Another World

Chapter 12

"Wh-why are ya n-not drinking-ng?" She slurs with her unfocused eyes on me.

"I'm driving tonight." I say politely, giving her the best smile I can manage.

"Come oon." She pouts. "Have a d-drink with me." The girl insists.

"I'm fine." I say over the loud music.

The girl eventually gives up on her useless attempts and leaves to go and dance with her friends. I look around for Harry, but can not see him anywhere. I take up my phone to see if I have any missed calls or texts from Liam, but there is only a message from Trish wishing me a good night.

I am just about to text her back when someone sits down on the sofa next to me. At first I think it might be Harry, but I look up to see one of Antonia's band members.

"How ya doin, man?" He asks me, and I recognize him as the bass player. 

The guy has long brown hair and some impressive facial hair. He looks like he is in his mid 30's and I notice that he do not seem drunk or high as the others in the room. 

"Um, I'm fine thanks." I answer him. "Sober in a hotel room full drunken strangers." I say jokingly. 

"Oh, yeah. I feel ya." The guy gives me a understanding smile and a low chuckle. 

"You're not...drinking?" I ask him, going with just 'drinking' feels like a less awkward question but he gets the point.

"Nah, these parties usually gets out of hand. I feel better knowing that at least one person is sober enough to take care of these idiots." He says jokingly, but I can tell that his intentions are serious. 

"That's really nice of you." I say, impressed over his maturity. "Does it not get boring tho? i have to ask.

"When you have been in the music industry as long as me, the loss of your friends hurts more than missing out on a few parties." He sighs and I gulp.

"Oh." Is the only sound that I can manage and he must see the horror on my face because he lifts up his arm and give me a brotherly pat on the shoulder.

In the last couple of weeks I have thought about nothing but the music industry and how great it will be to work in it, but I never once thought about this. The alcohol, drugs and parties. Will that be apart of my life know? Will my friends drop dead in OD's every other weekend? I start to feel sweaty and slightly panicking. 

"I.. I need to go out for some air." I say to the guy next to me, who I do not know the name of. 

"Um, nice to meet you by the way. I'm Niall." I shake his hand quickly before I stand up.

"Tony." He says as with a small smile. "You wan't me to come with you? Or get you something?"

"No, no thanks. I'm fine." I say and hurry away from him. I need to find a balcony. But there is no balcony in the hotel room. 

"Right." I sigh to myself as I remember why hotels do not usually have balconies, or windows that can open even. I look around the room and think about what could happen to these people if there were a balcony here. I shiver on the bare though of it, and decide to go for the door instead. I rush down the stairs to the ground floor. The last thing I need right now is to get trapped in some damn hotel elevator, have an even worse panic attack and drop dead my self. 

The lobby doors open automatically as I approach them and I am finally outside, I can finally breathe. The crisp air feels so good in my lungs, and I can feel them absorb oxygen again. I am considering calling Liam, I could really need his calming words right now, but I remember that he is out with a friend and I do not what to ruin his night. Briefly, I am even considering calling Trish, but she would likely be mad at me if she knew that I was at a party, in a hotel room, with complete strangers, without Liam.