Deception - H.S

Chapter 44

A/N: CH43 was updated yesterday so if you haven't read it... go backkk

Hope Whitlock

Everyone stayed asleep way past noon, until about 3 pm when Niall, Louis and Harry were up which I knew was because I could hear their voices since I left my door open before I slept. I did it just in case someone needed something, Liam was in constant pain and might have needed painkillers, the same thing with Niall, he was injured too but was holding it back because he blamed himself for everything. I also thought, maybe if there was loud music coming from Harry's room, I wouldn't be able to miss it.

Liam did not wake up until 5pm after Louis practically dragged him out of bed since we had to be there for soundcheck by 6. We did end up being late, a woman named Ava who I swore looked like was our age but was in her late 20s came over to help hide any visible bruises that the boys had on them.

Upon asking, I was told that she works with the boys. I didn't truly know what that meant yet, neither did I know who they worked for, all I knew was that she was a friend and helped them often with hiding their scars and bruises from the common eye, being skilled with makeup and prosthetics. They couldn't afford to show up with bruises on their faces when they had a show, it could cause suspicion.

I had a name in my mind though – Lucian. That is who the man wanted to meet with and said that the boys were close to him, perhaps that was who they worked for.

The soundcheck went well, photos were taken, jokes were made, everyone sat together for a change and talked about absolutely nothing. I made it a point to avoid any interactions with the boys but I was not being mean about it, I did occasionally check in with everyone, asking how they were doing and if they needed anything.

The show was amazing as always, the roaring crowd, the cheers, there were also some signs that were made for me, telling me how hot I looked playing drums. I appreciated all the love I get from Deception's fans, they go above and beyond to show their love and support. Now that it was being extended to me as well, I was beginning to understand why the boys are always so grateful for them.

I felt like I was not able to give my best performance because of my injury, it didn't hurt really bad but was painful while playing. No one made it a point to yell at me for it, not even Harry.

I was mad at him though. Harry poked me till I snapped, making me confess something that was so sensitive. I hated saying that out loud, the thoughts and emotions associated with my insecurities are sometimes unbearable, I was convinced that soon I was going to spiral down a dark path. Everyone has skeletons in their closet, I have mine too and I have spent a lot of time and effort to keep them at bay so him prying them out of me wasn't the best thing. The words he spoke after though, telling me that I shouldn't feel bad about my body, felt strange coming from him since he was praising me for something but his words felt genuine, the weight of his voice and the gravity of his words made me almost believe it.

Once the show was over, I lingered around a bit to talk to people, there was a moment with Harry where we made eye contact for a minute before he went to his dressing room. I was afraid, having to walk back to the house, I could have taken a taxi but I was not comfortable with that either. It was such a simple thing, I've walked alone a lot and taken taxis as well, however, last night had me shaken up. I was a little too aware of my surroundings, constantly looking for any oddities, which wasn't helpful because this is America, everything looks suspicious, especially after a concert.

I checked for Niall in his dressing room but he was gone so when Jace and Faye asked me to join them, I did. Nour was supposed to join later.

They were going to a bar for some drinks which was a ritual that they have always had, the boys did that too but with recent events, they prefer rest over partying which made sense. I had not stepped in a bar since I was drugged, so this made me nervous but they offered to drop me back on the way to their hotel and I couldn't imagine being alone at that time, who knew what my thoughts would trigger.