Love is the drug

Chapter 2: Drunk Words Are Sober Thoughts

I've never really been into after party's, but this time I was actually enjoying myself. The club music blared so loud you could barely hear it, and everyone was either drunk or very tipsy. Including me.

Patrick showed up with three guys who looked about my age.
"Ryan, this is the support band, well the rest of the support band because I'm assuming you already met Brendon?" I nodded.
"Well, this is Andy, Gabe, and Joe." He gestured to the three of them and we all smiled and exchanged greetings. And then the crowd dispersed, and I was by myself.

After standing alone drinking for too long, I finally saw a familiar face in the crowd. Brendon stood by himself, seeming very interested in the drink in his hand. I should talk to him, I'm going to be touring with him for like 2 months I thought drunkenly. "Brendon, whats up man?" I slurred, having trouble stringing the words together to form a sentence. Brendon shrugged and took another swig of his beer, running his tongue over his full lips to catch the lingering froth. I caught myself staring and looked away shamefully.
"Nothing. You want another beer?" He asked, and I nodded. I was already drunk anyway, a little more couldn't hurt.

10 songs and an un-healthy amount of alcohol later, Brendon and I were swapping life stories.

"And my parents are Mormons, so when I told them I was bisexual, they had a fit," He laughed, swaying slightly.
"What about you Ryan, what's your tragic backstory?"
"I dunno, I had a pretty normal life growing up." I lied, my mind lingering on the fact that Brendon was bisexual.
"Although this one time when I was 15, Spencer and I got arrested for trying to sneak into a club. It was pretty funny, they called our moms and god, did we get in trouble." I grinned, recalling it like it was yesterday. Brendon laughed, his dark hair falling in front of his brown eyes. Suddenly I couldn't look away.
"You have nice eyes." I smiled, pushing Brendon's hair back so I could look at him properly.
"Thanks." He mumbled, his hand lingering on mine for a second, before dropping back to hold his beer. The conversation suddenly became silent and unbearably awkward.
"Um... I should go find the rest of my band.." I trailed off, backing out of the corner of the bar we had dominated.
"Yeah, I probably should too." Brendon smiled awkwardly, and it was only when he took a step back that I realised how close we actually were. I turned around before I could say anything I would regret tomorrow, and disappeared into the throbbing sea of people.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*
"Goddamn." I muttered, sitting up slightly to look around, greeted not by a hot chick, but with a splitting headache. I was in The Mirage Hotel, according to the room service menu on the bedside table. How or when I got here, I wasn't aware. Despite having a hangover from hell, I called Spencer.
"Spencer." I said bluntly.
"Yes?"
"What happened last night?"
"Ah..." He trailed off. "I'm not really sure. I just know we were all drunk and you and Brendon were practically inseparable," Vague memories came flooding back to me.
"And then you came and found us and I guess we all went home."
"Brendon's bisexual." I stated.
"Uh...ok. You should get down to the venue soon, were playing a show at 8." I glanced at the clock.
"Fuck man! That's means sound check in 2 hours!" I yelled, my throat hoarse.
"Yeah. So get here soon."
"Ok... Ok."
"Ok. Later."
"Later." But Spencer had already hung up.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*
"Ryan! You're here on time!" Patrick shouted across the stage.
"Yeah, wouldn't want to piss off my manager or anything by being late." I yelled back, a certain bite to my words. I didn't want to be here.

Spencer walked up behind me and gently punched my shoulder.
"Well done, Ry. I don't think I've ever seen you this perky after a hangover."
"After? My head still feels like it's being smashed in and I still feel like I'm going to throw up. It's actually a miracle I got out of bed." I groaned.
"Then maybe you shouldn't party so hard next time." Spencer shrugged, walking off to go sort out some shit with Patrick. I frowned at his words.
"Party less," I murmured. "Yeah, as if I'm gonna do tha-" I was cut off by a guitar neck smacking me in the back.
"shit, Ryan!" Brendon's worried eyes locked with mine as he put the guitar down and extended his hand to help me up.
"It's fine. I'm fine." I lied, a sharp pain running down my spine as I took his hand and stood up.
"Man I'm sorry, I didn't see you."
"Really it's fine." I forced a smile.
"If you say so..." Brendon trailed of, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hey, about last night... All that stuff I said, I was drunk." I blurted out, trying to avoid the awkward silence.
"Yeah, you were hammered. But so was I. I think we both said some stuff we weren't really supposed to."
"Yeah." I smiled, glad he understood.
"So maybe it would be better if you didn't tell anyone I'm bi... If that's ok.." Brendon's cheeks flushed red and he stared at his feet
"Yeah, of course." I mumbled, looking anywhere but his face.
"I should go.. Set up and.." Brendon pointed nonchalantly to the instruments and walked away, leaving me wondering if that conversation could have been any more painfully awkward.

