"You're the one that I kissed?"
"Yeah, well, you weren't the best kisser either, Banner." She rolls her eyes.
"I didn't mean it like that," I groan.
"You kissed a popstar worth twenty-million." She smirks. "Way to be enthused."
"I think I'm more in shock at the moment," I mutter.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave in such a rush?"
I sigh, contemplating how I can answer her question, then I hear Kelsie shout my name from the other side of the doors. "What, Kelsie?"
"I think you two are stuck in the elevator!"
"Really? I didn't notice."
"No need to be rude and sarcastic, Banner."
"Kelsie, just search for somebody that can get us out of here."
"You're stuck in an elevator with Demi Lovato and you want to escape? What is wrong with you?"
Beside me, Demi snickers, and I roll my eyes. "Just find somebody that can help us!"
I can just barely hear her footsteps leaving, and, with a groan, I lean against the wall of the elevator.
"I love that girl."
I flicker my gaze to the grinning singer. "I dare you to tell her that."
She snorts. "She'd probably go into fangirl-induced cardiac arrest or something."
I chuckle, but my laughter fades as she jumps and curses the thunder. "You know that I'm not going to hurt you, right?" Her eyebrows furrow as she stares at me quizzically. "The thunder - you're scared of it."
"So?" She curses again as another clap of thunder booms. Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she briefly looks at me before dropping her gaze and hesitantly approaching me. "Thanks, Banner," she whispers as I wrap my arms around her slightly trembling frame.
"Anytime, gorgeous," I surprise myself by whispering back, and then I further surprise myself by kissing the crown of her head.
Fuck, why did I say that? Why did I do that? Aside from Kelsie acting like a walking Wikipedia page, I know nothing about her, and I sure as hell shouldn't be comforting her like this.
I reason to myself that she is scared; therefore, comforting her can't hurt. Plus, I'll never see her again, so what's the harm?
What's the harm?
It's her turn to be full of surprises when she presses her body closer again mine, and I swear that my breath catches in my throat.
Kelsie was right. She does smell like vanilla, and vanilla has never seemed so intoxicating.
"Why don't you tell me more about yourself?" I suggest, wanting to break the silence.
She chuckles. "I'm sure that Kelsie has told you everything. If she hasn't, there's always Google, y'know."
I smile. "I don't want to know about pop-sensation Demi Lovato. I want to know about Demi who was raised in Texas."
She looks up at me with smirk and an arched eyebrow. "I never told you that."
"Okay, so, maybe I do listen to Kelsie sometimes..." I trail off, and she laughs.
"What do you want to know?"
I shrug. "Whatever you're willing to tell me."
She looks down and toys with her fingers. "It's difficult."
"What is?"
"Being me, being a celebrity, and trying to lower your guard enough to let somebody in."
"I'm not asking you to let me in."
She sighs, finally making eye contact with me once again. "Yes, you are, and I don't blame you...but that doesn't make it any easier for me."
"Act like you've never met me before, and I'll do the same."
"So, act like I'm not stuck in an elevator with the brother of one of my obsessed fans who I unknowingly kissed during New Years?"
"Pretty much."
"This is ridiculous."
"Just try it."
She sighs. "What kind of music do you listen to?" I stare at her blankly. "You can't tell me that you only listen to the music that Kelsie does."
"By blaring it around the house, she kind of makes it impossible to not do so," I sheepishly admit. "Plus, you're not even supposed to know that Kelsie exists."
"I don't like this game."
"Fine. I'll start." I ponder over what I can ask her as sort of an icebreaker. Then, trying to hide my amusement, I say, "You look so familiar. Have we met before?"
She glares at me, and I laugh as she gently slaps my chest. "You are such an asshole."
"What was the best part of your day today?"
"Performing for my fans. Yours?"
"Does being stuck in this elevator with you count?" She rolls her eyes. "I'm being serious."
"No, you're not. If you could bring back one cancelled television show, what would it be?"
My eyebrows raise in surprise at her unique question. "Either Friends or That 70's Show. You?"
"Either Forensic Files or the original Law & Order."
"Remind me to never piss you off." She giggles.
"What would Kelsie respond with if she were here?"
"About the best part of her day or bringing back a cancelled show?"
"Both."
"Well, the best part of her day today would obviously be anything surrounding you," she giggles again, and I can't help but to smile at the infectious sound, "and if she could bring back one cancelled television show, it would probably be Freaks and Geeks."
"Did you make any New Year resolutions?"
"You," I murmur.
"Me?" I can feel heat spread across my face and neck, and I'm glad that the only light in the elevator is provided by my phone's flashlight. "How was I your New Year resolution? I can't exactly picture you wanting to go to my concert." She chuckles.
