LOVING THE DARK

Chapter 6

"Guys, meet Angel."  Connor warmly welcomed me to his basement.

"Eeey hello I'm Toby!"  I just got hit by the tallest one.  He gave me this big grin.

"And I'm Riley."  The other one came up and hugged me,

"Hey guys."  I nodded.  "Thank you for asking me to join."

"Unless the big bro right here would kill us."  Toby rolled his eyes.  "No we're happy to have you.  Although I'm saying the truth."

"Dude, just don't."  Connor hid behind me.

"Hahaha...  So there are other 2 copies of you, huh.  How could I handle."  I chuckled.

In between the conversation, I felt dizzy again.  My legs can't hold my own body so it started trembling.  My eyes were like popping out of my head.  I hope none of the realized it.  So I immediately took a seat on their couch, tried to look normal.

"Goooood afternon I bring you coffees."  The other guy showed up with 3 couples of Starbucks cups.  "Oh, hey you."

"Hey."  I nodded.  He seemed like a cool guy too.  "I'm Angel.  Connor brought me here."

"Hahaha.  Welcome to our bunk."  He laughed so hard and high-fived Connor.  "I'm Thomas Silvers."

"Thomas, nice meeting you."  I hugged him.

"Don't forget about me!"  Another tall guy with black beanie pointed himself.

"And you are...?"  I tried to guess his name when I actually didn't have a clue.

"The gym trainer."  Riley danced around.

"So funny guys.  Angel, he's Meghan Trainor."  Toby winked at me.

"Oh Jesus."  I bowed my head and laughed.

"Ryan Wheeler, for God's sake."  He hugged me tightly.

"Sorry for you Ryan, I know, I can relate."  I chuckled.

"Ah yeah thank you.  Finally."  He rolled his eyes.

"Alright alright enough with teasing stuff!  Work guys, work!"  Connor clapped his hands like a father asking his sons to study some math.

I sit there staring at what they did with those giant tools on a desk.  Riley pretty much operated it.  Then there was Connor and his laptop, sitting by my side, with a guitar connected to this tool which also connected to the computer.  Toby got his part to sing inside the recording room.  They were recording new song, I guess, since it's not a song I ever heard.

"You like this?"  Connor glanced at me, asking me to look around.

"So cool."  I nodded.  "Glad I can be a complete lucky stranger."

"Stranger?"  He chuckled.  "Wow, you've become a part of us.  We never brought any outsiders before, except Mom and Dad."

"So I must tweet something at this point."  I smirked.

"Ouch.  I kinda like your sassiness."  He laughed so hard.  "Seriously, do you have Twitter?"

"Once had, but not anymore.  I don't really feel like interacting like that."  I shook my head.

"Why so?"  Connor started to ditch his work on that laptop, whatever it is, and made himself focus on me.

"Because...I have moved so many times in my life.  To this place, to another place, one hotel to another apartment, thousands of schools.  Having social media makes me think I can rely on a grounded friendship when I actually can't.  It hurts in certain ways.  So I stopped using it.  Since also those friends of mine saying how cocky I was to not answer their tweets, whatever.  When the exact thing happened was I was moving from one flight to another."

"I'm sorry."  He deepened his voice.  "I'm sorry for that.  But you know...I hope you're staying this time."

"I hope so too, Con.  I'm 20.  Like seriously I need a life too.  Probably this time I'm gonna ask my parents to let me settle in Orlando even if they ever wanted to leave again.  I can't."  I laughed.

"Amen for that.  Count me as one of your specific reasons not to leave."  He winked.

"With the fact you guys will leave for another tour?"  I felt the disappointment eating myself from within.

"Telling you, we have one unused bunk in tour bus."  Connor kissed my cheek and went inside the recording room, exchanged with Toby.

The rest of day made me thinking.  Connor's words.  Did he really mean it?  Did these people really want me to stay around?  Even after world turns dark next month?  I'm not sure.  This debate will be just an endless one inside my head.  I want to stop it.  But everything that my mind said was true.

"So where you from, Angel?  Oh by the way, nice name."  Thomas sit by my side.

"I'm from everywhere.  You named it.  The Philippines, Canada, Spain, and now Orlando."  I chuckled.  "And about the name, it's actually Angelica Bowman."

"Interesting one.  Angelica Bowman."  Thomas wrote my name on his phone when he saved my number.

"Angelica Louise Bowman."  I added.

"Oh!  Should I call you Louise?"  He cheered happily.

"Anything is fine though."  I laughed, this guy was seriously excited.

"I like Louise.  It's like only between me and you.  I like making up another name for people."  He explained.

"Exactly.  Just like when James, our manager, and I, mistaken it all the time."  Toby suddenly joined us.

"Hahaha..."  Thomas pinched Toby's cheek.

"And your full name must be..."  I guessed.  "Toby James McDonough?"

"Score one for you."  He pouted, which made Thomas laugh louder.  "So I call him Christian."

"Oh Christian Silvers it is..."  I smirked.  Thomas raised his eyebrows playfully.

We were laughing at some stuff all day long.  Somewhat talking to Toby and James made my day better.  I stopped debating myself for a while.  They made fun of Riley's hair.  Ryan tried to convince Riley that he should be bald too just like him.  I laughed my happiest ones.  Never had this good feeling before. 

"Hahaha...  Oh Angel you should see...  Angel?  Angel?!"  Ryan shook my hands.

"What?"  I looked at him.  Suddenly I felt some warm liquid streamed down from my nose.  "Oh God."

"Connor!"  Toby screamed.  Connor immediately left the recording room and hugged me.

"Oh my gosh Angel what happened to you!"  He carried me bridal style to his room upstairs.

"I'm...okay..."  I stuttered, trying to save myself from swallowing the blood.

"Okay how?  You're bleeding."  He covered my body with his blanket and gave me a towel to stop the bleeding.

"It's okay Connor I'll be fine."  I choked in between my words.  I felt my throat was full of blood already.

I looked around.  The guys were worrying about me so they left the studio just like that, all gathered in Connor's room.  Slowly I lost my sight.  It's blurry.  Connor's blue eyes slowly vanished.  Now it's dark.