"Alright! Out! Everyone out! We've got ten minutes for red carpet. Group shots first, then couples. I've got Aaron and Kylie on standby. No interviews. Let's go!"

Alex shouted her commands over her shoulder as Frank brought the car to a stop.
She stepped out on the the curb, her speed and intensity instantly at its peak. The volume of the atmosphere rose as ambient noise from the outside flooded the interior.

"Why do I feel like I've been drafted into the army?" Alfie said, leaning over to open his door.

"Because we're at war, with Alex as our commanding officer." Sam offered.

Theo laughed softly, giving Bobbi's hand a quick squeeze then releasing his grip as he climbed out to follow the rest.Bobbi gathered up the black folds of her train, her feet already feeling the pinch of her stilettos. Theo stayed by the car door and had his hand outstretched for her to grab as she stepped onto the sidewalk.

The early evening chill was setting in but Bobbi barely had time to register the shiver that ran through her body as Alex guided them towards the awaiting aisle of photographers and red carpet coordinators. She caught a quick glimpse of a second head of blonde hair retreating out of the other black SUV parked behind Frank, following behind Aaron's tall frame. Alex recaptured her attention as she directed them to their first mark and set them up in their set positions. Bobbi's face took on it's instinctual smolder as the cameras started flashing and she took her spot in front of the rest of the band. She smile faltered a bit when she turned to move to the next mark and saw Theo imitating her look. He winked at the sight of her lips pressed together in a tight smirk.

His pleasant expression fell flat as Alex called out for Aaron to join Bobbi. Bobbi barely got the chance to send him back a warm smile as Aaron appeared seemingly from nowhere and wrapped his arm around her waist. His hand wasn't as low as she was sure he would have wanted it to be but it was low enough Bobbi could almost feel the scowl that flashed across Theo's face.

She could hear cries for Kylie but the rest of Alex's commands were drowned out.  Bobbi instead focused her energy on making her smile seem as genuine as possible as Aaron held her close to his side, turning their coupling every which way for the cameras.
Luckily, Alex called out for everyone to head inside before Bobbi could start to go blind. She was nearly pulling Aaron along with her as she climbed the few steps before heading into the museum.

Alfie and Sam rejoined Bobbi and her date in the large lobby. The high ceilings echoed back the noise and the cries from outside every time the glass doors were opened to let in another guest of the Be Better, Be Best charity gala. The lobby's low lighting illuminated the few guests dawdling outside the large ballroom, emitting music and energy from its rows of open double doors.

The sounds from outside filled the air once again and Bobbi turned back to glance at the newcomers. Her stomach dropped at the sight and an all too familiar of wave of nausea crashed over her. Alfie must have seen her lose all color in her cheeks, a fate even the large amounts of makeup she wore for such an event could not have remedied. He was instantly at her side, grabbing her arm and leading her inside the ballroom. 

"Come on, Bob. Better head in."

Bobbi worked hard to keep her smile set as Aaron took charge. Alfie didn't leave her side when his grip dropped from her arm, blocking the sight of any other guests entering the ballroom.

"Eyes forward, kid. Or you'll never make it out alive."

Bobbi caught Alfie's eyes while turning her head back forward and found a sympathetic smile. She kept her feet moving and followed Aaron's lead as he guided her into the large ballroom.

Being some of the last of the guests to arrive, the room was already full of a thriving crowd, half dancing, half mingling, all having a swell time.  Bobbi soon found herself a tall bar table with a drink in her hand and sent Alfie a quiet thank you as he turned it with a quick nod. Aaron was still spinning in circles, admiring the elaborate decorations and the sheer size of the ballroom. Bobbi forced her eyes to follow his gaze, taking in the high ceilings spotted with dangling chandeliers and the greenery bushes encircling the the room, emitting their own soft glow, wrapped up in white lights.

With her neck arched back to admire the mural painted along the top perimeter of the four walls, Bobbi could just barely see the dark blonde head of hair pulling along that figure she knew so well. Glancing back a second too soon, she found his green eyes already focused on her as he followed behind the slim, tall figure leading him over to the bar at the furthest end of the room. Theo pulled his eyes off Bobbi as Kylie pulled him along and he was forced to face forward to make sure he didn't trip over the long train of her dress.

