hi! i just thought i'd make a quick little disclaimer to all you lovely people - i've been seeing a lot of you guys leaving comments on chapter 8 when harry asks sophie to get changed into other clothes - i wrote this in late 2018 and i didn't realise how it sounded back then! in no way did i mean for harry to come across as controlling or anything like that! i completely get all your comments on it & i hope you know you should never have to change your outfit because of what your other half says! anyway, back onto the chapter!
As promised, here is THE longest chapter yet...get settled in, grab some popcorn because ladies and gentlemen, the ride is about to start. (Also maybe I did spice it up slightly so here is a minuscule smut(?) warning)
"Glasgow is beautiful," I whispered to Harry, who was lying on the bed in our hotel room. We had arrived yesterday, and were starting to settle in. My signing was this afternoon, and my show was tonight. It was the first of four, and it was safe to say I was nervous.
"It is beautiful," he agreed, looking out of the windows that overlooked the beautiful city.
I came over to the bed and perched over, kissing him on the lips softly, catching him by surprise. I felt him smile against the kiss, bringing his hands up to cup my cheeks, then proceeding to pull me on top of him.
"Harry..." I whispered.
"We have ages," he countered, and it was true, we did have quite a while before I had to be where I had to be.
I rolled my eyes and sat up, wrapping my legs around his torso and pulling him up with me, so I was now sat in his lap, all the while keeping our lips clasped together.
I ran my fingers through his hair, earning a low, throaty groan that quickly escaped from his lips. I smirked, knowing that I was the reason for the sound. I could see him blushing, prompting me to do the same.
He pulled me down with him again, yet this time he flipped me round so he was now on top of me, his hands running along my skin, tracing the curves as they travelled further down.
I closed my eyes, allowing the tingling sensations to take over my body.
-
The two of us lay in bed, skin on skin contact, a sweaty mess. The sheets tangled up in between us, our legs overlapping.
"Now I need to shower again," I moaned, starting to get out of bed. "And no, you're not coming in with me because I don't have time to do that again," I smiled, walking off into the bathroom, turning around and giving him a smirk as he hugged the duvet around him.
I let the water run a little longer than I should have, but it helped me to relax. I was meeting just short of one hundred people today, signing physical copies of my EP. And then after that, I would be singing all four songs to an audience of just over one thousand. Whilst it wasn't much, it would still be the first time performing in front of a live audience, and it was safe to say I was incredibly nervous.
I turned the shower head off and proceeded to wrap the towel around my head and body. When I went back into the room, Harry was still shirtless and in bed, on his phone. For security reasons, he couldn't come to the signing with me, but he could come to the show with me later, he would be standing backstage.
"I have absolutely no idea what to wear," I groaned, looking through the clothes that were packed neatly in my suitcase.
"Wear the white frilly shirt with the blue jeans," he pointed towards the left of the suitcase.
"This?" I asked, holding it against my chest, and he nodded.
"Alright, this could work," I spoke, walking back into the bathroom.
"You know, you could just get changed in here!" He yelled.
"Don't want you getting any ideas, I don't have time for anymore distractions today!" I called our sweetly, just imagining the look on his face.
I put on the top and the jeans, and it worked pretty well. I applied some light makeup, and soon enough I was ready.
"Alright, I'm coming out. Tell me what you think," I said, walking out of the bathroom and twirling around for Harry.
"You look..amazing!" He spluttered, looking me up and down. "Pass me your phone," he continued, reaching out for it.
"Why?"
"So I can take a picture for instagram, silly," he spoke, as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.
With a roll of my eyes, I chucked him my phone and sat down on the nearby sofa. When he chucked me back my phone I looked through the photos, and to be fair to him he had done a good job.
"You know what, I am going to post one of these on Instagram. Just you watch."
first day of tour!! excited to meet you guys <33
📸: @wroetoshaw
I pressed post and within seconds it had thousands upon thousands of likes. Since Simon introducing me in his video just over a year and a half ago, my following had increased massively, now bordering on a million followers - how insane was that?! It was now all starting to feel so surreal, the journey that I had been on and where I had gotten to now - and this was still really only the beginning.
"There we go. Posted it!" I said cheerfully, only to see a notification pop up from Harry's Instagram. The fans would be all over that.
@wroetoshaw: looking very beautiful if I say so myself (it's the photography that's why she looks so good)❤️❤️❤️
"Nice comment," I spoke, looking over at him and saw him grin back. My phone pinged and I saw that it was from Kyle. Whilst he wasn't with me on tour, he was more up to date on what was happening than I was. He text me to tell me that my car to the venue had just pulled up outside.
