Page 62 of Harrison's Wedding

I start to walk away as Heather continues their conversation. I stand on the other side of the room, watching Heather talking with Gabriel, and it’s nice to see them chatting away like old times.

Hayden comes to join me after finishing his turn and he says quietly, “Things seem to be going well.”

“They do,” I agree with a nod.

Sebastian sinks a ball and takes aim at another one while Hayden and I continue to watch Gabriel and Heather.

Hayden drops the volume of his voice again and says, “Maybe they’ll forgive Ariana sometime soon.”

“Fuck, I hope so. We’ll see how things go when she’s out here, I guess.”

“At least it hasn’t affected the music,” he notes.

“Your turn.” Sebastian interrupts our conversation when he misses sinking the red number-three ball, which rolls to a stop in the middle of the table.

Whatever conversation Heather is having with Gabriel, they are deep in discussion, and Heather is frowning. Gabriel reaches his arm around her shoulders and gives her a quick hug and they continue talking.

My attention is drawn to the pool table as Sebastian sinks two balls with one shot and exclaims, “Fuck, yeah!”

“Good shot,” I comment.

It doesn’t take long for Sebastian to finish up the game after that, beating Hayden soundly.

“I’ll go next,” I tell them.

Hayden hands me his pool cue, then walks over to sit next to Heather and Gabriel. He strikes up a conversation while Sebastian begins racking up the pool balls.

I look up in surprise when Gabriel says in a cold voice, “Cool. Meanwhile, my girlfriend is being harassed at her place of work.”

“Whoa, Gabriel. No. I didn’t mean it like that.” Hayden says quickly, holding up his hands in defense. “I don’t want Ariana being followed around. We should definitely talk to Cooper.”

Heather nods her head and tells him, “I got what you meant, Hayden. It would be good if we didn’t need to consider getting personal security. I didn’t like the idea at first, either, but you guys have been out here, and I don’t know about Ariana, but it’s gotten much worse for me since you left.”

The conversation sounds serious, and I walk over to where they’re sitting to join in. Sebastian follows me and stands next to me as we face the three of them sitting on the stools.

“They’re still going on with that dumbass rumor that you guys are splitting up, plus no one knows where you are, so they’re following me around to try and see where I go, or if I’m meeting up with any of you.” Heather cringes.

“It’s pretty much the same for Ariana,” Gabriel confirms, “they’re constantly bombarding her with questions about us breaking up.”

Sebastian frowns and asks, “So what do we do? Do Heather and Ariana need security now? Or do we wait until we’re all back from Galena?”

“Fuck Cooper, I’m calling it,” Gabriel declares. “I’m getting Ariana a bodyguard, and I think Heather needs one, too. We can worry about ourselves after we get back to Chicago. Nobody is hassling us out here, so we’re safe.”

“I agree,” I tell them, and Heather looks up at me. There’s so much fear displayed in her expression, and I realize how stressful dealing with the paparazzi must have been for her. “What do you think, angel?”

“Please do it sooner rather than later,” she responds in a croaky voice.

I pull her up from the stool and wrap my arms around her, hating the knowledge that she was ever scared just because of who we are. I want her to be safe and secure at all times. We should’ve gotten security for her sooner. She hugs me back tightly, and I feel relieved to know that we’ll get someone to protect her as soon as she’s back in Chicago.

11

Srec´an Trideseti Rodendan, Haiden

We’re in the studio on Tuesday when Gabriel’s phone rings. He smiles at the screen before answering it.

“Hey, Ari.” He goes silent for a minute, then says, “Awesome. Sebastian will let you in. Just follow the driveway to the house, and I’ll meet you out the front.”

Sebastian is already using the app on his phone to open the gates, and he nods at Gabriel, who leaves the studio. I watch Gabriel walk through the control room, still talking on the phone, then hanging up as he exits into the hallway.

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