Be Your Everything

s e v e n t y t h r e e

Elle's Perspective

No matter how many times I check my measurements, or how many times I remember that I'm not even a full two months along, I'm still nervous that someone will be able to tell that I'm pregnant. Even though I know that it won't happen, in my costume for tonight's Halloween party, I'm irrationally paranoid that a bump will somehow appear and reveal the truth. My off-the-shoulder top is so form-fitting, and I feel like my stomach looks rounder every time I look in the mirror.

"You can't tell," Luke says in the doorway. He's all dressed in his Danny Zuko costume, minus the greaser hair that I have to do on him before we leave.

"I know, but I'm overly paranoid." I sit him down on the edge of my bed and grab the hair gel we bought earlier to begin working his curls down. "What if something goes wrong tonight?"

"I'd offer you a drink to help you with the nerves but..." he absent-mindedly stares at my stomach, making me cover it as best as I can with my arms.

Luke reaches out and takes my hands off my stomach, grasping them between us. He tilts my face up to look at him, and I immediately feel at ease when I look into his eyes. He has always been able to calm me down when I get a little neurotic, and I couldn't be more grateful for that gift of his, especially now.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise." He taps his thumb against my hand, "I've got everything under control."

"Are you sure?" I want so badly to triple check every step of tonight's plan, but Luke and Calum both decided the stress wasn't good for me or the baby, so I've had to sit back and let them lay out the details of tonight's big scandal.

"Kat's going to sneak you out the back door of the club when we get there. As soon as you're in the car, Beth is going to come find me, and Calum's going to catch an uber back to his place. You'll meet him at his place, I get caught kissing a mystery girl, and by tomorrow, you'll be halfway across the world and this whole thing will be just a memory. Now, will you stop stressing?"

"Maybe..." I relax my shoulders slightly and smile. "I suppose we should get going then."

"Did you finish my hair already?" He looks over his shoulder at the mirror and smiles in surprise. "That was fast!"

"Thanks, now let's get moving. I need food before we go." I hold out my hands helplessly for him to help me stand, and he does so with a roll of his eyes.

"What, the pregnancy is affecting your ability to walk?" He chuckles, following me into the kitchen as I rummage for snacks in the cupboard.

"I'm preserving my strength for tonight," I say into the shelves as I decide between kettle corn and pretzels.

"Let's just hit the drive-thru on the way there," Luke suggests, and I shrug before grabbing the kettle corn bag from the shelf anyway. "Are you that hungry?"

"I'm eating for two, shut up." I storm past him and head for my front door, fulling prepared to eat this bag in its entirety before we even reach the McDonald's down the street.

. . . . .

The lights of the cameras look so much brighter than they ever have been. The chattering is louder and everything is moving much faster. I can't tell if it's anxiety or hormones making me feel so out of control, but something is making me want to sit down.

All of a sudden, the flashes grow dark around me and the shouting gets quieter. I lean back to rest without thinking, but I bump into something that snaps me back to reality.

"Elle, are you okay?" Luke clutches onto me from behind to steady me.

"Yeah," I whisper back. "I just need to get inside and away from the cameras."

Without hesitation, Luke pulls me to his side and swiftly guides me into the building. Once inside, I take a breath of relief and look up at my rescuer.

"Thank you," lean against him once again, this time out of gratitude. I'm still incredibly nervous for tonight, but I know that everything will be okay as long as I have him and Calum by my side.

"Lennie, do you feel okay?" He tilts my chin up so that our eyes meet. "You are not allowed to collapse on me, so you tell me if you feel even the slightest bit off."

"I'm fine, I promise. The cameras just got me stressed out." I flash him a reassuring smile and slowly walk in with his hand in mine. The rest of the band, along with Kat and Beth, join us at a table a moment later.

"Here you go," Kat hands me a drink the color of a tennis ball, and I give her a you-know-I-can't-drink-this look. "It's just Gatorade, don't worry. I always do this when my friends get too drunk because it looks like vodka sour."

"You're an evil genius," Calum laughs.

"I know," Kat giggles, "Elle, meet me at the backdoor in ten minutes. It's right next to the restroom."

"Why 10 minutes?" I ask as she drags Michael away.

"I have to change," she answers, although that doesn't explain why she's bringing Michael with her. "They're so weird."

"Yep," Calum chuckles, "now, you and Luke go out into the dance floor. I'll catch you back at my place."

"I'll miss you," I say quietly.

"I'll miss you more."

"Alright, you're still my girlfriend for the next 10 minutes." Luke rolls his eyes at our affection and offers me his hand. "Let's go get one last dance, huh Lennie?"

"Let's do it." I take his hand and follow him into the crowd of people, swaying and grinding to the beat of the music. There's barely any room to move around, but that makes it perfect for slipping in and out without being easily seen.

"Time for you to make your great escape," Luke whispers in my ear. "I'm going to go meet Beth in a different room, Ashley's going to walk in on us and cause a scene, and this will all be over."

"Thank you, Luke," I hug him quickly and start to walk away, but he grabs my hand and pulls me back to him. "Be safe, you've got the little guy to think of too."

"I will, I promise." I squeeze his hand and kiss his cheek, the realization that I won't be seeing him for a while hitting me all of a sudden.

"Get going, Lennie," he murmurs, and I obey. I push through the crowded room and find my way to the back, where Kat has changed into a black hoodie and jeans.

"Your new bodyguard is here to escort you, miss." She leads me out to the small parking lot behind the club and into a large black SUV.

"Wow, this is such a soccer mom car." I giggle as I climb into the vehicle.

"Maybe you should get one then," she snaps back, and I glare at her momentarily before we both crack up. "There's a sweatshirt in there, you might want to put it on in case people look in the windows."

"Good point." I quickly pull the dark fabric over my shoulders and place the hood over my head, while Kat carefully drives us away from the party.

"How does it feel to be free?" She smiles at me as we pull onto the 101.

"Weird," I tell her. "I didn't expect to feel this anxious when it was finally over."

"Well, you've got all new things to be concerned about now," Kat reminds me.

"It's weird, the thing that makes me so happy is also the thing that scares me the most."

"That's love for you," she says thoughtfully. "Alright missy, this is our first and only stop of the night, so if you're hungry, now's your chance."

I look out the window at the McDonalds in confusion until my sunkissed, tattooed Prince Charming comes over to the car and opens the back passenger door. "Miss me, gorgeous?"

"Eh, not really," I giggle and lean back towards his for a quick kiss. "Are we all set?"

Calum looks to the trunk with a smile and then nods. "I packed our luggage before we left for the party."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I look over at our getaway driver. "LAX please, we have a flight to catch."