The Internship -Justin Bieber-

Chapter 22: The Gig and the Special Surprise

Is this thing on? 

Long time no update! I honestly have no excuse to my sudden disappearance. I've been caught up in school and all the stress thats come along the new semester. I honestly had a hard time adjusting and then I got into a bit of a writing slump so I haven't been able to update. I'm so sorry for the extremely long wait and I appreciate all of you for being so patient with me.

I hope everything is going well for all of you!

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Ivy Bell: 

I weave my way through the arrangement of tables, inching closer and closer to the stage where the band was setting up. It's still early as the band doesn't go up for another two hours, but I wanted to come by and check the place out before the show started.

From afar, I felt a little rigid and anxious, but the closer I got to the stage, the closer I got to Justin, the more at ease I felt. It was as if I was leaving my stressful weeks far behind me with every step, focusing solely on what was ahead. 

Up on the stage, the band was busy at work setting up. There were bright yellow lights shining above the group, illuminating them from the dimness that surrounds most of the pub. Justin and Maverick were each carrying in a speaker while Gil sat behind his drums, adjusting the cymbals. Ronny was currently nowhere in sight.

Justin doesn't notice me yet as he places the speaker down and leans over to deal with the tangled cord so I take the opportunity to sneak up on him while he's distracted.

I somehow manage to heave myself up onto the stage and tip toe over to Justin without him even noticing. He's still fumbling with the cord and I can hear him mumbling to himself as he struggles with it. He can't seem to get the wires right and I can tell its making him antsy. I hold back a laugh and inch closer.

I position myself behind Justin, ready to scare him, but Justin is suddenly standing back up in one quick motion. This startles me, sending me backwards and onto my butt in front of everyone. 

"What the- Ivy?" Justin gasps in surprise, his eyes wide as he finally sees me in what feels like forever. He doesn't skip a beat as he takes one big step towards me and holds his hand out for me to take.

"I was trying to scare you." I explain, taking his hand. I can already feel my cheeks going red from embarrassment. He pulls me up with ease and steadies me out with his other hand which he places over my waist. 

I exhale as I feel the familiar touch of his slightly calloused fingers. Seeing him face to face, especially this close up, makes me feel as if I'm in a daze. 

"You got it wrong because clearly I scared you." He lets out a low chuckle, staring back at me in amusement.

I huff. "It's the thought that counts." Justin nods with a little smile, "Of course."

For a second, we just stand there looking at each other, smiling goofily. And then we hear someone clear their throat. "Um, guys?" 

My head whips to the side to see Maverick scratching the back of his neck, a slight smirk playing on his lips. I was suddenly extremely aware of the close proximity between Justin and I. He seems to realize it too because he removes his hand from my waist, but surprises me by linking our fingers together to hold hands. 

I felt another blush starting to form on my cheeks as the other guys stared at our intertwined fingers. Glancing at Justin, I saw that he was already looking at me with a soft smile. He squeezes my hand and I felt the rate of my heart pick up. 

"Hate to break this up, but we still have a shit tone of stuff to set up." Maverick's face was growing a deep shade of red and I could tell it was killing him to not tease Justin about all of this.