Chapter 17

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. All rights reserved. Yadda Yadda Yadda.
Bex, her co-horts and the premise are mine. The concerts scenes are real, except for Bex's involvement. That's just my imagination and what I think would happen when a girl who loves to take pictures meets a boy who loves to sing...

Enjoy!

Another World

Chapter 17

8:08 am

I poke the ‘scrambled eggs’ on my plate.  I’m not sure what they are. With the dirty looks the stewardess is giving me, I’m pretty sure she may have spit in them too.

“Rebekah, how’s the head?” Dale asks between bites of his own food.

“It’s shit to be honest. Did anyone get the name of what hit me?” I ask dropping my fork on the plate. The sound sets off more throbbing in my head. “Fuck sake.”

“Three...”

I look at Harry in confusion. “Huh?”

“Three Ships hit you.The whiskey you were drinking is called ‘Three Ships’ and you apparently found it quite good. You were willing to give me your cell phone, but not the whiskey.”

“Ugh...”

“Don’t forget to call Emily,” he winks. “Excuse me?” He calls the stewardess.  She ignores him.

“What in the world happened last night?” Dale sits back in the chair.

“Just a bit of a misunderstanding.  Excuse me, Miss?” Again, she ignores him.  

“What do you need, H?”

“I wanted her to get Rebekah a bloody mary. Little hair of the dog,” he says taking my hand and squeezing it.

I get a smile from our breakfast companion, “I’ll get it. With the mood that woman is in...I wouldn’t put anything past her.”  

I lay my head on Harry’s shoulder and close my eyes.

“The bloody mary will help.”

“I don’t want anymore alcohol,” I groan. “Ever.”

“Just trust me, Tog.  What do you usually do after a night of drinking?” He asks as he wraps his arm around me.  I settle my head into the crook of his neck.

“I sleep. At some point, Em comes in and starts singing some ridiculous Irish song while jumping on my bed.”

He chuckles and squeezes me tighter to him, “Well...I can sing something if you want. I don’t think jumping on the bed on a plane is a good idea.”

“This is good,” I sigh.  Dale comes toward us shaking his head.

“Alright, Ms. Oliver...one Dale’s Special Hangover Cure. Drink up!” He sets a large glass in front of me. I’m pretty sure I see a raw egg floating in the bottom.  

“I’m not drinking anything with a raw egg in it,” I push the glass away from me.

“It won’t hurt you. The alcohol will kill any bacteria in the egg. I promise you...you’ll feel good as new in no time.” Baldy pushes it back toward me.

“Harry...don’t make me.” I whine looking up at him.

“Christ...don’t give me those eyes...”

“If I drink that you’ll be wearing it,” I say holding back the urge to vomit with my hand.

“Tog...”

“Hwwy...”

“Never mind. I’ll drink it. I’ll make you another one. No egg,” Dale says taking a pull from the glass as he walks back to the galley.

“The necessity for apologies between you and me, baby there is none,” Harry sings softly against the top of my head.

“That’s nice. What is that from?” I ask as he hums.

“Something I’m working on for the new album,” He says quietly as Dale approaches with another glass.

“No raw egg. Drink up,” he says holding it out to me.

I take the glass and smell it. It’s pretty potent; I can smell just a hint of tomato over the vodka.  I check that there is no egg floating in it before taking a sip.  The tomato juice is ice cold.  It’s the only thing making the drink palatable.

“There’s enough vodka in this to kill a horse,” I cough.

“Hair of the dog, sweetheart. Hair of the dog,” Dale laughs.

I finish the drink with an ibuprofen chaser and stretch out on one of the couches. Harry sits across from me, texting someone on his phone.  He smiles and chuckles a few times. I moan as the plane drops a bit from turbulence.

He reaches over and runs his hand through my hair, “You alright, Love?”

“The turbulence set my stomach off for a minute. I’m alright,” I answer turning on my side. “Everything okay with the guys?”

“Yeah, all good...” he smiles. He stands as the plane dips again. “Whoa...”

“H! Sit down!” I laugh as he tries to right himself.

“I will!  Sit up a minute,” he says waving his hand at me.  I do as he asks.  He plops down on the the end of the sofa.  “Here, lay your head down,” he pats his right thigh.  Once I’m settled, he goes back to his phone; one hand running through my hair, the other answering his messages. The cabin is quiet, which is amazing for my hangover.

