five.
One month later
I stormed through the cooperation building of the record label, heading towards Scooter's office. I was outraged by what I found out, and I needed to talk to him now.
He happened to be in a meeting, and bursted through the doors, scaring some people.
"Oh hey Lauren, I wasn't expecting you till five. Aren't you suppose to be at the video shoot?" He asked, standing up from his seat and walking towards me.
"Don't act like you don't know what happened." I said, pointing my finger at him.
All eyes were on us, and he looked at me confused. "Lauren, I'm kind of in a meeting." He whispered, walking me towards the door.
"I'm practically on the song for five seconds, how the fuck is this supposed to help my comeback?!" I said, turning and facing him before leaving.
"Lauren, we'll talk about it later. I'm in a meeting." He whispered, cracking the door and peeking his head out the door.
"Stop bullshitting me!" I raised my voice at him. The next second he shuts the door in my face.
I grunted, and hit the wall with the palm of my hand. I don't understand how this is helping my comeback, when I'm on a track for five seconds, and you can't even hear my vocals.
Since the last time I heard the track, there had been some major editing. Before, you could clearly hear my vocals, but now I'm in the background, basically harmonizing with Jilly. The only voice you hear is Zayn's.
As I was walking down the hallway, I was approached by someone I never thought I'd meet in my life. "Lauren right?" The brown eyed guy asked, holding his hand out in front of me.
"Y-yeah, I'm Lauren," I stammered, shaking his hand.
"I'm Ju-"
"Justin, I know who you are." I said, starstruck that he was actually in front of me. "Why are you here?" I asked him, shaking my head so I can get out of my trans.
"I'm just grabbing a few stuff. I'm here with my manager." He said, looking behind him but not seeing anyone. "Well she was here a second ago." He laughed.
"Aren't you at a new label?" I asked him, remembering reading something about him leaving this label to Lyon Records.
"Yeah, I actually am. There just holding some of my stuff, but she's got it handled." He said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Sorry Justin, I had to-" The woman paused as she walked up to us, and smiled at me. "Wow, is this Lauren Jauregui?" She asked, sticking her hand out for me to shake.
"Yeah, it's a pleasure meeting you Miss Lyon's." I said, shaking her hand. I was shaking one of the most powerful manager's hand in the world.
"Call me Cookie," she smiled. "I saw you earlier this morning and I was going to speak to you, but you seemed a bit agitated."
"I actually was," I mentioned, laughing lightly as I ran my finger through my hair.
"I heard you on the song with Zayn Malik." She stated, with a smile on her face.
"You actually heard me singing or you heard that I was on the track?" I chuckled, but actually wondering what she heard.
"I had to listen really carefully." She laughed. I frowned a bit and rolled my eyes. "You needed something way better than that. Like your own song, or a duet with someone." She suggested excitedly.
"Oh I wish," I laughed. She tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips giving me a questioning look. "Scooter won't let me... Yet."
Justin rolled his eyes and sighed. "He pulled that same bullshit with me. That's why I left and moved to a different label."
"That's fucked up." I said shaking my head. "Management here isn't the best when you want to make a comeback."
Cookie looked at her watch and back up at me. "Well, if you ever consider leaving, just call me and I'll work everything out for you. Here's my card." She handed me the small piece of paper, and I placed it in my back pocket.
"I'll see you around Lauren," Justin said, smiling at me as they walked passed me.
-
I got to the video shot, and me and Zayn were first up. The makeup artist did his finishing touches up on me before we started filming.
I took a deep breath, and met the big brown orbs and smiled at him. "Don't be nervous babe." He said, winking at me.
"So Zayn, I want you to sing to her, and lift her chin up, almost as if you're going to kiss her." The director instructed sitting back in his seat. I couldn't help but smile at how thick his Italian accent was.
We started rolling, and he did as instructed, but I didn't expect him to be that seducing. His lips were close to mine, and my lip quiver just like how it did when we first kissed. You could smell his mint gum he had that's how close he was to me.
He ran his fingers through my hair, then his fingers ran across my shoulder. He pushed my hair back, hovering his lips over my neck, until the director said scene.
Our eyes locked, and a smirk appeared across his lips. "We'll finish it later." He winked, walking off set.
