~Adam’s POV~
“Adam? Hello? Earth to spaceboy.” Adam snapped out of his reverie and focused on his friend. His mind had been in a fog due to what happened an hour previous. He still couldn’t process what the godly blonde had said to him. What she had admitted. It just didn’t seem possible.
“Sorry, what’s up?” He looked up at Blake, who was standing in front of Adam’s red chair with his hands on his mini table. Adam felt like it had been years since he had talked to Blake, and he felt a little guilty for not doing so. “I’m just thinking. Did you say something?”
Blake gave him a suspicious look, but smiled and shook his head, looking out into the crowd for a moment before back at Adam. It was their first commercial break of the night and the audience was already rowdy as hell.
“Your presence was notably missing when Shakira was in the middle of a fit. And the whole time she didn’t leave her room. Where were you this morning?”
Adam smiled, still distracted by his earlier escapade, and contemplated telling Blake what happened. That might not be a good idea. His feelings for me, I have to keep them in mind.
“I was working on something for my single. Why didn’t she leave her room?” He played it off as innocent, pulling the safe route.
Blake gave him another unconvinced look but said, “She locked herself in there for over two hours up until right before the show. She was still upset from last night. I take it you haven’t talked to her?”
Adam hated lying to him; Blake was his best friend besides his band members, and maybe even more so than them. However, he didn’t want to say anything yet. He settled with shaking his head, keeping his eyes trained on the stage behind Blake.
He was saved a moment later when she came bouncing back on stage. She plopped down in her seat and smiled at Blake and Adam. Blake returned the smile, then turned his body so his back was almost to her. He mouthed something to Adam, then went and sat in his chair, the lights going dim and the crowd settling down.
Adam spent the rest of the show with three things on his mind: the fact that he was in risk of losing some of his people because it was results night, his revelation with Shakira, and what the hell Blake had said to him.
The show ended a half hour later, and Adam reveled in the fact that he managed to keep four of his members. He talked to his remaining people for a few minutes then jogged off stage, eager to shove it in Blake’s face, whom only had three contestants left. As soon as he went through the side door, he stopped short.
And came face to face with a pissed looking Usher.
Suddenly concerned, Adam asked, “What’s the matter?” He swallowed, now extremely nervous. He hadn’t paid much attention to what the guy had been up to; for all he knew, Usher knew everything.
“Would you like to tell me what is going on? I overheard Shakira and Gerard a minute ago. I know Blake was lying yesterday. And you were oddly absent earlier when we couldn’t get her out of her room. Where were you? And I’d be damned if you didn’t have something to do with her mood, Levine.”
Adam was stunned into silence. He had no idea what the hell to say to Usher. He cleared his throat and sighed, looking up at the other judge.
“I think I have some explaining to do.”
***
“Why didn’t anyone say anything? Why was I left out? You better have a damn good reason.” Adam had never really seen Usher mad. It sort of scared him. He was naturally intimidating.
They were sitting in the back of the large dressing room. It was Wednesday morning and Usher had stormed to Adam’s trailer an hour previous, at eight in the morning. He had demanded that they talk. Adam really saw no chance but to agree. However, he requested to do so in the morning because his head was already swimming when he got offstage last night. Thankfully, Usher complied. Now here he was, after explaining the situation with him falling for Shakira and her becoming upset because she didn’t want to hurt her boyrfriend. He had spilled about sitting around the corner the whole time and then barging into her room after the two left. Usher paced, and Adam couldn’t help but flash back to the night before when Blake was doing the same thing outside Shakira’s dressing room.
“I didn’t say anything because I thought it would just get more complicated if there were more people involved. The only reason Blake knew is because Shakira went to him for comfort, which is understandable. He is a comforting guy. I figured the less people, the less drama, the smaller of a chance the problem got out to the public.”
“So you’re saying you can’t trust me?” Adam felt bad; he didn’t want Usher to see it like that, because he really did trust him. But how do I make him realize this? He had an idea, but doing so would risk jeopardizing his new relationship with Shakira if he said something.
“I trust you. Do you want proof?” Adam stared at Usher intently. A moment passed, then he nodded slowly.
Taking a deep breathe, he prepared himself for the worst. “Blake doesn’t know. I wasn’t planning on telling even him.” He paused and looked down, reluctant to utter the words, almost sacred to him. “She said she loved me.”
Usher was silent for a moment, and Adam felt like screaming. He didn’t want to say anything, but felt Usher deserved it after being left out of the loop for weeks. He sighed, and Adam looked at him expectantly.
It wasn’t until right then that something Usher said the night before flooded into Adam’s mind and his blood began rushing in his ears.
“Usher, you mentioned you overheard Shakira talking to Piqué last night. What did you hear exactly?”
It was Usher’s turn to look reluctant to talk. Adam knew he had something to say.
“Usher...”
“I’m not sure what they were talking about. I only came by halfway through their conversation, and it was hard to hear because I was around the corner. From what I did hear, the jerk was drilling her about her relationship with you and Blake. He is one jealous person. He said he saw you two hugging, and her and Blake whispering together. She was pissed. She just kept denying everything, called him a jealous bastard, and stormed away with her son. I didn’t see any movement in her trailer this morning, and her car didn’t leave here last night. Either she is still sleeping, which would be odd for her, or she left last night and didn’t come back. How the hell are you two going to manage a relationship behind her boyfriend’s back? I just don’t see it as possible.”
Adam had wondered the same thing ten times over, but always landed on the same question. What relationship? What kind of relationship could we have that is anything closer than the current one that won’t alert a single person? He pondered this the whole night as he tossed and turned, sleep evading him until four in the morning. Then he had only gotten a handful of hours before Usher appeared.