A bit later, the stewardess huffs past us.  She stops next to Dale’s chair and taps him on the shoulder.

“The pilot has informed me that we’ll be landing in the next twenty minutes,” she smiles and turns toward us. “You might want to stow all baggage.”

Harry shakes his head as I sit up, “Listen, obviously you’re upset about something. What’s the  problem?”

“No, Miss. No problem.” Her tone tells me differently. She shifts her weight, placing a hand on her hip as she looks between the two of us.  Immediately, I’m peeved.  I stand, which makes her take a step back. I hide the wobble from my hangover.  We’re the same height in our heels, only mine are worth a few hundred dollars more.

“Then I suggest you knock off the attitude. I don’t know what happened last night while I was sleeping, but clearly it wasn’t to your liking.”

“You mean when you were passed out cold from the whiskey, love?” She smirks and looks passed me to Harry.

“Oh...I see,” I say watching Harry’s expression change from amusement to disdain. “Tell me if I got this right...” I step forward forcing her into the back of one of the chairs, “While I was passed out cold, you decided you’d see if there was anything he needed,” I point behind me at the couch.

“Tog...” Harry warns. I can feel the heat from his body behind me.

“Harry.” I say curtly.

“But he didn’t respond the way you wanted him to...did he? Am I getting this right? You made advances and he spurned you?” The blonde huffs and looks away.

“Did you think just because I was drunk, he’d go ahead and give you a go? Is that part of the job description, Love?” I mock. “Must be willing to fuck the passengers?’

“No...”

“And this morning, knowing I would probably have a hangover from hell...you were banging domes and cabinets to annoy me because I was the one in that bed with him. Is that right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“No...I got it all right. Hit the nail right on the head. So...” I say looking for a name tag on her crisp blue suit. “Megan.”

“You’re wrong,” she snipes.

“Oh,honey...Green isn’t a good color on you.  Do you think I don’t know how women look at him?” I laugh stepping further into her personal space. “Let me tell you...he’s just as unbelievable as you’ve probably imagined,” I whisper as convincingly as possible.  I can feel the plane descending.

“Rebekah, We need to buckle in. We’re landing,” Harry says pulling me back from her.

I smirk as he wraps his arm around my stomach, “Look for another job.”

“Rebekah, enough.”

I wink at her and sit down in the first seat, buckling myself in.

Where in the hell did that come from?

“Yeah...I’d like to know as well...” Harry laughs as he buckles himself in next to me.  “You went after her like a pitbull.” I need to talk to Emily about my verbal filter.

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, “Dead on.”

“Knew it.” I lean my head back and close my eyes.

He leans in, whispering in my ear darkly, “Thanks for the glowing endorsement. Care to find out if that statement was dead on too?”

“Not right now, Styles.”

“Damn...always wanted to join the mile high club,” he snickers before tapping my nose with his index finger. “Another time, Tog.”

We land a few minutes later and begin gathering our bags.

As the lovely Megan walks towards us, I grab the front of Harry’s shirt and pull him toward me.

I kiss him with everything I’ve got. Having taken notes from our stay in Cape Town, I swipe my tongue against his lips. He groans low in his throat before letting me in. His right hand fists the back of the Ramones tee as I slip my tongue against his.

She yanks a little too hard on the lever for the door.

“Not nice,” Harry whispers against my lips before placing a small peck on them.

“Meh...” I shrug and toss my backpack over my shoulder.  I follow Dale toward the exit and smile at the lovely Megan.

“Remember what I said. I hear Careerbuilder is a great website,” I laugh as I step past her.

“Hope to see you again, Mister Styles,” she says in a syrupy voice.

“Have a nice day,” is all he says back.

~</3~

After a thirty minute drive, we arrive at the Atlantis at Palm Hotel. Paddy is waiting for us in front of the hotel. The place is straight up Triton’s Castle. The moment I walk through the lobby, I feel under dressed. Or like I should be wearing a conch shell bra while Paddy carries me; fin and all.  Yeah...It’s that over the top when it makes you feel like you should be a friggin’ mermaid. We head to the eastern tower of the hotel. Dale and Harry will do the standard “precautionary” thing and arrive a few minutes later.  I wait with Liam’s bodyguard on the second floor. Several of the men give me a nasty once over.  

“So, who am I sharing a room with this time?” I ask the burly man ignoring the people in the corridor.

