Safety Net {l.r.h}

68) San Fransisco

LUKE HEMMINGS

"Luke, mate, are you about ready?" I hear Ashton call from the other side of the hotel room door.

I jump at the sudden noise, scrambling to grab my phone from the bedside table to check the time. My eyes widen at the numbers lit up on my screen and I quickly tumble out of bed. Looking at my girlfriend who was holding a sheet to her bare chest, I flash her an apologetic smile, having lost track of time since her clothes had dropped to the floor a little over an hour ago.

Picking articles of clothing up off the floor, I begin to dress, stumbling over to the door to talk through it as I pulled my black jeans up my legs. "Yeah, I'll be just a second."

"Meet us in the lobby."

Hurrying into the bathroom, I wet my hands and run them through my overgrowing hair to tame it the slightest bit, feeling anxiety creep into my nerves. I stare at myself in the mirror, scanning the dark circles under my eyes and the facial hair growing on my jawline. Cursing under my breath, I messily search through Ellie's makeup bag on the counter for her concealer, dabbing a little bit on my finger before blending it into the uneven skin tone beneath my eyes. When I go to button my pants, I spot a little baggy peeking out from the front pocket and swallow harshly.

Am I really about to do this right now?

My hands shake when I pinch the corner of the bag between my fingers and pull it out of my pocket. I dump some of the powder on the bathroom counter before forming it into a thin white line with my key card. Digging in my pockets for cash, I fortunately find a dollar bill and roll it up tightly. With a deep breath, I bend down to reach the counter and swiftly snort the substance up my nose. Throwing my head back, I hold my nose with the palm of my hand, blinking away the black dots entering my vision before exiting the bathroom.

Ellie sat at the edge of the bed, strapping her heels on her feet, fully dressed. She glances up at me and sighs. "Sorry for making you late," she says before standing up. "Tour has been stressful as you know, and-"

Not wanting to hear anymore of her rambling, I cup her face in my hands and press my lips to hers. "Don't ever be sorry," I tell her, deeply staring into her eyes, "okay?"

"Okay," she mutters as her lips tilt up into a relaxed smile.

I match her expression, running my thumbs over the apples of her cheeks. "I love you."

Ellie shifts in my grasp in order to place a chaste kiss to the inside of my wrist. "I love you too."

With those last few words, I hurriedly grab my leather jacket from the small closet next to the hotel door before disappearing into the hallway. We had an on-air interview with some boujee social media network, and I was less than prepared.

Once the elevator doors opened in the lobby, my three best friends turned to me. Calum stared at me the longest, even when Ashton and Michael began to walk towards the exit. I kept my gaze fixated on his brown eyes in attempt to come off as sober, but I knew that he knew better. When I was less than a foot away from him, he nudged me with his elbow.

"You okay?"

I shrug, walking next to him out to our awaited car. "I'm okay."

He catches my shoulder before we exit the hotel lobby. "Just okay?"

"Cal, I'm fine," I say before lightly pushing his hand off.

"Then you might want to put on some shades," he tells me as he walks past, turning around with a disappointed look on his face. "Your pupils are huge."

My lips tilt into a frown, but I follow his suggestion and dip my hand into my pocket to pull out the sunglasses I keep on me just in case. When I plop down in the large SUV parked in front of the sliding glass doors, my head falls back against the headrest. A rustling sound buzzed throughout the car as the guy from the label turned around in the passenger seat to look at the four of us with a cigar between his teeth, lighting the end. He pulls it from his mouth and smiles maliciously.