The Desired Effect ~ Cameron Liddell

Chapter 18. "More Often"

Three years later.

Danny's POV.

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I had seen every headline about us, about her, over the years. Since everything started. All I did all day was google our names. For years. I had read every article and watched every video about us. About Naomi, and Cameron, and myself. But I kept it all from them. They saw what they saw and I couldn't stop them, but I didn't ever come to them with something I had found. Her phone hadn't got hacked again - thank god. And she stopped getting hurt all the time. I wasn't sure if that came with years of trying to cover things up, or if we just grew up. It was growing impossible to hide her changes though. She lost weight - so much weight. She was 90lbs and everyone knew it. She hated it. Cameron pretended he didn't notice because it hurt him so deeply to think that maybe we really had been hurting her. Both of them were addicted. And It was my fault. We had stopped doing almost all interviews unless we knew they wouldn't ask about Naomi. Which was beginning to be impossible, with the new album out. Touring became a struggle, as Naomi wasn't well enough and didn't want any more media attention, and Cameron was worried about leaving her alone. She deleted her social media accounts because she was getting to much shit. Her phone had become simply for taking pictures and texting - not the Naomi everyone knew. I wanted more than anything to get in her head. To see behind her manic outbursts and theories and this wall she had put up around herself for everyone but Cameron. I wanted to know if she was happy. I picked up my phone from the floor beside me where I sat, a bottle in my other hand. I dialed their house number three times before I finally pressed talk and called them. Naomi answered.

"Hi Danny how are you Danny?" I sighed to myself.

"I'm- lovely, Naomi. How are you?" She was high.

"Oh I'm so good! I just ate a massive donut Cameron brought home for me. It was so good."

"Oh that's good." I said happily.

"Yeah. It was so good. We have more here if you wanna come over and have one?" I thought for a moment. She's high. Which means Cameron is probably high. And all Cameron wants to do when he's high is kiss Naomi and cuddle her and love her. And I do not want to see that. "Cameron is at James' house."

"You got it." I laughed. "I'll be over in ten."

"Okay Danny bye Danny." She said my name constantly as if she was trying not to forget it. As if she was unsure Danny was still my name and she was saying it to see if I corrected her.

"Goodbye Naomi." I hung up and put on pants before driving over. When I got there, I walked in using the key they had given me. I had to check up on both of them when the other one was away, which was a rare occasion.

"Danny!" She ran over and hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Hey, Nomes." I kissed her cheek politely and she ran off down the hall. I looked around as I shut the door. It was disgusting. Pizza boxes on the floor in the corner, bottles all over the ground, some smashed, some half full. Blankets all over, and garbage seemingly acting as a carpet in the room. I kicked a path for myself as I walked over to the mouth of the hallway. "Nomes?" She ran back out with a pack of cigarettes and ushered me to follow her onto the balcony. I followed and she gave me a cigarette. Like the change had hit her like a ton of bricks, she was suddenly calm. I scanned her appearance. She had cut her hair short and dyed it blue, but it had grown back to its original length, so half of it was blue and the rest was dark brown. He skin was pasty and pale, and she looked too skinny to walk, never mind run around the house all day. But that's almost all she did.