Rave & Roses {A Rema Fanfic}

28 - ZARA

The rain tapped gently against the massive glass windows of Divine's lounge, creating a calming rhythm as we lounged on the oversized couch. I was nestled into his side, wrapped in one of his sweaters, the sleeves slightly too long for me. His arm was draped over my shoulder, and his fingers absentmindedly played with the ends of my hair as we watched the rain fall in comfortable silence.

It had been a perfect morning. We'd woken up tangled in each other's arms, made love until we were breathless, and shared a lazy breakfast that he insisted on making himself. Now, with the rain creating a cozy atmosphere, I decided to bring up something that had been on my mind since the music video shoot.

I tilted my head up to look at him. "Divine?"

"Hm?" he murmured, his gaze still fixed on the rain.

I hesitated for a moment, then went for it. "What exactly is between you and Arya?"

That got his attention. He turned to me, his brow furrowing slightly. "Arya? What about her?"

I sat up a little, pulling my legs under me. "After the shoot, I did a bit of digging. I found out she used to be in love with you before she got signed to the label."

Divine sighed deeply, running a hand down his face. "I figured this would come up eventually."

"Well, I want to know," I said softly but firmly. "She acts like she owns you, and the way she was at the shoot... I just need to understand what's going on."

He leaned back against the couch, his arm draped over the backrest as he looked at me. "Alright, let me be real with you. Yes, Arya had—has—a thing for me. Everyone knows it. Before she got signed, she used to talk about me all the time. And when she joined the label, she tried to make it seem like we were close. At first, I didn't think it was a big deal. She was young, excited, and honestly, I thought it was just a harmless crush."

I stayed quiet, letting him continue.

"But it didn't stop there," he admitted. "She started acting possessive, like she had some kind of claim over me. I'd shut her down every time, but she'd find ways to make it seem like we were something we weren't. The label didn't see an issue since, from their perspective, it was just her being overzealous. And honestly..." He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "In the very beginning, before I knew how she really was, I might've liked her a little. If we weren't on the same label, maybe something could've happened. But the more I got to know her, the more I realized she wasn't my type."

I raised an eyebrow. "Not your type?"

He looked at me, his expression softening. "Not even close. She's... too much. Too hyper, too quick to act like I belong to her. I don't like people laying claims on me, especially when it's not mutual. With you, it's different. I want you to feel like I'm yours because I want to be yours."

I felt a warmth spread through my chest, but I wasn't ready to let him off the hook just yet. "So, you've never given her any reason to think there's something there?"

"I swear, I haven't," he said earnestly. "Whatever she's holding onto is in her head. I've told her multiple times that I'm not interested, but she doesn't want to hear it. And honestly, if it weren't for the label, I'd have cut her off completely. But they don't want drama between artists, so I've had to keep it civil."

I studied his face, searching for any hint of deceit, but all I saw was sincerity. "I don't like her," I admitted quietly. "She looks at you like you're hers, and it drives me crazy."

He reached out, taking my hand in his. "You don't have to worry about her, Zara. You're the one I want. She's just noise."

I let out a small sigh, leaning back into him. "I just don't want to feel like I'm competing with anyone for you."