We sit at the table, Harry pulling out my seat for me like the gentleman he is.
"So. How'd you like the rehearsal?" Harry asks leaning on the table.
"Good. It was eye opening."
He rests his chin in between his thumb and forefinger. "How so?"
"Well I just keep learning how much goes into this. It's pretty incredible. I can't even imagine what like Beyonce or someone who has all those effects and lights and choreography have to do. It's so much to prepare for."
"Yeah. Doug, the one lighting guy worked on Beyonce's tour years ago, said it was insane."
I nod. "Yeah I'll bet. Not that she does either but you don't need all that show. Your mesmerizing just you and that microphone." The words come out before I realize what I just said.
He breaks into a huge grin. "Mesmerizing you say? Please go on..."
"Shush over there. You know what I mean."
He sticks his lower lip out slightly. "No, no I don't. Please enlighten me."
I let out a groan. "Ugh I knew as soon as I said that. I just mean...well yeah I mean what I said. I could watch you sing all day. You really are in your element up there Harry."
He goes from playful to serious. "Thank you P. That means a lot to me. Thanks for being so honest."
I let out a snort. "Yeah I've been told I can be a little too honest sometimes. I'm not mean, I just don't see the point in not being honest. It's the one favor as people we can do for each other always and we never do."
His eyebrows furrow together. "What do you mean?"
"I mean like a shitty boyfriend for example right? He treats your friend like shit, cheats on her, drinks, whatever and yet so many times people don't just come right out and say 'he's a loser and you're being an idiot.' Instead we sugar coat things and in the end it doesn't help anyone."
I finish my long winded speech and hope to God he doesn't think I'm some crazy bitch. I just wish someone would have had the decency to be honest with me.
"I completely agree."
What? "You do?"
"Yeah. I mean I'm surrounded by yes men all day long. Like I said, there's very few people that will call me on my bullshit. I'm glad to know when I really need someone to be honest with me I can rely on you Pee Pee."
I laugh. "You can. I will I promise."
"Good. So will you be honest about all those notes I saw you writing?"
Just as I was about to respond, Mateo opens the door and walks towards us holding a giant plate of chips and guacamole and our waters.
"Sorry it took so long, we just got a rush downstairs." He sets the plate down along with our waters.
The guac looks delicious and the tortilla chips smell freshly baked. I'm in heaven.
He pulls out a small pad. "You guys know what you want?"
Shit. We haven't even looked at the menu and I'm starving.
"No sorry man, we got caught up talking." Harry responds, looking at the menu for the first time.
"Harry why don't you just order us your favorites. I like everything, just nothing super spicy."
He looks at me surprised. "Really, you sure?"
I love the way his sure sounds like shore. I love his accent in general. "Yeah. I trust you."
"Alright. Well have two al pastors, two carne asadas, one baja shrimp and uhh lets do one panza. And uhh..."
"Another panza. It looks delicious." I chime in. I love everything he just ordered for us, I would have ordered the same.
Harry smiles at me. "Alright then yeah. That should do it."
"Alright man. I'll try to get it out soon." Mateo says scribbling the last of our order. He grabs the tray and walks away while shoving the pad back in his pocket.
"You like pork belly?" He asks me before taking a sip of his water.
"Yeah crispy pork belly is delicious. The place in Seattle has a very similar menu. I'll always try something once."
He laughs and shakes his head.
"What?" I ask him, dipping a chip into the guac. I can't wait any longer.
"Nothing. You just continue to surprise me."
"Okay?" I ask but don't push what he means. I take a other chip.
"So will you share your notes with me?" Damn. I was hoping he'd maybe forget but I wrote them down for a reason.
"Yeah but...it's." I fumble with the words, knowing I have to tell him how big of a fan I am.
"Go ahead P. I'm sure they are good."
I take a deep breathe in and let it out. "Okay well first..I'm um, well I'm kind of a big fan of yours. I have been for a while."
He sits back in his chair. "Really? How long?"
I fiddle with my napkin in my lap looking down at it. "Uh since your I Am album?"
His face lights up. "Really? That long? That was like a demo album."
I nod still looking down. "I know it was on my friends playlist in high school and I asked him what it was. I looked it up and have been a fan ever since."
"Pee Pee? Look at me."
I look up at him and he's leaning on the table again. "Why are you embarrassed? Are you embarrassed to admit you like my music or something?"
