i want to write you a song, brandon arreaga

forty-six

MAY 10th, 2020
REAL LIFE.

before she knew it, adele was back in her loft.

thankfully, she'd be leaving again in a few weeks to meet brandon's parents, so she wasn't feeling too sad. instead, she used this time to relax from the hectic last few days.

her phone rings the moment she steps out of the shower, and she answers immediately. "hey. where are you?"

"in new york." abel answers, before letting out a nervous laugh.

"what?"

"i know we were supposed to go for lunch," he clarifies. "but i got an interview booked with steven greene."

adele pauses at the name, and she felt her heart drop. how could he do this? "oh."

"yeah.." he trails off, "you should watch. it's one of those live interview things. i'll be on in an hour."

"i don't know."

she knew abel had sensed the bitterness in her voice, but he still hadn't said a thing about it. "alright. i've gotta go. i'll call you afterwards."

adele replies with a mumbled goodbye, before setting the phone down and sighing.

she'd landed only a mere few hours ago, so the jet lag had been settling in. she goes to lay beneath her covers, pulling the blanket over herself and grabbing the remote to her flat screen tv.

she aimlessly surfed through channels, unable to find a good show or movie playing. but when the time came, she found herself watching abel's interview.

steven greene had been back to normal, after his two day meltdown from adele humiliating him. the same red velvet curtains rested behind his set, and he'd been clad in a gray suit similar to a few days ago.

"everyone welcome worldwide known model abel reign!" he announces, a picture of the handsome man displaying behind him.

the camera switches to abel as he emerged from the curtains, his usual and charming smile placed on his pink lips as he gave the crowd a small wave.

adele watched with a bored expression, before she notices that abel hadn't shook steven's hand, something all the guests do the moment they step on stage. instead, he gave the man a glance, before stepping past him and sitting down in the loveseat.

"welcome, abel." the man seemed a bit thrown off at abel's lack of respect, though remaining proper simply for the camera's. not to mention, it had been a live taping.

but after a few warm up questions, he was back to normal. abel, however, remained stiff in his position.

"enough with the boring questions!" steven's lips spread into a perfect, yet fake smile. "now, what everyone wants to know is..do you have a girlfriend?"

that question..adele couldn't answer. she wasn't able to catch up with her friend and ask about his current relationship status. but she hoped he would say yes, knowing how much he loved his girlfriend.

"i do." abel nods, smiling for the first time since he stepped on stage. just the thought of the girl he'd won back brought a smile to his face, one he was unable to control.

"oh." steven replies, slightly shocked at the response. adele rolls her eyes, her mind taking a sharp turn when she receives a text from brandon. she ignores it, figuring she'd answer during commercial break.

"who is she?"

"my girl." abel answers, sitting back. steven had caught on that he wanted her identity to stay unknown, and surprisingly doesn't press it.

"anyways!" steven smiles, clasping his hands together. "i see you've signed with calvin klein—"

"hold up." abel interrupts, sitting up straighter. the crowd quiets down, and steven seems taken back. "aren't you gonna comment on it?"

steven nervously eyes the producer, glancing back at abel. "..on what?"

"on the fact that i moved on too fast. or were we only asking adele these stupid questions?"

although most of the studio had been quiet for everyone to focus, it seemed almost completely silent now. the producers glance at each other, mentally trying to find a way out of another humiliation.

"i'm sorry." steven answers. "i'm afraid i don't know what you're talking about."

abel lets out a laugh, and adele's eyes widen. "holy shit." she murmurs, inching towards the screen.

"don't act like an idiot on live television, man." abel responds, smiling sarcastically. "come on. ask me why i've moved on so fast. or how you can't keep track of the girls i've been with."

steven's usual smile was gone, and adele loved every second of it. "let's go to commercial—"

"so you can figure a way out of this?" he interrupts once more, raising an eyebrow again. "you're just making yourself look like more of a dumbass than you are."

adele's phone began to ring constantly, all from different people on her team going crazy. but she ignored them all. he was going to tell the truth, and she almost couldn't believe it.

abel, who under all that confidence, was just a nervous little boy who only wished to defend his friend. at the corner of his eye, he could see the producers deciding on a plan. he knew he had to do this quick.

"i haven't moved on fast." he defends, and steven glances up at him with anger in his eyes, yet he was curious. "nor did adele. because we were a publicity stunt."

the camera pans to the crowd, who looked even more confused than before. the small crowd of 'abdele' shippers frown, and so does adele.

abel turns to steven, "so you, and all of those other interviewers out there can stop harassing adele."

adele sits back on her bed, unable to contain the smile forming on her lips. she felt free, although she couldn't even imagine how much more of a storm abel had created. but at least now, she was able to see the light in the sky.

•••
gonna have to slow down the updates for a while bc i like having prewritten chapters & i need to figure out the rest of this book. i'll try updating at least 3 times a week. ❤️

also good luck to everyone trying to get tickets for fomo tour this week (-: