£1.50 • hs

Chapter 45

'I'm excited to see El and Sophia' I smile, 'I've hardly see them.'

Harry does a fake sigh and shakes his 'Louis and Liam will be upset when I tell them you don't care about them.'

I lightly slap his arm, 'you know what I mean.'

He looks over at me and smiles before looking back on the road.

The streetlights shine onto the wet road and reflect back onto Harry's face, highlighting his nose and cheekbones.

I see his hands tighten around the steering and he shifts around in his seat. He notices me looking and his eyes flicker under the red light of the stop light.

'Is everything okay?' I ask, worried about the answer.

The light changes to green and he steps on the gas pedal without hesitation.

'I'm always nervous of what you'll think before a gig', he admits without looking at me.

I can't help but smile but I dip my head so he doesn't notice.

I keep my eyes on the road, diverting them from his, 'You know I love everything you do.'

Out of the corner of my eye I see the sides of his mouth twitch up and his grip loosens but not by much.

We arrive at the pub and we semi jog to get inside so we can escape the rain. Harry gives me his jacket and I place it over my head so my hair doesn't get wet as he stands next to me, his fingers lingering at my elbow.

We enter and my eyes immediately go to the table with Louis, Liam and Sophia sitting down having drinks however it doesn't look like they're having a good time. I frown as Liam sternly talks to Louis who looks like, well- shit and Sophia just looks sad.

I turn to Harry and he hasn't noticed since he's telling me he's gonna set up.

My feet cautiously walk towards the table, afraid of the wrath I'm about subject myself to.

Sophia sees me and makes a point of me being here, obviously trying to get Liam ease off a bit so I don't instantly run away. Everyone sends me smiles and gives me a hug but I can tell the mood isn't exactly as how it should be.

'Where's Elle?' I ask as I sit down next to Sophia.

Louis' head drops slightly before he meets my eyes, 'we broke up.'

All of a sudden I feel my own stupidity catch up with me, how didn't I put the two together? But this isn't about me. I give a small smile to Louis, 'I'm sorry to hear that.'

He shrugs and takes a swig of his beer, finishing it off.

An awkward silence fills the air and I turn to Sophia to catch up.

She tells me about their dog Loki and how he chewed up her pair of shoes from Jimmy Choo that she spent ages saving up for. She said she cried at the time but she shrugs it off now, saying at the end of the day they're only a pair of shoes.

She asks if I've been up to much apart from moving in with Harry and I say no. Because I haven't done anything that doesn't involve Harry these past few months and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

The lights dim and Harry comes on. They sing a few songs, some I've heard and some covers I haven't heard. It's only towards the end of the set I get to hear the song he's been working on and it's now I can see him get nervous.

I hold my hands in my lap and squeeze them under the table. His eyes meet mine briefly and I give him a reassuring smile even though I'm more nervous than he is.