“I’m sorry, Miss Oliver. What do you mean?”

“In Cape Town, you put me with Liam and Louis.  Who do I get this time? Alberto and Dale?” I admit my tone is pretty snotty. “Sorry. I’m just not myself this morning.  You don’t have to call me Miss Oliver. Bex or Rebekah is fine.”

“We were under pretty strict orders about the accommodations, Rebekah,” he rubs his neck nervously.

“Anything has to be better than Louis and his FIFA all night,” I watch the elevators for any sign of Harry. “I’d even room with Lou and Lux.”

“I can assure you, you are not staying with Lou and the poppet,” he smiles at me. His cell rings a few times before he answers it.  “Yes...”  There’s a lot of yes and no’s before he hangs up.

“We’re going to head up to the room. Harry is in a meeting with the boys. Come on,” he says pushing the elevator button a few times.  We ride in awkward silence for a few floors until he receives a text. When the elevator stops, Paddy rushes off and ushers me toward one of the rooms. When he opens the door, I’m a little dumbfounded. There’s only a small table and an elevator.

“Where’s the rest of the room?” I ask looking at the man.

“Well...would you like to take the stairs or the elevator?” He smirks.

“I’m tired and hungover. Which do you think I want to take?”

“Elevator it is,” he laughs. “Would you like to go straight to the bedroom or the lounge?”

“What?  That’s a little forward of you,” I attempt a joke. It doesn't go over well. “Just take me somewhere where I can sit down, Paddy,” I say impatiently. He nods while pressing the second floor button. When we exit a minute later, I’m immersed in a weird calmness. The lounge area is decorated in white and teal with shells. Everywhere. And Gold. It’s odd and over the top. I toss my bag on one of the chairs and take a seat on the couch.

“Here’s the key to the suite,” Paddy smiles. “Enjoy.”

“Seriously? I don’t need all this. I’m here for one night. Management shouldn’t waste the boys money on this,” I roll my eyes.

“It’s the boys money to waste,” he shrugs. “Dale said Harry will get in touch with you as soon as the meeting is over. Just relax. We don’t need to leave for the stadium until this afternoon.”

He leaves me on the second floor of Ariel’s dream suite alone. I imagine if she was real, this would be her teenage bedroom. Whomever decorated it certainly loves gold.

What the hell do I do in this place? I wander looking for the bedroom, but find a washroom and kitchen. The booklet on the counter tells me I’m in the ‘Poseidon’ suite and I have twenty-four hour butler service. I will never get used to this.  I pick up the phone and wait for the service to answer.  

“Yes, um...this is...the Poseidon suite...oh...yeah. You knew that. Could I get some tea brought up?”  The lovely man asks if I would like a full tea service. “Do I want full tea service, hm?”

“Yes...you want full tea service,” the deep voice says behind me.  

“Yes, please. For two. Thank you.” I smile into the phone. “Mister Styles! I’m appalled that you would just walk into my suite. Haven’t you learned anything?” I scold as I turn and lean on the counter.

“Your suite? No...love. This is our suite.”

“Oh, god. I have to room with you again? When will your management team get it right? I asked to bunk with Liam.”

“What?!?!?” He yells reaching for me. “Just for that you can sleep in the lounge. Better yet! I’ll throw a pillow in the elevator.”

“Seriously...why do we need this much? It’s kind of...ridiculous,” I wrap my arms around his waist.

“Yeah, it’s kind of cheesy, isn’t it?” He smiles. He reaches around and takes my hand,   “But...you’ve haven’t seen the bedroom,” he says wiggling his eyebrows at me.  

“I could use a nap.”

“Head still bothering you, Tog?” He asks pushing the button for the elevator.

“A little bit. Should we wait for the bags?”

“No worries,” he says when the door closes. A small ride down and the doors open.

“Whoa...” I say stepping off.

“Thought you might like it,” he says quietly.

We’re underwater. Or appear to be underwater. There are schools of fish and stingrays gliding past the window. The room is bathed in blue from the water.

“What’s wrong?” I ask turning my attention from the sea life to Harry.

“I’m not a big fan of these aquariums. Fish, stingrays...dolphins...they all belong in the sea. Not all closed in for our entertainment,” he answers as he walks toward the window.

“Then why do we have this suite?  Surely you, or your management, wouldn’t have chosen this for you?”

