Tell me how it feels to be new...

Part. 1 - The Room

October 1987, Germany - The Kissing Tour

'What do you mean "you accidentally booked the honeymoon suite?" How does that even happen?'

'Oh come on Simon, don't be so tense. There was a misunderstanding over the phone, that's all. Plus, it'll be a great opportunity to bring back someone from the pub HA.'

'Very funny. Don't be fucking silly. You know I'm with Carol'

'Yeah, yeah, right. Anyway. I'll leave you guys to it. See you tomorrow. Remember, you have an interview at 10. You better wake up, bastards.'

'Unreal...' Simon muttered to himself as Chris gave everyone their keys and left the hotel bar to go for a smoke.

The tour felt as if it had been going on forever. It was a lot of fun, yes, but the nonstop partying was starting to wear everyone out. They were still young, but the band never had the reputation of being kind to themselves and their health.

'Why does he always get the nicer things?! The worst part is that the fucker doesn't even enjoy it, while we must agree to sleep in our miserable little rooms.'

'Shut up Lol. You'd be too shit-faced to enjoy it anyway' said Robert in a scathing tone. The singer loathed being around Lawrence ever since he started drinking heavily, and he didn't care to hide it anymore.

'D'you think the hotel pool is still open?' said Pearl, desperately trying to brighten the mood.

Boris: 'Yeah, but not for long.'

Pearl : 'Well, if we go now, we can at least enjoy it a little.'

Lol: 'No one can tell me what I can and cannot do.'

'You better not puke in the water this time', said Robert as he discarded his empty beer bottle on the counter, visibly annoyed at the keyboardist's diva attitude. As everyone was already on their way to the lobby, Robert turned around when he noticed that Simon wasn't following them.

'You're not coming?'

'Nah. I've had enough of that weasel for today.'

'Okay... see you later mate.'

Simon waited until his best friend was out of sight to order a couple shots. The band had never been so successful, yet he still felt like nothing fulfilled him. Plus, Carol was constantly complaining about him leaving for tour and it was getting frustrating, so Simon took it upon himself to find every possible way to get numb.

*

Simon woke up around an hour later when a hand gently tapped on his shoulder.

'Si? You're STILL here?'

'...You're very perceptive. What time is it?' asked Simon to Robert, still seeing blurry from the booze and his short nap on the bar counter.

'Almost midnight. Come on, get up. I want to see that luxurious suite minibar', Robert said, holding in a small chuckle.

The slightly older man looked rough. His hair was still wet and the water dripping on his face was accentuating the dark circles under his eyes. His lipstick had smeared all over his mouth and he smelled like alcohol and chlorine. Simon never understood how Robert could be so careless about his appearance, and still managed to look cooler than him.

Simon stretched his neck and got up. As he followed his friend to the elevator, he couldn't help but notice how weirdly enthusiastic Robert was looking. Probably powdered his nose earlier. Simon reached into his pocket to find the key to his room. Last floor. Great. He clicked on the elevator button and leaned against the wall as his friend was recounting the events that took place at the pool.

The elevator door opened to a very long hallway, decorated with an excentric carpet and abstract paintings. What stood out the most was the lack of... doors. You usually see many rooms in long corridors, but this one seemed like it only got one.

'No neighbors... They really thought of everything uh?' Robert said with a naughty grin on his face, lightly pushing the other in a teasing way, which made the dark-eyed man smile.

Simon opened the door to the suite. 'Well, welcome to my palace Mr. Smith.'

'Bloody hell-'

The room was dimly lit with a ton of candles, but you could still see the color of the lush, red damask curtains. A gigantic bed in the middle of the suite was embellished with a gorgeous white bedspread covered in rose petals. How CHEESY. Champaign glasses, a huge shower with plenty of space to fuck... Simon looked at the ceiling and he almost jumped at the sight of it. The ceiling is basically a giant mirror. Simon couldn't hold back his laughter, astonished at the hilarity of the situation.

'This is BEYOND filthy', he said. 'I've never seen anything quite like it.'

Robert's eyes were open wide as he looked around. He started jumping around like a child while he explored his best friend's cursed room. Opening every drawer...

'Look! I FOUND PORN.'

Simon rolled his eyes at the singer's juvenile behavior, although deep down, he liked that about him. Keeps me young.

The tall man approached Robert who was already browsing through the extensive collection of films, amusedly. Then, his blue eyes fell on a different... category.

'Oh'
Gay porn.

The two men looked into each other's eyes and burst out laughing.

'Yeah, that's a bit awkward is it', said a suddenly uncomfortable Robert.

'Yeah.'

Simon looked at the wall for a moment. For some reason he didn't want to stare at his friend.

'So... fancy a drink?'

'Yes please.'

Simon grabbed the champaign bottle sitting in the ice bucket next to the bed and popped it open, careful not to aim at the *frankly disturbing* ceiling. He poured two glasses of the bubbly liquid and returned to Robert that was now cutting some lines on the bedside table: a nasty habit he apparently had a hard time breaking. The blue-eyed male made himself comfortable and sat against the bedhead before asking:

'...What was the deal this week? You seem off. You hardly speak to me.'

Simon was somewhat surprised at Robert's question. They were used to speaking about nothing and everything, including how they felt. However, for some reason, it never seemed so... intimate.

'Yeah I-... I'm sorry about that. I've been a bit frustrated lately... I think I'm just tired. Also Carol is always nagging me with the same rants about me being selfish or some shit... and I can't even go home to try and calm her down. It's fucking awful.'

'You miss her?'

'I do.'

'Me too.. I mean, I miss Mary too. I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this. Really. Wish I could cheer you up.'

Simon always appreciated Robert's thoughtfulness. Even when he left because of their fight, he missed him greatly. No one ever seems to care about what I think except for him. Simon sat nonchalantly at the end of the bed, spilling a couple drops of his drink on the bedspread. Robert was starting to fidget a little bit and he was playing obsessively with a damp strand of hair.

'Would you mind if I stayed here tonight..? It's comfier than my room, and this bed is kind of big anyway...don't you think?'

Simon thought about it for a second. They slept in the same room plenty of times before, but never in a place as such...

'...No, I don't mind. You can stay.' said Simon, slightly hesitating.

'Good. I because I would've stayed anyway.'

It this moment, Simon's drink tasted good, the bed felt soft and cushy under him, and Robert's red lips were looking absolutely...kissable.