....Ready For It?

[Blake Emma Renner]

Blake turned her head from side to side, feeling the tension in her body starting to feel like it was taking over. Did anyone realize how vulnerable this was? This wasn’t posting an insignificant status update that people forget about in a week or two. Who the hell was she to be releasing a movie on Nettflix? A documentary where they just follow her around… People had been listening to her sing for nearly fifteen years, but did they even want to listen to her talk? Any time she said anything it felt like it was instantly on attack. So how the hell did she convince Shane to direct a video diary. Would she get booed out of her career? Would she get called privileged and entitled? She turned her head, looking over at Logan and felt a slight sense of relief wash over her. Whatever they had to say, they couldn’t take that away. The way that he looked at her, the fleeting softness in his eyes that had been there since Trigonometry.

Blake reached over, placing her hand on top of Logan’s and felt her shoulders sink back comfortably. It was all she could do but to fall over laughing as she looked up, basking in her friends sitting across from them. Shane had Mackenzie in a fit of laughter, that only Shane could do. Because, honestly,… only Shane could get a girl in a custom Dolce dress laughing so hard that she was spilling Dom P. in the backseat of an armored car. What was this world they lived in? It was crazy that as they got closer to the venue, she could literally feel the level of noise outside the car. But right now, in this car, they had their own little world. As the car came to a stop, she leaned forward, doing the same secret handshake closed with a hug that ther and Mackenzie had been doing for the last several years. She looped her fingers around Mackenzie’s, casually holding her hands while Shane and Logan climbed out of the car. “Logan! Shane! Over here1” she heard someone call out. She watched as they sauntered off into the flashing paparazzi lights, and looked over at Kenzie, squeezing her hand tightly with a smile before stepping on the carpet with her.

[Logan Chase Renner]

Logan took a breath and gave Blake's hand a squeeze before he stepped out of the car and adjusted his jacket, smoothing out the slight creases and exhaled. Already the flashing lights from the cameras were bombarding his senses and he took a moment for Shane to stand beside him and let himself adjust to the sudden change in environment. "Good luck buddy, this is your baby tonight," he grinned giving his best friend a pat on the back and then stepped onto the actual carpet that was meant for interviews and official photos. Away from the brief reprieve behind he curtain he felt the adrenaline kick in a bit, remembering why he was here and the message he wanted to convey to audiences. "Logan!" someone called, and he recognized a celebrity reporter, one he would be naïve to pass by without a word. "Logan, you look dashing as always, and without your lovely wife. You know the cameras love you two together, right?" Logan laughed, "Yeah, I know. But this isn't my moment, tonight I'm just the husband you know," he offered. "But you're so much more than just the husband! Will we see tonight on camera how your influence has shaped Blake's career? What can we expect?" Logan thought for a moment, letting his gaze wonder off, as about 3 other reporters stuck their microphones close to his face to capture his response.

"No," he started, "you won't see that." Logan absent mindedly reached up to straighten his tie a bit, "Myself and the label were always just a safe space for Blake to create what she wanted to freely and when she was ready to do so, away from the opinions of money hungry executives. What you see is what Blake chooses for the world to see, my input comes as a supportive husband on that front." "You're saying you don't think you've influenced her career along the way?" "If I did, it was mainly out of love and support. People have misunderstood our relationship thus far, in a lot of ways. I think the media and general public view us as a team of producer/artist, as business partners first, but that's not how it is. She's my wife first, that always comes first. Our family comes first. I think that line between business partners and spouses is blurred by the media a lot, and people forget that she's Blake Parker. No one was ever going to get in the way of that, not me, not anyone. Her career is not defined by me at all." "Spoken like a true partner in life, you and Blake have always been in the headlines for the ups and downs in your relationship, a bit doubted as well. But the two of you seem stronger than ever." "Yeah," Logan said definitively, "As I said my family comes first, my wife comes first. The magic of the last 15 years is all her. She's that magic. She brings it to the table, you can't deny it just being around her. She is truly one of a kind. You'll see that tonight, the focus should be on her. This is her moment. I'm just the lucky bastard that gets to be married to her." The reporter smiled, "Well we can't wait to talk to her about the film, thanks so much for chatting with us."