A soft nudge in her ribs caused Bobbi to return her attention to the company around her and saw both Sam and Alfie glancing over at her. She sent back a soft smile in reassurance but it did nothing to relax their concerned looks. Aaron was still gawking at their surroundings and had moved on to starting to point out the different celebrities he recognized among the mingling crowd.

"Aaron, do you mind if I take Bobbi for a spin?" Sam nodded out at the swaying dance floor. Set before a large stage complete with a live band, a crowd had already gathered and the party was well underway.

Aaron glanced over at Sam and took a minute to register what he was saying. Sam's patient expression didn't falter but he didn't bother to wait for a reply. Just as Aaron was about to speak, Sam gave him a curt nod then stepped through their small group and grabbed hold of Bobbi's upper arm.

Bobbi let him lead her out into the middle of the crowd of swaying bodies. When they did stop, he rested his hand high on her back and took her hand in his, her other hand resting upon his shoulder. Bobbi smiled up at him as they started to move along to the music, their natural sense of rhythm doing most of their work for them as they spun around.

With the crowd of people around her blocking out the sight of the other attendants, and the stoic presence of Sam guiding her along, Bobbi found a quick moment to gather her wits back around her. She pushed the sight of Theo's around wrapped around the waist of the young blonde far from her mind and set perspective upon the situation. The sight of the bandstand reminded her of the job she still had to do and her responsibilities still weighed upon her shoulders.

Only after she took a few deep breaths and relaxed her shoulders did Sam speak.

"You're gonna be okay, kid."

He tighten his hold around her back and drew her to the outskirts of the crowd, along the perimeter of the dance floor and out of sight of the bar. Bobbi appreciated the position of his hand and felt her skin start to crawl at the thought of returning to her awaiting date. Sam had even positioned themselves so Aaron's lingering stare was kept out of sight.

The smile she had kept on thus far in the evening turned genuine at the barrage of jokes Sam spoke down to her. And then into a laugh as he began to critique the dresses of their fellow attendants. Several were encouraged to go home and look up style in the dictionary. Others he seemed to genuinely care for their well being and was concerned about their family life based on their lack of clothing.

Bobbi had the hardest time stifling a loud out burst of laughter that would have surely resounded through the large hall at his last comment. As Sam slowed his pace and slowly brought them to a stop, Bobbi caught a flash of bright yellow out of the corner of her eyes and turned to follow the silky dress as it dragged Theo out onto the dance floor.

"What is she even wearing?" Sam asked, following Bobbi's gaze. "She looks like an omelet."

Bobbi left the dance floor with her hand covering her mouth and her shoulders shaking. Sam followed her with a hint of smug satisfaction on his lips. Bobbi caught one last glimpse of the couple on the dance floor. Kylie had around her arms around Theo's neck, trying to pull him close. Theo's head was leaning back as far as it could go and his hands were resting high on her back, trying more to push her away than pull her closer.
She sent him a sympathetic smile then returned her attention to the small group Alfie had assembled around him. 

*******

"Isn't that right, Bobbi?"

"Huh?"

Bobbi whipped her head back from the dance floor, her eyes still trailing the couple as they moved about. She looked up at Aaron as he tried to smile down at her.

"I was just telling Jake and Lana here how we met."

Bobbi looked over at who Aaron was gesturing to and was greeted by the smiling countenances of a young couple that had joined their table. Each were sporting glasses and an array of tattoos. Jake's dark hair curled upwards, where Lana's remained light and hung straight right above her shoulders.

Bobbi broke from Aaron's grasp as he tried to snake his arm once more around her waist and stepped through their small circle to greet her friends.

"Jake! Lana! Hi. Sorry, didn't see you. I didn't know you guys would be here!"

"Of course!" Lana exclaimed. "We heard you guys were performing and it was for a good cause. Wouldn't miss it!"

"How you doing, kid?" Jake asked, releasing Bobbi from his embrace after Lana had accepted her hug and turned her over to Jake.

Bobbi was nodding before she started to speak.
"Good. Doing good."

"We were just meeting your, um..." Lana's words failed her as her lips were pressed tight together and her eyes shone.

