by Sian Ceinwen
Just then, the limo arrived to take them to the Grammys, and at the same time, Sebastian walked into the lobby with a willowy blond woman on his arm.
“Really?” Ariana heard Heather mutter to Harrison, “he’s taking a random?”
Harrison just rolled his eyes and shrugged, “apparently so.”
Ariana wondered why they were ever surprised by Sebastian’s Casanova ways. She would admit, though, that she really hadn’t expected him to bring a stranger with them tonight.
They all got in the limo, and Ariana was pleased that she ended up seated between Gabriel and Heather so she wouldn’t have to make small talk with the newcomer.
“So, did you decide on what you’re going to do tonight?” Heather asked her.
Ariana knew immediately that she was talking about running the Gauntlet.
“Yeah, I told Gabriel that I would walk in with him.”
As she said it, Ariana’s stomach did a flop. She still wasn’t really sure if she could actually go through with it. She hoped that saying it would make it true.
“Oh, that’s lovely,” Heather said, and Harrison smiled at her, too.
“I’m really proud of her,” Gabriel said, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving her a squeeze.
Ariana noticed the blond woman sitting near the door, giving her a calculating look. She turned her face away when she caught Ariana’s eye, though.
Just then they arrived at the Staples Center and joined the line of limousines waiting to drop off their occupants. Ariana’s breathing rate started to increase, and she watched people walking up the red carpet amidst flashes of light.
Could she really do this? After tonight, there was no going back for her. They inched forward in the line, and she squeezed Gabriel’s free hand for comfort.
“You can do this, Ari,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m not sure that I can,” she said, suddenly feeling like she might burst into tears.
“I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”
He pulled her closer towards him with the arm he still had around her shoulders. They had reached the front of the line, and Ariana had no more time to think as the door was opened to their limousine.
Sebastian got out first, and the woman he’d brought with him followed without hesitation, which shocked Ariana. She watched as his date grabbed on to Sebastian while the cameras flashed, pouting her lips and pushing her chest forward. She was obviously enjoying her moment in the spotlight.
Hayden got out next and stood for photos before moving on and leaving room for Harrison and Heather to get out. Ariana felt absolutely sick, so badly so that she had to take some deep breaths to try and calm down.
“It’s our turn, Ariana,” Gabriel said, moving towards the open door and reaching his hand out for hers.
“I…” Ariana tried to finish her sentence but couldn’t.
“Ari?” She hated hearing the disappointment in his voice.
“I’m sorry. I can’t,” it was all she could manage to say, “go.”
It was too terrifying; the whole world was watching. Tomorrow they would be in every magazine, in every online news article, and people would be clamoring to find out every little detail of her life. The paparazzi were yelling his name, and they were holding up the limo line. Gabriel sighed deeply.
“This part of my life will never go away, sweetheart. It’s up to you how you want to handle that fact.”
He got out of the car, plastering a bright smile on his face as he did. The world would never have guessed that she had just hurt him as deeply as she had.
“Are you getting out, ma’am?” The limo driver poked his head into the car to ask her.
“Yeah. I am,” she took a second to compose herself, then exited the limo carefully, “thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said politely.
Ariana walked swiftly up the red carpet, barely noticing the other band members as they were having photos taken together. She reached the safety of the Staples Center entrance, moved out of sight of the entryway, and leaned against the wall, starting to hyperventilate.
She felt awful. Gabriel had been so excited, why couldn’t she do this? Heck, even that random chick had been fine to be seen with Sebastian. Ariana took deep breaths, trying to calm down, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. The second she started to get a hold of herself, her brain would throw the image of Gabriel’s disappointed face at her, and she’d start freaking out again. She’d been there a few minutes when Heather walked in the door without Harrison.
“Oh, darling,” Heather said as she came over to Ariana and gave her a cuddle.
“Gabriel’s going to hate me,” Ariana said, bursting into tears.
“Of course he won’t,” she said to her, “I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“He won’t. He won’t,” Ariana said, her body shaking with sobs.
She was trying to fight off the dark thoughts that were overwhelming her. Deep down, she just felt so unworthy of him and his love that she was sure he would hate her for not walking the red carpet with him.
Heather continued to try and reassure Ariana that everything would be okay, but she just couldn’t accept it. She was stuck in a cycle of negative self-talk that she couldn’t break out of.
At that moment, Gabriel walked into the room, followed by the rest of the band and Sebastian’s date. He made a beeline for Ariana. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him while she continued to cry.
“Hey, Ari.”
“I’m so sorry, Gabe. Do you hate me?” Ariana asked.
“Of course not,” he whispered into her hair, “you know I could never hate you.”
She began to calm down as he stroked her hair and held her close. She wished she could stay here with him forever. His touch had banished all the dark thoughts that she had been struggling with a moment ago. Once again, here with him, she was at peace and sure of herself and of them together.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Gabriel, but we have to go,” Hayden said awkwardly.
“Sure,” Gabriel replied.
