Lost at Sea |

I.

LOS ANGELES

It was going to be one of those nights again, James could sense it. He knew he was going to be out once his head hit the pillow, and his body practically weakened with desire for a good night sleep. He couldn't remember what day it was, being that the last place he left from was an airport on the opposite side of the world. It could've been a full 24 hours since he's even seen the outside of either a plane or uber car. He barely took in his surroundings after getting dropped off in front of the hotel from the car that was sent to pick him and his band at the airport. It could've been the Four Seasons, or a Holiday Inn Express for all he knew.

After being on the road so long, hotels all seem to blend together. James remembers back when staying in a hotel seemed like a treat when he was a child. Mostly because his parents never seemed to have the money to take him and his large family on very many vacations growing up. After all this time of being in the band, he could still clearly remember the first hotel he stayed at.

It was nowhere near as extravagant as the lodgings he's become accustomed to since being in a band, but it still stands out as the most memorable places he's stayed at. The beds squeaked if you breathed on it the wrong way, and the end tables had dried coffee stains but it was still possibly the best night sleep he ever got. And as he shoved the plastic hotel key his tour manager gave him into its designated slot, he ached for the same comfort he received while staying at that hotel so long ago.

Stumbling into his hotel room, while practically taking out the lamp on the nightstand as he through his bag on to the bed, James dragged his feet towards the bed and flopped onto it like a dead fish. He released a guttural groan as his body sagged into the mattress, and he wondered for the millionth time how he was going to manage to wake up at 4 AM the next morning. He briefly remembered the run down his tour manager had explained to them on the ride back from the airport but James couldn't recall the specifics of what they'd actually be doing. Knowing from experience, getting up that early usually meant a long day of radio press which probably meant a 15 minute break in between interviews for lunch, meaning that he would probably be going on stage hungry later on in the day. Fuck, he really hoped they didn't have an acoustic show or live radio performance, James was never very confident of how well his morning voice sounded carrying out songs. If he was a more productive individual he would use this time before bed to do some vocal exercises but the thought alone made him want to curl up his six foot three body into the fetal position.

However, As much as he appreciated the sensations of a clean, tidy bed against him; he couldn't help but feel grimy after a long day of traveling. With the thought of a long shower in mind, he propped his hands up on the mattress and pushed himself off of it with a grunt, stretching out the muscles in his back that were tight from the strenuous traveling. Just as he began to unbutton his pants, and leave them discarded on the floor in search for a long, hot shower; his door flung open.

"What the fuck?!" James exclaimed, turning around to face away from the door before even getting a look at who the intruder could possibly be. Leaning down to pick up the skinny jeans of his that were pooled around his ankles, and shove them up so the bottom half was covered from the stranger's eyes. Before he could even turn back around, or yell for security, the intruder spoke.

"Oh by all means, don't stop on my account." The familiar voice of his girlfriend, Zoe, purred out. The muscles in his back relaxed as he instantly recognized the voice, and let a sigh of relief fall from his lips. He had truly feared that a fan had somehow managed to sneak into his room, it wouldn't be the first time one of them tried.

"How did you get a key?" James asked, oddly enough the question was the first thing he thought of at the sound of her barging into his hotel room unannounced. It wasn't like her presence bothered him so to speak but he would've appreciated a phone call or at least text from her signaling her arrival. James never liked the feeling of being snuck up on, and after such a long day going through countless timezones-he wasn't necessarily in the mood for surprise visits. Even from someone he....dates? casually fucks? He wasn't sure when the casual fucking between them spiraled into a relationship but it did and he wasn't necessarily bothered by it. He enjoyed spending his time off with her, mostly because it felt nice to talk to someone different than the three other guys he's seen every day for the past four years. He loved the other guys as if they were his own brothers, but sometimes he just wanted someone softer, and prettier to look at. Especially if that someone has no qualms blowing him after a long day.