𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍, ʰᵃʳʳʸ ˢᵗʸˡᵉˢ

• 𝟑𝟐 - 𝑗𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑦 29𝑡ℎ

𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

january 29th.

simon had called me into an emergency meeting, and i left amélie in bed, careful not to wake her. she looked so peaceful, her hair a soft mess against the pillow, her chest rising and falling in the calm rhythm of sleep.

i didn't know how much rest she had gotten, and the last thing i wanted was to disturb her. leaning down, i kissed her forehead softly, whispering "je t'aime," in french, even though i was still stumbling over the words.

she had been teaching me, since she sometimes spoke in french with her mum on the phone. i stood there for a moment, watching her, feeling my heart swell. she was my girl, my beautiful amélie, and i was lucky.

i wasn't even going to lie—i was thinking about proposing. i didn't care that we were only 19 and 18. i was obsessed with her, and i only wanted her.

but as i drove to simon's office, i felt a knot forming in my stomach. something about the way he had called me in out of nowhere felt off. and when i arrived, that feeling only got worse.

simon was already sitting behind his desk, his face hard, like a storm brewing. the second i walked in, he didn't waste any time. "sit," he ordered, pointing to the chair in front of him.

as soon as i sat down, his eyes locked onto mine, and he said coldly, "i know you and amélie are still together."

my heart dropped. "no. what the hell does that have to do with anything?" i snapped, my hands gripping the arms of the chair. but simon didn't flinch.

"you have a choice," he continued, his voice low, almost a growl. "either you agree to a deal i'm offering, or amélie's out of the band."

i felt my entire body tense up. "what deal?" i asked, my voice shaky with disbelief. "what are you talking about?"

"the deal is simple," simon said, leaning forward, his eyes narrowing. "you get into a pr relationship with someone i've arranged, or you're out of the band. amélie will be kicked out too."

"no," i said, my voice rising with anger. "i'm not doing that."

simon slammed his fist against the desk, making everything on it rattle. "you will if you want to stay in this industry. you signed a contract. either you agree to this, or everything you have is gone."

before i could respond, the door to the office opened, and in walked ciara. my stomach twisted. ciara was supposed to be helping us with songwriting, but now i understood what was really going on.

the pieces were falling into place. simon had set this up from the start.

"hey, stranger," ciara said with a smirk as she sauntered over, her eyes lingering on me in a way that made my skin crawl. "it's been a while."

i tried to ignore her, my mind racing with how to get out of this mess. but ciara wasn't going to let me off that easily. she moved closer, sitting on the edge of simon's desk, crossing her legs deliberately, her gaze never leaving mine.

"i hear we're going to be spending more time together," she said, her voice dipping into something sultry. "i'm looking forward to it."

i couldn't believe this was happening. "this isn't happening," i snapped, trying to push past the rage building inside me. but ciara just smiled, completely unfazed.

"why fight it?" she said softly, standing up and stepping toward me. her hand brushed my arm, and i jerked back, disgusted. "it's just business. amélie doesn't have to know. i mean, she and i are friends. she trusts me."

that was it. hearing ciara call herself amélie's friend made something snap inside me. "friend?" i spat, my voice shaking with anger. "you're her friend? and you're standing here, trying to do this? you're a fucking joke, ciara."

ciara blinked, clearly taken aback by my reaction, but she quickly recovered, her smirk returning. "relax," she said. "it's just a pr thing. amélie will understand. you know how the industry works."

i stepped toward her, my fists clenched. "understand? understand?" i was yelling now, not caring who could hear. "amélie loves you. she trusts you. you're supposed to be her friend, and this is how you repay her? you're a shit friend, ciara. a complete fucking snake."

ciara raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by my outburst. "come on," she said, her tone calm, almost condescending. "it doesn't have to be like this. it's not real. we can have fun. it doesn't mean anything." she said, emphasising on fun, and i've never wanted to throw my whole guts up as bad as i did now.

i couldn't take it anymore. "i love amélie," i shouted, my voice raw. "i'm not doing this to her. and if you think i'd ever touch you, you're delusional. you're nothing like her. you couldn't even compare."

ciara's smirk faltered for a second, but she quickly regained her composure. "you're overreacting," she said, crossing her arms. "it's not like you're cheating. unless you want to, i'm down. it's just for the cameras. and besides, amélie will have her own pr relationship. she'll get it."

"she'll get it?" i repeated, my voice full of disbelief. "she's supposed to be your friend, ciara. and you're standing here, trying to steal her boyfriend for some bullshit pr stunt. you think that won't hurt her? you think she's just going to be okay with that?"

ciara shrugged, clearly bored with the conversation now. "she'll be fine. she's stronger than you think."

i couldn't believe what i was hearing. how could she be so callous, so heartless? "i fucking know she's strong! you're disgusting," i said, my voice cold. "and i'm not going to hurt her for your stupid games. you and simon can shove this deal up your ass."

"enough!" simon's voice cut through the room, harsh and commanding. he stood up, his face red with anger. "this isn't a choice, and you damn well know it. you signed a contract, and you will follow through. or i'll make sure neither you nor amélie have a career left to speak of."

i turned to simon, my eyes burning with fury. "i don't care what you do to me," i said, my voice shaking with rage. "but i'm not doing this to her. not for you, not for anyone."

simon stared at me for a long moment, his expression hard and unyielding. then, slowly, he sat back down, a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "we'll see about that," he said quietly.

i didn't respond. i couldn't. all i wanted to do was get out of there, to get back to amélie and tell her everything. without another word, i stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind me. the only thing that mattered now was making sure amélie was okay. i couldn't let simon, or ciara, or anyone, come between us. not now, not ever.

but i had to.

i didn't have the guts to tell her.

𝐚𝐯𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬!

little flashback