He kissed Ariana on the top of the head.
“I love you so much,” he said quietly, aware that they were surrounded by people, “you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
“No, I do want to. I want to be here for you,” she told him, “I’ll be fine once I get myself together.”
“Okay. We’re not sitting far away from each other. I can always switch seats with Heather if you want me to,” he cuddled her again and walked away.
“Come on, let’s go freshen up in the bathrooms before we take our seats,” Heather suggested.
Ariana followed her to the bathroom and was surprised when she saw herself in the mirror. She expected to look like a complete mess, but, despite everything, her makeup and hair still looked perfect.
“What kind of crazy magic is this?” Ariana asked with a watery smile and gestured to her face.
“I have no clue what Jessica does, but I have never once had an issue with my makeup not lasting when she does it,” Heather shook her head, clearly amazed as well.
Ariana patted her eyes and face carefully with a tissue to remove the tears. She was still shuddering every now and again and still felt really emotional, but she felt like maybe she would be able to get through this.
“Thank you, Heather,” Ariana said.
“Oh, don’t even fret,” Heather said, reaching over to give her shoulder a squeeze.
“Not just for tonight, though. I mean, thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend through all of this,” Ariana took a deep breath to avoid crying again.
“Ariana, you sell yourself short. Like I said this morning, you’ve honestly been a great friend to me. I’m so honored to have you in my life.”
Heather gave her a quick hug.
“Okay, let’s break up this meeting of the Mutual Admiration Society,” Heather said,
and Ariana laughed, “we’d better go take our seats.”
They left the bathroom then and entered the main arena. They gave their names as they entered the arena and were directed onto the main floor. Their seats were three rows back from the front, and they could see that the guys were sitting there already.
Sebastian’s date was at the end, next to the aisle. Next to her were Sebastian, Gabriel, Hayden, and Harrison. There were two empty seats next to Harrison, and beside them was someone Ariana didn’t know who must have been the guest of the very famous movie star sitting next to him.
The woman sitting next to Sebastian gave Ariana an acidic glance, and Ariana wondered what on earth she’d done to offend her. They made their way past the guys to get to their seats.
As she passed Gabriel, Ariana paused for a second. He subtly grabbed her leg and gave it a comforting squeeze. Heather sat down next to Harrison, and Ariana resisted the urge to ask her to swap seats with Gabriel. It would mean she wouldn’t be next to Harrison unless Hayden also moved, and Ariana didn’t want to cause a fuss.
They sat there for about ten minutes before the lights dimmed and the show began. Ariana managed to laugh at the comedic bits and clapped dutifully for the winners as they were announced. She couldn’t help but wish that she had been sitting next to Gabriel, as this would’ve been far more enjoyable with him by her side.
It wasn’t that Heather wasn’t a great companion, and they chatted here and there, but every time Heather leaned over so that she and Harrison could share a comment, Ariana was envious that she couldn’t do that with Gabriel.
About half an hour into the show, someone subtly came and got the band to go prepare for their performance. They would be performing the song of theirs that was nominated for Best Song.
After they’d left, random people came and sat in their seats. Ariana found it very off-putting, but she understood that it looked best on camera if the seats were filled. During one of the quieter moments, Ariana noticed that the woman Sebastian had brought was chatting to the girl filling the seat next to her when she heard her name.
“Yeah, it’s Ariel or something like that,” Ariana overheard her say, “she’s a total fucking drama queen.”
“What do you mean?” The seat-filler asked her.
“Oh my god, so Gabriel is just so thirsty for her or something, and she, like, wouldn’t even walk down the red carpet with him, and then he’s all trying to make her feel better like somehow he’d upset her.”
“Wow,” the seat-filler said, “I had no idea.”
They both looked in Ariana’s direction, but she kept her face firmly forward, seething internally. It was none of these people’s business what happened between her and Gabriel.
“If you two are done gossiping about my dear, sweet Ariel,” Heather hissed acerbically, “I’d appreciate if you would keep your traps shut so I can hear my boyfriend playing.”
They both looked ashamed and stopped talking. Ariana gave Heather a thankful smile.
“I’ll always have your back,” Heather grinned at her and nudged Ariana with her shoulder.
“I appreciate it. Also, Ariel?” Ariana questioned.
“Trust me, it does not hurt to throw them off the scent a bit,” Heather whispered to her.
Just then, the lights came up on stage. Ariana caught Gabriel’s eye, he beamed at her as the music began to play, and he started singing.
As Gabriel moved around the stage singing If I Were You, he would consistently allow his gaze to catch Ariana’s. She loved him so much and couldn’t wait to talk to him after the awards.
They finished the song to a standing ovation from the audience. Ariana and Heather cheered as loudly as everyone else. The band arrived back in their seats just in time to go up on stage to accept the Grammy for Best Rock Song. Sebastian gave his speech first, thanked his family, Cooper, their agent, and all the affiliated people at the record label. He stepped aside so Gabriel could have time at the mic.
