Olivia's POV
I bang my head against the counter, wondering if time could literally pass any slower. The record store is completely dead and has been for the past couple hours. But I need the cash... Ever since I've met Harry, he's occupied all of my time and my wallet has suffered from it.
A Bon Iver record plays in the background, the music being so soothing that it almost lulls me to sleep. Sometimes I was grateful for working in such a relaxed place, but today was not one of them.
This entire week Harry has been in the studio and I have only seen him once since the day I was lazying around with the world's largest hangover. He snuck over to my house and we talked - and made out - for a little while.
I still have Saturday night to look forward to. The party that Harry had invited me to, where I'll meet Simon Cowell. The idea still hasn't really hit me. I still need to buy a new dress. Alicia had called me and asked me to go shopping with her tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes.
The girls all assured me that they weren't mad for me being a drunken mess when we went out. Summer told me I was too hilarious to be mad at. Rosalie actually apologized to me for leaving me all alone. And here I was scared that I ruined my chance of being friends with them.
I don't think anything changed with Juliet. But it's nice to know that she doesn't just hate me for no reason. I had been meaning to ask Harry about it, but I haven't found the time. I feel actually bad for Juliet. I see where she's coming from. It'd be hard to see all these girls come and go. If I was her, I'd be the same way; very distant.
I watch through the large glass windows in hope as I see a group of people walk by. They wear beanies and knitted sweaters with oversized glasses, just the type of people that come to the record store. I slump down in frustration as they walk on pass without even a glance.
If a person could literally die of boredom, I'm doomed.
Reaching a new low of desperation, I start to dance around the record store to 'Flume' by Bon Iver - my personal favorite on his album. I create a new style of dance that one would probably name 'the-dance-of-the-bored-white-girl'. I literally laugh at myself because I know that if anyone would walk in, they'd walk directly out without hesitation.
After the song finishes and the interpretive dancing becomes boring as well, I lay across the floor of the store. I count the ceiling tiles, trying to create images with them in my mind.
The bell above the door dings, announcing the arrival of another human being. I literally jump to my feet in a matter of seconds.
"Welcome to -" I start my routine greet, but stop myself as soon as I lay eyes on the visitor, "TEA YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER, LITERALLY A LIFE SAVER!" I shout, sprinting pass the rows of vintage records to throw my arms around my best friend.
She looks taken back, but laughs and hugs me back nonetheless.
"I was just going to see if you were getting off work anytime soon, I figured we could go out tonight?" She suggests, saying the words to make me the happiest woman alive.
"I'm not supposed to be done for another hour, but no amount of money in the world could make me stay a minute longer." I exclaim, racing towards the back of the store to grab my sweatshirt and keys to lock up the store.
Tea smiles, obviously being just as bored as I am on this Thursday summer night. Now we can finally catch up and have some needed best friend time, since the last time we tried, we had been interrupted.
I lock the front door behind me before linking elbows with Tea. We've always looked so out-of-place together. Me with my vintage dresses and tights and oxfords; her with her ripped up shorts, leather jackets, and combat boots. I take notice of a brand new piercing in her ears, nothing out of the ordinary for Tea.
"Where are we off to tonight?" I ask once she passes both of our cars parked against the curb outside the record store.
"They're having open mic night at The Rosery, I figured we could give it a go like we used to," She suggests, speaking of our favorite coffee house only a few blocks away from the record store.
I smile, the idea sounding more than perfect. Tea and I have been singing together since we were little girls watching The Little Mermaid. You wouldn't think our different taste in music and different voice types would work together, but they surprisingly do. We'd go to The Rosery every couple weeks for their open mic nights and sing a few songs together.
When we enter the doors of the dimly-lit coffee house a strong feeling of 'home' overcomes me. I see a few familiar faces; a few behind the counter, a few seated in the wooden booths. I give them all a polite wave.