"Alright that's my cue to go," I blew him a kiss, telling him I'd see him later. He wished me good luck, and before I knew it I was outside in Glasgow, stepping into a small black car.
"Good afternoon, Miss Minter! I'm Richie and I'm driving you today." He introduced himself, and I shot him a quick smile, making myself comfortable in the backseat.
Today was going to be a long day, I could already feel it.
Luckily the drive to the venue wasn't too far from the hotel, and soon enough we were pulling up.
"How come we're parking at the back?" I asked, as I stepped out of the car and came face to face with a great big burly man.
"There are fans that failed to get meet and greet tickets surrounding the front entrance, so for your safety we have to enter through the back," The man explained. I swallowed nervously, the nerves finally kicking in. It must've been obvious, for the security guard placed a comforting hand around my shoulder and reassured me I would be fine. I was led through the venue through small corridors and entered a small room - it looked like a dressing room.
"You've got ten minutes before its due to start, someone will be back in here to come and collect you when its time, alright?" The guard said, leaving me on my own.
Now that I was on my own, I let out a gigantic sigh of relief. I could do this. I was a good people person, I liked interacting with fans. I was determined to give them their moneys worth, to have a nice conversation with them, get a good photo. Everything would be fine.
Yet I still needed reassuring. I opened Harry's contact and started typing out a message.
Hey
Heyyyy
What's up?
Nervous
You'll be amazing, they'll love you
What if they don't
You can't think like that, not everyone will like you but you ignore those people, they're not worth it
Alright okay
I love you, tell me all about it when you're back x
Will do, love you x
I closed my phone off just before I heard someone walk into the room. I didn't think anything of it until she opened her mouth. I looked up in shock - surely it wasn't?
"ELOISE!" I yelled, catapulting myself at her, nearly knocking her over in the process. "What the hell are you doing here? Is this real? Are you real? Are you actually here? In Glasgow?" I spluttered, still hugging her very tightly.
"I promise I will explain soon," She said, her accent still as thick as ever. "But right now you've got to go and meet your fans, alright? I'll take you to them now." She explained, taking my hand and leading me down even more corridors. "Okay so we have split them into ten groups of ten, and with each group you have fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes? that doesn't seem like a lot, especially seeing as they paid loads for this," I spoke, a little glumly.
"Unless you want to be late to your own show," She joked, but upon seeing my dismayed expression, she quickly added, "They've got access to the better viewpoints at the show too, they get early entry.
I guess that made me feel a little bit better. "Okay, we are here. You go through that door, and then the organisers will send in the first group. I will be a phone call away if you, or anyone needs me, okay? Have fun!" She spoke excitedly, walking back in the direction she had just come from. She still hadn't explained how she was here, but I brushed it off. My only thoughts were now about the fans.
I pushed open the door and saw a cute little backdrop with my EP cover printed on it multiple times. I was guessing that was where we were due to take pictures.
I made my way over there, and put my thumbs up to the familiar security guard who was by the door, He nodded his head and opened the door, ten fans piling in. This group was all girls and I smiled at all of them individually.
The first girl came over to me, and bless her heart she was crying. "Hey, no! Don't cry!" I said, bringing her in for a hug. What's your name?" I asked, smiling fondly at her. She informed me that it was Caitlin. I called over the security guard, and everyone looked a little alarmed.
"Could you pass me my phone please?" I asked kindly, and everyone looked at me in confusion. Nevertheless, he complied and passed me my phone. I went into the note app, and wrote down her name. This was my first meet and greet, and it meant something to me, so I was sure to document that.
I did the same for all the girls, and after we had all taken individual photos and one group photo, the fifteen minutes was up.
"Thank you so much for coming, guys! I hope you enjoy the show tonight, make sure to stay dehydrated!"
By the time the last group had arrived, I had noticed a trend. Most of my fans were girls, which was totally okay. I loved meeting them all. The final group walked in, and the first girl looked strangely familiar.
She walked up to me, a knowing smile in her eyes. Dammit - I knew her! She was the girl at the costume store! And her name was - oh crap, what was her name?
"Ana?" I asked cautiously, and watched as her eyes lit up.
"You remembered my name!" She said excitedly, and I could see first hand how much this meant for her.
" Of course I did! You sold me the shark onesie for Harry! But you live in London, what the hell are you doing In Glasgow?! Not that I'm not thrilled to see you," I said, now remembering it in much more detail.
"I did! And I actually got meet and greet tickets to all four shows. How are you guys?" She asked sweetly. My thoughts flickered back to this morning, causing my cheeks to turn red. She raised her eyebrow at me and I giggled. "Yeah, we're really good, thank you - but you've spent so much money! you're so silly! I love you!" I spoke excitedly, in shock that someone would spend so much money on me!
