Miss Cleopatra: In Love I Fall

14

I drummed my fingers against the leather seat of the car, nervously. Why was I nervous? What wasn't making me nervous. I was sitting in the car on the way to the biggest night of my life, my boyfriend was on a plane halfway around the world, and to top it all off I could see the other passenger in the car smirking at me out of the corner of my eye.

"What?" I asked him, already exasperated.

"Nothing." His smirk turned into a small grin. "You just seem rattled." He was obviously amused.

"I'm not rattled." I couldn't give him that satisfaction. "I just wasn't expecting you, that's all."

"Mhmm, yeah I know." He laughed. "That much is obvious- you should've seen your face."

"Oh shut up." I cracked a small smile for the first time tonight.

"Seriously though, are you okay?" Leave it to Drew to see right through me; even when I thought nobody could.

"I'll be fine- it's stupid." I shrugged it off.

"It's never stupid. At least not with you, anyway." He said, more seriously this time. "Come on, what's up?" I hesitated before answering and just listened to the whirring of the car tires against the asphalt.

"It's Oliver, that's all." I admitted, and I could sense Drew tense up. Although, I couldn't figure out why. The air hung thickly around us like a cloak of awkwardness. I cleared my throat and elaborated. "He uh, couldn't make it tonight. Work." I gave him the Sparknotes version, but he seemed to get the picture. Like I said, Drew had a way of reading me. Very rarely, I appreciated that fact. And right now just happened to be one of those times.

"That sucks. I know what this night means to you." He said, sympathetic now.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I laughed and took a look at the buildings flying by the window.

"Because it's true."

"You know, if you told me five years ago that this would be my life I wouldn't believe you."  I made eye contact with him for the first time in what felt like weeks. "Music production... who would have thought?" I said. "I always thought of myself as a performer, despite everything." I told him. Everything being my alter ego and excessive stage fright. "College was supposed to be something to fall back on but now it's the thing that's propelling me forward. 

"I'm just not sure that physically 'making music' is what I was really meant to do." As soon as the words left my mouth I knew I couldn't take them back. I was terrified of what he might reply, but at the same time it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest.

"Annabeth Kade." His full name rolled off his tongue just as easily as it had years ago. "You are an incredible music producer, and there's not a doubt in my mind that this is what you were made to do."

The more I thought about it, the more I started to think he was right. I don't know why, but it just made more sense when he said it to me.

"You almost have me believing that." I chuckled.

"Almost?"

"Almost." I grinned.

"Ah! There it is." He pointed at me

"What?"

"That smile."

"Shut up." I said, but I couldn't keep myself from grinning. "Hey, we're here." The car slowed down as we approached the building, and the cameramen started buzzing about who could be inside. For the launch party, SSE had rented out a club on Mulholland Drive that I hadn't been to before.