「dec 2018」
📍CALIFORNIA
a/n
No hate meant towards
anyone mentioned
All just for the purpose of
the story
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» Ash's pov «
Flo's house was on the outskirts of LA, just far enough out that you could see the stars at night. Zach had an apartment in the city so he could be closer to the nightclubs and bars. I stood outside the door, patiently waiting to be let in.
Scarlett let me in, hushing my voice as I tried to say hello, a finger pointed at Flo who was halfway through a 'Cooking with Flo' in her kitchen. Lizzie sat on a stool at the edge of the kitchen counter, silently hyping her up from the side. Flo's smile immediately widened when she saw me.
"Who's making me smile like that?" Flo read from the comments. "Well, I'm having a girls' night in and one of my favourite people just walked in"
Was I really one of her favourite people? Or was she just saying that to be nice?
Flo continued twirling around her kitchen, explaining what she was making to the thousands of viewers on her phone. As she went to plate the dish, I noticed how much care she had put into the meal, even the garnishes were perfectly placed.
"And there you have it folks, the perfect tomato pasta with fresh basil. Give this to a loved one to show how much you care"
As she said the last part, I thought I caught her glance at me. But, by the time I thought to look back at her, she was already stopping the video and handing us each a martini.
"A martini with a twist, my new drink of choice"
I took the glass from her hand, our fingers momentarily brushing against each other. That interaction alone was enough to make my heart skip a beat. I heard her breath hitch as she turned away, continuing her conversation with Scarlett and Lizzie. We went to eat, talking about Avengers set drama and my new music video. It was my first time properly hanging out with Scarlett and Lizzie, not having the chance to get to know them at the group meal.
Lizzie told us the story about how she and Robbie met, exaggerated hand gestures adding to the already hilarious story. Half way through her talking Flo's phone interrupted, ringing violently. Flo immediately got up and left the room, nerves radiating off of her. Scarlett rolled her eyes, giving Lizzie a knowing look. I dared not speak as I didn't know who called or why Scarlett reacted the way she did.
Lizzie was the first to break the awkward silence "She should dump him. I know so many other people that would treat her better"
"One of them is sat with us" Scarlett mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear.
I shifted nervously in my seat, unsure of what to say.
"Have you met Zach?" Lizzie asked me, her big green eyes looking at me as she spoke.
"Not yet although I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I do"
Scarlett sucked air in through her teeth "Don't get excited about it. He'll flirt with you just enough that you're uncomfortable, but not quite enough that you can make a scene"
Lizzie shook her head sadly, agreeing with Scarlett's words.
"The worst part is, he's got Flo wrapped around his stupid, little finger" Scarlett spat, now making herself annoyed. I could no longer hear Flo talking on the phone, so I excused myself and went to go check on her.
I wondered through her corridors for a bit, before I heard muffled sobs coming from a bathroom. I knocked gently, the sound of someone hurriedly getting up on the other side of the door.
"Who is it?"
"Just Ash, we were starting to miss you at the table"
There was a pause before I heard the click of a lock, turning the handle to Flo on the other side, red, puffy eyes fixed on the floor.
"Flo are you okay?"
"Oh Zach and I just had a bit of an argument. Nothing I can't handle though, I'm used to it. Thank you for checking"
I'm used to it
I hadn't known Flo very long, but I knew her enough to know she didn't deserve to be with someone who made her cry. It took every fibre in my body to not leave her house and got scream at Zach. But I didn't. Instead, I wiped her eyes, reapplied her makeup and returned to the others with her as if nothing was wrong.
We acted like the call hadn't happened, playing stupid drinking games and braiding each other's hair in a drunken haze. We all laughed at Scarlett after she found a thirst trap of herself on TikTok, trying to recreate the scenes from the edit.
Lizzie found an old karaoke set from a party Flo had when she first moved in, doing a lovely rendition of 'Wannabe' by the Spice girls, getting us all up and singing for the chorus. We danced without a care in the world until around 2 am when Scarlett, Lizzie and I left in a taxi, Flo whispering a final thank you in my ear as we hugged goodbye.
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LATE NIGHT FEELINGS & HAPPIER THAN EVER BREAK RECORDS
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Ash Laurier has started their music career — and with a bang.
The singer-songwriter's first album, Late Night Feelings, has officially broken the Spotify record for the most album streams in a single day during the 24 hours of its release. The streaming service announced the news on Friday, almost a month since its release. happier than ever also broke records, accumulating 24 million global streams within its first day, breaking the record for most song streams in a single day and also for the most single-day streams in the US at over 4.2 million.
Fans were wondering why it took the Spotify so long to announce, but Spotify has already responded by saying
'When we first saw the figures we thought it was an error in our systems as no artist has come close, especially on a debut album. Congratulations to Laurier on this amazing achievement'
When she announced the album release in early November, the model faced a lot of sceptics telling her to stick to modelling. Music fans everywhere are certainly glad they didn't listen.
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a/n
Hope you're enjoying
the book x