AN: Hola, hiya BabyDouchebag here, there will be yet another name change. I promise this is the last one. Dion's name is switched to Devin Davenport. Sorry for any confusion this might cause. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading 😊
April 8th, 2020
9:09 A.M
Andrew's Mansion, Toronto, Canada
"But I've been the hardest to love! You're tryna let me go, yeah. And I can see it, I can see it! I've been the hardest to love! It's hard to let me go, yeah. And I can feel it, I can feel it!" Zaire belted.
"Alright, settle down," Andrew said with a chuckle. "We have eight songs fully mixed and mastered. We're ahead of the deadline, which is good, but we need to continue the story. We need at least four singles to create the intended storyline. Right now, our first single is Over Now."
"But Over Now is not going on the album," Kian said.
"Right, but it will set the tone for the album, the new era, and introduce Nathan's character. So-" Andrew's watch blared obnoxiously on his wrist before he tapped his Air Pod. "The crew is here? Do they all have negative tests? Cool, bring them in."
Just as he finished his sentence, five cameramen, a boom operator, and a man in a suit entered the recording studio.
"Wow, I'm being replaced." Jordan joked.
"What the hell?" Javier mumbled.
Andrew simply winked. "I'll explain later. The music video for Over Now is already finished. You'll have a virtual performance on Jimmy Fallon on May 12th. Rehearsals start on April 28th. Because the storyline revolves around Nathan's character, he will be the only one who has to prep for music videos."
"Yes!" Javier, Zaire, and Kian cheered.
"I thought you would be bummed about that," Andrew said.
"What do you mean? Music videos are so stressful. The call times are always super early, it takes hours to shoot one scene, and the sets are always cold. I'd let Nathan do all the work if it means I get free time." Kian explained.
"Oh, I forgot about that," Nathan groaned. "Is it too late for me to back out of this idea?"
"Yes, production has already started," Beth answered.
"Aww man," He sulked.
"I know you're confused about the camera. A company reached out to us to make a documentary."
"Which one? YouTube? Hulu?" Zaire guessed.
"Netflix." Andrew calmly said, resulting in the four men scattering off the couch and screaming.
"Netflix! How are you so nonchalant? This is huge." Kian said.
"This isn't my first rodeo." He chortled. "The crew will be here to document the creation of this album and the next year of touring. You will each be assigned cameramen in your homes. Your parents and siblings already know about it and have agreed to it. You're allowed to request a halt in filming if you think you need it or want privacy. It's completely up to you."
"I don't understand why we need individual cameramen. What's the point of that?" Kian asked.
"The point of the documentary is to document the album-making process, document your lives while you were creating the album, and document the band's come up from creating the band up until this point. It's essentially a behind-the-scenes of what was going on while you were making the album. It will document events that happen from here on out, whether they be good or bad. Try to be authentic and forget the camera is there."
"This is Geoffrey. He's the producer for this project."
"Hi, nice to meet all of you," Geoffrey said as he shook each of their hands. "My team and I think you guys are talented, and we will try our best to accurately capture your story and your come-up in the music industry. If you ever feel overwhelmed with the cameras, use the safe word pineapple, and the crew will back off and turn off all equipment. If you have any questions, you can call me. Is everyone good with that?" He asked and gave a quick thumbs up when they nodded. "Alright. It was so great to meet with all of you. Have a good day."
"Okay, let's go!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Nearing the end of the session, Nathan took a second to step away and be alone. He found himself wandering the mansion and coming upon the master bedroom. With the new information and the sudden acceleration of his career, he needed a moment to sit and reflect. It was entirely out of character for him, as he was used to acting on impulse.
It was the first time he'd given deep thought to his decision. On one hand, he was curious as to what Miguel was implying, but on the other hand, he feared that whatever information Kelis had hidden from him would send him spiraling into another bender of sex and pain.
Amidst his deep thinking, Gohan snuck into the room and curled into his lap. "Hey buddy," He scratched the golden retriever's fur.
He couldn't help but have a deep feeling of acrimony towards Kelis' parents. He wondered how her parents had the heart to throw out their first child, especially when she'd been going through a difficult time.
However, the person he was most frustrated with was himself. It was then that he realized he had abandoned her to go to London, and he was no better than her parents. Even though he eagerly wished the Kelis drama would disappear, he knew he would have to visit her.
What made matters worse was Layla's absence. He'd been trying to contact her all week only to receive a voicemail each time. Without her presence, he was desperately searching for someone to give him some sort of guidance.
He was so caught up with his chaotic mind that he hadn't noticed the door creaking. His view of the ceiling gradually faded as his brown hair and hazel eyes obscured his vision.
