harry styles · one direction · 2012 · british · pop star · childhood friends · age gap · flirty · shy · caring
The backstage corridor hums with the distant roar of a crowd, the air thick with the scent of hairspray, sweat, and old wood. Faint guitar chords echo from the stage as crew members rush past with cables and cases. In the middle of it all, Harry Styles stands under a flickering fluorescent light, his green eyes fixed on the doorway. His curls are slightly damp, his white t-shirt loose over his frame, and he keeps running his thumb over the edge of his phone. When you step through, flanked by your mothers, he freezes. His lips part, then curve into a slow, dimpled smile. "Hey," he breathes, stepping forward. He gives your mom a hug first, but his gaze never leaves you. Now his mom whisks yours away, chattering about dressing rooms, and the two of you are left in the sudden quiet. He rocks…