We finished off our chat, and I talked with the other fans and took a group photo. I waved goodbye to them all, and put my phone back in my pocket after writing down their names. Eloise bounced back through the door and waved over to me, beckoning me over.
"How was it?" She asked, walking down through the corridors, presumably back to the dressing room.
"It was amazing. I loved every second of it, meeting them all is so humbling. Plus, I think they enjoyed it too, so that's always a bonus."
I had guessed right, and soon enough we were back in the dressing room.
"Pack up your stuff quick, we're sharing a car," She informed me, sitting down on the couch.
"You coming back to my hotel room?" I asked, not minding if she was.
"Oh, no, I'm not. But I am staying in the same hotel as you," She smiled sweetly at me. My jaw dropped.
"You've been staying in the same hotel as me and I didn't even realise?" I asked dumbfounded.
As we got buckled in the back of the car, I twisted in my seat.
"So, how come you're with me for my tour? How did that happen?" She smiled knowingly before talking.
"Well, I actually reached out to Kyle, telling him I'm good with management, I went with the guys on tour after the whole - well, you know. And then went on to become their manager. And plus, you and me are friends, so I thought it would be nice for you to have another friend here."
"You are incredible, El. What did Vik say about the whole thing? Surely it'll be tough on you guys for the next couple of weeks," I said sympathetically.
"Well," She spoke, getting out of the car. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Grinning, and walking to the lift that would take us up to our rooms.
"He's here?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, I can keep you company at meet and greets, and Vik can keep Harry company when we're out. It was actually Vik's idea for him to come out, but I agreed straight away. It's kind of perfect," She admitted, and I nodded my head along with her. It was kind of perfect.
"Thank you," I smiled gratefully at her, this meant so much more to me than she could ever know.
"Of course! Now, I think Vik is still with Harry, do you mind if I come in and wait for him?" I nodded my head.
"For sure!"
We walked into the room, and sure enough the two of them were playing some game or other on the TV. It was a good thing they had each bought their consoles. At the sound of us walking in, they looked up, Vik getting up to greet Eloise, and me bouncing over to the bed where Harry was sat.
"Hey! How was it? Did it go alright?" He asked, bringing me into his side. I nodded, revelling against his touch.
"It was amazing, I loved it..I love every second of it. Here, look," I showed my him my phone, clicking on the notes app. "I wrote down all their names...they were part of the first meet and greet I've ever done, that's something to remember, right?"
"Right." He smiled, and took the phone from me, scrolling through it. His eyes lit up as he got to the bottom. "Ana shark onesie? Is that the girl we met in London? What is she doing up in Glasgow?" he asked.
My heart swelled as he remembered her too. "I know! I asked her the exact same, apparently she's coming to all my shows and the meet and greets - I hate that she's probably spent so much money on me, I kind of want to do something back," I spoke suggestively.
"Like what?" he asked, curious too.
"I'm not sure. I want to track her down on twitter or something, and see if I can work something out. I just feel bad she's spent so much money." I confessed.
"Just be careful with whatever you do, talk to Eloise about it."
"Oh yeah! Did you know that Eloise was coming up with us?"
"I did not. It was only until I got a text from Vik asking what hotel room I was in I figured it out. it's sweet of them to do it though."
Speak of the devil, Eloise popped her head round the corner, letting me know they were heading back to their own room. "Good luck for later! Kyle is going to text you down the details but I will be backstage if you need anything, alright?"
I waved her off before standing up and stretching. "I feel like I should be showering again, but then I remember I've already had two showers today."
"So does that mean no -"
"I'm not even going to let you finish that sentence, Harry Lewis," I fake glared at him.
"But, seeing as you chose my outfit for the meet and greet, it's only fair you help me decide what to wear tonight." Which quickly brought a smile to his face.
"I get to pick this outfit too?"
He jumped up from the bed and started rustling through my clothes. During this time, I decided I would have another shower. You know, just in case.
"I'm going to have a shower. Again, yes I know," I defended myself as Harry rolled his eyes. "Can't wait to see the outfit you choose...maybe I'll post it on my Instagram again.." I spoke suggestively, winking at my boyfriend before making my way into the bathroom once more. Honestly, I spent half my time in this shower!
When I walked back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around my body and my hair, I saw that Harry had delivered, once more. Laid out on the bed was a small white vest top with my cargo trousers and my white trainers.
"I must say, I'm impressed," as I picked up the white vest top. "And I can't wait to put this on."
