♤Tom Kaulitz. °

Tom's phone screen vibrated again. The brightness jolted him out of his half-sleep, and when he saw it was another travel notification, he sighed in annoyance. "Again..." she muttered, running her hand over her face. "They won't even let me sleep."

He started the engine and drove to the address. The GPS led him to a huge house, full of lights, booming music, and people staggering along the sidewalks. He frowned. Of course, a party… what else could it be at this hour? He leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms, waiting with a frown. Almost ten minutes passed before a girl emerged from the house, staggering.

She was beautiful, even with her makeup slightly smudged and her hair a mess. The moment she opened the car door, a strong smell of alcohol filled the air. Tom immediately wrinkled his nose and discreetly covered it. "Great... just what I needed," he said softly.

She slumped down in the back seat, laughing to herself. —Hellooo, handsome driver… take me to my little house, okay? —she slurred.

Tom started the car without looking at her much, trying to concentrate on the road. "Give me the address," he replied curtly.

She pointed something at him on her phone and then leaned back against the window. During the ride, Tom tried to make small talk, though at first he did it more to stay awake than out of genuine interest. "Do you always get this drunk?" he asked in a neutral tone.

—N-no… well, maybe so… but today… today I had to celebrate that… that life is short, don't you think? —she said with a dreamy smile.

Tom rolled his eyes, but glanced at her again out of the corner of his eye. There was something about her faraway look, a mixture of fragility and charm that made him remain silent.

They finally arrived at their destination. The girl tried to open the door, but she could barely stand. She wobbled, laughing nervously. —Ugh… I can’t walk… hey, can you… help me get in? Please

Tom hesitated. The logical thing to do was to say "no" and leave; he was already tired and didn't feel like carrying a drunk woman. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, huffing.