What the Future as for Us

Chapter 11 - UNVEILED

Do you know that moment when you wake up, and for a brief instant, you're not quite sure where you are or what's happening? Everything feels hazy, like time has momentarily stopped. Well, that's me right now – completely relaxed and blissfully unaware.

As the warm rays of sunshine gently caress the back of the girl beside me, I gradually start to wake up. It's Sunday, and the plan is to head back to London today. Well, at least for me; Renee's got that concert there tomorrow. I close my eyes again, just soaking in the peacefulness of the morning.

About 10 or 15 minutes pass before the tranquility of the morning is interrupted.

"FUCK"

Startled, I glanced over at Renee, who's now wide awake and frantically checking her phone. I can't blame her; it's a reflex we all have.

"What's up? Did we sleep through something important?" I ask, feeling a pang of worry wondering why her first word this morning is a curse (no, actually i'm not surprise)

"No, wait, hold on" Renee replies, her brow furrowed "I don't know what's going on, but my phone is blowing up with missed calls from Adam and the team."

Adam is her manager. He's off handling business in New York, so if he's calling, it's never for small talk. Bella usually holds down the fort when he's away. But seeing all those missed calls from Adam? Definitely not a good sign.

Yeah, that "fuck" makes sense now.

"What's the message?" I say, feeling a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach.

She reads the text out loud: "Can you explain what's going on? Call me ASAP!"

Just one text, but it's enough to make us both nervous. Renee's squinting at her phone like it's about to bite her.

I glance at my phone to check the time.

"Wow" I breathe out, "I don't know if I should be worried, but I'm not used to getting this many notifications."

My social media is blowing up with new followers and tags on posts, and I can't even open my phone to see what's happening.

Renee wastes no time and immediately dials Adam's number.

"Hey Adam, what's going on?" she asks, her voice laced with concern.

"Did you check Instagram or any social media this morning?" Adam's voice comes through the phone, his tone grave.

She shakes her head, even though he can't see her. "No, I just woke up"

"Well, there's plenty of video footage circulating of your little interaction with your new 'friend.' People are making all sorts of assumptions" Adam explains, his frustration evident.

"What interactions?" Renee questions, her confusion mirroring mine.

Adam sighs heavily. "Well, there's the one where you're surprised to see her, the one where you whisper in her ear during the show, or the one where you take her hand. And that's just from the Birmingham show. Apparently, people spotted her in Brussels too. They're saying you made her enter before everybody else, and there are rumors about you two kissing in a club... I can continue if you want, but I don't think it's necessary."

Renee and I exchange a stunned look. She puts Adam on speakerphone so I can hear everything.

Adam's voice adopts a calmer tone. "Renee, you know how the media is, you know you have to be careful. It's not the first time I've told you this. Now, please, can you explain to me what's going on? I need your side of the story so we can react properly."