The voice came, sharp and unfamiliar, slicing through the air like a whip. "Who are you?"
The four girls froze. Panic pulsed in their chests. Time seemed to pause for a second before their heads whipped around in unison, eyes wide with alarm. They'd been caught. Every fear they had about sneaking this far without a plan rushed to the surface.
Standing there, just a few feet away, was a girl. Not a guard. Not a staff member. Just a girl, though the expression on her face was all authority. Stern brows knit in confusion and suspicion, her arms crossed as she looked at them like they were stray cats caught scratching at a luxury car.
Rachel squinted at the girl, tilting her head. Something about her was familiar. Her lips parted as she muttered, "Isn't that—"
"Who are you girls?" the girl asked again, her tone firm. "And what are you doing here?"
Jumana and Mariam shared a look of dread. Their eyes darted back to Jasmine, who looked like she was calculating every possible lie in her arsenal. Jumana stuttered, "We're, uh—ehm…"
Then Jasmine, ever the confident one, jumped in. "Pastry inspectors. Ethan asked us to bring snacks. He was getting hungry."
"Pastry inspectors?" the girl repeated slowly, disbelief clear in her voice.
"Yes!" Jasmine beamed with the kind of confidence only desperation could produce.
The other girls, except Rachel, immediately started backing her up with chaotic enthusiasm.
"Yeah, yeah, exactly."
"The best pastries. We specialize in gluten-free sugar bombs."
"We even have a certificate... in our minds." The ending part said quietly
Rachel remained utterly still, blinking in disbelief at the situation unraveling in front of her.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Okay… so where's the pastry?"
That question brought silence. Pin-drop silence.
"Pardon?" Mariam echoed like she was hard of hearing.
"The pastry," the girl said with a smirk. "You know, the reason you're here?"
Jumana, looking like she'd short-circuited, blurted out, "We ate it already."
The rest of them turned to her with whiplash. "You what?!"
"You ate them?" the girl asked, genuinely disappointed.
"It was bad," Jasmine jumped in. "Really bad. Terrible pastry. We didn't want Ethan to suffer."
"So… you ate them?"
"Yeah, but… ehm—"
The girl raised her hand. "You don't need to say anything else. Just… stop."
The girls gulped.
She took a step forward. "Unlucky for you, I happen to know everyone working on this concert. Every single person."
Mariam's voice cracked, "You do?"
"Yeah. And guess what? There are no pastry inspectors. That's a new one."
The girls tensed up.
"Where's security?" the girl muttered as she looked around. "Security! Security!"
Panic overtook them. Jasmine was the first to move, grabbing the girl's arm. "Please, don't do that!"
"Please! Please! We can explain!" Mariam cried, rushing forward.
"We didn't mean to sneak, well, we did—but not like that!" Jumana added, her words tripping over each other.
The girl screamed, "Help!"
The girls froze in place. Then, instead of attacking, they fell to their knees—metaphorically and emotionally—begging.
"Please, no! We're just fans!" Jasmine cried.
"Not dangerous! Just passionate!" Mariam added.
"We're saying the truth! We're pastry inspectors—" Jasmine tried again.
"Stop! Stop! Hey, stop!" the girl yelled, waving her hands. Her voice rose over theirs until she shouted, "WOULD YOU ALL JUST KEEP QUIET?!"
The silence was immediate. Blessed. Holy.
She exhaled. "Arrrgh. Thank God."
Her eyebrows snapped together. "First off, stop lying. The lie doesn't even make sense. Everyone knows Ethan doesn't eat after—"
"10 PM," Rachel's voice cut in, quiet but clear.
Everyone turned to her.
The girl blinked. "Pardon?"
Rachel stepped forward, her eyes calm but sad. "Ethan doesn't eat after 10 PM. It's a habit he got from his mom. She always served dinner by 9, and after that, no one touched food. Not even snacks. He's kept the rule since he was a kid."
A stunned silence fell over them.
Mariam's jaw hung slightly open.
"Wait," the girl said, eyes narrowing, "How do you—"
"And you're Bella Turner," Rachel continued. "Ethan's biggest fan. The one who created the viral book: 'How Well Do You Know Ethan Jones?' before you got a job with his team."
