the third book in my 'from me to u..." series explores the arc of ariana's life as her and dalton get closer and closer. what once began as a bitter relationship blossoms into a slow and steady friendship. will it develop into more? will ariana be a...
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arianagrande: 🥺🤍🥺 it was wonderful meeting u chasedaniels: The honour was all mine 🥲🙏🏼
dalton_jacob: Lit chasedaniels: Yup 🤙
user1: I LOVE HER HAIR LIKE THAT!!
raulsanchez_jr: Fuming that I missed this 🙃 arianagrande: !!!!!! soon as i come back to the states 🤍 raulsanchez_jr: Bless up 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
user2: It seems like Ariana is her happiest while with her crew 🥺
...
"you're not gonna do a shot with me?" dalton teased, pouring tequila in a shot glass while pushing over the lime plate with his other hand.
"you know i can't." ariana said giggling while sarcastically rolling her eyes. the night club just shy of glasgow had been just reserved for the tight group of friends. doug, courtney, dakota, and chase were still on the dance floor with the others, completely tearing it up to "don't stop the music". ariana and dalton, however, stayed back at their table, and dalton wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to spend some time with her - just her. dalton already had a tequila shot beforehand, and ariana had to resist every temptation to get drunk before her big night tomorrow.
"suit yourself." dalton smirked, taking down the tequila shot and sucking on a lime a moment after. a moment passed when dalton spoke again, "by the way, the documentary is looking pretty great. do you want to take a moment to look at the footage, and maybe make a last few decisions of what you want to keep or take out?"
"definitely! i have a longer break once the european leg ends, so i can sit down with you and dakota and look through the clips!" ariana responded with a bright and inviting smile, taking dalton's breath away. he didn't want to admit it to himself, but he knew he was falling more in love with ariana as each day passed on.
"can i ask you something?" dalton asked, keeping head head down to the shot glass he just drank from. after seeing her nod her head, dalton took in a deep breath. after a few moments passed by, he brought his eyes back to hers. "why do you want this documentary out?"
ariana's eyes grew wide in response; she didn't expect such a blunt and straight-to-the-point question from dalton. placing her hands held together on the table, ariana tilted her head towards him. "uhh... what made you ask that?"
dalton shrugged, offering a smile. "i wasn't totally oblivious to your career you know. i knew how private of a person you were for almost all of your career." dalton's fingers were fiddling with the empty shot glass. "why do you want to open up now, after keeping so much of your life a secret for so long?"
ariana became quiet for a moment. that moment morphed into many more, and before long, the two of them sat in silence. reflecting back on the number of times she refrained from posting on social media, talking to fans on twitter, holding meet-and-greets, and just being out and about in general... and seeing how far she has come now... almost stunned ariana. it had been a year of immense change and growth. but she never spoke about her decision for privacy with anyone - not even her closest of friends. she barely gave it much thought herself. whatever the reason was meant very little in the long run, as privacy and seclusion became the norm soon after. she didn't think she'd ever find the courage to talk about it fully... until...
"after annabeth died, and after i ended victorious... i wanted to hide my true self as much as possible from the limelight because i didn't want people to see the trauma, suffering, anger, and filth i carried within myself."
dalton's eyes shot open, and his face fell into an empathetic sadness as he gazed at a tear-stricken ariana - who's eyes wandered off onto the distance. "i didn't want people to see me that way. the face in public i had for the longest time wasn't me at all, because the real me was a disaster suffering from ptsd, depression, and anxiety... and those struggles only became worse over the course of my career." ariana wiped a slipping tear from her cheek as she brought her eyes back to dalton. "i didn't want to present any weakness to my fans, because i didn't want them to think that was me."
soon after her words escaped her, dalton's hand found it's way to ariana's back, providing a comforting moment. ariana felt safe with dalton, and the secrets that she had kept to herself for the longest of times were now being revealed to the person she felt the most comfortable around.
"but the last year..." ariana began speaking once again, catching dalton's attention. "the last year changed so much for me. surrounding myself around so many good-hearted people allowed me to finally open up, and be myself again." she turned her gaze towards dalton - who's eyes never left her. "i kept pushing the documentary over and over again, hoping that i wouldn't have to release it... but because of the change that took place within me this year, i now understand that i owe this to my fans, who have been with me for so many years. i want them to know about me,my life, and the struggles i have endured... and i'm no longer afraid." ariana offered a weak, but sincere smile - which sent the butterflies in dalton's stomach to run rampant. "i have you guys to thank for that. you made me feel safe, secure, and most importantly - reminded me that i wasn't alone."
dalton's free hand soon after reached for her cheek, and gently wiped away her fallen tears. ariana didn't react right away; she let the sooth of his touch linger against her skin. silence filled the space between them for a brief, fleeting moment until dalton broke it. "you shouldn't feel obligated to be perfect."
as ariana's brows scrunched, dalton offered a light chuckle as he continued drying her tears. "i think you've already learned your lesson, but i'll say it again; whatever you want to or choose to share is your decision... but you don't need to fear being vulnerable, because that very human emotion will allow you to connect with people beyond what you could ever imagine."
he was right - she did learn her lesson, and it was the same lesson. thank u, next, her documentary finally being curated, opening up meet-and-greets, interviews, live performances, making new friends, finding love again... all of it had been possible because she allowed herself to open up. to face her fears. to release her bottled-up emotions. she was able to get justice for annabeth. she was able to put the man who caused her terror behind bars. all because...
... she finally opened up.
"come on, grande." dalton smirked as he stood from the table. after ariana tilted her head in confusion, he extended his hand towards her. "dance with me."
ariana could've sworn her heart had done a somersault then and there... but she shook off the feeling as soon as it had arrived and grabbed his hand as he lead her to the dance floor alongside the rest of their friends. all was lost to them but each other.
it's just a dance.
the feeling of euphoria embodied the both of them as they danced, arm in arm, and soul in soul. their eyes never leaving one another's.
it's just a dance.
ariana couldn't remember another time in her life filled with such jubilation.
it's... just a dance.
she will keep telling herself that for now.
it's just a freaking dance.
he will also keep telling himself that... unless she ever feels differently.
