A few more weeks had passed since her and Nick had put to rest their dating rumours. She'd been worried that it would be blown out of proportion but the statement that Scooter wrote had seemingly done the trick as it was old news by the next afternoon. If anything, it had only seemed to fuel the momentum of Be The One in the charts. They were about to enter June and she was still sitting comfortably on the number one spot.

Leia yawned as she stretched out in bed, her muscles still tight from the previous night's activities. She could feel the weight and warmth of a body next to her, but she wasn't happy in the slightest about it. Rubbing at her head slightly, the girl huffed as she sat up under the covers, squinting at the sunlight that was pouring in from the crack in her curtains.

Looking at the black fur-ball that was sprawled out across the bed, Leia sighed deeply. The dog titled its head at her, his tongue sprawling out of his mouth and attaching to her face. Squealing loudly, Leia couldn't help but let out a loud laugh as the puppy launched itself into her arms. She held the wriggling puppy close to her chest, feeling its soft fur against her skin.

"Good morning, Tate," she cooed, nuzzling her nose against his snout. The little pup wagged his tail furiously, showering Leia with affectionate licks. She chuckled to herself as she rubbed at her eyes, yawning before lightly shoving him off her.

With a sense of calmness settling over her, Leia scooted to the edge of the bed and planted her feet on the cool wooden floor. Tate followed suit, bouncing around her ankles as if he were a rubber ball. She chuckled at his energy and bent down to pick up her favourite pair of fuzzy slippers.

It had been Georgie's suggestion. Her parents had apparently been telling her sister about how they were worried with how much time she was spending by herself - not that they were aware she had finally made some friends in the industry - and that it would make them feel better if they knew she had a companion. Leia and Georgie both knew what they meant by that - they wanted her to get a partner and settle down. Of course, the sisters took it to the other extreme and Georgie had managed to convince her older sister to go and adopt a puppy that exact day.

With Tate at her heels, Leia wandered into the kitchen and spotted a familiar figure leaning against the counter. Her tousled auburn hair was falling gracefully over her shoulders, and one of Leia's old sweatshirts hung from her shoulders sloppily. She looked up from her cup of coffee and flashed the older girl a sleepy smile, before immediately crouching down to scratch the belly of the dog at her feet.

Georgie had somehow managed to convince her parents that she deserved to visit Leia, since she was 'so lonely'. Leia didn't have the heart to tell Georgie that she was actually the least loneliest that she'd ever felt, knowing that her parents would never have agreed to her teenage sister coming to visit during her Summer break. She'd told their parents she'd book her a return flight in a week's time but the entire Hudson family knew that she would probably end up staying half the Summer term.

"I can't believe we bought a puppy," Georgie murmured, the younger girl still looking relatively tired as she passed Leia a mug of coffee that she had just brewed in the older girl's kitchen.

"You didn't do anything" Leia reminded her, a slight playful smirk on her face as she held the puppy up in the air and towards Georgie. "And I didn't buy him, I adopted him."

"How big do you think he'll get?" Georgie asked as she sat the eight-month old puppy back on the ground, having picked him up and immediately regretted it. Both of the girls sat down on the couch as they watched him bound around the room, his paws remarkably too large for his small body. Leia laughed as he stumbled over himself and then immediately got distracted by his own tail.

"The lady reckoned that he was some sort of German Shepard cross so quite big," Leia mused, a wide smile on her face as she watched her new pup spin around in circles, his teeth chomping on the air as he missed his tail. "But I guess the good thing about adopting was not only did we save this guy's life, but he's already house trained... almost."

Watching in silence as he found a spot on the ground that he seemed pleased with, the pup settled down and slumped into a lying position on the ground. Georgia laughed, her head tilted slightly as she looked at the dog.

"I still think the name Tate seems too human for a dog."

____

If there was one thing Leia knew about Georgie, it was that she was a bigger fangirl that she had ever been. All things considered, that was a rather scary statement as Leia had been pretty intense in her teenage years. Yet somehow, Georgie was just that one step more into everything.

So when Leia had told Georgie that she had been offered a performance space in the Billboard Music Awards, it had almost been a no brainer that her sister would be performing and she would be attending as he plus one. Leia wasn't even sure that she would have been given the choice - Georgie had started mapping out her master plan to meet every celebrity she'd ever heard of within minutes.

