Synergy

Eighty-four

"Get a drink with me."

Alexa's POV

Not two minutes had I began to eat my cereal when Melinda stormed in. She slammed the door hard enough to wake the neighbors on the first floor.

"Good morning?" I questioned her as she stalked over to the counter where I sat. I noticed her perfectly polished nails hold a death grip on a was of paper. I think it was a magazine.

"No, not good morning. Bad morning. Bad bad bad morning. Give me Ela right now."

I almost choked on my cereal.
"Me? Give you Ela. Uhm- you were perfectly fine barging in here. You can barge right on over to Ela's room and wake her up yourself."

I kinda regretted my tone when Melinda's eyes narrowed over at me.
She look the meaniest I've ever seen her there. Well, not as mean as when she flipped out on One Direction during that awful time.

"Is this about the jet ski photos?"

Melinda set her shoulders back straight. "Yes. The amount of bad press she is getting for those photos is out of control. She proclaims her love for Harry on national television and two weeks later she's on the back of a jet ski with Jake riding off into the sunset. Not good. Not at all."

I could understand why Melinda was upset. But at the same time, they were just pictures. We've dealt with worse.

"Meldina calm down. It's not that big of a deal. In a couple days it will be old news."

"Old news hmm? Maybe you didn't see the newest phtots released?"

That sparked my curiosity. I set my spoon in the cereal bowel to give her my full attention.

"What new pictures?"

In a swift motion the magazine Melinda had death gripped moments prior was layed out on the counter directly in front of me.

The caption: Ela Cunningham Engadged

"Well that's ludicrous!" I almost laughed but then my eyes caught sight of the bottom of the magazine.

It was a blurry, but actual photo of Ela on a jet ski holding on the the back of Jake. Next to it was a zoomed in picture of Ela, with a ring on her wedding finger.

"Melinda that's not-that can't be- no way-...ELA!!!!"

Melinda smirked triumoehetly over towards me. "And to think! All this drama on my wedding day!" She dramatically huffed and rested her hand on her hip.

"Uhm...Melinda?"

She shot me another death glare.

"What?" She snapped.

"Shouldn't you be like-getting ready and stuff?"

Melinda looked at me as if I was the gum beneath her shoe. "Don't you think I would be if it wasn't for Ela and her crude publicity crap!"

"Okay tell you what." I decided I was done with my cereal. What was the point of even trying to finish it with this mess of problems in front of me. "I'll take care of this Ela thing. You go get ready to get married! This will die down. You have today off okay. Just go do bride stuff."

I could tell she was going to argue with me, so I took the iniaitive and shoved her out the door. "I'll see you when you're in your wedding dress! Go!"

I slammed the door and didn't answer when she knocked to get back in.

My next mission: Ela.

"ELA!"

Not two minutes later she emerged frantically from her room.

"What's wrong?"

I grabbed the magazine from its position and tossed it to her.

"Look who made the front page again."

Her eyes scanned over the cover and I watched as a flicker of emotion clouded her thoughts.

"Oh."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That's all you have to say?"

She suddenly became enthralled with a new anger.
"What Alexa? Dont try and be Melinda here. You should know more than anyone that Jake is just a friend!"

I scoffed. It sounded cruel but I didn't even care.

"A friend? So what they make friendship rings you were on your wedding ring finger just to say we are buddies? "

"Yes actually. Something like that."

I couldn't help but let out a crude bellow of a laugh. "Ela. This is an all time low for you. How could you be so stupid. You can't even convince me that you and Jake are 'just friends' and you want the whole world to believe it?"

"Alexa don't you see that It doesn't matter to me if I make the whole world happy anymore. I'm just trying to make myself happy. They're obvisouly not too concerned with my decisions if they approved of me being woman of the year!"

"You have a ring on your wedding right finger stupid!"

"Listen here Alexa. That ring is a promise ring but not that kind of love promise. It's just a promise that he will always have my back. When no one else fulfills their promises, he always will."

"That's stupid Ela."

"You're stupid!" Her eyes grew three times larger.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh Ela. Will you ever learn?"

She made a face at me before turning around and stalking off.

"Have fun explaining this to Harry!" I screeched before the door was heard slamming.

***
Ela's pov

"She's just gorgeous! My goodness! How lucky you are to have her as a manager!" I nodded my head agreeing to the random person who was praising Melinda.

The wedding went smoothly and so had the rest of cocktail hour.

I avoided Harry.

It was too much to focus on both Melinda and Jack getting married and the intense warm gaze of Harry from a few rows of chairs over.

My punishment for hiding in the back corner of the cocktail hour was having to talk to all the random outcasts always sat in the back corner.

This was my fourth conversation about how Melinda's vows were so perfect and described the relationship perfectly. I was bored and plain annoyed.

"S'cuse me. I'm going to take her."

My avoiding only went so far. The sad part is I couldn't even deny the flutter in my heart and the lurching of my stomach when Harry came and stepped in.

"Of course!" His authoritce voice was not to be messed with.

As freaking always he looked so damn hot.

The woman who had been talking my ear off for the past ten minutes scurried away as Harrys broad shoulders shoved her aside.

"Hi." I squeked.

"Someone has been avoiding me."

At first I thought he was mad. I realized quickly though he wasn't as my favorite playful Harry smirk adorned his face.

"Melinda's just busy. Dont worry."

His laugh bounced agaisnt the corner walls of the crowded room and bounced across my heart. My heart rate right now would make any gym teacher proud.

"Get a drink with me."

I already had four.

What's another at this point?

"Okay."

And then he took my hand.