Tomorrow Never Dies

Chapter 40 - "I might be going away"

*Michael's POV*
I needed an unbiased opinion. As soon as I was sure Flora was safe, I drove straight to my mum's house, went up to my old bedroom and dialled Harry's number. He'd approached the band after the uni showcase, asking about signing us to the same record label as him. We were still discussing it as a band, but what with the car wreck and everything the plans had been pushed aside as we focused on Calum's recovery.

"Styles," he said as he picked up the phone.

"Harry, it's Michael. From 5 Seconds of Summer."

"Have you thought about my offer?"

"We're still working on it, man," I sighed. "I called you because I need advice, and I need an unbiased opinion."

"Go on." I could hear the question in his voice - why has this guy who I've met once decided to call me for advice?

"My girlfriend-"

"The dancer? The one who went viral?"

"Yeah. Flora. Anyway, she thinks she might have done something with her dance partner last night, and I'm not really sure what to do."

"She thinks she's slept with someone else and you haven't dumped her ass?" he scoffed. "Why the hell not?"

"Trust me Harry, if it was anyone else then I would have ended it straight away. But I went to see her this morning and she was panicking so bad, she couldn't even breathe, she wouldn't know what to do if I left her." I hesitated. "Or she would, but she'd end up dead."

"So you're telling me you're going out with a mentally ill girl who might have cheated, and you leaving her might kill her."

"Basically." I put the phone on speaker as I paced up and down my old bedroom.

"Have you talked to the other guy?"

"Not yet. She asked me to, but I don't know where I'd start."

"Go up to him, ask him if they fucked. If he says yes, deck him and leave her. If he says no, it's all good."

"Sound advice, man," I smiled to myself.

"Keep thinking about my offer, Michael. It'll be on the table for a month more at most, but then I'll have to move on," he warned.

"Any chance you can extend that deadline? I mean, our bassist almost died!"

"A month and a half. You have until the end of July."

"Fine," I sighed. "Thanks, Harry."

"Any time." The dial tone rang in my ear as he hung up. I left the call and went onto Twitter, found Sampson's account and messaged him.
I need to talk to you. Meet me at the Ivory in the city in half an hour.
The Ivory was my favourite pub to go to when I was stressed. The owner knew me so I could get meals and drinks for free, and the barmaids were hot and everyone knew that a big enough tip would get them back at your place at the end of their shift.

I left the house, barely saying goodbye to my mum, and drove to the pub, my hands gripping the wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. I pulled up in the car park, and went into the red brick building that had become like my second home over the previous few weeks.

"What can I get you?" A busty blonde girl approached me as I slumped onto a barstool, running my hand through my hair.

"Just fuck me up." She giggled and poured out a line of shots for me, and watched as I drank two then shook my head.

"What's wrong honey?" Her voice was like honey too, soft but with a slight edge to it.

"My girlfriend. Or ex. I haven't decided yet."

"Tell me," she cooed, and I shook my head.

"You're here to get me reasonably drunk, not to be my therapist."

"The offer's always there." She pushed a pint towards me as the door opened and Sampson walked in. I stared at him as he sat in a booth, and joined him after a few moments.

"What do you want?" His voice was deep, his accent thick. Not like mine at all.

"What do you think?"

"You want to know if I slept with Flora."

"Our relationship is supposed to be exclusive. I'm the only one that gets to fuck her, she's the only one that gets to fuck me. It's how it works."

"I didn't do anything. Trust me, I would have liked to, but she was drunk and I'm not going to be accused of raping a passed out girl."

"So you got her naked anyway?"

"Just so she was comfortable to sleep."

"She would have been fine in the clothes she came home in, you didn't have to see anything." I was ready to punch him.

"As if I was going to pass up on an opportunity to see her naked. At least I left her underwear on." He gave me a sassy smile with a slight head tilt, and I stood up, slamming my hands down on the table.

"You stay away from my girlfriend," I warned him, lowering my voice. "She's mine, and I don't want you anywhere near her."

"That's difficult, given that we work together."

"I'll talk to your instructor and get her moved. I don't give a shit." I slammed my hands down again and walked out of the pub before climbing into my car. As much as I knew I shouldn't drive drunk, there was no way I was calling anyone for a ride, and the uni wasn't far away anyway. I needed to see Flora, and soon.

I drove, concentrating as hard as I could, braking as soon as I saw another car or someone walking in the toad. I made it successfully to the uni without hitting anyone, and without attracting police attention.

I stumbled out of the car and towards Flora's dorm. I knocked on the door and fell into the room as soon as she opened up.

"You didn't sleep with him," I told her as she pushed me towards the bathroom. She forced me into the bath and turned on the cold shower, and I gasped as the water hit my skin. "Turn it off!"

"I didn't do anything with him and you got drunk anyway!" She seemed furious.

"I'm sorry baby there are things going on that you don't know about." I shivered from the chill of the water, goosebumps rising on my arms.

"So tell me!"

"Flora... I might be going away."

"For how long?"

"Eight months."

*****
Drama
Attached is the amount of work i got given today to do over summer including 5 latin passages to translate (hello google translate), many russian novels to read and a revision guide to learn for a maths test in the first week back kill me

Song of the chapter: photograph by ed sheeran (i know ive used it before but its a fucking good song leave me alone)