"The kiss...at midnight," I sigh, "you could say it was my resolution, I guess."
"Aw, that's so cute!"
"More like mortifying."
"Do you want to know what my resolution was?"
"What was it?" She bites her lower lip nervously, hesitantly, before cupping my face with her soft hands and kissing me. "Kissing a stranger in an elevator."
One side of my mouth quirks upwards. "We're not strangers."
"Hi, I'm Demi Lovato. Nice to meet you." She smiles before reconnecting our lips.
We kiss slowly, becoming more confident and familiar with each passing second. I'd be lying if I said that I am not enjoying it. I'd be lying if I said that I want it to end. There's just something about her that's so addictive, something more than kissing her. Maybe it's the happiness that she radiates and spreads like wildfire. Maybe it's her infectious laughter or passion and drive that she has for her work. Maybe it's the intriguing mystery of finding out who she really is behind all of the dry, stereotypical interview questions and flashing cameras. She's an enigma that I yearn to solve.
"I swear that my brother and Demi Lovato are trapped in your elevator!" I hear my sister say from the other side of the elevator doors, her tone high-pitched and whiny, as if she has been pleading with someone for quite a while.
"Kid, I highly doubt that your brother is stuck in the elevator with Demi Lovato."
Demi and I exchange amused smirks.
"Why is it so difficult for you to comprehend, huh? They're both in this hotel."
"Your brother is probably just playing a prank on you, kid."
"Demi, sing something," I tell her.
"Why?"
"So he recognizes that you're actually in here."
"What am I supposed to sing?"
"Do you even know any Demi Lovato songs?" Kelsie asks, and I softly laugh at her sassy tone.
The man sighs. "Doesn't she sing the one about pulses and hammers?"
"That's Fifth Harmony," Kelsie flatly corrects, clearly not pleased with his lack of knowledge.
"We might be stuck in here forever if Kelsie decides to kill the guy," I say.
"Kelsie, sweetie, please do not harm the poor man just because he doesn't know who I am," Demi begs, though her expression is one of amusement, and I laugh.
"See!" Keslie triumphantly exclaims. "That's Demi."
"Sure it is, kid." I groan at his incredulous tone.
"Don't you wish that you had stayed at the Ritz now?" I grumble, and the popstar glares at me.
Combing her fingers through her hair, she opens her mouth and begins to sing what I can infer is the Fifth Harmony song that the man confused as one of her own.
Maybe her voice is what's truly addicting.
We're released from the elevator right before the power in the hotel kicks back on. However, looking out the lobby windows, I can see that the rest of the street is still dark.
The darkness isn't the only thing that I see...
"Kelsie," I slowly turn around to face my sister, surprise nearly rendering me speechless, "where the hell is our car?"
"Outside," she states in a 'duh' tone and chuckles, "where you parked it."
"Uh, no, no it's not." I gesture out the window.
She narrows her eyes at me in suspicion. "Banner, I swear-"
"Kelsie, I'm not fucking with you. Our car is gone."
With wide eyes, she presses her face against the window glass. "Holy shit. Our car really is gone."
"Thank you," I huff, noticing that Demi is talking with the guy wearing a hotel uniform.
She's thanking him for getting us out of the elevator, though refraining from pointing out that he has barely a clue as to who she is. When she's finished talking with him, he retreats to behind the front desk, and Demi approaches us with a smile.
"Is this where we say goodbye and our night ends?" She questions.
I shrug, hoping that she didn't hear anything about our car suddenly disappearing. "You're the pop-star worth twenty million. You tell me."
Biting her lip to suppress a grin, she looks down at the floor. When she lifts her head again, her eyebrows furrow. "Where did Kelsie go?"
Flickering my gaze around the lobby, my eyes widen when I notice my sister charging towards the front desk.
"Kels, don't you dare-"
"Where the hell is our car?" she questions the guy behind the desk, exasperation evident in her tone.
"You and him," the guy gestures to me, "did not check-in. You're not guests here."
"So?"
"Parking is reserved for guests only."
"What if we're visiting somebody?"
"You'd have to be staying for at least one night, and that person would have to vouch for you."
"Look, man," I sigh, leaning my weight against the counter of the desk, "how much will it cost to get my car back, and what number do I need to call?"
He eyes me for a second before scribbling on a notepad and sliding the notepad to me. "There's the number that you call." I rip the paper from the notepad. "I'd say it'll cost anywhere from $250-$300."
I mentally curse, the piece of paper crumpling a bit as my fist clenches. There's no way in hell I can afford that right now, and the longer they keep my car, the higher that the fee will go.
"Thanks." I sigh before stepping away from the desk.
