Behind The Backstage Doors

Alison didn't really have time to talk to Harry until just before the show. She knew he had already talked to his manager and she was anxious to see him and make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Harry!" she yelled breathless when she saw him backstage. She had been looking for him quite a while and she knew he'd be alone because he had this ritual of wanting to have a moment for himself before going on stage. She ran next to him where he was standing and staring at the floor already ready to perform.

"Not now Alison. I'm sorry but I've gotta go soon," he said, giving her just a brief glance. Alison had earlier gone to see the venue and it was huge so she wasn't surprised when she saw Harry looking a little pale because of nerves.

"I just..." she thought for a moment if it was smart to talk to him about the conversation she had with the manager earlier but decided to go for it anyway. Because she wasn't sure when would be the next time she got to talk to Harry without anyone's interruption.

"I just wanted to ask you about the chat with your manager?" she started a little unsure. "I mean I assume he already talked to you," she added.

"Yeah he did. Look, Alison. There's really nothing we can do about it and we just have to wait till the tour is over. I'm sorry," this time he looked at her eyes a little longer, giving her an apologetic look.

"O-okay," she stammered. That's it? She thought. He really didn't seem to mind at all about Josh.

"So you don't mind at all?" she asked him, needing assurance.

"Of course I do. But we just have to live with it," he sighed, rubbing his eyes and fixing his hair. She just stared at him, unable to form words. She didn't know what she was waiting his reaction to be but she wasn't expecting that at least.

"Okay then," she said finally, trying to conjure a convincing smile on her face.

"Good. I have to go now," he said, giving her a quick smile on his way. She almost let him walk away but somehow manage to open her mouth. "Wait!" Harry turned around to face her with a questioning expression.

"Just good luck on stage," this time her smile was genuine. She rushed forward to give him a hug and the dimples on his cheeks were prominent now. She felt his muscles relax a bit as she hugged him tight and when she didn't let go even though he already took a step back he let out a laugh.

"As mush as I'd like to stay here with you but I've got around eighty thousand people waiting for me," he chuckled.

"Get over yourself! They're all there for Niall anyway," she said, slapping his arm playfully. He rubbed his arm and gave her an offended look before running out of the room.

-----

After the show the boys came back stage buzzing with energy. Niall informed everyone he was having a party in his suite without asking his band mate Liam and Patrick and Mark who where part of the security and also sharing the room with him. Liam particularly didn't look well pleased with the idea of having half of the hotel guests in his room when he just wanted to have a quiet night and maybe have a chat with his girlfriend on phone. But Mark patted his back and assured he'd get rid of the people if things got too wild.

Alison was looking at the people from afar while the boys and the band were rushed into cars so they would get out of the venue before the fans would be leaving. Lou came to tell her that they would be leaving soon after and Alison was welcome to take the same car with them. She caught Harry's eyes while he was picking up his stuff and he winked at her which made her hope they'd have a moment for themselves that night. He seemed to be in rather good mood, she thought.

When the whole crew had made it back to the hotel, Alison was almost ready to collapse in bed. Louis still caught sight of her when she was about to open her room door and managed to drag her with him upstairs of the hotel where everyone seemed to have gathered already.

She thought about escaping as soon as Louis abandoned her but thought otherwise when she saw Niall and Harry dancing, already drinks in hands and only in their boxers, on a table in the middle of the room. Everyone were dancing along or clapping and laughing, the only exceptions being Liam who looked like he was ready to kill someone and Josh who was tapping away on his phone which made Alison frown. Josh seemed to sense someone watching him and he raised his gaze just to catch eyes with her for a moment. Alison couldn't really read the look on his face but she knew she didn't like it. But the moment was over when she heard Lou calling her name from the coach where she was sitting with a few girls that Alison hadn't seen before.

"Some people seem to be on high spirits," Alison commented when she walked over to them, nodding her head towards Harry and Niall and rolling her eyes. The three girls laughed and after brief introductions, Alison sat down with them. She learned that the two girls she hadn't met earlier were Laura and Stephanie and they both were from London and just on a holiday in Italy. Their conversation was mostly about fashion and even though Alison didn't know much about it she tried to comment here and there. She really would need a few new friends and the girls seemed to be the kind she wanted to get to know better.

Laura seemed to be interested in Alison's job and wanted to know about the models she had been shooting in her career. But when she heard Stephanie and Lou greeting Harry she whipped her head around and saw him already looking at her.

"You really don't know how to do your buttons," Lou sighed and motioned Harry to come stand closer to do his shirt buttons for him. Harry had managed to find jeans and a shirt but was apparently incapable of putting the shirt properly on. Even when Lou was doing his buttons and Stephanie was giggling at him, Harry was staring straight at Alison with a slight smirk on his face.

"All done," he only broke their eye contact when Lou patted his chest. He looked at his shirt with a drunken frown on his face, which Alison still found adorable, and undid two of the top buttons making Stephanie cackle loudly. Alison didn't know how he had gotten so drunk in such a short time but when Niall came stumbling out of nowhere with a bottle of vodka in hand she understood.

"Oh my favourite tour mum!" the Irish man shouted and leaned to hug Lou. He had just come up with the nick name that week and Lou was rather irritated with it which only made him use it more.

"Alison! I was actually looking for you," he shouted next when he realized she was sitting just next to Lou. He also hugged her and out of the corner of her eye she could see the scowl on Harry's face.

"I need an explanation of something," Niall said. He had also found clothes somewhere and was now taking his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. He almost dropped it but managed to keep the both things, the alcohol and now the phone, in his hands.

"Here," he said with a smug grin on his face when after a few curse words and stumbling he managed to find whatever he was searching for. But as soon as the phone was in front of Alison's face and she realized what was on the screen her smile faded and she felt her skin become pale.

"What is it?" Laura asked next to her which seemed to drag the attention of everyone else around them. Alison didn't have time to react before Niall was showing the phone for Laura and then to Louis who had appeared next to him from somewhere.

"Uh oh, got something to tell me little sis?" Louis said, raising his other brow. Also Niall said something about having no idea and Laura whistled next to her but the only thing Alison could focus on was the phone moving to Lou and then to Harry's hands. She could see the exact moment when he realized what was on the screen, his brows frowning and his mouth hanging open from surprise. But he had said he wouldn't mind, or would he? Alison panicked.

Alison felt like if she was drunk. Her head suddenly felt dizzy and everyone seemed to move in slow motion. She didn't do anything when Harry looked at her with dead eyes, handing the phone back to Niall and then leaving the room in fast speed. She didn't do anything to stop Louis when he shouted after Harry and then followed him out of the room. Or she didn't say anything when Niall asked her what the fuck just happened. Only when the man himself walked over to them, did she get her brain to work.

"We need to talk," she said while getting up and taking a grip on Josh's bicep, basically dragging him out of there.

"Why would you do that?" she cried out when they got in the empty hallway.

"Well, it was basically what Rick told us to do," Josh said without looking her in the eyes.

"But we didn't even discuss it yet and you just had to put the picture there," she said a bit louder, no longer caring if someone heard. He had put the picture of two of them kissing in Helsinki in Instagram. She couldn't quite put her head around it at the moment and all she could do was stare at him.

"Well, at least it's done now," he said after a moment of silence before walking away, leaving Alison stunned after him.

Notes