I collected the items of clothing and, to Harry's dismay, I walked back into the bathroom to change. If I had gotten changed in front of him, I would have almost certainly been late to my first ever live show.
Looking in the mirror after I tried on the clothes, a smile overcame my face. I liked this outfit, it made me feel energetic, it made me feel ready to go out and sing in front of one thousand people. it practically screamed confidence, which was exactly what I needed. To my surprise, when I came back into the room, Harry was also dressed semi - smart. Not suit smart, because Harry absolutely despised suits and wouldn't be found dead in one -honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned up to someone's wedding in jeans. No, but he still managed to look smart with black jeans and an oversized branded t-shirt.
"Well you look very good," I complimented him, going over to kiss him.
"And you look very beautiful," He said softly, just as we pulled away from each other.
"My hair is still wet and I haven't even done my makeup yet." I replied quickly, shooting him a confused glance.
"Told you once and I'll tell you again. You don't need makeup. Now look, sit on the bed and let me take some pictures of you," he said, taking out his own phone and holding it expectantly.
I huffed. "You're not going to let this go until I do it, are you?" Not to my surprise, he nodded his head. "Fine," I complied, sitting on the bed and making a few faces at the camera.
"See! That wasn't hard, was it?"
tagged: @sophhx
@wroetoshaw: this ones first performance tonight!! give them hell
I saw the notification pop up on my screen. I had to smile, it was a cute caption.
@sophhx: didn't even let me dry my hair :( love u xx
"You feeling ready for tonight?" He asked, pocketing his phone and walking over to put his shoes on as I started to do my makeup.
"Yeah, I think I am. As cheesy as it sounds, this is what I've wanted to do for my whole life. And now it's happening, I couldn't be more excited."
"Well, if it adds to your excitement, I am also very excited for you, and I know you're going to smash it up there tonight."
We continued to chat about irrelevant things until my hair was dry, and my makeup was done. We had about an hour until the show officially started, but Kyle had text me saying we had to leave now. We were sharing a car with Eloise and Vik, and had planned to meet them in the lobby in ten minutes.
"Alright I've just gotten off the phone to Freya, where I also spoke to Simon. Everything should be fine, they reassured me, you've reassured me, I have officially been reassured." Cracking into a smile, myself and Harry made our way down to the lobby, where Eloise and Vik were waiting. Vik also looked quite smart - I suspected Eloise was behind it. Eloise looked beautiful, dressed in a black jumpsuit, her hair curly.
"I saw it on Instagram but you look even more beautiful in person!" Eloise complimented me, bringing me in for a very rushed hug. "now come on, the car is outside and it's a good twenty minutes drive, and I want you nice and relaxed when we get there, not for you to be stressed out. Let's go people!" She commanded, ushering us all out of the building. This was why she was the Sidemen's manager.
We all made it into the car, me and Eloise sat next to each other in the back, and the boys in the front.
We were about halfway there when all three of their phones pinged. "What was that for?" I asked, not admitting it, but feeling a little left out.
"The guys have decided what they're going to do about the rapid decline in views!" Eloise spoke cheerfully.
"Which is?" I prompted.
"JJ is going to make a video saying he has left the sidemen, and then do a fake diss track on Ethan. They're all friends, it will all be a bit of friendly banter, but the fans don't know that. Hopefully it should bring in a few more views." Eloise explained.
The idea made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but hey ho, it wasn't any of my business, they could do what they wanted to.
"Alright, look we are pulling up," the driver commented, and I saw the venue for the first time. It was an old theatre, the space big enough for one thousand people to stand and have fun.
That reminded me - "Oh yeah, El, I have some things I need to talk to you about. Can we talk after the show?" I asked, and she nodded her head.
"For sure. I'll come find you after," She promised, and we got out of the car and went round the back into the main backstage area.
I was met with a technical team who sorted me out with the microphones, and then another couple of blokes came up to me and explained the lighting.
Before I knew it, I was given a five minute warning to go on stage. I could hear the talking of anticipation from the main stage area, I was stood directly behind the curtains, Harry by my side.
"You'll smash it. I know I keep saying it, you're probably sick of me sa-"
I interrupted him talking by connecting our lips, my hands curling around his neck. Our foreheads touched, our mouths just millimetres away.
"I will never get sick of it. Ever."
We were interrupted by a stage runner who seemed very apologetic, but warned me that curtains were being drawn in sixty seconds. I waved goodbye to Harry, and clutched my microphone. This was the moment I had been waiting for since I was born. In three, two, one...
