February 2023

"Y-you what?" I question, stuttering slightly as I take the headphones off my ears. Today was the day I brought my songs into show to the record label and, eventually, find an artist who'd want to sing them. When they asked me to step into the recording booth, I didn't think much of it... I mean, they just wanted to hear the songs live, right?

    What I didn't expect was for them to announce that they didn't think someone else should sing my songs. They wanted me to sing them.

    "We think you should record these yourself," The woman, Angela, says. She's in her forties and way cooler than me, with hair chopped into a pixie cut and eyeliner sharp enough to leave a scratch. Beside her, Dan, the other producer, nods in agreement.

    "No, I couldn't," I laugh uncomfortably, unsure what to say.

     "Eden," The woman motions for me to step out of the recording booth, patting the seat beside her. I slowly walk out, "we've been looking for talent like yours for a while," she explains, "someone new and fresh that girls everywhere could relate to, and we think you've got what we're looking for. You could be a star."

    I laugh because it's comical to imagine myself like that. Growing up, I always admired pop musicians like Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift, but I never imagined I'd be like them... They were glamorous and powerful, the kind of women who captured the room. I was just me, Eden Bliss.

    "We're serious," Dan says, not laughing, "Eden, we've been doing this a long time. We know a star when we see one, and that's you. We believe we can make you the next big thing."

    I keep waiting for them to laugh, to get to the punchline and reveal they've been playing with me all this time, but they don't. Dan and Angela both watch me seriously, meaning every word they say, "I-I just don't know what to say," I admit, shaking my head.

    I expected to walk in here, sell my songs and leave, not get offered a record deal.

     Angela smiles, a friendly smile that calms my nerves a bit, "say yes," she says, but not in a pressuring tone, letting me know it's up to me still.

    I want to. I've never pictured it before, a life where I was famous, singing my songs for people that aren't Trinity or Jamie. For a brief moment, I imagine what'd it be like to hear other people sing my songs back to me, for other people to relate to my lyrics and love them so much.

    But when I picture all of that, I'm not the girl on the stage or the album covers. Because it just doesn't make sense, there's no way I could do something like that.

    "Can I think about it?" I say instead of answering, tilting my head, "It's a lot to take in."

      Reaching over, Angela squeezes my hand, "Of course, take all the time you need. You have our numbers."

    Dan smiles at me as I stand up, nodding his head, "It was great meeting you, Eden. I really hope you take us up on our offer."

    I smile at them both as I walk toward the door, nodding, "Thank you."

     I need to talk to someone to have someone tell me that this is as ridiculous as I think it is. I rush to my car, notebook clutched in my hand as my mind races, thinking over everything that just happened in the last hour. I press call once I'm finally sitting in the driver's seat, muttering under my breath, "C'mon J, please answer."

    It feels like an eternity until the Facetime call finally connects, my boyfriend's tired face greeting me. He's probably just gotten in from work and is changed into a hoodie, sitting on the couch in the living room of his flat, "hey, you." Jamie smiles, "You done your meeting?"

    I'd been texting him all morning, nervous about the whole thing, and he's been nothing but amazing, supporting me from afar every step of the way. Long distance still sucks majorly, but we'd gotten pretty okay at it.

    "Yeah," I breathe, catching my breath, "just got out."

     "And?." Jamie drags the word out curiously, "How'd it go?"

     "They offered me a record deal?" My statement comes out as more of a question, still not believing what just happened.

    Jamie sits up straighter, his eyes wide, "why are you upset about that, love?" He asks, confused as to why my reaction isn't matching his. He's smiling brighter now, proudly, "Eden, that's amazing."

    "I guess," I shake my head, confused, "I don't know, it just doesn't sound real, ya know? They kept saying they could make me a star," I laugh again at the word. It never gets less ridiculous to me.

    Jamie sighs, frowning, "You need to stop doubting yourself, E." He says to me, tone serious, "You do realize that's my favourite person you're talking about, right?"

     I can't help but smile at his words, wishing he were here right now beside me, holding my hand over the center console, the pad of this thumb rubbing soothing circles across my hand as he helped me wrap my mind around this life-changing decision. "You think I could do it?" I ask him, knowing he'll answer honestly.

