Facetime, Travelling, and The Vamps

Chapter 12

James' POV

I yawn and swing my legs out from under the covers. I squint at the clock. 7:45 it reads. I sigh and trudge downstairs. I find Liv sitting on the couch, a book in her hands, her feet propped up on the table, and... ice between her knees? What? I accidentally step on a creaky floorboard. Liv's head snaps up.

"Hey," I croak. She snatches the ice and flings it over the back of the couch.

"Hi."

"What'd you do that for?"

"Do what?"

"Throw ice behind the couch. Are you trying to hide something?"

"I didn't throw ice. What are you talking about?"

I walk around the couch and pick up the bag of ice. "This ice. What aren't you telling me? I thought we were over keeping secrets." Liv sighs.

"Fine. My ACLs are stressed and I have recital next weekend, so I need to keep them together for as long as I can. There is a possibility that they could snap, and it's very painful. Is that good enough?"

"Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because it's one of those things that I have to bear. The only people who know are you, me, my parents, my doctor, and some dance friends, and I want to keep it that way. I also want to keep my ACLs intact, so I have to ice them. Oh, and don't baby me in front of the others. I will maim you if you do."

I raise both hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I won't. Violent, aren't we?"

"Only on Tuesdays. Now gimme the ice back."

"It's Monday..."

"It's an expression. Seriously, gimme the ice back." I hand her the bag and she positions it between her knees again. "So why are you up so early?"

"I don't really know," I admit.

"I don't either, it's your brain," she says, and we laugh.

"You said you have recital next weekend?" I ask.

"I did, didn't I? Well it's two shows, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and we show off our dances."

"I know what a recital is. I do have a little sister, after all," I point out. "My question was, aren't there like pictures or something beforehand?"

"Oh, yeah, those are this weekend. I get to spend all day corralling the little girls before being in pictures myself. I only have four dances this year, mainly because I've been helping out with the younger kids and a lot of the costuming and blocking for the other levels," Liv says.

"Wow I took in maybe like half of that," I say. "So can we see the pictures?"

"Hell no."

"Please?"

"No."

"You leave me now choice." I start tickling Liv, and she screams.

"Never!"

"I won't stop until you say you'll show us!"

"You'll have to, because we're gonna wake up the whole house! I can already hear rustling upstairs!" I pause, and I hear footsteps.

"Shit," I state.

"That's the first thing that comes to mind?"

"Naturally."

"Well I have to get rid of this ice and move without a look of pain on my face and cover the wet spot in the couch from condensation and make it look like we were sitting here like normal people instead of looking like we were making out," Liv says in one breath.

"Shit," I breathe.

"That's more like it. Now help me stand up." I take Liv's hands and gently pull her to her feet. She leans on my shoulder and we head to the kitchen, where she puts the ice back in the fridge. I fix my clothes and run my fingers through my hair, and Liv straightens her pajamas and ties her hair back.

"Can you stand on your own?" I ask, aware of the concern flashing across my face. I know Liv sees it, because she smiles faintly.

"I think so," she says. She stands, but I hover by her. She takes a few steps, her face twisted in pain. "I can't do this." I catch her right before she collapses. "Will you take me upstairs?"

"Yeah," I say, and give her my back. "Hop on." Liv hops on my back and I race up the stairs, passing the guys and girls coming downstairs, Liv screaming with laughter, completing our facade. I open the door to her room and sit her on her bed. "What do you need?"

"There's arnica gel in the bathroom and two braces at the bottom of the wardrobe," she says, rolling her pajama pants up past her knee. I grab the stuff and hand them to her. A few minutes later she's rolling the legs back down. She stands tentatively. "I think I'm good..." We head downstairs. "Who wants breakfast?"

"Me!" they all shout.

"Can I keep my eardrums please?" Liv laughs. "Okay. Coming right up!"

Brad's POV

We walk out the front door with our suitcases about noon-ish. We head to the rental car place, and I walk with Liv to return the keys.

"So you and Kat, huh? How's that going?" she asks. I smile.

"Good, I think. I guess we'll see if we survive the whole long-distance thing soon enough," I say, honest.

"Yeah. It'll be a stretch for everything, really. Which reminds me, we all need to share numbers."

"Sir, yes sir," I say, laughing.

"Ugh it's the same guy as before. I guess it's time to have the accent again," she imitates James' accent.

"May I help you?" the guy behind the counter asks. Recognition flashes in his eyes.

"Yeah, just returning two cars," I say. Liv hands him the keys.

"Enjoy your stay?" the guy asks.

"Yeah, but it's time to get back to London," Liv says. "Thanks for your help!" We walk away.

"You're scarily good at that," I say.

"It comes with practice." We meet the group and climb into the shuttle to the airport, and exchange numbers on the ride there. We grab our bags and head inside when we arrive at the airport. We go through customs then pause before we part ways.

"We'll talk as often as we can," Tris says.

"Don't have too much fun without us," Liv says, smiling faintly.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Alli says. We all hug.

"We're not that far away if you ever need us," James says.

"Okay, we should go before us girls start crying," Kat says. I see her wipe away a stray tear. I pull her close.

"We'll talk every day," I say.

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise," I say, and we cross pinkies.

"I should go. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you more." She smiles, and I watch her walk away.

"Come on, mate," Tris says. "Let's catch that plane."

Connor's POV

The weeks passed, and we talked with the girls three, four times a week. I told Liv about the rest of the tour and gigs we did, and she told me about her recital and the dance intensive she's doing. I'm sitting with the guys, messing around in James' yard. My phone rings, and Brad tosses it to me.

"It's Alli," he says.

"Hello," I say.

"Connor?" Alli says.

"The one and only. What's up?"

"It's Liv. She, uh, well, she's in the hospital."

My phone drops from my hand.

Everything after that happens in slow motion.