Collaboration 29
*NOTE* I do not claim to know the celebrities mentioned below or their sexual preferences. This fictional story was written solely for entertainment purposes only and does NOT imply the sexual preferences of said celebrities or anything about their personal lives. Enjoy!
Once he was back in L.A., he checked into the hotel and just fell on top of his bed. He was more tired than he thought he'd be. His hopes of heading to the recording studio tonight just went up in smoke. After making plans to start recording again tomorrow, he ordered dinner and called Murphy, who said he'd be in L.A. the following day. Deciding that he wasn't in the mood to hit a club tonight, he just stayed in his room and relaxed himself. A little before eleven, he came up with some lyrics for a couple more songs. After that, he jumped in the shower and got ready for bed.
The next day was pretty uneventful seeing as he had to use the studio late at night because they were booked solid throughout the day. He wanted someone to talk to, someone to hold, and someone to kiss right. He wanted T.I. back in his life. Doing as his mother advised, he just thought of some of the good memories they two shared together, though it only made him lust after the caramel colored rapper even more. This was his hell. Although the thought of giving up on the relationship crossed his mind a few times, he couldn't quit T.I. for anything. He didn't know how to nor did he want to anyway. He called the driver after a long while of thinking about T.I. and was off to where it all started.
After meeting up with two producers his management team hired, they all busily went to work on doing what they did best; making music. The beats the producers cam up with were catchy and once Nelly's lyrics were laced into them, the tracks were blazing. His mind did wander from time to time but he worked hard to just concentrate on the music. It was late and even though he could keep going with the session, all they could do was come up with beats because he didn't have any new lyrics. Instead of wasting time and money, they all decided to just call it a night.
Shortly after the producers left, Nelly went on a mission. After what seemed like endless corridors he found where he wanted to be. Opening the door and standing in the doorway, the room where it all happened came into focus within his eyes. He put his hands in his pockets, leaned toward the door frame, his bicep resting against it, and stared at the couch where his life was forever changed. The night he kissed another man. The night where he fell in love with T.I. The memories were overwhelming him but he enjoyed it. This way, he felt closer to the man he loved. His mind vividly remembered everything about that evening as it replayed in his head. How he smelled. The position they were in. The look of confusion and shock plastered on both their faces. Those lips that felt so perfect pressed against his. Everything. How could he give up those feelings? How could he give up T.I.?
Though he wanted to see the place where he and T.I. first kissed, he wasn't expecting it to hurt him as much as it did. Seeing the room and the couch hit him hard. He closed his eyes and tried to think while on the limo ride back to the hotel but didn't come up with anything to help get T.I. to come back to him. It was hopeless. He was slowly starting to lose faith in his love. Once he got back to the hotel it was almost three in the morning and he was exhausted. His voice was straining a little from recording and his body was almost to the point of being non-responsive to his commands. His mental state of being was slip-shot at best as he fell onto the bed and sleep instantly carried his weak body away.
Nelly tossed and turned in his sleep throughout the rest of the morning hours. The emotional separation from T.I. was taking its toll on him. Though he loved the physical aspects of their relationship, the mental part was much more stronger. He felt the connection they once shared rapidly weakening and disintegrating into nothingness. As hard as he tried to prevent this from happening, it still continued. He felt around for his phone when he heard it ringing and felt it slightly vibrating the bed.
"Hello?" he asked it on almost incoherent voice.
"Hi sweetheart! How are you?" he heard his mom say.
"Not so good."
"What's wrong baby boy?"
"Everything. I'm losing this fight mom."
"Don't say that. It is hard but you can't give up son."
"I just don't know what to do anymore."
"You haven't thought of something yet?"
"No. I feel like I'm losing faith in my love. What am I supposed to do?"
"Maybe you should call her."
Nelly said nothing. "Are you there?"
"Yea I'm here. I don't want to do this anymore. It's too hard on me."
"Listen to me Cornell. You have to do this. You are worth it. You have to believe that in the end baby boy."
"You're just saying that because I'm your son."
"Stop it! Stop making excuses. I say it because it's the truth. You are worth it and if she doesn't realize that soon then maybe she's not the one for you."
"I don't know."
"You need me to fly out there to be with you?"
