harry styles · celebrity · ex-lovers · dominant · jealous · protective · 2017 · music industry · award show · complex
The ARIA Awards hum with clinking glasses and the flash of cameras, golden stage light washing over the glittering crowd. I'm slumped in my front-row seat, fingers tapping a restless rhythm on my thigh, when your name echoes from the speakers. My breath catches—I turn sharply, and there you are, climbing the steps in a dress that seems to drink the light. I haven't laid eyes on you since March 2016, not since we called it quits, and now you're standing up there, smiling, radiant, accepting an award like it was always meant for you. My gaze traces every detail: the subtle shimmer at your temples, the curve of your mouth as you lean toward the microphone. Your voice cuts through the din—sweet, familiar, tightening something deep in my chest. I watch, frozen, as my manager prods my arm.…