Jersey

three

Ellie blasted music in the bathroom alone in the tour bus, which she didn't mind. She was getting ready for the show in New York, and she was excited to be backstage. She always wanted to watch from the sideline of his concerts, and now she finally was.
Grayson walked into the tour bus, immediately hearing the blasting of music. He laughed, knowing Ellie was enjoying herself.
He walked to the back, and saw the bathroom door slightly creaked open. He peeked inside and although he should've looked away, he didn't. Ellie was wrapped in an untied silk robe. She was curling her hair as she moved side to side in only her bra and underwear. Looking at her body brought back memories to the first time he explored it. Her body had definitely developed, and her hips moved to the beat of the music. Grayson regretted looking for so long. He regretted analyzing her body because he knew it was wrong. He walked back to the front, and waited for thirty minutes until Ellie finally walked out fully clothed.
"Hey." She said happily, "When'd you get back?"
"I've only been here a few minutes." He lied, smiling up at her, "I see you're ready."
"Ready and excited. Let's go." She said eagerly.
Grayson laughed calling out to Mike, "We're ready."
A few moments later, Mike started up the bus and started driving. The way there, Ellie made it her given right to blast his music. Her comfort level was still so high. She pranced around the bus, lip syncing every song perfectly. Grayson was honestly shocked. He had no idea she listened to his music so much, she knew every word. He enjoyed his personal concert from her, demanding an encore.
Ellie plopped on the opposite couch, breathing heavily, "Wow. I'm tired. How do you do this all the time?"
Grayson laughed, "We can't all be rockstars."
"Oh shut up." She said staring out the window, "Hey, we're here."
They pulled in through the back, careful to not be mobbed by the fans. As they entered the empty arena, Ellie gasped. She'd never seen something so big.
"This could fit- like a thousand people." She exaggerated, admiring the huge stadium.
Grayson smiled at her amazement. It reminded him of when he first performed in New York. He was so nervous. He'd never performed in a place so big. So seeing her reaction brought him a little joy.
"Come on, check out the stage." He said, leading her up the steps. Once she took one step onto them, she tried putting herself into Grayson's shoes.
"Hello New York!" She yelled.
Grayson laughed, "Ha, that's cute." He said stepping in front of her, "Now, let the professionals do it."
Her mouth shaped an O, stepping to the side with arms crossed and a smirk, "Okay, big shot. Show me how it's done."
"Hellllloooooo New York!" He yelled, even louder than she had.
"Oh, so you just drag your words out? Classy." She said, not impressed.
Grayson rolled his eyes, "It's all about amping the crowd up."
Ellie nodded, "Amp them up? Ever thought about making a grand entrance?"
"And what do you suggest?" Grayson asked, ready to hear her ideas.
"Imagine this." She said stepping near the edge of the stage, "All the lights go out. Everything's pitch dark. The crowds all like, 'what's happening? Is there a power outage?' Then the lights come on, but only one. It's shining in one spot, but then it instantly turns back off. The audience is confused. They're all like, 'is there a lighting problem? Has a demon taken over the concert?' Then as the lights flicker back on, there's you, standing there. Silence. The crowd roars. You look up, gazing into the audience with your eyes glistening. Not immediately, but soon you'll give a mere, 'hello'. The crowd will go crazy. Then, as soon as they think it's over, you come in with the classic, 'helllllooooooo New York!' Fireworks, drum roll, bass guitar, action. Crowd officially amped up."
Grayson stared to her in awe. That was actually an idea that amazed him.
"Okay." He said backing away, "Let's try that, huh?"
Ellie smiled, "Yes. I'll be the audience."
She jumped down from the stage, taking a seat in the front row.
Grayson did everything Ellie had pictured with the help of Mike, who did the lights. It was truly amazing. Ellie clapped her hands, "Perfect! Definitely worth the money!"
A slow clap was heard from behind them, causing them both to turn around.
It was Gabby, Grayson's manager. Ellie had seen her on interviews from time to time, but never in person.
"Ellie. That entrance was amazing." She commented, walking down the aisle.
Grayson jumped down, "Hey, i didn't know you were coming to the show?"
"Lily called. She told me i needed to keep an eye on you." Gabby explained.
Ellie raised an eyebrow, keep an eye on him?
"Thanks but, you can tell Lily I'm not four."
"She said you didn't get any sleep." Gabby said crossing her arms, "Sleep is very important Grayson. You need the energy- especially for New York."
"I broke curfew one night. It's not a big deal, i was hanging with my girl." He said, walking over to Ellie, placing an arm around her shoulder.
Gabby knew by the way Ellie tensed up, that Grayson was indeed, blinded by her feelings for him, and the way his use of 'my girl' affected her.
Gabby just blatantly ignored, walking up to her, "It's nice to finally meet you, Ellie. I'm sure you'll be a great addition to this tour."
"Thank you." Ellie smiled, feeling very welcome.
"Now. I hope you two have had your fun, but we have to do soundcheck. Ellie you're welcome to stay out here and watch, or you can go to the back. There's snacks and a tv to make you feel more comfortable."
"You had me at snacks and tv." Ellie said, escaping from Grayson's arm, "See you during the show, dream boat."
Ellie exited to backstage and Gabby looked to Grayson with a sly smirk, "I hope you're clear on the rules."
He looked to her in confusion, "Rules?"
"Yeah. I let her come on this tour because i know how much she means to you. But you can't be seen out in public with her alone, no PDA, hugging out in the open, that arm thing you just did, pictures and videos should remain discrete and if she does get out then she's just described as an old friend of Lily's."
Grayson let the rules go through one ear and out the other, "An old friend of Lily's that's touring with me? Does that sound any better than what's really going on?"
"Does it sound better than touring with your ex girlfriend? Hell yeah." Gabby clarified.
Grayson sighed, "I know i can't do any of those things but- i just don't think it's fair that i have to keep her a secret. Without her-"
"You wouldn't be where you are, Yeah i get it." She interrupted. "But now you are where you are, and where you are is a very tight and critical position. If you didn't have a girlfriend it'd be different but any exposure of your correlation to each other could cause so much unwanted controversy. It's in everyone's best interest if you keep her low-key. If you care about her- or Lily, you'll do that."
Grayson sighed. He knew she was right. It just pained him that no one would know one of the most important people in his life. At least for now.