"'𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧' 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞"
Even though you hadn't checked your social media in months, it had become hard to resist in the past few days. There was something about embarrassing yourself in front of possibly millions of people that made you want to check your socials. Since you had dealt with these screaming urges before, it became easier to manage them as time went on.
When you landed back in America this morning, you were so tired you swore you would never open your eyes again if you went and took a nap, and promised Sofia that taking a few cups of coffee would do more for you, but the second you landed on your hotel bed, your eyes instantly closed.
It wasn't until late in the afternoon when your stylist woke you up from your long nap. All groggy and tired, your gaze traveled through the hotel room, trying to find out exactly where you were and what you were there for, as everything seemed foggy for a few seconds. "The makeup and hair people are going to get here in about fifteen minutes, I thought I'd wake you in time." The short woman explained to you, a soft smile on her face.
You passed her a grateful nod combined with a smile, giving her the okay to go back to whatever she was busy doing. Within a matter of seconds, you got on your feet and managed to make your way over to the bathroom to see what type of physical situation you were dealing with. To your surprise, it barely looked like you had napped, as the only noticeable difference was the mess your hair had become in only a few hours time.
As you pulled a hairbrush through your hair, a big part of you felt glad that you had been asleep for most of today, as there was no use in stressing more about tonight. It was your absolute biggest fear for it to turn out like the Golden Globes, and you wanted to do anything and everything you could to prevent that from happening. No drinks, is something you promised yourself as you checked your reflection in the bathroom mirror one last time before stepping back into the main room of the hotel room.
After texting back a few of your friends and colleagues who were wishing you a good night, and told you they were proud of you, you put in your airpods and picked an audiobook you had started listening to on the plane. As much as you despised yourself for it, you really couldn't handle more social interaction right now, since that was probably the only thing you were going to be doing tonight.
Even though you managed to bail the last after party, you had been practically forced to attend this one, as it was hosted by HBO, aka the network you owned your entire career to. Sofia has also warned you about it a few days ago over text, saying this party was going to be quite a big deal, and that even though you wanted to remain unseen for the most part, this was something you were going to have to attend.
You doubted that you could remain underground after what happened at the last award show you attended, as you frightened the popularity of the video of you that had been spreading across the internet for over a week now.
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Once again, you were dressed in the most gorgeous dress you had ever seen. Even though dresses normally weren't your thing, you felt like an absolute princess as you made your way over to the red carpet. The huge line of celebrities slightly intimidated you, as your gaze fell on the A-listers who were currently getting their pictures taken.
Your eyes were immediately drawn to someone familiar, someone you had dreaded seeing tonight, but as they stood there on the carpet, it felt impossible to ignore them. Bella was dressed in a coloured suit that seemed to fit them all too well, as you couldn't force yourself to look away.
You were almost surprised by the way they looked, as you hadn't really had a good look at them before. It almost seemed to surprise you as your gaze fell onto their face, Bella's eyes glowing in the flashes of the paparazzi.
They didn't notice you staring among the crowd of celebrities, as they posed for the dozens of cameras in front of them. Bella's hair was wavy, something you hadn't seen them pull off before, but it suited them so much you were almost tempted to tell them that exact thing as they finished taking pictures.
Shaking off these thoughts, you patiently waited in line for your turn as the brunette made their way to a reporter for an exclusive interview. The confidence they had radiated through the room, fully taking you by surprise as their smile made you feel something you immediately brushed off, not wanting yourself to get lost in idiotic things.
You secretly prayed this would be the last time you'd see them tonight, as you didn't feel like striking up a conversation with the person you despised just several days ago. For Emily's sake, you were willing to put the hard feelings aside, but that was it. You weren't going to force a friendship with someone you still had some unresolved hatred towards, even though that hatred had slightly faded since the last time you spoke to them.
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As you wished, you didn't cross paths with Bella during the entire night. The awards had been handed out one for one without you ever taking a singular drink like you had promised, and instead of looking for the brunette, you found yourself socialising with the people who were seated at your table. Some of them you had never seen before, but they were all either tipsy or drunk, which made it a thousand times easier for you to interact with them.
After the awards were done, you were harshly reminded about the after party HBO was hosting, and this made you realise this evening was far from over. As much you wanted to give in and og back to your hotel room, you knew you had to stay strong if you didn't want any follow up complaints of both Sofia and the entire network.
