Fireworks 3 and 4

Chapter Forty-Five

    The paps were posted outside of The Nice Guy restaurant. Word was that Drake was inside of the restaurant eating, laughing it up, and having a good time. It had been ages since the public had seen him laughing it up and having a good time. Word also was that he was having such a good time because Mia was dining inside of the restaurant with him.

    The only testament to there being any truth to this whatsoever were a few blurry photos taken by a group of spoiled teenagers fortunate enough to be seated within earshot of Drake's table.

    Once the paps pulled up though, Drake's shiny black Wraith was found parked behind the restaurant. It was parked in the area that the workers parked in, away from the general public. Because he was special. He got to do shit like that.

    Paparazzi were posted both in front of the restaurant and at the back door that Drake usually came out of. With him, you never knew. Sometimes he changed up his routine just to keep them guessing. You had to appreciate a guy who attempted to make the chase fun.

    "Anyone seen him yet?" an impatient young pap called out to the rest.

    "Nah, not yet."

    "Well, damn. Can he hurry it up? Some of us are wanting to eat, too."

    The rest of the paps chuckled at that. They earned their living snapping photos of celebrities, and the thought of a celebrity inconveniencing a pap was laughable. Most celebrities lived to throw wrenches in the plans of paps, because most of them wanted to live a peaceful, quiet life. The concept of celebrity was truly a delusion. If you were lucky enough, you got paid millions of dollars to do what you enjoyed doing anyway, and to entertain the public. The mistake many young ingénue made is believing that entertaining the public stopped when you walked off of a set or stage. Not quite. You become mainstream – really mainstream – and the public owned you, as did the media.

    There were some exceptions to that. Josh Hartnett had a great run in movies, had some stellar memorable roles, and then faded off the map. It had never been his wish to live his entire life in front of cameras. The guy preferred his privacy. There were many just like him who managed to live quietly. But to do so, an entertainer usually had to drop off of the map. Continue working in the industry and you had to plug your projects. If you had to plug your projects, then living at least some of your personal life in front of the public eye was to be expected. Become the next big thing? And you were as good as owned.

    Jeremy Shaw adjusted the camera resting on top of his shoulder and glanced at the time another guy had on his watch. The slave days aren't over, he thought now, just as the back metal door was thrust open. It's just been expanded to include all races and rebranded being an entertainer.

    Drake appeared in the doorway and immediately ducked his head down as camera flashes nearly blinded him. Behind him, with her hand nearly swallowed up in his, was Mia, who stared down at the ground as she followed him out of the restaurant.

    "Oh my fucking God, oh my fucking God," the young pap shouted. "It was fucking true. Drake and Mia are trying to work it out!"

    Save it for your commentary, bud, Jeremy thought in annoyance, checking to make sure he was recording. "Drake! Drake!" he shouted.

    Drake glanced his way, but frowned and pulled Mia closer to him, attempting to shield her from the cameras.

    Always the gentleman, Jeremy thought, just as the battery indicator on his camera beeped, signaling that his battery was running low. He'd been stalking Ariana Grande earlier that day. She was teetering on the rails of sanity, so any footage of her was as good as gold. Everyone struggling and fighting to be a part of this industry and then once you're lucky enough to get in, you've got a ton of people wishing for your downfall. Drake might be full of shit, but he had that right from the minute he broke into hip hop. Whenever rappers say that people are praying for their downfall, it's not just a rich person playing the victim. That shit is real.

    Drake held up a hand to block some of the flashes. "Come on, guys," he called out to them as he escorted Mia to the car waiting for him.

    "You've got to give us something, man!" another pap shouted. "Did you guys enjoy your dinner? Are you working it out?"

    Mia said something to Drake, something too low for Jeremy to hear. He stood too far away from them.

    Fuck, I should have gotten here earlier, he thought in disdain, but made sure to keep the camera rolling.

    Drake helped Mia into the car, gave a cursory glance over his shoulder to the paparazzi, walked around the car, and ducked down into the car himself.

    "You're not going to give us anything? The public has been waiting for you and Mia to get together longer than they waited for Justin and Brittney!"

    Jeremy saw Drake shake his head and laugh as the car pulled away.

~~~~~~

    "At the top of entertainment news tonight is the Dria sighting last night," entertainment news correspondent Jennifer Talbot said into her tiny lapel mic as an image of Drake and Mia filled the screen behind her. "That's right – Drake and Mia spotted leaving The Nice Guy, hot Hollywood hangout restaurant, and they were looking pretty cozy. Drake made news several years ago when he fathered a child by a former adult film star, but vowed he would make it up to the woman he claims is the love is his life. Were we lucky enough to get to witness the first steps of their reconnection?"

    "Drake stunned everyone today when he was seen stepping out of a swaggy Hollywood restaurant with ex Mia in tow. The two have been through hell and back, but seem to be attempting to work it out."

    "Drake and Mia met with speculation amidst rumors that they are getting back together. Fans are criticizing Mia for taking him back, telling Drake that he doesn't deserve Mia, and others are suspicious of the two getting back together, wondering if the entire thing is staged for publicity. Suspicions aside, the two looked rather happy in these photos snapped of the couple last night. They're hand in hand, looking at each other as if there is still love there, and...I don't know. We'll pose this question to you guys. Are you here for a Drake and Mia reunion? Do you want to see them make it work?"

    "A paparazzo outside of the restaurant was heard shouting to Drake that the public wants to see him and Mia together more than they wanted to see Brittney Spears and Justin Timberlake reunite after their messy split more than a decade ago. This question left us wondering: what the hell are these guys smoking?"