Arabella (ALEX TURNER)

5 - passenger side

My hands clapped. "Your first concert in Rome is tonight. I'll leave you with your manager to practice for the day and decide setlist, and we'll meet later." 

Matt smiled from the couch. "Cute. You think we need practice."

Nick furrowed. "What if we have any questions about the concert?"

"You know my number. Catch you later."

I waved and left the band in the studio to practice, and hopped in the passenger side of Leo's car. We had a meeting today at our PR agency. As much as I didn't want to have to work with him, I didn't want to be fired. 

Leo started the ignition and drove off. I put the sunglasses on that Alex gave me, watching the window from an orange tint. I'd come to really love the glasses. 

Literally not even a minute later, Nick already called me. "Hey Mia, what time is it at?"

"Ten. But I'll come get you at nine for it."

"Kay. Chill." Nick paused and then said something, but I couldn't hear it. 

"What?"

When he didn't respond, I figured he was just being quiet, so I turned on the speakerphone. Leo looked at me weirdly when we began to hear voices on the other end. "She said we leave at nine."

Oh, never mind. Nick forgot to hit end call. 

Just as I was about to end call for him, Leo put his hand on my arm. "Wait," he whispered in my native language, "I wanna hear what they're saying."

"No, it's wrong to listen in--"

Leo grabbed my phone away from me and held it on the other side of him so I couldn't reach it. 

I punched his arm. "Asshole!" I whispered. "Give it back!"

He didn't. 

"At nine? You know what they say about nine," Matt was saying. 

Alex responded. "No, mate. I don't."

"A chick asks you out at eight, she's not a good date. She asks you out at nine, you'll have a real good time."

"The fook. Nobody says that."

"Well I do. An' I have a good feeling about tonight. Mia won't be able to resist you when you're up on stage. I hear girls love a good guitarist, cause they're good with their fingers, if you know what I mean--"

"You're an absolute wanker." Alex was laughing nervously. "And I'm not being a downer, but it's not going to happen. She's made it clear she doesn't like me."

Leo arched a brow at me. 

I shook my head, blushing. It was wrong to listen in on the conversation, even if it was one that they shouldn't be having about me. But Leo wouldn't let me have the phone back. 

"Mate, she didn't throw a fit when you practically saw her in her knickers yesterday. She can't hate you."

Leo nearly crushed the phone with his grip. "Come?" 

He wanted an explanation and I was struggling for words. "Uh--bathing suit," I whispered. "Ran into him at the pool."

"She probably does," Alex was mumbling. "But Matt, she looked like a goddess. Her skin... glowed. And dear god," he groaned, "the silver of her swimsuit barely covered anything--"

Jamie coughed. "Uh, Nick, your phone?"

Nick was shuffling on the other end. "Oh no." He swallowed. "I forgot to hang up on Mia."

Alex's sounded as if he was going to cry. "You betta fookin be kidding me, mate--"

The call finally ended. 

I bit my lip. "I was just teaching a class. Nothing happened between us."

Leo squinted his eyes so tight I was afraid a muscle in his face would snap. "Really sounds like that, doesn't it? Stay away from him."

I reached for my phone again but he didn't give it back. "Don't tell me what to do. It's not like we're dating, anyways."

"Does it look like I care? You shouldn't be even letting clients think that's a possibility."

I gritted my teeth. "You know what? Alex was right. You are just jealous."

Leo pulled the car over, and the rumble of the vehicle stopped as we got to the edge of the road. Other cars flew past us on the highway. "I swear, if you don't put an end to whatever chance he thinks he's got with you, I will."

The orange tint as I looked out the sunglasses made Leo's glare look dark. My hands flew to my hair as if I was going to tear it from my skull. "You're not going to do anything."

"Oh, you know I can. You know your job depends on it." Leo leaned forward, clicking his seatbelt off. He smelled like rust and citrus and it clogged my nose. "Maybe this will remind you to stay away from him."

Before I had the chance to say anything, Leo tore the sunglasses from my face and snapped them in two. 

I cried out.

Leo stuffed the two broken pieces in his cargo pants and left the car, slamming the door on his way out. 

Wow, I knew I could be a bit of a baby sometimes, but I didn't realize just how easily I could cry over something as simple as sunglasses. This was so stupid. They had really felt special to me.

I wiped the mascara from underneath my eyes and caught my breath, turning into good PR Mia and leaving to go to the meeting with Leo. I just had to keep putting up with him, I guess. But the inside of my heart felt hollow.