Gray Area (sequel to White Noise)

Ch 18 - Under Arrest

The next couple of weeks went by in a blur of dress fittings and floral arrangements, and before we knew it, it was three days before the wedding. It had been a stressful month for all of us, especially Tori and Calum, and a relaxing night out was just what we all needed. So, that's what led us to the penthouse suite of a fancy hotel surrounded by people and booze.

When Michael had called me earlier in the week and told me his idea, I couldn't think of anything better than a joint bachelor/bachelorette celebration. He had booked the suite for us to pre-game in and invited a few of Calum's friends to tag along. Tori and I were pretty outnumbered, but that didn't matter to us much. This would be the first time Tori could really cut loose since the baby was born, and we all planned on taking full advantage of it.

"Alright, alright. Quiet down, everyone," Ashton yelled as he turned down the music a bit. "I want to make a toast." He raised his glass and focused his attention on Tori and Cal before continuing. "To the happy couple: I honestly believe that there isn't a more perfect couple in the whole damn world than you two. You were made for each other, and you were made to be parents. And Tor, I can't thank you enough for finally taking Calum off our hands."

"Hey, fuck you, man!"

Calum's outburst caused the crowd to laugh, and Ashton to giggle. "Just kidding, Cal. To Tori and Calum!"

"Here here!"

"To Tori and Cal!"

"To Cori!"

Everyone shouted their well wishes and raised their glasses to salute the pair before taking a drink. The music was turned back up, and the party kicked back into full gear. It wasn't long, however, until we were interrupted by a knock on the door. Michael immediately jumped up and rushed to answer it.

"Wonder who that could be?" he asked with a smirk. His tone was too suspicious. Something was about to go down.

When he opened the door, he was met by two large guys in cop uniforms. I heard an "oh fuck" from one of my fellow partiers, followed quickly by the music being shut off.

"We've received a noise complaint from this room," one of the cops said, pushing his way past Michael and into the room. His eyes landed on Tori before he continued. "I'm afraid we're going to have to place you under arrest."

As soon as he fed his line, the music kicked back in and Mr. Cop ripped off his shirt and started dancing. It was the cheesiest thing I had ever seen in my life. Tori and I both erupted into giggles and starting egging the guy on. Calum, however, wasn't too impressed.

"Oi! What the fuck, Michael?!"

"Don't worry, Calum!" Michael yelled over the music and cheering. "I got one for you, too!"

At his words, the second "cop" approached Calum and also ripped off his shirt. Tori and I absolutely lost it then. Calum's face was priceless as the stripper started dancing and grinding in front of him. His friends and bandmates weren't helping the matter either, as they were shouting words of encouragement to the dancer and tossing dollar bills in the air.

I guess Tori's guy started feeling neglected because eventually, he left her side and started dancing for Calum, too. This just spurred the rest of us perverts on, and we all started shouting suggestions to the strippers on what moves to do next. I almost started to feel bad for Cal at one point. He was literally sitting as still as a statue on the bed while two half naked guys thrusted their hips at him. But the show ended soon enough, and we all clapped enthusiastically as the dancers took their bows.

They got dressed, congratulated Tori and Cal on their upcoming nuptials, and even gave out a business card or two to some of Cal's friends. Michael escorted them out, and as soon as he had shut the door behind them, he was jumped by Calum. Literally.

"Ow! Fuck! Get off me, dude! Tori, get him off!"

"I don't think so," she laughed. "You got yourself into this mess. You can get yourself out."

"What the FUCK were you thinking, Michael?!" Calum shouted as he clung onto Michael's back and started pawing at his face. "You hired strippers? For my fiance?!"

"Chill out, man!" Michael begged, trying to toss Calum off. "They paid more attention to you than her anyway!"

"And that's supposed to make it better? Why in the hell would you think I would want a fucking male stripper?!"

They scrapped for a couple minutes as the rest of us watched, practically in tears from laughing so hard. In reality, this was probably a better show than the stripper cops had put on. Finally, Luke started to feel a little sympathy for Michael, and he made his way towards the fighting friends to attempt to pry them apart.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, Cal. It was just a joke. Back off."

"Just a joke, my ass," Calum mumbled as he stepped away from Michael with one last jab to the shoulder. "Let two guys in thongs hump your leg and see if you still feel like it's a joke, Hemmings."

Tori was able to control her laughter enough to make her way to Calum, giving him a comforting kiss on the cheek and rubbing his back. "It's okay, baby," she cooed. "It's over now. You never have to go through that again." He immediately relaxed.

"You better be glad I love you," he grumbled back. I could tell his anger was gone, though, because he couldn't hold back a small smirk. Tori was smirking, too, and even though she had told him it was all over, I could almost guarantee that she wasn't going to let him live this down anytime soon.

"Well," Ashton interrupted, standing from his chair in the corner. "Now that we've got that out of the way, who's ready for the real party to begin?"

He didn't even have to ask us twice.