Safety Net {l.r.h}

67) Mango

ELLIE ABNER

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since we left Seattle, and 2 weeks since I'd been able to sleep longer than five hours a night. As I sat at the desk in the hotel room with one hand buried in a bag of chips and the other writing down the boys' schedule for interviews, my eyes grew heavy. It had probably been two days since I'd left the room or even attempted to brush my hair, instead putting it up into a sloppy bun on the crown of my head. Slumping over in my chair, I yawn, not noticing the pen fall from my grip and roll off the table as my eyes flutter closed. An abrupt knock on the door caused me to jump, eyes widening while jerking my head towards the noise. While murmuring curse words to myself, I trudge over to the door and tug it open. A sigh of relief left my lips at the sight of a particularly buoyant blonde in front of me.

"I brought Taco Bell." Dayna chirps, holding up two paper bags with the signature purple bell on the front. "And a monster because you look fucked," she adds, gesturing to the can tucked underneath her arm.

I roll my eyes with a lighthearted smile hole stepping to the side to let the girl in. "Thanks."

"Babe, are you alright?" She asks while setting the bags down on the counter of the small kitchen suite behind me. I take the monster and pop open the tab to take a sip.

"I'm just stressed is all," I mumble, plopping down on the bed. "This tour is going to be the end of me, I swear."

Dayna frowns, situating our food onto paper plates. "You can always ask me for help, you know."

"I know, it's just that–" My voice wavers the slightest bit and a lump grows in my throat. "I don't think I can do this for much longer, D, it's too much."

Instantly, Dayna pauses her actions and sits beside me on the bed, draping her arm around my shoulders. "You can do this, I promise. It's only been a few weeks, there's so much more for us to experience– hey, I'll tell you what, we can get super plastered at their show tonight and sneak in the pit."

I crack a smile, snickering as I carefully wipe underneath my eyes to stop the tears from falling. "You're insane."

The blonde grins, pulling me in for a side hug. "I love you too, freshie."

Just as we were able to have some time to ourselves to talk about anything besides the tour, the hotel door beeped as a key card was swiped across the lock. Four tall boys trudge into the room with exhaustion, three of them making their way to the adjoined bedroom to seemingly take a nap. Luke's hair was disheveled as if he'd been running his hands through it stressfully, and I can't help but to frown. There were dark circles beneath his eyes due to late nights and minimal sleep.

"Hey, El." He breathes out, tiredly pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek. Dayna sends me a knowing look before patting my back and walking into the adjoined room, closing the door behind her. Stripping himself of his clothing from the interviews he had this morning, Luke collapses on the bed beside me and his body instantly decompresses from the stress of today. I turn to the side, lacing my fingers in his hair and running them through it gently.

"Get some rest, we've got a long night ahead of us." I tell him as I lean down to press a kiss to his head, but Luke has other plans as he swiftly wraps his arm around my body, pulling me into the warmth of his side.

"Stay," he says, "don't act like you don't need it too."

We had been able to sleep for a full three hours before we had to get up. Orange beams of light leaked through the curtains of the hotel window, casting a daunting mid-afternoon glow over Luke's bare back. My eyes fluttered closed, threatening to stay like that for the remainder of the day, but I fought against it, resorting to staring through the crack of the curtains at the beautiful blue sky of Denver, Colorado. Rolling to the side, I intertwine my legs with my boy's and slowly inch my fingers up his side to the curve at the center of his back. Gently, my fingertips brush against his skin, goosebumps forming with every stroke.