Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Twenty-Four

    "Oh my God...Baby." Mia leaned forward and kissed the screen of her laptop. She sat on her bed Indian-style with her hair piled on top of her head in a topknot, already dressed for bed in a tank top and pajama pants.

    On the monitor, Drake laughed and copied the sweet gesture. Then he sat back in the chair of his hotel room desk. "I thought about you all day, you don't even know."

    "I thought about you all day, too."

    "I couldn't tell. The only message I got was sent, when? Like an hour ago?"

    "I didn't wanna bother you!" she exclaimed. "If you want, I can be that clingy girlfriend and text you all day. Believe that."

    He grinned and lowered his eyes.

    Ugh. I love Skype. I love technology. But seeing him on my computer monitor isn't enough. Especially when he's looking that damn sexy. And how does he manage to look sexy in a t-shirt? Like...how? "I had the most amazing day today."

    "Yeah? Nicki treat you well?"

    She nodded. "She's such a sweetheart. And so real."

    "I knew you two would get along."

    "She wants me to sing on one of her tracks."

    His eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

    "She...she said she thinks I should sing. Make it a career."

    He narrowed his eyes and turned his head.

    She frowned. "You hate the idea."

    "Hate the idea? Pfft. No." He turned back to face his laptop camera. "I told you the same thing at one point. Remember?"

    "Then why did you get all weird just now?" she demanded.

    He laughed and shrugged. "I thought you wanted to be a songwriter."

    "I do." She slanted her mouth in disappointment. "Are you just trying to be nice? Are you trying to find a nice way to say that I shouldn't be a singer?"

    "No, baby, nothing like that." He ran his index finger across his bottom lip, a habit of his that drove her crazy. "Whatever you want to do, I stand behind you on it. You know that."

    "But you have a problem with it, I can tell you do," she pressed. "Just tell me."

    He looked downward. "Well, I just thought...I mean, if we settled down together - I mean really settled down together - that you would hold things down for me at home. You know? Like...your voice is good. It's a lot more amazing than you give yourself credit for, actually. There is no doubt in my mind that you could have a great singing career. That's why I told you that you should consider it. The only thing I'm questioning is the timing."

    She squinted at him. Is he talking about us eventually getting married? It sounds like he's telling me he wants me to be a housewife. A thousand different thoughts and feelings ran through her. She almost forgot he'd asked her a question. "Umm...I don't even know, to be honest. The fact that you said it and Nicki said it made me feel like I should consider it."

    "If you really want to, I'd support you one hundred percent," he added quickly, looking straight at the camera lens.

    "And if you really didn't want me to, I wouldn't," she told him earnestly.

    A look flashed in his eyes, a look she couldn't name. "We can talk about that more when I get back from tour."

    "Just to be clear though, you don't have any issues with me providing vocals on this Nicki track?"