Ecstasy [h.s.]

19

Scarlett Thatcher.

May 16, 2023

As I walk down the hotel hallway, the sound of muffled Ecstasy's music grows louder and more distinct with each step. As I approach the door, the music becomes louder and more defined. I can hear the various instruments in the mix, each playing its own unique part. The bass line is driving and forceful, while the drums are tight and punchy. The guitar riff is catchy and memorable, and the vocals are powerful and emotive.

Today's my first date with Lucas and to say that I'm nervous is an understatement. I'd forgotten how long it had been since I'd actually had a full-fledged date. I hooked up with a few guys in the time since I broke up with Aidan, but he was the last first date I'd really had. I felt like I'd forgotten to do anything pertaining to actually dating.

Even after the first few dates with Aidan, he'd completely given up. Eventually, the most romantic part of our dates became our hands touching for a second while we fought over the remote, which usually ended in him just yelling at me.

It was certainly not as domestic as I'd hoped it to be.

As I stand outside the hotel door, presumably Niall's, I can feel the energy emanating from the room. The band is in full creative flow, lost in the moment and lost in their music. The sounds are building to a crescendo, with each member adding their own unique contribution to the mix.

No time to dwell on this for too long.

I push open the wooden door, surprised to find it unlocked. "Where's Briar? Alex?" I pant, rushing into Niall's hotel room. The whole band is sitting in his room, trying to brainstorm lyrics to some new song. The hotel room is a cacophony of chaos, the aftermath of a raucous night of punk rock energy. The air is thick with cigarette smoke and the faint scent of spilled beer.

The room is lit only by the flickering neon sign outside the window, casting everything in an eerie glow. The floor is a carpet of debris: crumpled-up scraps of paper, discarded guitar picks, and crushed cigarette butts. Empty beer cans and liquor bottles line the walls, their labels torn and stained with sweat and grime.

Zayn furrows his eyebrows at me. "Briar had some shit to sew and she needed a model so she took Alex with her."

"Fuck." I run my hands through my hair, feeling slightly desperate. I have my date with Lucas in only a few hours and I have no idea how to dress, how to act. I desperately tried to call Lila, but she was in class and too busy to be able to talk me through this.

"What's up?" Liam asks, adjusting the guitar on his lap as he furrows his eyebrows at me.

My eyes flit to Harry's just for a moment, his body huddled into the corner of the couch to the side. "Uh, I have a date." I scratch my head.

"A date?"

"A date," I confirm.

"With...?" Zayn prompts.

"Lucas," I admit, avoiding eye contact.

The room erupts into cheers, Niall moving to high-five me. "Holy shit, Scarlett's going on a date!" He cheers.

"You can't go on a date with Lucas, we're supposed to be dating," Harry says in confusion.

I wave a hand at him submissively. "It's fine, our relationship is new enough, no one will have to know. But I fucking need help, I don't know what dress to wear, what to talk about with him-" I begin to pace back and forth across the room.

Louis stands up from the stool he's sitting on and sets aside the paper in his hands, moving his hands to my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down. "Hey, blondie, it'll be fine. Do you want me to come and help you? I have sisters, I know how to prep-"