Logan nodded and continued on, stopping a bit to pose and smile, watching Shane nervously talk about his thoughts on the film and his personal touches. No, tonight was not about Logan at all, and in a lot of ways he felt like his purpose in life was to not be in that spotlight at all. It was never about Logan, it was about how he could be on the sidelines and help other people realize their dreams. It took him a long time to get to this point, to step back into the shadows behind his executive desk and find his place there, comfortable with not being the main attraction. He was helping young women find their voices, he was the back bone to a modern company, a place where artists challenged the traditional way of the music industry. He was raising young women, terrified as he was of it. He was just figuring out how he fit into the puzzle behind these powerhouse people, these artist who were leading them into a new kind of future. He was cool with that. He glanced back and saw Blake take her first few steps onto the carpet and the media exploded with noise and lights, fighting for her attention. She deserved all the attention in the world. Even Logan was just as mesmerized by her as he was the first time he'd saw her, maybe even more so than the rest of the word.

[Blake Emma Renner]

Blake nervously started bending all over her fingers, popping them as though that sensation or normalcy would make any of this seem normal. Mackenzie had slipped away from her, talking to a reporter like they had been friends from way back. She always had that air about her, though. Mackenzie knew how to work a room like it was her day job. She could make anyone feel like they were the most important person in the world. It was still amazing to Blake that she was her best friend. That the coolest girl in school, also happened to be the nicest. That the hottest guy in school happened to be the most supportive. But they weren't in high school anymore. She was nearing thirty more than she wasn't. Yet, staring down the lens of these photographers felt a lot like having to swallow your nerves and stand in front of your classmates. Were they quietly mocking you? Did they secretly hate your outfit? Did they want you to fail? She watched Shane for a moment, the natural ease of his laugh. Every single one of them deserved to be where they were; so why did she still feel like she was a fraud? "Blake!" she heard from a familiar voice and snapped herself out of the noise that was drowning her. Go time.

Blake looked up and smiled, making her way over to the entertainment reporter. "Oh my gosh, hi" Blake said, leaning in to give the small framed woman a hug. Why did she decide to wear heels when she was already so tall... It made her feel like a giant when standing next to the perfectly petite reporters of the world. "We got a chance to get a wave from Logan before someone snagged him. Everyone seems in great spirits, are you looking forward to tonight?" Blake lifted her eyebrows and gave a quick laugh, "Uh, you know.. I am insanely proud of Shane. And he um... Well, he came to me and he wanted to tell this story. I think people are getting really tired of hearing about me and from me, and Shane has always been one of the most supportive people in my life. And what it came down to is that I really wouldn't have trusted anyone else to hand over my life to in terms of it being recorded and edited. He's a phenomenal artist, and he's so insightful. But he's been there for all of my highs and all of my ...all time lows... " she said, giving a dry laugh. "It is true though. Your experience in the media has been the outsider makes good, becomes America's Sweetheart, and then all of the sudden goes from Disney princess to America's favorite person to hate. You were at the center of cancel culture, what made you think this was the right time to tell your story?" Blake looked over her shoulder, catching glimpses of what Logan had been saying in his interview. It was a weird culmination of hearing his kind words combined with being reminded that hey... America was sick of you.

