"Thank you so much for coming on the show, Alana. It's always a pleasure to have you."
The host smiled warmly as the two of them stood up from their seats. The bright lights dimmed and the producer yelled out a loud 'cut' letting everyone know that the show was now over.
"Of course. It's always an honor to be here," smiled Alana, waving to the cheering audience who now stood on their feet. "I always have so much fun talking to you."
"You're too sweet. I'll let you go— I'm sure you're very busy," the host leans over to hug Alana which the star gladly reciprocated.
Alana bid the host goodbye as she walked off the stage with a sigh of relief.
Being on talk shows always made her slightly nervous. Sometimes, she just couldn't control what she said, especially with a live audience, and she was just glad the recording had gone well today. She much preferred singing in front of a stadium full of people than answering questions on daytime television.
Alana was immediately swarmed by her team as they helped her off the stage and remove the microphone that was clipped onto her outfit.
"As usual, you did amazing, girlie," beamed Tyler, brushing her hair off her shoulder. "When you walked out," he whistled. "I could hear the audience cheering in your dressing room."
Alana grinned. "I just hope I didn't accidentally say anything wrong."
"You were perfect," Julia reassured. "That story about how your arm is too short to reach the toll booth and you have to actually step out of the car was hilarious."
"It's not my fault my arms are short," pouted Alana. "I blame my parents' genes."
"You did amazing, Lani," Daniel handed her phone and purse to her. "By the way, your mom called a of couple times— she probably forgot you had a shoot," He held up the microphone. "I'm going to hand this to the producer real quick."
Alana nodded as Daniel quickly scampered away. Looking down at her phone, she did indeed see the missed calls and immediately called her mother back.
It rang a couple of times before her mom picked up.
"Hi sweetie," Her mother's sweet voice filled her ears.
"Hey, mom, I'm so sorry— I just finished the interview," blurted Alana, feeling bad for always being late.
"Don't apologize, hon," Amanda quickly dismissed her daughter's sudden apology. "I completely forgot you had an interview scheduled and was just getting worried when you didn't show up. I do kind of remember you telling me that you were going to a bit late."
Alana chuckled, following Matt out to the parking lot. The feeling of the warm sun shining down on her made her smile even wider. "Mom, you sure we don't need to get that checked— you seem to be getting more and more forgetful these days."
"It's called getting old," scoffed Amanda before she continued to mutter. "Just wait until you get to my age and then we'll see who's laughing next. Anyway, that's not why I was calling... why was I calling again? Oh! Right, what time are you getting here honey?"
"Mom..." Alana's voice trailed off but ultimately decided to keep her mouth shut. She didn't want her mom going off the tangent again. "I think we'll be there in an..." She looked at Daniel who suddenly appeared in front of her. "An Hour? Tops."
"Oh, good," Her mother exclaimed. "I know everyone's so excited to see you again, especially Helen. You know how much she adores you like her own daughter."
Everyone piled into the car, along with Alana who continued to speak on the phone with her very eager and excited mother.
"I'm excited to see Mama Pierce, too, mom," She held her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she grabbed the seatbelt and buckled it. "How is Helen, by the way? I don't even remember the last time I'd seen her."
"Always beaming," Amanda chuckled into the phone. "She's so happy Marianne's getting married— every time we have our afternoon tea dates, she's practically bouncing off the walls."
"Why can I picture that in my head?" Grinned Alana, leaning back in her seat. Julia, Tyler, and Miranda were talking quietly amongst themselves in the seats next to her and behind her.
"We all know how Helen gets when she gets excited."
Alana could hear distant murmuring coming from her mother's end of the phone. Her mother laughed before speaking into the phone again.
"Anyways, I've got to go, honey. Your father isn't leaving the buffet table and Noodle's having a fit— something about your old man embarrassing her in front of the Pierce boys. Can you believe it? She's only 15 and she's already thinking about impressing boys," her mother tsked. Alana could practically see her mom shaking her head with distaste. "Imagine your dad finding out about this— he'll be grounding her until she's 30."
Alana chuckled, meeting Daniel's twinkling eyes in the rearview mirror. "Mom, she's at the perfect age of dating. Let Noodle have her fun."
"Considering she has over a million followers on Instagram at 15, I'm sure she's having a ton of fun," her mother snorted. "Mostly horny little shits if you're asking me."
