Chapter 11: Cameras.

Incase anybody was wondering why I'm always talking about music in my chapters, I get really inspired by music, and that's when I write best. Just incase anybody was wondering why every chapter basically revolves around music. K, so this is part one to a 3 part follow up thing I'm going to do. Enjoy. :) 

“I need some music.” Nicki thought to herself as she stood in her dressing room, clothed in a white robe, getting ready for one of the many photo shoots she’d been doing lately.

She pressed shuffle and a Britney song came on. She danced around her room. The song went off and she plopped down on her couch.

“Where is everybody?” She thought to herself. Her glam team was running late, so she decided to chill until they arrived. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. Cameras/ Good Ones Go came on.

“Oop. Drizzy. I haven’t talked to him in a while.”  She frowned at this. “I wonder how he’s doing. What song is this…The Real Her? No…Hate Sleeping Alone? No, he’s not even talking about sleep. What is the name of this one? She listened intently to the lyrics.

“Baby girl, you need to stop it. All that pride and self esteem got you angry bout this girl I’m with in all the magazines. Baby, she look like a star, but only on camera, only on camera, only on camera. Look like we in love, but only on camera, only on camera, only on camera.”

“Oh.” Nicki thought, totally forgetting the reason she’d paid close attention to his lyrics in the first place. “… I’ve listened to this album through and through and I’ve never noticed that. Wow. I wonder who he’s talking about… Is it…me? Damn. I knew all that lovey dovey shit was a stunt. Oh, well.” As she finished her thought, Terrence entered her room.

“Got a surprise for you, Nic.”

“What?”

Drake peeked his head through the door.

“Drake!? Hey, boo!”

“Hey, gorgeous.”

He hugged her and handed her a bouquet of roses.

“Awww, thank you.” She squeezed his hand. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by and see my girlfriend get her model on.” He said jokingly. She looked down when he said the world girlfriend.

“What’s wrong? Nic, you know I was ki…” She cut him off.

“You’ll stay ‘til the shoot’s done?”

“Sure, if you want me to.”

“K.” She made him leave then so she could get ready. He admired her the whole time. The way the light hit her face, heightening her beautiful features. The way she positioned her body just the right way for just the right shot. The way she had fun doing what she was doing. He couldn’t help but let the cheeseball inside him show and think “Her smile lights up this room.” He shook his head in disbelief of how she made him feel. Before he knew it, the shoot was over and she was walking towards him with a serious look on her face.

“Can you come here for a minute?” She walked towards her dressing room.

“Yeah, Nic. What’s up?” He said as he sat down on the couch. She leaned against her vanity and faced him.

“Okay.” She paused for a moment. “So, you know your song ‘Cameras’?”

“Uh. Yeah. What about it?”

“Mkay, soooooo…I was listening to it today…and I heard what you said. Like, actually heard it.”

“You just listened to it for the first time…today?” He said confused and a little hurt.

“No, no, no! I ‘ve listened to it before, I just…kinda heard what you said today.”

“Oh…And?”

“And I know it’s about me.”

“…About you?”

“Yeah. Me. You hear the lyrics. You wrote them yourself.” She spoke the lyrics for him. “Look like we in love, but only on camera. Who else could it be about?”

He was dumbfounded. “You think…it’s about you?”

“I know it is. I’ve known since you started that “I love Nicki.” shit.  She made quotation marks. “But we’re good now, because all of that’s over.” She looked at him, waiting for him to say something. He was still in shock. He didn’t know whether to laugh at her obliviousness or to be angry. He was leaning towards angry. He was still searching for words when she decided to continue her revelry.

“I mean, you do have all those stripper girlfriends don’t you? I know how you love ya girls, so it really is a good thing you figured it out. I mean, really…” She trailed into what she was saying until Drake heard the word “brother” and just couldn’t take it anymore.

“You’re kidding me, right? You can’t…You can’t be serious.” He laughed, no emotion.

“What? I’m deadass right now.”

“Wow, Nic. Wow.”

“Fuck do you mean wow? What!?”

“If you really think that I do what I do and say the things I say about you for a publicity stunt, Nicki, then you’ve learned NOTHING and know NOTHING about me. I thought we were closer than that.”

“No. I know you and that’s WHY I’m saying what I’m saying. You don’t love me.” She said matter of factly.

He looked at her. Just stared at her for a minute.

“Can you stop staring at me?”

He got up, walked over to her, looked her deep in her eyes, and pulled something out of his pocket. “Since I don’t love you.” He said as he threw a Tiffany & Co. box on her vanity table. He walked out, shutting the door behind him. She opened the box, revealing a gold vintage diamond ring. Her breath escaped her chest in a whoosh, making her feel like she’d just been hit by a bus.

“What did I just do?”