Drama
Chapter 32: Paradise
Leila’s P.O.V.
The next morning is a blur. Niall and I wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, and just as fast as all of that, we’re out the door heading to the studio. I’m not ready for what’s to happen today; Mr. Conners decides what we’re going to do with the show now that Alexa and Max aren’t in the best condition.
“It’s going to be just fine, love,” Niall comforts me. I love the fact that he’s trying, but it’s not good enough. Alexa and Max are my best friends and the first ones I’ve made since coming to LA, excluding Madison. They’ve stuck up for me through all of this shit and I have to be here for them now at their worst.
“How do you know?” I ask him, approaching the large building.
“I just know,” he responds, squeezing my hand. I sigh and enter in the main doors, so glad that the security is off of me for now, considering what’s all just happened.
Niall and I walk in and step to the meeting room, seeing so many familiar faces. I’m surprised to see Alexa sitting there in a wheelchair, her leg and arm wrapped up and some members of our cast surrounding her. She gives me a weak smile and we pull up two chairs next to her.
“How are you feeling?” I question.
“I’m doing alright, the pain is horrible but the medication helps immensely,” she replies.
“That’s good, sorta,” I respond.
“Yeah. I went home on Saturday night and that was great. My family threw me a small party with some of my relatives,” Alexa continues.
“Awesome!” Niall comments.
“But before I left, I visited Max and…” Her voice chokes up and I can tell she’s about to cry. I stand up from my chair and hug her to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, I know all about that,” I tell her. I don’t want to mention that I’ve seen him twice because, well, it’s not necessarily important and we don’t need the waterworks right now.
Suddenly, Alexa gasps just loud enough for those around her to hear and I look up; Spencer walks in the room dressed in all black, followed by Sierra. They’re both covering their faces with tissues and Spencer sniffles loudly, all heads turning to her as she sits down in the back. Spencer slowly sets the tissue in her lap to reveal streaks of tears washing in with her makeup running down her face. She looks like a train wreck. Well, she kind of is, but even more like it.
Mr. Conners enters and it doesn’t take long for him to start speaking, since everyone shushed the minute Spencer walked in. He steps to the front and takes a deep breath.
“Thank you all for coming in this morning. I have both good and bad news for you, so I’m going to start off with the good news. Alexa is okay and she’s here with us today, and she will be able to begin the show again in approximately two weeks. But that’s also the bad news, and I have even more. I visited Max this weekend in the hospital and he is unfortunately in a coma, and he hasn’t woken up yet. That being said, we can’t start the show again until Max wakes up, and even then, I’m not sure what his situation will be like once he’s awake.”
A few girls sob quietly at the mention of Max’s name and condition. I’m not going to stoop down and cry, too, but considering the surroundings, I might.
“Now, with all of that being said, we are taking a break for two weeks. Hopefully Alexa will be well enough to continue on with us, though she might still be all wrapped up, but the writers can write up some magical fantasy about that. On the other hand, I doubt Max will be able to stay with us. He might be all right to come back in a few weeks, but we can’t hold off that long. It all depends on when he wakes up and how long the recovery will take. I’m very sorry, but we will start up again in two weeks, with or without Max,” Mr. Conners finishes. “You are all dismissed.”
The sound of chairs being pushed in and people standing up fill my ears. I knew this was coming, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept it, and now I’m frozen in place.
“Lei, come on,” Niall persuades, holding out his hand. Not even thinking, I take it and slowly stand, letting him lead me out of the building. He puts on his disguise and we head back to the apartment, not saying a word.
The second I get inside, I crash on my bed. Luckily, I didn’t wear an uncomfortable outfit for today so I’m fine for a little nap. Niall joins me and we lay there in silence until I fall asleep.
A few hours later, the sun has risen quite a distance and the rays have stretched in through the windows, creating vast shadows. I smell food coming from the kitchen, so I get up from the bed and exit my bedroom. Sure enough, Niall’s warming up yesterday’s leftover pizza for lunch. I settle myself down by the table and he slides a plate of the cheese pizza to me.
