A Moment in the Crowd

Chapter 17: I think you're going to want to see this

Harry:

It wasn't difficult to find her. I did a general search from my phone, quickly typing Lily Delcourt into Twitter's search bar. She clearly never used Twitter much as I examine her number of tweets and follower count. I make sure to click her follow button, revelling in the fact that her profile already says "FOLLOWS YOU". I don't know why the idea that she already follows me makes my head spin, but surprisingly it does. 

When I set my phone down, I look up through the window of the tour bus. Driving all the way from Toronto to New Jersey didn't seem like my ideal day, especially when my thoughts consisted of her. We began the nearly 9 hour drive early in the morning. I think it was somewhere near 6am but I'm not sure because the minute I got onto the bus I passed out in the small bunks. 

My phone tells me that it's 2:30 now and I rush to the mini fridge to find a sandwich I know should be left in there for me. I woke up at around 11, unable to sleep any longer. The rest of the boys finally started stirring in their sleep about an hour ago. 

"Oi that's mine." A raspy voice behind me alerts me that Louis is awake. 

"Fuck off it is." I respond with a smile in his direction.  

He watches me remove the sandwich from the miniscule fridge and I look back at him while I unwrap it from its plastic. He rubs his eyes, clearly still not completely awake. His hair sticks up in every direction as he moves passed me to get something from the fridge himself. 

The touring routine is so familiar to us that we don't even think about it when we're on the road. The bus is usually always a mess and we're constantly sleeping at strange times, whether its from jet lag or staying out too late at clubs. I begin to move towards the back of the bus again where I can watch the passing cars as my mind will try not to wander to her. 

"What happened to you last night?" Louis surprises me a little and I turn to face him again.

"What do you mean?" I know what he means.

"You know what I mean, mate. Where did you go after you assaulted the guy in the club?" 

His tone is serious, and he stares at me with a straight face, expecting an honest explanation. I haven't told them that Lily and I kissed last night. Not a fucking chance I will since they all seem to think she's a gold digger. 

"I took Lily home, that's it." 

He eyes me curiously, seemingly trying to gage whether or not I'm lying. Technically I'm not and I stare back at him casually. 

"Alright then. You know we probably won't be near Toronto for some time yeah?" He tries to get the reaction he wants out of me. 

Louis is usually the clown. Although being slightly older than all of us, he's got the mental age of a four year old. It's what we all love most about him, so this serious interrogation I'm getting is completely out of character. 

"Yeah, I know." I answer him coldly because it's a thought I didn't want to have to cross. 

I walk to the end of the bus, where I had originally intended on going to eat my damn sandwich in peace, and I hear the rest of the boys chatting with Louis near the front. They must have gotten up from their bunks shortly after him.  

I don't know how I'll see her again. I can't just get up and go in the middle of this tour, but I know I promised I would see her soon. I promised her by saying it, and I promised it to myself too. As strange as the whole thing is, I don't think I could ever wipe this girl clean from my mind. I thought of doing just that, but the rush of adrenaline that came with picturing her face in that crowd left me just about no choice.

I allow myself the simple pleasure of reliving our kiss near the subway station in the streets of downtown Toronto. I replay the scene in my mind until I've memorized every feeling, and every sensation that came with it. My blissful memories are interrupted by Liam's shouts for me to join them at the front of the bus.

"Harry, I think you're going to want to see this!" He screams again.

I roll my eyes at whatever they think is so important for me to see. Usually it's just the fact that Niall is on the floor laughing at some damn video they've found online. I can't deny that the videos are usually quite hilarious, but what beats it every time is Niall's reaction. 

I rush to the front anyway, curiosity getting the better of me when I don't hear Niall's infectious laughter. The four of them are huddled around Liam's phone, and they all snap their heads in my direction as I walk into the small space.

There are two small couches facing each other, allowing enough room for a walkway in between them. They're all sitting on the one in front of me as I plop down on the one across from them. Liam hands me his phone, and they watch as I look down to read what they've been staring at. 

The headline of the article reads:

Harry Styles caught with a bloodied girl on his arm exiting downtown Toronto's hottest club.

I don't bother reading the entire article, I know it's all going to be bullshit. I scroll quickly through it until I see the dreaded picture of Lily and I. Lily's knee is bloodied from the cut she got at the club but it isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would look. They're really making a huge deal out of this one because I catch snippets of the article as I continue to look at the screen. 

What catches my eye is the mention of "the girl". They begin spitting bullshit about her being some prostitute/stripper provided by the club that I just had to take in and clean up.

"Fucking hell." I say as I continue to read. The worst seems to have already been said about me in the past because this entire article is dedicated to insane accusations on Lily.

I look up, not being able to bare reading any more, and the boys are all somberly staring back at me.

"I don't care what you all have to say, but that girl does not deserve any of this shit." 

"We agree, Harry." Zayn speaks for the rest of them, once again.

I think they know that she could really mean something to me. The hurt that I know this will cause her, even though she's barely a stranger to me, will be catastrophic. I can't bare the thought, the idea, of her reading any of it. No one deserves this, especially not her. 

Niall moves to my side and puts a hand on my shoulder as I run my hands through my hair, then bury my face in my palms. 

Fuck.