Noir

Entrer Dans la Lumière (Step Into the Light)

The wail of Mitch's electric guitar filled the sold-out Telenor Arena, and all watched in awe, Harry included. As he stood center stage, behind the microphone stand, he began to sway, once again thanking God or whoever for sending Mitch Rowland into his life. His guitarist and close friend, had a significant hand in molding Harry's sound.

It was why their current song 'She' was near and dear to Harry's heart, track eight with a perfect solo that was one part Mitch's talent and one part shared 'shrooms. Whether or not he'd created that magic the same night Harry had bitten off part of his tongue was still foggy. Wild times.

Though every tour leg had their differences, this leg felt especially electric; both Adam and Claire had moved onto other endeavors, replaced by three new additions to the Love Band. Pauli, Niji, and Elin had fit right in, like missing pieces from a puzzle. Niji Adeleye could play the keys in his sleep and Pauli Lovejoy's percussion skills were like none other.

The refreshing British pair exuded fun and high energy, a contagious energy that swarmed the stage night after night. Elin Sandberg, in Mitch's words, 'made the bass her bitch', a funny, talented bassist they'd plucked from Sweden. Personnel changes were the norm in their industry, and amazing musicians had come and gone, but the Love Band, as it was, felt perfect.

"Hell yeah," Pauli said from his stage perch as the solo ended, making Harry laugh. Then, Harry faced the crowd, launching into a bit of banter as he spotted a particularly interesting sign in the pit.

A little over three weeks into the current tour, Harry had settled into his groove, slipping neatly into the niche he'd spent the past ten years carving out for himself. Harry should have been used to it, but every go-round, each leg of the tour differed from the last, and the beginnings of each wore on his nerves every single time.

To say it, the whole of it, hadn't always been easy was a gross understatement. The rumors, the gossip, the disrespectful things people said right to his face... as One Direction's 'baby', so to speak, it seemed he was the easiest target. He was in a boy band, for god's sake, he practically deserved it. Right?

Not to mention, he hadn't always been — and still wasn't — the quickest to speak up for himself. He'd both come of age and made his mistakes under the blinding glare of the spotlight. While normal teenagers and twentysomethings could explore the facets of themselves in private, his self inquisition had been, and still was, enormously public.

It was what he'd signed up for in a sense and he recognized that, but did that make it right, the constant scrutiny? There he was again, questioning the status quo. Overall, he knew he could have it a lot worse, but was learning, thanks to his therapist, that his issues were valid, too.

It was easy to dismiss them as a farce when luxury hotels and designer clothes were the norm. When he owned personal galleries full of art and garages of classic cars. He hadn't come to terms with his therapist's claim yet, not when it was so hard to believe, as he went to bed and woke up largely privileged, but he'd get there. Maybe. Then again, he might never win that battle. But not for not trying. Poor little rich boy wasn't quite his speed.

Before long, they were singing Fine Line. Him and his supporters, on one emotional chord. And it broke his heart a little bit, being the last song and all. But just like it meant something to him, it meant something to them, too. Between social media comments and rushed conversations between posing for photos and hurrying in and out of buildings outside of which they gathered for sightings, they were always sure to let him know.

It was one of those nights when he didn't want to be alone. Aside from the show and all that entailed, he'd spent his morning solo wandering through Oslo, sightseeing after his early run. It wasn't his first time in Norway, but it felt new, almost foreign. It wasn't hard to see it through a different lens. Not at this age, at this stage in life, when everything had changed so much.