"No. I'll manage mom."
"You sure honey?"
"Yea. I'm a man now and I have to accept the good and the bad things that come with my mistakes."
"Don't give up. This is for you."
"I'll try my best."
"That's all I ask for son. I'll call you later to see how you're doing okay?"
"Okay mom. I love you."
"I love you too Cornell. Bye."
Talking to his mother made him feel better. He got up and brushed his teeth. After breakfast, he just relaxed in his room and hooked up his Playstation 2 to get his mind off of his music and T.I. for a while. He had the night off but his album still needed a lot of work. Ultimately though, he was happy with the progress he was making with it. He decided that the best way to relieve some of his stress and tension was to go to the gym. The hotel had a huge gym when he went down to it in a pair of black basketball shorts, a white tank top, and a white Nike headband. Most of the other patrons of the gym were too focused on their workouts to even notice him. He hopped on a treadmill and began working his body out.
The next weeks passed rather quickly with Nelly constantly being in and out of the studio finalizing his album, doing some appearances to promote it, and even hitting the clubs and partying on occasions with Murphy. T.I. was still constantly on his mind but he didn't let it bother him as much as it did before. He still loved him of course, but he had to appear strong, confident, and together in public. He was even more excited when he finally got the fixed chain T.I. gave him back. It looked as perfect as the day he got it and the work on it was so good that there was no evidence it was ever broken in the first place. Nelly, of course, rocked it everywhere he went now that he had it back. It made T.I. feel closer to him and he liked that.
The album was done and Nelly was extremely proud of it. He even managed to get a love song onto it that he wrote for T.I., though only he knew it. The management team decided to push its release back to the sixth of June so it would give him more time to hype it up. He did everything from MTV's "TRL" to BET's "106 And Park" to tell the public about it, while dropping off his new single in the process to get the fans just as excited about the album's release as he was. He also did talk shows like "The View" and "Live with Regis and Kelly" to reach a different demographic, though he knew that his base was teenagers. His managers even talked him into doing a short radio tour, which he really didn't mind because it kept his mind off of everything, even if only for a short while.
The album launch was less than a week away now and Nelly found out that his team was planning on throwing him an album release party. It was going by slowly though because he was anxious to get it out to the fans. The promotions for it were going extremely well and he could feel the excitement growing within the fans. The single he just released shot up the charts and was now sitting at number one. During the weekend, he went crazy with Murphy and some other friends from the group he belonged to, The St. Lunatics. They went to party after party, drank alcohol like it was water, and just enjoyed each other's company. This was great for Nelly because he was so busy with work and hanging with his crew that T.I. hardly crossed his mind. When he did though, he felt hopeless and still wounded.
They Spyder Club was jam packed with celebrities and fans that came out to support Nelly's new album. Though the numbers wouldn't be out for another week, he was confident about it as he talked to reporters on the red carpet outside the club. This was his night to shine and though he was, he wanted T.I. to be there to share it with him. After he talked to the reporters, he walked into the packed club and went to the bar to get a drink. The music was blasting, the lights were flashing, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Nelly wasn't expecting such a big turn out but he appreciated it. He met up, talked to, and took pictures with everyone from Usher to Chad Michael Murray. The party was a wild success.
About three hours into the party one of his managers informed him that he should be getting ready to hit the stage soon. Following him backstage Nelly did a quick change of clothes and started warming up his voice. All of the St. Lunatics were there and would be taking the stage with him. The management team picked out three songs for him to perform, to which he didn't object to because he liked all the songs on this record. A crack of thunder boomed outside and they all knew that rain was headed their way. Once he heard the announcer mention to the crowd about the live performance, they all stepped out onto the stage and began doing what they knew how to do best.
Being back on stage gave Nelly more of a high than he imagined it would. The lights, raving music, and screaming fans fed him and ignited a fire inside him that always made him perform better. As he suspected, the fans went wild with the crazy beats and his even crazier lyrics. The dance floor was crowded with normal people and celebrities alike, dancing it up and living life to the fullest. This was his night. He savored in the glory of the moment as his adrenaline levels reached intense highs. The few other times when he felt this good was when he was with T.I. The impromptu concert was getting the fans more hyped up than even he ever anticipated and he loved every moment of it.
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