As the days counted down to the Billboard Music Awards, Leia found herself caught in a whirlwind of rehearsals, fittings, and promotional appearances. She couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nerves. This was her first major award show performance, and she wanted to make a lasting impression. Her newfound friends had finally added her into their group chat, and Leia was sure Georgie had broken her eardrums when she found out that not only was Leia now friends with Taylor Swift, but she was in a group chat with her famous friends too.

During the final rehearsal before the show, Leia and Georgie sat in the dressing room, surrounded by racks of colourful costumes. Leia was sure that most were for other nominated artists that were performing, but since she wasn't nominated, she was just excited to have even been offered the chance to perform. Georgie was flipping through a magazine, her eyes lighting up at every mention of a celebrity.

"Leia, did you know that Fifth Harmony are going to perform too?" Georgie exclaimed, pointing at an article with the girlband's picture on it. "Oh my god, wait, do you know Camila Cabello?"

Surprised by Georgie's question, Leia chuckled and shook her head.

"Yeah, I actually met Camila the other day during one of the rehearsals. She's really cool," Leia replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It had been very short and very quick, so much so that Georgie had managed to miss it by going downstairs to grab a cup of coffee. Her jaw dropped at the words, realising that not only had she missed the interaction but she hadn't even heard her sister mention it.

"But Leiaaa, you should've asked her to wait so I could have gotten a selfie with her! We could've framed it and put it on our wall!" she said, sincere disappointment evident in her tone. Leia bit back a smile, hating but loving how detached from the industry her sister was to think that that was a normal thing to request of someone she'd only met once.

"Well, maybe I can ask her for a photo of you and her at the awards show tonight," Leia said, trying to appease her. "I'll see if she's up for it."

"Oh my god, Leia!" Georgie exclaimed, grabbing her popstar sister's arm. "You have to introduce me to her! Please, please, please!"

Leia regretted buying her the plane ticket.

_____

"You were absolutely incredible out there, Leia," Riven said, his voice filled with admiration.

Leia's ever-supportive publicist, was leaned against the dressing table, a glimmer of pride shining in his eyes. He'd seen the talent in her as soon as he'd watched her in the studio for the first time, and it was moments like this that made him pleased that he'd decided to take her on as a client. A part of him hoped that if she kept this up, he'd be able to drop some of his more... problematic clients and only work with her on his roster.

Leia's heart swelled with gratitude. She had poured her soul into that performance and it seemed like even the other performers in the crowd had enjoyed it. She'd caught some big names cheering her on afterwards, and the familiar yells of Gigi in the crowd caused her to break out in a huge grin as the lights had dimmed.

Georgie clung to Leia's arm as she shoved her phone in her sister's face, her excitement palpable as she brought up tweet after tweet about how great her performance had been. Leia wasn't a fan of reading her own name but she certainly was lapping up all the praise and attention for a change. Karlie had told her that the Billboard Music Awards would be great exposure for her, so it was a real delight that she was already seeing the benefits of it.

Leia didn't need tweets to tell her how great she'd been. Everyone in the building knew that Leia had nailed her performance - the deafening cheers from the crowd were testament to that.

"I can't believe my sister is so famous!"

Riven raised his eyebrows as he tried to stifle a laugh at Leia's sister, having only been introduced to the newly-turned eighteen year old that evening. Unlike Riven, Leia couldn't help but chuckle loudly at Georgie's infectious enthusiasm. Riven had told her that Georgie had stood just off the side of the stage, FaceTiming their parents as Leia had performed the song. Her mom had cried, and her dad had loved it - albeit he had said that he wished she was wearing something a little bit more modest.

"You're such a supportive sister," she said, her voice filled with affection. "I'm so lucky to have you by my side through all of this."

"Of course I'm supportive. You're my sister, and I believe in you more than anyone else." She paused, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "But Leia, I have a confession to make."

Riven and Leia shared concerned looks, the girl worried about what trouble her sister was getting herself into and the publicist concerned that whatever she said next was about to be the cause of another Leia Hudson related headache for him. He and Adrian had already came to an agreement that Riven would be with Leia for almost all of her appearances, while Adrian stayed back in Los Angeles with his family. It made sense - Riven loved travelling and loved the single life, whereas Adrian had no excitement for anything outside of his working hours other than his wife and kids.

"What is it?"

"Well, after your performance, while everyone was still buzzing about how amazing you were, I saw Camila walking backstage... I couldn't resist going up to her and telling her how glad I was that she was here."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh my god, George, you are so embarrassing."

