Just A Job (Lauren/You)

Chapter 34

Ariana was coming to the studio today and I was strangely calm.

I was standing outside the building waiting for her. It wasn't my idea to escort her but my Uncle told me to hang around the studio today. I wasn't her personal assistant, damn it! But I just kept that thought to myself.

Lauren and I haven't talked since that day at Simon's office. The memory of her eyes looking into mine was still fresh in my memory. It was the first time she acknowledged my existence. We only broke our eye contact when Camila nudged her elbow and told her to listen to Simon. Since then, her demeanour hasn't changed as she just continued to distance herself from me.

The girls were all inside the studio and laying down their vocal tracks for the song they're doing with Ariana. I haven't talked to them so I didn't know what they thought about the collaboration but by their reactions, they weren't excited about it. And I can't help but blame myself for that because I was the one who gave them a bad impression of Ariana when the truth was, it's all my fault that I lied to them in the first place.

A black SUV turned the corner and slowed down to a halt in front of me. It's funny how almost all celebrities had those kinds of cars to drive them around. A man in a suit got out from the passenger seat and opened the back seat. I think I'm severely under-dressed for a bodyguard. I mean, I was wearing a hoodie and black pants for goodness sakes and he was wearing a goddamn suit. He opened the back seat and helped Ariana down.

The moment her feet landed on the ground, our eyes met instantly. I was expecting my chest to tighten because she looked beautiful as usual. I was expecting to feel something but—I felt nothing. And it was the most liberating thing I felt since I last saw her. I offered her a smile as she slowly walked up to me. I could see the hesitation on her face as she debated how to approach me so I took the lead and hugged her.

I felt her body tense at the contact and knew she wasn't expecting it. But what's wrong with hugging her? More than a girlfriend, she's also been one of my best friends. She's already taught me so much and I cared about her. After a few seconds, I felt her slowly relax against me as she wrapped her arms around me. She held on tight against me one last time before she pulled away and smiled.

"I thought you'd be angry at me," she said.

"For keeping your promise?" A small chuckle escaped her lips. "Come on, let's go inside," I said reaching out to her. She gnawed at her lip while looking at my outstretched hand.

"She hates me, doesn't she? They all do." I saw the hurt in Ariana's face. I wasn't sure exactly how the girls were going to react when they saw her but her reluctance was understandable. So I grabbed her hand and led her inside the studio.

"We won't know until you meet them," I told her. We passed a few people in the lobby before we arrived at the recording booth. I let go of Ariana's hand and opened the door. The moment I do, everyone inside lookde in my direction and their eyes landed on the hesitant girl beside me.

"Hi, Ariana. It's good to meet you. I'm Julian, Fifth Harmony's producer," he said shaking Ariana's hand. The other producers introduced themselves to Ariana until only the girls were left. Camila was the first one to walk over to Ariana and hugged her. She was visibly surprised as she looked at me but I just gave her a gentle smile.

"It's good to see you again, Ariana," said Camila with a smile on her face. And it wasn't one of the forced ones I always used. Her smile for Ariana was genuine.

"Thanks, Camila," whispered Ariana. Soon enough, the other three girls move towards her and hugged her too. I could see how overwhelmed Ariana was by their welcome. As soon as Dinah pulled away from her, my eyes landed on the last girl who was yet to give Ariana a hug. Lauren slowly made her way towards Ariana without breaking eye contact. I could see how intimidated she was by the green eyed girl. Lauren was a sweet girl but even I had to admit she looked intimidating when she wasn't smiling.