R.E.M

twenty three

GREYSON'S POV

"I'm surprised you texted," I said, looking over at the dark-haired woman across from me, just moments after we placed our orders for drinks only.

"Well, I was in town," She shrugged, a smirk coming to her lips as she sipped her water through a straw. "And it just so happened to be your birthday."

I smiled, only shaking my head sheepishly."What a coincidence,"

"I've always been a strong believer in things happening for a reason, actually,"

"So you flew in from London just to see me?"

"I missed my favorite American, and I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world," Dua said, a smile still resting on her lips. "I'm surprised you were free though, you've been pretty busy lately I see,"

"Yeah, life's been so hectic. I'm glad I have a little bit of peace today."

"Well, do you at least have any breaks in between filming? You should come visit me soon."

I shrugged carelessly. "I can ask for a couple days off in August,"

"Good," She smiled, excitement trailing her voice. "I was thinking about our time back in Australia a few days ago. I miss that, we had so much fun then."

"One of my favorite memories of us ever," I smiled, just as she did. "Remember that night with the spider?"

"We're never talking about that again, you literally told me it was a crumb!"

"I couldn't see it that well! And I thought it was until it started to move,"

"I'll never forget that night," Dua sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Do you have anything tying you down, Cameron?" She asked.

My eyebrow raised. "Like what?"

"Anything," The woman shrugged. "Otherwise, we should go back for a while. What do you think?"

"I would actually love to get away for a while, but there's no way my schedule will allow that. And not only do I have my security but I have an assistant now too."

"Take a break, I know you're burned out," Dua said, resting her hands on mine reassuringly. "The second you agree I'll call my label and take one too. I'm sure your friends would love to go back to Melbourne, and I remember you telling me Ariana loved to travel. A distraction would be good for you and your team, especially with the Everest stuff."

"Can I have time to think about it?"

She stayed quiet for a second, surveying my face as she thought of an answer. "My flight leaves Friday at eight, I hope I see you there." Dua smiled, knowing I was on the brink of agreeing although I didn't give her an answer yet. "So what's going on in your life? You're glowing."

I laughed, only brushing her off as she persisted me to answer. "I'm dating someone, I guess, so maybe that's why."

"Oh, like officially?"

"Well not yet, but we've gone on a couple of dates and things have been great so far,"

"We should do a double date!" She proposed, nudging me slightly. "Unless you can't...?"

"Nope, not with the PR breakup still fresh,"

"We should have it at my house then," Dua offered. "Who is she anyway?"

"Ariana,"

"Your assistant? I actually love your type, Ariana's gorgeous and super super sweet. I'd definitely love to get to know her more, but isn't dating your assistant risky? What happens if things go wrong?"