Tea and I take a seat in our favorite booth towards the back, surprised that it was left open. When you sat in this booth you got a great view of downtown LA. Plus it was far enough away from the small stage that you could have a decent conversation with the person sitting across from you without having to shout.
"Hey Tea and Olivia, my two favorite girls," Charlie, the owner of the coffee house comes over and sets two nice cups of chocolate milk in front of us - what we've always ordered here since we were ten years old when we used to come with our parents.
"How's it been Charlie?" Tea asks, giving him their usual handshake that looks like it was invented by a four year old.
"Business has been great! Summer always treats us well," He smiles, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes making an appearance, "Are we going to be blessed with the voices of you two angels this evening?" He asks, making my cheeks turn a light pink, but Tea takes the compliment with stride.
"If you'll allow us to, then of course," I smile gratefully at him.
Charlie opens his mouth to say something but gets interrupted by a young girl, probably in her mid-teens, approaching our table and speaking rather loudly,
"Oh my god! You're Olivia Watson, Harry Style's girlfriend, aren't you?" She asks me.
Panic fills my insides as people from the surrounding tables perk up and listen into our conversation. Whenever famous people are brought up, people become crazy.
"Shh!" I hiss at her, trying to not cause a scene. I had hoped to come here and enjoy my time with Tea as we used to and I know that won't happen if people are coming up to me ever few seconds, "Yes I am, but I'm trying to have a quiet evening, so if you could keep it down, that'd be amazing," I speak quietly to the girl, being as polite as possible.
The girl nods, understanding, she looks around as if she were dealing with something top secret. Tea smirks at me and Charlie simply moves out of the girl's way.
"Would it be too much to ask for a picture?" She asks in a hushed whisper.
A picture? With me? But I haven't even done anything? The One Direction fans are really quite odd. I can't think of any other girlfriends of famous people are approached like this.
"Sure?" I respond, but it came out like a question. Tea chuckles quietly, obviously finding my discomfort with this fame funny.
The girl scoots in the booth beside me and hands her phone to Tea, who snaps a picture of me and the girl. I hope I don't look like too much of a freak.
"Thank you so much," She smiles, putting her phone away, "I just have to say you're really pretty and really nice and you deserve to be with Harry," She says extremely quickly, all her word forming together into one word.
Again, not being able to take a compliment, my cheeks flush ever-so-slightly. I can't help but to let out a small laugh.
"Thank you very much," I smile before the girl shuffles back to her table across the coffee house. "Oh my gosh, I have never been so uncomfortable in my life," I whisper to Tea and Charlie, ducking down in the booth.
Tea, still laughing over the entire incident looks around the coffee house where we have become the main point of focused. She looks more excited about it than I was anticipating. She doesn't seemed bothered by it at all. We even catch a couple people a few tables over sneaking a picture of us.
"We've been dealing with people asking about you a lot these past few days. I still have your guys' picture on the wall after your first performance and after people recognize you, they have been asking a lot of questions. I had to stop a few of the workers from letting them know where you work," Charlie explains.
Gratitude washes over me as I realize how awful it would be if people knew where I worked. I wouldn't have a second of down time. I'm sure James my boss would love to spread the word and make his business sky-rocket, but luckily Charlie knows me well.
"Maybe we shouldn't perform tonight... I'd rather just lay low," I frown to Tea, unable to help but to feel a tad disappointed.
"Hell no, let's perform!" She disagrees, "Don't let them stop you," She encourages me, being my little motivation as she has been my entire life.
I look to the packed coffee house that would have never even phased me before, now the audience looks intimidating and scary. They look ready to cast judgements the moment I screw up. And not only cast judgements on me, but on Harry as well.
"What are you so worried about kid, that they'll find you too talented?" Charlie asks, sending me a smile before leaving our table to go help the other tables.
I groan and run my fingers through my hair, biting my bottom lip. I know Tea wants to sing badly and I want to sing badly, but ever since I saw all those hateful things on twitter, I've been aware of people more now.
