Wanderlust

Harry and I arrived at the studio engulfed in a slightly awkward atmosphere. Granted, I was a tad nervous for him to hear the song, but I knew the churning of my stomach increased back at his apartment. As we passed through reception, chiming a greeting to the young woman at the desk, I was still unable to shake the thoughts of why Harry and I had found ourselves in such a tense situation. Though I tried to fight it off, I couldn’t help but think that maybe it was a little odd between us because Harry didn’t in fact want to think of tonight as a date, as Louis had joked. But then, why would he go through his efforts of labelling our last encounters as dates?

I knew now was the least opportune time to think these thoughts so, as best I could, I pushed them to the very back of my mind and focussed on the task at hand; singing.

Harry held the booth door open for me to pass through before him where we met the familiar face of Michael, sitting in his black leather chair with a notepad in his hands.

“Lucy! Great to see y’again. Excited, are ya’?”

I smiled almost contagiously as I introduced the two men, watching them shake hands and make idle chit chat as I reached for one of the complementary water bottles placed by the large couch.

Michael soon turned to me just as I had placed my drink back down, away from its previous spot and with the cap still off, “Shall we?” he questioned, earning a nod from myself.

I heaved a breath as I passed through the second door and into the glassed off recording section, quickly putting the large earphones over my head and focussing my eyes onto the figures in front of me. They were exchanging further words with one another, though this time I couldn’t hear any of it due to the glass.

Michael passed Harry a sheet of paper, his mouth and hand gestures suggesting he was talking hurriedly and questioningly, to which Harry nodded vigorously and made forth toward the door separating us. He stepped through with a goofy smile plastered on his lips, outstretching his hand in order to pass me the sheet of paper.

“Ya’ lyrics.” He elaborated with a passing chuckle, continuing to stare at me, switching between my eyes and my hair. His hand reached out again, though this time higher and toward my ear where he adjusted one of the ear muffs – I couldn’t even hold in my adoring smile at his actions; how could he be so attractive, physically and characteristically?

“Well, g’luck.” He smiled again, abruptly heading back to the control booth and revealing an enthusiastic thumbs up from the other side of the glass.

Michael looked up from his notepad just as Harry had returned, leaning toward his microphone to inform me of which verse we would be recording.

Through my earphones came the music leading up to the bridge of ‘Cameo Lover’ and, out of instinct, I reached up and help one of the ear muffs as I began to sing.

“Open up your heart to me!
The sun won’t shine if you’re not looking
Baby love is all that you need
When everyday’s like talking in your sleep!
Love is like a silhouette in dreams!
Open up your heart! Open, open, open.”

The music filling my ears filled me with adrenaline, knowing my song was adapting into an accomplished thing, a real project I could be proud of. All my previous worries of my brother and Harry and the media flew straight out of my mind as I sang verse after verse, the chorus over and over to perfection while my eyes stayed close and my hips started moving to the music I had created. The sheet in my hand was long forgotten as I could rely on my memory for the words. The euphoria I was feeling was like a high, my voice feeling stronger and stronger as the song went on until finally, I was finished.

The music faded out of my ears and my eyes reopened, a stupid grin slapped onto my face as I looked to Michael for approval, which I suppose I received by his returning smile. My eyes next found the presence next to him, where a smile too could be found. Harry stood next to Michael with his arms folded into his chest and a closed smile digging into his cheeks, his eyes on mine as I huffed and puffed from the vocal exercise. I removed the headphones quickly, hanging them back on their stand and sped my way out of the booth.

I could barely form any words due to my pure overwhelming happiness. Because that;s what I was – I was happy. I felt almost too happy, like this feeling was a bit extreme, but I could hardly care; I was in a moment where all I could think about was how proud I was of myself, how unbelievably thrilled I was with all the choices I had made that had brought me to this very moment.

Amongst all my thoughts, I had rushed to Harry’s side where all I could muster was a stuttered “yeah?” for his approval. I hadn’t even the time to question myself on the decision to ask Harry before asking Michael, but as the curly haired boy’s mouth spread into a toothy grin, I couldn’t find it in me to care. His large hands found their way to my waist as he brought me closer, both of us just staring and smiling as he nodded quickly with that chuckle of his leaving his lips, “yeah.” He confirmed, pulling me even closer in order to wrap his entire arms around me and lift me up in a small spin.

