Never Give Up: Harry Styles/One Direction Fan Fiction

4

Chapter 4

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After getting into Rae's car, we pulled off and headed back to the arena. The sun had sunk lower into the sky, and I was almost afraid I was going to be late for rehearsals. I didn't want to distract Rae by talking too much to her, but I didn't want to be awkward by not saying anything at all. Truthfully, I was happy just to be in her presence. Part of me didn't want to go back to the arena; returning to that moment in the alley was just fine with me. It felt almost like Cinderella, and my clock was about to strike midnight. My fairytale was nearing to a close, and I was being forced to return to the prison of tour life. 

"Are you going to come to the show?" I asked absentmindedly as I looked out the window. I could feel Rae's eyes on me, though she did not reply right away.

"No," she finally answered. "The tickets sold out too quickly. It's not like I would've been able to afford them anyway." I looked over at her while she concentrated on the road. Her beautiful blue eyes scanned the street ahead, and her hair was blown back over her shoulder by the fans of the air conditioner. "I spent almost all of what I had saved up on the M&G pass." Rae's voice trailed off.

"I want you to be there," I said. "If you don't have anything going on, you should just come with me. You could just be backstage or something." I looked nervously over to her face. Rae's eyebrows were furrowed; I couldn't read the expression on her face. Maybe I'm pressuring her, I thought. That was the last thing that I wanted to do. Rae looked over at me again.

"Are you sure that it's okay?" Rae asked, sounding anxious about it. "I don't want to impose on your rehearsal." I nodded my head and rubbed a hand through my curls. The car began to slow as we arrived and parked near the front door of the arena. I walked to the front of the car and waited for Rae to get out and join me. As she around to the front of the car I had to stop myself from grabbing her hand. I desperately wanted to wind my long fingers around her small hand, though I didn't want to appear that way.

"Shall we?" I asked as we stood in front of the vehicle. A light breeze blew over my shoulder, pushing Rae's hair back over hers. For the first time, I was able to get a good look at the uncovered beauty of this girl in front of me. For just a moment, she wasn't hiding underneath her hair. As I looked, I saw beneath the long strands was a long, white scar. I could tell she noticed me looking at it as she shuddered her shoulders to put her hair back in place, but I said nothing. 

"We shall," Rae said nodding her head, a small smile playing on her lips. As we walked along, our fingers brushing each other. I wanted to scream out loud; it felt so amazing to be in her company. When I was with Rae, I was no longer the star. She was. Slowly, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I slid my left hand down the palm of her right, and slipped my fingers into place between hers. It felt complete like this; being separated from her was like losing my other half. I knew I'd fallen, and I'd fallen hard. Seeing her again was like getting to re-meet her for the first time. It was simply magical. Every moment we seemed to get closer, even though we said nothing. As we approached the front door to the arena, Rae let me take the lead. Finally getting inside, we found that the lads had finished setting up and tuning, and had already started rehearsals without me. I released Rae's hand and jogged forward. 

"Sorry I'm late," I called from the isle near the third row. Liam squinted against the lights down, a look of surprise mixed with concern on his face. 

"Where've you been, Harry? We were starting to get afraid you'd gotten mobbed you were gone so long," Liam said, his fatherly side coming out. "Who's she?" he finished as he glanced over my shoulder at Rae. I turned around to glance at Rae, willing her to stay silent.