Adam wasn’t happy with Piqué. He had no right to get angry with Shakira; so what if she came in contact with other men? It wasn’t like she was sleeping with them. However, the thought had slipped into Adam’s mind each time he was alone with her. He dismissed that; Gerard had seen nothing to prove Shakira was interested in anyone else besides himself. Yet he went and yelled at her for it? Adam wanted to call that overprotective, but, picturing himself in his shoes, might have done something similar if not to that degree. She did have a tendency to hang on Blake too much, and used to with Adam. Maybe it was noticeable.
But not enough to act like a jerk to the poor girl. She’s under a lot of stress.
Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the conversation. “I don’t know. I’m going to go see if she is in her trailer. If not, I’ll text her and see if she doesn’t answer. And if she doesn’t, then I will do something. I just want to make sure she and Milan are okay.” He paused, realizing his situation. He looked up at Usher, who looked expectantly at him. Adam knew why. “If I go out to find her, would you like to come?”
Usher smiled, his silent wish granted. “As a matter of fact, yes. I would like to come.”
“Come where? Y'all going on a road trip without me? I didn’t know I was that annoying.”
Adam and Usher turned around to face Blake, who was ambling into the room with a slightly curious look on his face. The two shared a look and Adam nodded. They looked back at Blake, who looked between the two of them, eyebrows and suspicion raised.
“What are y’all doing? Did I miss something? And...I don’t know if I should ask this but, where’s-”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.” Usher cut into Blake’s question, answering it before he could finish. Adam knew Usher wouldn’t tell Blake what he said; that much was understood. However, as he pulled out his phone to text Shakira, he knew his friend deserved to know what was going on and where they were going.
“Hey Blake, we’re looking for Shakira. She seems to have...disappeared after last night’s show.”
There was a pause while Adam silently tapped a message to Shakira, silently praying she would answer soon, if ever.
Hey, are you alright? I’m worried about you. Did you leave the show grounds?
He shoved his phone into his pocket and stood up.
“Let’s go find Shak.”
***
~Shakira’s POV~
“Shakira! How are you, love? You aren’t smiling as bright, why aren’t you smiling as bright? What’s going on? Speak. Now.”
Shakira smiled sadly at her friend after finally letting go of her. Mariane had been her best friend since childhood, and she had neglected to spend anytime with her because of the show and all the drama intertwined. She sat down at the small glass table outside the coffee shop and sipped the mocca her friend had ordered her. She didn’t know where to start.
“Well, I’m not sure how to start this...I’ve been wrapped up in some major drama.” She paused, thinking about her relationships over the past year. Mariane bounced Milan on her knee, the bright eyed baby smiling gleefully at his surroundings. She waited patiently for Shakira to collect her thoughts.
“Gerard and I haven’t been getting along quite well since I signed onto The Voice. He is really jealous of Adam and Blake. From his point of view, and what he’s seen, there is nothing to worry about. But...” She trailed off, uneasy with speaking the truth out loud, as if someone will overhear and tell the world. Gratefully, her friend caught on.
“Shak, which one?” She had a sympathetic look on her face, rather than a disapproving one.
“Adam. I can’t help it, Mar. I just... I just feel so complete around him. Like it’s right. And... I told him so. I told him I love him.” Her voice broke at the end, and she forced back the tears that threatened to well up in her tired eyes.
She had not slept well the night before. She had gone to her trailer after deserting her boyfriend, gotten things she and Milan needed, and walked down to a hotel for the night. That morning, she called her friend because she needed to talk to someone that wasn’t in the middle of everything. And thankfully, she had been more than willing to meet her on the other side of the city.
Shakira took a breath to steady herself. “Mar, what the hell do I do? He knows how I feel, and I know damn well he feels the same. I can barely stand being in the same room as him without melting. It’s terrible.” She looked miserably at her baby, the definition of her life in her friend’s hands. Without speaking, Mariane handed her her baby and she cuddled him into her face. She knew that her relationship with Gerard was going downhill fast, and couldn’t help but think that The Voice wasn’t the one to blame; it merely accelerated the deterioration of whatever love they used to have.
“Sweetie, I saw this coming a mile away. Not the whole thing with falling in love with Adam, but your fallout with Gerard. He isn’t very thoughtful and certainly doesn’t keep you in mind. Sorry if I seem harsh, honey. I love ya bunches, that’s only why I say it. Please don’t hate me. And anyway, I’ve seen you and Adam hug before. You two make the cutest freaking couple ever!” Mariane was gushing by the end and Shakira couldn’t help but laugh. She missed her friend dearly.
“Yeah, I know. And Adam is everything Gerard isn’t. Dedicated, caring, not self-indulged, his ego is nowhere as large, his laugh is the most adorable thing ever, and his smile. I could stare at it for hours, Mariane. Dare I say he is perfect?”
Mariane was laughing now and Shakira joined in. It seemed even Milan was giggling too.
Maybe everything will turn out alright, in the end, she thought, new hope flickering in her heart.
There was a sudden silence and Shakira realized Mariane had stopped laughing, her face emotionless. Dread filled her entire being at once and she instinctively held little Milan closer to her. She slowly turned around, wishing she had not. She suddenly wished she were anywhere else in the world besides there.
Behind her, a few feet away, with his arms crossed over his chest and a pissed off look on his face, was Gerard.
And a few feet to left and back, stood Adam, Blake, and Usher looking like hellfire.
“Shit,” she whispered.
Then all hell broke loose.
Please don't hate me for making Gerard evil. This is in NO WAY true; all a figment of my imagination. Mariane doesn't exist either, just a woman I made up to help the story line. (hint: don't forget her) Please comment and vote. Thanks :)