AGLOW [L.T]

66

TW sensitive topics; self harm among other things I don't really know tbh

The sun must set to rise, and tonight feels like my sunrise.

Louis is right behind me as I pull him backstage again, holding his hand and hurrying towards the exit, past people who were trying to make sure the show on stage was going smoothly. When we got to the fence where the exit to the festival area was, Louis walked around me to keep me remotely hidden from the fans being kept away from security guards in green vests.

He led us up to their car which was parked further away waiting for the band to come out. We had left the others behind, no idea what they were doing. He opened the door and got in.

"Drive us to a less crowded place right outside this area." I told the driver as he looked back at us getting in. Louis gave me a questioning look but didn't object.

The driver started the car and slowly started to drive out of the place crowded by people outside. As soon as it became less crowded he sped up and started driving us back towards the city.

We were driving along the road, I could see the beach with the waves crashing against it when I looked out the window. On the other side were streets filled with smaller grocery stores along with some closed clothing stores. As soon as I saw there were barely any people I leaned forward to the driver.

"Stop! right here is good." I told him and he quickly stepped on the breaks as he pulled over to the side of the road. I opened the door and stepped out, Louis confusingly followed.

"What are you up to?" He asks, closing the door, making the car drive away again. I shrugged and shook my head.

"Nothing." I say, turning to the brick wall separating the sidewalk from the sand.

"Wait," Louis says as I start to climb over it, "I need to get something at the store first." He states, turning around to pass the road.

I looked in each direction to see there were no cars coming and followed him, jogging across the street towards the small convenience store that looked mostly empty. Louis opened the door making a bell ring, holding it open for me as I walked in.

The place was small, only a few low shelves filled with essentials like toilet paper, bread and such. There were fridges along the walls filled with frozen dishes, milk, butter and ice cream. The lighting was raw and bright and the cashier was leaning on the desk at the checkout, reading some paper with a bored look on his face. He barely looked up as we stepped inside.

Louis immediately walked to the far back of the store while I roamed around the store, finding a shelf with chips that I walked past as I waited for Louis to grab what he wanted. I looked over to where he stood and he waved for me to come over there. When I got to the shelf where he was standing I saw a couple bottles of different wines, beers and ciders. He grabbed a random bottle of wine, looked at it and then turned to me.

"This one?" He asks,

"You don't cross me as a wine guy." I reply, tilting my head to the side as I look at it. It was a red wine and probably tastes like shit.

"I'm not, but the beer here is ass." He states, taking it with him to the front of the store, where I followed slowly. I'm pretty sure the wine here is also ass, but oh well.

"Is that all?" The cashier asked, looking at Louis with tired and bored eyes after checking his ID.

"A pack of Marlboro reds too." Louis adds, holding his card in his hand ready to pay. The cashier gets a pack out from behind him and throws it on the counter before pressing a few buttons on the register. Louis pays and then grabs the stuff from the counter, "Thank you, have a good night." He says, heading for the door, whereof the cashier only forces a smile.