"Who is this? The Olivia I remember never would have let anything stop her from going up there and killing it. Remember that one time LA got all that snow for the first time in history? You still made me bundle up and drive in that awful weather so we could come and sing in front of five people." Tea reminds me, sending me a smirk, knowing me better than this.
I can't help but to laugh, remembering that cold January night vividly. Tea's always been great at cheering me up, I swear she could pull me from the world's deepest depression.
I nod, getting up from my seat to stand up. Harry's words of comfort enter my brain as well. These people don't mean anything. Not everyone is going to love me and I just have to remember who's opinions actually matter to me.
"There she is," Tea laughs, wrapping an arm around my neck and giving me a tight hug.
We approach the stage, grabbing two guitars that are free to borrow for people who feel like playing for the customers. I've grown so used to these guitars, they're almost as familiar as my own. The worn-down wood feels comfortable beneath my fingers.
I blow my bangs out of my face, taking a seat on one of the stools as Tea goes and talks to Charlie, making sure everything on stage is all good to go.
"Hi everyone," i speak into the microphone. The few people that recognized me look at me with surprise, especially the girl that had taken a picture with me, "My name is Olivia and I'll be singing with my friend Tea," I explain, strumming on the guitar to be sure it's in tune.
Tea hurries up, her thick black boots echoing through the quiet coffee house, she tucks her black hair with bright blue streaks in it behind her ears. She smiles warmly at the crowd of about 30 people.
"We'll be singing an original of ours called 'The Chain'," Tea explains, informing me for the first time, making me realize we haven't even discussed what we'd be singing.
We wrote The Chain a few months ago and we've yet to actually perform it in front of an audience. Actually it's been awhile since we even practiced it, so nerves start to eat in my gut.
"We hope you enjoy," I smile, trying to fight through the butterflies I'm so unaccustomed to.
Tea starts on her guitar, strumming quietly and I join in. The song starts off in a quiet hum, which we bring our mouths close to the microphones to be heard. For the first time ever, the entire coffee house is completely silent. Usually there is the quiet buzz of conversation to serve as a safety net for us.
Now every single person in the coffee house is listening.
The sky looks pissed.
The wind talks back.
My bones are shifting in my skin,
And you my love are gone.
I start the song off, singing out softly and very daintly. The words come out naturally without me even having to think of them. On the last line, Tea harmonizes very perfectly.
My room seems wrong,
The bed won't fit.
I can not seem to operate
And you my love are gone.
Tea's verse is next and just as she had when I sang the last line, I sing the upper-harmony, just twinkling above her. I smile as our voices blend together so nicely. A smile appears on Tea's face as well as she looks over to me.
So glide away on soap heels,
And promise not to promise anymore.
And if you come around again,
Then I will take, then I will take
The chain from off the door.
Neither of us can stop from feeling the chorus - both of our favorite parts - as we strum away, in our own little world. Our voices echo throughout the quiet coffee house, ringing out loud and clear, making there nowhere for our voices to hide.
I'll never say, that I'll never love.
Tea sings out, just the tiniest bit of her raspiness shows through. Her voice always gives me chills the way she controls it.
Oh, but I don't say a lot of things.
I sing back the next line, my different voice type really contrasting our voices and showcasing them both in a unique way.
And you my love are gone.
We sing this line in unison together, glancing at one another. I remember when we wrote this, I was still very bitter and sad over Tate. I was in a song-writing frenzy after that and Tea had helped me write a lot of them, of course being my should to cry on every few hours during those sessions.
I no longer feel sadness like I had when I wrote this song, so now I sing it for the others. I sing it for anyone in the audience that is going through something similar. That's the one thing I love about writing music. Someone will hear it and know exactly what you went through without you even knowing them. You can connect with people in so many different levels.
So glide away on soapy heels,
And promise not to promise anymore.
And if you come around again,
Then I will take the chain from off the door.
