positions (Ariana Grande/You)

12. three sixty

You visited Ariana's new house for the second time that month. Maybe you were more masochistic than you thought, accepting her request for a filming project the moment she asked.

As you stepped out of the car Ariana had sent, you saw her standing at the entrance, waiting for you.

"Hi." She greeted you, leaning in for a hug. Your body flinched away instinctively like it had been burned. You stared at Ariana in guilt, when she moved away despondently, seemingly hurt by your reaction. Awkward as you were, you had never shied away from her touch... until now.

There would always be space between the both of you now. It exists every time you tug away at her pull, defying gravity once more.

"Hi yourself." You replied, waving your fingers. It was the best you can offer for now.

Ariana led you into what looked like a recording studio, giving you a place to put your stuff down. As you arranged your filming equipment, you asked curiously. "What do you want me to film?"

The question made her wring her fingers. "Oh um... I was thinking of filming me arranging one of my new songs and maybe a short clip for my album's teaser."

"That sounds cool." You affirmed, moving to set up your stuff. "Where do you want to set up?"

She gave you a set of instructions, which you complied wordlessly. After a small introduction, you stood behind her as she explained the audio she had recorded for the song, and how she intended to edit them together. The whole thing reminded you of a scene months ago, when you were in her position.

Minutes rolled by as the two of you worked efficiently, getting all the footage needed. When there was more than enough, you stopped filming and began the exporting process. While waiting, you found Ariana taking glimpses at you from where she sat. You spoke up as you caught her eye. "It should not take long. I can edit everything in thirty minutes or less."

"Okay." She replied simply, continue to watch you as you open your laptop. As you estimated, the video was edited and rendered quickly. You sent the file to her email before packing up your filming equipment.

You looked at the time. It was four in the afternoon. "Is that all you wanted me to do?" The way her mouth opened and closed, before her throat moved inaudibly, told you that something was eating at her. You waited, anyway, until she was ready to speak.

Seeing as you were not going to break eye contact, she finally said what was on her mind. "Are you free for the rest of the day?" She paused slightly, enough for you to nod before she resumed. "We can hang out, only if you want to."

If it were anyone else, you would have declined. However, the petals on your wrist encouraged you not to. It was an ironic reminder to you that everything is temporary, even pain. It was a measure of your pain tolerance, which was higher than you thought, even if it stung to think about the many instances of touching a boiling kettle to form a thick skin.

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

The smile she gave you could rival the sun, and you didn't look away even if it blinded you. "Let's start with a tour of the house!" As she showed you around, you took note of the movie theater, wowed at the gym and sauna, and tested every bed's bounciness at Ariana's invitation. When you were out on the patio overlooking a sea of similar houses before you once more, Ariana asked. "So, what do you think?"

You stood by your first assessment of the house - it was a modern luxury that you longed to have when you were younger. However, with just the two of you in a large space, it felt a little empty and cold.