Chapter Thirty

"Don't you fucking dare!" Niall shrieked before he was thrown under the freezing cold water. Louis and Liam bursting into laughter from where they stood together on the side of the pool.

"You were asking for it Nialler!" Liam calls out when Niall's head breaks the surface and glares at the two of them.

Harry smiles to himself where he seated beneath the sheltered outdoor seating area. Rock music playing quietly through the bar's speakers. It was mid-morning and the weather had turned from what it had been the previous day. Rain was coming down in steady sheets, the air cold and had them wrapped in warm sweaters and huddled beneath umbrellas as they'd made the short walk from their rented house to the bar. They'd been here an hour or so before Niall had finally pushed Liam and Louis over the edge and was now trying to act offended he'd been thrown in the pool as a consequence.

Dripping wet and likely freezing cold Niall pulled himself still fully clothed out of the pool.

"Bastards." Niall exclaimed as he shock his head sending water droplets flying.

"Hey!" Louis cried out as a few hit him from where he'd darted back under cover with Liam after tossing Niall into the pool. Harry supposed it was a rather high health and safety hazard to have a pool situated in such close proximity to a bar.

"Come on Niall." Zayn said standing and grabbing one of the umbrellas. "I'll come back with you so you can get changed."

Niall nodded at him once before turning back around to Louis and Liam who were still struggling to get their laughter under management. "See, this is what real friends do!"

"Next time don't try and claim Arsenal as the best bloody team!"

"Football fans." Niall mutters under his breath.

Harry watches from his seat at one of the high tables as Zayn and Niall hide under the umbrella and step out into the rain. Louis and Liam claim their seats around him once more.

Someone stumbles slightly knocking into him and he turns to find an older man quickly find his feet beneath him before he turns to face Harry.

"Sorry lad, bloody chairs!" The man says with a genuine smile.

"No problem, happens to the best of us."

The man nods once more at him and moves off to join five other men seated close by to them.

"Well I guess we won't be heading down to the estuary today." Liam says when harry turns back around to focus on them before his eyes glance out at the rain coming down.

"Guess now."

"We've got another five days, surely one of em' well be nice enough." Louis says taking a sip of his beer.

"Reckon we're gonna get enough nice weather in the coming months not to have to worry too much about catching some sun." He points out.

"True."

They spend perhaps another half hour finishing off their drinks before picking up their own umbrellas, deciding it best just to head back to their house with the rain still pouring down.

They settle in for an afternoon of reading and games. Louis and Niall, who has completely forgotten about the incident earlier it seems by the time the three of them get back, settle in for a passionate round of FIFA in front of the large tv in the main lounge. Harry knows better than to get between those two when playing that game, instead heading for the small study room on the third floor next to Liam's room and claims the windowsill looking out over the village.

By the time evening rolls around the rain has slowed to a mere drizzle. Casting a low light over the village and leaving his want of leaving the house any time that evening low.

At around 7pm he wanders back downstairs in search of making food for the lot of them. He finds Louis, Niall and Zayn sprawled out in the living room, Liam nowhere to be found. Without a word he makes his way into the kitchen and starts looking through the groceries they'd bought yesterday in search of ingredients he could string together to make dinner.

Zayn wanders into the kitchen a few minutes later just as he's pulled out several ingredients.

"Oh, we're all heading back down to the pub in a minute. Niall texted you about it earlier, Liam's grabbing us all our jackets."

"Oh, alright." He says begrudgingly, so much for not going out again.

He replaces all the food back into their spots just in time for Liam to walk back into the living room, passing him his jacket.

"I booked us a table at the pub, thought it might get busy for a Friday." Liam explains as the five of them make their way towards the door.

"Been a while since we last did this." Louis says when he draws level with him and they make their way down towards the village.

"Gotta say I missed it."

"Doesn't bet you constantly dressing up so we could sneak out to pubs."

He laughs, remembering the lengths he'd gone too to be able to go out with Louis without being recognized. They used to think it was one of the funniest things to put on wigs, fake moustaches or beards and funky clothing and go out together. How they'd never been spotted always amazed him, but they'd certainly got creative. It had been one of the only highlights of them being forced apart from each other, especially in the last two years of the band.

"Still got a few of the wigs, could but them to use."

"Don't think you'll be needing them anymore." Louis says as they turn towards the already bustling pub.

"Certainly hope not."

They make their way inside, stopping only to grab the attention of a young waitress who kindly guides them towards their reserved table. There's a small stage set up in the far corner, a live band playing classic songs and they aren't half bad. The atmosphere is friendly despite this being a pub for a bunch of holiday goers. There's a familiar ring in the air of loudness and people beginning to get drunk off the night. The age of people in the bar ranges from the few people in their early twenties but mostly consists of people above middle age.

It's friendly, open and inviting and the five of them quickly order drinks and settle into the booth. Their chances of getting recognized in here are slightly higher, especially from the younger aged people but they don't mind for tonight. It's not as if they could get swarmed by a mass of fans in this place even if it got out they were here tonight with security guarding the access into the village. It wouldn't stop people from coming here in the following days just to get a glimpse of them however, that had happened too many times before. The lengths fans went just to see them still amazed and shocked him, but there wasn't much they could do about it other than try keep a low profile. With the sheer amount of people milling around the bar and the few even brave enough to either be singing loudly along with the band or even dancing hardly seemed like a threat.

Two hours a few drinks deep Niall grabs for his arm and drags him from the booth. Stumbling a bit as he hurries to settle his drink down so that he doesn't spill it he fumbles after the Irishman.

