oh, anna [-hs]

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58.

HARRY'S POV
2012. Los Angeles.

It's a whirlwind of a day. It always is.

It's moving a million miles an hour. From my spot on the couch, the body of the vehicle feels like a mosh pit. Stylists, managers, marketing, lighting, stage crew. Everyone is on our fucking bus right now. I came to sit in here to have a break from people, but they seem to have followed me. They always do.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. My head falls back and hits the wall behind me with a thunk. I think I'm about to fall asleep. The weight of the couch shifts as someone sits down next to me.

"Banana?"

I squint open an eye. The person holding the yellow fruit in front of my face has a childish grin that melts my resolve. I sigh, "Lou."

"Well?"

I take it from his hand and start peeling it open. He sits back to stare at the bustling crowd before us. Our shoulders brush up against each other. The faint scent of a cigarette lingers in the space between our heads.

"Fuck today, mate."

"Yeah."

"It'll be over soon though, and we'll get going again."

"Sure."

"You're upset."

"A little," I decide and eat the banana. Without looking, I know exactly what he's doing right now. His hands are folded together and he's rolling his thumbs over each other. His lips are twitching back and forth. "I'm tired."

"Need something to wake you up, huh."

I hum with the fruit in my mouth, and I feel his hand rest against my knee. My eyes dart over to him.

"I can wake you up." He's smirking his little fucking devil smirk. I run my tongue over my teeth and swallow.

"Can you now."

"Would that make you happy?"

"I think so."

"You think so?" He repeats in disbelief. He pulls his hand away and leans back into the couch again.

"Yes, it would," I correct softly. He nods to himself and sets the hand back on my leg.

He puts it there because he feels territorial. Here, on this bus, is the only place he can claim anything over me. So he rubs it in. Not that anyone on the bus cares, but it gives him a semblance of control. I know it makes him happy. Every time he does it a wave of excitement leaps up in my chest.

I lean away and toss the peel into a trash bin at the end of the couch. When I sit back again he moves his hand up to twist a strand of my hair. He likes to do that too. "Thank you for the banana."

"Harry," a voice somewhere shouts. I pull myself off the couch.

"Let me know if you think you want another one," he calls after me. I roll my eyes and duck into the crowd. It was Amanda, she grabs my arm and pulls me toward the bus door.

"You're going on with Niall for press--"

No shit.

"I think Simon wanted to talk to you first so--"

No fucking shit.

"He should be just out here. He was a second ago."

We step off the bus and Amanda disappears. He's talking to a group of people a few feet away. He looks up and gestures for me. I clear my throat and stuff my hands into my pockets to walk over.