Stay

Chapter Thirty

"Well, What is it?" Austin asked. I looked down at my ring and slipped it off my finger. He looked at me confused. I flung it across the room.
"It was all fake" I mumbled. He furrowed his eyebrows at me and leaned foreword.
"What do you mean?" He asked, for clarification. I sighed.
"I mean, everything with Pete, it was all part of this shitty plan to hurt your feelings" I said.
"Why would you want to do that?" He asked confused.
"Because, you hurt me and I wanted you to feel the same" I said quietly. He took a deep breath.
"You're a sick, twisted person" he said, shaking his head. I looked up at him to my surprise to see a smile plastered across his face. "We're perfect for each other" he chuckled, shaking his head. I furrowed my brows at him and was actually confused. I was expecting more of a reaction.
"You're not mad?" I asked. He chuckled.
"Why would I be mad" he smiled. "You got me" he said.
"It wasn't meant to be a joke" I mumbled. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Nope, I'm even more in love with than I was before"
***
* 1 Year Later *

**
"Ariana you're in in 5" a man said, peaking through the dressing room. I nodded and the makeup girls hurried to finish my makeup.
"Scooter Braun" a familiar voice said, walking through the door. I looked over to see Austin's manager. Scooter engaged into conversation with Dre and gave him a warm greeting.
"How have you been?" Scooter asked with a welcoming smile.
"Really good, busy, but good" he smiled. "And you?" He asked. Scooter smiled.
"Can't complain" he said. He cleared his throat.
"How's Austin?" He asked quietly, trying to not let me hear. I sighed and looked in the mirror.
"He's great" Dre smiled.
"Breaking records I saw" scooter smiled. Dre nodded.
"Yo Dre" another familiar voice said, entering my room. I looked over, and there was Austin, walking into my room. He looked up at me and got quiet. I quickly stood up and adjusted myself, staring directly back at him. Scooter cleared his throat.
"Why don't we step out and give them a minute" scooter said, urging Dre out the door. The walked out and closed the door behind him. Austin cleared his throat.
"What Uh- What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I have an interview, with jimmy" I said, giving him a shy smile. He nodded.
"Well, you look great" he said, running his fingers down his chin. I smiled and thanked him.
After the album came out, Austin and I both decided we wouldn't work out, given that he cheated on me for a third time, after only being together for three months.
"Ariana, we need you up on set" the same man said.
"Good luck" Austin smiled. I smiled and nodded and made my way upstairs.

"So Ariana, you're going on tour?" Jimmy asked excitedly.
"I am, yes" I smiled, and the crowd cheered.
"You know this is really the first time you'll be out since the tragic events in manchester" he said. "But I really want to praise you for how amazing you are for everything you've done, not just for the victims but Manchester as a whole" he smiled.
"Thank you" I said shyly. It wasn't really something I wanted to get into, so I did my best to brush off the conversation.
***
"Up next, to perform his Grammy nominated song, Post Malone and Circles" the woman said. Every clapped, even I did.

He finished his performance and all of the lights changed. They announced the nominees for the Grammy, then finally got to the point.
"And the winner, for best male record of 2020" the woman said.
"Goes to Post Malone" she said excitedly. He made his way up to the stage and stood before the mic.
"Thank you so much" he smiled, looking out into the crowd as everyone cheered.
"I'm no good at speeches" he chuckled. "But I want to thank everyone who helped out with the album" he said and named off a few people. "But most importantly, I want to thank Ariana, cause in all honesty, I would never have gotten here without her support and advice over the years" he said, as the crowd cheered. He thanked everyone once again and took his seat. As he made his way off the stage. As he walked passed me, he smiled. I smiled back and mouthed the words 'thank you'.
-

"And the Grammy for best album of the year, goes to Ariana Grande, Thank You Next" the woman beamed. I smiled and made my way up to the stage to except the award.
*

As pictures were being taken, I looked next to me, about 10 feet away, stood Austin. He looked up at me and smiled. He walked over to me, and the cameras went crazy for a moment.
"You were great tonight" he smiled, nervously.
"You too" I smiled, placing a hand on his bicep. I smiled and cleared his throat.
"So there's this party tonight" he started, earning a laugh from me. The memories from the first time we actually bonded flooded my mind. "I'd love for you to come" he smiled. I looked down at my feet and nodded.
"I'd love too"
**