Addicted to the Bastards

The Hotel

Flashback

Me and my best friend, Kiki, were talking while having dinner together at Pizza-hut.
"Would you sleep with one of Palaye if you had the chance?" she asks me, we just have been talking about Remington's status as single and how he is the only one available at this moment.
"No, I would not. I mean I don't want a meaningless relationship with them."
"But if you get a chance that you can sleep with one of the guys and you don't know how it's going to end. You could end up in a relationship with one of them or become friends you don't know that, yet." Kiki answered and it got me thinking. Maybe.

Present day

Remington has come back stage as well as Sebastian who is looking really confused as to why I am there sitting there, clearly I'm an fan with my Palaye Royale merch.
"What is she doing here?" Sebastian tries to ask Remington and Emerson whispering so I don't hear, of course he is not very good at it. Remington explains why and then he turns to me.
"How was the show?" He asks.
"Well I had a good time bit it was so hot and clearly I strained myself a bit to much hence the pain."
"That sucks, is that every concert you go to?"
"Yeah, sadly it is. Although today is worse than ever. At least it means that I did enjoy it."
"Good to hear. You are not from here are you? I mean you accent sounds more American."
"Nope, we came from the Netherlands, sat 11 hours in a bus to get here."
"Wow, that's some dedication. You said you were with someone."
"Yes, Kiki. I think she is still outside somewhere. I'll text her. How is it to be touring all the time?"
"I love it, it's nothing like a job. Loads of fun all the time, seeing all these countries and partying a lot. Although it's nice that we gave tonight and tomorrow for ourselves before we fly home."
"Sounds like fun, wish I could maybe do it some day."
"Are you also a musician?"
I laugh "No, no way! Not talent in that area but as a photo and videographer maybe."
"What are you doing tonight?" Remington asks me.
"Well after this? Probably sleep at some creepy hostel with my friend. But first we stay up as late as we can so we don't have to spend so much time there."
"Well you could come with us, kill some time!"
"Great idea, I will have to ask Kiki if she wants to but I think she will."
"I will go to the metal bar next door to the venue, want to join?" Sebastian cuts in and asks everyone in the room.
"I am going to continue drawing." Emerson replies and then stands up and walks away.
"I'll stay with Courtney here, I don't think she would like anything else but this chair for now." Remington replies on his turn.
"OK, I'll ask Daniel. I think he's finding another beer." Sebastian walks away.
"I think Emerson going to the clothing room, he said there is better lighting in there." Remington says while getting a chair for himself.
"So explain, what is this fibromyalgie that you have?"
"Well it is nothing life-threatening, just very annoying. Just comes with a lot of pain. They call it a rheumatic but it is not actually that, it's a chronic pain in my muscles and soft tissue and they don't know anything else about it, which sucks."
"Can I get you a painkiller?"
"They don't actually work very well, so don't bother."
"Must be really rough."
"Only thing that helps is a balanced life but that's no fun, and no comcerts."
"Wow that sucks, is it ever going to go away?"
"Always the same questions" I laugh "well some, very few people have the luck that it does go away but there's no guarantees that it does. Let's talk about something fun now."
"Did you say you came from Rotterdam?"
"No, I've never told you that."
"Seb did. He saw a picture on Twitter."
"Well yes we do. We came with the night bus, wrong choice tho."
"Very unbalanced, why did it take so long?"
"Well we didn't have enough money to fly and well it's just a very long ride."
"Where is your friend?"
"I don't know I'll text her again."

