𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

proud

wholesome/sappy
words: 1527 (very long)
unedited
june 29 2020
—
the sun set slowly, occasionally blocked by buildings
as the car drove through the mellow streets. ruels head rested on my shoulder as we waited silently in the backseat. his fingers enlaced in mine, the venue coming into view.

his grip tightened, and i turned to face him, "it'll be alright, i promise." he didn't respond, silently acknowledging what i said. the car stopped, i thanked the driver as we exited: the sunset city illuminated by the dim, yet bright string lights.

i texted coco, letting her know we were outside.
"you ready," i asked softly, rubbing his back as i looked at him to gauge his reaction. he looked down at me, his eyes meeting mine with a hint of uncertainty, "as i'll ever be."
"okay," i sighed lightly, a little worried about him. before i could get out my next word, coco interrupted us and the doors opened as soon as we reached the top step.

coco, ruel and i stepped into the skyscrapers elevator as silence fell upon us.
"you ready, kiddo," coco asked.
"why does everyone keep asking me that," ruel whispered.
"w-huh?" coco said, not catching what ruel said. although, i heard him loud and clear. a ding broke the silence, again as ruel left the elevator before coco and i even blinked.
"he's just a little anxious," i said, lightening my tone and reassuring coco.
"yeah, i'm sure he'll be fine," coco said, as we excited the elevator and pulled the large glass doors open to enter the building's 15th floor reception studio.

screams erupted from the sound studio as ruel paced a few steps ahead of us. a slight smile plastered on his face as he traveled to the center of the celebration. for ruels upcoming album, he decided that he didn't want anyone, besides his team, to hear it. including me, his sisters, his family — everyone.

so, we threw a listening party, two days before the official release date. string lights illuminated the studio as everyone was dressed in casual clothes, per ruel's request. it was his family — blood or not, our family. light music from his previous ep's played. the dimly lit studio was filled with comforting couches and blankets, as well as string and lantern lights adorning the walls with a small microphone in the center. cozy would be an understatement.

light chatter spread amongst the anticipating crowd, as platters of ruel's favorite snacks and mini-foods were passed around. i sat on the left hand side of ruel's couch, as his sisters and parents sat on the right.

the party definitely wasn't a "party vibe." it was quite intimate and the floor to ceiling glass walls surrounding the room displayed a gorgeous view of the city. each couch along the glass walls faced the center of the room, so i sat down and turned to look out the glass window/wall. i got lost in my thoughts, tuning out the chatter and falling in love with the sunset over the historic and modern buildings creating the infamous skyline.

"hey beautiful," ruel said, plopping down on the middle of the couch as his manager tapped a butter knife on a small glass in proximity to the microphone, to gather the crowds attention. ruel wrapped his arm my frame and i rested my head on his chest. he placed a light kiss on my head before a few people went up to the microphone to share a few words.

"i would just like to say, i love this kid," michelle said, pointing to ruel, his grin wide."it's been incredibly fun to document his tour experiences and i'm so so so excited to see what he has in store next!"

the crowd clapped lightly, as others cheered; coco coming last. "so we're all hear tonight to celebrate my idiot brother," she began, stifling a small laugh as a few others chuckled. "i really love this kid, even though he steals my room for music videos and always — i mean always, takes my food and sunglasses. he's hella talented, i really wish i got some of that talent to," she laughed wholeheartedly, as the crowd broke out into more laughter after hearing coco try — but fail, to sing some amy whinehouse songs an hour ago. anyways, i really love this dufus and i'm looking forward to seeing all the songs me wrote about me!" she said sarcastically, playfully flipping her hair, smiling at ruel as sat back down next to ruel.