Ⓕⓔⓑⓡⓤⓐⓡⓨ ①⑥ⓣⓗ ②⓪②⓪

-Talia's Pov-

"Do you think this is a good idea?" I nervously asked my brother, gazing at the words sprawled across the page before averting them to where he stood behind his in-home recording booth. "Will he think I'm desperate?"

He shifted his gaze from meddling with the switches on the control panel to where I stood inside the recording booth, black headphones sitting on top of my head. "Why would Zach think that?" Brad asked, and I couldn't help but gnaw on my bottom lip.

"I don't know," I whispered, removing the headphones and placing them back around the mic before stepping out while running my fingers through my dark brown hair that cascaded down my back.

"Talia?" Brad sternly said, and I lifted my head to see a concerned look on his face. "What's really going on in that head of yours?" He asked, pushing himself off his place on the black leather desk chair and plopping down on the white couch at the back of his in-home studio. A sigh slipped past my lips as I plopped down beside him on the white couch.

"I can't help but feel guilty for not believing him." I whispered, twiddling my thumbs. What if he was telling the truth that night? What if that girl really did force herself on him? What if I walked out of one of the best relationships I've been in over some misunderstanding? " I rambled out. A couple of minutes passed before a sigh slipped past Brad's lips, and I turned my head in his direction.

"I don't want to say this, but," Brad started while running his fingers through his dark brown hair, "go talk to Zach." He continued, and I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head. "No Talia, you got scared and walked away."

"That's not true," I muttered, playing with the few rings that littered my fingers.

"No?" Brad said, with an eyebrow raised, and I nodded my head, "Then why'd you walk away?" he asked.

I chewed on my bottom lip, wincing at the metallic taste that entered my mouth. "I didn't have much of a choice." I muttered whilst dabbing at the blood that seeped out.

Brad furrowed his brows before sighing exasperatedly, "Everybody has a fucking choice, Talia," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know you. You got frightened the moment you saw Zach's lips lock with that girl, and you immediately thought of Luke and how poorly he had treated you. You didn't want to go through the same heartache and misery for the second time. "

"Stop it." I fixated my gaze on the ground, repeatedly blinking away the tears that threatened to slip away. "Just stop." I croaked out before lifting my head. My index finger swiped away a tear that had managed to slip out, "I made a mistake, okay? I should've taken Zach's word instead of assuming that he had kissed the girl. "

A frown danced on my brother's lips, "Talia..." He started, before running his fingers through his hair, "I didn't mean to upset you."

I carelessly shrugged my shoulders before wiping away the couple of tears that had escaped. It doesn't matter. I hurt myself by walking away from one of the best decisions of my whole career, and I bet he wants nothing to do with me. " I continued.

"Stop overthinking and coming up with your own conclusions." Brad sternly spat out and I glanced up into my brother's brown orbs, "As your older brother, who wants nothing but for you to be happy. I demand that you go and talk to Zach after recording this song. Tell him everything you just told me and see where it goes from there. " He suggested it, and I played with my lower lip, grazing the area that I had accidently chewed off.

A sigh fell from my lips, but I nodded my head nonetheless, "Fine." I said, before hauling myself from the couch, "I'll go and talk to him after my meeting with Amelia." A smug grin made its way to my brother's face, and I playfully rolled my eyes the second he opened his mouth, but I prevented him from uttering a word. "Yes, you're one of the best and good-looking brothers I have,"

Brad squinted his eyes in my direction and said, "What are you talking about? I'm the only brother you have. " He retorted, and I raised my eyebrow in his direction.

"You sure? I'm pretty sure Conor, Tristan, and James would have to disagree with that," I said with a mocking pout and puppy dog eyes that were the size of fish eyes.

A chuckle slipped past my brother's lips before he shook his head and said, "I'm the only biological brother you have. Now can you please step into the recording booth before I forcefully drag you in there myself? " He said, rising from his place on the couch.

I sent a wide smile his way with my head slightly tilted before making my way towards the recording booth, re-situating the headphones back onto top of my head and sending a thumbs-up in my brother's direction. "Ready?" I called out.

I watched as my brother flipped and pressed a couple of buttons, and the melody of my very first original song blared from the headphones, and I closed my eyes. I found myself getting lost in the beat of the song, feeling the music run through my veins, and suddenly an image of Zach's bright smile flashed through my mind.

Was it a wasted couple months?

Sneaking outta the window, spending nights in limbo... "

~

An hour and a half later, I found myself parked in front of the familiar yet daunting building. "Here goes nothing." I muttered under my breath before pulling the key out of the car, cutting off the car from running.

I swung my door open and hastily jumped out, locking the car before bolting into the building for most likely the last time. "Afternoon, Talia." a chirpy voice said, and I turned my head towards the noise.

A small smile spread across my face as my eyes landed on Amelia's new receptionist, her blond hair neatly pulled back in a bun and a welcoming smile plastered on her thin pink lips. "Afternoon, Grace." I gave her a small nod before sauntering off towards the lifts. An exasperated sigh fell from my lips as I agonizingly watched the lift move down. "Finally," I muttered.

