Fireworks 1 and 2

Chapter Nineteen

TEXT FROM: Aubrey Graham

MESSAGE: Thank you for still agreeing to work with me. I'm excited to work with you. Just let me know which day you think you can make it and I can have your flight coordinated.

TEXT TO: Aubrey Graham

MESSAGE: I just need a few days to get things situated on my end before leaving town. So, maybe Monday? Or Tuesday?

TEXT TO: Aubrey Graham

MESSAGE: I'll have the jet fueled up and ready for you on Monday. I'll send you the details regarding your flight as soon as I can. If any of your friends are coming with you, let me know so I can let the pilot know what's up.

    Desirae had already advised that she couldn't make the trip to Calabasas. She said that she'd taken off enough work days as it is for OVOFest - her office manager wouldn't allow her to take any further days off.

    Fortunately for Mia and Bri, they only worked temporary jobs and neither of them were on assignment currently. When Mia asked Bri about the trip to Calabasas, California, Bri's response was noncommittal at best. Mia could tell that Bri wanted to go, but she was completely freaking out over her pregnancy. She still hadn't broken the news to her boyfriend. She didn't know how, since they'd both echoed the same sentiments regarding never wanting to have children.

    "You can come out to California with me and get your mind off of it for awhile," Mia suggested to her friend while packing her suitcase. She was dressed in a stylish, black sleeveless top, jeans, and black heels.

    Bri sat perched on Mia's computer desk chair, dressed in a navy blue t-shirt, jeans, and Nikes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showcasing a naturally beautiful face, free of any makeup with the exception of lip gloss. She'd chosen to wear her prescription glasses today, a sleek black pair with a designer insignia in the lower corner of the lens. "Shawn is already complaining that I've been away for too long," she said, swiveling around in the chair. "I don't know how he'd feel about me leaving again. Especially if he knew we were going to spend God knows how long at Drake's house. He'd freak the fuck out, and with damn good reason."

    Mia held up a flower-print blouse, frowning in contemplation.

    Bri glanced over at her and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That's ugly. Don't pack it."

    Mia's eyes darted over to Bri.

    Bri shrugged, tugging on the end of her ponytail. "What? It is."

    Mia tossed the blouse on the bed, shaking her head. She turned and stepped inside her walk-in closet.

    "Don't forget to pack swimsuits!" Bri called out to her.

    "Swimsuits?" Mia repeated. "Plural?"

    Bri shrugged her shoulders. "YOLO Estate has a kickass swimming pool."

    Mia poked her head out of the closet. "I'm scared to ask how you know that."

    "Every Drake fan knows what his estate looks like," Bri muttered defensively, swiveling around in circles in the computer desk chair. "Just thinking about what his house looks like makes me want to go."

    "You should go," Mia said from inside the closet. "You can't let me go there by myself."

    Bri made a dismissive sound with her mouth. "You'll be fine. Just do what I told you."

    "Which is?" Mia asked, exiting the closet with random clothing articles slung over her forearms. She dropped the clothes in a pile on her bed and rummaged through them.

    "Seduce him, have his babies, and marry him."

    Mia arched a brow at her friend.

    "It doesn't have to be in that order," Bri said, continuing to swivel around in the chair. "You can marry him first and then have babies, if you prefer." She stopped swiveling abruptly and the expression on her face turned solemn.

    Mia looked over at her and tilted her head to the side. "It's going to be all right, Bri. You're stressing over nothing."

    "I don't know the first thing about being a parent," Bri said. "You know me. I'm too...too vulgar, too crazy. I'm too immature, too..."

    "I think you'll make a great mom, actually," Mia said, packing more clothes into her suitcase.

    Bri rolled her eyes. "You're just saying that to be nice, because I'm freaking out."

    Mia shook her head. "No, and you know me better than that. I wouldn't say it just to say it. You're fun, you're smart, and you're caring. You've been a great friend to me. I mean...you do curse a lot, and you might want to at least reduce that. But just because you curse doesn't mean you'd be a bad parent. It will take some adjusting, but you'll be great at it."

    Bri chewed the inside of her lip. "And Shawn?"

    Mia grimaced. "Well...I don't know how he's going to react. But maybe he'll be a lot more accepting of it than you're thinking. I mean...he can't be mad at you. He helped make it happen."

    "I can handle him being mad," Bri said. "But it would break my heart to disappoint him."

    Mia closed the lid of her suitcase and looked over at her friend.

    Bri sighed. "I guess I could use a few more days of vacay before I tell Shawn his life is practically over," she relented.

    Mia squealed and crossed the room so she could throw her arms around her friend. "You've got some packing of your own to do, then," she said.

    Bri glanced at her cell phone screen, checking on the time. "I do have to get going, actually. What day would we fly out?"

    "Monday," Mia answered.

    After Bri left, Mia removed the suitcase from the bed and stood it, upright, near the closet door. She crossed the room and collapsed into her computer desk chair. She leaned back and whirled around in the chair, much like Bri had.

    She visualized Drake and a spark of inspiration flickered in her mind. She wheeled around to face her cherrywood desk. She opened one of the drawers and removed several blank sheets of paper. Then, she plucked the pen from its spot on her computer keyboard, right below the function keys. She tapped the end of the pen on her desk, summoning more images of Drake, the way he looked, the way sounded, the way his lips felt. That's all it took for the spark of inspiration to blossom into the most beautiful bright flame. With images of him fresh in her mind, she started to write.