“Lindsi, darling, we love the song. But it needs...somethin more, some ‘umf’ ya know what I’m sayin?” His name was Martin Jones who was speaking, the manager/director of the company I was singing for. “Here,” he says. “Let me try something.” He messes around with something on the controls, all the while I just (fake a) smile like I’m okay with them messing with my song.
“Here we go, babe. Take a listen to this.” Martin says a while later. I’m just sitting on a stool in the recording room and everyone (including Nick, Martin and the others in charge of the technical stuff) is watching me through the glass like a caged animal at the zoo.
He plays what used to be my song but wasn’t mine at the same time. If you’re familiar with High School Musical, I felt like Kelsey when Sharpay up-beated her songs. My song wasn’t slow, but it was what you would call an acoustic version. I don’t know about the new version; it just felt...wrong.
I tried to clear my thoughts and really listen to this new version of my song, trying to act like I actually was enjoying myself.
* * *
“You hated the new song. Didn’t you.” Nick says as we drove home. It wasn’t a question.
“No, I didn’t,” I lied. “It was great.”
He raises his eyebrows. “LInds. I know you.” He reminds me.
I sigh. Of course he does.
“Fine. You caught me.” I say. “Yes I hated it but if it’s the only way they’ll buy it, then I can live with it.”
“If you hate it, I will talk with them about it.” Nick says.
“No, you don’t have to. It’s okay.”
He didn’t say anything the rest of the drive home so neither did I. When we pull into the driveway of my house, I open the door to get out, but he grabs my hand.
“Linds, why don’t you take a break for a while?” He says.
“A break? What do you mean?” I say.
“You’ve been working non-stop on the song and the wedding plans. I just think you should take your mind off of things. Go hand with your girlfriends. Spend some time with your family. Oh I know, call up Archie and see if he wants to do something.” He says.
“Oh I get it.” I tease. “You’re just trying to get rid of me, aren’t ya?” I push him playfully.
“Now why would I do something like that?” He teases back. “Seriously, though. Do this? For me?” He gives me a “puppy-eye” look.
I look at him and shake my head. “Alright. I’ll do it for you.” I say. “But only since I love you.”
He grins. “Love you too, Bear.”
The next day, everything was set up. I called Archie like I said I would and he was totally excited. He invited me to an event that was for American Idols that had competed, like a reunion or something and also we were going to have lunch later this week. But what I might have forgotten was the fact that I was engaged to an amazingly famous pop star and that I was going to lunch with a celebrity that wasn’t said pop star. So when Laura showed me an article in the magazine that said I was “cheating on Nick Jonas” I was furious.
“This is ridiculous!” I complain when I finish reading it. I shove the magazine back into Laura’s arms and pace angrily back and forth. “It was Nick’s idea in the first place! Why would I cheat?”
“Well, they are just looking for any kind of gossip they can get. I’m sure it will blow over in a few days,” she says.
“Yeah, I suppose.” I try to shrug it off but I call Nick anyway.
“We just have to prove that it isn’t true,” he says. “Like at the award show that’s coming up. We’ll just say none of it’s true and it’ll go away.”
I don’t know what it is about him, but he always makes me feel better about these things. My sister could try to reassure me but I will still worry. But when Nick reassures me, I always feel better so I don’t worry anymore. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m head over heals in love with him.
So when we were at said award show, the paparazzi and interviewers were surprised we were still together. Nick looked charming in his blue suit and I wore a one-strap magenta dress with a sequin top and a flowy skirt. My hair was flowing down my back in loose curls.
“None of the rumors are true.” Nick says. “She was just having lunch with a friend. That is all.” And we move on to the next question.
So after those rumors were set straight, there wasn’t anything to worry about except the wedding.
I was putting together the playlist of songs for the reception of all my favorite love songs:
“Stolen” by Dashboard Confessional
“Can’t Stop Loving You” By Phil Collins
A favorite of Nicks, “Haven’t Met You Yet” by Michael Buble
And my favorite, “All About Us” by He is We & Owl City
Those weren’t all of them but I was satisfied so far.
I was hanging out at Nick’s place, looking up songs when he walks through the door. He sees me and walks over to where I’m sitting. “Hey Bear. How was your day?” He says as he wraps his arms around my shoulders and gives me butterfly kisses up and down my neck.
“It was… good.” I say distractedly. “Just working on...the songs… for the… reception.” Now he really has my full attention. Somewhere I dropped my pencil but I didn’t care. I turn my head so our lips meet and I’m taken into a world where Nick and I are the only two people on the earth. But it ends too soon when we have to come up for air.
I close my eyes and rest my forehead against his, taking deep breaths. “I should get back to work.” I whisper.
“Do you have to?” He pouts. “I was hoping we could meet our appointment with my bed.”
I smack his shoulder playfully. “No way, Jonas. You know your parents would hate me forever.” I say, turning back to the table and getting my pencil off the floor.
“They wouldn’t hate you.” He says, sitting down next to me. “They would just never talk to you again.”
I turn and glare at him.
“I’m joking!” He says.
I just roll my eyes. “So what do you think of the list so far….?”
* * *
The days turn to weeks and October has flown by. “Blue Bird” is released as a single and another one of my songs, “Broken Heart” is released as a single as well. Pretty soon, the album, LINDSI, is released and in just a few short days, it goes platinum.
I get to record a music video and do all sorts of promo stuff like photoshoots and interviews. Everyone wants to know all the juicy deets about the wedding of course, and a time or two they ask about the ring that’s around my neck and not on Nick’s finger.
“He wants to honor the promise he made, so to honor his wish, I wear it as a reminder also.” Was the response I give to the question.
I ask Rosie, Dani, Laura and Maya to be bridesmaids and we go dress shopping. After an epic fail of no success, I just decide that I want to order the dresses online so they all match. The colors that we’ve chosen are a mint green color with pink and brown accents. So I was looking around online and I find the perfect dress: strapless with sequins on the bodice and a poofy skirt. Perfect! And I found a dress for the Maid of Honor: The same kind of dress but in pink.
While I was looking at dresses, I was also checking facebook and whatnot, and a link on a page that I liked caught my attention:
JOE JONAS AND LAURA FERMATA: BACK TOGETHER.