I nodded and watched as he walked off set. Normani stood next to me, and looked in the direction of my gaze. "Since when were you guys dating?" She said, raising her brow and looking at me.
"W-we're not dating." I stammered.
"Yeah that's what I thought. Unless you broke up with Keana that morning she figured out I stayed the night." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
That night Normani stayed over turned out amazing, but the morning, not so much. Keana woke up to me and Normani making pancakes and wasn't so pleased by her.
I told Normani that I had been with Keana, only because I knew what reaction Keana would have if I said we weren't dating.
"No, um, we're still together." I lied, brushing passed her. I headed towards my dressing room to change since my scene was up next.
"You ready?" Anika asked me.
I looked at her out the corner of my eye, and rolled my eyes. "Ready for my five second cameo, yup!" I said sarcastically.
I walked outside of the house we were filming the video at, and they told me to go lean against the wall. My hair had been wet and so had the white tee I was in. This was a completely new look for me.
I sang my little part, and once I finished, Normani had came up to me. "Wow." She said, looking down at my outfit. "You have anything on down there?" She chuckled?
"Bikini bottoms." I chuckled, lifting up the shirt a little bit. "It's hella cold." I said, shivering from the coldness of the shirt and my hair.
"More like hot." She said, keeping her eyes on my chest.
I went back to my dressing room to change. Jilly had been getting her makeup done the chair next to me since her scene was after Normani's.
"That was amazing Lauren," she spoke, opening one eye and looking at me.
"Thanks, it was amazing and cold." I said truthfully, running a towel through my hair.
"I'm excited for Normani's scene." She said, raising her brows.
"Oh, do you like her?" I smirked, picking up a blow dryer.
"I mean, she's cute. But I don't know how to talk to her."
"She likes compliments." I mentioned, running my fingers through my hair as I blow dried it.
"I want to get to know her. I was planning on inviting her over to this house party I'm throwing on Friday." She asserted, looking over at me to see if that was a good idea.
"She'll definitely go. Try to get to know her before then as well, so you guys can get close at the house party."
"Would you come to it?" She asked me, getting out of her chair, and fixing her hair.
"Depends if Scooter wants me too," I said rolling my eyes. "Most likely, I'll go. Even if he says no." I winked.
She laughed and smiled at me before leaving the dressing room. I followed behind her seconds later, and felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. "You looked amazing in that white tee." Zayn said in my ear, then lightly biting on my neck.
"We're in public." I said, pushing him off of me.
"Well, it's nearly impossible for me to keep my hands off of you." He stated, placing his hands on my shoulders.
I laughed at him, and moved out of his grip. "Well, you should learn how before people start assuming things."
"Assuming what?"
"That we're a thing." I told him, meeting his gaze.
"When do you think that'll happen?" He asked, locking his fingers with mine.
"Sometime in the future. I just need to think about things for now. It's not you." I explained to him. "For now, let's just go with the flow of things."
"Whatever you say." He replied, pecking my lips.
I watched as he walked towards the set, and I bit down on my lower lip. Zayn was a very attractive guy, but at this point I didn't know if I was ready to be in a relationship or not. This is the same thing that is happening with Keana, and I just don't want to be a Debby Downer. I was also confused with myself. I don't know if I'm telling myself just to love someone just to be loved back, or if I actually want to stay single.
-
I had been hanging out with a few people at a club until I got a text message from Zayn.
I miss you. Meet me at the studio.
Is this a song were working on or just a booty call?
Maybe both ;)
See you in twenty.
I rushed to the studio, and saw Zayn sitting at the desk writing something. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my chin on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to look like I was busy," He said, turning towards me. "You were right about twenty minutes." He smirked, placing his hands on my hips as I sat in his lap.
"I mean what I say," I said, running my hands up his biceps. "Well, half the time." I shrugged.
I met his gaze, and slid his jacket off, and rested my forehead against his. Just as soon as I was about to kiss him, my phone rang.
"Ugh," I sighed, getting off of him. It had been Scooter calling me, which was an unusual time for him to call. "I gotta take this. Sorry." I walked outside the studio, and went and took the call.
"Lauren..."
"What do you want?"
"What's all this talk about you and Zayn?"
"It's nothing, he's just a friend."
"That you hook up with?"
"I thought my personal life would be separated from business?"