"Hopefully I'll see you two on my next tour," Demi says with a smile before waving and beginning to ascend the staircase that leads to the rooms.
"Banner, what are we going to do?" Kelsie wonders.
Flickering my gaze out the lobby windows, I grip her hand and begin dragging her towards the hotel doors. "Looks like we're walking," I grumble.
She yanks her hand from my grasp. "But it's still raining."
"It's just a light drizzle," I reassure, reaching for her hand, but she takes a step back.
"You know that I have a weak immune system."
I roll my eyes, knowing that her immune system is weak only because of her eating habits, but then the guilt settles in. I know that Kelsie can't help herself. I know that she didn't ask to suffer from an eating disorder. That doesn't mean I don't get frustrated with her at times.
"Well, we can't stay here."
"Wait, what happened?" I turn around, seeing Demi standing at the bottom of the staircase with furrowed eyebrows.
"Nothing."
"Don't you dare lie to me, Banner."
"They towed our car," Kelsie hastily responds, and I glare at her.
"What do you mean they towed your car?"
"They're not guests," the man behind the front desk reminds as he types away on his computer, not even sparing us a glance.
With her jaw clenched, Demi approaches Kelsie and me. "Just go with it," she murmurs in my ear as she passes me, moving towards the front desk.
Confused, I watch as she stands in front of the desk, the man still not having looked up from his computer, and raps her nails against the smooth counter.
The man sighs. "May I help you?"
"You towed my boyfriend's car, and now I'm demanding that you bring it back." My eyebrows raise in surprise at both her words and her intimidating tone.
"Your boyfriend is not a guest and neither is the girl."
"He flew in from Canada to surprise me."
"I don't care."
"Look, dude, you either bring my boyfriend's car back to him, or I will give this hotel such a bad review that it will ruin your reputation overnight."
"Kelsie?" I whisper to my sister.
"Hm?"
"Your idol is kind of hot when she's pissed off."
"You're such a pig," she scoffs.
"What makes you think that people will actually believe your review?" the man asks, finally looking away from his computer, as if genuinely curious to know her answer.
She chuckles. "You honestly have no idea how big of a name I am, do you? I could ruin this place."
"I'd love to see you try."
"Would you really?"
He holds her intimidating gaze for a few moments, though I can see his facial expression begin to twitch and falter from nerves. "The car...it can't be returned until tomorrow at the earliest," he manages to stammer under her intense stare.
"Demi, where the hell have you been?" an Australian accent questions.
"Trapped in an elevator. Max, I'm fine," she adds when his eyes widen. "But they're"-she hooks her thumb towards Kelsie and me-"staying with me tonight."
"No," Max and I say in unison.
Ignoring me, she raises her eyebrows at her bodyguard. "No?"
"You don't know them."
"Your point?"
"Your parents would kill you for being so stupid, and then they would kill me for going along with it."
"I'm pretty sure I can do whatever the fuck I want, considering that I am an adult, after all." As Max closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, as if trying to rid himself of a headache, Demi grips my hand as well as Kelsie's and drags us towards the stairs. "Don't tell my mother, Max!" she calls over her shoulder.
She locks us three in her hotel room before the bodyguard can catch up to us.
"Demi, you shouldn't be letting Kelsie and I stay here," I say once we've all caught our breath.
"Why not? I'm trying to help y'all out."
"We're intruding."
"Trust me, if you were, I'd tell you." She walks around the spacious hotel room, flipping on light switches as she goes. "Plus, it's just until the morning, right?" She flashes me a reassuring smile over her shoulder. "And I did insist."
"What if your bodyguard comes pounding on the door?"
"Max is harmless." She waves her hand dismissively as she claims a seat on the couch. "He's probably returning to his room now, realizing how right I was."
"I don't know about you guys," Kelsie plops down onto the couch beside Demi as if she owns the place, "but this has been the best day of my entire life."
"Aw, you're so sweet!" Demi coos, wrapping her arms around Kelsie and squeezing her into a tight hug.
I almost laugh upon seeing Kelsie's wide grin. She's trying so hard not to start squealing into Demi's ear and fangirling right then and there.
"You're adorable," Demi comments, noticing Kelsie's expression. With her face flushed, my sister shrugs shyly before emitting a yawn. "Tired?"
"Nobody said that the best day of my life would be so exhausting."
Demi chuckles. "Well, how about I lend you some sleepwear, and you can get to bed? I even promise that this isn't a dream, and I'll be here when you wake up," she teases with a smile.
"Okay," Kelsie mumbles, slowly nodding and standing as Demi enters the bedroom that is a somewhat separate room to the rest of the suite. "Banner," my sister turns to me when Demi is out of earshot, "if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up."
