Fireworks 3 and 4

Chapter Twenty-Five

    As soon as Mia set foot in the door, it felt like home. She could already feel all of her plans slipping out of her reach: the condo she'd planned to write in, the solo travel itineraries. She thought she'd figured it all out, until she'd rounded the corner leading into the living room and saw him standing in the center of the room. His back was to her, but she still felt a rush of feeling hit her. She'd dropped her luggage, had walked up to him, and wrapped her arms around him, pressing the side of her cheek to his back.

    He'd chuckled and leaned back into her. "Us against the world."

    With her entire world shaken up yet again, she'd tried to find solace in those words, some form of peace. "Us against the world," she'd echoed in a whisper.

~~~~~~

    In those first few days of being back home with Drake, attempting to get any work done was futile. He was always around, hugging her from behind or seated beside her. Whenever he felt like he outstayed his welcome, he would disappear for a bit and spend time with his boys, but otherwise, he tended to hover. It was like he was afraid of letting her out of his sight again. She couldn't blame him. Recently, she'd hit so many highs and lows that she could give any theme park roller coaster a run for their money. Bri never failed to remind her of that, in between her poolside sessions with Soraya. Desirae usually echoed Bri's sentiments.

    It felt good to be here with him. It felt more than good, it felt right.

    They spent the majority of their days and all nights together. He'd lie with his head in her lap, staring up at the ceiling. On one night in particular, he told her, "You need to dead the beef with Nicki."

    "I'm curious as to why you'd say that." 

    "Because love her or hate her, she has influence in the industry. There are people who fuck with her who wouldn't fuck with you if they know that you two are at odds with each other. And beyond that, carrying around a beef like that isn't good for you. I'm speaking from experience, here." She must have twisted her mouth in a certain way, because he laughed and added, "I didn't say you had to be besties with her. Just civil."

    "I'm not apologizing for anything I said," she stated matter-of-factly.

    "And what was it that you said?"

    Her eyes widened and she looked away from him.

    "Something about me?"

    "Umm..."

    "Something about her trying to get at me?" he guessed.

    "More like...something about the fact that she used a fake romance with you to gain popularity early on in her career."

    He sat up and turned to look at her.

    "I know."

    "Mia, you can't - "

    "That's behind us now, isn't it? I can't take it back."

    "Fuck," he murmured, laying his head back down in her lap. "Did she respond to that?"

    "Just by saying that you used her as much as she used you."

    "It's always nice to know where you stand with someone," he said quietly.

    "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...I was just insulted."

    "People like her, like me...we know what buttons to push on people," he told her. "Call it a gift. But after knowing someone for a relatively short period of time, I know what words would crush their entire existence. Nicki is the same way. I don't say that to make us sound special. There are a ton of people like us in the industry, people-readers. People who just live for the chance to get under your skin. You can't let them ever get under your skin the way you allowed her to. You can't...lose your cool like that. Not in this industry. Not if you expect to stick around for awhile. Because you can fuck up and say the wrong thing to the wrong person and wind up blacklisted."

    "I understand."

    "I'm surprised you're not cussing me out for giving you advice. I thought helping you wasn't allowed."

    She shrugged, leaning her head against the bed headboard. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

    "Do any of us really know what we're doing?"

    "I was so sure that I was on the right path."

    "With becoming a boss bitch," he finished for her, trying not to laugh.

    She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I don't care if you make fun of me for it. I don't care if Bri makes fun of me for it. It felt right to me."

    "There's nothing wrong with upgrading yourself and becoming a boss, baby girl," he told her, playing with the hem of her shirt. "Wanting to be a boss wasn't your mistake. Thinking that you had to do it alone was where you fucked up. Because you don't have to do it alone. Becoming a boss with help is no less an amazing accomplishment than becoming a boss on your own. Very few people in this world have become a boss with absolutely no help. I had help. Nicki had help. Robyn had help. For all of us, it took someone seeing something in us, a little spark of magic. Just that belief, that little leap of faith that if they invested their time and money with us, we would prove to be a worthy investment."

    "Makes sense."

    "For me and Nicki it was Wayne. For Robyn, it was Jay. And for you, it's me."

    Emotion filled her eyes.

    "I see magic in you," he continued. "And that's why I push you to be the best artist you can be, give you advice and let you know about my experiences...and it's why my life went to shit without you here. Because the magic you have, Mia, I need in my life. Whether it's Mia the Artist, Mia the Extra, or Mia the Woman...it doesn't matter. I need them all. And when the world sees what you're truly capable of, they will too."

    Overcome with feelings, she leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

    He reached up, touched her hair, and kissed her back. "Don't ever leave me again," he said against her lips.

    "I won't," she promised.

    He pulled her face down and deepened the kiss.