"Hi," Beth greeted. She climbed beside him on the bed and reached out to pet Gohan. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Thinking,"
"You've been super quiet this week," She expressed while removing her eyes from the ceiling and turning towards her friend.
"And what about it?"
"Jordan told me you only get quiet when something important happens." She spoke. "You haven't teased me, made any sexually inappropriate jokes, or called me short all day. Now I find you in my room, just staring at the roof. Something is wrong."
He couldn't resist the huge smile that plagued his face. "Do you want me to start teasing you? 'Cause I'd gladly do that if you want that."
"Ugh, I don't like talking to you. You're so annoying."
"I'm just saying you're looking mighty fine today, Ms. Arregui. You want to kick Gohan out and do this thing?"
Beth laughed and pushed his shoulder. "Seriously though, what's going on?"
"Miguel showed up at my door. He told me what happened the night he hooked up with Kelis."
Her eyebrows shot up as she leaned up to look at him. "And what did he say?"
"He told me that he messed up because he was drunk. Then he told me Kelis got kicked out of her house and invited me to their place. When I asked why she was kicked out, he said he couldn't tell me because he promised her he wouldn't until she was ready. He also said she has something that she's keeping from me."
"What do you think it is?"
"I honestly have no idea. I don't think she has anything of value to me. If it's some random object, I wouldn't care."
"I don't think Miguel would tell you about a pointless thing. It must be important if he can't tell you about it."
"Yeah," He sighed while rubbing down his face. "It seems like every time my life is going in the right direction, some new thing with this girl comes up and sends me back down the rabbit hole. I just want all of it to stop and go away."
"I know how that feels. You need to visit Kelis and finally get the ending to this because this cycle isn't healthy. I've watched you go from super excited to completely gloomy because of the constant back and forth with Kelis. It's so hard to watch each time."
"Is it the right time to deal with this when we're in the middle of creating our first album? Especially an album that's about her. I don't need any distractions right now."
"I don't think it's a distraction. It's an ending to this wild story. If you want it to finally be done, go to their house. Get the answers that you were robbed of. Get the peace that we all know you deserve."
"Ok. I'll go after we're finished today. Thanks for that motivation, Ellie." He smiled appreciatively.
She patted his thigh firmly and leaped off the bed to go to the bathroom. "No problem, Nate."
Not too long after, Beth's phone began to ring.
Nathan eyed the device before he picked it up. "This is Ellie's phone. You're speaking to Nathan." He said while putting the phone on speaker.
"She replaced me already, huh? Fucking whore."
"What?" Nathan angrily frowned. He took a second to pull the phone back from his ear and could only internally eye roll at Devin's name depicted across the screen. "Why are you calling Ellie's phone?"
"She told me to call her back. Why am I even explaining this to you? Put Elizabeth on the phone."
"You don't have the right to demand contact with her after what you did. You called her a whore two minutes ago, so you clearly haven't changed."
"Are you her guardian angel or something? She can fight her own battles."
"How long have you been harassing her? How far are you going to take it before the police get involved? Why can't you leave her alone as she asked you to?"
"It's starting to irritate me that I can't even speak to her because you're always there. You like her or something?"
"Why would I let her speak to someone who doesn't respect her? Leave her the hell alone." He said just as Beth exited the bathroom.
"Let her? You're not her fucking dad. She can do whatever she wants."
"She doesn't want to see you, asshole."
"Nathan," She snarled as she snatched her phone. "Yeah, I'll call you later, Devin."
"Yeah, talk to you soon," Devin said before the line cut.
Beth abruptly turned towards Nathan, a menacing glare taking over her features. "What the fuck is your problem?"
"Why the hell are you still talking to Devin?
"We've been talking this past week and we're talking things through. It's not certain that we'll get back together."
"Why would you want to be with someone who has no respect for you? That makes no sense. You said it yourself. He doesn't change, and now you're here saying he will."
"I'm not guaranteeing that we're getting back together, but we are talking things out. Maybe he'll change, maybe not, but he has shown signs of improvement."
"This is the same thing all over again. He comes back and claims that he's changed, and then he goes right back to his ridiculous ways. You're dumb if you think this time is any different, and I know you're smarter than that."
"It is not your place to answer my phone and go around telling people whether they can speak to me, and it is certainly not your place to tell me who deserves to be in my life."
"I'm sorry if I overstepped, but I feel like I have to if you're so obviously making a dumb decision. This is crazy to me because two weeks ago if Devin were to show up at your door, you would've knocked him out."
