"You're sure about this?" I ask for probably the twentieth time now.

Melody chuckles and nods. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Someone comes over to touch up Melody's makeup. I glance over at the set. It looks like the crew has just finished setting the soundstage up. The amount of cameras, microphones, screens, and crew members look incredibly intimidating. It doesn't seem to phase Melody though. Old habits die hard I guess.

"Nervous?" I ask.

If anything, I'm probably more nervous than her. I barely got any sleep last night, I stayed up for hours with worried thoughts racing through my mind. If this doesn't work, is Melody just screwed? We just made up, will she go straight back to hating me?

Melody, on the other hand, slept soundly like a log.

"Oddly enough, no. I just want to get this over with." The woman finishes her makeup and Melody hops off the chair. She steps up to me and rests her palms on my chest, smiling shyly. "I'm not scared knowing I'll have you right here with me."

As much as I would like to have full executive control over my body, I still can't help that Melody makes my heart melt into a mushy mess when she says things like that. I'd do anything for her.

"That's right." I nod and kiss her forehead.

Her PR team comes over and pulls her to the side. They do some quick, last minute preparations, going over everything they've worked on this week. It's not like she really needs it though, Melody could do this in her sleep by this point.

Literally.

I heard Melody talking in her sleep last night, answering imaginary interview questions completely eloquently.

It was a smart move by her mom. Melody's been constantly harassed by the press for a week now, so why not give everyone what they want? Once there's nothing more people want to know, they'll leave her alone - ideally, at least. It's almost comical how eagerly Entertainment Monthly responded when Melody's momager contacted them about an interview.

Someone tells Melody that they're ready. She gives me a quick hug before stepping onto the set. I maneuver my way around, trying my best not to trip over the mountains of cords trailing along the floor. I stop in front of one of the screens displaying the camera shooting Melody's close up.

Mr. Carter comes and stands next to me. "Things are about to change to an extent that I can't even imagine." He looks a bit worried and tense, absentmindedly fidgeting with his watch. We both know this is a bittersweet ending to this part of Melody's life. "What are you two planning to do afterwards?"

"Probably get some lunch."

He rolls his eyes. "You know what I meant, Cole."

Things have been so hectic that Melody and I haven't even had a chance to discuss it. "Maybe we'll do long distance for a bit, then figure out our long-term plans after things have settled down." It doesn't feel great, still having to say goodbye after everything we've been through. "It kind of sucks, but I'm just really happy to be with her, no matter what happens."

I feel heat rush to my face and I internally groan. Things like that just keep slipping out when I'm not focusing on what I'm saying. I have no idea how long it's going to take before I stop cringing at the cheesy things I say about her. Maybe never.

It's worth it though.

A slight grin tugs at the corner of his lips. "As much as you get on my nerves sometimes, I'm glad that she has you, Cole." He looks over at Melody. They're attaching a small microphone to her dress, and the interviewer is getting set up with an earpiece as well. "She's been like a daughter to me since we met."

"So you don't have kids?"

He sighs softly. "I had a daughter."

An uneasy feeling settles in my chest. "Had?"

His eyes grow blank and glassy as he nods slowly. "A wife too. My daughter got...sick and passed away when she was nine. The stress of watching her go through treatments, then the grief of losing her was too much. It ripped our marriage apart." He silently stares into the distance for a moment. "As hard as it may be to imagine, Cole, I was once incredibly...happy. There was so much to smile and laugh about. My wife was the love of my life. My daughter was growing up to become a kind and intelligent girl."

I guess I had completely misjudged Mr. Carter's stoic demeanor. He's not just an uptight and boring guy. He's incredibly strong - just like Melody. I feel a bit of guilt for being such a jerk to him sometimes. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Carter. That must've been really rough."

"Thank you, Cole." He pauses for a moment and thoughtfully rubs his palm against his chin. "It's admittedly still quite rough sometimes. You never truly get over someone you love. You just learn to live without them... and that's the hardest part of it."

I feel my heart physically hurting for Mr. Carter. I swallow back the painful lump in my throat. "I gotta say I admire you, Mr. Carter," I say, doing my best to keep my tone steady and casual. "I don't think I'd ever be able to go through something like that and make it out ok."

