Sometimes

Chapter 9

We arrived at the rehearsal venue thirty minutes late, yet there was still some waiting around to do.

As I took advantage of the free wireless Louis and Harry sat a few rows behind me talking, I couldn't help ear-wigging, in the nicest possible way.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just tired" Harry said in a grumpy tone.

"Mate I'll call Hannah and canc..." Louis offered but Harry butted in.

"No, it's fine. I'll crash in Niall's room" Harry said in the most enthusiastic tone I'd heard from him all day, yet it still seemed quite forced.

Their conversation continued, and Louis continued to question Harry's unusual mood, but Harry simple assured him everything was fine and not to worry, but I got the distinct impression that Louis wasn't convinced.

"Is he ok?" I asked Louis quietly as he clambered over the seats next to me to join the Liam and Zayn on stage.

"I think so...he just seems a bit, off. It's been on and off for a while" he said as he wrinkled his nose up in confusion.

I glanced over my shoulder to find him engrossed in his phone with his legs up on the seat in front, hood up, head down and bottom lip out which cast an upset tone to his face. My glance turned into a short stare but he failed to life his head and meet my gaze. I sat back in my seat and closed my laptop. Tea might help.

I located the nearest kitchen and made him a cup of tea, complete with sugar sachets as I was unsure how he took tea.

I walked down the row of seats towards him but his head didn't lift, he probably thought it was Louis again, coming to probe his mood.

"Here you go" I said as I handed him the mug and pulled down the seat next to him.

"Oh" he said before clearing his throat slightly "Thanks" he said as he shuffled into a more upright position, but left his legs resting on the seat in front.

"I find it always helps when you have the world on your shoulders" I said as I sat back and put my legs up on the seat in front, mirroring his position.

"Really?" he said before lifting the tea to blow on it.

"Wasn't sure if you took sugar though" I said before waving two sachets and one of those wooden stirrers at him.

"I do" he said before holding his tea between him knees and putting the sugar in.

We sat in silence as he sipped his tea.

"Thanks for this" he said raising his cup slightly, "It's helped" he said before smiling a little.

"Like I said, it always helps. It also helps to share. A problem shared in a problem halved, as my Mother likes to say" I said before shuffling in my seat slightly "If you need to talk things over, I have ears, time and make a good cuppa".

"Thanks" he said as he lowered his chin slightly, as if embarrassed.

A few minutes passed before our silence was broken by Niall beckoning Harry up on stage for rehearsal.

{I'm going to be posting daily now. Maybe I'll do a double update sometimes}