Light Me Up [HS AU]

43

The planning of Harry's and Morgan's big birthday bash was coming together slowly. Alli arranged a viewing of the venue, inviting the guys along with us to hear what they thought about the place. Morgan was trusting Alli and me blindly, but we still insisted that she came along to see the place. She was being a little funny about it though.

We drove to Red Hook in Brooklyn, where the venue was situated at the waterfront with a breathtaking view of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan. The place was huge. There were several floors and Alli had leased the three first floors of the huge, glass building. I was completely blown away by the place, just walking around, mouth agape, taking in the view. The guys were already on their way inside, but Morgan waited for me. 

"This place is beautiful!" I said to her, as she linked arms with me for us to walk in. 

"Tell that to the architect," she said and winked at me, before she looked over at Harry. He wasn't proclaiming his admiration for the place, but rather shyly hanging back with his hands in his pockets. 

"He drew this?" I whispered surprised, and Morgan nodded proudly. 

"He's actually pretty brilliant, he just doesn't let people know. I'm amazed Niall hasn't remembered the place yet," she giggled and squeezed my arm. 

The open space on the ground floor was perfect for small food trucks and amusement stalls. There was an escalator that led up to the first floor, where there was a bar and Alli explained that it wouldn't be a problem to set up a stage for a live band. I looked over at Harry and saw him nodding along, looking around at the place like it was a garden shed he had painted and fixed a couple of windows in. 

"I feel like I've been here before," Niall said and turned around himself a few times. Morgan started laughing, and Alli looked puzzled. 

"You have," Morgan said with a laugh. "When it opened." 

"But what would I be doing at a conference center..." Niall seemed genuinely confused, until it suddenly came back to him. "Shit, you drew this, didn't you H? That was the reception where I had way too much champagne..." 

"Yeah, I did." Harry said with a nod. "The third floor is just a lounge and toilets. Have you leased that as well? Niall is probably more familiar with those, since he spent a lot of time with his head down the toilet." 

Alli was staring at Harry, frozen with surprise and seemingly very impressed. She nodded dumbfoundedly at a loss for words. The rest of the guys laughed loudly at the story of Niall being drunk out of his mind. Morgan let go of me and took Alli's hand. I could hear them whispering about the place, but I was distracted by Harry, who came and stood next to me, looking up along the walls, his hands still in his pockets. 

"It's beautiful, Harry. You're very talented, you know?" I smiled at him and he coyly looked away. "It's extremely impressive. You're quite a practical acquaintance to have, maybe I'll make you design me a house some time," I joked.