"Aaron was just introducing himself. We should have met him at the Grammy's, apparently." Jake finished for his girlfriend, his poker face remained sturdier than hers.

Bobbi smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. He went as my date."

"I'm a huge fan of Jake's." Aaron said. "Babe, why didn't you tell me you knew the genius behind R&R?"

Bobbi did her best to keep a straight face as Jake's eyebrows shot up.

"I didn't know you were such a fan."

"Totally!"

Poor Jake and Lana got trapped in the Aaron show for the next fifteen minutes as he switched between talking about himself and talking about all the cool people he had gotten to meet. Sam had disappeared to chat it up with a few of his friends but Alfie remained at their table, resting against the top on his elbows and offering sarcastic comments under his breath in reply to Aaron's dribble.

Soon enough, Sam reappeared at Bobbi's side and lightly tapped her arm. She released herself from Aaron's grip and stepped out of the group.

"We're on in 15 minutes. Our call time is in 10 minutes. So you have five."

Bobbi gave him a nod and turned back to the group, quickly saying goodbye to Jake and Lana, with promises to talk soon.

"Where're you off to?" Aaron asked.

Alfie stepped between him and Bobbi, providing Bobbi with an escape route as he set his shoulder on top of Aaron's and started to explain to him the responsibilities one has as a band leader and all the work it truly takes.

Bobbi walked along the edge of the dance floor towards the stage area, the trail of her dress held up in her hand. Pushing past the black curtains set on either side of the bandstand, Bobbi stepped into the small dark backstage area. At the sight of the small tote bag set against the side wall, she took a seat on the nearest amp, bag in hand. As she finished tying up the laces of her black oxfords, the curtains opened again. Bobbi looked up and found Theo, slightly out of breath, standing before her.

"Had a hard time getting away?" She said, making sure to keep her voice low.

"She just kept talking." Theo said. "She was especially interested in why I was needed at the stage but Sam wasn't."

Bobbi winced.

"Oooh. She's smarter than she looks. Dang it."

Theo nodded with his eyes wide as he grabbed two of the water bottles set aside near where Bobbi had found the bag. He stood in front of her, one water bottle outstretched in one hand while he took a long sip from his own with the other.

"You okay?" Bobbi asked.

Theo shrugged as he finished his water.

"She's definitely different than the others. I had a chance of actually getting along with the others."

"Yeah, the fake blonde and slinky dress don't really scream stable and serious."

Theo chuckled and held out his hand. Bobbi took it and stood up, her lack of heels dropping her height so she came to be staring at his chest. Glancing up from his neatly tailored suit, she locked eyes with his as they had been searching for hers.

"You okay?" He asked.

Bobbi took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah." She paused before speaking again, encouraged to keep talking as Theo's expression turned serious.

"Well, fine enough."

Theo's hand sought out hers and enveloped it, sending a wave of warmth up Bobbi's arm and a smile to her face. She felt the urge to move closer and wrapped her arms around his waist but kept her distance, feeling the presence of so many people so close.
Their quiet moment, of just the two of them, alone in the midst of their peers and other prying eyes, was then interrupted when the curtains were pulled back once again and Alfie stepped through.

"You guys ready?" He asked.

He quickly stepped over to where the instruments were set and grabbed his bass, lifting the strap over his head and getting situated before grabbing Theo's and passing it to him.

"Thanks, man."

Theo dropped Bobbi's hand and grabbed his guitar. Sam passed Bobbi a mic, his drumsticks already in hand. He followed Alfie as he took his position at the edge of the stage, the band working quickly to rearrange the set.

Theo grabbed hold of Bobbi's elbow as she moved to take her spot behind Sam.
He pulled her back a few steps until she was standing in front of him again, closer this time. His eyes glanced off to the side, seeing the band move off stage in the opposite direction and Alfie and Sam ready themselves to perform.

He cupped Bobbi's face with his hands and brought her lips to his. She stood on her tiptoes to reach, the moment lasting not nearly long enough.

When Theo stood up straight, he dropped his hands but remained close, smiling down at her as he whispered, "Ready?"

