The Weight of Dreams || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 16: Harry

I sat in my makeup chair as Amy fixed up my hair. She kept her eyes down, not saying a word the entire time. I sighed, but decided to take advantage of what silence I'd have left for the rest of the night. There was a knock at the door. Thank god.

"Okay, there's someone here to meet you." Tony said, his eyes glued to his phone.
"Do we like them?" I asked, laughing to myself. I saw him smirk.
"Oh, very much so." He said. 

"Are.. are the guys finished getting ready?" I asked, looking back at the mirror. "I told them they could come over and meet whoever came."
"Yeah, they should be all settled." He said. "They don't require as much.. prep as you do." I rolled my eyes.
"It's all part of the illusion." I mimicked. It wasn't fair. Men never had to put as much time into looking perfect for their shows. They threw on whatever they were wearing and.. called it a night.

There was another knock at the door. Tony got up, opening it, and waved them inside. I peeked out through the mirror's reflection. I didn't recognize who walked in, not from that far away at least. I hoped Tony would introduce us.

"Juliette, this is Harry." He said. I turned around and felt my face flush. It was Harry Styles. Thankfully I had enough makeup on where no one could tell how red my face was. I reached out my hand.
"Nice to meet you!" I said, smiling up at him. He reached out, gently shaking my hand, giving me a subtle nod.
"And nice to meet you." He said, smiling back at me. We had crossed paths at an award show once before but had never been formally introduced.

"Big fan." He said, backing away, holding his hands behind his back. "I'm excited for the show. Thank you for having me."
"Of course, I'm a fan of yours as well." I said, my smiling growing.
"I don't want to bother you, just wanted to introduce myself before you went on. I know how hectic it can get before a show, I don't want to get in your way." He said, nodding again.
"Oh, no. It's okay. We're basically done here. Really, it's fine. Stay and have a drink." I said, motioning towards the table near the couch. He looked over and smirked.
"Well, don't mind if I do." He said, rubbing his hands together and going over. Amy quickly went over and poured him a glass of champagne. 

There was another knock at the door.

Tony let them in as Harry made his way back over to my chair. He leaned against the counter, looking back at me.
"So, are you excited?" He asked. "These big venues are always nerve wracking but the energy is amazing once you get out there. Night one is always the worst, but you'll be just fine."

I peeked over to see the guys walking in. Jake's eyes instantly shooting towards Harry. I bit my lip, looking back up at him.
"Yeah, you know how it is, you feel it right up until you walk out. Then it's all worth it."
"Exactly." He said, flashing me a smile. My cheeks burned again. 

The guys made their way over.
"Hey, nice to meet you." Sam said, holding his hand out. "I'm Sam." Harry shook his hand.
"Hi, I'm Harry. Who are you guys?" He asked cheerily, taking a sip of his drink.
"We're Juliette's opener, Greta Van Fleet." He said, smiling down at me. "She so generously decided to bring us on the road with her."
"Oh, excellent." Harry said. "Well, I can't wait to see you guys too. It should be a great show." Jake stepped up next.

"Hey, I'm Jake." He said, putting on his best fake confident voice. I couldn't help but smile.
"Nice to meet you." Harry said, shaking his hand. "You guys want something to drink? There's plenty." He motioned towards the table, almost as if to push them away from me. Josh and Danny went over and filled a glass. Jake and Sam hung back, standing close. 

Harry turned back to me.

"So, if you're interested, I'm having a party later on tonight. I'd love for you to come, if you were up for it. Very small guest list, but it should be a good time." I bit my lip. I could tell this invite was meant for.. just me.
"Oh, yeah. That sounds fun. I'll see where I need to be once the shows over. Can I-" Harry reached out and wrote his number down on a piece of paper.
"You can call me here and we can get everything sorted." He said, flashing me another smile. I felt my cheeks burn. I could see the guys standing back, but still listening closely out of the corner of my eye. Harry finished his drink, placing his glass down on the table.

"Have a great show." He said, reaching over and grabbing my hand, gently kissing the top of it. "Hope to hear from you." He winked and went over to Tony, who then escorted him out of the room. I looked down at the phone number on the counter. I grabbed it and slipped it into my bag. 

Turning back around, I was faced with Jake.

"Are.. are you going to that party with him?" He asked, his face dropping. I shrugged.
"I'm not sure." I said simply. He stared back at me, his face scrunching up. Sam took this opportunity to make his way over to the table and pour himself a glass of champagne.

"What's the problem?" I whispered, leaning in closer to Jake.
"It's just.. first you're obviously mad at me about the interview.. and now you're going to this party with some guy.."
"He's not just some guy, Jake." His face turned bright red.
"Exactly.. he's not just some guy." He said a little louder. "You think I don't know who he is?"
"Jake, it's just a party." I sighed.
"Look, I may not go to the same kind of parties that you go to.. but even I know it's never just a party." He said sternly. I felt my stomach drop. I got up, taking him by the hand, pulling him to a more secluded corner of the dressing room. 

"You.. you said you could handle this." I whispered. "I told you I couldn't be with anyone, but you insisted." His face dropped, now looking away.
"I know." He mumbled. "But you're also not making it any easier."
"What does that mean?" I asked. He sighed.
"It means.. just because I agreed to this doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." I felt my heart drop.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. I looked over to see Sam was watching from across the room. I could feel my heart beating faster. I quickly looked back, gently touching Jake's hand.
"I won't go." I said quietly. He lips turned into a subtle smile.
"I don't want to be the reason you don't do things." He said, slowly intertwining our fingers. I let him for a moment. "And I know what I agreed to, I just.." I gently squeezed his hand, and let it go.
"We'll talk after, okay?" I whispered into his ear, backing away. He nodded, looking down at his feet.

"You boys are on soon!" Tony yelled. I heard Jake sigh as he looked back at me. I gave him a small smile, gently touching his hand again, rubbing my thumb across his palm. He smiled back.
"Break a leg." I said, my eyes moving down to his lips. He noticed, his smile growing.
"You can kiss me if you want." He mouthed to me. My cheeks burned, and I rolled my eyes.
"Have a good show, and I'll see you tonight." I smirked.

He nodded, backing away and following the rest of the guys out of the room.