“Thanks,” I say, eating it. “When did you get up?”
“About an hour ago. I figured I’d Iet you sleep, but then I got hungry, but it turns out I had perfect timing,” he replies. I take a few more bites of pizza before asking the question that has been invading my mind.
“What am I going to do?”
“What do you mean?” he questions.
“What am I going to do? I have two weeks off, now,” I repeat.
“Leila, you have two weeks off,” Niall mimics in a “duh!” kind of tone. “Two weeks without worrying about Spencer or Sierra, two weeks to sit and relax and do nothing, two weeks to spend with your amazing boyfriend…”
“Speaking of which, when are we moving you back to your uncle’s?” I ask.
“No way! I am not going back!” he declares.
“What? Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my uncle, but he doesn’t want me staying here with you. Overnight, I mean. He was pissed when he found out I stayed here after the party a few weeks ago. He still thinks I’m a bit young for all of this, but I don’t think so. I’m not going to pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to do, but I love you and I want to spend as much time with you as we can now. I don’t know what’s going to happen when the summer is over. I’m going to eventually have to go back to the UK, and we’ll work it out when the time comes, but now is the time. I just want you to be happy and I’m happy whenever I’m with you,” he defends.
Wow, I think that’s the best answer I’ve ever heard.
“Plus, you’re going to be bored for the next two weeks without me,” Niall adds, grinning. True, that is very true.
“Okay, okay, but you’re eventually going to have to move back, or at least tell him you’re back in LA. He’s your insurance, so if anything goes wrong…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s not talk about it and enjoy the summer. It’s a beautiful day outside today,” he replies, interrupting me.
“Fine,” I give in, smiling.
Finishing our pizzas, he tells me that there’s this special place he wants to take me and it involves water, so I should bring my swimsuit. I give him a look before padding into my bedroom and trying to pack for wherever he wants to take me. After I do, he realizes he wants to bring something, but it’s at his uncle’s house.
“He’s probably not home. Just because Deep Secrets is on hold right now doesn’t mean the whole company is,” I retort.
“Good point. And I have the keys right here,” he says, jingling them.
“Yeah, but how are we getting there?” I ask. “Your uncle lives in, like, the middle of nowhere.”
“The bus, as usual. We’ll have to do some walking, but it won’t be too bad,” he replies. “You ready?”
“I guess so,” I respond, taking his hand.
We leave the building and get on the bus to go to his uncle’s house first. The bus ride takes a good half hour with all of the traffic in LA, and then it takes us 15 minutes to walk from the nearest bus stop to the house. Niall tells me to wait outside while he goes in and grabs what he needs, and he’s out within 5 minutes, bringing with him a guitar case with probably a guitar inside it.
“Your guitar?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’ll explain when we get there,” he delivers.
I attempt to walk back where we came from, but when I realize he’s not with me, I turn around to see his confused face.
“Where are you going?” he questions me, smiling.
“Back to the bus stop,” I answer slowly.
“We’re not going back on the bus,” Niall responds.
“Then where are we going?” I ask.
“Just follow me,” he replies, turning around and walking towards the back of the house.
“Ugh, Niall,” I groan, slumping after him. He stops and waits for me to catch up, and then intertwines our hands again.
Niall leads me on a trail in the woods in the backyard of his uncle’s house. All I see are trees so far; trees and animals. After a few minutes, I start hearing the sound of rushing water, lull at first but growing louder with each step.
“Niall, where are we?” I speak, a little too powerfully. My voice echoes against the nature.
“Sssh. Not many people know this area. Since I practically live behind it, I went exploring one day when I was younger and found…this…” he reveals.
Looking around, I see a good sized pond with a 10 foot tall waterfall. Big, flat rocks line the perimeter of the pond with grass covering the ground behind it, the trees beyond that giving protection and privacy. It’s beautiful and I’ve never seen anything like this, especially in LA. I can’t even begin to explain the little intricate details of this place.
“Lei!” Niall calls. I glance at him and realize he’s moved to one of the rocks already. I rush over by him and help him set up the blanket he brought. We settle down and I can’t stop staring at all of this.