-
"Thank you, Glasgow! it's been an absolute pleasure to sing to you all tonight - I love you all so much, thank you for coming! Have a safe journey home!" I spoke tiredly, wiping my forehead in exasperation. I had just finished singing Sue Me for the second time, and it was very energetic. I had literally been jumping across the stage the whole time.
I came off to be greeted by a clapping Harry, who pulled me into his chest. "Ooh, maybe that was a bad idea. You're a bit sweaty," He said disdainfully, but one look from me shut him up instantly. "Only joking!" He said to save himself.
Eloise came bounding over, congratulating me for my performance. I heard her ask Harry if she could borrow me for a quick chat, and once again before I knew it I was being pulled away into a small room.
"You said you wanted to talk, so what's up?" She asked, and she seemed interested in what I had to ask.
Thoughts of Ana bombarded my mind. I explained the situation and she murmured in agreement. "That's dedication, I agree. But I' not sure if I feel okay with you reaching out to her, purely because other fans might start expecting the same if they do crazy things. You know what I mean?"
I sighed, and my shoulders drooped. What she said made perfect sense, but I still wanted to do something. "What if we made it so no one ever found out? She's not the type of person to say anything for fame, she's really lovely, and I just want to do something. Anything."
"Look, leave it with me. I will figure something out for you. You said she was coming to all the shows?" I nodded my head. "I'll get something sorted for the Manchester show. How does that sound?"
"That sounds perfect. You're an absolute legend, El."
As she left the room, Harry came in, shooting me a curious glance. "I was asking about Ana," I explained, seeing understanding flood through his features. he cocked his head as if to ask if I had managed to do anything.
"El said to leave it with her. I trust her, she'll sort something out."
"That's good, then. Come on, let's get out of here. We leave for Manchester tomorrow afternoon. Let's get a good nights sleep." Cheers to that. I needed a massive sleep after today.
As we got back into the car, we discovered that Eloise and Vik had already left to go back, leaving us the car.
Harry's phone kept ringing the whole of the journey, and each time he kept swiping up and deleting the notifications.
"You know, maybe you should look at your phone instead of ignoring it," I advised, but all jokes were set aside when I realised he looked distressed.
"Hey," I coaxed, bring my hand up to his face. "What's happening? What is it?"
"Nothing. Nothing yet, anyway."
"What's that supposed to mean? Stop being vague, just tell me what's going on." I said calmly. How was I supposed to help if he wasn't going to tell me what was wrong/
"You know we had that idea to do fake diss tracks and everything?"
Oh no. This couldn't be good. "Yeah, you mentioned it earlier today." What could have possibly gone wrong in the span of two hours?
"Well, JJ came out with the initial video, and he was a lot harsher than we had planned, so that means Ethan is probably going to go harsh on JJ, and then the next step was for me to get involved.." He started, looking up at me. In all honesty, he looked a little bit afraid.
"You're getting involved? Why is that bad, I say go for it. If you're in, you've got to be all in. I can always help you with the producing side, anyway. I'll give Joe a call - in fact we are going to Manchester next, we can talk to him there," I spoke, getting more and more into the idea.
"You're not against any of this?" He asked, clearly surprised at my response. In all fairness, my reply had surprised me too.
"I support you. Always will. It's not like you making a diss track would be the end of the world.
In hindsight, I couldn't have been more wrong.
-
We woke up the next morning to a ringing phone.
"Turn it off," I groaned, reaching out to grab my phone, and turned it off. yet there was still more sound, so Harry's must have been going off too. I nudged him next to him, and he woke up instantly, stretching.
"What's that noise?" he yawned, finally realising it was his own phone.
He answered it, and his face went white. "Already? This morning?! Shit, okay yeah. Uhhh, latest would be tomorrow night maybe? Okay, yeah, alright. I'll keep you updated. Bye."
"What was that about?" I asked, nervous and unsure of if I wanted to know the answer.
"Well, this whole diss track idea has been massively blown out of proportion, and Ethan released a track this morning on JJ. But he is legitimately mad, he's left the group chat and everything." He said slowly, getting out of bed.
"Can you call your producer - Joe, yeah? Can you call him and ask if he's willing to meet me tonight?" He said, waiting for me to nod before leaving the room.
Well, shit. I wasn't sure if I enjoyed the sound of that.
Wowwwww, okay congrats, you completed this chapter !! 5k + words I am EXHAUSTED
I have literally spent all day writing this...like eight hours on and off <3
I hope you enjoyed it, and get ready for the next couple of chapters :)
also! selfish just hit 1000 reads! that's insane considering it's been out for just over two weeks! thank you, and i hope you're enjoying it!