I stretch my arms out with a yawn and almost laugh when I notice the guys all scattered across the floor, still out cold. Even though we did nothing but talk and watch movies, I'm sure they'll be asleep for quite a while, so I decide to go out for a bit. I find my duffel bag in one of the rooms, walking into the bathroom to quickly slip on some workout clothes, recalling Phil talking about a workout room.
I scribble down a note and leave it on the coffee table, trying not to step on or wake up anyone. My tennis shoes squeak against the polished floor, and I repeatedly turn back to make sure I didn't wake anyone up.
I take the elevator downstairs, and before I even realize it, I find myself lost in a maze of hallways, unable to find the fitness room and too proud to ask for directions. Eventually I find it, smiling to myself when I notice they have a punching bag and other training equipment I like to use.
I slide on my arm band and a pair of my light gloves as I start to work out, punching the bag to the beat of the music. I continue to hit the bag, only stopping occasionally to steady the swaying bag. "Need someone to spot you?" I hear someone say as they place a hand on my shoulder. Unfortunately for them, my reflexes kick in before I can even process it. "I'm glad I remembered how you react, ducky." Phil laughs as he shakes his head at me.
"Sorry. It's just a reflex, I can't always stop it in time." I tell him apologetically. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard someone talking about a girl with blue hair wandering around. So I figured I would try to help you out, but I see you found what you were looking for."
"Yeah, I got a bit lost back there." I tell him as I pull off my gloves. "I'm surprised this place has all of this equipment." I tell him as I put my gloves to the side, and move on to another section.
"We have a vast range of people stay here, sometimes for quite a while. The hotel realized it helped to have more options than just weights and treadmills. It was one of my better ideas." He tells me with a look of pride.
"Do you still box?" I ask him, remembering how he was the one who sparked my interest in the first place. "Or did you give that up when you became a suit?" I tease him, pointing to his dress shirt and jacket.
"I still do. It's just not as often as I would like." He shrugs, but his phone rings before he can say anything else. "Well, duty calls. I'll see you later, ducky." Phil tells me ruffling my hair.
"See ya." I reply, swatting his hand away. I end up running on the treadmill for a bit, but quickly end my workout, when other people start to come into the room. I take the elevator back up to the suite, and walk inside to see all of the guys crowded in the living room too deep in conversation to notice me. I walk into the kitchen grabbing a glass and filling it with water. "I just don't want her getting hurt." I can hear Mason say from the living room, but I try my best not to eavesdrop. "Honestly, I think all of our concerns should be on convincing her to stay. The whole reason I suggested this trip was to change her mind about leaving." I bite my lip as I linger just out of view.
"How are we supposed to do that?" I hear Ashton ask.
"We need to show her how much we want and need her to stay. We have to give her a good reason not to leave. Something better than not facing John." Michael says, the disdain dripping from his voice as he says my dad's name.
"Exactly, but how are we supposed to do that?" Calum asks and I can hear the frustration in his voice. I lean against the wall as I start to realize how much these guys must care, and how much I would miss them if I did leave.
"I don't think, you guys won't have to worry about it." I tell them walking into the room, and they all turn to me looking worried. "I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to leave. It's still a possibility, but either way, I have to face this at some point. I just don't know when I'll be ready for it." I sigh and feel the pressure building up behind my eyes.
"Don't worry, Andy." Mason says as he and the guys all sit around me. "We're going to stay here for a bit, and when we leave, we'll help you get through everything."
"I know, and I appreciate it." I tell them with a soft smile. "Can we just not worry about all of this? I'd rather not think about anything while we're here, and enjoy our time away."
"Sounds great! What were you wanting to do?" Mason asks, and I shrug.
"I'm fine with just a chill day, or if you want to figure somewhere to go that's fine with me. I'm going to take a shower and get ready." I tell them as I walk away. I quickly take my shower, putting on my usual band tee and a pair of black denim shorts. "Have you guys decided on anything?" I yell as I walk back into the living room, using a towel to dry my hair.
"Yeah. How does touring the city sound?" Ashton asks bouncing up and down excitedly.