“So, do you like it?” he asks.
“I love it, Niall, just as much as I love you,” I respond, probably one of the cheesiest lines I’ve ever said.
“Well, good,” he replies. “This place gives me a lot of inspiration. I used to come here all the time to think, since I always seem to have shit going on. And now, I write music here. It’s the perfect place to do that; it’s nice and peaceful.”
“I’m guessing that’s why you brought your guitar?” I suggest.
“Yup. I want you to hear something I’ve been working on,” he admits, opening up his guitar case and bringing out the gorgeous guitar. He opens what appears to be a notebook, but it’s more like a diary. Well, a diary of songs. Setting himself up, he begins to play and sing.
I know when I feel a connection
And right now I can feel the tension
Goin’ back and forth
Between you and me
And I know that you wanna
Say something to me
So go ahead ‘cause I’m listening
Because it’s true
You are the one for me
I know it’s true
My heart is set on you
And now I know
So take my heart
‘Cause I believe
That you are the one for me
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah,
You are the one for me
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah,
You are the one for me
He stops playing and I can see that he’s slightly shaking and that his cheeks are red. My breath has been blown away and I’m shocked. He fucking wrote that?!
“T-that’s all I have for now,” he stutters, setting his guitar back in the case.
“Y-you wrote that?!” I question, amazed.
“Yeah. It’s actually about you,” he admits, making eye contact with me.
“No way,” I say. “You serious?” He nods.
“I couldn’t get you out of my head, and then this happened as a result,” he explains, shrugging.
“Wow,” I reply, still shocked. “You’re amazing.”
“Thanks,” he responds.
I lie out on the rock and close my eyes as he brings his guitar back out and plucks a few chords. The sound of that plus the waterfall plus the birds chirping in the distance equals paradise. And this is all in LA, one of the busiest cities in the world.
The next morning is a blur. Niall and I wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, and just as fast as all of that, we’re out the door heading to the studio. I’m not ready for what’s to happen today; Mr. Conners decides what we’re going to do with the show now that Alexa and Max aren’t in the best condition.
“It’s going to be just fine, love,” Niall comforts me. I love the fact that he’s trying, but it’s not good enough. Alexa and Max are my best friends and the first ones I’ve made since coming to LA, excluding Madison. They’ve stuck up for me through all of this shit and I have to be here for them now at their worst.
“How do you know?” I ask him, approaching the large building.
“I just know,” he responds, squeezing my hand. I sigh and enter in the main doors, so glad that the security is off of me for now, considering what’s all just happened.
Niall and I walk in and step to the meeting room, seeing so many familiar faces. I’m surprised to see Alexa sitting there in a wheelchair, her leg and arm wrapped up and some members of our cast surrounding her. She gives me a weak smile and we pull up two chairs next to her.
“How are you feeling?” I question.
“I’m doing alright, the pain is horrible but the medication helps immensely,” she replies.
“That’s good, sorta,” I respond.
“Yeah. I went home on Saturday night and that was great. My family threw me a small party with some of my relatives,” Alexa continues.
“Awesome!” Niall comments.
“But before I left, I visited Max and…” Her voice chokes up and I can tell she’s about to cry. I stand up from my chair and hug her to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, I know all about that,” I tell her. I don’t want to mention that I’ve seen him twice because, well, it’s not necessarily important and we don’t need the waterworks right now.
Suddenly, Alexa gasps just loud enough for those around her to hear and I look up; Spencer walks in the room dressed in all black, followed by Sierra. They’re both covering their faces with tissues and Spencer sniffles loudly, all heads turning to her as she sits down in the back. Spencer slowly sets the tissue in her lap to reveal streaks of tears washing in with her makeup running down her face. She looks like a train wreck. Well, she kind of is, but even more like it.
Mr. Conners enters and it doesn’t take long for him to start speaking, since everyone shushed the minute Spencer walked in. He steps to the front and takes a deep breath.
