The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

14. show time

With music in his ears to drown out the surroundings, I watched Luke pace the small room that was the backstage area for bands performing as The Ink.

He'd been pacing for ages now. Wearing himself into the concrete floor. "Is he always like this?" I asked Calum, who was sitting next to my on the lounge. He was practically a stranger to me but Michael had disappeared and Ashton was still at the bar talking to a random girl.

"Yep," Calum nodded. "Not to this extent, but this will probably be our biggest show yet. He'll calm down once we're on stage. He always does."

I nodded slowly. I guessed like superheroes, rockstars have their weaknesses and The Ink was arguably one of the biggest venues in town. It was the old stomping ground of many well-known bands and 5 Seconds of Summer were playing to a sold-out venue tonight.

The fact that I was hanging out back stage with the boys felt a little strange to me. I wondered if Luke often invited girls to hang out here before a show, or if I was one of the rare few. Both thoughts weren't entirely comfortable.

I wondered if he'd asked me here to distract him. His nerves had kicked in the day before and he'd been a jittery mess since; a far cry from the cocky boy who I met when he first walked into the store.

When I told Luke that Harry wasn't coming to the show, I'd expected him to be disappointed. It was his idea to invite him after all. His reaction was exactly the opposite though; his delicate features had softened with relief.

So I didn't even mention that Clark from Pilot Records was actually coming in place of Harry. The less Luke knew at this stage, the better. His pacing showed no signs of slowing. In fact, I think his movements were becoming faster.

I grabbed an unopened bottle of water and walked over to Luke. He didn't even notice me, only taking out his earphones when I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Here, have a drink. It's not vodka," I laughed a little, "but it might help."

"Thanks," he said curtly, taking a sip and screwing the lid back on. Through his black t-shirt, I could see the harsh rise and fall of his chest.

"Hey," I placed a hand on his chest. "Relax, okay? You've got a whole crowd of girls out there who think you guys are going to be this decades version of Blink-182."

He didn't even smile at my reference to one of his favourite bands, and I was starting to feel nervous for him. Michael and Ashton better get there butts back in here soon, I thought. Luke still hadn't said anything when I realised my hand was still resting on his chest, his heart beating forcefully into my palm.

"What if everyone hates the new song?" he said, just as I put my hand back into my jeans pocket. "What if I forget the lyrics? What if - " Luke's attention moved behind me to where Calum was still sitting, tapping away on his phone. "Where's the other two?"

"They're..." I looked at Calum, waiting for him to answer and save the situation. He knew Luke far better than I did.

"I'm here," Michael walked in, his newly bleached blonde hair now partially dipped with shades of blue. He was going to end up bald one day.

"Where's Ashton?"

"I'll go find him," I offered, hoping that he hadn't moved from the bar. At this point, I needed some vodka. Luke's nervousness was contagious.

"No, Calum can go."

The dark haired boy was still occupied with his phone, not showing any inclination that he'd been listening to the conversations around him.