He shrugs watching a dolphin swim past, “I didn’t think you got to stay in hotels like this when working. I figured you might like it. It’s different.”

Walking to him, I wrap my arms around him and rest my chin on his shoulder, “Honestly, I don’t need all this extravagance. As long as there’s a bathroom and a bed, I’m quite content.”

“It’s cool in a...weird way. You do kinda feel like you are swimming with them, yeah?” He says looking around the room.

“It’s calming,” I say laying my head on his shoulder blade.

“You need to lay down. I’ll go down and check for the tea. Just relax. Do you need anything else for the headache?” Turning quickly in my arms, he scoops me up and carries me the short distance to the bed.

“Nope, just some tea would be good,” I yawn.

“I’ll be right back.” He places a peck to my forehead.

~</3~

I wake disoriented in my surroundings. I check for any sign of a hangover and am pleased when it’s gone.  I jump a little at the thump on the window in front of me. A dolphin taps it again and swims away. Stretching my arms, my right hand brushes cool, bare skin. He’s curled on his right side in just his skinny jeans and black socks. He’s sleeping deeply, not bothered one bit by the inadvertent touch of my hand. There doesn’t seem to be a clock in the room, so I fish my cell phone from my back pocket.

There’s 50 notifications from the girls. I groan quietly, remembering I need to check in with Emily.  I leave Harry on the bed since we still have time.  My backpack, camera bag and suitcase sit near the window.  Grabbing the backpack, I shut the bedroom door quietly and take the stairs down to the lounge.  

I get the whole “Atlantis” thing...we’re on a man-made island in the Persian Gulf; the palm jumeirah. It’s separated from Dubai itself.  Fitting really, since Poseidon built a castle for his beloved out of a mountain and surrounded it by three circular moats of land in varying widths; closing it off from the rest of the Island of Atlantis.  

I just find the decor...a bit over the top.  He wanted me to experience something different than my usual hostel like accommodations.  He put aside his personal dislike to pamper me a little. While I appreciate it, I never want him to sacrifice himself to please me. I don’t need any of this.

I toss my bag on the same chair from this morning and head to the kitchen. A bowl of fruit, water bottles and a domed plate sit on the counter. I lift the lid and find 2 odd shaped pastries underneath.  They look like my mom’s biscuits gone wrong. The centers have fallen in on themselves. The light in the room glints off of what I guess is sugar. Opening the cabinet above, I find a small plate. I snatch a bottle of water and one of the pastry before returning to the living area.

I google the time difference in Boston.  It’s three in the morning back home, so I decide to forego calling Doc. I take a pic of the plate and send it to the group chat. Gray has left a warning in our private messages that Em has “her knickers in a bunch about you.”

I close the app and take a swig of water. Between Harry and Gray’s warning, I can only guess that I did something in my inebriated state. I re-open the app, flipping to mine and Doc’s personal chat session.  The last text is from Cape Town. This seems odd to me. The only way Harry could know that I needed to call Doc is a) She called or b) we were texting. There’s no record of a call and there are no texts.  There’s nothing I can do now while she’s sleeping; it’ll have to wait until I get home.

“I see you found the Yorkshires,” Harry says behind me. His hands rub my shoulders lightly.

“Where did these come from?” I ask as he makes his way around the couch. He situates himself in the chair across from me. All tattoos and tight black jeans. He’s barefoot now and I have a hard time not examining his feet.

“I asked for them when the tea came,” he rubs his stomach and smiles. “Ate a couple myself.”

“They’re pretty good,” I say before finishing it.  I wipe my hands on my shorts having forgotten a napkin.

“How’s the head?”

“Much better. What time do we leave for the stadium?”

He looks amusingly at his wrist, “Half past the anchor.”

“You need a watch,” I laugh.  “It’s almost eleven thirty.”

“Sam said we’d leave around two. Leaves us a few hours to explore if you wanted to,” he yawns.

“A shower would be nice,” I scratch at the back of my head. The bun he put my hair in is a mess.

“You don’t want to take a bath and swim with the fishes?” The new york accent makes me chuckle.

“Swimming with the fishes is definitely something I don’t want to do.”

He laughs and reaches for my hand, “Come on. Let’s get cleaned up.”  I take it a bit hesitantly. He doesn’t seem to notice as we descend the stairs. Once we’re in the bedroom, I slip my hand from his.

“What’s wrong?”