Georgie's cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink as she sheepishly glanced at Leia and Riven. Leia couldn't help but laugh at her sister's antics, though secretly she was grateful for Georgie's boldness. It was always entertaining to see what her sister would do or say next.

Leia was sure that she could almost see Riven's heart relax, the man's pulse having picked up as multiple different PR nightmares had started to swish across his brain.

"What else did you say to her?" Leia asked, trying to contain her laughter.

"Well, she was really nice about it, actually. She said she's a big fan of yours and that she loved your performance," Georgie trailed off as she looked at Leia with a look that the older girl couldn't quite figure out. "And then she asked if you were going to bring me to Gigi's afterparty tonight."

"Are you serious?" Leia exclaimed, a laugh escaping her throat before she realised that Georgie was no longer laughing and looking at her with puppy-dog eyes instead. "Georgie, no. You're like, barely eighteen. We'll just stay in and order some pizza or something."

Georgie's bottom lip jutted out in a pout, her eyes pleading with Leia. She knew her sister had a way with those big, innocent eyes of hers, but this time, Leia had to stand her ground. She couldn't risk Georgie getting caught up in the wild afterparty scene. Not yet, at least.

"But Leia, it's Gigi Hadid's party! Do you know how cool I'd look if I went to it!"

"I promise I'll make it up to you," Leia said with a smile, reaching out to tousle Georgie's hair. "We'll have our own little party at home, just the two of us."

"Hold on a second, Leia. I think this could be a great opportunity for you to form connections with other artists in the industry," Riven interrupted, Georgie grinning as she thought that he was taking her side. "But she's right, Georgie, you can't go. Leia would be slated for bringing a young girl there - especially if it's like any of Gigi's normal afterparties. Besides, I can take you home and make sure you're safe."

Georgie sighed as she took in his words. Sure it was right - but she was definitely going to have such fear about missing out on the party's events while Leia was out. She had known this would probably be the case ever since Gigi had invited her sister at the start of the week, but a small piece of her had hoped that Leia would take her with her anyway.

"You should go, Leia," Georgie finally said, a slight glint returning to her eyes. "I'll be fine as long as you promise me one thing."

Leia arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You need to get laid."

Riven burst into laughter, Leia's jaw dropping in disbelief at her sister's words. Leia couldn't help but blush at her sister's audacity. She shot Riven a glare for finding amusement in her sister's comment.

"Georgie!" Leia exclaimed, her voice a mixture of shock and embarrassment. "That is not an appropriate thing to say!"

Georgie shrugged, unbothered by Leia's scolding.

"I'm just saying, you're always so focused on your career and taking care of me that you never take time for yourself. You deserve to have some fun too," Georgie said, leaning back on her seat as she crossed her arms in victory. "Get under someone, or on top if that's your thing, a guy... heck, even a girl."

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Georgie's eyes went wide as her head snapped round to look at Riven with nothing but utter panic on her face. Leia was too busy covering her face with her hands, shocked at the worse that were leaving Georgie's mouth in front of her publicist.

"I mean, Leia is straight but you know people sometimes like to..."

"He knows, George," Leia interrupted before she embarrassed them both even more than she had already done. "Riven and Adrian both know. But I'm not like... out."

"You know what, Georgie might have a point, Leia," Riven's laughter finally subsided, giving way to a more serious expression.

Leia turned to look at Riven, surprise evident in her eyes. She had expected him to dismiss Georgie's comment just like she had. She couldn't deny that Georgie's words struck a chord with her. Lately, Leia had been so consumed by her music, constantly striving for success and perfection. Perhaps she had neglected her personal life in the process.

"You've been working nonstop since I started managing you," Riven continued. "And while I admire your dedication and work ethic, it's important to find balance in your life. Going to this party could be a way for you to unwind and meet other artists who understand the pressures of fame."

Leia crossed her arms over her chest, feeling her cheeks burn even hotter.

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation with the two of you. Look, I appreciate your concern, but my focus right now is on my music and my career. That's where my priorities lie."

There was a pause before Riven and Georgie shared a look, the younger Hudson looking at her sister with a grin on her face as she realised she'd managed to get under her skin successfully.

"You're going, aren't you?"

"Yes."