Bella's eyes widened.
Mariam gasped. "Wait… this is her?!"
"It's really her? The Bella Turner?" Jumana murmured.
Bella took a step back, now more confused than confrontational. "Who are you?"
Rachel looked her in the eye. "Let me explain everything. Why we're here. Just please… don't call security."
Bella glanced at each of the pleading faces, her jaw working side to side like she was weighing every possibility in the world. Her arms dropped to her sides.
She sighed. "I don't know..."
"Please," Jasmine added softly.
Bella finally sighed. "Okay then."
The girls exploded.
"YES!" they cried in triumph.
Bella winced. "Why are you so loud?!" She looked over her shoulder. "I'll listen, but not here. Come on, let's go."
She grabbed Jasmine's wrist and started guiding them away from the buses.
As they began moving, walking hurriedly away from the scene of the almost-crime, a voice called out softly from behind.
"Who's there?"
They froze.
Every single head turned.
The door to the very tour bus they had tried to reach was cracked open slightly. And through that crack, lit by the interior's soft glow, a lock of unmistakable blond hair slipped into view—then disappeared as the door clicked shut again.
All four girls gasped in unison.
"Ethan?" they whispered, eyes wide, hearts racing.
As the five girls turned another quiet corner of the hallway, the sound of their sneakers and heels brushing the marble floor was the only thing that filled the silence. The lighting here was dimmer, golden sconces flickering on the walls like something out of an old hotel. Bella, walking a few steps ahead of the rest, slowed down and glanced around, as if ensuring no one else was lurking.
She finally came to a halt, sighing with slight relief. "This is good," she muttered to herself, her eyes sweeping across the space.
Then, she turned sharply to face the girls, arms crossed. Her stance wasn't exactly hostile, but it was firm—commanding. "Okay. Explain," she said, tone clipped but not without curiosity.
The four girls—Rachel, Jasmine, Jumana, and Mariam—all started talking at once. It was a chaotic blend of half-sentences, explanations, apologies, and the occasional dramatic hand gesture. Bella winced, holding up a hand like a traffic officer at a busy junction.
"Just one. Just one," she said, pointing at Rachel with a single finger like a teacher picking the lead in a school play. "You talk."
Rachel stepped forward hesitantly, brushing her long dark braid over her shoulder. She looked down for a moment before taking a breath. "Okay, so... we came from Dubai. We've been planning this trip for months. We bought the VVIP tickets—look, here's the receipt," she added quickly, pulling out a neatly folded printout from her phone case. "We didn't mean to sneak around. We just… we really wanted to meet Ethan. Like—like really badly. And we knew we couldn't get into the restricted zone without a pass, so we kind of… well, okay, we lost our morals. We're sorry. Please don't call security."
She finished in a rush, looking like she'd just recited a monologue she'd rehearsed a hundred times.
Bella looked at them for a moment, then sighed. Her arms dropped to her sides. "It's not like I don't get you girls," she admitted, eyes softening slightly.
The girls started smiling, thinking they were off the hook.
But then Bella raised a hand. "But this is wrong."
The smiles vanished.
Bella's voice took on the slight edge of disappointment, like a big sister scolding her younger siblings. "This is Ethan's private space. Do you know how disrespectful this is? He trusts us—he trusts me—not to let anyone breach security. And you girls, sneaking around like this… it's not just risky. It's unfair. To him."
"We know," Jasmine murmured, eyes cast down.
Mariam stepped forward. "We just really wanted to meet him."
"She's his biggest fan!" Jumana said, pointing at Rachel. "Like, actual biggest fan ever. We just wanted her to meet him. Just once. That's all."
"We're really sorry," added Mariam. "We know it wasn't right. But Rachel… she talks about Ethan all the time. This trip was for her."
Bella narrowed her eyes. "Wait, wait, wait," she said, holding up a finger. "Repeat what you said before."
They all paused.
"What part?" Rachel asked.
"The sorry part?" Jumana guessed.
"No, after that. Before that. That bit about Rachel," Bella said, squinting.
Mariam clicked her fingers. "That Rachel is Ethan's biggest fan?"