“I know we’re...we’ve...” I stumble with my thoughts.

We’ve been very comfortable with each other in the last few days. I would have never walked into a bathroom naked, peed and  joined Mateo in the shower after only knowing him a week. I didn’t share a bed with Mat, sleeping or otherwise, for at least a month or two after we started dating.  The amount of ease we have with each other is unnatural; at this moment I’m feeling awkward about it.

“You’re overthinking. Stop, take a breath and tell me what’s bothering you,” he steps towards me.

I take his right hand and turn it face up. Anything to avoid eye contact with him. I take a deep breath and fiddle with the thick silver band on his middle finger.

“We’re very...comfortable with each other.” It comes out shyly.

“Is that a problem? Is that bothering you?” He says wrapping his hand around both of mine.  “If you want some privacy, or you want me to move to the other bedroom...I will, Tog. I said we’d take this at your pace.”

“Is it supposed to be this...easy?” I look up at him. He’s concerned.

“I don’t know. I have never been so nervous and calm at the same time,” he half smiles. “Most of the time, it’s like breathing when I’m with you.”

“Have you ever been like this with someone else?”

“No, not really,” he shakes his head slightly. “Listen...I’m gonna go change and maybe find Nialler. Take a shower or a bath...whatever.”  He pulls away, sweeping his hair out of his face.

“I didn’t mean you had to leave,” I reach for him.

“I want you to feel good when you’re with me. If you think we’re taking things too quickly, we need to slow down,” he rubs my cheek with the back of his hand. His eyes roam my face for a few seconds and then he smiles. That devilish, eye crinkling, full on dimpled smile. “You’re beautiful, ya know that?”  He lets out a small laugh when I look down at my feet.  “I need to get out of here.”

“Okay.”

We both rummage through our suitcases, pulling out various items of clothing. He kisses me lightly before heading up the elevator.  Not feeling any better about our conversation, I stare at the bathroom door a few minutes before deciding on a bath.

The circular tub fills up fairly quickly as I search for something to listen to on my phone. Apple offers up a few suggestions based on my most recent listening choices.

Hanson?  Really?  I slip in the tub and wonder just what has happened to me.

Boy bands.

~</3~

2:07 pm

“How was the flight over?” Cal asks me as I stare out the car window.  Harry and Niall are riding with Basil and Dale. Cal, Sam and I are together in the car behind them.

“Bex?”

“Hm...what?”

“How was the flight over?”

“Um...it was okay,” I shrug and return to staring at the rear license plate of the black Mercedes Benz.

“Cal, leave her be. She’s preoccupied,” I hear Sam say from the front seat.

“You need to get your head in the game, Bex. It’s last show for this leg of the tour. I need you. Who knows what these four will pull tonight.”

“Alright, Cal. I’m on it.”

“That’s the problem...I think you want to be on something and it’s messing with your head,” he says loudly.

“That was rude,” I glare at him.  

I pull out my camera and check the memory card in it.  There’s photos from the last Cape Town show on it.  I scroll through, making mental notes of the ones I personally want copies of.  I pull the card and load a new one.

Affixing a new lens on the camera, I open the window and take pictures of anything that catches my eye for the rest of the ride.

When we enter Sevens Stadium, I marvel at the fact that it looks normal. Not like the cheesecake the boys played in Johannesburg. The only strange thing is that it’s set in the middle of a desert. The caravan parks in twos; Cal and I beside Harry and Niall. Fans scream as Niall exits the car.  Cal gets out and follows him into the stadium.  Another set of cheers can be heard as I step out along with Sam.  

“Hello, Bex. How are you, love? Alright?” Louis says as he places his hand on my back. I smile at him and turn in search of Harry.  He is almost at the entrance before he turns to look back. His brow is furrowed until he notices Louis.  He smiles and winks before patting Dale on the back.

“Just a...” Louis starts

“Yeah, a precaution. Can’t be seen with Harry...I know the drill,” I say under my breath.

“I’m sorry. I get it. When I first started dating Eleanor, we kept it pretty hush hush,” he rubs my lower back gently. The motion causes me to stiffen a little. “I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?”

“No. You’re fine,” I smile and try to relax. Remembering what Harry told me on the plane, I need to get over them. They are a part of me now.  “Looking forward to some time off?”

“Definitely.” He smiles back as we enter the building.