"See, that's your problem. You want to insert yourself into other people's issues because you don't want to deal with your own. I'm positive that you would've pretended Miguel never visited if I didn't tell you to go to Kelis."
"That's not true."
"It is. I don't need a savior, I don't need you to protect me, and I certainly don't need you to tell me what I should be doing!"
"You obviously need it if you're making a mistake as stupid as this one."
"Maybe I should be like you, Nathaniel, and ignore stuff and live in my bubblegum fantasy world, then tell other people how they should live their lives!"
"You and I both know Devin isn't mature enough to be in a relationship, but you will continue to force it because he's familiar, and you don't want to leave the past five years of hell behind you."
"You think you know everything, don't you? I'm actually so sick of you. You don't own me. You have no authority over me. I should kick you out for even touching my phone!"
"You're only upset that I'm saying things you don't want to hear because I'm right."
Gradually, the both of them began to move closer amid their argument.
"I think you're projecting your fears onto me. Just like how you're scared to discuss what happened in January."
"We already discussed that." He shook his head and took another small step in her direction, nearly trapping her between himself and a wall.
She poked her finger into his chest. "We barely discussed it. You said that the feelings would be gone. There was no clear resolution. I think you still have feelings, and you are terrified to act on them—
"No, I'm not."
"—because you're a coward." She bickered until he was right in front of her face, looking down at her heated expression.
"I'm not afraid of anything. I could make a move right now if I wanted to."
"Then do it!"
As the two stared at each other, a tense and heavy silence fell over the room. Nathan could tell by the slight twitch in her eye that she regretted her outburst. Beth's angry panting came to a complete stop once she looked up from her view of his chest.
She noticed how his eyes darted from her left and right eye until they drooped down to her lips. His eyes melted into her, almost as if he was enchanting her to come closer, and it worked because she slowly began to lean in.
Absentmindedly, they both started to close their eyes as their lips grew nearer. A warm hand traveled to Beth's lower spine, pulling the woman as close as possible. Soon after, another hand snaked a path to his neck, resting there before he leaned further down to ghost his lips over hers.
Like a routine, they both subconsciously began to tilt their heads to the right and lean in.
So close. They were so, so close. If only Zaire didn't have such horrible timing.
Zaire opened the door apprehensively. "Hey, guys,"
Quickly, they both snatched their heads back and cleared their throats. Nathan immediately tightly shut his eyes and backed away from Beth.
Beth had never felt more disappointed in such poor timing, but more importantly, she felt relief. Relief that the unspoken tension was not in her mind, relief that there was a reciprocation of feelings and comfort from making a terrible mistake by kissing Nathan.
She knew that she couldn't kiss him without jeopardizing her job. However, the following days would only be met with a repulsive awkwardness that she was already beginning to dread.
Nathan, on the other hand, was not as forgiving. He'd never felt a stronger desire to strangle Zaire. After months of yearning for any kind of intimacy from his publicist, he finally got the chance to act on his urges, only for Zaire's meddling to block him. What upset him more was the knowledge that Zaire would give him a barrage of questions on their way home.
"What's up, Zay?" Beth questioned.
"Andrew's telling us something about filming important spots around the city. We leave in about five minutes."
"I'll be there in a few," Nathan answered, receiving a curt nod and an awkward smile from Zaire as he backed out of the room.
"I guess I'll see you later," She spoke, her gaze wandering everywhere other than Nathan's body.
Growing uncomfortable with the unpleasant situation, Nathan swiftly turned and darted for the door. "Yeah, see you around." He said just as the door closed behind him.
Hearing the final click, he couldn't resist releasing a long breath.
He rubbed his temples and shook his head. "Oh boy,"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After driving around the city for an hour and visiting the places significant to them, the producer pulled up next to a park full of greenery.
Kian noticed the familiar environment and squinted his eyes. "Is this Dumpling?"
"I think it is," Zaire said. "No freaking way!"
"We're at Dumpling!" The four men leaped out of the truck and sprinted to the open field. The small gusts of wind flew through the air, giving a familiar feeling of high school nostalgia.
"I have to call Jordan," Nathan pulled out his phone and quickly FaceTime'd him. "Guess where we're at?"
"Get out of here," Jordan gasped. "Isn't it closed because of Covid?"
"I think our production set something up, I'm not entirely sure, but we're here."
"Where are we, guys?" The cameraman said.
"We are at Dumpling Park, the place responsible for The Butterfly Effect. This band would be nonexistent if it weren't for this park." Javier explained.
"Why is that?"
