mesmerised | blake richardson

nine

Serenity and Blake walked into the boys' hotel room later that evening, laughing at a joke that Blake had blurted out on the way up. Cassie, George and Reece were sitting cross legged on the bed, all facing each other.

Cassie turned her head to look at the two that had just walked in and noticed that Blake had his hand in hers. She winked at Serenity and smiled, welcoming the two back.

"What's happened to your hair?" George asked, realising that Serenity's hair was a hell of a lot shorter than it had been when she left earlier. She decided on getting most of it cut, considering it was too long and was starting to annoy her, and because she could donate it all to the cancer society to make wigs for children and teens that had lost their hair due to cancer. It was down to her shoulders now, and she absolutely loved it.

"I got it cut," she said simply, laughing at the boy sitting on the bed with his hands folded in his lap.

"Got it coloured, too?" Reece asked.

"I've always wanted to have streaks in my hair, and Blake was telling me how amazing it'd look with green streaks through it— so, I did it."

"I was totally right," Blake said, smirking at Serenity. Her face was still rather red from the kiss they had shared earlier.

"You were," Cassie said, standing up and walking over to where Serenity was stood. She ran her hand through Serenity's fresh cut and dyed hair. "It looks amazing, Siren."

"Siren?" Blake inquired, tilting his head to the side.

"It's the nickname she gave me a few months back," she explained, "said it was easier than saying Serenity every time she wanted to say something."

"I like Flower, better," he said, letting go of her hand before walking over to his bed. He slid his shirt over his head and slipped off his jeans, replacing them with branded grey joggers. He fell backwards on his bed and smiled up at the ceiling.

"Siren, can I talk to you out in the hall?" Cassie asked, walking out of the door that hadn't been shut. Serenity followed behind her and shut the door, looking at Cassie with a confused daze.

"Why are you red?" she questioned. "What's happened?"

"We kissed?" Serenity replied, yet it sounded like more of a question.

"Excuse me?" Cassie squealed loud enough that Serenity was sure the whole hotel could hear.

"Keep it down," she whispered, laughing at her best friend.

"So are you two dating then?"

"No," Serenity said, "we haven't asked each other. It was just a kiss."

"Well, I ship you two harder than I ship Tradley."

"God, you're serious," Serenity laughed, "you take Tradley very seriously."

"They work!"

"Okay, Cass. Can I go back inside now? I'm tired."

"Fine, I'm going to continue to play 20 questions with the other two boys. They absolutely love me!" Cassie laughed. Serenity shrugged as she chuckled and walked back into the hotel room. Blake was laying on the bed that they shared, under the covers whilst scrolling on his phone.

Serenity disappeared into the bathroom and changed out of her clothes, and back into her pyjamas. Technically, Cassie and Serenity were supposed to go back to Cassie's that night, but the boys were happy to let them stay longer. Cassie had planned on taking Serenity back to her flat the next day to get more changes of clothes, so that they could be with the boys longer.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled softly. She loved her new hair cut, and she loved the memory of Blake's lips on hers. Her hand ran through her hair and loosened the slight curls that formed after she got her hair cut.

There was a small knock at the door as she was taking off her makeup. Unable to reach over and open the door, she called out 'come in'. George opened the door slightly and poked his head through.

"Are you decent?"

"No, George, I'm completely naked," Serenity said, sarcasm seeping through her voice.

"Ugh, you're a bully," George laughed, walking into the bathroom. She continued to rub the mascara off her eyes as George spoke. "I fancy Cassie, you know that, yeah?"

"Yeah," Serenity said, wiping the small amount of pink lipstick off of her lips. "What about it?"

"Do you think you could get Reece away from the two of us for a bit sometime soon? I love him, but I want to try and spend some alone time with her."

"Of course, Georgie," she replied, turning towards the slightly nervous boy.

"Thank you, so much. Also, I'm pretty sure Blake fancies you."

"I mean," Serenity laughed, "he did kiss me today, so I'd hope so."

"He kissed you?" George asked, a smile glowing on his face.

"He did."

George turned on his heel and strutted out of the bathroom before walking over to Blake. "Nice, mate."

Blake looked at him with a slightly confused gaze before realising what he had meant. "Shut it."

-

Serenity woke up later that night, shaking. Blake was sat beside her, wide awake, with a look of worry on his face.

"What's happened?" Blake asked, taking Serenity's hand in his. Sweat was pouring down the back of her neck and the sides of her face, and hot tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"I don't really remember much..." she said, trailing off. "I was in a dark room. There was a loud siren blaring through it and when the lights were turned on, you, Cassie, and my mum were laying in a pile, dead."

"Flower, it was just a dream. I'm right here, I'm okay. Cassie's just over there," Blake said, pointing over at Cassie, who was fast asleep.

"I know, but it seemed so real."

Blake pulled Serenity into his lap and stroked her hair softly. Tears were pouring out of her eyes involuntarily, leaving small wet marks along Blake's chest. She curled up to him and inhaled his scent, taking a deep breath. Blake always seemed to smell like hot chocolate, and he always knew how to make her feel safe.

"What time is it?" Serenity asked, breaking the silence.

"Quarter four," Blake replied, pressing a small kiss to her forehead.

"Don't you have a show today?" she asked, feeling slightly bad for having woke him up.

"Yes, but that's alright, sweetheart."

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay, really," Blake said, smiling at the frightened girl.

Serenity stayed silent for a few minutes, before she had accidentally fallen back asleep in Blake's arms. Once he had noticed that she was back asleep, he pulled the covers over the two of them and held her close, falling asleep to the soft beat of Serenity's heart.

It was from that moment on that Blake knew he'd do anything for Serenity.