I shake my head. "No, no everyone who knows me knows I'm a fan. I've been to like five shows I just...I didn't want you to think that's why I applied for the job. I didn't even know it was you until after I got it."
"Oh. Well yeah I know that. It's company policy to keep the crazies away."
"Oh. Okay. Well I just...I know I don't know anything about the whole production and everything so I wrote down what I would think from a fan perspective."
He nods and leans back in his chair again. "Okay. Let me hear it."
"Um okay well first, I think during Joy Ride you should be on the secondary stage. It's a fan favorite and I think interacting with the crowd on that one would be really fun for the audience."
"Hmm. Okay. That makes sense. I like it. Next?"
"I think you should be at the main stage for Paper Planes. You might already have this planned, but it's a big song and with the longer guitar break, you could probably get the whole crowd to like wave their hands or lighters or something. Would be really cool visually."
"I was going to do something like that on the small stage but yeah I see what you mean. I wouldn't be able see everyone behind me either. Okay. That's also a good one. Any others?"
I bite my lip and nod yes. "This one is...well it's more of a personal preference but I heard an acoustic cover of Father and it's slowed down a little. It's really beautiful. I was thinking you could do that on the small stage, just you and a guitar. Make it more...intimate if that makes any sense?"
He studies me for a second, thinking. "I've never thought about that before. Can you find that cover for me?"
"Yeah actually I have it saved. I listen to it a lot, especially after..." I trail off.
"Your dad passed?" He leans forward, looking with sympathy at me.
"Yeah. Six years ago. How did you know?"
"I could tell how you talk about him. There's sadness there. Like when I talk about me mum."
"Oh I'm sorry I remember seeing that in the news. I'm sorry you had to go through something so personal and tragic in the public eye. I can't even imagine."
I dunno what comes over me but I reach and grab his hand. I'm about to pull away but he squeezes it before letting go.
"Thank you. That means a lot. So how did...how did your dad die?"
"Brain cancer. One day he's fine, the next he's diagnosed and then two months later he's gone. It was so quick. I feel like we were just wrapping our heads around him having it and then he died. I was in shock for a while I think."
He takes my hand back in his. "I'm so sorry for your loss. My mum...her cancer was slow and painful but we at least had time to say the things we needed to and know what was coming. Almost prepare ourselves in a way."
I squeeze his hand. "Thank you. I'm sorry you went through that too. I don't think there's any way that makes it easier to handle. It all sucks. Especially for you having it out there. I hate how people treat celebrities."
He let's my hand go. "What do you mean?"
"Like you're some kind of zoo animal or not even a person. People say the most awful things like just because you have money or your famous that you don't have feelings. Like that makes it ok to run up to you while you're eating and scream in your face and take pictures. Or for your worse moments to be plastered everywhere for millions to see. It's just sad."
He snorts. "It's not all bad. I get to do what I love and I'm grateful. My life being in the public eye is a small price to pay."
"Harry. You don't have to give me the bullshit interview response. Remember? I'm all about honesty. Just because you do what your passionate about and love, doesn't mean it's okay for people to treat you like shit and know everything about you."
He laughs, like really laughs. So much so that I feel like its a coping mechanism and I just offended the shit out of him.
"Bloody fucking hell." He says shaking his head, still laughing. Shit. "You...you keep surprising me Pee Pee."
"I'm sorry. I told you sometimes I'm too honest. I didn't mean to imply your fake or anything." I put my hands up in a submitting fashion.
He waves his hand and shakes his head. "No, no good surprise."
He goes to continue but Mateo opens the door with a young girl, both carrying trays with our food.
"Here you guys go, sorry for the wait." Mateo says setting down the plates he has. He moves out of the way and the young girl steps forward.
"Hi Harry." She says giving him a seductive smile and eyes. Oh Jesus.
"Hey Maria." He only glances at her quickly giving her a half smile. Her face falls and I immediately know they must have banged. She looks like someone shot her puppy.
Mateo just rolls his eyes which confirms my suspicions. I curl my lips in to keep from smiling. Poor girl.
"Alright enjoy you guys. Need anything before I leave?" Mateo asks as the girl walks away.
"No were good man, thanks." Harry says giving the empty guac and chips to Mateo to take. He grabs it from him and walks away, the girl still at the top of the stairs looking at Harry.
He looks at me and I can't keep my laughter in. "Stop. It was once. She's of age I swear."
I just shake my head laughing and shrug my shoulders. "I didn't say anything....daddy Harry."
He groans and rolls his eyes laughing. "Please don't ever say that again. Actually from you Pee Pee I might like it."
