As Mitch and Harry played ping pong, shouting loudly about the other cheating every few minutes, Wednesday scrolled through her twitter absentmindedly. For the past week, she'd been mentioned in tweets more times than she could count, tagged in more photos than usual, all stemming from her attending Harry's concert the week before as opposed to playing it.

In fact, there was still some cropping up as she scrolled.

: Wednesday was in the crowd for Birmingham night one!! Her and Harry are still friends!!!! IM SO HAPPY

: Harry calling Wednesday his best friend during the show I'm 😢

: okay yall even I thought Harry and Wednesday smiling at each other during the show was cute lmao

: I wonder why Wednesday left the tour if they're still friends though???

: have you SEEN the way Harry and Wednesday eye f*cked each other during the show??? Omg just admit you're in love already please

She'd never actually explained her absence from the band, wanting to keep her own issues as private as possible. It hadn't stopped the conjecture online though—if anything, it had only fuelled it more. She'd seen a range of theories explaining her reason to not tour with Harry this time around that ranged from starting a new career (incorrect), to a rift between her and Harry (extremely incorrect), to the downright worrying suggestion that she was suicidal (utterly and completely incorrect—also sort of insulting).

To flatten the endless conversation as well as she could without going into detail, she'd posted a photo of the show to her Instagram afterwards, captioning it 'and he does it again 🤩', hoping that would drown out the theories.

Wednesday locked her phone once she was done scrolling and looked to Sarah next to her as she watched the two guys playing.

"You nervous for tonight? London O2 is a big one," Wednesday asked, crossing her arms as she sat back into the leather.

It was hard to believe a week of the tour had already passed, them having already done the Dublin and Sheffield shows. Wednesday had watched the videos on her phone in bed as she stayed back in London, filling the physical void of him not being there with the digital offering instead.

It made it easier, to be separated from him when she could pretty much catch up on his performance via the internet. It was one of the few pros of it. It meant that even when he wasn't there, it was like she could still be connected to him.

And now, it was time for the London shows. No matter what tour, or how many times she'd played there during the years, Wednesday had always got nervous for the infamous venue. It was sort of a relief to her this time around that she wasn't playing—if she had, she would have been pacing around right about now, biting her nails to within an inch of their lives and manically humming through the setlist to make sure she didn't suffer from a sudden burst of amnesia halfway through.

It therefore gave her a much clearer insight into the way Sarah was feeling next to her. She'd noticed the nervous fidgeting and shaky fingers. London was home, and it always felt bigger than the other shows.

"A bit," Sarah replied, looking back at her. "Think it's just because the family are at this one tonight."

Wednesday nodded in understanding. "Always makes it more nerve wracking."

"Makes it better having you here backstage though," Sarah smiled. "Do you think you'll tag along for the rest of the Europe shows?"

Wednesday looked over to Harry's smiling face as he celebrated a win, dimples visible in the light.

"I don't know. Maybe? It's hard to figure out where I'd fit into it all. I don't want to make anyone's lives harder."

Sarah's brows drew together. "Don't be silly, you'd fit in the same as always. Mitch can bunk in with me, so you'll have a bed to use on the bus."

Shaking her head, Wednesday laughed. "We can't do that to the poor boy, I've already heard him complaining about being too long for the bunk."

"You and me both," Sarah rolled her eyes. "But I get what you mean, it is hard to plan. Especially working it around your schedule at the minute."

It was Sarah's way of not saying the word 'therapy' explicitly. Wednesday loved her even more for that.

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to come to every single show and be with you guys but...it's just a lot easier to plan certain ones to attend."

Wednesday looked over at Harry at the exact moment he looked at her, both of their eyes connecting across the room. A small smile came up onto her lips, though her attention was ripped away by Sarah's voice.

"Have you noticed Harry acting a bit weird lately?" Sarah asked, lowering her voice so as not to let the man across the room hear her.

"What do you mean?" Wednesday replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as she could as she looked back at her.

"He's just been really secretive for the past few weeks, but especially since tour started. Keeps wandering off for private phone calls at night, or he's always sat grinning down at his phone like the cheshire cat. And whenever I've asked him what he's smiling at, he's put his phone away quickly, like he didn't want me to see anything and told me it was nothing."

Wednesday looked at Sarah, seeing the puzzled expression on her face. All she could say without over speaking and inevitably letting the cat out of the bag, was "Oh."

"I think he's seeing someone. Though I've never seen him this giddy over anyone before," Sarah mused, turning to look at Wednesday. "Has he said anything to you? If he'd tell anyone, it would be you."

She cleared her throat, looking over at him and pursing her lips in the best clueless way she could.

"Nope, he hasn't said anything to me. But who knows?"

It didn't feel good to lie. To actively mislead her friend on. But what other choice was there? She could hardly drop this bomb on her now, before going on stage. Plus, it didn't feel like the right time.

No, it would be better to wait and tell their friends together.

At least, that was what she was telling herself to make her feel less guilty.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him, acting as if she was Columbo and he was a case she was desperately trying to crack. "One way or another, I'll figure it out. Trick him into admitting it."