"I highly doubt that you and I are both having the same dream."
"You do make a good point," she muses.
"We might have a problem," Demi announces, walking back into the room with sweatpants and a tee-shirt. "My clothes will more than likely swallow you whole."
Kelsie glances at her body before returning her attention to Demi. "Why?"
"You're so tiny!"
My sister's eyes shift away from her idol's. "I'll make it work." She accepts the clothes that Demi hands her. "Thanks."
"The bathroom is connected to the bedroom."
Kelsie nods, stands, and follows Demi's directions.
Demi claims the seat on the couch that was occupied by Kelsie before looking up at me. "You can sit down, y'know." Feeling heat spread across my face and neck, I do as she says before my embarrassment can get the best of me. "I'd have to agree with Kelsie," Demi admits after a pause.
"About what?"
"Today being pretty amazing."
"You were stuck in an elevator."
"You made that bearable."
"Just bearable?"
She feigns a glare at me, and I laugh. "I'm serious. I haven't felt so carefree or had so much fun in a while."
My eyebrows furrow. "Why not?"
She shrugs. "Busy schedule."
"That can't be the only reason."
She sighs and looks down as she toys with her fingers. "Max...my parents...nobody really trusts me to make my own decisions. They want me to be watched twenty-four-seven, as if I'm some child."
"Why don't they trust you?"
"I did a lot of stupid shit when I was a teenager."
"Is that why Max didn't want Kelsie and me staying with you?"
She nods. "When I was younger, I often snuck people into my hotel rooms between shows, or some of my crew members and so-called friends would come to my room, and we would all get totally shit-faced."
"I can't see you doing that."
"I was quite rebellious, unfortunately. My parents hardly ever approved of my friendships, and they were even less enthused about my relationships. They never have and still don't trust me, not that I blame them, really. And then I met Addy and-" she cuts herself off, her eyes widening slightly as she tries to burn a hole into the floor with her gaze.
"What?"
"Nothing."
I mull over everything she just said, wondering why she stopped talking so abruptly. "Who's Addy?"
"Just a friend."
Why is her response so high-pitched and hasty?
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
I slowly nod, recalling how hesitant she was on New Years Eve to tell me that she didn't have a boyfriend.
What if she has been lying this entire time?
"I told you I could make it work," Kelsie triumphantly states, reentering the room and standing in front of us.
Demi's tee-shirt fits more like a dress on her tiny frame, and the sweatpants are obviously way too baggy.
"You sure did." Demi grins, but I can tell that her happy mood has been diminished a bit.
I almost feel guilty for ruining her mood, but then I remember that she might have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who doesn't know that his girlfriend has been kissing another man.
"Do you two want to share the bed, and I'll take one of the couches?" the pop-star suggests. "The bed's huge, so I'm sure you two will have plenty of room."
"This is your hotel room," I state. "Kelsie and I will take the couches."
"That's not fair," she pouts.
"We're the guests."
"It's still not fair."
"You've done enough for us today, Dems." I let the nickname slip past my lips without a second thought, and she smiles; this time, her smile meets her eyes.
"Okay," she murmurs. "If you're sure."
~
I'm awoken by a loud clap of thunder. The storm is raging again; however, the darkness of the room and the inky blackness of the outside sky makes it much more eery and startling than before.
Glancing at the other couch, I notice that Kelsie is still fast asleep. How can she possibly sleep with all of the noise outside?
The thunder continues as I try to return to my dreams, but it's not the thunder that keeps me awake.
I quietly make my way across the living room, towards the bedroom where Demi sleeps. Just as I suspected, she whimpers and almost yelps as the thunder booms outside.
Standing in the doorway, I debate with myself, but eventually her terror and pain becomes too much for me to handle.
I approach the side of her bed. "Demi." Another round of thunder has her face twisting up, as if she's in physical pain. "Dems." I cautiously place my hand on her shoulder, and her eyes snap open.
She abruptly sits up, and it's then that I notice the tears cascading down her cheeks.
"Banner," she chokes out in a whimper, and I shush her, trying to reassure her that everything is okay as I sit on the bed beside her.
She immediately latches on to me, and I hold her close as the thunder outside continues. Her body trembles at the loud sound, and I wonder what the hell happened to make her so terrified of thunder in the first place.
"You're okay, Dems."
I manage to convince her to lay back down, but she refuses to let go of me.
I lay there with her, listening as her breathing evens out, stroking her hair and holding her tight against me in an effort to comfort her.
"Addy," she mumbles soon after I've assumed she has fallen asleep, "is short for Adaliah. She's my girlfriend."301Please respect copyright.PENANAVSDhWWXsmq