The next few hours are just like the other shows. The guys relax, talk with guests. Sarah makes a huge feast and we all sit down like a family to eat. Louis’ entire family has come to the show so Harry and the boys sit with them.  Louis’ mom, Johannah or Jay as she’s asked me to call her, scolds them when they say something inappropriate in front of the younger members of the group.  

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages,” the female voice says before a body plops down next to me.

“Hi, Lou. How are you?”

“Rather well, love. Harreh came to see me today,” she says quietly before looking around the room. “Everything alright?”

I almost choke on a mouthful of food.  He went to see Lou? When I look up towards his table, he is staring at me with a look of fear.  I finish chewing and have a sip of water before answering her.

“I’m good, thank you.”

“Bex, love...he looks like I’ve just told you he has a wife and three kids,” she laughs. “As a matter of fact, you look the same way.  What’s going on?”

“Everything is fine. I just wasn’t aware he came to talk to you.”

“Harry usually comes to me with everything,” she says matter of factly.

“Oh...” I’m unable to continue the conversation. I stack my fork and knife onto my plate and stand. “It’s nice that he can talk to you. If you’ll excuse me.”

I drop everything in the bin to be washed and thank Sarah for making sure I was fed the last few shows. She tells me she hopes to see me when the tour starts again before I walk away.  I find Cal and Sam sitting at a far table in the room.

“Sam...can we talk a moment?”

“Alright, love. Have a seat,” he says standing up and pulling out the chair opposite Cal.  “What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering about how everyone is getting home?” I play with the pen on the table.

“Oh!  Yes. Cal and I set up a flight for you. You’ll leave tomorrow evening. I’ll get the information for you before the end of the show.”

“Great. I need to let my roommates know so they can pick me up at the airport.”  I stand and push the chair back in. “Cal, do you have a baseball cap or anything I could borrow? It’s so warm.”

“Sure. I’ll be back,” he says to Sam as he stands up. “You’re going to need this.”

I place the security pass he’s handed me around my neck and follow him.  He opens the door to the dressing room and I know where I’m at immediately.  His belongings are in Harry’s dressing room.

“Here,” he says handing me a Green Bay Packer’s cap.

“Thanks.”

After pulling my hair up into another bun, I slip the cap on and head out onto the stage. I watch the crew finish last minute setup and the support act do sound check. Before I know it, it’s time to radio up and get my equipment settled.  I do both and wait for direction from Cal.

Just a moment after nine, before the intro music is even finished, the guys take the stage.

As Clouds begins, Niall yells, “Dubai! Make some noise!”

Cal has me on the right side of the cat walk tonight.  Liam dances around blowing kisses as Harry throws water on the crowd from the get go. He misses me, but gets the crowd around me.

The set list is pretty familiar after just a few shows, so I know when Harry will be back at the corner of the b stage. The past few shows he flirts shamelessly during Where Do Broken Hearts Go. Tonight is no different.

The song segways seamlessly into Midnight Memories. As I make my way around to the front of the stage, I notice security removing a lot of girls from the audience.

“Hey?” I tap one of the security company on the shoulder, “What’s going on?”

Before answering me, he looks for my security pass, “They’re fainting from the heat. We’ve pulled quite a few already. We’re going to pass out some water to help them.”

“Thank you,” I pat his shoulder and continue on to the front. “Cal...they’re pulling fans from the crowd. Can we facilitate getting them some water?” I ask into the mic.  I pull my camera up to shoot and all I see is Harry’s face. He taps his earpiece twice.  “You can hear me?”

While singing, he smiles and leans towards me, “I know nothing’s making sense...”

Cal’s voice startles me, “Paddy and Basil have some of the crew getting water. They’ll pass it out to security. And tell Harry to get his ears back to the right channel.”

They continue through the next song before Liam talks to the crowd.

“Dubai!” he begins, “God, wow... what an entrance for a show. Thank you so much for the warm welcome guys. You guys are really good tonight. I’m feeling really good! Are you guys feeling good? Good stuff! I have to start off, thank you so much for having us in your beautiful country. We really are enjoying it over here. Had a great night yesterday. We are loving life in Dubai.”  He goes on to introduce Stockholm Syndrome.

I maneuver my way to the main stage; avoiding the stadium security and the girls they are continuing to pull from the audience. I make it halfway down the catwalk when a girl throws a bottle of water at me, hitting me on the back.