“Thank you all for coming in this morning. I have both good and bad news for you, so I’m going to start off with the good news. Alexa is okay and she’s here with us today, and she will be able to begin the show again in approximately two weeks. But that’s also the bad news, and I have even more. I visited Max this weekend in the hospital and he is unfortunately in a coma, and he hasn’t woken up yet. That being said, we can’t start the show again until Max wakes up, and even then, I’m not sure what his situation will be like once he’s awake.”
A few girls sob quietly at the mention of Max’s name and condition. I’m not going to stoop down and cry, too, but considering the surroundings, I might.
“Now, with all of that being said, we are taking a break for two weeks. Hopefully Alexa will be well enough to continue on with us, though she might still be all wrapped up, but the writers can write up some magical fantasy about that. On the other hand, I doubt Max will be able to stay with us. He might be all right to come back in a few weeks, but we can’t hold off that long. It all depends on when he wakes up and how long the recovery will take. I’m very sorry, but we will start up again in two weeks, with or without Max,” Mr. Conners finishes. “You are all dismissed.”
The sound of chairs being pushed in and people standing up fill my ears. I knew this was coming, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept it, and now I’m frozen in place.
“Lei, come on,” Niall persuades, holding out his hand. Not even thinking, I take it and slowly stand, letting him lead me out of the building. He puts on his disguise and we head back to the apartment, not saying a word.
The second I get inside, I crash on my bed. Luckily, I didn’t wear an uncomfortable outfit for today so I’m fine for a little nap. Niall joins me and we lay there in silence until I fall asleep.
A few hours later, the sun has risen quite a distance and the rays have stretched in through the windows, creating vast shadows. I smell food coming from the kitchen, so I get up from the bed and exit my bedroom. Sure enough, Niall’s warming up yesterday’s leftover pizza for lunch. I settle myself down by the table and he slides a plate of the cheese pizza to me.
“Thanks,” I say, eating it. “When did you get up?”
“About an hour ago. I figured I’d Iet you sleep, but then I got hungry, but it turns out I had perfect timing,” he replies. I take a few more bites of pizza before asking the question that has been invading my mind.
“What am I going to do?”
“What do you mean?” he questions.
“What am I going to do? I have two weeks off, now,” I repeat.
“Leila, you have two weeks off,” Niall mimics in a “duh!” kind of tone. “Two weeks without worrying about Spencer or Sierra, two weeks to sit and relax and do nothing, two weeks to spend with your amazing boyfriend…”
“Speaking of which, when are we moving you back to your uncle’s?” I ask.
“No way! I am not going back!” he declares.
“What? Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my uncle, but he doesn’t want me staying here with you. Overnight, I mean. He was pissed when he found out I stayed here after the party a few weeks ago. He still thinks I’m a bit young for all of this, but I don’t think so. I’m not going to pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to do, but I love you and I want to spend as much time with you as we can now. I don’t know what’s going to happen when the summer is over. I’m going to eventually have to go back to the UK, and we’ll work it out when the time comes, but now is the time. I just want you to be happy and I’m happy whenever I’m with you,” he defends.
Wow, I think that’s the best answer I’ve ever heard.
“Plus, you’re going to be bored for the next two weeks without me,” Niall adds, grinning. True, that is very true.
“Okay, okay, but you’re eventually going to have to move back, or at least tell him you’re back in LA. He’s your insurance, so if anything goes wrong…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s not talk about it and enjoy the summer. It’s a beautiful day outside today,” he replies, interrupting me.
“Fine,” I give in, smiling.
Finishing our pizzas, he tells me that there’s this special place he wants to take me and it involves water, so I should bring my swimsuit. I give him a look before padding into my bedroom and trying to pack for wherever he wants to take me. After I do, he realizes he wants to bring something, but it’s at his uncle’s house.
“He’s probably not home. Just because Deep Secrets is on hold right now doesn’t mean the whole company is,” I retort.
“Good point. And I have the keys right here,” he says, jingling them.
“Yeah, but how are we getting there?” I ask. “Your uncle lives in, like, the middle of nowhere.”