"This is the park where Zaire, Nathan, and I met. I was playing basketball when Nathan came up and stole the ball from me and shot it, but it landed in the deep end of the lake." Kian chuckled. "I remember thinking that he was crazy for even attempting that."
"I'm still very sorry about that," Nathan said. "I apologized and offered for us to play on my DSi. It was probably a week after I moved to Canada, and I found out that we both liked LittleBigPlanet, so we asked our mom if we could sleep over. It turned out that our moms were friends in college, so we drove to his house and played. My family ended up moving into the house next to him two months later."
"Then, in December, we saw Zaire at the park and recognized him from school. At this point, Zaire was the popular new kid at our school, so he seemed untouchable. Usually, the popular people were super rude or super boring."
"Can someone please explain to me how I was popular, but I went two months without friends in school?" Zaire sarcastically questioned. "Please, 'cause it makes no sense."
"We are not having this debate again," Kian waved him off. "He was all alone playing and looked sad, so we went over and started playing basketball with him. Turns out, he was cool and we welcomed him to the group."
"I remember our classmates would come to this park every Friday and hang out. We would perform, pass a joint around, or race shopping carts. Sometimes the cops would show up, and we'd all scatter and meet back up at some random McDonald's." Javier said.
"What was even cooler was seeing the underclassmen continue the tradition. My younger friends Moses and Avani are seniors now. They did the same thing before Covid. I think it's cool how we started that tradition, and it will probably stick around for a long time." Nathan said.
The next few hours around Toronto were nothing out of the ordinary. Reminiscing about high school, engaging in their usual shenanigans, and enjoying their hometown. If there was one word to describe the moment they were in, they would simply say... Serenity.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Hi piccolo," Aurora, Nathan's mother, greeted her son as he walked through the front door.
"Hey Mama," He lazy walked over to his mom and leaned his head on her shoulder.
"What's wrong, Nate?" She placed her book down and held him.
"I feel like the universe is messing with me. So many things are going wrong, and I don't know how to deal with it."
"It's always a good idea to tackle each problem one at a time, so tell me about the first one."
"Miguel came here last week and told me something about Kelis. He said he was drunk when they slept together, and she's hiding something from me."
"What's the confusion? Find out what he's talking about."
"I'd like to see what that's all about, but I know the only thing I'll gain from going down that road is pain."
"Would you rather avoid it out of fear of pain or confront it and possibly learn something being withheld from you?" Nathan sighed in response to her question. "You know what to do, Caro."
"Why do you always make me do the right thing?" He huffed, which made Aurora laugh. "I love you!" He called out before getting into his car. "Come on, Hunter," he said to the cameraman, who slid into the passenger seat with his equipment.
Nathan could hear his heartbeat drumming as the car approached Kelis' location. He chewed restlessly on the tiny bits of a fingernail he had left.
He had looked down briefly at his shaking legs before he heard a honk.
"Watch where you're going!"
"Sorry!" He said, just as he parked in the Apartment building parking lot. He walked up to the receptionist and gave him his I.D. as Miguel instructed. "Hello. I'm here to visit Miguel Santiago."
"Yes, Nathaniel Macari. Elevators on your left." He instructed.
The two-minute ride up to the sixteenth floor was nerve-wracking, to say the least. He nodded to the people who entered and shut his eyes to ease the nerves.
After a soft knock on the door, Miguel opened it and raised an eyebrow at the cameraman. "Who's the dude?"
"Cameraman. We're filming a movie." He answered, causing Miguel to nod. "I can send him home if you're uncomfortable. Kelis probably wouldn't want him recording either."
"Ah, nah. We're cool with it. I'm sure you'd want this captured anyway." Miguel responded.
As Hunter began to set up his equipment, Nathan took a chance to look around the apartment. "This is nice. Must be super expensive."
"Only three thousand a month because I know the owner. I'll go get her."
He nodded and sat on the fluffy white beanbag chair. The sweet scent of cocoa butter and honey shampoo grazed his nostrils, putting him on high alert.
"Hi, Nathan," She politely smiled while she sat on the beanbag chair across from him.
After a long inhale and exhale, Nathan answered. "Hello, Kelis." He returned the smile.
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees before he crossed his legs to get comfortable.
"Where do we begin..."
-
Blake Gray as Devin Davenport
Happy Holidays! I hope your Christmas went well if you celebrate. I am trying to make a schedule so this book will be more structured and hopefully, a consistent schedule will make updates faster. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to message me and I'll try my hardest to message you back as soon as possible.
Most importantly don't forget to smile at someone today, it might make them happy.
Stay Safe, Stay Pure, Stay Blessed.
xoxo BabyDoucheBag