a continent apart

chapter 12. realizations and prepping for tour

Previously on chapter 11.

Macie's POV:

We all stayed quiet when we read the email from Carson, not saying a word. We were all in shock that things were moving this fast and who knows, the tour could start any second. I sighed before putting my phone down on the table and started to speak first. "Well, we better be ready for when the tour is going to happen because I'm ready to experience life on the road," I said, trying to stay positive in this situation. They both nodded their heads in agreement before Addie spoke up. "She's right. We've done this before, we should be used to it by now. We've got this and we can help Mace as well. We can make her time on the road even better. It's going to be okay. We already went shopping, so we should be good, right Trevor?" He nodded his head in agreement as he ate his food. Then we were brought back to silence as we finished up our meals, finished shopping, and got some cameras and stuff that I'm going to need.I hope that when we go on this tour, it won't go crazy since it's my first tour after all. How crazy can it get? All I have to do is take pictures and stuff. It will be alright, I finally told myself before we finished up since it was pretty late and I needed to get a few more things before we left. I just hope the meeting goes really well.

Olivers Pov:

"Do I really have to go to the meeting? It's like six in the morning, Carson. Why does it have to be this early?" I whine as Carson drags me by the hand into the building for the meeting. I didn't want to go because, firstly, I know Ash will be there, and secondly, I know Macie will be there as well. I've been avoiding her because, well, I like her a lot and it feels like a battle if Ash is involved. It hurts because I liked her first. Also, I'm in an old t-shirt and sweatpants, so I'm going to embarrass myself. Thanks, Carson, for dragging me out before I could change, I thought to myself. Carson then rolls his eyes, pushing the button to the floor we need to be on for the meeting in the elevator. "Because this meeting about the upcoming tour that may happen much sooner, and you have to be there even if it's six a.m. in the morning. You're the celebrity, not me," Carson says as he adjusts the stuff he brought, which is probably my songbook and a USB drive of the recorded songs we did yesterday. This is enough for maybe two albums and a little leftover for a third album. I sigh, rolling my eyes before I whine some more. "Well, did you really have to drag me out in an old t-shirt and sweats? Why couldn't I have changed?" I say, and Carson just rolls his eyes before responding. "I know you better, Olie. If I did that, you would have gone back to bed, and we would have been even later. Plus, you don't look that bad," he says before the elevator stops at our floor. He then drags me out towards the meeting room, and I roll my eyes, knowing he was right. I thought I would have gone back to bed and locked my door as well, so he wouldn't be doing what he is doing now."I hate how well you know me, Carson," I thought in my head as I stared hard at his head, thinking of ways to get out of this before he interrupts my thoughts. "And don't think you can get out of this because you can't just say you're sick. This meeting is important," he says without even looking at me. My mouth drops. Well, he truly does know me, I thought to myself, and I just let him drag me as I groan. I don't want to face Macie and that stupid Ash who has her attention. Yes, I'm jealous. I'm admitting to it just this once.As we approached, I saw Macie and Ash laughing. Everyone was walking in, including management and all the necessary personnel. I sat as far away from Macie as possible since there were no seats next to her, so I ended up next to Carson. I was already eager for this meeting to end; I was done and just wanted to go back to sleep, not wanting to deal with this jealousy.My thoughts were interrupted by my manager from management. He smiled brightly and began to speak. "Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for joining this meeting on this fine morning. We have a new addition to our team, Ash Parker. He owns a recording studio and has worked with many people producing music. He will be joining us on this tour, which will start in less than two weeks instead of three weeks as planned, since Oliver has enough songs to begin the tour much earlier than we had planned." He announced excitedly with a bright smile. I was shocked. The tour was starting in less than two weeks! That wasn't the plan. I didn't know if I was ready, especially music-wise. I ran my fingers through my hair, stressing about the tour."Also, Ms. Parker will be working with Ash since they are siblings. She will be taking pictures behind the scenes when Oliver records and performs live on tour," my manager stated, ending the meeting. I looked over at Trevor, who was smirking as everyone else walked out of the meeting room, presumably to get their schedules for the upcoming events. I walked over to him, still smirking, and smacked him in the head. "Hey, what was that for?" Trevor asked, laughing a little before I responded. "That was because you didn't tell me they were related!" I quietly shouted at him as he laughed. "You should have seen your face!" He said between laughs, going red in the face. I sighed. "This isn't funny, Trevor. I'm serious. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked with my arms crossed, waiting for a reply as he calmed down. "Well, I thought maybe you had figured it out from Carson, or maybe because they have the same last name!" He said in a quiet tone, hopefully so no one would hear us. I sighed, running my hands all over my face in relief that I still had a chance, but also feeling stupid. I should have asked about him and put two and two together that they were related.I nodded before responding. "I know I should have asked before assuming things. Now I feel stupid for being jealous over someone being her brother," I said quietly. He nodded before putting his hand on my shoulder, patting it softly. "Yeah, and I guess I should have said something when I saw how jealous you were. But I couldn't resist, and now I know you have a crush on her. So when are you going to get with her?" He asked, looking into my eyes with a serious look on his face. I started to shake my head before replying. "Of course you couldn't resist. I don't know, Trev. I doubt she even likes me like I like her. I've liked her ever since I laid my eyes on her, but I don't know if I stand a chance. She's been through a lot as well. She might not want to be with me," I said nervously. I really wanted to be with her, but I didn't think I stood a chance. I sighed, leaning against the wall. Trevor walked over and stood in front of me, shaking his head with a smile. "So it was love at first sight then? I remember that moment when I first met Addie. I was scared she didn't feel the same and I wanted to just push all efforts away because why would she want a guy like me? I remember the day she asked me out because she was done waiting for me to make a move, and I said yes because I was in shock she felt the same way," he said, getting lost in thought. I smiled. i remember that day,Despite me reassuring him that everything was going to be okay and that she was into him, he was a nervous wreck. "Yeah, I remember that," he retorted, glaring at me before I continued. "But I kept telling you it was going to be okay because she liked you a lot. She would constantly ask me about you, wondering when you were going to ask her out. She even considered doing it herself because you were taking so long that she thought you didn't like her," I said, smirking as his face turned red. "But don't tell her I told you this. She would kill me for revealing that, even though you guys are engaged now," I added, and he nodded in agreement, promising never to tell her."Yeah, I promise I won't ever tell her. But just take the risk. You deserve so much after feeling numb for so long, and then Ella doing more damage to your already broken heart. I think Macie is much different from all the other girls you've been with. She's more about the heart and forever than fame and money," He says, sitting next to me. I then sit on the floor with him, shaking my head with a smile. "Yeah, she is different from everyone else. Also, where is all this wisdom coming from? You're the one who was nervous to even ask Addie to marry you after only dating for two years. I had to tell you she wanted to marry you and that she would ask you if you didn't do it first," I say, and he smiles, punching me in the shoulder. We both laugh at the statement. "Yeah, I don't know, but I'm deadly serious about it. Ask Macie out. What could happen besides her saying no and going away?" he says, and I take it in, soaking it up like a sponge. I nod my head, agreeing with him. "Yeah, I know. I'll ask her out soon, and even if she says no, it will be okay. I can say I at least tried in the end," he nods his head before standing up and reaching out to help me. I take his hand and stand up alongside him before he says, "We should probably go before they come find us and suspect something. And I hope you do it soon because she really is a nice girl," he says before walking out. I follow him and make my way towards Carson as he's finishing up his conversation with management. But as I walk towards him, I look around for Macie, but I don't see her. I guess I was too late and she left, I thought to myself, which really sucks because I wanted to talk to her and apologize for everything in person versus a text message. But it seems like I'm going to have to either wait or send a message. I sigh, taking out my phone and going to her contact, writing out my message that I want to say to her, but also lying about why I was ignoring her and maybe hang out later.Message to Macie💙Hey, I want to apologize for ignoring you yesterday. I was busy recording and writing songs, and sometimes I get so lost in my work that I lose track of time. It's a bad habit of mine. Do you think we could hang out before the tour starts, maybe with Addie and Trevor?I hit send before I could second-guess myself. I'm nervous around her because I like her a lot and I don't want to miss my chance. As I got lost in my thoughts, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Macie, Addie, and Trevor.

