The Mighty Fall // l.h.

Chapter 7 • Bad Habit

• Luke •

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

Mimi leans against the wall next to the front doors of the hotel, the cigarette in her fingers burning fiery orange-red at the end. She exhales slowly and the smoke curls through the air in front of her. She's changed into a pair of denim high-waisted shorts and a sleeveless black Rolling Stones t-shirt, which makes sense — her all-black ensemble probably wasn't very comfortable in the Vegas heat. I've kept my skinny jeans on, but I switched out my plain black t-shirt for the white one that reads "Dead" in black outlined letters.

"It was kinda hard to get away from the rest of the band," I reply with a shrug. "They left through the back entrance to go get dinner somewhere, though, so we should be fine."

"Why does your band hate me so much?" She asks, staring out at the road across from us instead of me.

"The other guys are pretty competitive," I answer, moving to lean against the wall next to her. "They just really want to get that award and they don't like the idea of you beating them."

Instead of replying, she takes another drag on her cigarette and exhales before turning to me, a smirk playing across her lips. "Where are we going?"

I glance across the street where she was just looking and shrug. "The paparazzi is probably already on the hunt for us," I reply. "I won't be surprised if the other guys get caught before they even get to their restaurant. Do you just want to hang out in the hotel?"

"What, like ... in your room?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

My cheeks get hot. "Y-yeah, I guess so."

"Why, Luke, I thought you'd at least buy me dinner before inviting me to your bedroom," she says mockingly, taking another quick drag.

"If you're gonna make fun of me, then you can go back to your own damn room," I laugh in reply.

She laughs, causing her nose to crinkle up a little. "I can't help it, you're fun to tease. Do you just want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure."

Mimi puts out her cigarette in the ashtray on top of the trashcan and we head back inside, walking towards the elevator. "Does Netflix work on the hotel TVs?" She asks as the doors slide closed.

"I don't know, I haven't checked yet," I reply. "I'd be surprised if it didn't, though."

We're let out on level four and start to head down the hallway. "Which room are you staying in?" She asks, turning over her shoulder to look at me.

"Room 409," I reply, reaching into my pocket to look for the key.

She stops in front of the door and waits for me to catch up and unlock it. As soon as we're inside, she kicks off her boots and sits down on the edge of the bed closest to the window. I grab the remote off the bedside table before going around to the other side of the bed and settling in, leaning my back against the stack of pillows. After switching on the TV, I quickly figure out how to work it and get to Netflix.

"What do you want to watch?" I ask, glancing at Mimi. She hasn't moved from the edge of the mattress, sitting with her legs hanging off the edge into the small open area between the two beds.

She shifts around to look at me and gives another shrug. "Whatever you want, I guess."

"Y'know, you can come closer," I inform her. "I'm not gonna bite."