Love And Other Drugs

A whirlwind of activity was swirling around her and Luxe smiled as she took it all in. She was in studio city, in a huge warehouse filled with people that were setting up camera equipment, a black and grey background and then there was the makeup team. One girl was touching up her light pink lips, while her usual makeup artist Sutan was placing the finishing touches on her eyes. Luxe was shooting her Urban Decay makeup add today and this had been something she had been looking forward to for weeks.

Luxe had been contacted the previous summer by the head of Urban Decay-a very successful makeup brand-and was asked if she wanted to work with them in the coming year. Luxe had jumped at the chance and had been working on things with the company quietly. Now her line of Urban Decay products-appropriately named Luxe-was going to launch in a little over a month. A five piece lipstick line, a blush line, two eyeshadow pallets and a fantastic new liquid eyeliner would all come out under the Luxe name.

The two pallets were the things that Luxe was the most excited about-the Bad Girl Pallet and then there was the Good Girl Pallet. Currently she was wearing a very smokey almost vixen look from her Bad Girl Pallet and Luxe was in love with it. There were nine shadows in each pallet, three of which were identical and had been created just for her.

Doll Baby-a light misty pink with a bit of a shimmer

Dolled Up-a deep burgundy color that was currently on her lid

Luxe-a dark grey, almost black color that had a glittery shine to it


Luxe loved them all and she knew that her fans would as well.

The only draw back to all of this was that the other girls weren't being included in it-infact they didn't even know about it really. It's not that Luxe was trying to keep it a secret, but she knew that the other girls were more worried about their partying and their own side projects to really care all that much. Pixie and Lulu were doing a dress line, Char had her line of guitars through Schecter and Mads was working with a company to come up with her own brand of Energy Drinks.

The girls were drifting apart and secretly Luxe was looking forward to it. She had broken down three days ago once it hit her that at some point she was going to have to choose between Andy or the Dolls. It made her tear up even now just thinking about it and quickly Luxe tried to calm herself down. Her hands were shaking and she tried her best to grip the notebook that was sitting in her lap. The girls were all trying to work on demos for the coming record and Luxe had alot of material pinging around in her head.


"You alright there doll? Your face just lost all of it's color." Sutan-an amazing person and someone who she was becoming very close with-asked with a smile on his dark lips. Half Indian with a white mother, Sutan had dark skin, long black hair but his eyes were a haunting blue color that reminded Luxe of Andy.

"I'm fine. Just have some things on my mind. New album and all..." Luxe excused and Sutan just raised one perfectly tweezed eyebrow at her.

"Is Andy giving you shit again? Because if so honey that perfect boy is not worth your tears." The makeup guru said with so much sass that Luxe couldn't help but smile.

"Andy's not it. Just stressing out over some songs I've been working on for the girls. Plus keeping this whole UD thing under wraps is testing my nerves big time." She said and Sutan only gave Luxe a look. He had been friends with Luxe and the Dolls for over a year and he knew that they used to never keep things from one another.

"When is Andy coming home?" Sutan asked as he ran a fluffy brush across her cheeks, making her look fresh faced. Luxe felt her cheeks heat up at the mention of her long lost boyfriend. Luxe missed Andy, but she knew that with his homecoming was going to come a very long and dreaded conversation.

"In a little over a week. He's ready-they're all itching to get back in to the studio." Luxe said as she looked at herself in the mirror.


How was it that whenever she looked in to the mirror all she saw was a very awkward girl sitting there, but Andy always made her feel like the most beautiful thing in the world? Luxe continued to stare at herself in the mirror, trying to see past the glitz and glamour of the makeup, the hair and the clothing.

She was still just a girl-now twenty-three and yet she had been through a lot in her life. The drugs and partying had aged her, but Luxe smiled because when she thought about Andy she felt younger than ever.

Somehow he made her feel like a teenager again and she knew it was because he was such a kid himself. Easily excitable Andy was up for almost anything. It made Luxe excited for the things to come in her life because she knew that her life would be with Andy. They had fought, they had broken things off, been apart and yet they were still able to come back to one another. Andy made Luxe feel beautiful and as she sat there and thought about how he made her feel, Luxe found a song popping in to her head.

Looking around and seeing that there was still a little bit of time before the shoot was to begin, Luxe brought her legs up to her chest and pulled her notebook towards her. Her fingers flew across the page as she wrote, knowing that this would be the perfect song for the coming album. Ten minutes passed by and suddenly as Luxe looked down at the words she had written she knew that they were really how she felt.


I stare at the girl in the mirror
T-shirt, torn up jeans, no beauty queen
But the way that you see me
You get underneath me
And all my defenses just fall away
Fall away

I am beautiful with you
Even in the darkest part of me
I am beautiful with you
Make it feel the way it's supposed to be
You're here with me
Just show me this and I'll believe
I am beautiful with you

I stand naked before you now
No walls to hide behind
So here am I, you see all of my scars
Still here you are
I bare my soul and I'm not afraid
Not afraid

I am beautiful with you
Even in the darkest part of me
I am beautiful with you
Make it feel the way it's supposed to be
You're here with me
Just show me this and I'll believe
I am beautiful with you

I've been the strong one for so long
But, I was wrong
Doesn't make you weak cause you needed someone
I'm not holding back and I know what I want

I am beautiful with you
I am beautiful with you

You want me for myself
Look at me at no one else
I am beautiful with you (With you)

I am beautiful with you
Even in the darkest part of me
I am beautiful with you
Make it feel the way it's supposed to be
You're here with me
Just show me this and I'll believe
That I am beautiful with you


"You ready honey?" Someone asked her and Luxe jumped as she had been so lost in her own words. It was Sutan and he was standing over her and smiling at her through the mirror.

"Yep, all set." Luxe smiled softly as she closed her notebook and shoved it in her purse.


As she walked towards the set, Luxe pulled her shirt down-they were going for a casual rocker look and it was perfectly Luxe. She was so happy that Alex had let go of the broken doll look as it wasn't practical and it also just wasn't who the girls were anymore. Now they wore leather jackets, torn jeans and t-shirts for various bands or things that they liked. It was simple, but their fans seemed to identify with them more this way.

Luxe found herself standing in front of the black and grey backdrop with a camera right up in her face. They would shoot the Bad Girl Pallet look first, then Sutan had to literally scrape all of the makeup off of her face and give her a softer look. Her clothing would remain the same, but instead of the wild and teased hair that she had now, it would be flat with soft curls framing her face. Luxe followed the directions of the photographer, moving her chin up, down and then turning her face slightly to the left.

While Luxe posed for the camera and let the photographer get as close to her as possible, the singer didn't even notice the four girls who were standing in the shadows of the warehouse. They watched in silence as their bandmate did her thing and while they all felt a sense of betrayal at this hefty secret, Char, Pixie, Lulu and Mads couldn't help but feel proud of their friend.

Luxe had made a name and a life for herself-they all had side projects and there was nothing wrong with it, but they hated the secrecy. If it hadn't of been for a letter coming to Char's place on accident the girls never would of known about this venture or the shoot today. Soon enough Luxe was finished with this look and as she turned to head back towards Sutan's area, her heart stopped as she saw the four girls walking towards her.


"Hey Luxe. Pretty nice shoot you've got going here..." Char said with a guarded smile and Luxe swallowed hard.

Fuck.

Notes

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Beautiful With You by Halestorm