"Mom!" Exclaimed Alana, snorting at the vulgar language her mom was using. "To be fair, mom, you have over a million as well."
"And that's why I'm also having fun," her mother said before she was interrupted.
"Mom, can you please get dad away from the buffet table."
Alana grinned when she heard Kimberly wail through the phone in distress. Oh, how she missed her little sister's whining.
"Alright, alright," her mother let out a loud exasperated sigh. "I'll see you soon sweetie and tell Daniel to drive safely."
"Daniel, mom said to make sure not to crash the car," Okay, she may have twisted her mom's words a bit, and based on his eye roll, it seemed like Daniel knew as well. "You're transporting precious cargo here."
Daniel rolled his eyes before yelling, so her mother would be able to hear. "I'll make sure she gets there in one piece, Mrs. Sommers."
"Hear that mom? No need to worry," reassured Alana, winking at her manager. "I'll see you in a bit, mom. Love you."
"Love you, too, sweetie."
The call ended with a smile playing on Alana's face. She was excited for Marianne, yet she couldn't help but feel nervous as well. She wondered how many familiar faces she would see again.
She just hoped she would be able to play nice, just like she had promised Marianne.
★ ★ ★
Alana stood at the front door of Marianne and Jayce's new home, anxiety filling the root of her body. Daniel had asked if she was alright going in herself, knowing full on how nerve-racking it would be for her to see the people she hadn't seen for years.
And after her repeating that she was going to be fine about 30 times, he reluctantly drove off, intending to drop the trio off before coming back— most likely for the free food.
"Alana! You're here."
The door opened and immediately a pair of warm arms pulled her in for a hug. She smiled as she recognized Helen Pierce's familiar perfume.
"Hi, Mrs. Pierce," smiled Alana, embracing the woman. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen the older woman, but she definitely was happy to see her again. "It's so good to see you."
Helen Pierce, the mother of 4 kids, was someone that Alana loved dearly. She saw Alana as her own daughter— both her and her husband did, which made Alana feel a little bad for leaving all those years ago without saying a proper goodbye.
"My my, Alana," smiled Helen, pulling back to take a good look at Alana. "You look absolutely gorgeous— I saw those photos of you from the red carpet. I thought you were the prettiest one there."
Her words caused Alana to blush— she didn't know that Helen continuously kept tabs on her. Before she could say anything, Helen quickly ushered her in. The older woman grabbed her hand as she led Alana through the grand house. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going, but she could hear loud chattering coming from the direction in which they were heading.
"I'm so happy you're here," continued Helen. "When was the last time saw you— 2 years ago? That, Alana, was way too brief of a visit."
"I think you came to my show with mom. And besides, I doubt Mari's going to let me leave this time."
"Oh, we both know that girl is willing to latch onto you and never let you go," chuckled Helen. "I know how happy she is now that you're moving back here— especially with the whole wedding planning madness."
"I'm happy that I'll be helping her with planning," smiled Alana, thinking back to her childhood with Marianne. "I think we talked about it when we were younger— about how we were going to help each other out with our dream weddings."
Before she could add on, she spotted her mother walking towards them with a happy grin on her face.
"There's my pretty Lani," grinned Amanda, causing Alana to break out in a grin. She leaned forward to kiss her mother on the cheek. "Where's Daniel?"
"He's dropping everyone off first," She answered, beginning to feel the stares as more eyes turned to look at her. She heard the chattering of excitement and she prayed that things wouldn't get too crazy.
With her in full glam, she stuck out like a sore thumb, not that it mattered anyway. She was the type that naturally drew attention to herself without actually doing anything.
The black off-the-shoulder mini dress that she had worn to the interview and her heeled thigh-high boots made immediately caught the attention of everyone in the room as they were mostly wearing casual clothing. Her hair was perfectly styled in waves that cascaded down her back and her makeup was flawlessly done.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Adrian Pierce had begun to make his way towards her— all while her mother and Helen began to chat happily.
"Hey, munchkin," smirked Adrian, opening his arms for a hug. Alana shook her head with amusement before embracing the handsome man. Adrian was 6 years older than her and had always been like an older brother to her growing up. "Did you get prettier since the last time I saw you?"
Alana chuckled, playfully shoving him. The charming man always had a way with words. "it's good to see you too, Adrian."
"I think you got taller, too," he added, winking at her. "Kevin told me you weren't planning to be back until the day before we sign."
