Chapter Text
I open the curtains and daylight streams directly into the room. A plaintive moan echoes through the room and I don't have time to shift before a pillow lands directly in my face.
"I'm going to kill you Styles."
"Yeah sure the weapon you've chosen is radical." I tell him, throwing the cushion back at him.
Louis sticks his head out of the sheet, glaring at me, and I can't help but laugh loudly.
"That's right laugh, you don't know yet what revenge I'm going to plan."
"You start by getting ready. We're going to be late and I hate it." I say, pointing at him.
"But if I'm not late, I'm not really a Tomlinson."
I roll my eyes as I let out another laugh and walk towards the bathroom.
"Right, I'm off for my shower. You have the choice of following me or staying in bed and being really really really late."
It takes him no more than five seconds to get out of bed and join me.
"I don't suppose either of your suggestions will get us there on time?"
***
We walk towards the recording studio, hand in hand. No matter who we meet, no matter if anyone sees us, we're finally free.
Almost two years since Back To Basics was born and the One Direction thing is finally over.
"Oh, a message from Zayn!"
Louis exclaims as I open the front door for him and he rushes inside the building, I follow with a frown.
"What's this?"
"He put on the band’s conv but... Oh. A picture of my goddaughter." Louis's smile takes up all the room on his face so happy is he to receive a new photo. He shows it to me and I can only smile back.
Zayn has only been a dad for a few weeks. He met his girlfriend at the Met Gala, where he himself was a guest. They made it official fairly quickly and their daughter was unexpected, but I'm not lying when I say he's an extraordinary dad. They chose Louis as godfather and they couldn't have pleased him more. He's a godfather who overflows with love for her and is as protective as he is with his little sisters.
Zayn has yet to release an album, contenting himself with featuring, a few singles and, above all, his talent for drawing. For the time being, he has no desire to embark on tours or weekly appearances; he has very bad memories of that seven-year period, and I can understand that. He rarely appears on the networks or in magazines, and good for him.
As for Niall, it's a bit the same story. He's released an album, but he's concentrating on his talents as a juror on The Voice. In the end, he enjoys helping others and he doesn't want to go on tour again either. He often appears in golf clubs and feeds his social networks very regularly.
And Liam, he has turned completely to a different musical genre. His music is totally different from what he wrote or performed in One Direction, but he's doing more than well. He's doing a string of festivals and featuring gigs, he's also present on social networks and has even started a series of videos about his sports programmes.
What surprises me most is the extent to which our lives are re-constructed in different ways.
Our talents have all too often been hidden away, put to one side with no opportunity to exploit them.
Of course I could see them enjoying their passions sometimes, but I never realised how important it was for them. The positive side of everything we've created as a group is that it's opened doors for us and we can make a living from that. It's a huge opportunity. I'm so proud of them.
But obviously, the person I'm most proud of is Louis.
Since we've got back together, it's been perpetual happiness.
We own Princess Park, and the owner was delighted to be able to sell his house to a young couple he liked. He died a few months after the sale and to pay tribute to him, we planted a tree at the end of the garden. Thanks to him, we were able to return to the place where our relationship began.
We travel there from time to time, but we mainly live in Princess Park. We've kept Louis's house in Barnet. His sisters like to have parties there, or spend a few weekends there.
It wasn't easy to win back their trust, but I proved that they could believe in my love for their brother, and after a few difficult weeks, they finally forgave me. Louis was quite happy with the patience I showed them.
What made me happiest in all this was finally spending the first Christmas with my family. The Tomlinsons with the Styles. It was a nice revenge for what we'd been through.
As for his career, Louis has really invested himself in his music. He wrote his first album, Faith in the Future, which sold wonderfully well. A name he confessed to me he'd come up with at the end of the evening.
He has one TV and radio show after another. I've never doubted him, and his gift for music is to be cherished. He has incredible support from his fans. He finished his world tour last month, entitled after his album. I joined him at a few of his concerts and it was a breath of fresh air to see him play with such pleasure and ease.
To pay tribute to his mother, he released the single 'Just Hold On'. He sings this song at every one of his concerts, with his eyes riveted to the ceiling and his hand over his heart. I know she's proud of him.
None of the boys had any trouble signing with a label and they've found some great managers with whom they get on well. I think it's fair to say that things are going well.
As far as the band is concerned, we've started a series of video diaries to mark the beginning of our band. We continue to release one video a month and the statistics are amazing. Our editors slip in the videos we send in, about a project we're working on or a trip or a gig. Even if the content is sometimes meagre, our community is always present. Of course, we're planning to release a few singles, but we're giving ourselves plenty of time and not rushing into anything.
For my part, I've also finished my tour. We're taking a break from touring with Louis and we're taking advantage of it to do literally all the things we weren't allowed to do. For example, we're travelling, trying out all the restaurants in town and in the capitals of Europe.
And above all, like today, we're recording songs together.
I'd like to say hello to the producers who are already here. We've been working on it since the day before. It's been quite a long time because we've been having more fun than working, but today we're definitely going to finish.
It was Louis who suggested I record 'All Along' with him first. It's a bit like explaining to the whole world how hard it was to survive all that by hiding our story. I think that's what we need to move forward and leave the negative behind us.
We didn't expect the extreme support we've received. From fans, celebrities, people close to us... It was a wave of kindness towards the revelation of our relationship. Even though some people were fuelling rumours, we surprised everyone by coming out proudly.
We started by going out several times a week together, agreeing to be photographed with the fans. Then we decided to use the negative as a positive, and we did a few pap walks. This time we were quite willing to do it and it was more fun than anything else. We had to repeat our journey from the restaurant we'd chosen to our van several times, because we were kissing so much over the 2 metre distance that the photographers had trouble getting clear photos.
When the photos came out, it was more than beautiful to see. Our faces pressed together and our lips awkwardly pressed together. The revenge was magnificent. But after that, we definitely put those pap walks behind us.
"Don't worry, darling. "
Louis suddenly says. I give him an inquisitive look.
"What?" I say.
"You're frowning. I'm telling you not to worry.."
I smile softly at his protective tone and offer him a quick kiss on the lips before moving into position. I pick up my allocated helmet and look at him.
"I've been thinking about the way we chose to..."
"To show the world how much you love me?" He smiles as he raises his eyebrows a few times, sporting his playful air.
"That we love each other. Yes, precisely that moment."
"Why were you thinking about that?"
"Because I was realising how far we'd come to get here." I say simply.
"You're not apprehensive about the song are you?" He asks and I can see he's worried I'll change my mind so I shake my head.
"No, I'm not. On the contrary. It's the first of many. Maybe the next one would be a new version of 'Two Ghosts' but with you."
His eyes light up.
"I'd love to."
The producer signals that he's ready. I look at Louis with a gentle smile, this is our moment.
"Always in my heart, Harry ."