"Sounds fine to me. I've never seen San Francisco before." I tell them, pulling on my converse. "Wait, aren't you guys worried about being spotted by fans?"
"If we do, than we'll figure something out." Luke casually shrugs as we walk out the door.
"Alright. Don't blame me if we get mobbed." I sing-song as we take the elevator to the lobby. "Look! There's an ice cream shop! Let's go." I shout as I grab onto someone's hand, pulling them along with me.
"ICE CREAM!" Michael shouts, as we run down the street practically screaming.
"You--two--run--too--fast." Mason says, leaning on his knees and breathing deeply in between his words.
"Nothing keeps me from ice cream." I tell them seriously, and Michael nods high fiving me with his free hand. "Oooh. I know what I want!" I say as I continue to drag Michael along with me and the boys all follow us. "Sorry, I forgot I was still holding your hand." I tell Michael with a laugh, as I order my ice cream.
We end up sitting at a large table outside. "Why on earth did you get coconut ice cream?" Ashton laughs at me, but I just shrug.
"What about you? Why did you get strawberry? Who even gets fruit flavored ice cream?" I tease him, but he just shakes his head and gives me a playful shove. I look beside me to see Mason giving me a devilish grin. "Don't you dare, Mason. I promise if you do--" I don't get a chance to finish before he pushes the ice cream cone into my forehead. I glare at Mason, but he's too busy laughing to notice.
I turn to Michael, who keeps slapping the table as he laughs. "You looked like a unicorn!"
"Really?" I taunt him as I push his ice cream cone to his face. "Now, you look like one too." I laugh along with the rest of them.
"No! Wait, let me take a picture of the unicorns." Calum says as he whips out his phone. "I'm totally posting that." He laughs as he shows us the pictures.
"We really do look like unicorns with our colorful hair and all." I laugh shaking my head at them. "Come on, let's keep going."
We only made it a couple blocks before we heard someone scream in front of us. "Really? We made it all day and now this happens?" Michael asks, as the fan approaches us. "I don't have a problem with fans, but I'm just hoping everyone doesn't find us."
Unfortunately, Michael spoke far too soon. One fan did find us, and thanks to twitter so did about fifty other, who all wanted autographs and pictures. Now, these weren't the calm, cool, collected fans who waited and kindly asked the guys; there were only a handful of those. The rest of them? Were the crazy fan-girls. Before we could do anything, everyone is crowding around us, screaming.
I feel someone's hand slip into mine and quickly pull me along. The other guys scatter too, and we all force our way out of the mob, running as quickly as we can to get away from the suffocating screams. "In here." Ashton shouts as we turn down a corner and hide inside a small shop. "That was close." He sighs, as we catch our breath.
"I wonder how they found us." I comment, but Ashton and I both realize how at the exact same time. "Calum." We say in sync. "Fans must have scene the picture, and--sure enough he left his location tag on."
"Well, I guess it means we'll have to lay low and find a way to meet up with everyone later." He says with a shrug. "Do you want to head back or would you rather look around for a bit?"
"I think we should stay for a bit. I'd rather stay here instead of getting stuck in another mob again." I tell him as we walk through the small, hipster clothing store. "Wow. I guess we're seeing the true California." I joke with him, as we walk around the shop.
"It's a little bit scary." He jokes as he holds up what looks like a shirt.
"Can I help you with anything?" A girl with a perfect tan and dark brown hair asks us, looking us up and down judgmentally. "You don't look like this is exactly your style." She continues with a smirk. "Although, I do have to admit, you're an adorable couple."
"Oh, weren't not." I stutter, but she just raises her eyebrows looking down at our intertwined hands before walking away with a smug look. "What is it with me and forgetting I'm holding people's hand?" I ask jokingly as I shake my head.
"I forgot about it too." He tells me with a strained smile as he quickly lets go. "Come on, let's see what other shops they have around here."
"Are you sure we shouldn't head back soon?"
"Yeah, but for now we can keep exploring. " He stutters, rubbing the back of his neck, and I feel like he's hiding something from me. We walk up and down the block, trying our best to blend in. "I think we were found again." Ashton mutters as he pulls me along into a small alley.
