The Bass Player » [cashton] √

1.1

[11th of November- Stockholm]

They'd all made their way down to a bar somewhere between their two hotels. Well saying all might be too generous, it was Rachael, Michael, Luke, Ashton and himself. Angel and Lesedi had said they'd been fiddling with a new song idea all day and apparently, if they didn't finish it they'd 'lose it'. Personally he could work on a song for six months before he felt he even remotely 'had it'. Nia was also off somewhere but like always he and Nia had no interest in what the other was up to. He did, however, hope Angus wasn't there, he may not have liked Nia, but Angus seemed like trouble.

The table they'd occupied were round and tall, the type you'd see on the edge of a club dance floor. The chairs were tall to match and thankfully had backs on them, the last thing he needed was to fall off a stool in front of everyone. They also had to sit very close to fit around the single table, it was the only one available, so they were cramped, but it didn't bother Ashton. He'd encourage them all to pull their chairs in close, so as not to 'be in the road of everyone walking past'. So they'd squashed in, Ashton on Calum's left, Rachael next to him and then Luke, with Michael on Calum's other side. He'd quietly thought Ashton had been full of shit when he'd told them all to pull in close to the table but realised why when he felt the large hand come down on his left knee. Long fingers wrapping around the inside as the thumb on the outside gently stroked back and forth.

"So where's everyone else tonight? Already over hanging out with us?" Luke asked chuckling and swirling the last of his scotch in its glass.

Rachael began to explain the others absences, admitting that she didn't know where Nia was. Calum was only half paying attention, trying to sip quietly, unassumingly at his drink as Ashton's fingers traced shapes on his inner thigh. Ashton's face remained unchanged, listening intently as Rachael made a joke about songwriting.

"So we've got a whole day off between shows, what's everyone going to do?" Calum asked after her anecdote.

"Napping," Luke said with a contented sigh and a grin.

"Gaming and Napping," Michael said nodding, a little smile on his face.

Rachael groaned, "I gotta apply for apartments,"

"Just relax I suppose," Ashton supplied casually, his hand, however, gave a squeeze to Calum's leg. "What about you, Cal?" Ashton continued.

"Something like that as well I guess, I was honestly asking so it'd give me an idea of something to do,"

"Well the worst thing is the way the travel's arranged, you'd be pushing your luck to go out and explore either city," Luke said thoughtfully.

Calum was a little touched that he seemed to be trying to think of something for him to do, " Yeah it tends to end up like that a bit, unfortunately," He said with a shrug.

"You can always come and play Overwatch with me," Michael offered sipping at a large slushie looking cocktail.

"You know what?" Luke said disregarding Michael's comment, "we have almost the whole day on..." he trailed off thinking for a moment, "on the fourteenth, it'll be in Paris, I'll take you to do something if you want?"

"That-"

Ashton cut Calum off, "I was actually going to take Cal to that Cafe we normally go to, I've told him about it a few times, and you asked to go hey?" he turned to Calum asking for confirmation.

This was all news to Calum, but Ashton was often like that so he nodded, "you should come with us,"

"You never invite me anywhere," Rachael chimed in, clearly upset she'd not spoken for a few minutes.