Devils Star | h.s

Chapter 38

Harry's POV

My head was pounding.
And not in the good way.

Natalie had been relentless—practically breathing down our necks about this upcoming music festival. She said it was a chance to prove ourselves, to go head-to-head with other bands, to remind everyone why Devil's Star mattered. Like we needed reminding.

It wasn't just the competition.
She'd also scheduled a meet and greet, like we were some glittery poster boys. No matter how many times Louis tried to sell his version of a meet and greet—mainly his extracurriculars with our female fans—Natalie wasn't having it. She wanted the staged, structured kind. The kind with handlers and fake smiles.

I was already tired of the whole thing.

So we packed up and headed to my apartment to squeeze in another rehearsal.
It was supposed to be a normal session. It was supposed to clear my head.

But then she walked in.

Aurora.

And suddenly, the noise in my skull wasn't from the music anymore.

Standing there, watching Louis drape himself all over her, that usual harmless flirting—it shouldn't have bothered me. I knew Louis. I knew it was just how he was. But still, something ugly and possessive clawed at my chest like a wildfire.

It burned.

I hated how easily Louis made her laugh. I hated that she let him in so effortlessly. And I hated even more how I couldn't just say what I wanted to say—that she wasn't just some girl to me.

She was the girl.

And when I saw her brush it off like it didn't mean anything—like I didn't mean anything—I couldn't stop myself from yanking Louis away like it was nothing. Like it wasn't jealousy thrumming beneath my skin.

I kicked them out because I couldn't stand it.
Not the music. Not the teasing. Not the way she looked at him like he was safe.

Because I wasn't safe. Not when it came to her.

And when she told me she didn't mind Louis flirting?
That she was used to it?

That's when I realized I wanted to be the only one she never got used to. The one who could still make her pause. Make her breath catch.

So I pulled her close, desperate to tip the balance back in my favor.
Desperate to remind her that I was different.

But just when I was about to get the words I needed from her, the universe—of course—had other plans.

Her phone begun to ring

The second I heard her voice on Aurora's phone, the jealousy snapped into something sharper. Something colder.

She'd gone behind my back.
She'd been in contact with her.
My mother.

I couldn't believe it.
No, scratch that—I could believe it. Aurora always wanted to fix things, even when they weren't hers to fix.

But I didn't want her fixing this.

I didn't need her stepping into this mess, peeling back layers I wasn't ready to face, forcing a happy ending where there wasn't one.

The betrayal sat heavy in my throat. I couldn't even hear her apology over the roar in my head.

She said she cared.
She said I concerned her.

But caring about someone isn't a free pass to cross every line.

And maybe I didn't handle it well.
Maybe I shouldn't have walked away like that.