"Where are we going?" He manages to stumble out over the noise of the bar as they push through a crowd in the center of the room.

"Come on!"

They approached the stage, the band having stopped briefly for a break and his mind clicked the moment Niall drew to a halt before them.

The lead singer, a woman perhaps in her early forties glanced up as she caught sight of them both. Eyebrows raising and he knew that she recognized at least one of them.

"Hello?" She says wearily but turns towards them nonetheless.

"Hi! I'm Niall, and this is my friend Harry."

"Yeah, I know who you both are, my daughters are huge fans."

Niall positively beams and he dreads what's coming next.

"I know you guys are probably set for tonight but Harry here would just love the chance to sing some songs with you guys if you would have him for a while."

Harry blanches at that, despite knowing this was Niall's intention of dragging him over here. He glances up but the woman smiles, kind eyes flickering to him and he nods.

"So long as Mr. Rockstar doesn't mind joining us humble folk!" She says with a light laugh.

"I ahh..." He shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "I'd love to sing with you if you'd let me."

"Slight confession, I rather like all your music too so you're more than welcome to join us."

"Great well uhh..." He says glancing around the small stage.

The woman turns away from them for a second, beckoning the other three members of the band over to them and they crowd around her.

"This is Marcus, Andrew and Cassidy, everyone this is Niall Horan and Harry Styles."

The other three glance at them, the other woman Cassidy seems to know who they both are and smiles warmly at them. The two men both smiling, though more restrained and nod in greeting. His gaze snags on one in particular, Marcus, who is the same man who had stumbled into Harry earlier at the bar. Marcus sends him a knowing smile, seemingly also remembering Harry.

"Harry is going to join us for a few songs, he's a singer."

"Sure lad!" The other man, Andrew he thinks, says with a bright smile.

"I'm Quinn by the way." The lead singer says holding out her hand which he easily takes.

"It's lovely to meet you."

"By the way, my daughters would likely disown me if I didn't say this, very glad you lot are getting back together!"

"We can get you and your daughter tickets too one of the shows if you'd like?" He says without a second thought.

"Oh you don't have to do that!" She says waving him off.

"I'd be glad too, as a thank you for letting me up on stage with you tonight." He says as he steps up onto the small platform, Marcus arranging a mic to be brought to the front of the stage alongside Quinn's.

"Well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad." Quinn says with a warm smile. "So Harry, what songs are we going to be doing tonight?" And he's glad that Quinn and the rest of them are treating him like another person, that she's comfortable around him to be calling him by his first name.

"What have you all got planned? I've loved your songs choices so far!" He admits honestly.

"We've got a list back there, but I do have one request."

He waits for her to continue and she turns around to face him again. "Kiwi is one of my favourite songs and I think it would be quite fitting for this atmosphere don't you think?"

His eyes widen as she mentions one of his songs but a smile quickly spreads across his face.

"I would be honoured."

Quinn turns away to talk with the other three. A few minutes pass as he fumbles around with the microphone and a few people in the pub seem to notice the new addition to the stage party.

In the back of the pub he spots Niall slink back into his seat with a triumphant grin on his face, Liam and Zayn quickly lowering their heads to him no doubt to ask what Niall has done. Louis though stares at him from across the room, his attention focused solely on Harry.

Feeling brave he winks at him, a smile blooming across his face and he feels someone tap his shoulder.

Quinn comes to stand next to him before her own microphone.

"This might sound a bit different to how you usually play this but they've got the music sheets so they should be right."

"Do you wanna sing together or different verses?"

He knows singing with someone he's never tried too before is slightly risky, having no idea how their voices might sound together. It had been hard to clearly hear Quinn's voice over the chatter in the pub, especially as he was seated at the back of the room and only vaguely remembers the tone of her voice.

"How about I start, chorus's together and then alternate verses from there?" He offers and Quinn nods in agreement.

"Alright! Marcus calls from where he's seated beside the drums, Cassidy behind a set of keys and Andrew on a guitar. He hasn't a clue how this is going to sound but it's been an age since he's done something like this and being on stage is always a thrill.

"One, two!" Marcus yells.

"She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes, hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect!"

The crowd turns to them, cheers raising throughout the crowd.

"And all the boys, they were saying they were into it, such a pretty face, on a pretty neck, she's driving me crazy!"

"But I'm into it, but I'm into it, I'm kinda into it."

"It's getting crazy, I think I'm losing it, I think I'm losing it!"

He hears it when Quinn joins him for the next line, their voices slotting together surprisingly well and he smiles against the microphone.

"Oh I think she said I'm having your baby! It's none of your business!"

They sing through the rest of the chorus and Quinn takes over the second verse, her voice surprisingly well fit for the song. He grins out over the crowd and the music blares through the pub.

Niall and Liam have jumped up from the booth and are dancing along with the rest of the crowd. Zayn has phone out filming the entire thing with a wide grin plastered across his face and Louis sits smirking in the corner of the booth. His eyes flash across to Harry's as they meet across the room just as Harry rejoins Quinn for the chorus.

They finish the rest of the song together, grabbing his microphone and losing himself as he dances through the final few lines and guitar solo which Andrew pulls off spectacularly.

He can feel the faint feeling of sweat building up beneath the bar lights and enclosed environment filled with too many bodies. It's intoxicating and as the song finishes and he glances up to find Louis' eyes already on his, he doesn't think he rather be anywhere else right now.