I stepped my foot into the lift and pushed the button that had the number "14" encircled in a silver circular botton. I aimlessly tapped my shoe against the floor of the lift and nervously chewed on my bottom lip, frightened of Amelia's reaction. The sound of the lift arriving at the designated floor brought me out of my thoughts, but with each step I took, I could feel my heart pounding against my chest a tad bit quicker.

"You're late." Amelia utters, her gaze fixed on her laptop screen, her fingers ferociously jabbing on each key on her keyboard, her brows furrowed in a frown, and her lips pursed.

"I was at the studio with Brad and I lost track of-" I started to ramble off but cut myself abruptly after receiving a harsh glare from her, and I gulped thickly, "It won't happen again." I murmured, knowing how true those words were going to be in a few minutes, before plopping down on one of the black leather seats that sat in front of her desk.

"I sure hope it won't." She grunted before pushing her laptop aside and gazing right at me.

"What is this meeting for?" I asked after a couple of minutes of silence of her just examining me.

She cleared her throat before straightening out her shirt that had gotten crushed due to her prior hunched position, "Right. It's about your upcoming fashion shows and photo shoots that will take place sometime between the end of February and the first week of March." She professionally spoke.

I closed my eyes and let out a heavy breath. "Amelia—" I started, but was abruptly interrupted by Amelia as she enthusiastically spoke about the upcoming events that I was 'supposedly' attending this year.

"Vogue wants you to be on the cover of their next magazine. "Victoria Secret was so impressed with the picture from last fall that they wanted you to headline for their next magazine rather than their model from Italy..."She continued to ramble on, but I couldn't just listen to all of the new opportunities that I would not be partaking in.

"Amelia!" I call out, cutting her off mid-sentence. She raised an eyebrow in my direction before dropping the pen on the notepad that had words messily scrawled across the page: "I'm done."

I watched as she furrowed her eyebrows, a look of confusion painting her features. "I'm sorry. I don't follow." She said, and I pursed my lips before repeating the two words.

"I'm done, Amelia. I'm done being a model." I sternly said, and I watched her confusion falter before it was instantly replaced with a scowl.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Amelia bellowed, and I sighed while rubbing my forehead.

"No."I breathed out.

"Four years! I worked four fucking years to get you to where you are today, just for you to throw it away. " She snapped.

"I don't enjoy it anymore!" I snapped back, glaring at the auburn-haired woman sitting in front of me. " And you're the one to blam. When I first started, it was like adrenaline pumping through my veins, but the moment you kept booking photoshoot after photoshoot and interview after interview, it got to the point where I barely slept. I would get a maximum of two hours of sleep, and then it's back to work the next day!" I said, my voice rising with each sentence.

Amelia scoffed at the words that slipped past my lips. "Then I guess you don't have what it takes to be a model." She nonchalantly responds with a blank expression.

A halfhearted chuckle slipped past my lips as I hauled myself off the leather chair, "I don't have what it takes to be a model," I thought out loud before cackling and putting on a straight face. "I'd beg to differ if you said all those people wanted me," I stated while pointing to the opened book in front of her with a smug smirk on my face as I fixed my gaze on her. 

"It's not like you're taking these offers, right? Probably because you don't think you can handle the pressure" She sneered back, and I glared at her.

"Well I guess you don't know me like you say you do because I'd take those in a heartbeat, but I quit! I bet Kendall, Cara, and Hailey had a more breathable schedule from the beginning! "Cara is not even American and she had a feasible schedule where she was able to catch more than just two fucking hours of sleep!" I bark.

I watched as Amelia's eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She shook her head, but the moment she opened her mouth to respond, her door flung open. Our gazes shifted to the intruder to see Ivy Price, Amelia's very irritating secretary, at the door with her blond hair in a high ponytail.

"Is everything alright in here?" Her nasally voice squeaked, and I cringed at the pitch of her tone but chuckled as Amelia grimaced at the voice.

Amelia opened her mouth, but I scoffed, not wanting to be here any longer, "Everything's fine, Lively," I say, addressing her with a wrong name on purpose. "Let Vogue, Victoria Secret, and all the other brands that want me that you regret inform them that I, Talia Simpson, quit working for such a money-grubbing firm that only cares about their own reputation rather than their clients' wellbeing, so they need to find a new person," I spat while looking at Amelia. I swung my bag on my shoulder, and with a smug smile on my face, I strolled out of the room , knowing I had left her completely speechless.

I hadn't even taken two strides away from her door when an ear-piercing scream was heard from behind the door, and I chuckled under my breath. I quickened my pace towards the lifts and pressed the down button before pulling my phone out of my bag.

I nervously chewed on my bottom lip as I looked down at Zach's phone number, which was still in my phone. I didn't have it in me to delete his number, but with a heavy sigh, I created a new message to him just as the elevator doors slid open.

I quickly typed in the message whilst anxiously chewing on my bottom lip. My eyes scanned the four word message countless times before I hesitantly hit the send button with a racing heart.

We need to talk.