Bad Decisions (A Julian Casablancas Fic)

Chapter Nine: I Dunno If I'm Wanted, Fab

The girls made it back to their dorm safely. Lilah didn't talk much on the way home, but Melody apologized at least 5,000 times. Lilah forgave her, she was her best friend after all. Lilah made a mental note to talk about what Julian said about Fletcher with Melody. She debated whether or not she should even bring it up, Julian could be a liar as well as a dick. She thought that it's better to be safe than sorry.

When she woke in Fab's hotel room, he'd left her a note. It read: "Good morning, Lilah. Had to head out. I left the room key, and Melody knows you're here. Head back down to your room when you're ready. It was no nice meeting you." She smiled at his kind words, but what really shocked her was at the bottom. He'd left his number.

The girls got back into their dorm and sighed heavily. "That was some experience." Melody said.

"I had a great time, Mel. Thank Fletcher again for me."

"He knows you're thankful, I showed him for both of us," Melody replied with a wink. "Are you sure you're okay with the whole Julian ordeal. I heard about it from Fletch?"

Lilah sighed. "Yeah, I mean nobody is perfect ya know? They were all great besides him. It was still the best birthday ever. Despite him being an asshole, he was still good to look at."

Melody and Delilah both laughed. Now is a better time than ever to bring this up, Lilah thought. "Mel?"

"Yeah?"

"When Julian was rambling about how I'm a whore, he mentioned something about Fletcher," Mel was listening. "He said that he "has girls for hours" or whatever that means. It could be a lie, but I thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks Lilah. Yeah, we've talked about his past. Apparently, he's had a lot of one-night stands that he's not proud of. He told me I changed him."

Lilah smiled at her friend, but still had a weird feeling. She grabbed hr phone and typed in Fab's number. She constructed a text that read: "Hey, it's Lilah. I just wanted to thank you for everything." She put her phone on the bedside table and drifted off before she could see if there was a reply.

Lilah woke up the next morning and headed to the shower. Today was the beginning of the final week of classes! She was excited to go back home and tell her sister about her crazy experience. Lilah hated the communal showers, but she had adjusted as much as she could. She put her robe on the hook, and began to wash herself.

When Lilah headed back to her room, Mel was still asleep. Lilah didn't have class until a few hours later, so she decided to look on social media. It wasn't until she opened her phone that she saw she had a text from Fab. She smiled. It read: "Hey Delilah. How are you now? Call me when you get a chance. Any hour, I don't care. I barely sleep on tour anyway."

Lilah put on some makeup, then leggings and a sweatshirt before braiding her damp hair. It was a chilly day, so she decided to go hang out in the lobby of their dorm until her class started. She didn't want to accidentally wake Mel.

When she got down to the lobby, she decided to call Fab. She decided to facetime him. She missed him; he made her feel better about herself. Like she was worth knowing. She clicked his name and it rang for about 5 seconds, and then she saw his smiling face.

"Lilah! What's up?"

"Hey Fab! I decided to call ya, I have some time before my class starts."

"Is that Lilah?" Lilah heard Albert in the background. "Hey Al!" She said.

"He says hi, anyway, I have a proposition for you." Fab looked at her anxiously.

She decided to tease him. "Sorry Fab, I know I'm irresistible, but I already said no."

He laughed. "Hahaha funny girl. No, seriously. I talked with our manager, and he's willing to give you an internship for the remainder of the summer and tour. I told him I had a friend who was interested in the biz, and he agreed. Don't worry, travel expenses will be paid. You just need to bring yourself."

Lilah's mouth hung open. She didn't know what to say.

"Easy there girl, you're gonna catch flies."

Of course, she wanted to go. She would miss Melody, but she loved to travel. Maybe Mel could come too, or is that too much to ask, she thought. Then she hesitated. That would mean she'd have to see him. Julian. The ultimate blindside.

"I dunno if I'm wanted, Fab."

"Of course, you are! I talked with the boys and they're all in."

Lilah raised an eyebrow. "Even Julian?"

Fab sighed, "You know how he is; he says no to everything but booze, but he'll come around."

He continued, almost reading her mind, "I think Fletch is doing a few of our shows, so you'd possibly see Melody then."

Lilah decided to stop overthinking everything for once in her life. She finally agreed, and shouted, "Yes!"

~

The final week of classes was over. Lilah had explained everything to her family and her best friend. All agreed that it was a great opportunity. Lilah had to return home and pack a few more things before she left.

Fab had explained everything over the week. They had 15 more shows that would go on until late July. It would start in California, go into Canada, and end in New York. She was so excited to see the city. Fab would have a driver come pick her up from her house the following day. They'd meet up at the airport and fly to LA. Her duty as an intern included the following responsibilities: make sure the boys were on time, limit their alcohol consumption, and make sure they don't make an idiot out of themselves to the public. The last two were going to be tricky, she thought.

She hopped in her car and made the journey home. The day she got to spend with her family was the best. They had a late birthday celebration and watched all of Lilah's favorite movies. After Lilah told her sister, Havana, the events of her actual birthday, Havana was mad.

"Who does he think he is?" She scowled.

"Probably some hotshot rock star," Lilah answered sarcastically. She was slowly coming to terms with Julian's actions. His words didn't stab her as much anymore when she thought about them.

That night, Havana brought Lilah a pink, medium-sized box wrapped with a bow.

"What's this?" Lilah asked.

"Well, it's a birthday/going away present. Just in case the other guys are much nicer."

Lilah was confused until she opened the box. It was a black, lacy piece of lingerie. Something Lilah had never pictured herself wearing. "What the hell Havana?"

Havana just laughed. "You'll thank me later." She laughed and walked out of Lilah's bedroom.

As Lilah finished packing, she stared at the thin piece of fabric lying on her bed. She huffed and said "what the hell" before throwing it in her suitcase and zipping it up.

~

Lilah hugged her family goodbye as she saw a black range rover pull in the driveway. The driver exited and questioned, "Miss Wilson?"

She nodded as he grabbed her bags and put them in the trunk. When she opened the door, she almost fell out when she saw who was sitting there.

"Fab!" She screamed and gave him a hug.

"Hey Lilah. Julian was being a dick so I decided I'd rather ride with you to the airport. Plus, it sucks to fly alone. You really do live in the middle of fucking nowhere, huh?"

"Tell me about it," she said as the car sped off.

Lilah's airport attire was as chic as she could make it. Her hair was in loose waves, with a simple face of makeup. She had on ripped jeans with her black t-shirt tied in a knot.

Before the plane took off, she texted Melody, "Love you. Wish me luck," along with the airplane emoji.

She closed her eyes and thought, "No turning back now."