“That was unbelievable. Perfect, love, proper good.”

My arms had wound around his neck mid spin as I openly laughed at his reaction, his approval feeding my happiness. He placed me down quickly for me to turn and face Michael, finding the Scotsman with an amused look on his face. I disregarded it instantly, eager to hear his point of view.

“So?” I almost pleaded, watching as his face grew more and more amused. “What do we think?”

I felt as Harry’s hands landed down onto my shoulders as we both eagerly awaited the man before us’ expert opinion.

“Well,” he pondered, scratching at his stubble thoughtfully before exposing his straight toothed grin, “I think we’ve got a hit.”



Harry and I made it back to his flat as the sun began to set into its horizon. I hadn’t realised how long we were at the studio, but apparently it was overtime and roughly three hours. Harry assured me it wasn’t a big deal and even slipped in that it was ‘worth it’ which only made me forget my worries of wasting his time and remember how excited I was again.

Leading me into the home, Harry threw his keys down and shouted out to Louis that we were back and turning back to me with the offer of a drink.

“Just a water, please.” I accepted with a voice that was turning slightly raspy.

Harry’s dimples deepened as he took off toward the kitchen while telling me to take a seat, which I happily obliged to, taking my place in the same seat I had taken up earlier that afternoon with Lou.
At that thought, the very devil himself walked in from the hallway with a happy looking Eleanor tagging along behind.

“Hey guys!” I greeted cheerfully as they approached to sit with me.

Louis chortled at me with a bounce in his step, “I take it the studio went well then?” he questioned, sitting across from me while Eleanor kissed my cheek and joined him.

Before I could answer with all my enthusiasm, Harry re-entered with a glass in his hand and a wide-eyed glance toward his band mate. “Ya’ should’ve seen ‘er, mate. Brilliant, strongest voice I’ve heard.”

I knew by now that Harry had a tendency to over exaggerate, especially when it came to compliments, but I still couldn’t help the heat that rose to my cheeks as he finished his reply and handed me my water. I downed the water rather quickly as Eleanor stood up and smiled somewhat suspiciously toward me. “The bolognaise is nearly ready. Lucy, want to help me set the table?”

I happily agreed, though I knew this was just her sly way of cornering me. In some twisted way, I didn’t mind her intentions; in fact, I was almost happy to indulge in the girl talk we were sure to have over the pot of spaghetti.

As soon as we were secured by the kitchen door, Eleanor spun on her heel with smile on her lips and a gleam in her eye. “Well?”

I couldn’t even find it in myself to play dumb as a struggling smile inched further onto my lips. “I don’t know.”

“Wha—“ The brunette squeaked, landing her hands to her hips in an intimidating stance. “What do y’mean you don’t know?”

I sighed, placing my hand to my forehead in what could only be perceived as exasperation. “I mean I really don’t know. I... I think we might just be mates. At least, to him.”

I thought back to how Harry had reacted as we were leaving for the studio, which led me to consider that maybe all our ‘dates’ had just been a playful joke to him. Maybe he really did only see me as a friend. Regardless of how affectionate he had been in the booth today, perhaps that was just him – affectionate Harry.

“Rubbish.” El stated, stepping back to stir a spoon through the pasta boiling on the stove behind her. “That boy is smitten, trust me.”

I leant back on the counter and folded my arms, trying to take her words into consideration.
“I’m starvin’!” Louis burst through the kitchen door with his hand on his stomach, sufficiently ending El and I’s conversation, which I was suddenly thankful for.

“Well, it’s ready. Luce, could ya’ just grab those plates?” El pointed out a stack of plates waiting by the stove, which I grabbed and took out to the table.

The four of us eventually took our seat as Eleanor dished up the meal, winking at me as she glanced to my left where Harry had sat himself. I coughed a little and looked down at my plate, earning the boy beside me’s attention as he questioned “’y’aright?”

"Yeah, fine,” I looked toward Eleanor who had sat down across from me, receiving a kiss on the cheek from Louis. “My throat’s just a little sore from today.”

Harry accepted my words, leaning over to fill my glass with more water from the pitcher on the table before digging into his meal. I smiled at his thoughtfulness while also cursing it. He truly was a nice guy, a real genuine person, which was a very refreshing thing.

