Muse [h.s.]

23. lights up

Ella's POV

"Come on, come on!" I shout, running towards the side entrance of the arena, tugging both Jax and Lydia by their hands as we make it up the curb.

"You're gonna pull my wrist off, Ella!" Lydia says but I can hear the smile in her voice as I turn the corner. I can spot the door from here, barely ajar.

"She's excited, babe, let her live," Jax speaks from behind me, before he adds quietly, "We haven't seen her this excited in a while."

"Oh, and this is coming from the man who freaked out earlier over us keying Kyle's car?" Lydia fires back, but a giggle escapes her lips.

"Babe, shut up," Jax mumbles from behind me and I hear Lydia giggle again. I let loose of my grip on both their hands as we make it up to the door.

We're about 45 minutes late — Lydia said the concert starts at 7, but I'm hoping Harry hasn't gone on as yet and it's just his opening acts that we've missed.

I don't want to miss a second of him on stage.

We finally make it to the door by the side entrance, and I can already hear the screaming crowd in the arena, but I don't recognize Harry's voice as yet; maybe we're lucky, maybe he isn't performing as yet.

But I don't see Harry's manager, Jeff — Lydia said he'd be there waiting for us. A sinking feeling rises from the pit of my stomach. Are we too late?

Instead, there's another man, someone I don't recognize — his black tshirt, however, has large letters plastered reading 'SECURITY.' When I make it to the door, the man instantly trains his eyes on me.

"Aurelia Bardot?" He asks, narrowing his brows as he carefully studies me. I narrow my brows just as he does.

The tall, burly man flits his gaze over to Jax and Lydia, before he suddenly lets out a smile. "Jeff told me to look out for you three...you're friends of Mr. Styles, yes?"

Something like that.

I nod quickly in response as I shoot a smile back. "Yes, we are!"

The man nods, before gesturing for us to enter through the door. "Mr. Styles's manager is somewhere back here tying some loose ends, but he instructed me to lead you guys to the front of the stage," the man speaks as we follow him through the long, gray halls. 

I've never been backstage at a concert before, but I can already tell just how busy it is just by looking at my surroundings.

The moment we turn another hall, I take note of all the people speaking into small walkie-talkies and bustling around as they run down the seemingly never ending hallways.

The only concert I've ever been to was when Lydia and I went to a music festival on Randall's Island back in New York a few years ago, but that was completely different — I've never been to an actual arena concert, not like this.

"He doesn't know we're here," Lydia speaks up from beside me. "All I told him was that I'd think about it, about us coming...he really wants to see you, Ella."

My heart swells in my chest at Lydia's words. I know now that she and him had spoken, and knowing that he wants to see me just as badly as I want to see him makes my heart soar.