Wednesday swallowed quickly, sitting up. "I'm sure when the right time comes, he'll tell us. No need to force it out of him if he doesn't wanna reveal it just yet."

Great back peddling Wednesday.

"Hm, I guess you're right," Sarah mused, sitting back into the chair.

Wednesday exhaled a silent breath of relief at the temporary blocking of Sarah's great plan to foil Harry's secret—that also happened to be her secret. Though, if it proved anything, it was that they were edging closer to the point they needed to have the talk, so that they didn't need to be so secretive around everyone anymore.

Truthfully, it was getting harder and harder to remember she couldn't just kiss him any time she wanted anymore.

"Right, well," Sarah sighed, placing her hand on Wednesday's leg and standing up. "It's probably about time I go and get showered."

She smiled down at her, before traipsing towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Mitch asked her from the other side of the room.

"To start getting ready. Which is something you should be doing too, Mitchell," she chided, watching him continuing to play the game with an unimpressed gaze.

"Why? It only takes me five minutes," he replied quietly. "It's Harry who takes the most time."

"Not true," Harry said, shaking his head with an insulted face. "Out of all of us, it was Wednesday."

"Don't drag me into this," she interjected from the sofa, brows furrowed. "I'm not even part of this tour!"

Harry closed his eyes, clutching hand to his chest dramatically. "Don't remind me. It hurts too much."

They all laughed, Wednesday rubbing her nose as she grinned deeply.

Sarah then disappeared around the door, leaving just the three of them in there.

Wednesday caught eyes with Harry as Mitch grabbed the ball from the floor. A suggestive smirk came up onto his lips, one she'd become extremely acquainted with to know the meaning behind it.

She knew it was reckless, what he was silently suggesting. But having spent no time alone with each other in the past 48 hours due to the tour schedule, she was pining for him. A kiss or a touch. She'd take anything right now.

So, biting her lip as she stood up, she forced a calm demeanour and smiled at both of them.

"I'm just going to...get some fresh air," she said, turning towards the exit.

Hardly the best excuse, but one that wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.

Mitchell didn't even bother looking to her, nodding absentmindedly. Harry however, watched her leave with a smirk he was trying very hard to keep hidden.

Pulling the door open, she shot one last look at him before leaving the room, standing back into the cool, white brick hallway. She began to walk, turning down the never-ending maze of corridors that were backstage.

The show was still a couple of hours away, so it meant that the backstage area hadn't devolved into complete chaos yet. She could smell the food cooking in the room catering were set up in, hear the faraway bangs of the sound and lighting tech guys putting the final touches to the stage. As she kept walking, someone would occasionally pass her. But overall, it was quiet.

Which meant that her excitement overpowered her nerves as she dug her phone out of her back pocket and typed a message to Harry.

As she kept an eye on anyone approaching, her phone buzzed in her hand not even a minute later with a reply from Harry.

Rather stupidly, she stood next to a large plant, hoping it would keep her somewhat shielded from any passers-by. Though, her large oversized orange sweatshirt might have been somewhat of a giveaway on that front.

When she heard footsteps, her heart sped up a bit as she tried to hide behind a leaf. But when Harry came into view, she let out a breath and stepped out from behind the plant.

He looked to her weak hiding spot amusedly, then back to her.

"Were you just hiding behind that tiny little leaf?"

"Sorry, I was a bit strapped for hiding spots in this bright white hallway," she said dryly.

He breathed out a laugh, stepping towards her, his head checking the hallway to make sure no-one was around. As his tongue darted out to wet his lips, he nodded his head down the right side of the corridor.

"Follow me, I know where we can go."

He grabbed her hand before she could register that they were moving and pulled her along to follow him, walking quickly so as to avoid bumping into anyone.

"Where are we going?" she asked, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

She hadn't thought that far ahead, of where they could go together and not get caught. Now that she was thinking about it, despite the size of the backstage area, everywhere seemed a bit too accessible to the crew for them to even risk it.

But then he turned a corner and stopped outside of a room Wednesday vaguely recognised as being called the 'fab' room, for the performers only. He entered the code quickly, looking down the hallway quickly to check no-one was there before pushing the door open, leading her in.

Once the door was locked behind them, Wednesday looked around the small room, having only ever been inside one time. It was small, with floral wallpaper and framed silhouette prints lining the walls—a sofa sat against the wall with a large TV opposite. Hardly the best place to have a quickie—it looked like they'd stepped into an old lady's house.

"Are you sure it's safe in here?" she asked, her voice still a whisper in case there was anyone just outside of the door. She looked around uncertainly. "I feel like anyone could still walk in any second."

Harry smiled at her, like he knew something she didn't. He walked to the mirrored wardrobes at the end of the room, grabbing the handle.

"Did you really think I'd bring you somewhere that wasn't private?" he asked, pulling on the door.

And as she watched curiously, expecting to see the inside of a wardrobe, instead was a secret door leading to a whole other room. He stepped through, nodding for her to do the same. She followed his lead, stepping over the doorway into the secret room that was illuminated in green lighting.

It was, literally, like Narnia.

