The One Behind It All

Chapter 2

Chapter 1 (This is part of the story.)

Troye's POV

I'm in England. I'm staying in Joe's and Caspar's apartment. Some others of our friends are in England too. I'm laying on the sofa in their living room with my laptop on my stomach scrolling through Twitter. Joe comes upstairs. He and Caspar have been filming a few videos together downstairs in Joe's room.

"Hey do you mind if we invite everyone over today?" Joe asks.

"Of course I don't mind. Why would I?"

"Well you know... I don't know. It's not important. I'll go and text everyone." Joe says and scratches his neck a bit awkwardly.

"What were you going to say?" I'm curious.

"I don't know. Just forget it." Joe smiles at me reassuringly so I don't bother to ask more.

"Who will you invite?" I ask instead.

"I and Caspar thought that we'd invite Zoe, Alfie, Jim, Tanya, Marcus, Niomi, Dan, Phil, Grace, Hannah and Tyler."

"Sounds nice." I smile at Joe. So that's why he was nervous. Everyone else is a couple except me and Tyler - though everyone would want us to be one - or lives with their best friend like Dan and Phil or Joe and Caspar. It's absolutely fine by me. I'm not interested in anyone right now. It will most likely be fun to hang out together with everyone and hear the new things like more about when Jim and Tanya's wedding will be and how #Hartbig ended up together. They announced it only last week and the only one who knows yet more about it is Tyler.

Later that day:

People start coming. First ones here are Marcus and Niomi. They greet us with hugs.

"Hi everyone!" Zoe shouts when she comes in and gives everyone a hug. Alfie comes trailing right after her. The rest of the people come not long after. We talk, laugh and listen to music. Someone takes some wine and beer out and nearly everyone drinks. I don't want to get drunk but I drink a little. Someone puts on Trxye and everyone starts dancing and singing along with the words. Some people start to get a little bit tipsy. When the first song ends Tyler shouts:

"Troye is the best musician everrr!" Dragging out on the last word. Everybody else agrees and I blush.

"Aww you're cute when you blush!" Tyler says right beside me and I jump. How did he get here so fast? He was just a moment ago standing next to Zoe and Alfie at the other end of the room.

"Did I startle you?" Tyler cackles.

"Yes, no, maybe a little."

"Sorry." Tyler says in a voice that does not convince me he means it. He stares at me and I see something in his eyes but I can't put a finger on what it is.

"Let's play Spin the Bottle!" Caspar shouts and turns down the volume.

"Is there someone in particular you want to kiss Caspar?" Dan asks suggestively and wiggles his eyebrows.

"Why don't you ask yourself the same question?" Caspar shoots back in the exact same way. Dan blushes slitly at the tips of his ears. So he wants to kiss someone? But who? He came out as bi last year so practically it could be anyone. Except Hannah.

"Let's play already!" Zoe, of all people, says.

"I'll go get a bottle." Joe says and walks over to the kitchen. I see Caspar's eyes follow him. When Caspar notices that I saw him looking at Joe he looks a bit scared but I just wave his concerns away with a swift movement of a hand. Everyone sits down on the floor and Joe comes back with the bottle.

"Who's first?" He asks sitting down between Caspar and Zoe.

"I'll go first." Marcus says.

"Wait! Before you spin, do we have any rules?" Tanya asks.

"Hmm... Wait a moment!" Zoe exclaims and jumps up running to get something. When she comes back she has paper and a pen with her.

"The first person the bottle points at has to take a piece of paper and write some kind of kiss on it and not show it to anyone. The next person the bottle points at is the person you'll have to kiss in the way that it says on the paper."

"Ooh! That sounds fun!" Niomi says.

"Okay." Marcus says as he spins the bottle. It points at Jim and he takes the pen and a piece of paper. He scribbles something on it and folds it in two.

"Ready." It's all he says before Marcus spins the bottle again and it points at Alfie. Marcus takes the note and opens it. He reads it out loud:

"Five seconds on the cheek. That's easy!"

"We'll start of easy but you never know what will be the outcome in the end." Jim says cryptically.

"Fine by me." Marcus answers. We go on like this a few rounds and the kisses change. There is, amongst others, a ten seconds on the lips Hartbig kiss and a Zalfie five second french kiss, though that one did last definitely longer than only five seconds. Then it's Phil's turn to spin. First it points at Tyler. He takes the pen and a note and smiles deviously as he writes something on the piece of paper. Phil spins the bottle again and it points at Dan. Dan freezes for a moment but quickly recovers and takes the note Tyler wrote. His face goes white.

"You're not serious?"

"What does it say?" Caspar asks curiously.

"Thirty second french kiss." Dan reads aloud. He is even paler now. Tyler cackles at his expression.

"Come on! It's just a kiss." Phil says trying to act casual though I hear a bit nervousity in his voice.

"I guess we have to do this." Dan says and shuffles closer to Phil and leans in for the kiss.

AN:
I'm so annoyed at myself right now! I'm super sorry about the late update! I have no good explanation why it's so late. I'm sorry. :(

~ Stella