She is apologetic when I turn to glare at her, “I’m sooo sorry!  I was throwing it at Harry!”

“Don’t throw things at them. It hurts!” I scold her.

When I turn back, Harry is smiling at me leaning down, “Baby look what you’ve done?” He winks at me, “I’ll never leave if you keep holding me this waayyy.”  He waves at the crowd and moves down the catwalk, stopping here and there.  He avoids the sections throwing things.

The set list progresses; Harry flirting with the crowd during Strong. Niall taking on Zayn’s part for the first time. Better Than Words starts as security finally starts handing out water to the crowd. Niall and Harry do their crotch grabs but in a much more low key fashion. I laugh as Harry and Liam sing the last of the song to each other.

Liam reads some signs finding amusement in “I thought this was The Wanted” answering back, “Me too!”  He finds another sign and smiles, “Until the End! Yes!  We are One Direction and we’re here to stay! Here is Mister Niall Horan!”  I can see Harry messing around with Cal on the main stage as Niall begins to speak.

“This is our last show for a while, so we want to have fun. We need your full voice,” he tells the crowd. “We nearly didn’t make it here, did we?” He asks Louis. “It was a big sandstorm as you know. We were stuck on the plane for eighteen hours. It was fun, wasn’t it Louis?” Louis answers in the affirmative as he continues, “Long way away from home for us, so Thank You!” The four stand as they sing Don’t Forget Where You Belong. Harry continues his quest to ‘bless’ every fan at every concert, dousing them with water.

When the song is done, Harry thanks the crew and introduces one member to the crowd so they can sing Happy Birthday. The audience starts chanting “Phil! Phil! Phil,” which he happily joins in on.

“Fit Phil!” Niall yells.

“Here comes the most handsome man in the...Please come, Phil.  Please come down, Phil, please,” H practically begs. “Phil’s got muscles.”

Niall laughs, “Phil was on the cover of Men’s Health.” Phil appears and walks down onto the catwalk with Harry.

“Phil enjoys long walks across the beach!  We’re gonna start the bidding at five dolluhs...five dolluhs for Phil!” Harry says lifting the poor man’s arm up.  He points to the crowd, “Five dolluhs! Ten dolluhs, fifteen dolluhs...take your shirt off, Phil!”  Harry proceeds to unbutton his shirt with one hand.

Fucking hell...

“Twenty dolluhs! For this man! Thirty dolluhs,” he laughs. “Do I have fifty dolluhs?!?! Do I have one hundred dolluhs?!?!” I can tell the man is a bit uncomfortable as Harry reaches over and pulls his shirt almost off of him. “Do I have Two Hundred dolluhs?”

I lift my hand up laughing as the bid goes to three hundred.

Harry points to me and smiles, “SOLD! To the girl in the blue top! There you are! Let’s sing Happy Birthday to Phil! The world’s most eligible bachelor.” He points to Jon, “Jonathan, if you will...”

Liam says they need the birthday chair and Harry gets on his hands and knees so Phil can sit on his back. Niall pets the poor guys face as Louis pats him hard on the back while the four idiots sing to him. Phil takes Liam’s baseball cap at some point, wearing it.

When they’re done, Niall tells him to get off the stage,”We’ve got a show to do!”  

“Gimme my hat back! That’s not a birthday present, Phil!” Liam says grabbing the hat off his head.

The guys all sit down on the stairs of the main stage and sing Little Things. I start taking group shots.  I notice Niall keeps looking around uneasily, as if something is wrong. Louis is stunned by the crowd’s boisterous singing of the song.

I look down at my camera to check a few shots when I hear Harry say “Everyone be calm.”  The boys are standing on the main stage looking toward the back of the crowd.  I turn to look also but cannot see anything different than the rest of the show.

An announcer comes over the P.A., “Ladies and Gentleman, we’re just having to stop the show for a minute because we have an unsafe barricade. The people in the back...uh...back pen could you please step away from the barricade while it’s mended?  And then we’ll start the show in the next couple minutes.”

I look up at the guys; Liam is closest. He looks concerned. The announcer continues, “Sorry ladies and gentleman, I’ve got girls being hurt back there. Just step back at the very back. Just step away from the barricade while the boys mend it. We’ll be back with you in two minutes.”  The lights lower on the stage for a few minutes.  Feeling a little uneasy, I try to get past security to get backstage.

