Paper Parachute | Celebrity Romance

21.

"Hello, Blair." Her father said, his arms extending as he pulled her in for an awkward hug.

"Dad, Mom. I just—I can't believe you actually came." Blair said, her body rigid as she awkwardly allowed him to embrace her.

"Well of course, dear. You invited us out to see your little show. We had to come see what all the fuss was about. The performance was nice." Elena Andrews replied in a voice that made Blair question the sincerity of her somewhat polite remark. "How much longer will this be? We were hoping we could take you our for dinner. We went ahead and made a reservation at Victor's just in case."

"Um, well, I'd have to ask Blake he said something about us having plans for later. Besides, I have to stay for my duet with him anyway so it'll be at least another hour or two."

"Two hours? And who is Blake?" Her mother scoffed, seemingly annoyed that she would have to wait.

"Yeah, um, is that okay? And Blake is my boyfriend, he's the singer for the headlining band." Blair remarked. She felt small. She had forgotten what it was like to be under her mother's constant scrutiny. Her mother gave her a look that told her she was far less than impressed with Blair and the entire ordeal.

"Well, he can come along, I suppose." Her mother replied. "Should we go back to our seats, Daryl?" She asked, turning to Blair's father.

"Sure." With that the woman turned on her heels, heading back to the arena access door with Blair's father following after her like a lost dog.

Blair exhaled as she watched her parents walk away, exhausted from even just a brief conversation with them. She couldn't dwell on her thoughts, her attention was needed elsewhere and so she moved towards the stairs that led to the stage as the call for her came over her monitors.

She heard Blake call her name and she drifted towards him, her mind still elsewhere. She tripped over a wire when she was about a foot from him and he lunged forward to catch her. The crowd gasped as she breathed out a sigh of relief.

Worry crossed his face as he looked down at her, his grip still tight against her forearms.

"Are you okay, B?" He asked, awaiting her reply. She nodded, her cheeks reddened from embarrassment.

"She's literally falling for me guys." Blake joked into the microphone, laughing at his own joke as Dex played a sting.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. I'm just a klutz. It's fine." She laughed it off as the opening notes of Shake it Out rang through the stadium.

Blair loved the new lighting for this song the crew had designed, it illuminated she and Blake until he was the only thing she could see. It made the moment seem so private, just the two of them merging their voices as one. It made it so easy to forget where they were, despite them being surrounded by ten thousand people.

When they finished the song, Blake pulled her against his chest as she slipped her arms around his waist.

"By the way, my parents are crashing our dinner plans. Sorry, have a good show!" She whispered quickly.

She waved to the crowd as she returned backstage to their applause. Blake behind her, looking clearly caught off guard.

•

"This is nice." Blake commented as he followed Blair and her parents through the entrance to Victor's.

"They only picked it because it's the most expensive place in town. My mom has a thing about appearances." Blair mumbled back to him, not wanting to be overheard.

Snobby.

That was the first word that came to mind when Blake was introduced to Blair's parents. Her mother was clothed in an expertly tailored black dress, covered by a cream coat that gave off an aura of class and dignity. Her facial expressions and tone however, gave off feelings of hostility and disappointment. Suddenly he was beginning to see why Blair had very little contact with her parents. He hurt for her, he couldn't imagine his family life being so nonexistent.