______

Walking into Gigi's house, Leia felt instantly relaxed as her muscles recognised the familiar home. Allowing her shoulders to sink slightly, Leia moved freely through the crowds of drunk celebrities as she focused her sight on where she could see Gigi chatting happily to Cara. The blondes were laughing loudly, a spare drink clutched in Cara's hand that was calling Leia forward.

"Thank you," Leia chirped, plucking the spare passionfruit cocktail from the retired model's hand. Cara rolled her eyes as she pretended to be annoyed that Leia had snatched her drink but she gave up with a playful sigh as she pulled the girl into a hug. They'd only met once before - before Leia had even met Taylor and the rest of their friends - but they'd kept in touch since.

Leia took a sip of the sweet, tangy cocktail as she reached over to wrap her arms around Gigi's shoulders in a wordless greeting. The music was pulsing through the speakers, creating an energetic atmosphere that seemed to seep into every corner of the room. She could vaguely see Zayn on the other side of the room, chatting while smoking something. Fair enough.

"Leia!" Gigi greeted her with a warm smile, pulling her into a tight embrace. "So glad you could make it!"

Leia returned Gigi's infectious smile, grateful for her warm welcome. Despite their contrasting levels of fame, Gigi had been nothing but kind and supportive of Leia's budding career from the night they'd met at the Met Gala. Cara enjoyed watching the two interact, glad that they had another friend that seemed genuine slowly creeping into their friend group.

"I'm excited to meet everyone," Leia replied, her voice slightly raised to be heard over the music. "Thank you so much for inviting me."

Hearing her name being shouted from the other side of the room, Gigi quickly excused herself as she glided across the room towards the origin of the source. Cara turned back to Leia, a genuine smile on her face as she quickly looked her friend up and down once.

"Nice outfit," Cara complimented, particularly pointing to the ripped denim jacket that Leia had wrapped around her bare shoulders. "Is that yours?"

Leia went to answer, but Cara simply smiled at her in a way that instantly made her close her mouth. It was as if she knew something that Leia didn't know, and it almost made her a little on edge.

"I'm only asking, because it just so happens to look exactly like one that I've seen our gorgeous mutual friend wearing," Cara teased, her eyes drifting over Leia's shoulder to focus on something behind the brunette.

Leia followed Cara's gaze and her heart skipped a beat as she spotted Taylor standing a few feet away, chatting animatedly with another group of musicians. Taylor looked radiant, her golden curls cascading down her shoulders, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. It had been too long since Leia had seen her, and she couldn't wait to catch up.

"Tay's," Leia confirmed, causing Cara to nod slowly with a slight smirk on her lips. She took a swig of the cup in her hands as Leia furrowed her eyebrow in confusion. "What's that look for?"

Cara simply shrugged, the nonchalance flooding her voice as she looked back to Leia. The newest member of their group definitely was the easiest to read - even if she was completely unaware of what her actions actually added up to.

"I'm sure you'll find out eventually," Cara muttered under her breath, her eyes suddenly being averted as a group of familiar girls walked into the large open plan apartment. Leia turned around as she followed Cara's line of sight once more.

"Hmm," Cara mumbled in appreciation, a slight smirk rising once more on her lips as she studied the five girls that had entered the room. Leia felt herself taken back slightly too, something that felt so natural but also so confusing. Her eyes breezed over the five girls, a small smile on her face as she watched them all awkwardly stand at the front of the room. "Lauren Jauregui looks fit tonight."

Instantly picking up on the Brit's slang, Leia's eyes skimmed over the over five girls - well, now four as Camila had just launched herself across the room towards Gigi - as she sought out Lauren from the bunch. Leia couldn't even try to deny that Cara was correct in her comment. The girl was standing out from the rest of the band in her black bralette and striking red cropped denim jacket, and it didn't help matters that she seemed to be looking directly across the room at the two friends.

A surge of nervous energy fluttered in Leia's stomach as she locked eyes with Lauren Jauregui. Leia quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. How had she not noticed Lauren before Cara had pointed her out?

"Yeah, I see it," Leia muttered, not really aware of the words leaving her mouth. Cara scoffed behind her hand as she noticed the awe-struck way that Leia was looking across the room at the other girl. Smirking wider as Lauren seemed to tug on Normani's sleeve and subtly motion to the two, Cara knew that they were about to be a lot closer to the girl.

Watching as Leia tensed up slightly with the realisation that the two members of the girlband were approaching them, she couldn't help but wonder if this would be the push that Leia needed to confirm Cara's suspicions about the girl.

