I pulled my luggage off the conveyer belt. It was easy to spot, it was the giant, once-blue backpack that was now a faded shade of grey. I'd ripped a massive hole in it while hiking through the jungles of Vietnam and had patched it up McGyver style, with some Duct Tape and chewed- up bubble gum. Kidding... no bubble gun, although Jess had suggested that.

It had certainly been on a journey; Europe, Asia, India and now back to Asia. I caught a glimpse of the pinkness behind me and was just about to walk over, when she started walking in my direction. I quickly turned around, in order to give myself one last pep-talk.

Be fucking cool Damien! Stop being so God damn lame.

"Hey." I felt a tentative tap on my shoulder and my body stiffened. The scent of sweet flowers wafted through the air, and it was the first time I realised how good she smelt.

I turned and she smiled. Her smile was different this time, it wasn't put on or barely there, it was bigger. Brighter.

"I never got a chance to thank you for helping me with the Coke." Her eyes met mine. They were so blue and she was so pink. She was literally everything I was not. A neon splash of color in my monotone world.

"No prob. I'm sorry for walking away like that, I just didn't expect that."

"No, I'm sorry." She jumped in quickly. "I shouldn't have, it was out of line, none of my business."

"It's ok, you just caught me off guard, it's not something I really speak about."

Her smile grew and I felt my lips twitch in response. "I was actually just about to–"

I was abruptly interrupted as five security guards descended on us. They did not look like they were here to warmly welcome up to Thailand.

"Can I see your passports." The one had a scar down the side of his face and he looked like he hadn't smiled in years- if ever.

Lilly scratched in her bag and started pulling hers out, I however was not going to do that.

"No."

"What?" Lilly looked up at me with a confused expression.

"This is discrimination. I'm not giving it to you."

"Huh?" Lilly looked at me again. Clearly she'd never been in this kind of situation before, which I found hard to believe, given the way she looked right now. Obviously, this was not her usual look and for a second I wondered what had been so bad, what the hell had happened to her that she had landed up looking like this.

The man with the scar started getting pushy. "Give me your passport."

"No!" I was firmer this time and took a step forward. I didn't take kindly to intimidation, not to mention blatant discrimination. Although I was used to it in some ways.

"What's going on?" Lilly asked, her eyes were filled with fear now and I felt bad. Maybe I should just back down and give them my damn passport and get this crap over with. I didn't feel like dragging Lilly into something that was no doubt going to turn into a mess....

No, what the hell was I thinking. I never back down.

"What's going on here, Lilly, is a clear case of discrimination."

"But they're just asking to see our passports." She sounded desperate. Panicked.

"No they're not." I glared at the guard with the face like cracked cement.

"Give me your passport." Now he was shouting and people were starting to stare. The effect on Lilly was instant, her shoulders slumped, she lowered her head and once again, she looked like she was waiting for the floor to swallow her up.

"No!" I raised my voice to match his, fully aware of the consequences. They would probably detain me now, rummage through my backpack and throw some shit around until they were satisfied that I wasn't smuggling in bags of heroin or some other banned substance. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't do drugs. Not anymore anyway. That was something I went through years ago, but I'd quickly learned that even drugs don't mask the pain. In fact, all they do is make it worse.

And then it happened. Quickly. The guards jumped on me and grabbed my bag, before I could even dig my heels in they were dragging me off. I heard a panicked shout behind me, it was Lilly. They were dragging her off too. Crap! I hadn't wanted that to happen.

"Leave her out of this." I hissed at the man that was gripping my arm so tightly that I knew he would leave bruises. "This has nothing to do with her. Please, leave her alone."

But they didn't, and soon they had dragged us into one of the back security rooms. All airports have these rooms, I wasn't a stranger to them, but clearly this was Lilly's first time. They wasted no time in ripping out bags apart.

"What are they doing, Damien? What's going on?" Lilly looked on the verge of tears.

"They think we're drug smugglers."

"What?" She shrieked. There was no other way to describe that wild, shrill sound of her voice. "Why? Why would they think that?"

"I told you. Discrimination. It's happened before. They see someone with a tattoo and some black clothes and make an assumption." People often made assumptions about me, which I hated. But on the other hand, I provoked them too. I sighed.

Pushing people away, but then getting hurt when they went. Keeping people at arm's length, when I really wanted them close.

Something red flew past me and I followed it with my eyes. I shouldn't have. Tiny, lacey, sexy-as-hell, panties. I couldn't help it, my mind just went there (I'm a male, ok)

I suddenly imaged her wearing them. She would look nothing like that girl on the back cover of that magazine. Her hip bones wouldn't protrude like sharp blades that actually hurt you during sex. She wouldn't be flat chested, she wouldn't have that thigh gap you could fall through... basically she wouldn't look like any other girl, woman, I had ever been with.

Suddenly she threw herself across the table, skidding on it in her onesie. She grabbed the panties and before I knew it, was back in her chair. God, she was fast. And, God, that was cute. I looked up at her and her cheeks were the color of her clothes. I couldn't help my smile, but I wasn't expecting what came next.

"This is all your fault." She pointed at me. She looked so angry she was shaking.

"How is this my fault." My smile was gone now.

"Well, obviously I am guilty by association. I was talking to you. You're the one that looks like a drug smuggler, not me."

I felt the punch in my stomach instantly. And it felt worse coming from her than it usually did. I couldn't believe she was saying this, I thought she was different. Fuck this! I didn't have to put up with this, and especially not from her.

I jumped out of my seat. Suddenly I didn't feel like passively sitting by while someone I'd thought was cool decided to start insulting me. "I hate to break this to you Lilly, but you're the one who looks like she's smuggling drugs. In fact, you look like a junkie on a very bad come down in those pyjamas, with your black eyes and red face. You're wearing your slippers for heaven's sake, and your hair looks like it hasn't been brushed since the turn of the millennium. I'm the one who's probably guilty by association."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted them, especially when I saw the look on her face and couldn't help notice the tiny tear escape her eye.

"Lilly, I..." But she didn't hear me, the sound of her suitcase being ripped open and flung against the wall reverberated around the room. I sat back in my chair and calmed myself, waiting for this whole thing to be over. It would be over soon, it couldn't get any worse than it already was.

Only it could. It was about to get way fucking worse. I looked up in horror as a man snapped on a Latex glove and started dragging me out the room.

*Halo- On this tour they took back-up singers, which they never do. And I really loved the sound they added to the band.

*