The Girl Next Door

This week went by in a blur. I signed a couple hundred autographs, we visited a couple places, it was nice. I kept thinking about what Lily had said, about things changing, but I really wanted to put that behind me. So I did.
It was our last day in the big city, so I decided that we go to the airport a few hours early to avoid fans. This may seem shady but I love my fans, I really do. but a man can only sign so many autographs before he loses all function of his hand. The weather wasn't really sunny as I wanted it to be. It had started drizzling a few hours ago but now it was starting to become a full blown storm. "Getting to the airport may not be that bad of an idea, now that I think of it" said Jon as he squeezed into the middle seat of the taxi. The rain violently thrashed against the windows and darkness loomed ahead of us. "Do you think our flight might get delayed?" I asked, knowing the answer to my own question. "Most likely" Lily replied. "I hope not. You might be late for your tour. Wouldn't want that". I don't know if it was the lack of emotion in her voice or the words themselves -- but something in me broke. I looked over to Jon, who looked pretty uncomfortable. We reached the airport and had the hardest time moving those few steps from the taxi to the airport door. We cleared security in a few minutes and were placed in this lounge on the third floor. Turns out our flight did get delayed, for four hours. On top of that, the weather wasn't getting any better. The lounge had a few books so each one of us got down to reading. As I opened 'Prisoner of Azkaban' for the 500th time, I thought of the situation we, I, was in. Three people, currently very socially uncomfortable, stuck in a room together. Great, great, great.

It was about two hours into our waiting time when an announcement came on. "All flights going out will be delayed till tomorrow 4 AM until further notice. Unfortunately due to bad weather, we will not be able to move you to a hotel/staying establishment. Our crew will be coming around to pass out equipment that we hope will make you comfortable. Thank you for your patience and choosing to fly with British Airlines"

Jon was the first to speak out, naturally. "What the hell?! The can't even give us a bed to sleep on. I guess even Harry Styles and co. has to put up with this shit". I smirked and threw my bag at him. Soon an air hostess came along with a few pillows and blankets. "We will inform you of any further changes that occur to your flight timing, Mr. Styles". I replied with 'thanks' and passed around the pillows. There wasn't much space since there were only two couches, so I agreed to stay awake while the others slept.

I think somewhere in that staying awake I definitely fell asleep. I woke up to the sound of thunder and storms. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Jon was snoring on the other sofa. Lily was fast asleep, her head on my lap. She looked so beautiful, peaceful rather, her hair falling gently around her face. I pushed a strand of it around her ear and I swear I saw her smile. I felt something deep down in my stomach, something better than butterflies or knots. It felt like falling, but this was something I wanted to fall into. I wanted to fall in love, with her.

Notes