Bella snapped her fingers back. "Yes! That!" Her lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Okay. I love you little girls for being Ethan fans. I really do. But 'biggest fan'? You shouldn't be throwing words like that around lightly."
She let out a laugh, the kind that wasn't exactly mocking but definitely dismissive.
"Oh, but she is!" said Jasmine.
"Yeah, she totally is," added Jumana.
Rachel stopped laughing. She blinked at her friends, suddenly realizing they were being completely serious.
"Wait. Are you guys joking?"
They weren't. Their eyes were wide and firm, full of sincerity.
Bella's playful grin dimmed as she looked Rachel up and down, seeing her serious expression too. Bella tilted her head slightly.
"Alright then, hotshot. What's Ethan's favorite color?"
Rachel didn't even hesitate. "Black."
Bella raised a brow. "Ehn ehn—"
"And purple," Rachel added, voice steady. "He once said in a livestream that he liked purple too, because it reminded him of twilight—his favorite time of day to write lyrics."
Bella's eyes narrowed.
"Youu?
Under the wide eyes of the other three girls, the air turned electric. Like two master duelists entering a ring, Bella and Rachel stepped closer, their eyes locked in competitive fire.
Bella asked, "What's the name of his first unreleased demo, the one he recorded before his YouTube breakout?"
Rachel answered instantly. "'Secondhand Dreams'. Recorded on a busted mic in his family home garage."
"What's his favorite breakfast cereal?"
"Cinnamon Toast Crunch."
"The title of the poem he wrote when he was fifteen?"
"'Nostalgia in D Minor.'"
Bella blinked. Then chuckled. "I have to give it to you. You really are a big fan."
Rachel grinned. "I know I am."
Jasmine, Jumana, and Mariam were standing to the side now, watching the two of them like spectators at a championship match. Jasmine leaned toward the others and whispered, "What's wrong with them?"
Jumana and Mariam simultaneously shushed her.
Jasmine gave them a look. All these girls are insane, she thought. I'm the only normal person here.
Back in the center of the room, Bella raised an eyebrow. "Alright. One more. And this is going to be specific."
She stepped forward, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. "In high school, Ethan joined a short-lived club. It wasn't music-related. What was it?"
Rachel blinked. Her mind began racing.
"I know this… I know it," she muttered, eyes closed as she tried to dig through the archives of her mind. She bit her lip. "It was… not cooking, not chess… ah! Drama club?"
Bella grinned devilishly. "Close. But wrong. Photography club. He joined for exactly two meetings because he had a crush on the president."
Rachel gasped. "I forgot about that! Nooo!"
Bella clapped. "I win!"
Rachel turned back to her friends, head bowed. "Sorry, guys. I let you all down."
The girls surrounded her, petting her back and shoulders.
"You were amazing," Jumana said.
"That was a close call," added Mariam.
Bella laughed, the sound echoing through the corridor. "Not so fast. It's been a while since I met another cultured soul. I'm going to help you."
The girls lit up like fireworks.
"You mean—we can meet him?" Jasmine asked.
Bella nodded, still smiling. "Yup. But you people should be thankful I was the one who found you."
Her smile turned wry. She gave a theatrical shiver.
"If it was my boss…"
She laughed loudly. "She's a demon. If she had caught you, you'd all be banned from ever attending another event."
The girls' faces slowly turned to horror. They exchanged wide-eyed looks.
Bella kept laughing. "Yes, that expression! That's what people normally do when they see her."
Suddenly, Bella froze.
Her back straightened. Her eyes widened slightly.
"She's right behind me, isn't she?"
A voice, calm and cool as a blade, replied behind her. "No, no. Continue. I would very much like to hear you."
Bella turned slowly, stiff as a board, her eyes darting up to meet the icy glare of the woman who had just spoken.
"B-Becs… nice to see you," Bella stammered, all her previous confidence dissolved.
Rebecca stood there in a perfectly pressed blazer, her arms crossed, hair swept back into a sleek ponytail. Her eyes scanned the five girls, settling on the four unfamiliar faces.
"I'll get back to you later," she said coldly to Bella, who immediately shrank back.
Then Rebecca turned to the others. The smile on her lips didn't reach her eyes
"Who might you four be? And tell me… don't you know this is a restricted area?"
A/N
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