The Understudy (hiatus)

Chapter Nine - Tydelynn

We were all sat downstairs in the living area, eating the jamaican chicken that I'd cooked about ten minutes ago. It tasted pretty good according to the lads, but I barely ate any. I didn't feel that hungry at all, and that was usually a sign that I was close to my period. Fab.

"Dan, do you want this?" I asked him, and he nodded lightly whilst passing me his empty plate.

"Are you okay? Aren't you hungry?" He fretted, and I chuckled as I scraped the chicken onto his plate.

"I'm fine...Just womanly stuff," I replied, rubbing my tummy and walking upstairs. As I got to the top, I heard Kyle say something that I found terrifically amusing.

"Guys, I think Tyde's pregnant! Dan, is this your doing?"

I burst into laughter, sitting on the top step. When I managed to compose myself, I opened my eyes and found Kyle standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" He asked, and I giggled again.

"Pregnant? Really? I haven't put that much weight on, have I?"

"You were rubbing your tummy and saying you're a woman,"

"Kyle, what happens when a woman isn't pregnant?"

"Urm...she gets a visit from that bitch off the Tampax advert?"

"Why? What does she bring?"

Kyle was silent for a few moments, and then the penny dropped. His face turned bright red and his mouth formed a perfect 'o' in realisation.

"Oh crap, urm...yeah. You don't look pregnant...well, you aren't so... urm," He stuttered, walking back into the living area. I shook my head, grinning, and climbed into my bunk.

"Tyde's not pregnant guys, she's on shark week," I heard Kyle announce downstairs.

"Shark week?" Will's confused voice drifted upstairs.

"Have you not seen that post on Facebook? A shark's brain looks like that thing in a woman where the eggs are and that tube and stuff,"

"Kyle, do you mean a period?" Dan asked, and I started laughing again. This happened on every tour I went on with boys, they always saw me as one of them and then got very baffled when I mentioned a period or something womanly. 

It was two a.m, and everyone was asleep. Of course, I wasn't. I sighed and got out of my bunk, grabbing my phone and my iPod. I walked downstairs, made myself a cup of tea and settled down on one of the sofas.

"Tyde?" I heard Dan's soft voice echo in the room, and I turned my head to find him standing at the bottom of the stairs. 

"Hi, Dan," I whispered, and he smiled.

"Can I join you?" He asked, and I nodded. He sat down beside me, and I smiled at him. "Why are you awake?"

"Insomnia," I mumbled, taking a sip of my tea. I offered some to Dan, and he took a huge gulp. "What about you?"

"Nightmares," He shuddered, and I looked up. His eyes were slightly glassy and I noticed his hands were shaking lightly. Poor Dan.

I don't know why I did it, but I'm glad that I did. I shuffled as near to him as I could and put my arms around him, resting my head in the crook of his neck. He sat stunned for a few seconds, until he responded by wrapping his arms around my shoulders, One of his hands messed with a strand of my hair.

"You'll be okay, hun," I whispered and he sighed lightly, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I raised my head from off his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "You've always got me to talk to,"

"Thank you," He whispered back. 

My attention was suddenly drawn to his mouth. I could feel myself being drawn in to him, and I noticed Dan's head was creeping closer.

What was I doing? I wasn't attracted to Dan! I'd trained myself to not be drawn into him, and here I was: sat on his lap, arms around him and dangerously close to kissing him. No, Tyde, no.

I sighed and bent my head a little bit. Dan noticed and pulled back a little.

"Sorry," He mumbled, and I shook my head. I ran back upstairs and jumped in my bunk. I replayed in my mind what had just happened, my heart hurting every time I thought about it. 

Maybe I did have feelings for Dan.

...............................................................................................................................................................................

The next morning, I had come on my period. I was lying on the sofa downstairs, rubbing my tummy and watching Kyle laugh at me, when the bus suddenly stopped. The driver appeared.

"Dick says that we're stopping at a supermarket for half an hour, if you guys want anything you should go now," He said, before disappearing to the front of the bus. All four lads got up and put on their coats before leaving the bus.

"Want anything Tyde?" Dan asked before he left, and I shook my head. He walked out the bus and shut the door behind him. Luckily, things weren't awkward between us this morning, it was as if the almost lip-locking incident had been forgotten, but even so - I couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if we had kissed.

I couldn't ignore how much I wanted it to happen either.

Twenty minutes later, Dan appeared. 

"Hey, where are the others?" I asked.

"Still in there,"

Dan unloaded his shopping from the bag and walked up to me.

"I got you these, thought you might want them" He whispered.

I smiled. He was holding a huge tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, a packet of painkillers and a bottle of Friji Milkshake.

"You're a darling, thank you," I gushed, taking the items out of his hands and kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"You're welcome," He grinned, sitting down beside me.

I broke into the Ben & Jerry's first. I got up and got two spoons from the kitchen area, then sat back down on the sofa.

"Two spoons?" Dan quizzed, and I handed him a spoon.

"I can't eat all this by myself, I'll put on enough weight for Kyle to think I'm pregnant again,"

Dan burst out laughing, and dug a spoon into the icecream.

And I was sat there like a weirdo, watching his mouth as he ate it. I couldn't stop thinking about his lips and the more I did, the more I wanted him to kiss me. I was certain now that I had feelings for Dan, even if my head kept denying it.

Maybe one day, I'd tell Dan how I felt. Maybe.