Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Fourteen

    A part of Mia wanted to say, "Don't. Don't leave me. Stay." But as a performing artist, you couldn't just cancel a tour. There were repercussions. Tours employed a lot of people that the public didn't even consider. Tour managers, stage hands, lighting crew and audio crew, etc. Contracts were involved, not to mention the letdown it would be to Drake's fans if he cancelled without good cause. He couldn't just tell his fans, "Hey guys, sorry. My girlfriend wanted me to stay home. Maybe next year." They'd crucify him if he even tried. So despite the fact that she wanted to beg and plead him to stay, she couldn't do that. Their best bet was just as he had suggested earlier that morning. She could fly out to visit him when they felt the need to see each other. Quite sure I'll be tempted to fly out his first tour stop, but I'll have to resist that temptation. I have my own obligations, namely studio sessions with Beyonce and Nicki Minaj.

    Drake kissed her shoulder, then turned and seated himself.

    She sat next to him and crossed one leg over the other.

    He leaned in close to her and draped an arm across the back of her chair. Fans continued to walk up to them, asking for autographs and photos. To the best of their ability, Drake and Mia obliged. Then the fans would disappear for awhile, and he would be all hers. Smiling, talking, joking, light kisses to her cheek or her lips, more talking. Telling her about his experience as ambassador for the Raptors, the highs and lows of it. The highs were being able to help build anticipation and excitement for Raptors games, getting to know the players, bringing revenue to his city and a franchise based out of his city. The lows were being criticized for being chummy with players of the opposing teams.

    "I'll shake their hands, because they aren't just some evil opposing team member to me," he told her. "By now, you know that these are my friends, guys who have had my back. Guys I have hung out with and partied with in my downtime. Guys whose family barbecues I'm invited to when I'm in town. So I don't know what people expect me to do. Am I supposed to...frown at them? Ignore their handshake? Scowl at them or glare them down just because they are playing the team I represent? Wouldn't that be childish and unnecessary? Aren't we all adults?"

    "You tell 'em, Drake!" a pretty black woman seated behind them cheered on.

    He twisted around in his chair. "Am I right?"

    "Totally right," the woman said, pumping a fist into the air.

    Mia laughed.

    Drake turned around in his chair. "I wish I could take her with me to all of the away games I go to," he muttered. "She could teach fans a thing or two about good sportsmanship."

    Before the game, minus the fan interactions, he was all hers. When the game started, however, he went into a zone. She'd seen it before. He became totally engrossed in the game, standing and clapping encouragingly. Shouting at Raptors team members. Shouting at the referees. He wasn't just an ambassador. He was almost like an extra coach. Whenever the opposing team scored, he looked just as frustrated as the coach did. During timeouts, he was right there next to her, holding her hand and resting his forehead on her shoulder. Then the timeout would end, and he was on his feet again with his hands on his hips, or his arms folded over his chest with his brows furrowed intently.

    Watching him watch a game was probably more entertaining than the game itself. His facial expressions were priceless and his excitement was contagious. Whenever she joined him at a game, she always wound up on her feet, cheering the Raptors on right along with him. This game was no different.

    During halftime, he scrolled through his Instagram feed. "They already have a ton of photos and videos of us at the game," he reported. "Damn, it still amazes me how fast they are when it comes to this shit."

    She leaned over and peered at his cell phone screen. "Ooh, that pic is cute."

    "Yeah?" He stroked his chin. "I'm going to screenshot it and post it."

    "On your page?" she asked him.

    He shrugged. "Yeah."

    "You probably shouldn't do that," she advised.

    "Why not?"

    "Because if you do it, your fans are going to be pissed off," she said, sitting back in her seat and dangling the foot of her crossed leg. "They're going to call me all sorts of crazy names, and they're going be pissed at you for being with me." It was a source of self-criticism for her, the fact that his fans' bullying still bothered her. After how long they'd been together, it was probably something she should be used to by now. 

    He blew air out between his lips. "A lot of them are starting to like you. The ones who don't will either get over it or they won't. That shouldn't stop us from living. Being us. Having fun. Posting pics whenever the fuck we want to post a picture." As he spoke the words, he screenshotted the picture.

    "But if you know it's going to make them mad..."

    "Life is short," he told her. "While I wish I could, I can't live for them. I love them to death. I do. But I have to live for me." He licked his lips while staring at her. "You know what? Come here."

    She gave him a weird look. "For what?"

    "Take a selfie with me."

    "Aubrey...no."

    "Come here." He leaned in close to her and activated his front-facing camera before holding his cell phone up. "If you still have that stank face on by the time I take the picture, I will post it. Don't test me."

    "Jerk," she muttered. But she made sure to smile and lean in close to him before he snapped the picture. She nosily checked out the picture and then leaned away from him. "Hmm. The picture did come out cute."

    "I'm posting it," he said, his fingers already sliding over the touchscreen. "I'm posting both of them."

    She latched onto his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. It was moments like these that she would miss, moments of just being close to him. His tour was a long time in the making, so she'd had time to try to adjust to the fact that he would be gone, but now is when it really hit her: in two days, she would be apart from him. It will only be temporary, she reminded herself. That fact did very little to make her feel better, however.

    He turned his head and looked down at her. The smile he wore was so boyish and charming. Simply adorable.

    A smile that I won't be able to see every day, she thought miserably, clutching onto his arm a little tighter.