Cara prided herself on having an excellent gaydar, and while she knew she probably shouldn't speculate on other people's sexualities, she did quite enjoy it. From the moment that she had met Leia, she could tell that there was something not fully straight about her. This moment was furthering that conclusion, and Cara knew enough about Leia to know that it wasn't common knowledge - or even public knowledge. So she just kept her mouth shut, her lips twitching at the corners as the Fifth Harmony singer approached them with her bandmate at her side.

"Leia, isn't it?" Lauren drawled out, moving her hand so that it rested gently on Leia's elbow, her head leaning in slightly to make her lips closer to the girl's ear - not that the music was that loud but Leia was still too confused to really notice that. "I love your song."

Leia nodded, still trying to process the thoughts that were going on in her head. This felt familiar, but she couldn't recall the situation when she had last felt like this. There was something in the back of her mind but she just couldn't pick it out.

"Thanks!" She squealed slightly, breaking out of the daze that she was in.

Looking to her left ever so slightly, she noticed Cara following Normani into the crowd of people while sending her a final thumbs up. Looking back down at her hands she realised that she was holding the one thing that Lauren was not - a drink. Spinning around slightly as she tried to see if Gigi had left any table set up with any alcohol she found herself turning back around to Lauren empty-handed.

"You alright there?" Lauren asked, a soft smile on her face as she quickly looked the girl over while she wasn't paying attention. The stunned look on her face was adorable but there was something about those ripped jeans that she was wearing that just made Lauren feel hot and bothered.

"Yeah, I just noticed you didn't have a drink."

"How about we change that then?"

____

She could hear the bass and the muffled words of Somebody Else by the 1975 playing from the room that they had just left, and she wondered if she had ever felt this out of body at a party. Moving around Lauren to open Gigi's fridge, she plucked out her bottle of wine that had bene left there from a previous night and poured it into a glass before passing it to the girl.

Their hands met at the stem of the glass, frozen for just a second longer than they usually would be. Leia blushed slightly as she muttered an apology, passing Lauren the glass and moving to stand against the counter.

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Leia found herself studying the details of Lauren's face a little more closely. Maybe it was the alcohol running through her system but Leia seemed to let her instincts take over her actions. Lauren placed her wine glass on the counter just behind Leia and leaned lightly closer to the girl, her eyes staring into the Hudson's blue ones. She was inches away from Lauren's face now and Leia could feel the energy between them that was pulling her forward.

Without thinking, Leia reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair behind Lauren's ear, her fingertips grazing the soft skin of her cheek. Lauren's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and when they reopened, they were filled with a mixture of desire and vulnerability.

Their lips hovered mere inches apart, teasingly close but not quite touching. Leia could almost taste the anticipation in the air as they held their breaths, waiting for one of them to make a move.

Leia's heart raced as she felt Lauren's hands came to rest on her waist, pulling her in closer. The wine glass on the counter toppled over, forgotten amidst the rush of their passion. Time seemed to stand still as Leia lost herself in the intoxicating taste of Lauren's lips. Leia's fingers instinctively tangled in Lauren's hair, pulling her closer as their kiss deepened.

Her skin felt like electricity underneath Leia's fingertips and the girl found herself moaning as Lauren attached her lips on to her neck, nibbling and nipping at the exposed flesh. As the cuban found Leia's soft spot and the girl whimpered, the girl sucked and bit at it, causing the skin to swell slightly.

Lauren's hands tugged at the jacket that was wrapped around Leia, the smaller girl moving her arms so that it rested on the counter behind her and gave Lauren more access to run her mouth over her jawline and down to her collarbones.

So lost in the moment, Leia and Lauren both failed to notice that the door to the kitchen had swung open along with two sets of happy laughter. A sudden gasp caused the girls to jump apart from each other, looking like deers caught in the headlights as they looked to see who had entered the room.

The two women were standing with two different expressions on their faces. Cara had a wide smirk on her face as she laughed at the situation that she had just found her supposedly straight friend in, while Camila just seemed shocked that her bandmate would be necking on with her ex-best friend.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected," Cara joked, the only one seeing any humour in the situation that they had all found themselves in. Leia looked between the three others in the room, her mouth wide open as she felt the nausea creep into her stomach.

Well, shit.

.

.

.

originally written: january 2019

rewritten: february 2024