"Hey, Oliver," Macie says shyly, with a bright smile. I smile back, saying hi to her and the others. "Thought you had left by now, Ollie, but glad we stumbled upon you. Do you think you'll be free before the tour starts? We need to get a few more things since the tour seems to be starting a lot sooner, and Addie needs more hair products and stuff since she forgot," Trevor says, rolling his eyes. Addie gasps, playfully hitting his arm. "It's not my fault I wasn't expecting the tour to start this soon," she says in a huff, folding her arms across her chest, clearly mad at him. He hugs her and kisses her forehead, saying something that makes her laugh."I don't mind as long as I don't have anything else to do. I basically finished all the songs, so sure, we can hang out," I say, running my fingers through my hair. They both nod their heads, saying they'll be waiting in the car to give Macie a ride back to the hotel she's staying at. They hold hands as they go, and I can't help but feel jealous. I want that too, but with Macie, of course. As I thought about her, she interrupts my thoughts with her melodious voice. "I got your message. It's not a problem, but we can definitely hang out since we all just made plans," she says, smiling brightly as always. I nod my head in agreement, but before I could say a word, Carson interrupts us. "Alright, lover boy, we gotta go do a few things. You can hang out with the girl later," he says, smirking because he knew what he did. I start blushing along with Macie before she hugs me, which surprised me entirely, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed the long hug before Carson coughed, breaking up our amazing hug goodbye. He drags me away as I shout bye to Macie, waving my hand. She laughs, a blush still on her face.

To be continued...