Harry's Perspective
Text from Lexie McLean: "Most of us have only two or three genuinely interesting moments in our lives; the rest is filler."
Text from Jason Cavendish: "Flowers grow out of dark moments."
We pulled up to the venue. I'd woken this morning to Lexie's text. She gets up even earlier than we do. I was pretty proud of my response. Our whole quotation conversation made no sense and yet complete sense. It was fun. It almost cut the stress of the first stop of on our American tour! Almost, but no. Very stressful. This is it. Where we get judged and see if we've really made it. Since we were staying in town for several days before the first concert, increasing hype with interviews and what not, we'd be rehearsing at the venue the couple days before the actual performance. Photo op, acoustics, etc. We still needed to get some dance moves down. They were actually going to be filming the performance here for a DVD, so there'd probably be specific blocking for that too.
The stage manager was giving us a tour. The dock where our van would stay led out to a long corridor, but then we immediately took stairs down to a large section of secluded dressing rooms. We were introduced to wardrobe and then led back upstairs and round to the stage. Another crew woman was setting gels onto a boom hung with lights.
"And this is my ASM, River Chan." The woman dressed in all blacks turned around. She was about our age. In fact, she looked really familiar. Oh my god, she was bus stop girl. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and she looked so tiny dressed in all black with no coat, but that was definitely her.
"Hey, it's you!" she exclaimed after the recognition showed on both of our faces.
"And how do you two know each other?" Sarah, the SM asked.
"Uhm, we bumped into each other at one of the rest stops to the city," she explained to Sarah.
"Well, we'll still go through everyone's introductions. Louis, Niall, Zayne, Liam, and of course you already know Harry." I saw her face falter as she realized I'd lied to her about my name. She recovered quickly and kept a smile plastered on her face. "River will be backstage on headset at all times. If you need anything, I mean anything, go to her. She'll always be back stage, stage right on headset. How are we doing on the light plot, River Chan?" Come to think of it, River wasn't the name she'd given me either. She'd lied to me about who she was as well. Curiouser and curiouser. Was it because she had actually recognized me? No, that didn't make sense. She certainly hadn't expected to see me here and it wasn't like she would've gained anything from that.
"I've got all the electrics set up and balanced. We're good to go. Just arranging my gels for the fastest switch between sets." She responded with a status update.
River Chan, formerly known as Lexie the Rest Stop Girl, nodded to us as we were led off to the green room. I looked back and she had already turned away, intently focused on her work.


Lexie's Perspective

"You lied to me." I looked up from my event spreadsheets regarding the concert. There was Harry. Definitely not Jason Cavendish. And he was close again. And he smelled good. Like edible good.
"I didn't lie to you. Lexie, or Alexis River McLean is my legal name. River Chan is a nickname I picked up at university. You're one to talk, Mr. Cavendish." I looked him up and down in judgment and then focused on my computer. I was not going to stare into those ridiculous green eyes, especially not when such beautiful eyes belonged to a man who I had slept with and just found out had lied to me. Only fifteen minutes with the man and he'd already screwed me and screwed me over. A new record in efficiency.
"I'm sorry. It was complicated." I grunted in response, but did not look up. And I had cared what his middle name was. What a fool, I'd been. I probably now have herpes.
"Edward really is my middle name." My eyes snapped to him. It was as if he had read my mind. He smirked back at me and reached over to rescue the pen that I suddenly realized I had been spasmodically tapping with my right hand. I half-smiled at him softly. He continued, "And Mr. Cavendish really is the name of my penis." I snorted and then we both stared awkwardly at each other. Neither of us had expected to see the other ever again.
"Ironic, isn't it?" I said quietly. I didn't think this would be a good conversation to be overheard.
"Maybe the universe thought that it was so good we needed to do it again." I rolled my eyes. Men are such horn dogs. And now I have to work with him and be polite.
"I'm afraid that would be an unwise career decision for either of us considering we are now in a professional relationship," I said softly in my most politically correct tone.
"Look, I actually came over to make this easier for you." At this point, I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He continued, "I want you to know I realize that was....a decisive moment, but I won't let it interfere with our professional relationship. I'm a shit, I shouldn't have lied to you and I'm sorry." He stuck out his hand for a shake. "Friends.... or, uhm, professional acquaintances?" he stumbled.
I took his hand. "Both." I smiled.
He walked back to go do whatever performers do. I think they had an interview set up in the green room before dinner.