Fireworks 3 and 4

Fireworks: Forever Chapter Twenty-Four

    Country stars were getting into bar fights, R&B stars who dressed tastefully suddenly began wearing more revealing clothes, hip hop queens turned up the heat when beefing with each other, and rock band members were caught making out with their fellow bandmates' girlfriends. The stories piled up on each other to the point that entertainment shows couldn't even fit an entire day's worth of stories into a full hour-long episode. Comedian Katt Williams was credited for setting the tone for everyone getting exposed this year, due to a candid interview where he did just that.

    All stories seemed to throw fans for a loop, but social media footage of Drake and SZA flirting nearly broke the internet. They tried having fun with the assignment, venturing out on casual lunch dates and attending concerts being put on by mutual friends of theirs. The cameras were never far. Photographs and videos were always captured, usually with SZA beaming and looking like she was having the time of her life. It was at one of these concerts that Drake and SZA had decided to make their move, with Drake staring at SZA for a long moment before leaning in to kiss her.

    Gasps sounded around them; somehow, they sounded even louder than the music booming from the speakers in the arena. Flash after flash as cameras captured the lengthy kiss.

    During this time, Drake distracted himself with the list of tasks he had to complete this week. Then, his thoughts drifted to wondering what Mia was doing. He pictured her sitting by the fireplace, reading with her feet tucked under her. The thought caused him to smile against SZA's lips. Slowly, he pulled back from the kiss. He and SZA held another intimate stare before turning to pay attention to the show. His hand crept over and found hers. This all felt like a betrayal, even though he had Mia's blessing. He hated it.

    This new romantic revelation sent fans and haters alike delving into Drake's past and mentioning his past behaviors and previously-penned lyrics about how he'd wronged women. His female fans especially seemed taken aback by this brazen show of betrayal. Had he and Mia broken up and not told anyone? What would have caused them to break up, when they seemed so in love? Could her tour have driven a rift between them? Everyone was desperate to know what happened between the two. 

~~~~~~

    Mia idly scrolled through social media, sitting near the bedroom fireplace with her feet tucked underneath her. 

    The fireplace served as the main source of lighting in the room. Synth-heavy music played on Drake's sound system, complemented by the crackling coming from the fireplace. Although indisputably beautiful, this house felt so big and lonely whenever Drake wasn't in it. 

    Her finger stopped on a particular post. It was video footage of Drake and SZA kissing. She watched the video, trying to desperately keep her emotions detached from the situation. This wasn't something he was doing by choice; this was a position they'd been forced into. That was something she had to remember. Irritated, she leaned over the arm of the chair and grabbed her glass of red wine. After taking a sip, she swirled the wine in the glass while continuing to scroll. Soon, her timeline was flooded with footage from different angles. Some of the photos looked to be professionally taken. 

    Didn't it look like SZA was enjoying this just a little too much?

    Stop it, she cautioned herself. Don't go down that road. They're both acting. 

    But those thoughts wouldn't let go, once they'd grabbed hold of her. Frustrated, she hopped off the chair and padded out of the bedroom in bare feet. The house was dark, save a few dim lights activated throughout the hall and in the foyer. Usually, the place was filled with noise. Random friends and crew members talking, joking, laughing. Even though the house seemed empty, she knew that a pair of guards still stood at the gates outside, and there could possibly be someone in the surveillance room watching monitors. Just because the house was quite didn't necessarily mean it was empty.

    She descended the stairs and took another sip of wine before rounding the bannister. The sounds of music rolled from the upstairs bedroom, down the hall and staircase, to where she stood. I didn't realize I was playing the music so loud, she thought, briefly stumbling before righting herself and proceeding down the lower hall. The upstairs music grew fainter and fainter as she worked her way through the lower level of the house. 

    Her brief walk brought her to Drake's office and its breathtaking view of the pool. Smiling, she crossed the room and sat in the desk chair that had no business being as comfortable as it was. She sat the glass of wine on his desk and leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes. 

    The next phase of all of this was for her to move out of Drake's house. The paparazzi frequented this neighborhood too often, despite it being gated. She and Drake couldn't have a very public breakup, only for her to be photographed coming out of his house days later. In order for this story to ring true, they had to be dedicated. That would be leaving him...again. 

    I just got him back, only to be forced away from him all over again. She sat up in the chair. A colored folder caught her attention. Moving her wine glass farther out of the way, she slid the folder closer and opened it. Her eyes scanned the text on the first page. The chair squeaked as she sat up straighter, flipping the first page so she could read the second. This whole time, I was wondering why we got such a tame storyline. He has to do most of the dirty work with ours... I'm just a casualty caught up in fictional betrayal. Meanwhile, he and SZA aren't even endgame for the storyline. The industry is trying to align him with Nicki and make them endgame. Confused, she slapped the folder closed and pushed herself back from the desk. Why wouldn't he tell me they'd assigned him to do this? Why would he hide this from me?