best friend | 5sos

#24

"Can't believe that I am in Osaka!" Lexi said excitedly, looking out of her hotel room window and seeing the beautiful city. She sat down in the windowsill and looked outside, it was so pretty. It was so different from what she had seen before and she was so happy she got to experience this with some of her best friends on her side.

"Are you coming with us to the venue or are you catching up with us later on?" Luke looked up from where he was laying down on Lexi's bed. "Andy and I were going to shoot some pictures I think, so I think I'll see you after soundcheck." Lexi said, walking over to the bed and laying down next to Luke.

"Andy is really making you a model, isn't he." Luke laughed. "I am so grateful for all of this. Really." Lexi said, staring at the curly haired boy next to her. "We know you are, it's cool." Luke smiled, staring at her. "Luke, we're leaving." Michael walked in to the room, carrying Southy. "Alright," Luke said, getting up and walking over to where Michael was standing, patting Southy on the head before leaving the room. 

"Could you watch Southy for me? Usually Crystal will take him but she's obviously not here." Michael sighed, showing how much he missed her. "Of course, I'll take South with me when Andy and I are off to the venue." Lexi smiled and grabbed Southy from Michael. "You're great, thank you." Michael smiled, giving her a hug before giving Southy a hug. 

Then she followed him to the little living room they had in the apartment, seeing everybody there. "I'll see you guys in a few hours." Lexi smiled. Andy walked over to her and said a quick hi. Ashton nodded and walked over to Lexi to give her a quick hug and a kiss on the top of her head, making her smile. Calum tried to ignore her as much as possible. They all followed two security guards and walked out of the hotel room. 

"So." Andy said, smiling and grabbing his camera in his two hands. "Yes!" Lexi smiled excitedly, "pictures!" Andy laughed and followed her to her own little room. She put Southy down on the bed and laid down next to him.

"What were you thinking of?" She then asked Andy who was walking around. "Well, I really like how dark this room is. Maybe we could create some dark pictures with a sad underlying thought." Andy started telling Lexi who was very interested. "But first let me take a very unprofessional selfie of Southy and me so Michael knows his precious doggo is okay," Lexi laughed, grabbing her phone.

After posting it, she got up and looked at Andy. "Do you have a black t-shirt or something? Something baggy would be best." Andy said while putting a different lens on his camera. "I'll just get one from Ashton I'm not sure if I have any near me." Lexi said, walking out of the room and in to Ashton's room which was next door. She grabbed a black t-shirt from his suitcase and undressed before slipping in to the t-shirt.

She walked back in the room to see Andy grabbing a pack of cigarettes. "I think a cigarette would make it cooler." He said, staring at Lexi. "Agreed." She said, staring at the pack he was holding and scrunching her face, not so happy with the brand. She walked over to her bag and got her own pack, showing him a goofy smile.

The next half hour was spent trying to take the prettiest pictures of Lexi and Andy seemed pretty content with the result. Afterwards, they were laying on Lexi's bed and he was showing her the pictures on his camera, Andy picked a few he really liked and edited them slightly to make them look even better on his laptop.

Soon after, Andy left to get ready for the night, so Lexi did the same. She made sure Southy was alright and hopped in to the shower, scrubbing off the dirt that had built up during the long flight. Afterwards she really decided to take her time to get ready.

Usually, she would quickly apply some makeup, let her hair air dry and just put on the comfiest outfit she could find. But now she really wanted to look good. Paparazzi was literally everywhere, Andy was everywhere behind the scenes and everybody's phones were out all the time. It just made her less insecure if she felt like she looked good.

So she spent a solid half hour on her makeup, much to Andy's dismay. He had called her a couple of times before, asking if she was ready. Lexi apologised and told him she was almost ready. 

Eventually, after she had slipped in to her outfit and heels, she walked out of her room and smiled. "Alright, I understand what took you so long." Andy laughed, grabbing his camera bag and swinging it over his shoulder. Lexi laughed and bowed down to pick up Southy.

"Let's go." Lexi smiled and followed Andy out of the hotel room. They walked over to the elevator and just waited until they came to the main area of the hotel. They could already hear the faint sounds of fans outside. "Will you be alright with Southy?" Andy turned and faced Lexi. "Oh, yeah, I'll be fine. Just make sure we have security." Lexi said, biting her lip and following him.

After Andy had found security they went outside and were escorted in to the car. This was pretty scary for Lexi. She still wasn't used to the mobbing. Andy wasn't either, they both looked a little like they lost their mother in a big grocery story. Usually Lexi was accompanied by somebody that was used to it, like Calum before they got in to the fight and now it was usually Ashton or sometimes Luke.

They got in to the taxi and were safe. Lexi found comfort in petting Southy, which made her pretty relaxed again, this was probably the reason Michael had a dog to begin with. Andy and Lexi made some basic conversation until they got to the arena. Luckily they couldn't get mobbed when they got there because they were already behind a fence.

Once it was possible, Andy got out of the car and was followed by Lexi. They followed an assistant of some sort in to the venue and Lexi was surprised by the amount of technical devices that were available. So many amplitudes, so many microphones, so many mixing tables, it really was a huge space filled with a music tech's dream.

"The boys are in their dressing room." The assistant said, pointing to a corridor. "I'm going to check out the venue, I'll meet up with you guys later." Andy said politely, placing his hand on Lexi's shoulder. Lexi nodded and walked in to the corridor that the assistant had pointed to.

She walked over to the room that had 5SOS on it and knocked before opening the door, seeing the boys sitting with a drink in hand and laughing. "Hey Lex!" Ashton smiled, standing up. "Southy!" Michael said excitedly, reaching for him. Lexi laughed and gave him the dog, then giving Ashton a hug, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

"We saw Andy's post of you, it looked so dope." Luke said while Lexi and Ashton sat down again. Calum had been quiet ever since she walked in, not so sure what to say. Lexi had promised not just to herself, but also to Ashton, Luke, Michael, Crystal and even Ariana, who she had gotten pretty close to, that she would act neutral to him.

They talked for a little longer until Ashton offered to show Lexi around. They stood up and said goodbye, walking out of the room. "How is Calum?" Lexi asked whilst Ashton slipped his arm around her shoulders and took a sip of his drink. 

"He's fine, when you're not around he is his usual self." He started telling, "shit, I'm sorry. It sounds harsh but it is the truth." Ashton bit his lip whilst they walked out of the corridor. "I know, it's okay." Lexi smiled, laying her head on his shoulder for a second whilst they continued walking.

"You can already hear their screaming and the Aces haven't even gone on yet." Ashton chuckled, walking over to where the stage entrance was. "Go on, take a peek." He laughed, holding Lexi's waist whilst she got two steps up the little steep set of stairs. She peeked over the stage to see a lot of girls already cheering. Before anybody could see her she ducked back down and turned around on the stairs, seeing Ashton below her, his hands still placed on her waist.

They stood like that for a little, unsure what to do. If the moment had lasted any longer, Lexi might have done something to get even closer to him. "Come, let's head back." Ashton then smiled, grabbing her hand and walking back to the dressing room.