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"We aren't supposed to be talking about my personal life."
"Listen, I'm talking to you about it to protect your image."
"My image is fine. Listen, I have to go, I'll talk to you later."
I hung up the phone, and went back into the studio. I sat back in Zayn's lap, placing my forehead on his, and kissing him gently, then deepening it.
"Wow there," he pulled away, his breathing uneven.
I met his gaze and shrugged. "Sorry about that," I said, immediately attacking his lips once again.
My phone rang again, and I sighed annoyedly. I looked at the screen and noticed it had been Normani. "I gotta take this, I'm sorry. Maybe I'll just meet you tomorrow?"
"I'm going back home. I gotta go see my mom." He stated, standing up.
"When will I see you again?"
"Soon babygirl." He said, lifting my chin up and pecking my lips. I bit down on my lip and watched him exit the studio.
I finally answered the phone to see what Normani had wanted.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"What's wrong?"
"Can you stop by my place, I need to talk to you."
"Sure. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, just hurry and get here."
I rushed to my car and started it as soon as I got in. So many things were running through my mind as I drove to her house. What could she possibly want to talk about this late at night? Maybe it was about the song, or the album. She probably doesn't like working with me, and she just wants to do everything on her own.
She had texted me her address and I pulled up to this big house. I was fantasized by it, wondering how she got it. Especially since it was in a gated community.
I rang the doorbell, and she opened it right away. She didn't seem distraught at all, nor mad. She seemed content.
"What's wrong?" I asked her, furrowing my brows at her.
"I knew you were busy so I had make it seem like I needed you right away," she smirked, turning on her heels and heading inside.
"Wait," I started, following her into her house. "So you didn't really want anything?" I quizzed, looking around the house and seeing a family picture.
I felt something furry brush across my ankles, and I looked down to see a small pup. "Oh my god," I gasped, looking at the adorably, small pup.
Normani turned around and picked it up. "There you are!" She said, holding the puppy in front of her face. "I was looking all over for you." She said, kissing it. "But no, I didn't want anything at all, I just wanted you to come over." She said, going back to our conversation.
"You wanted me to come over? But I was going to see you tomorrow?" I started, looking at the puppy in her arms. I reached over to pet it, and it immediately snapped at me.
"She's only used to seeing mommy," she said in a baby voice. "I'd rather see you when everytime isn't so rushed, you know?" She pointed out.
I followed her to the kitchen, and she poured two glasses of wine. "That's quite understandable," I commented. "But I have a question?"
"Go for it."
"People don't really hang out with me, well they do, but not in the way that you do. Like us going to the fair, you randomly coming over, tonight." I stated, reaching for the glass.
"And your question is?" She lingered.
"Oh," I chuckled. "Why do you hang out with me? Is it because Scooter said we need to create a bond?" I quizzed, arching my brow.
"No, not at all." She said reassuringly. "I just like hanging out with you. Plus it's a great way to start a friendship." She smiled.
"Oh, well, aren't you cute." I blushed, reaching for the grapes that had been sitting out.
We moved to the couch, and we watched a movie on Netflix. I have a feeling this will be something we do a lot when we hang out. I actually like it too. But many times, I catch Normani staring here and there.
"What are you looking at?" I asked, turning and looking over at her.
"Not you," she laughed. "Preslee." She pointed to the small dog, that had been running under the couch.
"Oh." I said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "When did you get her?"
"This week. I didn't have a name at first, but I finally came up with one." She laughed. She made a noise with her lips, catching Preslee's attention. She patted her lap, and small dog came running up to her.
I tried reaching to pet her again, and she snapped at me once again. "Maybe I should try to be her friend." I laughed, holding my hand against my stomach.
"She'll get used to you." She said, petting her.
Throughout the night, we watched Disney movies and also romance movies. We flipped between both, so once one was over, we'd watched the next genre. It was quite pleasing and really fun. Plus, I liked hearing Normani's laugh.
"Romance is so weird," I started, walking over to the kitchen to put my finished bowl of cereal in the sink. "Wouldn't you say?" I asked, looking up at Normani who had been walking towards me.
"It think it's weird how you don't put milk in your cereal," she said instead, watching me rising out my bowl. "But yeah, I guess so. Why do you say it's weird when you were in a relationship?" She said, coming back on topic.
