SINCE DAY ONE ― luke hemmings ?

10

"Thank you for coming, everyone. I ask all of you to come here since I've been informed that there's been some—unexpected developments to the tour." Kat stood up, the circles around her eyes were more defined than usual. "The tour will be postponed for a week." The crowd started murmuring and Theo didn't know why she couldn't feel the sense of relief at all—if more, it's as if a foreboding feeling was rounding up through the air she felt the need to... go. "Such as it is, nothing else have been changed other than, of course, changing the dates for reservations and announcements and everything else." Kat laid a finger at the bridge of his nose but nevertheless, she maintained that aura. The kind that looked as if she's never really pissed off about this whole thing.

"But, said developments were solely for the purpose of the making of their music video. The reason why I asked for the videographers." She then pointed to Kyle and Theo, the girl shrinking under the gaze when what Kat said had almost give out the air on her lungs. "I need you both to come with the boys on their journey for the music video and that will be your first content for the upcoming tour. Just make something of it, alright? I need some new images for the new posters, I need some new online content, and make sure that the video will be up after the music video release."

Agenda after agenda, one after the other, Theo sat there with a piece of paper in her hand which had the itinerary for the equipment they'll be needing for a week of being with the band. Kat specifically asked them to have their bags ready because apparently—the set starts tomorrow. Somewhere out of town she hadn't the faintest idea where yet.

"Are you feeling alright?" Kyle asked while he packed the equipment safely, his gaze over at the girl who sat at the table looking far out of reality.

"No." She answered honestly. "I know I was gonna have to come to terms with this soon—but not this soon." Kyle chuckled.

"The earlier it is, the better you've come to grasp that you're gonna have to work with your ex. Whether you like it or not." Theo knew she brought it to herself once she stepped into the office yet she denies that small fact. "But hey, look at the bright side."

Theo frowned, "There's a bright side?"

"Yes—and that's you moving on quicker." The girl snorted. Moving on? That didn't seem to be on the list of things she's quite ready to do yet. "One day you'll wake up and realize, you don't love him anymore." Unloving someone seemed easier to say rather than to do. I didn't think anyone could just—will their mind to un-love a person that once meant the world to you. "Or you know—one day you'll just forget about him." Forget? That seemed right to her ears.

You don't just un-love a person. You learn to forget whatever feelings you have in your chest and you simply learn to... live without it.

-

"Theo, no good will come out of this." Eric, with a piece of poptart in his hand, tried to talk her out of packing her bags but he knew it'd be useless. He knew she was tied to a contract, and he also knows that once Theo had set her mind on one thing, she forces her way out of doing it. No matter how much it seemed to ruin or hurt her.

He'd seen the worst of it. He knew her well.

"Okay, fine. If you really need to go, you have to promise me you'll be okay."

"Eric, I promised." She says just so the conversation would end and she could continue packing without her brother going about all the foods at her refrigerator. "And that's my food—all of it." Theo pointed out the empty packets of poptarts and a jug of milk laid at her countertop as Eric only had shrugged.

"You're leaving for three months, which gave me permission to raid your fridge or all of this would be shit when you get back." He replies, drinking straight into the jug that made her internally cringe. "But going back! I need you to make sure to stick with your schedule. You have your files easily on the drive so make time for it or I'll know!" He warned which caused her to groan while setting up her toiletries.

"You're talking to a grown up, Eric." Theo yelled from the bathroom which earned no answer from her brother until she peaked outside and saw him with arms crossed and brows furrowed like her Dad, remembering memories she wanted to buried down under. Until then, Theo sighs and groaned, "I promise. I'll call you and Mom whenever I'm at my appointment. Deadass." Eric happily grinned when she obliged and went to raid her fridge as she shook her head upon gathering everything she needs.

It was exactly nine in the evening when everything was all set, including her, that she heard a honk outside the apartment building. Theo knew instantly that it's Kyle and went on to hoist one luggage and one duffel bag with the help of her brother towards outside the complex. She immediately saw his partner pulling up the compartment and helping Eric put her luggage at the back together with his. "Hey, man. Take care of my little sister, alright?" Eric acted so much like their Dad which caused her to cower down in slight embarrassment. She knew he cared so much for her after everything that's happened yet she somehow still fails to grab the concept of publicly displaying his brotherly love.

"Of course, will do." They shook hands as if they've known each other for a while now, Eric turning around to pinch her sister's cheeks and went on his way like he hadn't downright made her look like she just turned eighteen in front of her colleague. "Your brother looks like a jock." Kyle mutters as they both watched Eric drove away while waving goodbye.

"It's because he was." She nudges Kyle and brought her duffel at the backseat as they both boarded the car. "Thanks for picking me up again, even if you don't have to." Kyle only chuckled.

"It's okay, it's not everyday I get to be partnered with someone not so into cameras they almost wanna marry one." They both giggled and Kyle started driving away, which didn't take long when they saw Kat standing by the entrance. She waved her hands and the two followed their way towards a van.

"Since we're going a little bit out of town, I think it's best if we all rode out together in this cute van that I rented." She introduced happily, "It has four seats that could transform like a lazy boy, it has a small bar right by the front and a television up top if we wanted to watch some movies." Theo didn't think of it as practical but when welcomed by the view of the beige leather seats—she could not wait to sit and sleep this nightmare all off.

"We'll have separate hotel rooms once we reach our first location and after a week of filming, hotel rooms would also be our homes for the rest of the tour." Kat finally led them in once all their bags are sorted at the back. It smelled citrusy inside, one Theo found comforting when she sat at the farthest back. The leather cushion catching her weight so snuggly she almost dozed off if not for Kyle nudging her to show her how the leg part of the seat goes up and down.

"Where are we going anyway?" Kyle asked for once but Theo felt her eyes heavy and her entirety hazy from the coldness of the van.

She never had the chance to hear the answer when finally, the girl drifted off to sleep just like that.

-

Theo could hear Luke Hemmings singing to him.

She opened her eyes and saw that she's in a beautiful field. So... so green and bright and colorful it made her heart elate to the point of bursting, until his voice echoed in her ears. Theo could hear him singing, similar to the song she's heard from her car, only now it felt like it was swaying her to sleep. Like rainbows floating above her head, like butterflies flying on her stomach. She opened her eyes and saw him. Blue eyes, hair as golden as the sun, and a smile that felt like summer breeze.

"Wake up." He spoke soothingly, "Wake up, sweetheart." She smiled, closing her eyes and laughing to herself until a car horn jolted her awake she almost slammed her entire face on the window.

Her face looked around in daze, half-asleep and half-aware of her surroundings that as soon as she brushed her hair did Kat smiled at her, grinning to ear to ear when she greeted—and made her throat sunk at the pit of her stomach.

"Welcome to Harbor Bridge!"

"Why the—hell are we here?"

Kat smirked, pointing her slender fingers towards a building they were slowly stopping by. The more the van halted, the more she wanted to sink down under the ground until she's buried by earth itself. "Annandale Hotel, the first location on set. I supposed you know this place?"

"Y-Yeah. I do."