Personal Driver ➢ JB

3; Meet

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CHAPTER THREE.
Meet
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Justin bops his head to the beat of another song of his, smiling and laughing alongside his team in the studio. The sound of the music courses through his bones, his feet tapping on the ground rhythmically. His manager, Scooter, stands by the doorway, observing Justin's reaction to the song. He, too, bops his head to the beat at Justin's glee.

"Jack, man," Justin sighs, turning his back to the sound booth, grinning happily. Everyone calms down, the room going still, "This is amazing."

"Thanks, bro. Glad you like it." Jack Ü responds, bowing his head with a proud grin on his face. He turns around and looks to Diplo, who is across the room, talking to Scooter, nodding his head at him. Diplo nods back, smirking, "I can see this going big."

He reaches out for a handshake. Justin takes his hand firmly, seeing Diplo approach them from behind Jack. He shakes Diplo's hand right after, nodding swiftly. They all talk for a while more before Jack and Diplo bid goodbye to Justin's team, leaving the studio. Scooter claps Justin's shoulder, smiling profusely.

"Alright, Biebs." Scooter sighs, giving him a quick hug, "Another track. I can see this blowing up for sure. But..." He trails off, leading him into the sound booth and sighing, "You know features and singles aren't everything, Justin. You should start considering another album. It's been a while since the Purpose album dropped," He pauses, "Look, that album was great but now it's time for your next big thing. I'm talking platinum."

"Haven't found the inspiration, Scoot." Justin replies, looking to his manager and rubbing his temples, "But I'm trying." Frustration builds up inside of him as he says those three words, not having anything to go off of. Scooter nods his head in understanding, sucking in his lips. He clasps a hand over Justin's shoulder before moving away from him and leaving the studio, closing the door behind him.

Justin is left staring at the microphone, an eerie silence surrounding him as everyone leaves the studio, down the hall, and around the corner. He groans and curses under his breath, running through lyrics in his mind, lyrics he can't seem to put together in any way. They're all there, but nothing makes sense to him. He moves over to the piano and takes a seat in front of it, placing his hands over the cool, ivory keys. A tingle of nostalgia hits him, remembering how he taught himself how to play the piano, at a very young age.

He begins to play a lullaby, one that his mom sang to him since he was a baby. The vibrations of the notes course through his fingers, filling his body with small shocks of heat that go straight to his heart. He sees himself sneaking into the den of their home, late at night, not wanting to get caught. He remembers how much adrenaline coursed through his veins as he snuck around every corner, warm feet tapping on the cold, tile floor. His mother caught him, most of the time, but it was more about sneaking in to just hover over the keys, to get used to the sounds each of them made, how they felt and how they made him feel. Smiling at how the keys seem to play him, instead of him playing them, he closes his eyes as the melodic notes flow through his ears. His head lifts with every high note, going back down for every lower one, lingering his fingers on certain keys to harness its full sound. A few notes later, he's reached the end of the song, the notes pulsing through his eardrums, even after its ended, like an echo. A voice calls behind him and he turns slowly, seeing his sister.

"Juice, c'mon." Iris says, pushing herself off the doorframe, smiling at her older brother. Justin smiles back and stands up from his seat, walking over to her and slinging an arm over her shoulders. He kisses her on the top of her head, walking with her out of the studio, Justin continuing to feel the tingling sensation from the keys of the piano in the tips of his fingertips.