"I definitely didn't do it alone," he chuckles softly. "Mrs. Aria hired me a couple months later. I had just returned to work after taking time off. She said she picked me because she could tell I had a kind heart."

Melody's mom sure must be good at reading people. The last thing I was thinking about when I first met Mr. Carter was his heart.

"I knew all too well the pain of losing a family member. I think that was what drew Ms. Aria and I to each other. My job has been to protect and support her, but I don't think she's realized how much she has helped me as well." He glances over at the set again. A soft, endearing smile spreads across his face. "You'll meet thousands of people as you traverse through life, and none of them really touch you. Many meetings will be quite meaningless in fact, but then you'll meet one person and your life is changed forever."

I give him a small pat on the shoulder. "I'm really glad Melody has had you too, Mr. Carter."

"Quiet on set!" someone calls. "Live in three, two, one."

The interviewer smiles at the camera. A peppy young woman, probably only a couple of years older than me. "Good morning everyone! Today, Entertainment Monthly is getting an exclusive look into the life of Melody Aria. We'll be talking to Melody about everything you've been dying to know since she mysteriously disappeared."

A slideshow of pictures of Melody throughout her childhood appears on the screen as she speaks. Pictures of her as a toddler playing on a tiny toy piano, performances in all sorts of locations, shaking hands with celebrities and world leaders, and receiving awards. I can't help but scoff at the ones of her in recent years, all blurry paparazzi photos where Melody is hiding her face.

"Nice shot," I mumble, nudging Mr. Carter. There's a picture of him punching a paparazzi square in the jaw.

He groans and rolls his eyes. "He had grabbed Ms. Aria."

They quickly get on with the questions.

Melody more or less talks about everything she's told me. All of the work she put into piano throughout her childhood, the detailed truth as to why she shied away from the public, and how the interview was leaked. Understandably, she had decided to draw the line at talking about her parents, and leaves out most details about them.

It fills me with pride and admiration, seeing her answering the questions so calmly and confidently. I guess it's partly due to the hours and hours of practicing with her PR team, but I can see her natural charm shining through - that's something that can't be taught. It's insane to think that she's the same girl who was utterly terrified when I first showed up that day.

"So Melody, everyone's been wondering, who is that guy in the photo?" The infamous picture of us by the pool appears on the screen.

It's the first question Melody stumbles over.

"What?!" the woman from Melody's PR team hisses quietly to the other team member. "That question wasn't approved!"

"I can't watch," the man grumbles, covering his face with his notebook.

"O-oh that's um," she stammers as her cheeks turn pink. She glances over and spots me. I give her a grin and thumbs up. The sudden awkward stiffness in her body relaxes and she takes a deep breath. "That's Cole Flynn."

"And who is Cole to you?" The woman crosses her legs and leans closer to Melody. I roll my eyes. Melody is an award winning musician and this is what she's most interested in?

"He's my...boyfriend," she says softly, taking another peek at me. "It's all because of him that my life has changed."

"And is that a good thing?"

She smiles warmly. "Yeah, it is."

"How has it changed? What's next in store for you?"

"Well," she begins nervously, "I've decided to retire from performing and producing albums. I think I've had enough of those experiences to last a lifetime."

The woman raises her eyebrows. "Oh really? That's a huge change, what made you decide to do that?"

Melody suddenly grimaces as the giant screen behind them displays a picture of a younger version of herself at an interview. I recognize it almost immediately. It was from her last interview, eight years ago - the one where she stormed out before they were done. Curiosity got the best of me when we first met and I searched up the notorious video.

She looked miserable the entire time, and the editing was laughable at best. It ended very abruptly and they didn't even bother trying to make up some sort of ending. I'm still in disbelief that someone actually gave it the greenlight to air.

"I'm not that little girl anymore." She nods towards the photo. "I realized that I'm more than ready to move on to the next step in my life."

"Fair enough." The woman smiles. "What will you be doing instead?"

"Taking a break for a bit," Melody chuckles. "I don't know what's going to happen after that. Uncertainty can definitely be scary, but I know everything's going to be ok - that's all I've ever wanted."

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I've really been wanting to get to develop Mr. Carter as a character! It turned out a little... sadder than I expected, but I still love him 🥺

Thanks for reading!