secrets ↠ demi lovato / 5h

[58]

Friday.

"stay safe, okay? be careful. make sure Jamie knows where you are. I love you. have fun, sweetheart. send my love to the girls, alright? tell Lauren to call me as soon as she can. oh, darling, your hair. hang on. there we go. there. you look gorgeous, sweetie. I love you. have fun, okay?"

after Demi's last kisses peppered on my forehead, I climbed into the passenger seat of the car, waved goodbye to her and Jamie set off down the road. the lunchtime traffic in the heart of the city was atrocious, but I was going to the venue hours early to meet the girls so we could spend more time together. as we drew nearer to the venue, I was almost bouncing in my seat, straining out the window. the show was sold out, and I wanted to see the declaration for myself. as Jamie stopped at a red light directly next to the grand entrance, the electronic banner above the huge glass doors blinked "Fifth Harmony: The Reflection Tour" and a large animated stamp spelled out a big "SOLD OUT" on top of the words. [see video for reference]

once we had driven round the back and the car pulled up, the back door was instantly flung open and Camila flew out of the building, screaming. Ally and Lauren burst through the door right after her, and I hopped out of the car, seeing Dinah and Normani pushing each other to try and get out first. I jumped onto Dinah like a koala, and the girls crowded round to get a huge group hug. Big Rob and Jamie greeted each other, then hustled us inside and shut the door firmly. Lauren grabbed my hand and pulled me along after the girls into their dressing room.

at the Austin tour, our dressing rooms were tiny. with the dressing tables and chairs, there was barely enough room to squeeze between the wall and a chair. but this dressing room was the size of a dance studio. alongside the long dressing table and six black leather chairs, there were sofas along the side, where Clara, Lauren's mom, and Milika, Dinah's mom, were seated. the mirrors on top of the dressing table were framed by lightbulbs. there were five chairs in the middle of the room facing the mirror, where the girls must've been practicing earlier.

"hey, Lea!" Clara noticed me first, and her eyes dipped briefly to mine and Lauren's intertwined fingers before stepping forward to give me a hug. Lauren subtly let go of my hand, clearing her throat and sidestepping away. Milika came to hug me as soon as Clara let go, and petted my head affectionately. I wasn't very close with the girls' parents, but they all treated me like I was their child and part of the group, which is really nice.

"Lea, wanna get your hair done?" Ally offered, leading me to one of the black chairs.

"okay," I said, climbing onto the chair. Ally picked up a curling iron and turned it on, running her fingers through my hair. she pinned some of it up, patiently and gently curling the hair closest to my neck.

"Mila," Ally called.

"yeah?" Camila replied, still looking down at her phone. she was getting her hair done.

"see that spare hairspray on your left? can you give it to me-"

"I'M WORTH IT!" Dinah and Camila yelled at the same time.

I could hear Ally rolling her eyes.

Camila flung the can in our general direction, and I caught it.

"thanks," Ally yelled as she sprayed my curls.

"Lay," Normani, who was getting her makeup done, said from the chair next to me. "can I contour you later?"

"of course, Mani."

"you're literally treating Lea like a doll, you two," Lauren reprimanded gently from the chair next to Normani.

"but she's so cute," Normani said. I watched in the mirror as Ally let a curl of hair fall onto my shoulder, a small smile on my face.

"I like it, Lo. don't worry," I said, not taking my eyes off the mirror. I caught Ally's eye and she smiled warmly at me, toying with the curls. "thank you, Ally."