Daytona Baby [N.H]

30

Olivia Campbell

I feel like I got hit by a fucking train.

Slowly rolling onto my side, I could feel every muscle ache as I tried to work them. My eyes were still half glued shut but I could just make out the numbers on the digital clock beside the bed. 9:30 am. I internally groaned; that's too early to be awake considering how late Niall and I got back last night.

Now thinking of Niall, I turned my head to look back over to the other side of the bed.

He's gone.

I briefly considered going back to sleep but I've become more concerned with where Niall has disappeared to this early. In the short time I've known him, he's rarely been awake by this time of the day, let alone up and out of the hotel.

I forced myself to sit up, stretching my arms above my head and letting out a dramatic groan that turned into a sigh as my spine cracked. Almost feels better than sex.

Rubbing my eyes and blinking a few times to adjust to the brightness of the room, I noticed something on the nightstand that I didn't see a minute ago—a small, crinkled piece of paper with something scribbled on it. I leaned over to grab it and saw that it was a note from Niall:

Morning
I'll be back with breakfast soon

I smiled to myself at the image of him writing it out quickly this morning in his messy printing, and he even drew a little sun beside the 'morning.' It was also written on the back of a liquor store receipt. Classic.

Just as I started to speculate where he might've gone, a phone dings, indicating a text. It's obviously not mine, and I look over to the other side table to see Niall's phone lit up, still charging. It's odd that he didn't take it with him. Maybe he didn't go very far, or he knew he would be back shortly. For all I know, he only left a few minutes before I woke up.

A few more texts came in one after another. I wonder if it's something important.

I thought back to what Liam said on my first day here about how Duplicity isn't just a band and there's stuff they do behind the scenes. What that is exactly, I still don't know. But maybe it has something to do with Niall's early outing and all these messages coming in.

Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't—ah, fuck it.

I tried to convince myself not to be nosy but that didn't last very long, and I reached over to his side of the bed, clicking the home button to light up the screen again. It could be one of the other guys. It could be an emergency.

Right away I saw that they were all from Damiano, but I only read the top message:

200 N Columbus Drive, 8 pm

An address? Maybe Niall and Damiano had planned something tonight. But there was still a lingering thought in the back of my mind that told me it had something to do with whatever the band does behind the scenes. And that possibly links with Damiano.

I was suddenly reminded of last night, meeting Damiano and Victoria after the concert.

"How, exactly, do you know him?"

They exchanged a brief glance to one another before Victoria answered. "Let's just say we are in business together."

Before I could ask her to elaborate on her vague explanation the door opened behind me, Niall and Liam finally joining us.

"Ciao! Niall!" Damiano stood to address their arrival.

"Hey, Damiano!" Niall responded just as enthusiastically as Damiano greeted him with a kiss on each cheek as he had for me. "Come stai?" Niall asked.