Underneath

Underneath-Chapter 2

"Adam? Adam, it's time to wake up. Come on!" A lively voice said to me.

It couldn't have been time to wake up.

I had just laid back down five minutes ago.

"Sauli, what time is it?" I asked, sleepily.

"It's eight-thirty. You have a photo shoot in an hour and a half. Breakfast is on the table. Get ready." He said to me and left out.

Eight-thirty?

It didn't feel like I slept for three more hours.

I rolled on my back and stared at the high ceiling.

I was exhausted.

I had just come off of a promotional tour for my new music and my hours of sleep had been greatly reduced.

I almost didn't want to go to this photo shoot.

I  needed more sleep, especially after what I experienced last night with that nightmare.

However, I knew I needed to do this for my fans.

It was going to be in a magazine that I knew my fans were anxiously waiting for, even though the shoot had yet to start.

I knew my fans would want to buy it and I didn't want to let them down.

After a few more minutes, I shuffled out of my bed and slowly made my way down to the kitchen.

"Good morning!" Sauli exclaimed when he saw me.

"Good morning." I said to him, half asleep.

Sauli watched me as I sat down and continued to look at my face.

His light sky blue eyes were observant.

"What?" I asked him.

"Adam, how much sleep did you get?" He asked.

"Not much. I had a nightmare and it kept me awake. I attempted to fall back asleep, but it took some time for me to get back to unconsciousness." I replied.

"You look exhausted." He said with concern, sitting across from me.

I took a bite of the breakfast he made.

"I am, but it's mind over matter. I've gotten use to it because of my career." I said to him after I finished chewing.

I took another bite.

"I'm concerned about your well-being. I don't want  you to get to a point of exhaustion where your health starts to deteriorate." He said to me.

The corners of my mouth turned up.

It was so nice to have someone looking out for me and it warmed my heart.

"I know you are, Sauli. That's why you're one of my closest friends, but please understand that I would never push myself so far that my life would be on the line." I said, smiling.

Our eyes met and we smiled at one another.

I was the first to pull away, but continued eating.

After I finished, Sauli got my iPad from the living room and placed it next to me.

"You might want to see this. A couple of the Glamberts tweeted me this, asking if I would show it to you." He said to me.

He took my plate and empty cup to the dishwasher and I turned my attention to the brightly lit screen.

I watched it intently as a video played of my Glamberts dancing to my newest single.

"I have the best fans in the world!" I said as the video finished.

"You're loved by so many people, Adam. I sometimes think you may not realize just how much of an impact you have made." Sauli said, sitting in front of me once again.

I couldn't be anymore happier with having him as one of my closest friends.

He knew how to lighten someone's day up, no matter how bad it had been.

"Awww, thanks, Sauli! I really needed to hear that." I said to him.

He smiled.

"And thank you for opening your house to me, even though it was so early in the morning. I didn't want to be by myself after the day that I had gone through."

"My pleasure. Whenever you need help or someone to talk to, you let me know. I'm here to listen." I responded.

"I will. Now, you better go get ready. Your shoot will be starting soon." He said to me.

I smiled and left out the room.

Once I saw myself in the mirror, I realized that Sauli was right.

My usual blues had purple, bruiselike rings underneath them and my body was tired.

However, I knew that once I got to the location of my shoot, they would put makeup on me and at least then it wouldn't be as noticeable.

As far as my body went, I would have to straighten up and pull through.

There was no other option for me.

My fans meant the world to me and I wasn't going to let fatigue stop me from giving anything less than what they have given me.

After getting dressed in a nice outfit, I put on a dark pair of sunglasses.

I wouldn't be able to completely hide the rings under my eyes, but I could at least make the color fade down to a more dimmer level.

"Okay, Sauli, I'm heading out. Stay here as long as you need to and I'll see you later, okay?" I said to him on the way out of the door.

"Okay. Are you sure you can drive with how you're feeling?" He asked me.

Another smile.

"I'm sure. Thank you for asking me, but I'm sure I can make it." I said.

"Okay. See you later."

"See you later."

I closed the door behind me and got into my car.

I couldn't focus on how I was feeling anymore.

I had a photo shoot to do and nothing else was going to be given but my best.