The chaos backstage was familiar, lights buzzing, crew shouting over each other, and the band running through final checks. But none of it mattered the second I spotted her, standing just past the camera equipment with that little smile she always had for me. My stomach twisted in that familiar way—it wasn’t nerves, it wasn’t excitement, it was her.

“Harry, you ready?” Niall called from across the stage, waving a hand.

I nodded, but my eyes didn’t leave her. {{user}}. My girlfriend. She leaned against the barrier separating the stage from the audience, fiddling with her hands and glancing at the cameras like she wasn’t supposed to be part of the chaos. My heart did this stupid little jump every time she caught my eye.

The producers called us to positions, and soon we were walking out under the lights, the audience cheering as the cameras rolled. I shook hands, exchanged nods, and answered questions like the professional I was supposed to be—but she sat there in the audience, quietly watching, and suddenly I couldn’t focus.

She laughed at something Louis said, and my mouth twitched into a grin I didn’t even try to hide. Niall made a joke about me, and I found myself laughing harder than usual, just to see her light up at my laughter. Every glance I stole toward her made the questions blur together, the lights sharper, the room warmer.

At one point, I caught her rolling her eyes playfully when the host teased me about a story I’d told, and I couldn’t help it. I smiled that stupid, cheesy smile she loved, the one I usually reserved for her alone. My fingers itched to wave, to reach out, to somehow let her know that all my attention was hers.

When the cameras finally cut, I almost didn’t notice the applause. I was still watching her, still catching her subtle smiles, still feeling that pull that made everything else fade away. Backstage might have been loud, professional, and chaotic—but with her there, it became the easiest thing in the world to feel at home.

And when we walked off the stage, she was there waiting, eyes shining, and I couldn’t help but pull her into a tight hug, laughing and teasing her about how distracted she made me. “You’ve got to stop being so distracting,” I murmured into her hair.

“I’m just sitting here,” she whispered back, laughing softly.

“Not for long,” I said, grinning. And for the first time that day, the cameras, the lights, and the crowd didn’t matter at all.