𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘌𝘔𝘗𝘛𝘠 𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘚 𝘖𝘍 𝘔𝘌 - HOZIER

XIX

NINETEEN

Vivienne hoped Andrew could keep just that one promise.

No one questioned when she didn't return the the party, instead opting for a long shower and an extra 15 minutes spent in the bathroom waiting for her eyes to stop being puffy and her face to return to its natural color. She tried to look nonchalant when she headed to bed, and she kept up the same unbothered facade into the next morning, because that's all she wanted to be. Unbothered. Untouched by him. Unaffected by the weeks turned to months she spent pining for him.

The night before was ignored as the band loaded their belongings in duffel bags and overstuffed pockets for their first hotel of the tour. After the back to back shows Gwen had intentionally scheduled a day off in New Orleans months before, not expecting the tensions to be so high. It was eerily silent as everyone made trips between the bus and their separate rooms, the only noise being rushed footsteps and Andrew's meek apology to Isiah when they were caught as the only ones in an elevator. Luckily, Isiah was more than accepting, even apologizing for disrespecting what he saw between him and Vivienne. Andrew felt he had hit a dead end with that, but he didn't object to Isiah backing off.

Vivienne found solace in the bed that was actually human sized, falling into it immediately after the afternoon check in and nearly being pulled back into sleep. She covered her eyes with her hand to block out the high sun, groaning as her door opened within just a few minutes of her arrival.

Gwen smiled at the sound of her annoyance. "Knock knock?"

"Go awayyyyy," Vivienne rolled to her side, caging her head between her arms.

"Sometimes I forget you're not my rebellious teenage daughter," She pushed the door closed behind her. "How ya doing, darling?"

"How the hell did you get in the room, and what do you care?" Vivienne grumbled as she felt the mattress sink behind her.

"Firstly, I got universal keys for us so none of you fuckers can sleep in past check out." Gwen crossed her legs, running a palm along Vivienne's arm. "And I'm not even going to entertain that second one."

Vivienne huffed, truly feeling the teenage daughter sentiment. It seemed everyone around her had her situation figured out while her emotions ate away at her.

She flipped over.

"There's that pretty face," Gwen cooed playfully, and Vivienne lightly swatted her pinching fingers away while holding back a smile. "How's Emani?"

Vivienne's chest tightened, and she responded quicker than even she expected. "Good. What's the plan for tonight?"

"Ah- don't try to skip the conversation with my love for planning." Gwen poked Vivienne, and she rolled onto her back dramatically with a shared giggle. "You got me, though, it's soul food and an arcade."