Her mouth widened as she looked at the room, everything coated in green from the neon lights on the wall. There was a large sofa on one side of the room and a flatscreen TV on the other. Cereal dispensers and a mini bar resided next to the door, as well as large white coffee tables in the middle of the floor. Bookshelves lined the opposite wall, stretching from the floor to the ground.

Wednesday took it all in, mouth agape.

"How have I been backstage so many times and never known this was here?!" she asked, looking at every detail.

Harry grinned so deeply his dimples appeared, and he let her hand fall as he stepped over to the other side of the room.

"Want to know what the coolest part about this room is?" he asked, biting his lip.

She looked to him, waiting for him to continue.

He lifted his hand to one of the books on the bookshop. Only, the book didn't move. Instead, the whole shelf began to pull out, swinging open as a door.

"Fuck off. Is that another secret room?!" she asked, completely gobsmacked and also partly feeling like a kid in a candy store.

Harry smiled toothily, nodding his head at her. She walked over to where he was holding the door open, peeking inside. This last room truly was secluded, with a large booth style sofa stretched across the entire back wall. There was a green, forest printed wallpaper lining the walls and across from the sofa was a very large TV with an array of consoles and games underneath. The lights were dimmed, making it seem like the perfect place to commit an array of sins.

"You wanted private, so here you go," he said, gesturing for her to walk in, which she did.

He closed the door behind them, silence engulfing them as she looked around the room, still trying to take in the fact that this little slice of wonderland had been hidden away here the entire time.

"I can't believe I've never known about this," she said, looking over to where he was standing, analysing her reaction.

"To be honest, I've never used it that much myself," he said, looking around at it.

Wednesday rolled her eyes, holding back a smile. "Oh, I'm sure. Is that what you tell all the girls you bring here?"

Harry's jaw dropped in mock offense as he stepped closer to her. "You know, you really don't have any faith in me, do you?"

"And you haven't answered the question," she replied with a fake, sweet smile.

He grabbed her hand, wearing a smile so deep his eyes were surrounded by crinkles.

"You're the only one I've ever really wanted to bring here."

She pursed her lips, letting her head loll back as she released a laugh.

"Nice answer," she said, looking back to him. "Has anyone ever told you you're a world class kiss ass?"

He shrugged, snaking his hand around her middle, pulling their bodies closer together until they were inches apart.

"I might have been told once or twice," he smirked, before closing the gap between them.

His lips landed on hers in a moment that felt like complete heaven as she let her arms wrap around his neck, whilst he hugged her into him. Their bodies knew how to move perfectly in unison after all the time they'd spent in close proximation, kissing and exploring. Now, it was like a second nature, fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw.

He turned around, sitting down on the sofa as he brought his hands to her bum, encouraging her to straddle his lap. Their lips didn't part as she followed his lead, placing a leg over either side of him and situating herself down onto him.

He smiled into the kiss, grasping at her hips as their mouths worked slowly and sensually, like they wanted to indulge in every second. Savour the moment that they'd been longing for since he'd returned. She inhaled against him as her fingers gently massaged the nape of his neck, knowing that it was one of his favourite places to be touched.

Kissing Harry had always felt different. With other guys, it was always a means to an end. An annoying step for them to complete in reaching their ultimate goal. But she knew that they would both have been equally happy to sit and kiss for an hour, leading to nothing further, as they would have been having sex.

It wasn't a necessary chore. Kissing was their love language. Their way of comforting each other or showing everything they couldn't verbalise. Wednesday would risk the chapped lips if it meant she got to kiss him every minute of every day for the rest of her life.

Breaking apart for much needed breath, their foreheads leant against one another. Harry stroked his thumb over her cheek, looking between her eyes.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

She smiled, wetting her lips. "It's only been two days."

"Yeah, and it's been the longest two days of my life," he replied, leaning forward to catch her in a kiss again.

She laughed against his lips, not complaining at his sudden clinginess. In all honesty, she'd become the same level of clingy with him, and quite frankly, she'd started to gross herself out with it.

No longer was she the cool, collected individual she used to be. Now whenever she was near him, she was demanding cuddles and kisses like her life depended on it. They even spooned watching TV together now and whenever he wasn't there, she slept with the teddy he'd bought her.

Like she said—gross.

She broke the kiss, pushing his hair back from his face as she smiled.

"Sarah's onto you by the way."

He furrowed his brows, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"What do you mean?"

"She told me she'd noticed you being dead sketchy with your phone, taking calls and messaging constantly. Thinks you're seeing someone," she explained, guiltily smiling.

"Well, I mean she isn't wrong. I am seeing someone."

That sentence sent a shot of nervous energy through her body as she battled a grin, avoiding his eyes as she played with the string on his hoodie.

"Is that so?" she asked, tilting her head, feeling his gaze on her. "What're they like?"

He pulled his head back from her, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth as he hummed in thought.

"Hm. Well, she's really clever and funny. Bit of a smart ass, but I like that about her," he said, making a lopsided smile appear on her lips.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Mhm," he replied, fighting a grin on his own face. "She's got these really amazing brown eyes that make me feel like I'm hypnotised every time I look into them. Plus, she blushes whenever someone pays her a compliment and it's really cute."