loved by you // j.b

twenty-three

☆ twenty-three: don't hurt me ☆
word count: 1347

  "Geez, what do you have in here?" Justin groaned as he grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and placed it on the ground. "Shut up!" I playfully scolded as I shoved his shoulder lightly, "It has wheels for a reason."

  He stopped dead in his tracks as he shot me a glare. "Wow, thank you! I had no idea," he replied sarcastically as he pulled up on the handle. Holding it in one hand, he grabbed mine with his other as he led both me and my suitcase through his garage.

It was currently five-fifteen in the evening here in Los Angeles. After listening to Justin try his best to persuade me, and after making him promise that I wasn't intruding, I had decided to come with him. C'mon, it's basically impossible not to give in to him. I really wasn't given an option.

  Justin and I had spent our morning in Nashville, lounging around my apartment which gave me plenty of time to overpack. After we DoorDashed some brunch, we took an Uber to the airport where we boarded Justin's private jet.

The flight to Los Angeles wasn't as long as I had prepared for. I had never flown that far, so I was expecting a tedious flight. It went by pretty fast considering Justin kept me company. Once we had landed, Justin's car was waiting for us.

  Due to us blasting music and having a karaoke session in the car ride, it seemed to have gone by pretty fast as well. Next thing I knew, we were driving through a subdivision you only see on reality tv shows. These homes were exquisite and unlike anything I had ever seen. I had seen mansions before in my lifetime, but nothing compared to this.

  We soon arrived to a big, beautiful white mansion that was surrounded by a tall fence and trees. It was extremely private and secluded, considering it was in a subdivision full of other fancy homes. As the gated entrance opened, I was able to get a better look at the home.

  It was absolutely huge. Beautiful and modern, accented with beautiful scenery. As I gawked at all its glory, Justin parked us in his three-car garage and here we are. There were other cars parked in his driveway, along with a couple lining the street outside.

  On our way here, he had prepared me that he had company over and that we'd be heading to his in-home studio downstairs. I was extremely nervous to meet his friends. I knew he had to feel my hand shaking in his. "Don't be nervous," he chuckled as he rubbed his thumb across my hand, "They're gonna love you."

My mind was racing, trying to figure out who I was about to be introduced to. While I had attempted to quiz him, he resisted telling me who I would be meeting. With him, anything was possible. I could be walking into a room full of celebrities for all I know.

  He opened the door that entered into his home and my jaw immediately dropped. It was absolutely gorgeous, and so Justin at the same time. It was pristine and minimalistic, but also full of expression. Colorful art lined the hallways and funky sculptures were scattered here and there.

  He turned to look at me as I let go off his hand, walking on my own and exploring the area around me. "Wow," I whispered as I took everything in. Justin only laughed, pushing my suitcase so it rolled by itself along his hardwood floors before colliding with a counter, "C'mon. I'll give you a house tour later."

  I took a deep breath, following him near a set of stairs that led to the basement floor. At the bottom of the stairs was a hallways that led to three separate rooms. At the very end of the hallway was a door on the left. Justin turned to me with a smile on his face, grabbing the handle in his hand.

"Ready?" he asked as he bit his lip eagerly. I nodded, following behind him into a hug area that was, sure enough, converted into an in-home studio. Sitting around the room that looked similar to a living room with a big sound board were five people. Being a fan, I recognized some of them.

"What are you crazy people doing in my house? I'm calling the cops!" Justin jokingly boomed loudly as he entered the room. The guys sitting around laughed and cheered upon his presence. "What's up, brother?" his friend, Ryan, said as he approached him in a bro-hug.

I shyly entered the room, quickly feeling all eyes turn to me. "Guys, this is Rylee," Justin smiled, gesturing back to me as he introduced me to the room. "Hey," I giggled as I sent everyone a small wave, blush roaring against my cheeks.

They all welcomed me politely, saying their hellos. "So, this is the girl you've been talking about," Ryan smiled as he threw an arm around Justin's shoulder. "You mean the girl he won't shut up about," a guy with a mustache laughed in the corner.

Justin awkwardly laughed as his cheeks grew red. Before anyone else could pick at him, he began naming everyone in the room to me. "Rylee, this is Ryan. That's Josh and Poo Bear manning the controls. That bum over there in the corner is my buddy, Chaz, and this is Scoo-," he said, being cut off by a hand extending in my direction. "Scooter Braun. Nice to meet you," he smiled sternly as he shook my hand.

I gulped as the nerves consumed me completely. I was shaking the hand of the man who helped Justin turn into a global pop star. I had dreamed of showing Scooter my work. This man had signed so many incredible artists like Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Dan+Shay.

"It's nice to meet you. All of you, at that," I smiled as I looked from Scooter to the rest of the guys. "Here, have a seat," Ryan offered as he directed me to a couch in the center. Justin took the seat next to me, crossing his legs and resting his feet on the coffee table in front of him.

"I hope I'm not intruding or anything. I tried to stay home, but Justin insisted that I wouldn't be in the way while y'all were working. Just pretend I'm not even here," I said awkwardly, trying my best to shift all of the attention off of me.

They all looked to each other a bit puzzled before inevitably turning their attention back to me. "Yeah... About that," Justin said as he sucked his teeth. I turned to look at him as he avoided eye contact as if he were up to no good. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at him, trying to figure out exactly what was happening here.

"If you want, I'll help you beat him up," Chaz chuckled in the corner. I couldn't resist laughing with the others before turning back to face Justin with a curious smile. "What am I really doing here, Justin?" I asked as he still avoided eye contact.

He finally looked at me, flashing a guilty smile before Scooter spoke, "We're here for you." With a raised eyebrow, I looked to everyone in the room and then back to Justin.

"Don't hurt me," he said through a smile as I turned to look back at Scooter. "Justin's been telling us about you for a few weeks now. He told me that I had to hear your work, so here I am. Let's hear it!" Scooter laughed as my heart began racing.

☆ author's note ☆
— hey everyone! this chapter finally starts the music exploration of this story. i took forever working my way up to it, but i have so many plans for this book that it's probably going to be... long lol. i hope you enjoyed! anyways, more to come <3