Niall steps up to one of the mics with Liam, “Um...we’re sorry about this, it’s nothing to do with us...um...there seems to be a broken barrier at the back and we can’t carry on with the show for about five or ten minutes.”  The crowd boos. “So...if you don’t mind waiting...um...we’ll be back in five or ten minutes. And...Liam...Thank you for your patience! And we’ll be back in about five to ten minutes, okay? Sorry.” In the week that I’ve been with these men, Niall has never sounded so unsure and concerned.

“Everyone who’s out there,” Liam says beside him. “Take a step back and then the moment you take a step back the show will start, I promise you! Everyone just step on backwards while they fix the stuff.”

Louis pipes in, “It’s all Liam’s fault.” He’s trying to break the tension between the guys.  I can see Harry standing on the farthest end of the main stage.

“It’s all my fault. I’m sorry,” Liam says half-heartedly. “I break stuff.”

Continuing to try and get backstage, I hear Harry’s raspy voice over my earpiece, “Bring Bex up front. I don’t want her in the crowd!”  Next thing I know, I’m over the shoulder of Alberto being carried to the front of the stage. He sets me down gently and shrugs.

“Thanks,” I say straightening my clothes and checking my camera.

“Are you alright?” Harry asks from backstage.

“Yeah, I’m a big girl, Styles. I’ve been in worse situations than a crowd of hormonal teenage girls.”

“I just want you to be safe, Rebekah,” he answer curtly.

Feeling like shit for nipping at him, “I...know. I’m sorry.  I was trying to get backstage.  Do we know if anyone was hurt?” Basil boosts me up on to the stage so I can get where I want to be.

“A girl did fall off the barricade. She’s being checked by medical staff,” he answers. I can see him playing with his earpiece. “Where are you? Did they move you?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say stopping behind him.  He turns, a look of relief on his face.

“Tog,” he says as he wraps himself around me.

“You’re a worry wart,” I say into his neck.

~</3~

A half an hour and one fixed barricade later, the guys return to the stage with Liam at the helm.

“Sorry about that Dubai! Here’s Night Changes!”  

The crowd has dwindled a bit with most thinking they wouldn’t be returning to the stage. They didn’t want to go back on until they were sure everyone was safe. Harry watches me like a hawk as they sing the song.

Louis begins talking immediately after song is done, “Okay, so that wasn’t awkward at all. Is everybody having a good time so far?” The crowd cheers.  “Love it!” He turns to the band, “Jon, I’d like to shake your hand, if that’s okay?” He proceeds to introduce them.  They play some obscure song before they sing Alive.  Harry is having a good time dancing on the left side of the B stage.

When they get to What Makes You Beautiful, the four of them enjoy a big hug during Harry’s solo. At the end of Through the Dark, there’s some cute moment with Harry and Liam singing to each other.  Harry goes backstage while the boys remain.

Liam talks to the crowd, “I’m really sorry about the minor flaw tonight but are you having a good time anyway?”  Harry hasn’t returned to the stage yet, so he tries his best to get the crowd going by doing Harry’s “scream” routine. Harry returns and they start Girl Almighty.  The song has grown on me. I find myself dancing a little and singing. Harry finds it amusing and offers me his mic.

When I decline, he makes his way down the catwalk. Someone tosses something at him. A wall of security forms in front of him.

Liam finds a burger that’s been tossed on stage after the song ends.  Louis proceeds to force him to eat it.  It’s totally disgusting. Once Liam has taken a bite or two, Louis tosses it into the crowd. There’s more things being thrown at Harry and security starts to go into the crowd.

The boys swiftly move on to Story of My Life.  Liam, the inquisitive bugger, picks up a pair of green sunglasses and a panama hat, donning both of them.  He turns to H, who just laughs at him.

They finish the show exhausted from the heat.  We all pile into the cars to head back to the hotel for showers. I am, again, riding with Sam and Cal.  

I turn to Cal, “Do we know what happened to the girl that was injured?”

“Yeah, she’s okay,” he smiles. “Are you ready to go home? Get away from all the craziness of One Direction?”

I stare at him a moment.  I had thought about how I was going to get there, but...

The question now plaguing me is...Am I ready to leave Harry?

Author note:  Do you think our girl is ready to leave H?  I know I'd kick and scream if I had to go home. I'd rather tour with them. Leave me some love...
All The Love, Lady H. x