After a while of talking I wanted to smoke a cigarette so I asked Remington where I could do that.
"Well you're in luck, we can go with the elevator and smoke behind the venue."
So we went to the elevator, outside I lit my cigarette and offered Remington one as well. I go to sit down and we talk some more, I check my phone 'no new messages' then I look to the left where I see Kiki. I wave at her but she doesn't see me.
"Is that your friend?" asks Remington
"Yes, she is with a group but I don't want all of those crazy fans to come with her. They don't know that I don't have much energy right now and that can make me very unfriendly."
"Well, I can get her but..."
"Yeah the crazies will come, I will get her myself. Don't forget my face, it will take a while."
"I won't, I promise." He laughs
I slowly walk over to the group, when I finally got to the group and I found Kiki, I tapped on her back. She turned around.
"Finally, I couldn't find you anywhere. Where were you?" Is the first thing she says.
"I'll tell you later, can you walk with me to the first aid?"
"Sure, where is it?"
"This way." I say as I point to the back of the venue.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Just trust me." Without saying anything else we start walking, again slowly, towards Remington who was, at this point, just out of sight.
"Are we walking tow..." she says when we are just out of hearing reach of the group.
"Yes, he is the first aid."
"So there was no real first aid?"
"Well, he did fix me a chair."
We walk up to Remington
"Kiki, meet Remington. Remington, meet Kiki."
"Hello Kiki" Remington replies while signaling for a hug.
"So would you come with us, to kill some time before you have to go back to the creepy hostel?" He says after the hug.
"Euh, what?" Kiki looks a bit stunned "I mean yes!"
"Great, then that is agreed." Remington looks at his phone "It's not time to go out yet, let's go back inside. I'll get you a pass inside."
We all step into the elevator.

2 hours later
I'm drinking some beer when there is a laugh just behind the door, Daniel. He is probably drunk again. Well I think he already was when he left with Sebastian.
"Finally Daniel is here." Remington says "He was supposed to pack his stuff into the bus of 15 minutes ago. He is lucky you guys were here to help me, so I had some time left to do his."
Sebastian said, stretching the truth a bit. We only looked after a couple of suitcases. In the hour Sebastian was back, we talked a bit. The others have said that we talk a different language together because were both really sarcastic and direct. The door opens.
"Wow! Remington two chicks, good job."
"Daniel, don't be such a ladies man!" Remington replies
"Well, I'll go start pack my stuff. I'm a bit late." Clearly he did not listen to what Sebastian just said.
"I already did it." Sebastian replies, irritated.
"You are amazing!"
"Let's get the stuff to the bus."

On the bus

"We are totally not five minutes late." Sebastian says sarcastically.
"Well that's the fastest we've ever been." Emerson replies.
"We had four hands extra that might've helped."
The bus starts driving towards Camden town as I look out of the window.
"How is your back?" Remington ask
"A bit better now I have rested." I replied
Sebastian walks towards the refrigerator and gets out a bottle of gin and a tonic.
"Who wants one?"
"I would like one." I reply
Sebastian gets two glasses out of the cupboard and pours us both a gin and tonic. He puts a glass in front of me on the table.
"Cheers"
"Cheers"
"You have to drink it a bit fast we are at the hotel in 10!" Sebastian continues.
I nod and take three big gulps, Sebastian looks surprised.
"Not a lot of people do that." He says a bit stunned "Where do I know you from?"
"Well I go to a lot of your shows, especially in the Netherlands because I live there."
"I think I recognize you, are you often in the front?"
"Almost always at the barrier, but always somewhere in the front. Surprising to know that you would remember that."
"How do you mean surprising?"
"Most artist don't remember any fans."
"Well I love our fans too much, they're like family to us so I try to remember everyone."
"So we are friends now?" I ask on which Remington replies "Well of course not, you're hybrids now you are Frans now."
"That just sounds like a French in Dutch and I'm not French."
Remington laughs
"Wait where are Kiki and Emerson?" I ask
"I don't know, I haven't seen them since I got you a drink." Sebastian replies to me just after he said that the bus stops.
"We are here!" The bus driver shouts. The door opens and we all step out, Emerson and Kiki follow us just a minute later.
"You will have to pretend that you're our girlfriends" Remington says to Kiki and me "We told the hotel that each of us have a girlfriend and they might surprise us with a visit, if they did we would pay for them later."
Remington puts it's his arm around my waist, Emerson puts his arm around Kiki his shoulder and we walk inside.
"Almost real" Remington whispers in my ear, I laugh as we wait for the elevator. After half a minute or so we step into the elevator, Remington keeps his arm around my waist and he clicks the button of the second floor.
"Well you can let me go now, otherwise Shy would get jealous." Kiki mentions to Emerson after the doors close.
"We actually broke up just before the tour, we just haven't posted it on social media."
"Oh" is all that Kiki can say.
"It's fine, we are still friends."
The elevator doors open, all of us get out and each of the boys go to their own room. I go with Remington and Kiki goes with Emerson.