"Are you sure? I don't see anyone." I whisper as I try to look around the street, but Ashton won't let me.
"I'm not sure, but they looked like some of the girls from earlier." He pauses looking out on the street. "Maybe I was mistaken." He shrugs but refuses to leave the alley. "Can I ask you something?"
I look up at him, confused as to where he could be going with this. "Y-yeah, I guess."
"Do you—Is there--" he pauses stumbling over his words. "—I mean, do you think we should head back soon?" He breaks eye contact with me, and I get the feeling that wasn't what he wanted to ask. I just nod, making some comment about the coast being clear before we walk back out onto the street and back towards the hotel.
My phone starts buzzing in my pocket and I quickly pull it out and answer it. "Hey. What's up?" Ashton gives me a strange look, and I mouth Luke back to him. I pretend not to notice the small smile that creeps across his face.
"Hey, where are you? Are you okay? Do you need one of us to come get you?" He asks rapidly and I can hear the worry in his voice as the other guys all chatter in the background.
"Umm. About 10 minutes walk from the ice cream shop, I think? I don't know. We got a bit turned around trying to escape the hoard."
"Text me where you are when you find out. Mason and a couple of the guys are starting to get worried."
"Luke, tell them to chill out. I'm with Ashton and we'll be on our way back soon." Ashton turns to me at the mention of his name and leans in to join the conversation.
"Ash is with you?" Luke asks, his tone changing, as he continues. "Can you put him on for a second?"
"Sure." I reply, handing my phone over to Luke.
"Hey, Luke." Ashton says into the phone, and keeps glancing at me while he listens. "I don't know." He starts to say, but quickly drops his voice to a whisper. "Dude, I can't talk about this right now." Another pause and then. "Okay, we'll be back soon. Bye."
"What was that about?" I ask giving him a strange look, but he just ignores it as he starts relaying directions back to the hotel. When we make it back to the suite, Mason and Luke bombard me with questions, and I just roll my eyes. "Guys, I'm fine. Ash and I just got a little bit sidetracked and lost. Now if you'll excuse me, I promised to Skype my friends this afternoon." I lie retreating to Mason's room. I text Skylar and Danny, requesting an emergency girl talk, knowing I need to talk to someone about the concept of me developing feeling for Luke. Although, I hope that's not what's happening. I know I have to talk to someone about it, especially because it's only getting worse the more we hang out.
"Okay, what's wrong?" Danny asks the moment she appears on screen. "You never request a girl talk. So what's up that you can't talk to the guys about?"
"Ditto." Skylar asks, obviously trying to analyze me through the screen.
"This may sound strange, but hypothetically how do you know if you're starting to like someone as more than a friend?" I questioning, trying to keep it vague.
"Wait... Who are you crushing on?" Skylar practically shouts and I scramble to turn down the volume as I try to find my headphones.
"Skye," Danny scolds the fiery red-head. "Don't be so pushy. I'm sure Andy is going to tell us everything in a minute. Right?"
"Yeah, sure." I tell them uncomfortably shifting around. "Can you at least answer my question?"
"Honey, it's hard to give you a direct answer. It's more of a situation where we have to hear the story to give you an honest reply." Danny says with a sympathetic look.
"Okay. I'll tell you the whole story. Just let me make sure no one can hear me first." I tell them as I quickly peak out the door to see all the guys eating and playing FIFA. "Alright, we're good." I tell the sitting back down.
"Spill, now." Skylar demands.
"Fine, but I'm not giving you a name." I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I don't really know what's happening, but you've heard all the rumors about me dating one of the guys." They both nod waiting for me to continue, and I tell them the full story about what happened with my dad leading up to how we got here. "So a couple days before all of this happened, I was playing truth or dare with the guys. It's childish I know, but as a dare one of them kissed me."
"Wait. You kissed one of the aussies?!" Danny shouts a smile spreading across her face, and a moment later Damian runs in looking worried. "Don't worry about it, babe. We're just having a girl talk with Andy." I can see her give him a stern look saying, "No. You can talk to her later. I promise." She tells him and quickly ushers him out of the room so I can continue.