Tea and I sing this in a round - one after another - overlapping and jamming out on our owns. I strum louder as the peak hits in the song, singing as loud as my vocal chords will allow. My eyes are squeezed shut, so many memories playing through them.
We come together one final time, singing the last line in the chorus again.
Then I will take,
Then I will take,
Then I will take the chain from off the door.
I finally open my eyes after we strum our final chord. Applause rings through the coffee house, something that is pretty rare as well. Usually your good friends, or the small amount of people that have listened to your work so much that you could call them your 'fans', are the only ones to applaud. But not tonight.
Even cheering could be heard from the usually mellow, laid-back coffee house. A smile breaks through on my face as I let out a small laugh. Tea and I set down our guitars and do a small bow, appreciating each and every single clap coming from the audience.
Feeling untouchable, we descend from the stage to be greeted by many smiling faces. A few people actually ask to take pictures with the two of us. Tea looks like the happiest woman alive. I've always known she'd be the better one to deal with the limelight out of the two of us.
We try our best to make our way back to our table where our chocolate milk is waiting for us, but it takes quite awhile. A girl even asks for us to sign a napkin because she knows "it's going to be worth something some day".
People really warm up to Tea as she cracks joke after joke. She stays behind to talk with a group of hipster-looking guys who are really interested in Tea and her taste in everything. I take the opportunity to slip away out the side door to get a breath of fresh air.
I don't think I'll ever get used to the public eye thing. I don't see how people like Harry and Tea can actually enjoy having all eyes on them. It's an unsettling feeling. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for anyone who likes me enough to even bother, but it's all just rather unnatural.
Will I be able to continue dating Harry if I never adjust? I sorta miss being able to go to the coffee house and sing and drink my chocolate milk without anybody giving me a second glance. Being invisable is... nice.
"Hey there, you know there are creepier people than you out there in this world that would love to scoop you up and use your skin as a bathrobe. I wouldn't just stand out here all alone, you boob." Tea's voice makes me jump as she joins me outside.
I can't help but to smile at Tea's disgusting joke, scooting over so there's room for her to sit upon the window ledge beside me.
"Do you think I'll ever become less of an awkward freak?" I ask, watching taxis drive past the coffee house with haste. Now it's Tea's turn to laugh at me.
"Nope," She replies, making a popping sound on the 'p', "But I think that's what's going to make people love you. That's why I love you," She leans her head against my shoulder, becoming the supportive best friend that I always seem to need.
She's right. Instead of trying to please the media by being someone I'm not, I should just be myself and make them adjust to me. I should be able to tweet what I want without worrying if people will get my sense of humor.
I'm me and that's never going to change. Nor would I ever want it to.
Harry's POV
Zayn takes his turn in the studio, belting it out on the track we've been working at for hours. Being the perfectionist he is, if he makes one small mistake, he stops and restarts. Liam and Louis are sitting beside Tyler, who is busying messing with the levels and doing the technical aspect of recording. Niall and I sit on the couch, playing on our phones.
I sit on twitter, seeing what a few of my mates back home are up to. I skim through some of my mentions, favoriting a few of the ones that make me smile. Our fans are really incredible. They never fail to brighten our days.
One tweet catches my attention in my mentions:
@KailiLuvsOneDirection: THIS JUST IN! @Harry_Styles 's girlfriend @Oliviaaahh spotted singing at a local cafe in LA! Watch here: www.youtube.com/iebivieow
I glance up at the others, seeing if I had a minute to check out the video. Zayn is still working on his verse and still has to record his second verse.
I pop my headphones in and tap the youtube link, where it directs me to a video. I press play and I can see right away Olivia up on stage at the coffee house that's only a few blocks away from the record store that she works. Beside her on stage is her best friend Tea, whom I've only met once, but Olivia's told me all about her.
