When Zoey and Harry find themselves both calling the same hotel home for an extended time, a friendship begins. A connection that started from convenience is fueled by alcohol, drugs, trauma, music and fun. How will this intense relationship end?
*...
Fuck. Fucking hell, fuck. Jesus, she was here. She was fucking here. I couldn't breath, shock moved throughout my body like an electrical current. It took every ounce of strength of my body not to collapse onto the ground when I saw her. I saw Sean first, in that fucking pink shirt. I had totally forgotten about the tickets I had given him and Isla, but when I saw him I was excited and expected to see his wife by his side. When I looked up at his giant damn sign my heart quite literally stopped for a few beats. My brain slipped into slow motion, and I read the words over and over. Rainbow Connection. That was Zoey.
He lifted her up, her butt resting against his ribs, and suddenly I was looking right at her. Right into those beautiful blue eyes. She looked perfect, healthy, glowing, happy. She looked so happy. She was giving me the biggest, more pure smile I had ever seen. There was no anger, no doubt, no questions or fear. She was just watching me with love and relief. I stared straight at her as she flipped her sign around and I read the single most beautiful word I had ever seen. Remission. My eyes instantly filled with tears and my lungs tightened in my chest. She was in remission? Fuck...thank fucking god. She was in remission. I clenched my eyes closed as the room pivoted around me. I stumbled through my song, and just tried not to lose my shit completely. Breathing was almost impossible as I tried to keep myself on my feet. She came to me, she didn't hate me and she wasn't gone.
She was looking at me with this genuine, open, loving admiration that caused my entire body to flood with euphoria. I hadn't been seen like this since I left her the last time in Chicago all those months ago and I had missed it so much. Everyone deserves to be looked at the way Zoey looked at people...or at least how she looked at me, and I was so grateful to be in her line of sight again in my life. I had accepted months ago that would never see this woman again, but here she was. Crunched in a crowd of screaming people, here for me. Jesus, I was the luckiest man alive.
After the song ended I teased her a bit from the stage, not being able to resist. Calling her Kermit and sending some winks her way. Then I couldn't wait any more, I needed to play LOML for her. She was the heartbeat of the song, she was every breath I take in that song. I wanted to show her, even though I was feeling nervous butterflies in my stomach. Fuck it, I would never waste another opportunity when it came to her, never again.
(I changed Jonny's place to Isla's place, just for the smiles.)
Baby, you were the love of my life, woah
Maybe you don't know what's lost 'til you find it
Take a walk on Sunday through the afternoon We can always find somethin' for us to do We don't really like what's on the news, but it's on all the time
I take you with me every time I go away In a hotel, usin' someone else's name I remember back at Isla's place, it's not the same anymore
Baby, you were the love of my life, woah Maybe you don't know what's lost 'til you find it It's not what I wanted, to leave you behind Don't know where you'll land when you fly But, baby, you were the love of my lifeIt's unfortunate, ooh
Just coordinates, oohI don't know you half as well as all my friends I won't pretend that I've been doin' everything I can To get to know your creases and your ends Are they the same?Baby, you were the love of my life, woah Maybe you don't know what's lost 'til you find it It's not what I wanted, to leave you behind Don't know where you'll land when you fly But, baby, you were the love of my life
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Zoey's POV
After the first few lines of his new song my eyes just closed, the weight of the emotions weighing on them until they fluttered closed. I had no idea how to handle the words and the beauty and the sadness in his new song. He sang it like it was a lost love, but I was hoping that we weren't lost. What we had already survived was so difficult, but I didn't want to think that it might have ended us. The way he used the past tense sent fear and lightening through my nerves and I just watched him as he passionately sang about us. I was suddenly so unsure of us, and it was making me feel desperate. I felt the panic flaring in my chest as I began to question everything.
I stood still, my eyes locked on him. I was overwhelmed with questions and feeling like I was rooted to the ground. I felt Sean's mouth against my ear, him shouting something about Isla's name in a 'fucking Harry Styles song' but I couldn't acknowledge that right now. I was so scared that I was going to lose him, and that we were past tense in his mind. As I stared, I suddenly saw Jeff in front of us, near security. I broke way from Sean and started pushing through girls towards the stage. I got plenty of shoves and nasty looks as I made my way up to the stage. When I finally reached the barricade, I started shouting for Jeff. All the girls around me started shouting for him as well, which as first I thought would kill any chances of getting his attention. However, it turned out to help me catch his ear. He turned towards my general direction, eyes cruising over the screaming girls before they landed on me.
He studied me for a second, and I realized he very well might not remember me from the dinner where we met all those months ago. Thank fuck, I suddenly saw his eyes light up on recognition before he turned to a large security guard near him and yelled something into his ear as he pointed at me. The guarded nodded and approached me.
"What's your name?" He asked me gruffly.
"Zoey." I answered back, yelling over the crowd as the song came to an end and people started losing their shit. He stared at me blankly, like I had given him the wrong answer. "Kermit?" I tried again. The nickname seemed to be the correct answer as he bent forward and put his arms around my upper body, pulling me up and over the barricade with ease. I took a deep breath as my feet touched the ground on the other side of the metal gate. The fans around me were absolutely losing their minds, and I searched through them visually, finally locking eyes with Sean, who just winked at me and kept dancing.
Jeff reached for my hand and started pulling me along the side of the stage before I could even figure out what I was trying to accomplish here. I had just felt the need to get out of that crowd and take a deep breath. Jeff led me backstage, and I stopped and stood awkwardly near the stairs to the main stage, not sure what I was even doing there. Suddenly there were arms around me from behind, feathery arms. I felt his fast breath on my neck as I spun around to face him. I looked up into his evergreen eyes as I lifted my arms up to his shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled us together, hugging him to me with every ounce of strength I had in me. His arms circled me tighter, holding me just as close.
"Hey Haz" I spoke against his neck, not even sure he would hear me. He had earpieces in his ears and the band was still playing even though Harry had left the stage.
"Kermit. Please don't leave. Stay, back here, wait for me to be done." He yelled into my ear. I pulled back and nodded at him.
"Of course Haz, I'll be here." I told him. He smiled at me for a few seconds as the crowd behind us started chanting his name, just out of view. "Go, do your thing. I'll be watching." I pushed him backwards towards the stairs that led up to the stage. He moved back a step but then quickly launched forward again at the last second, catching my chin in his hand and kissing the side of my mouth quickly. To everyone around us it appeared to be a sweet little cheek kiss between friends but inside my body and mind, I was burning up.
The brush of his soft lips against the corner of my mouth ignited all the fire I had felt for him for all these months. I was instantly burning again, and I knew he could see it in my eyes as he smirked and turned, heading back to the stage. I heard the crowd erupt as he returned to the stage and I just reached up to touch my fingertips to my lip, which was still tingling.
"Ok let's keep this party going, New York! I am suddenly in a very good mood!" Harry hollered into the microphone as his band started up, launching into the next song. My eyes widened and I heard the crowd getting even louder in response. This man had a lot of power in him, he had this entire place wrapped around his finger. Especially me.
