Soundtrack Series

FOUR - Act My Age

Harry: He had given you the warning. He had told you he needed you to be with him, as more than a friend, in order to be able to stay away from her. You hadn’t done that, though. You had come back home to LA, there was no way you were staying on the road with him. You had a set rule about only staying for three days. Why would this situation be any different? Once he realized that though, she returned. She had resurfaced almost immediately after you told him there wasn’t anything else that was going to happen between you and him. You didn’t think he was actually being serious when he gave you the ultimatum a few weeks ago. You were certain he would realize that he could be by himself for a while, or at least on the road. That wasn’t the case though, and as a result you hadn’t talked to him in days. The moment you saw that she was back you erased his messages from your phone; you didn’t need the temptation. You had also shed a few tears, out of frustration of course. It never seemed like this situation was ever going to fix itself. When was he going to see? Clearly not anytime soon, because he apparently thought everything was fine between the two of you, despite the lack of usual communication. He had invited you out tonight. He and the boys were in LA for a show. It was an important show and everyone was going to be there. He knew you weren’t that interested in seeing him in concert, you had done that several times. So instead, he invited you to the after party, it was a big show, and the boys would be celebrating with their family and friends long into the night. You hadn’t returned his call and didn’t even make it through his voicemail entirely. You wanted nothing to do with him, and you certainly weren’t going to be going to an after party with his family and friends. None of those people would want to see you after you’re sure he told them about you ditching him in Australia, which wouldn’t have gone over well. So you were staying at home tonight. Normally you would go, he’s your friend and no matter how stupid he acted you would support him. That urge wasn’t present tonight, you couldn’t even stomach the sight of him, not with all the emotions he had made you feel over these last few weeks. You had already seen a few videos from the night and debated on actually pressing play. Did you really want to see what all you were missing? ‘The boys singing Act My Age at the after party for their show tonight – they’re all so drunk!!’ You aren’t sure why you still follow these update accounts; they had never been much use to you anyways. You stare at the video. The thumbnail was pixelated but you could pick Harry out regardless. You don’t want to click on it, you don’t want to know. You made the decision to skip out on tonight for a reason. You want to show him that this isn’t the way to go. That there are many more alternative routes than the one he has decided to take. But why would he listen to you? He had only said he would stay away from her if you were around, and you made the decision to ignore that. This wasn’t on him. You close your laptop and push away from the desk. You have to find something to do. You need something to take your mind off of where you should be at. Wait, no. You shouldn’t be there. What are you thinking? He has to know that you don’t approve of him going back to her. You are his best friend, and he has to know that you do not agree. But does he even care?

Liam: You shouldn’t be here. But then again, Liam had been your friend for as long as you can remember. What was so wrong with supporting him? Possibly the fact that he had spent the last month or so trying to ruin your relationship in the worst possible way, maybe take that into consideration. Well you had, yet you still find yourself here in Los Angeles. You had allowed your thoughts to take over a few days ago. After your dream, you couldn’t get Liam out of your head. You didn’t want a life without him in it. No, it wasn’t going to be in the capacity that he wanted, but you couldn’t live without him. You remembered him talking about the show tonight. It was a big one. When you got to the ticket office, he still had one reserved for you. You were certain he didn’t think you would show up and just forgot to give it to someone else. Regardless, you took it and watched the show. It had been awhile since you had seen a show. Australia seemed like such a long time ago. You missed being able to see him in this environment. Everything came so natural to him on stage. He was happy up there, so genuine. It was just a shame that there was such an inner struggle the moment he walked off. You had gone virtually unnoticed at the gig. You had gotten a few looks, but no one asking who you were or to take a picture. You didn’t want Liam or anyone else for that matter knowing that you were there. The same goes for the after party you are about to step into. You can hear the loud music blaring just outside of the banquet hall that is hosting the event. You didn’t really want to go in. You stand to the side and watch familiar faces walk past you. Familiar as in Hollywood royalty, no one you had to worry about knowing your face. You take in a few deep breaths before grabbing the door handle firmly and entering the party atmosphere. You had arrived late, the contemplating outside had assisted in that. You look around at all of the faces. Most everyone here you had met, or at least been told about by Liam. His parents were to your left, you don’t dare go over there. You’re certain they knew nothing of what their son had been up to these last few weeks, and the last thing you wanted to do was let them know you were here. You can see Niall’s girlfriend up close to the stage, you’re sure she’s happy she gets to see him again. Liam had told you about their new living arrangements on your run in the park a few months back. You weren’t sure how they were going to handle it. They were a strong couple though; you had always admired them. They were making it just fine. The boys take the stage, and everyone in the room cheers for them just as most of them had at the show earlier. They all had drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces. Even Louis had a smile, something must have changed with that situation. “Thank you all so much for coming out tonight and supporting us. The show was incredible and we are so grateful for every single one of you,” Harry begins, and you’re in shock to see him smiling over at who you thought was his ex-girlfriend. Apparently she was back. The drama within this band was almost too much for you to handle on a normal day. These are the reasons why you spend most of your time in Wolverhampton. Irish music begins to play, and you know what is coming up. You weren’t expecting them to sing at their own after party, but if they were going to, it was definitely going to be this song. You look over at Liam, he was having a great time. He had been all night. You wish you could tell him you were here. So he would know that you were here to support him. But by the looks of it, he was doing fine on his own.