Although the drinks had been tempting you all night, new trays of fancy liquor you had never heard of before making their way to your table every once in a while, you had remained strong, staying sober as the rest of the people around you drank as if it were their last times.
When the rest of the people were starting to stand up from thei chairs, making their way to the after parties they had all scheduled to go to, so did you. A large group of people tried getting out of the same few doors, causing it to take a while before you felt like you could finally breathe again. You weren't fully sure as to where you were supposed to go, but you made your way through what felt like a billion hallways anyway.
Your eyes remained focused in front of you, until they met with someone else's, someone familiar. Of course, the last person you wanted to see was waiting down the hall for someone, your paths crossing. To your surprise, they didn't break the eye contact with you immediately. "Hey." They said, trying to get your attention. Bella's tone wasn't desperate or forced, it was all genuine.
"So we're friends now?" You teased, unsure as to why they felt the urge to greet you. The tone in which you said it however, was more insecure as you felt yourself being intimidated by the way they looked. "I was just going to ask you whether you were going to go to the after party." They held up their shoulders, not seeing what was wrong.
This made you question the reason that they were waiting here in the first place, but you kept your mouth shut. "I need some air first, but yeah." You admitted, honestly too tired to pretend and lie to the brunette. "I'll come with." Bella said confidently, making it clear that it wasn't up for debate. "Alright." A small, almost inaudible sigh escaped your mouth as you continued to make your way through the corridors, now being followed by Bella.
You could feel their eyes watching you as you desperately searched for a place that would lead to a roof. Luckily, there was a staircase to your left, which you quickly took, the brunette only a few feet behind you. You kept the pace up, a small part of you hoping to shake them off as you were nervous to be alone with them, but you weren't fully sure as to why this was.
When the endless staircase finally managed to lead to a roof, you let out a few huffs while pausing, before opening up the door to the roof. The two of you were immediately met with the cold winter air, and you suddenly seemed to remember that it was only January. This meant that it would be cold out, even in Los Angeles.
It surely wasn't as bad as back home in England, but you felt oddly exposed in the dress you were wearing, the cold air coming in direct contact with your bare arms, causing goosebumps to appear all over them. Without looking behind you for Bella, you felt your hands grab the cigarettes that were deep inside the small purse you had with you.
As you lit a cigarette while walking further onto the roof, you could practically feel Bella getting closer to you. "You smoke?" They asked, but their tone was less surprised than you expected it to be, "Yeah." You shrugged, hoping to skip the awkward conversation that could follow.
"Why?" Their eyebrows slightly furrowed as you took your first puff of the now lit cigarette. Your eyes traveled to your shoes, which were currently being covered by your dress. "Stress relief, I guess?" You remained mysterious, for as far as you could, and stopped yourself from exposing the actual reason.
To your disappointment, they let out a small sigh, hinting that they knew you were just telling them what they wanted to hear. "I have all the time in the world, you don't have to lie." Bella put their hands in the pockets of their pants, their eyes practically glowing in the moonlight. You found yourself almost admiring them again, which you quickly shook off, taking another puff of your cigarette before speaking up.
"Pressuring parents. That's it, really. They constantly get on my ass about everything I do, everything I post, and every job I take. It's just, exhausting." You shook your head as you looked into the skyline of the beautiful city, some parts already being fast asleep while others lit up so bright, it was almost blinding.
The look they had in their eyes as you met their gaze, almost made you tear up as they seemed genuinely concerned. "You're an adult, why don't you leave them behind?" Bella asked, but you could tell by their body language that it truly wasn't meant to be a rude question. "I wish it was that easy." You let out a long sigh before taking another puff of your cigarette.
The silence that built up between the two of you was almost becoming awkward, and you were quick to put out your cigarette to try and get going. "I should head to the after party, or I'll also get the entire network on my ass about not making an entrance." The eye contact you shared with them right then and there seemed more intimate as they nodded, watching the skyline as you left the roof.
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When you finally arrived at the HBO after party, you were met with what you assumed were hundreds of important people, paparrazi snapping your pictures left and right as you politely smiled before making your way into the building. You immediately found yourself looking for your co-star, and when your gaze met Emma, a huge wave of relief shot through you.