"One of the downfalls of this career is that you really open yourself up to the public opinion of others. And what I have to take to heart is that a lot of the negative things that were being said about me were by people that did not know me. Um.. And I get being sick of me. I was so eager to work every chance that I could that I took literally every chance. You feel like you need to always stay busy or else the industry will forget about you. But, I was really lucky. I wouldn't be where I am without the support of the people that really know me. And I think... Shane is a natural story teller. He loves being able to convey something. So this idea had been approached and we were all in a group. I said I didn't know that I trusted anyone to tell my story, and he so easily volunteered for it. It wasn't something that I ever felt like he would be interested in, but he's such a gifted story teller. And I mean admittedly, he was there. He was there for the hard times. He was there when I felt like I couldn't breathe. And I am not trying to sound like I don't understand how fortunate I am. I am definitely not asking anyone to feel sorry for me. It was just a sense of knowing that if someone was going to tell my story, and tell it in a genuinely raw way, it was going to be Shane," she said, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Could that be because you two were intimate for a summer prior to your romance with Logan Renner?" Blake tossed her head back, giving a slight laugh. She had almost forgotten that the media connected the two of them simply because she had hung out on their tour bus for a couple of shows. In reality, she and Shane had been working on lyrics. Logan knew music like its flowed out of his fingertips, but Shane understood Blake lyrically in a way that almost felt unmatched.

"Oh man. Don't tell Logan. I still hold a candle for Shane. That was the best summer romance of my life," she said, because why not? Sometimes you had to have a little fun. "Logan is probably the biggest reason you're here tonight. Do you ever feel like you can't separate work from home?" Blake took in another deep breath, feeling her palms getting anxious as the questions continued. "Honestly, no. It's pretty great. I mean, I am the first to admit that Logan makes me a better artist, but I think that is largely because he is my best friend and husband. He knows me, he supports me. I think most importantly he understands me. So um.. if we're in line at a Starbucks and I think of a song, he can tell the look in my eye and just hands me a napkin to write on. If I can't sleep at night, he's the first to make me a cup of tea and to lead me to our piano. It's something that can be all consuming as an artist, and I don't think any one else would honestly be able to understand my level of .. I don't even know what you would call it. There aren't blurred lines. It just sort of feeds on itself, and is a cyclical nature of him bettering me." she said, feeling her publicist trying to escort her down the line. She waved as the reporter said goodbye and continued her way down the line.

A few interviews later and she was finally inside the venue, thankful that part was over at least. She looked around, realizing that people had sort of naturally filtered off into their own groups, and she was sure her own would all make their way back toward one another in a moment. There was a food stand, which she could tell because the moment they had gotten in there, her stomach was doubling over itself and growling just from the smell alone. Blake found her way over to a taco set up, grabbing a ton on a plate for herself, Logan, Shane, and Mackenzie before making her way past people to try and get to a seat. She noticed a sign indicating that food wasn't meant to be brought into the screening area, but.. what were they going to do? Blake made her way over to what she assumed was going to be their seats, or at least.. it would be now. Sitting down, she rest the massive plate of tacos in her lap, embracing the quiet for just a few moments.

[Logan Chase Renner]

People began filtering into the theater to take their seats, and Logan remained polite and social with reporters and others, but he wanted to find Blake. She needed to stand on her own sometimes, as a public figure, and remind people who she was as an individual. But now that they'd done the whole media thing he just wanted to be by her side. He wanted to be together while she opened up and let all these strangers into her world. It was kind of scary, and at the very least he could hold her hand. "Alright, let's get this show on the road," he heard Shane say as he approached Logan with Mackenzie on his arm. Riley was on a business trip, and honestly it made sense that they the four of them be together tonight. "Yeah, may as well. You nervous?" He prompted, and Shane just let out a breath, "I'm nervous for Blake if that's what you mean." Logan nodded, he knew the feeling. "I just want it to do her justice, let people see the Blake we know. I don't want to cause backlash." "That's out of your hands, you know that. There will be critics regardless," Mackenzie added. True.

They headed in, someone mentioning Blake had already gone inside, muttering something about food being allowed in the theater. "It's her damn show, let her have tacos," Shane smirked. They found her easily, as the seats around her were intentionally abandoned as if others knew those places were reserved for people close to her. "I smell food," Logan smiled happily as he sat beside her, Shane on her other side and Mackenzie on the end. "The only thing that would make this better would be your queso, undisputed," Shane stated and Mackenzie smirked, "No one tell Dani that." Logan took Blake's hand, "Well, how do you feel?"