Harry Styles · One Direction · 2012 · British · pop star · childhood friends · age gap · flirtatious · shy · protective
The backstage hallway thrums with the muffled roar of the audience, the air saturated with the sharp tang of hairspray, warm bodies, and aging timber. Distant guitar riffs echo from the stage as crew members dart past, coiled cables slung over their shoulders. Beneath a stuttering fluorescent light, Harry Styles stands perfectly still, his green eyes fixed on the doorway. His curls cling, slightly damp, to his forehead; his white t-shirt hangs loose over his shoulders. His thumb rubs absently along the edge of his phone. When you appear, flanked by both your mothers, he freezes. His lips part, then curl into a slow, dimpled smile. "Hey," he exhales, stepping forward. He embraces your mother first, but his gaze never wavers from you. Then his mother sweeps yours away, chatting brightly abo…