"Yes. It was just a dare, but ever since then, I keep getting this weird feeling around him. I mean we talked afterward, and we both agreed it was just a dare. I just feel weird around him now."
"Weird as in?" Skylar asks smiling like a dork.
"I don't really know..." I pause trying to articulate the bundle of emotions inside me. "It's like things are different. I'm seeing him in a different way, and sometimes I get this weird feeling in my stomach, or I blush for no reason, or I even start getting really nervous around him, which never happened before."
Danny and Skylar both look at each other knowingly. "Andy, babe. I hate to break it to you, but it sounds like you're falling for him."
"No, that's impossible! He's my friend. Plus with everything going on I can't start falling for someone."
Skylar just laughs at me and Danny give me a sad look. "Andy, your heart doesn't care about your fights with your dad or that he's your friend. Your emotions aren't just a switch you can flip on and off."
"Admit it, Andy. You're falling for him, whichever one he may be." Skylar says with a small laugh.
"This isn't funny, Skye, this is my life." I almost shout at her. "I can't deal with this right now. I can barely deal with my normal life, much less all of this at once." I ramble feeling my chest tighten with anxiety.
"Breathe." Danny directs me, and she offers some encouragement. "I wish there was some sage wisdom I could offer, but all I can say is, 'listen to your heart.' You deserve to be happy, Andy. You can't deny your feelings forever, and pushing them aside will only hurt you and him more in the end."
"But what if I'm not ready for a relationship?" I whisper on the verge of tears.
"If you're not ready for a relationship, than I can guarantee you any decent guy would be willing to wait for you. That's what Damian did. He asked me out for months before I got over my ex and was ready for a serious relationship, and look at us now."
"Gee, thanks. Rub in your perfect relationship, why don't you?" I tease, but she just rolls her eyes at me.
"It's not perfect. It takes work." She tells me.
"What if he doesn't like me back?" I ask feeling a lump in my throat at the idea.
"Than he's not worth it." Skylar replies bluntly, shrugging off Danny's criticism. "I'm just being honest."
"Either way, you need to talk to him at some point, Andy. It doesn't have to be soon, but it does need to happen."
"Should I wait to see if maybe he likes me back first? I don't want to ruin our friendship because of it."
"If that's what you feel more comfortable with, than do that. Just make sure you talk to him at some point. Okay?"
"Okay." I pause, smiling at the two of them. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you guys." They just smile at me and accept the praise. "Oh, and please, don't tell anyone about this. Especially the guys, I don't want them or Mason knowing. Well, I don't want anyone except for you two knowing."
"Of course. We won't tell a soul." Skylar promises as she crosses her heart.
"I promise. Now get some rest, Andy. You sound like you could use it." Danny tells me, and I know she means it with all the love in the world.
"I will." I smile back at them, saying a quick goodbye before I head back into the living room. I crash on the couch in between Ashton and Michael in a conscious effort to avoid Luke for a bit.
"Good talk with your friends?" Mason asks, not looking away from the screen.
"Yeah. I guess it was a good talk after all." I tell him with a smile, but I start to wonder if my head and heart will ever figure this mess out.
//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
A/N:
Hey, everyone! I hope you've been enjoying these more regular updates! I'll try to keep it up as best I can for you all.
Also, if any of you were wondering about the picture attached to this chapter, it's a bit of a throwback (for me at least). It's from when Calum bought a new bass in Nashville that he was playing at the concert, and so Michael and the guys knighted him and officially named it 'Nashville.' The picture popped up on my timeline, and to be honest, I went through all my pictures, videos, and merch from that concert and started crying from the happy memories. From everything to dancing to their music, to laughing at their jokes, to crying at Michael's speech and some of the songs. It's all so special to me--they're so special to me.
I want to say a massive thank you, to each and every person who reads this. The band may have inspired me to start this story, but you're the ones that keep me writing it. The more I write this story, the more I'm reminded of just how much I love these 4 australians and how much they've helped me through some pretty rough times. I've also been reminded of how awesome and kind the 5sos fam is. You guys are the best, and I hope you never forget how special you are.
Sorry for the long author's note and the bit of emotional throwback. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked it! I'll see you guys again soon with another update.
All my love. -xx