I choke on nothing and start coughing.
The jerk is still laughing, knowing clearly I'm flustered by his comment. Probably should get used to them.
"Anyway." The smug bastard says. "So which taco do you want to try first?"
We barely talk while eating, except for commenting on how delicious everything is. I took a bite of the baja shrimp but it was too spicy so Harry ate it after calling me a baby.
Mateo came and cleared the plates, offering is their famous Nutella stuffed churro balls for dessert, which I all too quickly said yes to. Which then Harry made a joke about other balls I might like for desert.
I hadn't laughed this much in a long time and it was wonderful.
Harry paid the tab, despite my protest and his reassurance that he could afford it. Of course he could, he was worth over 50 million but that wasn't the point. I didn't want it to feel like a date and him paying made it feel that way. Well the whole thing did but that was beside the point.
We said our goodbyes to Mateo and hopped in his truck.
"You need me to take you to the office or home?" He asks starting the car.
"Oh uh home, if you don't mind. I don't have a car yet."
"What? Why not?" He looks at me like I said I believe in Santa Claus.
"I just moved here and I'll be gone for a long time, there's no point. I don't mind walking and the subway. I didn't have a car in Seattle either."
"That's just so...again Pee Pee. Surprising me again. Here type in your address for me."
I type my apartment into his navigation system and he tisks at me. "You live in that neighborhood? That's not a good one."
"It's just fine and it's all we could afford for now. So shh."
"Hmm. I don't like my little Pee Pee living there."
I shoot him a look. "Well again I won't really be there in a month. I'll be with you so it doesn't matter."
"Yes you will little P, yes you will."
He turns on the radio and Frank Zappas "Carmarillo Brillo" comes on.
I laugh and start singing. "Well I was born to have adventure. So I just followed up the steps."
Harry slowly turns to me with his mouth gapping open. I laugh and sing again. "She stripped away her rancid poncho and laid out naked by the door."
He turns the radio down while still looking at me. "Fucking hell. You know Frank Zappa?"
I laugh. "Yes. I love him."
"What? How...what?" He asks completely dumbfounded.
"My dad. We were driving to visit my brother at college one day and I was telling him about Spotify and how you can listen to anything. So to test me he told me to find Montana by Frank Zappa. I did and started playing it and I was just listening and turned to him and we both started dying laughing. It's such a weird awesome song."
Harry laughs and nods, obviously knowing the song.
"So then we just spent the rest of the drive finding random songs he loved. My dad and mom used to smoke weed and listen to vinyls in the dark. Bands like Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Led Zeplin, Janis Joplin. I grew up listening to all of that. When I was in college my dad and I got high together and listened to the Dark Side of the Moon in the dark at his house. He had a ridiculous sound system. It's honestly one of my favorite memories. We connected on like a friendship level ya know? I got a glimpse of who my dad was before me and my brother."
A tear I didn't realize was there falls down my cheek.
"That sounds amazing."
"It was. He was. He was the coolest person I knew."
"He sounds it. I wish I could have met him."
He reaches for my hand and lays our hands on the middle counsel.
"Me too. He would have liked you. You guys probably would have gotten along really well."
"Just like me and his daughter." He smiles and glances at me. "Seriously P, I know we have literally known each other twenty four hours but I feel really lucky they hired you. Like you were meant to be my friend."
I turn and look at him, completely surprised by what he just said. "You do?"
He nods. "Mmhmm. This tour, it's the biggest yet and I'm excited but I'm also terrified. And stressed. Tonight is the first time in a long time that I've felt normal. I've just been so busy and running around like a mad man. And..and you just, you seem to already understand me better than most people I know. You knew I was giving you that bullshit answer about the price of fame. Truth is I hate when people, especially girls, just run up screaming. I'm just a regular bloke. I'd rather have a conversation with my fans then them just screaming and taking selfies."
"Well yeah who wouldn't?"
"See you get it. You know. It's...it's just really refreshing. I think we're going to become...what do you Americans say? Besties?"
He says besties in a high pitch American accent and I snort laugh, which makes him laugh.
"I'm serious though. I think we're gonna make a great team. You and me, Pee Pee."
"Harry and Pee Pee against the world." I say sarcastically pumping my fist in the air.
"Ha. I knew you'd come around on the nickname. Harry and P. The dream team."
Yeah. The dream team. Only the real team I want to be on with Harry is just that; a dream. A dream that can never happen.