Salvation in the Secular Age {MH/GD}

{This Modern Love Wakes Me}

Firstly, I want to thank all of my readers and very dear friends for their constant support through this silly little story. I love you all.

Secondly, LOOK AT GEROGE BEDFORD DANIEL. How can you not fall in love with him? Seriously, tell me how, because I need HELP.

Also, if you are suffering from prolonged hours of looking at pictures of Adam, Ross, Matty and G on your phone and/or computer, your family and friends catch you talking about the band like you know them on a personal basis, and you reject boys because they're not on their level, please know that help is out there. Call 1-800-THE-1975. You are not alone.

All George in this chapter. Enjoy!

SEVEN WEEKS LATER.

{George}

"George fucking Daniel, I swear to God---" Harper's giant voice and tiny body followed me as I tried to make my way back to the safe haven of my bunk in the tour bus.

It was early in the morning--way, way earlier than I usually woke. I'd been disrupted from my much needed-sleep, somewhere between Tucson and Texas, with a craving for orange juice and a repetitive 'bam bam bam bam' in my ears.

"Harper, darling, wait," Adam followed after her, his towel cinched around his waist.

"George! Listen to me! You'd better not tell anyone, or so help me God, I will murder you," Harper continued to shout.

Groaning and shaking my waves of hair, I stumbled my Adidas slides into the living room area of the tour bus, with its sleek couches and furniture, fumbling amongst the pile of empty bottles to find my cigarettes.

"Love, you mustn't shout, you'll wake everyone," Adam said, putting his hand on the small of Harper's back.

She was still in her knickers, a little navy bralette that would likely be too small for a twelve year old girl, and had her hands on her narrow hips, her tiny frame poised in an effort to intimidate me.

It almost worked.

"I'm fucking traumatized," I mumbled as I put the fag into my mouth and lit it up. "That was just--just--just obscene, really."

Harper's gigantic blue eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head, and Adam merely shrugged his shoulder, his Geisha tattoo dancing a bit.

"Well, we didn't exactly think we were going to be interrupted," Harper made an excuse.

I blew out the smoke from my cigarette in a huff. "Interrupted? I interrupted you? I was half-awake and just wanted some orange juice and then I make my way to the refrigerator only to see you on your knees with your lips wrapped around Adam's--"

"What's going on? Why's everyone shouting?" Matty's voice appeared then, as his slender frame trotted near me, wearing only his Calvin Kleins.

This made three people standing in only their underwear: myself, Matty, Harper. Hann only managed to have a towel on.

"Nothing!" Harper snapped.

I took a long drag and closed my eyes, only to be haunted with the memory of my mate and his girlfriend on the down-low committing obscene acts in the kitchen of the tour bus. The horror. The sickening imagery.

"Harper, dear, it's really not that big of a deal, you musn't be so upset about it," Adam said, his hands going to rub Harper's bird-like shoulders.

Matty gasped, his brown eyes wide behind his gold-rimmed glasses. "Are you two shagging? Oh, fuck, has George walked in on you?"

Harper's auburn eyebrows knitted together, and Adam sneaked his hand around her waist before placing a tiny kiss on her temple. Ross came from the bunk area, shirtless but wearing navy pajama bottoms and scratching his happy trail.