Bobbi returned the smile and sent a nod along with it as an announcer took the stage and spoke into the mic, his words sounding out through out the hall.

"And for our special musical performance for the evening, everyone please welcome, The Wild Wallflowers!"

*********

Bobbi rested her chin on her palm as she leaned against the table, trying to keep her eyes open and gently stretching out the muscles in her other hand. She took a deep breath and soaked in the cologne-less smell that filled her nostrils. Even the high pitched conversation emanating from the table of girls next to her was a welcomed sound.

"Bobbi."

Bobbi stood up straight at the sound of her name. Her ready-made smile faltered a bit as she tried to gather up the necessary energy but the sight of the bright face standing behind her eliminated the need and her face burst into a natural grin.

"Robby! Hi! How are you?"

Robby's brown eyes smiled down at her underneath his long blonde hair. His cheeks were so high that the wrinkles around the corners of his eyes showed and his youthful face hinted at his real age. Bobbi greet him with a quick hug and a familiar kiss on the cheek, his calloused hands gripping his shoulders at he held her out at arms length.

"You look great! Nice seeing you in something other than jeans and a sweater."

Bobbi shook her head and wiggled herself out of his grip.

"I always look good when I have to actually be somewhere. You just only ever seen me when we're recording."

"Do you and Theo actually go anywhere? I kinda always imagined you two sitting at home making cow eyes at each other."

Robby laughed as Bobbi lightly hit him on the shoulder. Her good mood didn't keep her from doing a quick search of their surrounding area.

"We do not. We actually have friends. And go to parties with people our own age."

"Oh, I know you have friends. Jamie, Lana and Jake talk about you kids enough. It's just the whole 'people you're own age' thing that I'm really not buying."

"You know, just because you're married with kids doesn't mean the rest of us have to stop having fun."

Robby turned his head and squinted at her.

"Is it really that fun, though? Or would you much rather being hanging out with all your thirty-something friends, drinking wine, eating cheese and playing scrabble?"

Bobbi pursed her lips and scrunched up her nose, trying to keep her expression from letting him win.

"Okay. That does sound like a lot more fun than most of the parties I've had to attend recently." Robby laughed as Bobbi kept talking. "Although we did just do a show at UCLA because Rosie saw one of her fans needed a live band. Of course she didn't play. But still, that was fun. Granted, we were the older kids there."

"Sounds like Rosie. And you guys suck at actually hanging out with people your own age. Don't you enjoy the company of your peers?"

Bobbi shook her head.

"Of course not. They are usually always trying to get something from you. It's annoying."

"True." He glanced past her than took a quick look around. "Speaking of, where's that date of yours? I've been trying to approach you all night, I was just waiting for a moment where he wasn't attached to your hip, dragging you around to meet literally everyone."

"You noticed that?"

Robby's eyes went wide as he nodded.

"Your poor hand."

Bobbi glanced down and flexed her fingers, feeling having successfully returned from complete overuse. She had met almost everyone at the party, most of them she never would have met on her own, interacting with management executives and charity organizers she had never had to interact with before.

"So where is he? He's not gonna sneak up on us is he?"

"He said he went to get a drink and I'm only hoping that he got either lost on the way there or caught up trying to kiss some executive's ass."

"Shame. I was kinda hoping to meet him. Compare him to that real boy of yours."

"There is no comparison." Bobbi stated, a bit more curt than intended due to her growing exhaustion.

Even Robby's lovely company could not distract her from the pain in her feet from her shoes. Alex refused to let her wear the oxfords for the rest of the night, scared that she had ruined the ends of her dress enough during her performance.

"Alright. No comparison. Got it."

Robby took a sip for the drink in his hand, glancing over at Bobbi as she smiled up at him, her expression started to feel the weight of the night.

"Oh, I got your email." Robby said.

Bobbi glanced around at his words, now looking for any sign of that bright yellow dress. Her interaction with Robby had distracted her and she had lost track of where Theo had been, her first time faltering all night. He was safely on the other end of the ballroom looking miserable while Kylie draped herself all over him, his hand begrudgingly on her waist. She threw Theo a soft smile before turning back, his eyes brightening a bit when he caught hers.

