Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Nineteen

    Tuesday was a day of preparation. Both Mia and Drake were packed and ready for their destinations, but they checked and double-checked to make sure they had everything. He finalized plans over the phone. His phone rang off the hook. Hers rang only a fraction of the amount his did, but then again he was getting ready to leave on the first leg of his tour, which would cover thirty cities in the United States. All she had to worry about was meetings with two artists, in one city.

    For the better part of the day, she sat on the bed Indian-style and watched him walk back and forth with one of his cell phones cradled between his ear and his shoulder. His boys and his assistant were just as busy as he was, all of them running around the house to make sure loose ends were tied. It was a madhouse.

    In between getting everything situated and touching base with artists who would be in the cities he was performing in, he would silence his phone and eat meals with her. There was a switch in his mind that he was capable of flipping on and off. While eating with her, he would be completely immersed in their conversation. He would show affection, flirt with her, and joke with her. Then their meal would be over, he would turn his notifications back on and he was in artist mode, making sure all of the ducks were in a row. Networking with other artists, posting screenshots of the tour dates on his Instagram page and showing love to the fans who already had the tour dates posted.

    That evening was a night of relaxation. They cuddled together in bed. Once in awhile, something would occur to him and he'd grab his phone, but otherwise he was into the movie or lightly touching her while she watched the movie. She fell asleep with her head resting on his chest, with the sound of his heartbeat in her ears.

    Wednesday morning, she woke up with a start and rubbed her eyes. Today is the day. Today is the day that we go our own separate ways for several months. She peered up at him, smiled at his sleeping face, and slowly sat up.

    He shifted in his sleep and cracked an eye open. "Time?"

    "I haven't checked yet."

    He rolled over, peeked at the clock. "We still have, like...an hour. Come here."

    She settled back against him and sighed when his arms were around her again. "I've gotten so used to sleeping next to you."

    "Same," he croaked, his voice extra deep since he'd just woken up. "I'm going to hate not having you there with me."

    "You promise we're going to Skype or FaceTime or whatever it's called?"

    He chuckled and nuzzled his face in her hair. "Yeah, we'll do that."

    "And you'll call me every day?" she pressed.

    "Yeah, of course."

    "Even if it's only for two minutes, I don't care. I'm just...going to want to hear you."

    "I'm going to want to hear you too," he said, his voice starting to drift off.

    "And if any girls try to dance with you or sneak into your hotel room, you're going to tell them you're taken?"

    He laughed and lifted his head. "Hey. Chill."

    "You're dodging my question," she muttered.

    "Everyone knows I'm taken."

    "Some of these hoes don't care, so you're going to have to shut some of them down."

    "And I will shut them down."

    "And if they buy you any drinks, don't drink them."

    "I already know that," he reminded her.

    She leaned back into him. "I know. 'Trust Issues.'"

    He laughed. "We're going to be fine. So...can you just stop worrying?"

    "This is my first time seeing you go off on tour."

    "I know, and I get it," he said. "Basically, you should think of this as a vacation from me."

    "If you were a shitty boyfriend, I'd think of it that way," she told him. "But you're like...the perfect boyfriend. So you leaving actually sucks. It's hard to think of it in any other way than that."

    He hugged her tighter to him. "Thank you, baby girl."

    Those words, spoken that closely to her ear, made her shiver.

    Both of them eased back into a short nap, and then the alarm on his phone was going off. There was no more dilly dallying - they had to get up this time. She groaned in frustration, wishing she could turn back time, or pause time so she could cuddle with him for just a little longer.

    Most of his boys were already up and at 'em. He was often one of the last to wake, since he kept such late hours. Everyone's luggage was already packed into the line of cars waiting in front of the house. Drake's chef prepared breakfast for everyone. Everyone in the entire household gathered in the living room and dining room, held hands, and prayed for a safe trip for all of those who were flying out of the area.

    Breakfast was short and chaotic. A lot of phone calls coming into everyone's phones. Even his boys had set up rendezvous in the different tour cities, plans that they needed to solidify. The phone calls resulted in a lot of them standing and walking away from the table for awhile. There was a lot of talking, a lot of noise, a lot of hoots and hollers - especially from OB, who was especially hype. He seemed to thrive during tour time, whereas a lot of the others were subdued and went with the flow.

    After breakfast, everyone piled into the cars they were assigned to, and then they were hitting the road. Drake and Mia sat in the backseat of the tinted windowed Chevy Tahoe, holding hands and leaning on each other. Mia asking him more clingy girlfriend questions, and him obliging her and giving the answers he was supposed to give. Other than the sound of their voices and the low music playing on the car stereo, the car ride was relatively quiet.

    An hour later they were pulling into the LAX departure terminals and standing out of the car. Immediately, there were shouts and screams from a crowd of paparazzi who seemed to have been tipped off to the fact that Drake or another celebrity was flying out today.

    Drake's arm immediately went around Mia, trying to shield her from some of the craziness. It was a sweet gesture, but ultimately ineffective. Even though the sun was shining bright, the paparazzi's camera flashes were still turned on. They screamed and shouted, asked for specific shots, asked questions about Trevor and Vanessa, asked Mia how she felt about Drake going off on tour without her.

    How would they know that I'm not going with him? she wondered as Drake's security moved to action, two men in front, and two behind. One of them was Tank, who would be accompanying her to New York City.

    Drake's security pushed past the photographers, but one of them was more persistent than the rest. "Mia! Mia!" he shouted. "How does it feel to be headed to NYC, which is known as Rihanna's stomping grounds?"

    She frowned and turned towards him.

    Drake nudged her. "Let's keep moving."

    "Why would I care about that?" Mia asked the photographer.

    "We hear you had an altercation with her at Power 106, and she is, after all, Drake's ex," the photographer said with his video camera pointed at her face.