Perfect Promise

Noah

“Rise and shine,” I heard Charlie say, waking me up the next morning.

She seemed really happy. Almost too happy.

“I’m guessing you slept well,” I said.

“Not even a wink,” she laughed, “But I did have two cups of coffee within the past hour.”

Charlie pulled me out of bed and led me by the hand to the kitchen. Everyone was already almost ready to leave for the recording studio. I supposed I had woken up late. I rushed to get ready along with the others.

"Okay everyone, we have a long day ahead of us," Quinn said.

"We have to get to the studio soon, because we're recording two, maybe even three songs today," Hakim added.

Within the first thirty-five minutes I had been awake, we arrived at the studio. I was groggy, but ready to take on the next challenge. Gavyn, Rudy, Charlie, and I were recording a love song together. The others had harmonies in the song, but we were the only ones with solos. Seeing as the four of us were dating each other, our agent agreed it would be good publicity. Unfortunately, this song was harder to record then the one from the day before. It was stressful. Gavyn and Rudy had been through this before, but this was so new to Charlie and I. I really felt the pressure, and it looked like Charlie was feeling it too.

Hakim beckoned us out of the recording booth for lunch. I sat on Gavyn’s lap on an armchair. When I was with him, I felt like we were the only two in the room. Sure, I would've been doing much more then sitting on his lap if this were the case, though.

Eating lunch was quick. While I was excited to continue recording, I was also sad that I couldn’t sit on Gavyn’s lap anymore. That sadness was soon overpowered by the need to use the bathroom. I hurried out of the room and returned within minutes. When I returned, everyone was around, except for Rudy and Charlie. I assumed they were in the recording booth, ready to go.

“You ready?” Gavyn asked as he leaned in to kiss me.

Before I could reply, I watched Charlie burst out of the booth in tears. Maia and Blaire instantly went after her, while Rudy stood in the doorway, confused. I looked from Rudy to the direction of the bathroom and back to Rudy before deciding to chase after Charlie, as well.

Charlie was crouched in the corner, crying her eyes out. Blaire and Maia were on either side, comforting her. My heart split in two at the sight. Seeing my best friend in so much pain physically hurt me. My chest ached. I crouched down in front of Charlie and tried to hold her hand, but she pulled it away.

"Are you okay? What happened? Is there anything I can do?"

“Noah, why don’t you go back to recording? We’ve got this,” Maia tried to assure me.

“Charlie, are you sure?”

My best friend looked up at me briefly before turning away. In that moment, I could see that she was feeling sad, angry, tired, frustrated, and so much more. But most importantly, there was fear in her eyes, and I couldn't tell what she was scared of. I wanted to help her, but it seemed like she didn’t want my help. That hurt me. I wanted to stay with her, talk to her about whatever was going on and help her through it, but I realized that maybe it would be best if I left, so I did.

"You seem down. Are you alright?" Gavyn approached me as I exited the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied with a forced smile.

"Baby, you're not okay," he said, "How about we go to my apartment later?"

"Sure, I would love that."

“What’s wrong with Charlie? Is she okay?” Jordan came up to me, seeking answers.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? She tells you everything.”

“Let’s not focus on Charlie right now,” Gavyn suggested, “She’s clearly being well supported by Maia and Blaire. How about we record one of our other songs in the meantime?”

The three of us joined the others and began to record another song. The rest of the day went by painstakingly slow. Charlie didn’t come back to record, which worried me deeply.

Maia came in about an hour later letting us know she, Charlie, Blaire, Azalea, and Melody were heading back to the mansion. I was upset that I wouldn’t be able to see Charlie until the next day. I hoped that whatever was going on with her would somehow magically resolve itself while I spent the night with Gavyn. It was a naive wish, sure, but my wish regardless.