Distance

chapter three

Saturday Afternoon

Selena's POV

Bethany had picked out one of the more simple dresses from the fashion closet for me--an emerald green off the shoulder bodycon dress--which I was thankful for. It was Carter's favorite color. She also picked out a pair of gold hoops and black chunky heels for me to wear. I straightened my short brown hair and decided to do a gold smokey eye and a natural lip.

Bethany looked stunning in a firey red bodycon dress that had a halter neck and a slit up her leg. She wore gold pumps and her long blonde hair cascaded down her back in messy waves. Somehow she could always pull off that no-effort-but-actually-took-two-hours look.

"Sooooo, Selly," Bethany chimed, coming out of my bathroom all ready. "How pumped are you to meet the man of my dreams?"

I rolled my eyes, hiding my hurt. "Super excited, B. Can't you tell I'm just overflowing with joy?" I said monotonously, looking in her direction with a straight face.

"Well perk up, darlin', because we're about to have the night of our lives," she said breathily, sighing happily and smiling at her reflection.

When I was done getting ready, I straightened my dress and grabbed my gold clutch. I'm a firm believer in matching earrings, bracelets, and necklaces with bags.

I pulled my press pass lanyard over my head and handed Bethany hers, and she did the same.

"Let's go!" Beth exclaimed, her hands in the air as she practically ran out of my apartment.

____

Once we got to Madison Square Garden, my phone chimed and I was careful not to let Beth see it.

@CarterMontez93: T-minus 15 minutes! #CarterMSG

I sighed, disappointed in myself for having his notifications on. I put my phone in my clutch as we stepped into the arena, escorted by the VIP security to our seats on the floor. Of course we were dead center in front of the stage, a perfect place to be spotted.

As the concert went on, I refrained from singing along to his songs. Of course I knew every word, the release date of every song and its ranking on the Billboard Top 100. But was I going to admit to that? Hell no.

At one point, Carter looked right at us. I put my head down but could still see him wink at Bethany, holding her arm as she practically melted. She was quite intoxicated, since she didn't actually see this as a career opportunity. I stayed sober, not wanting my emotions to get the best of me.

When he was done performing, we headed backstage. I was dreading this from the moment I found out Bethany purchased backstage passes, but now I felt nauseous. Bethany's arm was wrapped around my shoulder, and as we rounded the corner, she screamed.

"Oh! My! GOD!" she exclaimed to me quietly, letting go of my shoulder and running.

I saw Carter. He looked good. I couldn't help but let my eyes rake over his body. Before he noticed me, I collected myself and started walking with my chin up towards Bethany.

Carter smirked at Bethany, reaching out to shake her hand when he saw her COUTURE press pass. She was absolutely gushing, asking him questions about where he shops and how he was such an icon. I didn't get close enough for him to shake my hand, but I saw him glancing at me occasionally. I couldn't tell if he recognized me or not.

"COUTURE, huh? What's your name?" he asked her, a smile on his face. Always friendly. And that smile... hadn't changed one bit.

"My name's Bethany, and oh my god, I am such a huge fan! I'm the celebrity journalist so I try my best not to gush, but wow, you're even more stunning in person!" Bethany flirted, winking as Carter laughed.