Eleanor’s bolognaise was fantastic, and throughout it the four of us conversed breezily about our days. The three of them soon took to asking me about Australia, which I happily complied to. I enjoyed talking about my home and my family, because I was missing it all so much. Paloma had only left several hours earlier and I already felt as though my Australian life was far behind me. Harry asked me about my parents and what they did, to which I explained about my father’s law firm and my mother’s hair salon. Talking about them soon went from happy to nostalgically sad and so I quickly diverted the attention to someone else.

As dinner came to an end and we began to clean up, Eleanor stopped me in my midst of stacking up the plates to take to the sink. She nudged me in my side and raised her eyebrows suggestively at the space behind me. I furrowed my brows and glanced toward where she was pointing out, only to find Harry standing with several glasses balancing in his hands, eyes trained on us. Upon my look, he quickly went back his task of taking the dishes out to the kitchen and earning a very blatant laugh from El.

“You’re mad.” I muttered with a chuckle, lifting the plates from the table and carrying them away.
Louis and Harry were in the kitchen when I entered, standing by the sink and chatting happily as laughs left both of their lips. I smiled at the sight as a pair of green eyes made contact with my own. “Oh, here, let me.” Harry took the plates from my hands and placed them down into the sink, ushering me out of the kitchen soon after.

“Thankyou so much for dinner, it was fantastic.” I thanked and complimented Eleanor, who returned a ‘no worries, love’ as Louis joined her side.

“And thanks for having me, guys, I better head off.”

Louis waved his hand with a smile while Harry’s eyebrows furrowed lowly. “Ya’ve not got a car, have ya’?”

I cursed quickly, forgetting that Will had abandoned me earlier on. In all my happiness, I had completely forgotten my tiff with my sibling. I felt around my shorts for my phone in thoughts of calling my grumpy brother for a lift.

“Oh, it’s fine, I can take you. I was just about to head out, too.” Eleanor brightened, stepping away from Louis and toward the handbag sitting on the sofa. She picked up the bag before mentioning that she ‘won’t be a tick’ and heading into the hallway, Louis following behind after having pecked my cheek and wishing me a goodnight.

“Thank you for coming today,” I turned to Harry, watching as his smile grew. “What?” I laughed.

“Why’re ya’ thanking us?” He questioned, following me over to his front door.

I felt the heat crawl up my neck, “Well, you guys have been really nice. And you – it was really great for you to come today...”

Harry’s smile continued to grow as I finished my sentence and I thought back to when he said I was polite.

“s’no problem at all, love. I couldn’t think of a better way to have spent my day.”

My mind went blank at his words and I found myself just staring up into his pretty eyes. His stare stayed trained on me as well, both of us just looking at one another as a silence consumed. Soon Harry’s hand had raised and reached out to skim the hair of my fringe away and behind my ear, his fingers lingering by my cheek. I mustered my courage quickly in order to raise my own hand and grasp onto his, smiling briefly as his other hand came up to cup the other side of my face.

Before I could truly register what was happening, Harry’s face had proceeded to inch closer to my own. The silence around us seemed to doubled as I heard my pulse beat beneath his hands and my weight rolled onto my toes to meet his gesture. His warm breath fell onto my lips while his gleaming eyes continued to pierce my own, before finally he closed the gap. His lips were light and soft against mine, moving only slightly before they were gone. My eyes had only had a moment to close before they were open again and Harry’s thumb traced over the apple of my cheek.

He stepped back a bit, leaving an appropriate space between up and removing his hands. A shuffling came from behind us as Eleanor appeared from the depths of the hallway, her leather bag slung over her shoulder and an olive peacoat now covering her frame.

“You right to go?” She chirped, seemingly unaware. I smiled, nodding and turning back to the boy in front of me who was now shrugging out of his light grey zip-up hoodie and offering it to me.

“It’s cold out. I’ll pick it up soon.” He smiled rather cheekily, eyeing my shorts and t-shirt, to which I bit at my lip avoiding my smile and accepted the garment, shoving my arms through the warm fabric.

“Bye, then,” I waved, following after Eleanor as she opened the door beside us and made her way out, calling out to Harry briefly.

“See you soon.” He nodded, holding the door and sending me a very subtle wink which left a blush on my cheeks the entire ride home.