1.1 • 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 // lana del rey

𝐭 𝐡 𝐫 𝐞 𝐞 : 𝑏𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑗𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠

As soon as she opened her mouth, I felt my heart wrench. Her beautiful melodies filled the room, and I was transported back to the summer of 1957, on a sunny beach somewhere, with the boyfriend I never had. It was mesmerising.

Accompanied with the gently strumming fingers of Tyler and heavy drumming from Josh, it sounded perfect. The sound reverberated around the warehouse and I immediately lost myself, again and again, track after track.

"What did you think?" Asked Lana breathlessly, lighting a cigarette and sitting down beside me. Her smile was everything, and there was something captivating about the smoke issuing from between her glossy peach lipstick.

"It was...amazing," I sighed dreamily. I looked around at them, beaming. "Really! You were...you were brilliant."

Lana ruffled my hair and stood up. "Thanks, Gabby." I shivered pleasantly and watched in a trance as they packed up their instruments and covered up the mics.

I checked my watch abruptly and stood up. "Hey, I've got to go. It's getting late, my parents are going to be mad."

Lana rushed over to me, looking worried. She looked over my shoulder at my watch and swallowed. "Shit, I should go. Tony will --" she stopped, and swallowed again, smiling down at me. "It's been really good to see you. Come by at the weekend, if you like."

I nodded. "Yeah, definitely," I assured her. "Hey, you can come over any time you want, you know. I'm sure Tony wouldn't mind."

Lana shuddered unconsciously, but nodded anyway, forcing a smile. "Maybe," she shrugged. "See you." I waved, and then that was it - she was gone.

"Damn," sighed Josh, sitting down heavily in one of the busted-up armchairs. Tyler slid the door of the warehouse shut and started smoking again, his brow knotted.

"Um, I should go," I told them anxiously, suddenly feeling more unsecure around them without Lana. "Are you - are you guys going to go to her house on the weekend? Because --"

"Kid, Tony doesn't even know we exist," groaned Tyler. "If we --" he gestured down at himself and Josh, "show up at their house, he'd kill us."

"Anyway, you should get some time alone with her," said Josh, giving me a small smile. "Especially if you think you could date her."

"What?" I protested. "No, I - I never said --"

"Yeah, whatever," chuckled Tyler, cutting me off. "It was a miracle Lana ever dated me. If you think you can --"

"I never said that, okay?" I exploded angrily, shouldering my bag and heading towards the door. "You guys are just being super childish. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, wait!" Shouted Tyler. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. "Let's make a bet, huh? If, by - hmm, Lana's birthday - which is on June 21st, by the way, so three weeks - if you manage to get her to date you by then, we'll get off your case."

"And if I don't?" I asked nervously, feeling my stomach drop.

Josh grimaced, looked at Tyler, and then replied, "Then we tell Lana what you think of her."

"What?" I cried sharply. "No, that's crazy!"

"That's why we're going to stay out of your way," grinned Tyler, stepping back and doing a mock-bow. Before I could protest, he squashed a pack of cigarettes into my hand, forced my fingers around it, and sent me out of the door.

Great, I thought angrily. I stared for a moment at the door, and contemplated kicking it. But this was an offer I couldn't resist.

My only problem was being attractive enough to make Lana leave her soeon-to-be husband and date me for a while. To prove wrong friends I'd only met today.

Everything was gonna turn out fine, right?