Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Twenty

    "I'm excited to go to NYC, no matter whose stomping grounds the city is considered," Mia informed the nosey photographer, smiling brightly. She turned around and trailed behind Drake as he entered the airport.

    Once inside, Drake said, "You have to really be careful what you say and how you say it."

    She pouted. "I thought I did well."

    He laughed. "You did...kind of. But if you say something like, 'Why would I care about that,' what happens is that afternoon you see a gossip article with the headline, 'Mia doesn't care about Rihanna!'"

    She started laughing along with him. "Yikes."

    "Yeah. Just...be mindful of what you say. They love to spin shit." His phone rang, and he withdrew it from the pocket of his sweatpants. His attire was the epitome of casual wear, but it was top of the line casual wear. It was also unbelievably soft to the touch. Even dressed in sweatpants, a hoodie, and a baseball cap, he looked yummy.

    She'd taken a page from his book, sporting sweatpants, sneakers, and a pink hoodie. Her curly hair was piled on top of her head in a topknot. She hadn't felt like messing with it. The minute she got to NYC, she would straighten her hair to make it easier to manage. The last thing she needed to worry about, when she had time scheduled with Nicki Minaj and Beyonce, was her hair.

    They walked through the airport with his security around them. His boys caught up with them eventually. Fans approached them, asking for pictures and autographs. There were more photographers inside of the airport, before the security checkpoint.

    Mia continued holding Drake's hand, not wanting to let go until the least possible moment.

    That moment came sooner than she would have liked. Mia and Drake turned to face each other and she threw her arms around him, trying to hold back her emotions and facing.

    "Hey," he said soothingly, sliding his arms around her waist. "It will be over before you know it. And then I'll be all up in your face every day and you'll be begging me to go on tour again."

    "Not true," she mumbled into his chest.

    He kissed the top of her head. "Look at me."

    She peered up at him.

    "I love you, and I'm going to come back to you as soon as I can. Trust that. Okay?"

    She nodded.

    "Now...stop the tears, and give me a kiss," he said, wiping at her tears with the thumbs of both fingers.

    She rose on her tiptoes, kissed him, and shut the rest of the world out.

                                                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Mia's flight left out first. Her flight was a regular, first-class flight to New York City. He would have had her ride with his crew on the jet, but jet seating was limited with the size of crew that he had - not to mention that she would wind up being on a flight from Miami to New York City with just Tank to keep her company. Make no misunderstanding, Tank had an amazing personality. He was just as funny as the next crew member, but he did often lapsed into silence. Drake had made the decision to put her on a regular flight, even though he would have loved to have the extra time to spend with her on the flight from Los Angeles to Miami.

    Once she boarded the plane, he collapsed onto one of the chairs, flipped his hood up, and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He still had about a half an hour before his flight left out.

    His boys claimed the seats next to him, playing around on their phones. Hush pulled out his laptop and his fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed on it.

    Usually, Drake would be doing the same thing. Checking his phone, working on his laptop, or listening to music. Something. But all he could do is think about Mia. She was relatively new to this lifestyle, new to having paparazzi express an interest in her. He was beginning to wonder if it was a bit too soon to send her off on her own. Granted, Tank would be with her, but still. He couldn't help but feel that he was feeding her to the wolves, allowing her to travel to New York City without him.

    His phone vibrated in his pocket. He almost let it continue to vibrate with answering it, but decided to pull his phone out at the last minute. He unlocked his cell phone screen and accessed his missed text messages - which seemed to be a mile long. The missed message at the top was what caught his eye. A text from Mia, telling him that she loved him and would miss him. He smiled, returned the sentiment, and tapped the phone against his bottom lip. Don't worry, baby. When this tour is over, my top priority is coming back to you.