in my sleep | elijah hewson

30| smile.

The sound of boots against the wooden floor echoed in the room, they hadn't started playing any music yet, and all that could be heard was the footsteps of the people working at the bar. None of them lifted their heads to pay attention to their surroundings until they heard an all too familiar voice.

'I thought this was supposed to be a party...'

Confused, they all broke the hug only to see that Eli was standing there, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Martha wasted no time in rushing over to give him a hug, a hug which lasted no more than two seconds before she pulled back more confused than ever.

'Oh my god! What are you doing here?!' She exclaimed.

'Couldn't miss it, could I?' Eli smirked.

'What about Freddie's birthday?' Martha asked him, to which he just laughed.

'There was no party,' he chuckled. 'The guys are here as well, just meeting Ciara and Rachel. I couldn't wait though.'

'Oh my god.' Martha smiled, giving him another hug, she'd never been so happy to see somebody. 'I thought you weren't coming.'

'Of course I'd come love,' Eli mumbled, holding her close as they swayed from foot to foot for a moment. 'Wouldn't miss it for the world, you know that.'

'I'm happy to see you.' Martha said, pulling back with the most pure smile on her face. Eli couldn't help but move his hand up to her cheeks and kiss her, he'd wanted to for the past few day they'd been apart and seeing her smile the way she did pushed him over the edge. He'd never felt so happy in his life.

Martha really did have no idea Eli was coming tonight, seeing him there took her by total surprise but she couldn't be more glad to see his face. It meant a lot that he showed up, she wrote this whole album all whilst she got to know Eli, he was there throughout the whole process. Having him there just felt right, she was so happy.

'Alright you two, pack it in.' Simone cut them off, the two of them burst it laughing and letting one another go for a brief moment, Eli's arm was still hovering on her lower back though, he'd kissed her too much to let go. 'We've seen enough.'

'Did yous know he was coming?' Martha asked, looking between all three of them until somebody nodded. 'What!? Guys!'

'Sorry.' Kyra chuckled. 'Worth it?'

'Only just.'

Eventually, some others started to arrive. Some of Martha's friends, some of the girls, some people she's worked with, and people she's come to know. Despite the amount of kindness everybody had to offer Martha, the nerves wouldn't settle. The whole plan for tonight was to let loose, celebrate her biggest achievement, but she was still so on edge.

The other guys arrived, Ciara and Rachel with them, and Martha rushed over to give them all a hug. She couldn't believe they all fooled her by saying they wouldn't come, even the girls made it here too. Even with all her nerves, being here with all her friends, familiar faces who are only here to celebrate Martha felt so special. She'd never felt so lucky or appreciative.

An hour went by, everyone arrived and started to mingle with one another. It's the kind of thing where everyone knows of one another, but perhaps it was too early on in the night to strike up random conversations with people you don't know well. at least they all had Martha in common.

Martha did the rounds of saying her hello's to everyone. There were people who showed up she didn't expect to. The invite was extended to catfish, as she became such good friends with them all on tour, she didn't expect van to show however. when she saw his face among the small crowd of people, she was shocked.