I spent most of my time in the past two weeks with Salem, and I really was having a good time. It was unbelievable. It was unbelievable that I'd been denying myself this ability to just live and laugh more. It was interesting getting to know Salem daily - I learnt something new about him every day. It was also nice to have meaningful conversations with him.
I was starting to open myself up to him a bit more because I saw how he did that with me. On certain days, I reminded myself to check that I wasn't just hanging out with him solely as a means of distraction, but because I actually enjoyed being around him. However, it didn't stop the fact that Eddie didn't cross my mind from time to time. The only good part was just that it didn't hurt as much as before.
That was progress.
On days when Salem and I were together, we were either checking places out, or I was hanging out with him while he was on set taking pictures. He would order food for both of us, or we would go to the nearest restaurant to get lunch. On days when he worked late, we would also have dinner together before he proceeded to take me home.
Days when we were both busy with our own stuff and we were not together, we would text for most parts of the day. On two different occasions, he had sent breakfast and a set of sushi over to the house. It was incredibly thoughtful because I'd only casually mentioned that it had been a while since I had sushi. I looked forward to being around him when we weren't physically together.
From: Alexa Chang
Subject: Invitation to Showcase Your Work at Luces y Sombras.
Dear Lennon McKenna,
I hope this email finds you well. My name is Alexa Chang, and I am reaching out to you regarding the upcoming Luces y Sombras, one of New York's most prestigious art exhibitions taking place on the 12th of July, 2023 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I am incredibly impressed by your exceptional talent and artistic style, which is why I am thrilled to extend this invitation to you to participate in our upcoming exhibition. We believe that your work would be a perfect fit for our event, and we are confident that it would captivate our audience and contribute to the overall success of the exhibition.
Participating in Luces y Sombras would offer you a fantastic opportunity to gain exposure within the New York art scene, connect with even more fellow artists and art enthusiasts, and potentially expand your network within the industry. In addition, our exhibition provides extensive promotion and marketing support to all participating artists, ensuring maximum visibility for your work.
We would be honored to feature your artwork at Luces y Sombras and showcase it to our esteemed attendees. If you are interested in participating, please let us know at your earliest convenience, and we will provide you with further details regarding the exhibition, deadlines, and any additional information you may require.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Alexa Chang
Art Exhibition Organiser,
Luces y Sombras.
My eyes widened at the email before quickly going over it again.
"I'm not sure what's got you looking like that, but I want to hear all about it," I heard Zee say, and I looked up at her immediately, "You will not believe this, Zee."
"Oh, I'm interested," she set her iPad aside.
"I've just been invited to showcase my work at an exhibition, and you could never guess where it's taking place," I wanted to scream in excitement.
"Oh my God, oh my God, where?" She sat up in the high stool, a smile hovering over face.
"The Metropolitan Museum of Art," I said in disbelief.
"The Metro— stop, that's literally where the Met Gala takes place," her eyes widened, too, and she got up from the seat.
"I feel like I'm dreaming," I grinned before Zee flung her arms around me, "Lemon, this is the best news ever, I'm so proud of you!"
"I've had dreams of doing exhibitions there," my eyes watered as I hugged Zee back.
"This is huge," she pulled away, and her eyes were watery, too. "So huge, Lemon. When is it?"
"It's the 12th of July," I looked at my phone quickly.
"Girl, that's in two weeks! There's so much planning to do. What work are you submitting? What are you wearing? What—"
"We have so much planning to do because you're coming with," I told her.
"I'll gladly go with you!" She chuckled before giving me another hug. We pulled away, looked at each other, and squealed at the same time
*
The Prettymuch Crib
Edwin
"Guys, I just got off the phone with management, and I informed them that we would be travelling to New York in July. Now here comes the news you may or may not be happy with," Brandon walked into the kitchen.
We had to leave for rehearsals in a few hours, and we would usually try to have something to eat before leaving. And that was why we were currently in the kitchen helping Nick cook.
"If we have to stay back in LA, I will actually lose my shit," I stated, and I heard Zion chuckle beside me.
"Oh no, it's better than that," Brandon looked at me, "well, kinda."
"Okay, spill, spill," Austin was getting impatient.
"Apparently, management has been in touch with GQ and they were going to tell us that we're doing a shoot in New York, so... perfect timing?"
"I mean, not really," Zion shook his head, "the plan was to do zero work in New York."
"To be fair, it's better than being here," Nick shrugged, and I nodded, "I swear, I don't care. All I want is to be in New York."
"If Ed is good, then everyone is good," Brandon playfully sneered at Zion, "besides, it's just one day."
"You see now, the problem is I already planned out our itinerary, and there's no space for GQ," Zion had a mock sad look on his face.
Nick chuckled, "Boy, I hope there's a rest day in there."
We all laughed, and I shook my head at Zion.
"Hey, I know there are some really cool art exhibitions in New York especially around summer. We need to find one that's happening and reserve a day for that," Austin said.
"Well, I'm not opposed to that, so okay," Zion shrugged.
"Did management say when exactly this shoot will happen?" I asked and Brandon nodded before pointing at me, "Ed is like that one kid in class who asks the good and important questions."
"We all know the man doesn't give a shit about that the shoot," Austin said, causing everyone to laugh and I couldn't help myself either.
I really didn't. I'd been counting down the days until we had to go to New York. Well, that, and looking through her Instagram page and admiring her, her work... her. Again, I found myself wondering how I let things turn out so bad between us.
"When's the shoot, though?" Nick asked, to which Brandon responded, "July 11th. It's two days after we arrive."
"But that's a good thing, right?" Austin looked at each of us, "we get the rest of the days in New York to ourselves."
...
"Are you good, B?" my eyes darted to where Brandon sat in his bed, writing something in his notebook, "you've been a bit on the quiet side since we left the studio."
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before slipping them back on, "Me and Maggie have been having problems."
"Really?" I furrowed my eyebrows, "what's happening?"
"Unresolved issues, according to her," Brandon set his notebook aside. "Said she's dealing with some stuff and would like to heal properly."
"Do you see how that affects your relationship?"
" I do," he nodded, "We can't communicate effectively, and whenever we have arguments or something upsetting happens, she gets really emotionally distant. It's usually really hard for me when she gets like that because I literally can't get through to her. We've gone over this countless times. She only comes back around when she wants to, and we can't connect. It's almost like we're not moving forward. It's worse when she goes on tour."
"So can you agree with her when she says she would like to heal properly?" I asked gently, and Brandon only responded after a moment of silence, "Yeah."
"And this will have to be outside your relationship," I continued gently, "so you know what that means."
"I don't want to lose her."
"She can only be better outside a relationship, because you're also being affected."
He was quiet for some time again, running his fingers through his hair, "We've been together for a year."
"I know," I nodded. "One year's great, but it's time to let her do what she should have before starting in the first place. She needs this. You need it, too."
"Thanks, man," Brandon nodded at me.
"I'm here for you, man."