Who knew

Dressing room teases and late dinners

The infamous date with Josh happened to be a blur. I mean, how could it be any other way after that strange banter I shared with Marshall? He left my head with lots of thoughts that intoxicated my mind, not giving a single chance to care about seeing Josh. So, when I finally made it to the cafe we had to meet at, I was scattered, to say the least.

Josh, indeed, noticed my odd behaviour but instead of asking about reasons, made everything to involve me in the conversation and chose the topics I'd have been interested in. I had to give him big props for that because I could see him genuinely making an effort, and no matter how distracted I was, it helped. In the middle of the evening, my full attention for at least some time was Josh's. It was surely a great date, and immediately, he asked me for a second one. Though returning to my apartment later that day, I felt guilty for making Marshall my favourite topic to think about, and I didn't know what to do with it.

Paul left me a voicemail, telling that the next day Eminem would have a performance in one of the Detroit clubs, celebrating the "Relapse". He explained that Marshall wasn't ready for any tours yet but some live appearances here and there would help him to get in shape again. Sometime later that month he had some performances in LA, New York and on a couple of TV and radio shows. I caught myself excited, hearing it.

There were also rumours about Dr. Dre showing up as surprise guest on the next day's performance. I knew it was a big deal even for me so couldn't help but felt a little nervous. I bet Trevor would be a much better option for my position, knowing so much about hip hop, but I was slowly and surely learning whenever I had a chance. So, there was nothing left for me but hope for the better. It couldn't be that hard, right?

The next day I arrived at the club earlier just like Paul asked me to. At that time Marshall should have already finished his rehearsals and had some rest before the show. I passed the security at the entrance and went to search for any familiar faces as the staff was rushing everywhere, making sure to perfect even the slightest details. It was one more proof of how important the performance was.

I spotted Paul almost instantly. He was there checking on everything that was happening around, and I wondered how it could be possible to be in control of such a massive event. Marshall was lucky to have such a manger.

'Ella, hello' Paul greeted me, sounding a little distant as he was all wrapped up in the preparations. 'The show starts soon so Marshall is in his dressing room. You can go there. Dre is also here already so Marshall will introduce you. I'd like to do it myself but there is still a lot of stuff to do'.

'It's okay, I'll be fine' I reassured him with a small smile. Starting to work on this project, I never imagined Paul to be so attentive to me. However, somehow we got along pretty well, and he was always there if I needed anything. I did know that he expected some really good results from this project, though, so I decided to do everything within that month to prove him right.

'Hold on' he stopped me as I turned around to leave. 'I'm always too busy to talk to you properly but I just wanted to ask how the things going between you and Marshall. Are there any problems?' Paul's full focus was finally on me with a concerned look on his face. What should have I answered, huh?

'No, no problems that I can't solve myself, thank you' I said in a calm tone, feeling that I actually didn't have to lie. Of course, it wasn't easy to communicate with Marshall in any way but recently it'd been more fun than unpleasant. And to reveal the truth, even a little bit more... 'Don't worry about me' I added, nodding at him gratefully, and made my way to Marshall's dressing room. In a recently developed habit, I felt a nervous sensation of anticipation appearing in my chest.

There were two security guards near the door so I spent some time proving my identity. When it came to safety, Paul had everything figured out at best. Though, when the door opened, I was instantly met by the familiar malcontent voice, and all of the thoughts about the security and Paul were left in the hallway. I wouldn't lie if I said I got used to it.