"Well because you don't know the persons exact thoughts of you. You kind of have a fifty percent chance of getting with someone."
"Did you have that with Camila?"
"Yeah, I really liked her and I couldn't figure her out. I didn't think she liked me at all, so I never said anything. Until later. I wanted to die that night." I sighed, grabbing a napkin and wiping my hands.
"Oh, I get you know," she said nodding her head. "I hate that. When you don't know if the person likes you or not." She frowned, sitting down at the dining room table.
"It's a sucky feeling." I chuckled.
We had a small silence between us, well because I got a text message from Zayn and Normani had been thinking about something.
"Do you like anyone currently?" She asked me, looking up at me. "Like I know you're with Keana, but are you in love?" She corrected herself.
I shrugged. "I don't know." I don't know if I want to tell her that I'm not with Keana, since I lied to her right in front of her.
"You don't know if your in love with her?" She questioned, arching her brow.
"Well yeah, I don't know if she's the one for me. I'm waiting for the right person, but I don't know if I'll ever find them." I pouted, leaning against the counter and crossing my leg over my other one.
"Why do you say that?" She tested, tilting her head.
"Well because no one really understands me like Camila did. I'm also too afraid to love anybody else. I'm too attached."
She got up out her chair and walked over towards me. "You can't do this to yourself Lo," she started, standing in front of me, our eyes met. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love a lot and dearly, but I didn't experience what you did, but I feel you." She said. "But you can't give up on love." She said giving me a small smile. "You deserve the most amazing person in the world." She said softly, fixing the collar of my flannel.
I noticed there wasn't that much space between us. A knot formed in my stomach, and my pulse quickened. I had no clue what she was doing.
"Love comes to you, you don't come to it." She said softly, not taking her eyes off of mine as she backed away.
I noticed her eyes drop to my lips and she bit down on her bottom lip. She licked her bottom lip, and met my gaze once again, and quickly got out of her trans. She walked over to the couch, and grabbed her bowl of cereal that had been on glass table in front of it.
"Thanks Mani," I smiled at her as she walked in front of me to clean her bowl.
"No problem," she said, turning around and leaning against the counter. "I'm here whenever you need me. Okay?" She clarified.
I nodded my head, and brought her into a hug. When we pulled away, I met her gaze and her my hands had already been on her hips. I was fighting the urge to not kiss her right there, but it was so difficult. We had been staring at each other, and I knew she wanted to too. But I didn't want her to think wrong of me about the Keana thing.
It was so difficult not kiss her. She licked her lips multiple times. I couldn't help myself. I just went for it. I had too.
"Wait, Lauren," she paused, pushing me away. "What about Keana?" She asked, looking me in the eyes.
"Would it be bad if I said I'll tell you later?"
She chuckled, and pulled me in for the kiss. It was slowly and passionate. Her fingers tangled in my hair, and as soon as I tugged on her top, my phone rang.
"It's my dad,"
"It's cool."
"I'll see you later?" I said awkwardly, closing the door behind me.
I took a deep breath before answering the phone. "Hey dad," I started, "This is an unusual time to call me. Everything okay?"
Yeah, I wanted to talk about Taylor.
"She okay?" I worried, not starting my car right away.
Yeah, he hesitated. She just doesn't tell me anything anymore.
"What do you mean?"
Like these past couple of days, she's been coming home from school and she immediately goes to her room. We all know that isn't Taylor.
"Have you tried to talk to her?"
I do, but it's difficult. She says she's fine, but we all know she isn't. She's too quiet.
"Did something happen today?"
When she came home, her and Chris had been arguing in the car. It was more of a heated argument this time, but over something so silly. And she talked back to me and I took her phone away.
That's something new. She never really talks back to anyone, especially dad. Normally, she's very energetic and positive, but something seems wrong with her.
"I'll fly out there tomorrow to come talk to her," I asserted, sticking my key in the ignition. "She just needs probably some girl time."
She misses you a lot so maybe she'll explain to you what's going on. Thanks Lauren, be safe and I'll see you tomorrow.
"Alright, love you."
AN : Everything is justtttt getting started. It's about to get really juicy these next couple of chapters. Finally a Laurmani interaction! You all have probably been waiting a while for that! More to come on the way! Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful day/night. :)
- Raven