Electro [hs]

Ten

Ten ♂

Fifteen minutes, Niall assures us, from behind thick black shades with a face the color of pond weeds- fifteen minutes and he'll most emphatically be fit to drive. Cut to twenty minutes later, back between the copse of trees where the dodge has been tucked away safely all night, and Niall ralphing violently into the dirt.

"Oh, outstanding," says Liam, clapping his hands together slowly as he leans against the truck which I have to presume is either his or Zayn's or Keelin's. "So dignified, so suave," he comments in between Niall's heaving.

I try very hard not to look at the puddle, my own mouth feeling sandpaper dry. The sunshine and the heavy Florida air have left my brain sort of addled and my body this sticky, tired husk- all unravelled like discarded orange peel. We all have this aftermath kind of look about us actually- peaky and dishevelled.

The skin around Mercede's mouth has turned red from what is unmistakably beard rash and smeared lipstick, Zayn's perfect greek statue hair turns out to be human and ruffled  even if the rest of him is still perfect in sunglasses, smoking yet another cigarette while Liam slaps his chapped lips together with a serious case of dry mouth, Niall is simply a complete write-off, there are dark circles under Keelin's eyes which squint now and again at me and Harry's face is slightly puffy from the way he was lying, voice dropping from deep to, I swear, something only a whale would be able to register using vibrations deep below the sea .

I still think they're beautiful.

"Keys," Harry demands with a wiggle of his fingers after strolling up to Niall.

"M'fine," he waves him off. "I can drive. I've been purged. I'm good, I'm grand." He burps and swallows a little more sick.

"Hueles a mierda, Nene," says Mercedes softly as she crouches down next to him, wincing in a way that could be from the vomit smell or simply from too much movement for how fragile she's feeling "You can't drive. You'll get arrested."

"More importantly, you could hurt the car," Harry adds.

"You can't hurt a car, it doesn't feel anything," Niall points out but he rummages into his pockets all the same, presenting Harry with his set of keys attached to a frayed and slightly grubby looking lanyard.

"Shhh, she can hear you." 

Triumphant, Harry grasps the keys between his long fingers and smiles, he does however rub a series of light circles into Niall's back before giving him a fond pat when he finally does get his shit together and manages to stand up again.

"What do we want?" Liam asks the group, unlocking his own truck, "Tacos?"

Mercedes, Keelin and Niall make pained noises. Zayn shrugs like he's up for it but makes no sound to put an opinion forwards one way or the other- as I have now come to expect from him. Liam and Harry shoot conspiratorial grins at eachother,

"Picture it now; deep fried, warm tacos all greasy and shiny. Think of biting into the beans and hot peppers," Liam describes in lavish detail with this kind of sensual grunt at the end of it.

"Thick guacamole," Harry goes on, shutting his eyes, drawing his head up and letting his lovely mouth with the pink tipped cupid's bow curve drop open slightly. "Just oozing cheeses. Three kinds, unnnh."

Keelin, Mercedes and Niall all groan again but I have to say that I'm starting to feel oddly hungry. Not for tacos though- if I'm being totally honest- not really.

"I'm not going to eat anything," Keelin is quick to add. "Somewhere we can get black coffee is perfect."

"Something bland, please," says Mercedes, pinching her temples. "With sugar. Lots and lots of sugar."