thin white lines | l. hemmings

09

During the concert, she wasn't anxious. She could steadily breathe and relax her shoulders. She could close her eyes and listen to the music with an empty head. All she had to do was move the camera to whoever she felt deserved the focus.

By the end, they all set down their instruments and joined together at the front of the stage to bow and wave goodbye to their many fans. As they walked away Delaney specifically noticed the way Luke was the last to turn away, letting his eyes linger across the lights in the crowd before turning and jogging to catch up with the others.

She didn't have too much time to watch them exit before the man caught her attention. "Follow me. I'm bringing you down to meet them," He told her sharply, pointing to the set of stairs that'd lead them down to the hall of dressing rooms.

Each door had one of their names on it but Adam took her past Calum's and straight to Ashtons, which even from outside the closed door anyone could find the four of them based on their loud voices and the light escaping from underneath the door.

Adam opened it for her and nodded to all of the boys as a greeting. Each of them was coated in sweat and she could feel the temperature increase from their body heat. After the door closed behind Adam, she noticed the coffee table they were crowded around and it's contents. Luke shifted thin lines of white powder with a black card, not taking his eyes off of them even as he took a drink from a plastic cup that they all had other than Michael.

"Are you gonna start us off?" Luke finally looked up to Delaney as he pulled a paper bill from his pocket and rolled it up tightly.

"No," she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm good, thanks."

"Want a drink, then?" Ashton got up from where he sat next to Luke and approached a mini-fridge beside the love seat. He opened it up to reveal an assortment of glass bottles with various liquors and beers.

She let out a breath and looked around. "Do I have to stay here?" She asked instead of answering Ashton.

"Unless you'd rather me tie you up in another room?" Luke raised a brow as he teased her. She dropped her head to break the tense eye contact as soon as she noticed it and looked back up once Luke had hunched over the table and put the bill to his nose and she watched the powder disappear into the paper.

He sat up again with wide, blinking eyes before passing it off to Ashton once he sat back down. She looked around at the rest of the room and after noticing a door she opened it to see the small, white tiled bathroom with a grimy square mirror above the sink and even a cheap-looking shower with a thin, almost clear shower curtain. But what she was looking for was that there was no window. "I'm just gonna stay in here."

They all looked up to her with various looks of confusion. "The bathroom?" Michael asked for clarification.

"Yeah. There's no window anything, check for yourself," she said, pointing into the open door.

"Sure, but it's definitely gonna be gross in there," Calum crinkled his nose and turned his head away from it.

"Yeah, well," she sighed. "It seems like my best option right now."

Ashton shrugged and they all went back to what they were doing. She left the door ajar and leaned back on the beige walls, fiddling with her fingers, the vibration of music from the other side buzzing on her back.

Honestly, she probably wouldn't have minded spending time with them. Calum was funny and Michael seemed sweet. Ashton had been fairly nice to her. Luke was there but one person was easy enough to ignore. But even so, she felt she had to be reluctant with her every move. She couldn't have just sat there and watched them snort coke. She couldn't bring herself to do it after feeling so at peace for the first time since she got there when she listened to them play.