“Along with all the people that Sebastian mentioned, I’d like to thank my family for supporting me all these years, and also the very special person in my life, who I couldn’t do without. You know who you are. I’d also like to especially thank the fans, without whom we wouldn’t be here today. This is for you!” Gabriel said and raised his gramophone statue in the air.
He moved aside, so Harrison, who gave a special thank you specifically to Heather, could speak, and then Hayden got a turn at the mic as the music started playing to usher them off the stage.
They exited to the wings on the left side of the stage, and the ceremony continued. Ariana assumed they were giving some interviews backstage. Soon they were back again, all smiles.
Harrison gave Heather a passionate kiss, and Ariana looked away. She was pretty sure she saw a camera zooming in on them as they did. Tomorrow there would be a GIF of that moment all over the internet, no doubt.
And so the night went on—the band accepting awards, seat-fillers taking their place while they accepted and then them coming back with more and more statues. As they accepted more awards, the vibe within their group was getting merrier. Ariana could tell the after-party was going to go off.
By the time the band was accepting the award for Album of the Year, they’d well and truly run out of people to thank in their speeches. The audience all laughed as they racked their brains for people to thank.
“I guess if there’s anyone I’ve forgotten to thank at this point, I can expect a very angry email or text tomorrow!” Gabriel joked.
Shortly after that, the awards ceremony wrapped up, and everyone cheered. They made their way out of the arena and headed towards their limo to go to the after-party. Heather caught Sebastian’s arm before they got into the car.
“Lose her,” she said quietly, indicating the woman he’d brought with him.
“What? No. Why?” Sebastian looked confused.
“She was a bitch to Ariana,” Heather stated matter-of-factly in an undertone that his date wouldn’t be able to hear.
Ariana blushed as she got into the limousine herself.
“I won’t get in the same car as her again. Lose her or take a different limo.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow as Heather got into the limo after Hayden.
“Whatever,” he shrugged, then turned to the woman following him and announced, “sorry, babe. You’re out.”
“Sebastian, are you serious?!” She gasped at him as he started to get into the car without her.
“Heather is one of the nicest people I know, and she tells me you were a bitch to my friend, so I’m not interested in you anymore. Have a nice life.”
“You fucking asshole!” The woman screamed as he shut the door behind him.
Once they were in the safety of the car, everyone was a bit stunned by what just happened.
“So, that’ll make for a great news story tomorrow,” Hayden said with a chagrined smile.
“What the hell happened?” Gabriel asked Heather and Ariana.
Heather retold the story of the woman and her conversation with the seat-filler.
“You’re right,” Sebastian said, “she was a bitch. No great loss and I’ll happily wear any blowback that comes my way.”
“I’m so sorry that happened, Ari,” Gabriel hugged her tightly to him.
Ariana enjoyed the closeness she’d been craving all evening. After a few minutes, the champagne was cracked out, and they all made toasts to the band. They pulled up at their record label’s after-party and found all the paparazzi and a ton of celebrities waiting for them.
Unlike the usual running of the Gauntlet, they all got out together, then Heather and Ariana stepped to the side to let the band take the spotlight. Ariana hoped that anyone would think that she was just Heather’s friend or something.
They headed inside, where the party was in full swing. Everyone cheered when they arrived, and drinks were brought around. It seemed like everyone in the business wanted to congratulate the band on their momentous
wins that evening.
A few hours later, everyone was well lubricated when someone suggested that the band do an impromptu performance of their Song of the Year. A piano and guitars appeared as if by magic, and they sang an acoustic version of the song, followed by requests from the crowd for more of their songs and then covers of songs from The Beatles and Elvis through to Taylor Swift.
In the early hours of the morning, they finally left the party, definitely looking the worse for wear. Again, they left in a group, and paparazzi snapped photos of them all as they left.
Once they arrived back at the hotel, everyone split up to their own bedrooms with cheery waves. Ariana noticed vaguely that Sebastian had brought back a starlet he’d obviously picked up at the party, but she was too tired to make a joke about it.
The door to their room had barely closed behind them when Gabriel pulled her hard up against him and kissed her forcefully.
“I’m sorry, I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he said passionately.
“I’ve missed you,” she said.
“I’ve missed you, too. Being near you and not being able to touch you is a special kind of torture,” he said, kissing her neck.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t be sorry. Not right now,” he said to her.
He took her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom. When they got there, he ripped the thread Heather had used to sew her into it, then unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor. She was wearing nothing other than a bra, and he groaned at the sight of her.
“Do you know how sexy you are?” He asked her.
“I don’t know, maybe you should show me,” she told him.
“Knowing that you weren’t wearing any panties under that dress was driving me crazy all night.”
His jacket and tie were long gone, lost somewhere at the after-party. She unhooked her bra and dropped it to the floor. As she did, he unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on the pile of clothes near their feet.
He stepped back from her and allowed his gaze to travel over her body. Ariana felt heat rush over her as he pulled her back close to him and kissed her deeply.