A genuine smile appeared on your face as you made your way over to them, pulling them in for a small hug before stepping back. "Where'd you go?" They smiled at you, and you could tell by the way they said it that they had had more than just a couple of drinks. "Want to take shots?" You asked, fully dodging the question by bringing up something more exciting, and they agreed right away, making their way over to the bar with you.
This was what you needed, to get drunk with a friend. You weren't planning on drinking anything close to the amount you had just a week earlier, but you weren't planning on staying sober either. Sober felt boring when you were surrounded by over a hundred of drunk people, it felt like you were missing out. So you drank. Not too much, but you drank.
After the first few shots, Emma suddenly gets very excited about something. They smile at you as they try to recall what they were so excited about. "I talked to Pedro Pascal like a few fucking minutes ago!" Emma seems proud as their thoughts traveled back to when they met the actor. You smiled at them, but this was mostly because of the level of happiness that was spread across their face.
It wasn't until about two shots in when you realised that nobody would care if you left the party. Sure, Emma would most likely sober up at some point, and ask you where you had gone the night before, but the only real reason you had to be there tonight, was because of the pictures that you took before entering the building.
"Do you want me to introduce you to him?" Emma suggested all of a sudden, still super ecstatic about it all, that you nodded without thinking. Before you knew it, they were making their way through the large crowd of people, leaving you with two freshly made shots, which you quickly threw back.
It wasn't until a few full minutes later when Emma made their way back to you, now with a fully grown man next to them. He immediately took initiative by shaking your hand before pulling you in for a short but warm hug. "Lovely to meet you." Pedro smiled at you while you took everything in. By the tone of his voice you could tell that he was also very drunk, and that there was probably no way he would remember any of this.
This meant that no matter how big of a fool you made of yourself, it wouldn't matter. "Oh my God, Hi." You smiled at him before looking back at Emma, making 'What the fuck?!' eyes as you tried to calm yourself down. "I'm like a huge fan, I love your work, man." You said awkwardly unsure on how to make this conversation last, as this was your idol standing right in front of you.
"I've watched all of House of the Dragon, and I absolutely love your acting. It's an honour to meet you." The liquor seemed to ease some of his nerves, but it was still obvious that he was anxious about meeting so many strangers in one night, something you could relate to all too well. You tried to keep the shock in your face hidden as a big smile spread all across you face, probably making you look like an absolute freak.
From the corner of your eyes, you could see a familiar figure, who was most likely looking for their co-star, aka the person you were currently talking to. "I'm so fucking honoured by this, but I uhm-" You paused for a second to try and come up with an excuse. "I have to be somewhere in like twenty minutes, so I better get going." You said right before making your way through the crowd, trying to get the fuck out of the building you were in.
It technically wasn't a lie, as you did feel as if you might pass out if you didn't make your way to a bed in the next twenty minutes, but that still didn't stop you from praying he would forget all of this happened as you got into your Uber. There was no way you were ever going to forget about any of this, and no amount of alcohol was going to make up for the shame you were feeling right now.
You weren't fully sure as to why you left so quickly either, but you figured that talking to Bella was just too much to handle. The entire situation had managed to sober you up quite a bunch, as the headache you had felt just a week ago started to make its way back to your head, this time less intense. You were grateful for your own decision to stay sober throughout most of the night as the Uber stopped in front of your hotel.
☆☆☆
𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩!
𝙄𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮!
AN: Hi guys!! Once again, thank you for all the support<3 Pedro's first appearance!!!!
I've been doing a little less good lately (but I'm still mentally fine), causing me to lose both the attention span and motivation to write, but I'm really trying to stick to the schedule I promised:)
Yesterday was a very hectic day, leaving me both surprised and stressed out, because even though I was having like the worst day ever, one of my favourite artists reposted an edit I made to her song on her insta story, and followed me back on my private insta which is just- AHHHHHH
Then I also found out I won an edit competition AND that Bella had made an appearance at an award show just minutes before I went to bed, honestly making my day sososo much better. I've been pretty overwhelmed recently, so I'm taking a step back from most socials, in the hope that it'll give me more motivation to do things that calm me down, including writing.
Sorry for the dump, I just had to get it out lmfao, see you Saturday:)
Wordcount: 3060