"We'll be singing an original of ours called 'The Chain'," Tea is the first to speak, but I can't take my eyes off of Olivia. I can see the nerves settling in her face, making her features twist up in anticipation.
I feel a tap on my shoulder so I quickly pause the video and pull out one of the headphones. I see Niall looking over my shoulder with curiosity.
"What're you watching?" He asks. I had seen him suffering with boredom a few moments ago, so there's no surprise he's bugging me.
"A video of Olivia performing at some coffee house tonight," I explain.
Liam and Louis must have over-heard me as well because they leave Tyler's side and stand beside Niall, just as interested. I roll my eyes. What a bunch of nosey twits.
"Have you ever heard her sing?" Liam asks, taking a seat beside me on the couch. Niall sits on the arm of the couch and Louis squeezes next to Liam.
I shake my head, returning my focus to the video. I pull out the headphones so we all can listen. I knew Olivia could sing, she had told me on our first date, but she never told me she would actually perform. I wish I could be there in the front row cheering her on.
"Hope you enjoy," Olivia flashes one of her world famous smiles that cause me to smile back without even thinking about it.
The boys stay completely silent as they start to play guitar and hum. I can feel Tyler glancing over at us. I don't think he's ever heard us so quiet while we're together.
Olivia's the first to sing and the moment she opens her mouth, I get goosebumps. Her voice is so unique and beautiful. I find myself holding my breath, not wanting to miss a single note. The notes twinkle in the air, even on this crappy video quality you can hear the perfection of her voice.
"Wow," Niall whispers, his eyes open wide with awe.
"She's..." Louis is at loss of words, which never happens.
"Amazing," Liam finishes for him, the corners of his lips turning up.
"Who is that?" Tyler calls over to us, making Zayn take a break in the booth.
"Olivia, Harry's girl," Louis explains, listening to Tea carefully as well, who has a completely different style of singing, yet it fits with Olivia perfectly. You can tell the two of them have been singing for a long time together.
Leaving Zayn wondering what's going on, Tyler joins us on the couch to watch Olivia in awe. Seeing Tyler watch Olivia with interest is impressive. He's an incredibly harsh critic. He is hard to please. We'll have to redo songs if he thinks we can do better. I'm grateful because the outcome is so rewarding, but it gets rather irritating.
Nobody says a word as we watch the rest of the video. The only sound coming from us are small comments of approval. When they start to sing in a round, I feel the goosebumps forming once more.
Why has she been hiding this amazing talent this entire time? I feel like I'm discovering one of her darkest secrets. She's got to be one of the most humble people I know. Other girls with that kind of voice would be dying for a chance to show it off, yet she doesn't even mention it.
"You've got to show this to Simon," Tyler tells me once the video is finished.
The lads all nod in agreement, but I shake my head. Olivia would never go for that. She isn't the fame kind of girl, she's already made that clear.
"Not everyone wants to be famous," I shrug, respecting her decision.
"Let me talk to her," Tyler shakes his head, returning to his seat at the control board, getting back into the zone.
I shrug my shoulders. Nobody say I didn't warn him. Olivia is going to shut him down without hesitation.
I stretch back out on the couch with Niall once Louis and Liam leave again, still speaking about Olivia. Niall gives me a light kick, pulling my attention away from my phone where I was going to send Olivia a text.
Anger settles in my bones as I look up to see Niall smirking at me. I flash him the finger to go along with my glare.
"Don't get so mad; she's a keeper," Niall laughs, not phased by my anger at all.
She sure is, and that's the problem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: Hello to all my new lovely readers! Hope you're enjoying! I can't believe this story is almost to 20,000 reads! <3 You're all amazing! Keep the comments coming guys, they really are beyond wonderful! They make my day!
The song on the side is The Chain by Ingrid Michaelson, one of my favorite artists in the entire universe! I <3 her so much! :)
Again, I really love reading your comments, so don't be afraid to leave your thoughts! They never go unnoticed! :)
Love,
Never_Let_Me_Go