"Can you come?" Bobbi dropped her tone, her words coming out soft against the back drop of the music filling the air.

"Yeah. Of course. Wouldn't miss it. Me and Genie will definitely be there. Need us to bring anything."

"Check with Sam. He's doing all the food."

"Oh, speaking of Sam, he sent me that track you and Theo did awhile go."

Bobbi's smile widen and her ears perked up.

"And? What did you think?"

"It's good. It's really good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I've actually got a new producer I've got signed. Real young kid, tons of talent. He would seriously benefit from a track like that."

"Awesome!"

"Will you sing on it?" He asked.

Bobbi paused for a second, her mind running through the implications.

"It would seriously help this kid out if you were actually on the track."

"It's not enough that I wrote it?" Bobbi asked.

Robby shook his head.

"This could make his career. If I got a song you and Theo wrote with your vocals, its a sure fire hit. No doubt."

Bobbi started nodding slowly, her hand resting against her mouth. Robby's smile widened.

"Excellent. You're the best, Bobbi. I gotta go talk to Theo, but I'll send Alex all the details, all right?"

Bobbi tilted her cheek up as Robby stepped forward to plant a quick kiss on it.

"Do you know-"

Bobbi cut him off.

"He's over by the bar. If you find a fake blonde in a bright yellow dress, you've found Theo."

"Ouch. Alright. I get it. Don't like her. Makes sense. I probably won't either."

Bobbi shook her head as Robby laughed, sending her a small wave as he made his way through the crowd.

"Was that Robby Burns?!"

Bobbi's good mood disappeared immediately and she had to take a moment before turning around to extinguish the look of disgust that had planted itself on her face.

"Uh, yeah. He's an old friend."

Aaron's eyes were wide as he followed Robby's figure.

"Can you introduce me?"

"Umm....." Bobbi scrunched her eyebrows together, her exhaustion making her brain work slower than usual to create an excuse. "He, uh, said he was leaving sorry."

She shrugged and Aaron's excitement dissipated.

"Oh. Okay. Well, Mr. McCartney wanted to say hi."

Bobbi squinted up at Aaron.
"Who?"

"Mr. McCartney. The CEO of our management company. He asked me to come get you."

Aaron nodded his head over to a table several yards away. Bobbi looked past him and spotted Richard, Bernard and Annette.

"Oh. Richard?"

"Yeah. He says he usually doesn't get to make it to the management charity events but since you guys are so involved in this one and you'd be performing, apparently he made a point to come." Aaron shrugged, turning to look back at the table.

Richard sat between Bernard and Annette, laughing and chatting with the other occupants. Bobbi winced at the sight of his two underlings looking just as serious as ever and still dressed in business attire.

"Come on. Probably should leave him waiting."

Aaron placed his hand on Bobbi's back as she started towards the table. A shiver ran up her back at his touch and as she started moving in the direction of the table.

"Okay. I guess not."

A/N:

Okay. So if you're one of the biggest pop stars alive, you're aware of the goings-on in the industry, right?

I mean, I think you would have to be.

So, I've seriously wondered if the whole Taylor Swift/Katy Perry feud has been fake for awhile now because I don't believe what's on TV (a TØP reference for ya there). I thought maybe it was just for publicity. Heck, I've even heard TS talk about how Bad Blood wasn't necessarily about a friend but could be about an ex.

But when TS releases her ENTIRE catalogue of music back into the streaming world and on Spotify THE SAME DAY Katy Perry releases her new album, it really makes you think. 🤔🤔🤔

Well, it makes me think TS is petty AF, that's for sure. I used to like her music. It's good pop. But as a person, she's not my favorite. Not a fan, really.

But it's when people do stuff like this that really makes me ponder their motives. I mean, she MUST have known that KP was releasing her album that day. If she personally didn't, for sure some on her team would have.

I'm just saying, T-Swizzle, maybe wait 24 hours. Not everything has to be a competition. Maybe just relax a bit and let Katy have her turn.

Anyways, there's my opinion on a completely random pop culture topic. Let me know yours! (Mainly on the TS/KP feud. But if you want to leave a comment about the chapter too, then hey, I'm not holding you back.)

✌️ Deuces,

Maria