Through the Lens

Breath of Fresh Air

Harry's POV

I took a deep breath as I stepped off the plane, the fresh mountain air filling my lungs as the warm spring breeze hit my face and immediately made me feel at peace. I stepped down the stairs of the plane, shaking the hand of the man that was there to meet me, before he handed me a set of keys.

"You're all set, Mr. Styles. Here are the keys to your vehicle, I have put the address in the GPS and if you need anything else at all please let me know. I know your privacy is of the utmost importance, so I assure you that the only people that know you're here are myself and the pilot that brought you." He smiled softly.

"Thank you very much. I appreciate it." I smiled back as he motioned over towards the waiting car.

"Did you need help with your bags?"

"Oh, no that's okay. I can get them. Thank you, though." I replied.

"Well, if there's nothing else I can do for you I'll let you be on your way. Welcome to BC." He smiled before turning and heading off toward his own vehicle.

I took a deep breath as I picked up my bags and headed to the SUV, unlocking it and throwing my things in the back. I climbed into the driver's seat, looking around and taking it all in as the realization hit me that I was really doing it. I was on my own, truly by myself for the first time in six years, and it was nothing if not strange.

I pulled out of the parking lot of the tiny air strip, following the instructions of the GPS as they lead me down a small highway. I was surrounded by trees and mountains in all directions, the freshness of the crisp air blowing in from the window as I made my way toward my destination. I didn't know exactly what to expect, I'd tried not to think too much about it so I didn't psych myself out, but I had done a decent amount of research on the area just so I wasn't going in completely blind.

I'd seen tons of pictures of British Columbia, I'd fallen in love with it ever since the first time we'd visited Vancouver on tour. I'd never seen a major city tucked into nature like that, somehow able to keep its big city status while maintaining the charm and feeling of a small town nestled between the mountains. I remember looking out the window on the plane the first time we visited, admiring how green and beautiful everything was. It was as if the city was built carefully so not to disturb nature, rather than nature being cut down and destroyed to build a city.

I'd remembered how peaceful I'd felt looking out at the mountains from my hotel room while I was there, and I always looked forward to going there while on tour. There was just a feeling I got when I was there that made me feel close to home. Canada was similar to England in a lot of ways, and all of the people were so very nice. For some reason, I'd just always felt so at peace in British Columbia, always thinking of it when I thought about my favorite places I'd been. There was just something about it, a feeling it gave me that I always seemed to want more of.

I passed various flowing rivers, the crystal clear water rolling over the rocks as the snow melted from the mountains and made its way down into various bodies of water. I passed more than a few waterfalls and a few lakes, which was amazing to me that you could see those kind of things from the highway and they weren't hiding in the mountains somewhere. It just made me wonder what kind of hidden gems were tucked away in the mountains, the secret spots that people had discovered, since what I was seeing on the drive was already far more beautiful than any other scenery I'd ever seen while driving anywhere.

I approached the town about thirty minutes later, smiling to myself as people shuffled around going about their day and paying me no mind. For the first time in a long time, I felt small and insignificant. Not in a bad way, just in that my every move wasn't being watched. I hadn't been followed by paparazzi, people weren't staring at me while I drove or driving beside me trying to get my picture. I was completely blended in with the rest of the world and I was loving every second of it.