*Later That Night*
Harry was already asleep. I lie there in his arms, on the verge of tears. He has no idea about the offer. It pains me to think all of this could be over. Why don't I just say no to Tom's offer? But I can't, this is once in a lifetime. Finally, when my thoughts get the best of me, I decided to go walking. It was about 2:30am, so I knew it would be cold, but I had to get out, get fresh air and think. I slipped on my converse, and jacket, and slipped out of the hotel room unnoticed. I walked to this hipster-looking, coffee poetry slam thing and sat down. Maybe this was what I needed. A bunch of soft grunge emotionally torn people, like me, expressing their feelings and how they're dealing with it. I ordered a coffee and went to the back. Some chick with multi-colored bangs had just walked onto the stage. I took a sip, and sat back, making myself comfortable. She began reading, and her words pulled at my heartstrings. Apparently, she was a girl, going through a rough time, trying to make tough decisions on her own, kind of like me. I decided to sign up. I mean, what have I got to lose right? I put my name on the list. I was behind a bunch of different people, so I took my seat in the back for the meantime. After a few more minutes of the girl's poem, I felt eyes on me. I turned my head to the side, only to see a man staring at me. He didn't look too old, maybe in his mid-twenties. He was leaned against the wall, one leg propped up behind him. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and he didn't take his eyes off me once.
"You're not supposed to have those things in here, you know?" I said, referring to his cigarette. He knew I was annoyed with his staring problem. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and smirked at me, making me think of Harry. And just like that, my heart crumbled into a million pieces.
"When you're in the back, no one notices." he replied. His voice was raspy, and mysterious. What he said made me think of my career. When you're in the back... No one notices. I'm just their opening act. That's all I'll ever be if I don't take this job. Boom. My heart breaks a little more.
"What's your problem, sweetheart? You look troubled." he said, grabbing a seat and sitting next to me.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play stupid. I can read you like an open book. Your voice says you're fine, but your face screams something totally different."
"I don't discuss my issues with strangers. Rude ones at that." I said annoyed. He scoffed at me before continuing.
"The name is Justus. And I'm not rude. I just... Speak my mind."
"Yeah, I see that." He took another puff on his cigarette, and blew it straight in my direction. This kid must have a death wish or something.
"So what's your problem? It's usually better to tell strangers anyway."
"My boyfriend is Harry Styles. Do you even know who that is?" I asked him, and he shook his head.
"Of course not. Anyway, he's in this band. I'm currently on tour with him, and I'm his opening act. I got offered a record deal today. It's a once in a lifetime chance if you ask me. And I want to take it, I know I should take it, but the thought of leaving him behind is unbearable, and I just wish there was some way I could do both." my voice was shaky, he could probably tell. He just leaned back in his chair, taking the occasional puff on his cigarette, listening intently to what I had to say. It was nice, having someone to listen. He's the only one I've ever told. I just hope he has advice to give. At about that time, my name was called.
"I... Have to go up there, so..." I said. He nodded his head, and watched me the whole way up.
"Um, hi. I'm Mack. Uh, I'm not from here, and I've never really been to one of these things, so I'm not really sure how it all works. Um, everyone's done poetry, so that's what I'm going to do, but if it's cool with you, I'm going to add my own touch." I grabbed a guitar from the back of the stage. Niall has been teaching me a lot ever since the tour started, and I've actually got all the chords down. So much, I actually wrote a song.
