Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Sixty-Five

    "There was a night when Nicki had a huge fight with Safaree," Drake started. "She said she tried calling her friends, but none of them were picking up. So she called me and asked if she could come over. I told her that she could."

    Mia stared straight ahead, beginning to feel numb.

    "We stayed up late, talking and drinking. We didn't really get drunk or anything, but she was just telling me about the fight that she had with her man. She was crying and stressed out, because they'd been together for so long, you know? So I was just holding her, wanting to comfort her. And...she kissed me, and..."

    Tears gathered at the corners of Mia's eyes.

    "Things happened," he said, his voice growing quieter. "Silly me, I thought that we would get a chance to be together, but she made up with Safaree the next day. She called me up, completely panicked, begging me not to tell anyone that anything had happened since she was already on shaky ground with him."

    "And you agreed," she said softly.

    He turned and looked at her. "I agreed."

    "Because you loved her and would do anything for her," she went on, covering her face with her hands. "I am such an idiot."

    "There's no way you could have known," he said. "Because like a good boy, I kept her secret."

    Mia's brows drew together. "So back in the studio, when she made the little line about flying off the handle..."

    He chuckled dryly. "After the night we had together, she and I went back to the way things were before. Strictly friends, strictly family. I tried to be understanding, you know? But then a few months later, I found out that she was seeing Meek behind Safaree's back. She had been for awhile, even back when she and I..." He stopped and took a deep breath. "When I found that out, I kind of lost it. I laid into her and let her have it. She blew up right back at me, and wouldn't talk to me for a long time after that."

    A memory nagged at her. "'Not even talkin' to Nicki, communication is breakin'. I dropped the ball on some personal shit, I need to embrace it.'"

    He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. She wouldn't accept my calls, so that was my apology to her. There are a lot of lyrics that I've written, where people assumed that I was talking about Rihanna, when really-"

    "You were talking about Nicki." Mia stood up from the couch. "Oh my God."

    He looked up at her with sad eyes. "I would have told you...I would have. But I promised her, and since it was in the past anyway, I figured that it wasn't important."

    "All of the times we've hung out with them," she whispered. "All of the times you've traveled with her. Then she says she wants to work with me, and you don't...you don't say anything?"

    "Working with her would mean a lot for your career," he told her. "I didn't want to jeopardize that over some bullshit that happened in the past."

    "Fuck my career, Aubrey!" she shouted. "You had the nerve to get mad at me over missing a webcam session with you, over a ball player hitting on me, when you've been hiding this...this huge secret from me? I'm supposed to be working with this woman, but how can I? How can I work with her, knowing what I know now? How can I keep touring with you, when..."

    He lowered his eyes.

    "...When I can barely stand looking at you?" She felt like crying; she was barely holding it together.

    "I'm sorry, Mia."

    "You're sorry?" She turned and started walking towards the door.

    He stood up and grabbed her hand. "Don't."

    She stared down at his hand, joined with hers. Angry tears spilled down her cheeks as she yanked her hand away from him. "You don't."

    "We have a show to do."

    "No, you have a show to do," she spat at him. "I have bags to pack."

    "Don't leave." He grabbed her hand again. "Look...I should have told you, all right? No matter which promise I made, I should have told you. I'm so sorry that I didn't, but all of that was in the past. I don't want to be with her. I don't think of her that way. She's truly like a sister to me now. Even if you and I weren't together, I wouldn't want to be with her."

    "Everyone, including Nicki herself, say that she and I look like twins," Mia hissed at him. "Now that I know you were really pining for her, I'm always going to have wonder whether you're with me because of me? Or because I look just like her!"

    His brows furrowed. "I'm with you because of you."

    "I can't just forgive you for this," she told him, her voice tinged with fury.

    "I don't expect you to," he said. "Not right away. But...don't let drama with me get in the way of getting on that stage."

    She shook her head, unable to look at him. His eyes were so sincere; they were pleading for her not to hate him. How can I get onstage and perform with him, when I can barely look at him? Nicki is supposed to put in an appearance at this show, and I don't know how it's possible for me to face her. She poured her heart out to me today, for what? Was that part of some ulterior motive? Get me to speak to Aubrey on her behalf so he would forgive her, grow closer to her? What was the reason?

    "You deserve to be out on that stage," Drake pressed.

    "Aubrey I am a fucking mess right now," she told him. "Even beyond me being petty with you for withholding this information from me, I'm incapable of performing tonight. It is taking everything in me not to collapse into tears right now. Nicki is supposed to come to this show. The minute I saw her face, I'd..." She shook her head, panic beginning to seize her at the very thought. "I'd fuck it up."

    Pain flickered in his eyes, but he nodded. "You don't have to...dance with me, or anything. We can change the stage setup, just have you stand on the platform with a spotlight and sing. Something like that."

    She chewed on the inside of her cheek. "That could work," she relented. Maybe if she stood far enough from the front of the stage, she could focus at the fans in the top rafters. 

    "Come out with me and rehearse?" he asked her.

    Will there ever be a time when we aren't at each other's throats over some stupid bullshit? We just got past a stupid situation, only to end up in another one. Is this how our relationship will continue to play out? Taking turns being mad at each other over something completely asinine. She stared down at his hand. "I will, I just...I need a minute to compose myself."

    His brows furrowed.

    Raising her eyes to meet his gaze, she tilted her head to the side. "I'm not going to make a run for it or anything. I need to...I just need a minute alone."

    "Okay," he said, releasing her hand. "Chubbs will stay posted outside of your door. He'll bring you to the stage when you're ready." He was good at that - making it sound like his security team was there for her safety, when really they were posted to prevent her from leaving unexpectedly.

    "Sounds good," she said weakly, feeling sick to her stomach.

    He continued standing there, looking like he wanted to say something else.

    "I just need a minute, please," she repeated, on the verge of breaking down.

    He backed away from her and left the room.

    The minute he was gone, she dropped down to her knees and cried.