Delirium

Chapter 2

Dallas hated the way Liz clanged onto his arm. He was not one for physical touch. He excused himself from her and the paparazzi. The rest of the band seemed to be enjoying the attention. The reporters attempted to follow Dallas to his bus but security stopped them. He released a sigh as he plopped down onto his couch. Dallas informed Dan, his bodyguard, to keep Liz from coming to him.

He ran his hand over his face glancing at the new bottle of whiskey. "I need a break". He was exhausted from one performance after another. Things began to aggravate him: the touring, the people, Liz, endless partying, and his friends. Dallas forced himself up to snatch the whiskey. He placed it on the small table beside him as he sat back down. Dallas popped open the bottle and began to drink. Sometime later, his eyelids grew heavy. He closed them longing to rest. The next thing Dallas knew, he drifted off to sleep.

Dallas woke to his best friend Michael 'Mikey' Carter, shaking him, "Hey, buddy are you alive?"

His head was pounding and his vision was blurry. He saw an auburn girl standing in the corner of the room. "Ella?" he whispered.

Mikey turned around. " Hunter, Ella isn't here."

The figure left the tour bus.

He shoved his friend off himself. "Elle!" Dallas cried.

"Dal, she isn't here."

"Yes, she is Mikey!" Dallas claimed frantically, " I just saw her."

Elijah groaned, "Griffin, I think your brother is having hallucinations again."

Dallas's younger brother approached them. "You aren't serious."

Griffin knelt in front of him. He picks up a broken bottle of half of the consumed whiskey. His hazel eyes connected with his brothers, "Dal. . ." He sighs. "Ella isn't here. She hasn't been for several years."

"But I just saw her, I swear!" Dallas shouted.

"Could he be suffering from delirium again?"

Griffin shook his head. "He's been cured of that for about two years now." He looks at Mikey. "I guess we should put him to bed."

"Perhaps," Mikey replies, placing a firm hand on Dallas's broad shoulder.

A little while later Dallas awakened with a raging headache. The band was discussing something but he could not understand because of his ears ringing. Noah notices Dallas's fluttering eyes, "about time you woke up."

Dallas grunted as he rose, "How long was I out for Mikey?"

"A good while," Mikey replied.

"At least a few hours." Ryan chimed in.

"Can I have an ibuprofen?" He requested, "Several?" he paused, "I feel like I was hit by a train."

Griffin grabbed the small bottle. "Not." He offers Dallas a stern expression, "You are already an alcoholic Dallas. You do not need to start drugs."

Dallas managed to stand and met his younger brother's brown eyes. "Okay, mom." He swayed a bit with the moving tour bus.

He gave the band a drowsy glance and went to the restroom. Dallas felt as if his intestines were coming up his throat, and out of his mouth. He did not know how many times he had thrown up. An image of her crossed his mind. Why was he still thinking of Ella after all these years? Even though Liz did irritate him occasionally, he was satisfied with his girlfriend. He gazed down at the hard floor. His stomach would not stop churning. One of the Delirium members knocked on the door softly. "Are you good bro?" Mikey asks as his voice is muffled. Dallas offered a grunt in return.

A few days later Delirium arrives in Nashville, Tennessee. Dallas was thankful to be home after months of travel. He hoped to be able to stay home for a few months but deep down he knew it was not possible. He asked the band if they wanted to hang out at his mansion. They all turned him down. Dallas turned to Mikey, "Please man?"

Mikey sighed, "I can't Dallas. I told you that I have a date."

"The girl's DMs you slid into?" Dallas questioned.

"Yes." He replied.

Dallas pulled up to his house. It was a mammoth-sized brick home, with black shutters, white framing around the windows, and front unlocking his front door, letting his brother in. He did not remember leaving his house this cold. He searched for the thermostat, adjusting it to a warmer temperature. His gaze swung over to Griffin propped back on the large cloth sofa. He picked up a photo of Griffin, their little sister Huntleigh, and himself. He had not seen Huntleigh in a long time. Ever since Delirium had gone on tour, Dallas had not had the time to reach out to her. He assumed she was doing alright. "Hey, Griff?"

"Hey, Dallas?" He replied mockingly.

"Have you heard from Huntleigh?"

"Nope." He said turning on the television.

Dallas's gaze lingered on the picture; their family was his everything until it was not. "Sometimes all it takes is one lie." He muttered, setting the photo down firmly.

His phone rang inside his pocket. Before checking it, his brother's Beagle, Sadie, threw her small paws on his knee. He let her out the back door and into the large backyard. He checked the caller ID. The contact read Liz. Dallas was not in the mood to listen to her whining. He turned his phone on silent and set it on the island.

A few hours later he decided to call Liz back. He listened to her rant about the casting crew of her new movie Heartly. Liz had had a rough home life just as he did. That was one of the very few things they had in common despite being celebrities. She adored the swarm of people and she loved the fame. However, Dallas despised it. He loved his fans and did not mind being famous. He detested the paparazzi.

Dallas bid Liz goodnight, flipping through old photos. He came across a picture of his first love, Ella. She was gazing at him with the smile he used to look forward to seeing. Her auburn hair that he was always itching to run his hands through. Those beautiful baby blue eyes anyone could spot in a sea full of people. He loved her defined neutral nose and her heart-shaped lips. Dallas adored her slender 5 '4 frame pressed against his 6'1 one. Ella was truly beautiful; she had a personality that anyone could love. She had a heart so big that she never understood why people took advantage of her. His heart aches from missing her, "Where are you, Elle?"