Fade {Harry Styles}

chapter 21

Kelsey shushed her brother for what felt like the millionth time in just a mere minute. Her hands felt clammy from holding her phone against her ear in an impatient attempt to win a radio contest.

"KeeKee, did they pick up?" Will asked again.

"Shhhh!" Kelsey retaliated. "I wouldn’t be able to tell with all your yacking." Will had always been extremely talkative, and not exactly the most patient either. In fact, he was only making Kelsey more nervous. She had a bad habit of getting her hopes up. Who doesn’t? But she had been trying really hard lately to not do that to herself, especially considering the fact that she had her heart broken 6 months ago in a relationship that wasn’t even real. 

Kelsey was so heart broken by the departure of Harry that she had completely flipped her life upside down. In the 6 months he had been gone she had changed everything. Perhaps it was for the best, though. She currently worked at Barnes & Noble, which was a major plus for such a big reader like her. It was a steady job, and it was good for  her. She had gotten more close with her family, allowing them back into her life, and her heart as well. And she had moved out of the old apartment building, and into her one that was much newer and bigger. Her old apartment wasn’t bad or anything, it just…was weird without a certain neighbor living down the hall.

Will and Kelsey had been listening to the radio nearly all day, waiting for the cue-to-call. Earlier in the day, Johnny, the radio host, told the listeners that when they heard a laser sound, it was the cue. The seventh caller would win, and Kelsey desperately wanted that prize. For 5 hours they had sat at the kitchen table of her new apartment with the radio between them, squirming and waiting impatiently.

That’s when they heard it, the lasers noise. Kelsey had whipped out her phone at the speed of light and dialed in, praying that she was the lucky seventh caller.

Kelsey chewed at the stubs of her finger nails as the ringing continued, almost deafening to her ears.

"Congratulations!" A voice on the other end of the line pronounced. "You are lucky caller number 7! And the grand winner of 2 front row seats and backstage passes to the one and only One Direction concert this Friday!"

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Harry hummed to himself as he checked his phone, scrolling through his endless twitter feed for a while and then checking instagram. Just trying to find a way to pass the time. He tried to keep his voice hushed considering that the boys were fast asleep in the bunks surrounding him in the tour bus. Far too many times he had been shushed for singing to loud during a God awful hour of the night. And afterwards he would quiet down and go to sleep.

But here wasn’t going to be much sleeping tonight. At least not for Harry.

His nerves were eating him from the inside out, not because of the performance coming up, but just where that performance happened to be. 

Minnesota.

And deep into the thoughtful hours of the night, Harry couldn’t stop himself from filling his mind with scenarios. All of which contained Kelsey somehow being there, at the arena. He played it over and over in his head, trying to figure out how he could approach her without causing a scene. He would have given anything to talk to her like he did as Marcel. Without the ruckus he knew it would cause if he tried as Harry.

A sigh grew deep within his chest that caused his lungs to expand at full capacity. A sigh so deep that he felt it in his bones. A sigh so deep it stirred Liam from the bunk across from Harry’s.

Luckily, Liam only rolled over, falling back into a deep sleep. Harry clicked his phone off, turning over to his side, closed his eyes and hoped to do the same.