"It's the heels, you asshole," Alana pouted, causing him to chuckle. She then bit her lip, not wanting to think of anything contract related as her mind was still not made up. "I missed everyone and I thought it would be a nice surprise."
"Well, it really is good to see you, Lani. The whole family keeps tabs on you— seeing you doing well makes us happy," he smiled charmingly, giving her arm a small squeeze. "I swear, we're like your biggest fans."
Alana laughed. "Like I told Mari, you'll have to fight my mom for that position."
They both turned to look at where their mothers stood talking on the side. They really were the best of friends, almost like an older version of her and Marianne.
"Alana."
A voice called out from behind her caused her to freeze.
It was a voice that she hadn't heard in a long time. His voice had evidently gotten deeper, but she could tell who it was without turning around. She couldn't help but feel a shiver run down her back.
She closed her eyes for a second, telling herself that she could do it— that she could face him. She opened her eyes again and met Adrian's as he gave her a sympathetic smile. All too soon, the one she hadn't seen for 6 years suddenly appeared next to his older brother.
God, he was even more handsome than before. She took a moment to actually look at him. His dark brown hair was styled messily on his head without effort. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, which looked tight against his muscular figure and ripped jeans, but even then, he looked gorgeous in casual clothing.
Their eyes met, her grey ones with his familiar brown ones, and immediately, an overwhelming swarm of emotions filled her.
"You look beautiful," He gave her a small smile, but she was too lost to even return it.
Taking a deep breath, she returned the smile, which looked more like a grimace than an actual smile. "It's good to see you, Asher."
Just hearing her say his name made his heart flutter. He took his time, wanting to soak in the sight of her standing in front of him.
6 years had been far too long.
Adrian could feel the tension in the air as his younger brother continued to stare at Alana. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened 6 years ago, but the two had been extremely close. And then, all of the sudden, Alana stopped coming around and a week later, she had completely disappeared.
For years, he had witnessed Asher beat himself up for causing Alana to leave. After months of Asher constantly moping around, Adrian finally found out Asher's side of the story. Of course, he had given his younger brother shit for abandoning Alana in the first place, but seeing how tormented Asher was, he didn't want to add onto that. Instead, he watched as Asher threw himself completely into school and eventually work, not taking the time to give himself a break.
Ever since they were young, everyone knew that Asher and Alana were made for each other. They had been practically inseparable that even Marianne had complained that Asher was stealing her best friend from her.
Not sensing the awkward atmosphere, a very excited and slightly drunk Marianne came barreling into Alana, jumping into the surprised girl's arms. Alana stumbled back— the heels of her boots bearing most of the weight as she caught her best friend in her arms.
"Lani!" Squealed Marianne, unaware of the tension in the air. "My pretty pretty best friend."
"Mari," grinned Alana, finally breaking her gaze away from Asher's. Jayce, who was following after his tipsy fiancé, stood next to Asher with a grin on his face. "Is she drunk?"
"She had a couple of drinks" Jayce chuckled, watching as Marianne didn't want to detach herself from Alana. "Hey, superstar."
"Hi Jayce," Alana rolled her eyes. "Hope you're keeping my best friend happy."
"Always," he paused before winking. "Especially in the bedroom."
Alana and the two brothers groaned, making Jayce burst into laughter. Marianne pouted and glared at her fiancé, reaching over to slap his arm.
"You're fucking lucky I like you, asshole," Adrian rolled his eyes, glaring at his little sister's fiancé.
"Anyways," interrupted Marianne, not before giving Jayce one last glare. "I'm so so so very happy you made it."
"Sorry, I was running a bit late," apologized Alana, patting Marianne on the back. Her best friend still had her arms wrapped around Alana, like a baby koala attached to its mother. "I also think I'm a bit overdressed— I think people are staring."
"Because you're Alana fucking Sommers," squealed Marianne loudly into Alana's ear, causing the latter to grimace. "You look fucking amazing. Jules did an amazing job with your makeup, not that she had to do much anyway."
And there she was— Marianne Emma Pierce hyping her up like usual.
Alana laughed, ignoring the obvious stare she was receiving from Asher. But before they could continue their conversation, they were interrupted by a nasally voice calling out for Asher— one that caused her all that pain so many years ago.
What was she doing here?
★ ★ ★
Sorry for the late update-- I'm getting a bit busier with school. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I wish you all an amazing day <3