I paid no attention to the show we played, I was on auto pilot the whole time. I didn't even know where we were. When I finally stumbled into the tour bus I was ready to collapse into my bunk, but no such luck.
"Ryan! Just the man I wanted to see." Patrick grinned smugly, placing his hand on the small of my back as if to silently say "there's no getting out of this."
"Is this overly important? Because right now I'm practically sleeping on my feet." I yawned, earning a disapproving frown from Patrick.
"It will only take a second."
"Fine. What is it."
"The Tonight Show wants to interview you and have you play Broken Glass live!" Patrick almost yelled, grinning from ear to ear.
"Can we play Black On The Night instead?" I asked, tired of everyone acting like Broken Glass was the only song on the album.
"They specifically requested Broken Glass... I'll see what I can do about it. Now you go to bed and I'll tell the other boys." Patrick smiled, waving me off. I gratefully climbed into my uncomfortable bunk, still mildly angry about having to play Broken Glass again.

"There are other songs on the goddamn album." I repeated to myself, shifting around to get comfortable on the thin mattress. I was interrupted by the loud bang of the bus door opening, and voices echoing around the small lounge. Fuck, I'm just not destined to be able to sleep tonight am I. I poked my head out of the curtain covering my bunk, and frowned. Brendon, Spencer and Jon sat on the black couches, chattering away, beers in hands.
"Damn." I muttered, climbing out of my bunk and pulling on a pair of jeans.
"Hey." I plastered a fake smile on my face and say down next to Spencer.
"Hey." Spencer grinned back, obviously a little bit more than tipsy. I took the half empty bottle of beer out of his hands and discarded it. Spencer made a confused face, looking like a lost puppy without it.
"I was drinking that, Ryan." He said sadly, sounding mildly ticked off.
"That's why I took it." I remarked bluntly. Jon and Brendon were in a deep conversation about guitars or something, when the door burst open again. The rest of Brendon's band filed in, laughing and smoking, just having a good time in general.

We all sat and talked well into the early morning hours, later than we should have, later than I should have, especially. We weren't playing a show tomorrow, but I had about 10 interviews lined up with various radio stations and small time magazines. No rest for the wicked I guess. Still, I was surprised when I was woken by Patrick's frantic yells.
"It's in less than half an hour and you're all still asleep! GET UP NOW. God, it's like raising children." I couldn't see him, but I knew he was biting his lip nervously. It was a bad habit of his, resulting in a pretty battered bottom lip. But that was okay because dear old Pattykins didn't have to do interviews or photo shoots like the rest of us. Therefore the lucky bastard didn't have to look immaculate all the time. Maybe I should look into being a manager...

"Ryan! Wake up and get dressed now!" Patrick demanded, flinging the bunk curtain open with such force I thought he might rip it off.
"I'm coming. Just give me a sec."
"NOW." He glared at me. This shouldn't have intimidated me, because Patrick wasn't an overly intimidating man, with his soft blonde hair, and kind eyes. But nevertheless it DID intimidate me, and I sat up, crawling out of the bunk. I threw on some jeans from last night and the first t-shirt I laid eyes on, a loose black one. It probably wasn't even mine but that didn't bother me right now. I just had to get to the interview so I could sleep after.

***

"So Ryan, what is Broken Glass really about?" The young, blonde radio host asked, flashing her pretty blue eyes at me in a flirty way. She couldn't be much older than 16, and I honestly had no idea how she was a radio host at that age.
"Broken Glass is about... a kid who's life is falling to pieces." I remarked. This wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth.
"Do you know the kid it's about?" The girl said curiously. I think she genuinely wanted to know.
"Yes."
"Are you.. Could you tell us who it is?"
"No. Sorry." I smiled apologetically, although I wasn't sorry at all. The name of that kid was one of those things that you only tell someone you trust and love.
Too bad I had no one like that right now.
The girl pressed on with more annoying questions, till Patrick dragged me away from her.
"Thank you." I smiled gratefully.
"I had to do something, she never would have shut up if I didn't." Patrick sighed, rubbing his temples.

1 interview down, 9 to go.

A/N:
Heya guys, it took me a while to update but chapter two is finally done (*⌒▽⌒*)θ～♪ sorry it's kinda short and boring and has bad grammar or whatever :( I'll be posting the next chapter when this one gets to 40 reads. So it will probably take ages to post the next chapter omg, please if you like it so far recommend it to other people and vote for it 😘 thanks you guys, love you a hecka lot!
Xxxxx
Grace