to this deal, I became a reason that Harry couldn't visit his family. I don't know how, but I'm going to do anything in my power to make this up to him.
I just need to find out what.
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A/N:
I know, I know. This is shorter than my usual. But I just felt like this was a good place to end it :P HARRY AND PAIGE CONTINUE TO BOND! YAY!
Just a warning... the next chapter will probably be just as short... I think i'm having a problem. My chapters are getting shorter as I go along. Its weird o.O
VOTE for Harry getting Paige to say he is "the sexiest person she's ever laid eyes on."! :D :D :D
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Okay, so I think i am pretty much going to faint from all this excitment! I SWEAR!! This story has reached over 11,000 reads AND over 450 votes! :O :O OH my godfjsjhf d;nf;lsdfj!
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