Fireworks 3 and 4

Chapter Six

    Rihanna leaned over the balcony railing, peering downward. "I don't know if I'll ever be okay with you dating her."

    "She hasn't done anything to you."

    "Yeah, I know that. Obviously." She rolled her eyes. "It's not about her, it's...about you being taken. Off-limits to me. I don't think I'll ever get used to that. No matter what was going on between us, I liked knowing that you were there if I needed you."

    Drake moved to stand beside her. He quietly sipped his drink while following her gaze.

    "We've been through so much together," Rihanna said, raising her voice over the music. "But no matter what craziness we've gone through, I've always known that I could come to you. Whenever my life felt like it was spiraling out of control, I always knew I could talk to you about anything."

    "You still can," he told her.

    "I need to tell you something."

    "Okay."

    "I love him."

    "Travis."

    She nodded. "Yeah."

    "I know that."

    Whipping her head around, she arched a brow at him.

    Drake laughed. "Everyone around you knows that, Robyn."

    "Well, shit," she muttered.

    "I know why you keep your involvement with him low-key, but he is carving out his own place in the industry," Drake told her. "He's gaining a lot of respect in and out of the industry, and...he's the real deal."

    "The last time I made a relationship public, you know what happened," she stated. "I don't want to be made a fool of again. I don't want to give anyone that power. You know me."

    He smiled and leaned into her, pushing her playfully. "I do know you. But when you love someone, taking risks come with the territory. Like with me and Mia...I don't know what's going to happen with us. I know what I want to happen, but...this industry we're in can be a beast. She has her own thing going on right now, and who knows if we'll be able to make something work. We still try though, because we love each other. She could walk out on me tomorrow, but I won't have any regrets because I know I did everything I could to make it work." He paused and turned to look down on Mia, who was still talking to Travis. "You can't act out of fear of the unknown. From what I've seen, he does love you. Look at all of the bullshit he's putting up with, just to be with you."

    Rihanna grinned and ducked her head down. "So you think I should just...take the leap with him and say 'fuck it.'"

    "That's exactly what I think you should do, yeah," he confirmed. "But when it comes to something like this, there is only one thing you should listen to." He gently touched her chest.

    She looked down at his hand.

    He quickly pulled his hand back and clasped both of his hands together over the railing. "Your heart is all that matters when it comes to a decision like this. That's all I'm trying to say."

    "You don't regret letting the public know that you're with Mia?"

    "Regret?" He gave a quick shake of his head. "Nah. That's kind of how I knew she was the one. I don't even think I could hide her, even if I wanted to. Whenever I'm around her, I can't help looking at her. Touching her. Kissing her. I just have to..." He glanced at Rihanna out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be-"

    "You don't have to worry about me, Aubrey," Rihanna said, leaning into him. "I'm a big girl."

    "Your heart will let you know what to do," he went on. "I can already tell that you're getting tired of hiding what you have with him, though. So do yourself a favor and stop hiding it."

    She nursed her drink for awhile without speaking.

    Chubbs approached him. "It's almost time for both of you to go on."

    Drake nodded at him, then watched him retreat to his post near the VIP area entrance.

    Rihanna glanced over her shoulder at Chubbs. "He's still standoffish with me."

    "He's in his own world a lot of the time," Drake said, turning to face her. He leaned a hip on the railing.

    "No, I let things get stupid between us. More than once. I'm sorry about that."

    He shrugged. "Water under the bridge. I've done my dirt, too."

    "How can you do that?" she asked, shaking her head. "How can you be so...decent? All the time?"

    "All the time?" he asked, arching a brow at her.

    She tossed her head back and laughed. "Okay, most of the time?"

    "You've always been a great friend to me," he said. "There have been special moments we've had. There is a lot of history there between us. You weren't the only one who kept coming to me when shit went crazy with someone else. I've done that, come back to you when my girls acted up. You're familiar to me. In a lot of ways, you're like home to me. Or...you were. But these days, I have a new home. You do too, and I'm happy for you. You're like...my best friend. I meant that when I said it. You have been, all of these years, even when shit got weird with us. That makes it easy to do right by you. Even when you're being a bitch to me in a business meeting."

    She rolled her eyes. "I hadn't had my coffee or my smoke that morning."

    "Uh huh."

    "And seeing you with her irks the shit out of me. Sorry not sorry, but I think it always will."

    "If I'm being honest, seeing you with Travis is a bit weird for me too."

    She stared at him.

    He cleared his throat and plastered a smile on his face, since several cameras and camera phones were pointed up in their direction. "But you're happy with him and that's all that matters to me now."

    She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

    He hugged her back and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Even though he had a new home, hugging Rihanna still felt like home to him. He wondered if that feeling would ever go away.