One Meaningless Promise

One Meaningless Promise~3

Chapter 3.

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"Jesus, Harry, could you take any longer? We only have five minutes until we go on,"

Louis' sarcastic tone echoed down the quiet hall as he stood impatiently in front of Harry's door, tapping his foot on the hard tile floor. Tonight was their first show of their new tour, and already Harry was going to make him late. The door swung open and a tall, lanky boy with curly hair and a smirk painted on his face emerged.

"Sorry, my jeans were giving me a hassle." Harry explained as the two walked at a fast pace towards the stage.

"You could always try wearing looser fitting ones," Louis suggested, glancing at the boy's legs which were clad in the tightest fitting jeans he had ever lay eyes on.

"Don't pretend you don't love the way they make my ass look," Harry flashed his signature grin and smacked Louis on the bum for effect.

Louis jumped and glared up at the taller boy.

"Did Mary give you your pills?" He asked as they approached the other boys.

Harry nodded and they shuffled into a huddle with Zayn, Liam and Niall.

"What took you so long, mate?" Niall grinned. "We were gettin' old waiting for ya."

"These pants aren't easy to get into!" Harry protested.

From somewhere near the boys, a voice yelled, "One minute!"

"Alright, on three," Liam said, eyeing all of the boys. They each put a hand in the middle of the circle. "Let's give them quite a show. One, two, three!"

"Let's go!" They shouted, dispersing to their assigned areas and each of them grabbing their microphones.

Harry stood on his platform, and to his surprise, shook with pre-concert nerves. He usually didn't get this nervous before a performance. His hands anxiously fiddled with the microphone in his palms as he heard the words being counted down.

"Seven, six, five-"

He glanced at Louis beside him, who was staring ahead with a blank expression.

"Three, two, one."

Under his feet, the platform shoved him and his bandmates up and onto the stage, peering out at bright flashes, neon signs, and screaming girls. He wasn't given time to react as the soundtrack blared to life in his ear. His feet carried him to the front of the stage as he sang the first words of his solo.

"Maybe it's the way she walked, ow! Straight into my heart and stole it,"

He danced around the stage, making small gestures at some of the nearest fans, causing them to jump up and down and scream even louder as he continued the song. Being on stage and singing was the best feeling to him. It dissolved his nerves so fast he almost forgot they were there. The sensation of having thousands upon thousands of fans chanting their name-his name-was indescribably amazing. He wasn't used to it, but on stage, he strutted around like he'd been doing it for decades. He peered around the stadium, taking a mental photograph of this amazing picture in front of him. Liam finished singing his part and Harry picked up where he left off, strolling beside Niall and tossing an arm around the lad's shoulders.

"Said I had a dirty mouth," He wiggled his eyebrows at the blonde haired boy and he returned the gesture. "But she kissed me like she meant it!"

He pecked Niall's cheek and crossed the stage as the Irish boy began his solo. Louis sashayed towards Harry, a grin cutely crinkling the outside corners of his eyes as his hands flipped his microphone in the air before expertly snagging it out of the air. Harry winked at him, causing a visible pink to rush into his cheeks, even with the flashy lighting as they all sang the chorus together. The two passed each other as each of the boys made their way to centre-stage, throwing their arms around each other as they finished the song.

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"Do you both understand that there will be no more winking at each other?"

Harry laughed abruptly and swung his feet onto the table in front of him, crossing his long legs and giving Jen-from Modest!-a cheeky grin.

"Why not? It's not like me and Louis are like, together or anything. No harm, Jen."

His smirk remained on his face, even when Jen's eyes narrowed at him. Across the table, Louis watched in awe as his friend spoke to management like he was the king of the world.

"Follow the rules, Harold. And you too, Louis."

Louis's face scrunched up in a sassy look that said 'don't tell me what to do'. The two were dismissed from Jen's office and out to the lobby where Zayn, Niall and Liam sat, laughing at something Niall was showing them on his phone.

"Hey lads, how'd it go?" Niall looked up, smiling as he questioned them in his thick Irish accent.

"Just great," Harry muttered.

"Fantastic. Are we ready to go?" Louis clapped his hands together and looking around for the security team.

"Let's get this show on the road, boys!" Liam said, standing up from his seat.

The boys were escorted quickly to the bus by a number of bulky men wearing black. Harry kept his fingers tightly wound around the hem of Louis's jacket. He hated it when they had to worm their way through the massive crowds of shouting fans. It made him feel confused and a bit scared. He squeezed his eyes shut until they were safely in the vehicle. Louis thought it was funny how one minute, he could be a total rebel, and the next, he was like a scared child lost in the mall without his mum.

In the bus, it was oddly quiet. A dark cloud of fatigue sat over each of their heads as they drove to their next show. Harry stretched his legs out on the couch and gazed forlornly out the bus window. Zayn was asleep in his bunk. Liam and Niall were on their phones on the other end of the bus. And Louis was sitting on the opposite seat from Harry, his head resting back on the wall and his legs scrunched up to his chest, his eyes closed. Harry turned his head from the window to study the way how completely peaceful the older boy's face looked. It confused him how he did that without even trying.

"Louis?"

Without opening his eyes, Louis said in a tired voice, "Harry."

"Are you alright?"

Louis peered over at Harry. His golden brown hair was tussled, his face was paler than usual, but his cerulean eyes remained as bright as usual. He looked a mess. Before answering, he drew in a long and wavering breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry knew he was lying. "And you?"

Their eyes met for a long and silent pause. There wasn't an answer. Both of them returned to staring blankly out of the window. Harry didn't know why he was feeling so dull; he was probably just tired. He barely slept the night before. All he needed was some sleep and he'd be feeling normal. After forty five minutes, he slowly stood from his seat and strolled lazily towards his bunk.

"I'm going to sleep for a bit."

"Good idea. You look awful." Louis teased with a tired smirk.

Harry flopped into his bunk and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. And Louis sat staring out the window, the tears dripping soundlessly down his cheeks for the third time that day for a reason that was unknown to him.

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