“The bus, as usual. We’ll have to do some walking, but it won’t be too bad,” he replies. “You ready?”
“I guess so,” I respond, taking his hand.
We leave the building and get on the bus to go to his uncle’s house first. The bus ride takes a good half hour with all of the traffic in LA, and then it takes us 15 minutes to walk from the nearest bus stop to the house. Niall tells me to wait outside while he goes in and grabs what he needs, and he’s out within 5 minutes, bringing with him a guitar case with probably a guitar inside it.
“Your guitar?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’ll explain when we get there,” he delivers.
I attempt to walk back where we came from, but when I realize he’s not with me, I turn around to see his confused face.
“Where are you going?” he questions me, smiling.
“Back to the bus stop,” I answer slowly.
“We’re not going back on the bus,” Niall responds.
“Then where are we going?” I ask.
“Just follow me,” he replies, turning around and walking towards the back of the house.
“Ugh, Niall,” I groan, slumping after him. He stops and waits for me to catch up, and then intertwines our hands again.
Niall leads me on a trail in the woods in the backyard of his uncle’s house. All I see are trees so far; trees and animals. After a few minutes, I start hearing the sound of rushing water, lull at first but growing louder with each step.
“Niall, where are we?” I speak, a little too powerfully. My voice echoes against the nature.
“Sssh. Not many people know this area. Since I practically live behind it, I went exploring one day when I was younger and found…this…” he reveals.
Looking around, I see a good sized pond with a 10 foot tall waterfall. Big, flat rocks line the perimeter of the pond with grass covering the ground behind it, the trees beyond that giving protection and privacy. It’s beautiful and I’ve never seen anything like this, especially in LA. I can’t even begin to explain the little intricate details of this place.
“Lei!” Niall calls. I glance at him and realize he’s moved to one of the rocks already. I rush over by him and help him set up the blanket he brought. We settle down and I can’t stop staring at all of this.
“So, do you like it?” he asks.
“I love it, Niall, just as much as I love you,” I respond, probably one of the cheesiest lines I’ve ever said.
“Well, good,” he replies. “This place gives me a lot of inspiration. I used to come here all the time to think, since I always seem to have shit going on. And now, I write music here. It’s the perfect place to do that; it’s nice and peaceful.”
“I’m guessing that’s why you brought your guitar?” I suggest.
“Yup. I want you to hear something I’ve been working on,” he admits, opening up his guitar case and bringing out the gorgeous guitar. He opens what appears to be a notebook, but it’s more like a diary. Well, a diary of songs. Setting himself up, he begins to play and sing.
I know when I feel a connection
And right now I can feel the tension
Goin’ back and forth
Between you and me
And I know that you wanna
Say something to me
So go ahead ‘cause I’m listening
Because it’s true
You are the one for me
I know it’s true
My heart is set on you
And now I know
So take my heart
‘Cause I believe
That you are the one for me
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah,
You are the one for me
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah,
You are the one for me
He stops playing and I can see that he’s slightly shaking and that his cheeks are red. My breath has been blown away and I’m shocked. He fucking wrote that?!
“T-that’s all I have for now,” he stutters, setting his guitar back in the case.
“Y-you wrote that?!” I question, amazed.
“Yeah. It’s actually about you,” he admits, making eye contact with me.
“No way,” I say. “You serious?” He nods.
“I couldn’t get you out of my head, and then this happened as a result,” he explains, shrugging.
“Wow,” I reply, still shocked. “You’re amazing.”
“Thanks,” he responds.
I lie out on the rock and close my eyes as he brings his guitar back out and plucks a few chords. The sound of that plus the waterfall plus the birds chirping in the distance equals paradise. And this is all in LA, one of the busiest cities in the world.
Notes
This is such a cute chapter :)By the way, the song in here is actually my song. I wrote it a few years ago SO PLEASE DON'T STEAL IT. If you want to hear how it sounds, please comment and I will upload a YouTube video of me singing it. But please don't steal it or anything!
Rachel :)
Make a Sequel please.
9/13/14