Descending || m.c.

Chapter 19

This chapter's a bit long, but it's well worth it, I do believe, so here we go :)

Michael's POV

"Dude, you fucking cheated!" Calum's voice booms down the hall, bounding from wall to wall, and echoing throughout the entire living room. 

"How the hell do you cheat at HORSE?" Ashton laughs; I hear a ball hit the floor, followed by the sound of dribbling, then more arguing ensues with each voice trying to be louder than the next. My eyes flutter open, briefly adjusting to the light; Hadley was still sleeping in my arms and had at one point during the night turned to face me so that her nose nearly brushed against my collarbone. I groan, eyeing her worryingly; she had had as much sleep as I had myself lately, which wasn't a great amount. Once they rounded the corner, laughter pouring from them, I wave them down. Luke's eyebrows furrow and Calum looks around like a lost child. I simply point down at Hadley then press my index finger over my lips.

"Oh shit, sorry," Ashton whispers, immediately realizing the situation; he nods and pulls Calum and Luke into the kitchen. I can hear them fumbling around, rattling bowls in the cabinets, and running the water a little bit longer than they probably needed to. "Could you make any more noise, Calum?" I roll my eyes as they leave, heading out to the back patio. The still and quiet returns; I can faintly hear the small breaths leaving her body in tiny whimpers. Slowly, and carefully, I let myself move the red strands of hair covering her face, stopping momentarily as her nose twitches, her forehead creasing slightly. Honestly, she had never looked more beautiful than here, so at ease and finally resting. Oddly enough, I felt her stress had built up because of myself, and seeing her like this was comforting.
Hadley inhales sharply, her small figure forcing herself upwards as her lips meet my neck in a smile before pressing a kiss at the base of it. "Were you watching me sleep? Because that's creepy, Michael." She leans back against the couch cushion, her dark eyes barely open.

I halfway laugh at her sleepy, sedated state then lean forward to kiss the tip of her nose, then her lips. "Good morning, baby girl."

"You're so gross," she whines, now burying her head in my chest. "I haven't even brushed my teeth yet." 

"Do you really think I care?" I ask.

"No," she scowls. "But I do." Her voice is muffled against the material of my t-shirt. "Can we stay like this all day? It's so nice and warm."

"Umm... well," I start. "I had been thinking about that date before you woke up." Hadley sits back quickly, suddenly alert. "It's still a surprise, though." Her expression fades, but I take her hands in mine immediately, turning them over to trace lines over her palms. "Listen, it's nothing that's gonna upset you. I was just thinking about it and there's this really fucking awesome place right around the corner that we all went to last time we were here with One Direction, and I just have to take you. Plus, I really like—I want this date now if at all possible... I wanna take you out and have fun, because I would rather do that than just sit down and talk; we already know each other. And since we leave tonight for Seattle... I thought today would be perfect."

"So, just this idea of yours or..?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Is that all we're doing?" she questions.

"Oh," I say. "I had thought maybe once we get done there, we'll have to come back here and make sure we get everything packed and ready for Seattle, unless you already did that. Then maybe, I don't know we could just hang out in my bunk in the tour bus, play a couple video games with me, movies, or something... Hide away from the boys," I urge, leaning forward as to press my forehead against hers, our noses barely touching.