    Jamie nods, "I think you could do anything you put your mind to, Eden Bliss."

    "It's tempting," I admit with a shrug, thinking over it more clearly now, trying to be less self-deprecating. I remember, as a kid, going to see Taylor Swift with Trinity. She was so cool, swinging her hair around back and forth, wearing her glittery dress and strumming her guitar.

    She was the kind of artist that made me feel like my silly little songs could be more like my words could have an impact on people. She was so effortless and cool, and she was just a girl. I remember feeling like I could do anything after that show, swept up in the whirlwind of the moment.

    Could I make other little girls feel that way?

     "What's going on up there, Trouble?" Jamie's voice breaks me out of my thoughts, curious.

      I thought it would take me days to come up with an answer, but I know what I wanted to do. It would change things, I'd probably have to stay in LA a little bit longer, but maybe it would be a good change? "I think I'm gonna say yes," I say quietly, voice still unsure, "is that okay?"

    "Why are you asking me?" Jamie says, laughing. He's smiling at me, so proud that my heart feels like it might burst out of my chest. I'm doing this, I think, smiling too. "Eden, I want you to do whatever makes you happiest, and I see the way you look when you sing. You're meant to do this."

    "Yeah," I nod, hand reaching for my car door. I could wait and call them later, but I can't; I'm too excited. "I am." I slam my car door, looking at Jamie one last time. If he were here, I'd kiss him right now, but he's not, so instead, I settle for a smile, one that I hope expresses every ounce of love I feel for him. "I'm gonna go back in and talk to them. I'll call you later?"

     Jamie nods, "I'll be waiting. I love you, Trouble."

      "I love you, J."

March 2023

@jamieflatters posted a photo!

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jamieflatters
Told ya you'd be a star. Congrats on the number one song my love, wish I was there to celebrate with you❤️

Tagged: @edenbliss

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baileybass #1 on the charts #1 in our hearts. So insanely proud of you, E.💞
— jackchampion hell yeah🤘🏻😝

user1 respectfully, I am in love with your girlfriend

user2 bruh, I wish someone loved me enough to write romantic music about me

edenbliss thank you for the balloons and flowers, J. I miss you💜

🖤

     My hands are shaking as Trinity reaches over to squeeze my hand in hers. We're in the back of Lilly's car while the couple in the front is turned to face us, the car in park as we listen to the radio. Angela told me to turn on the radio 10 minutes ago, claiming I'd want to hear it. "This next artist just released this song a few days ago, and it is already number one on the billboard top 100," The radio presenter speaks. "She's been posting clips of her original songs on Instagram for a few weeks and has hit over a million followers overnight."

    Lilly squeals, raising the volume, while Jack takes his phone out, recording us in the back, "I don't know about you, Gayle, but I have repeatedly been listening to this song. I think we've got a hit on our hands... this is Eden Bliss Apocalyptic Crush now on the mix."

  We're all screaming so loud you can't hear the piano intro to the song. It's been crazy. Overnight everything changed. I went from a couple thousand followers on Instagram to millions overnight, my song everywhere, blowing up on apps like Tik Tok and Instagram. Angela and Dan kept saying it'd be a hit, but I never expected this.

    "That's my best friend," Someone yells. Lilly turns her phone to reveal Bailey on facetime, smiling so big. I wave excitedly, still in shock. The five of us sing loudly as tears brim my eyes. I've been working my ass off with the past month, writing and recording every single day, desperate to get music out. The album was coming out in 2 months, which somehow feels like a lifetime away and also tomorrow?

    It's crazy how fast life can change.

     "You have to call Jamie," Trinity nudges me as the first chorus ends and the second chorus begins.

    He and I talked briefly earlier, but he's gotten so busy on set recently, working the strangest hours. As a result, our calls were getting shorter and shorter as we both worked, and neither of us could coordinate times to facetime.

    I pull my phone from my pocket, pressing his contact. It rings for a minute before he answers, "Do you hear this?" I greet him, having to yell slightly over our singing friends and my song in the background, "That's my song... on the radio!"

    I wait for Jamie to smile and cheer, but he merely nods, "That's great love." He says tiredly. I completely forgot to check the time there, my mind racing as I looked at the clock in the front of the car. Shit... It's 8 p.m. here, meaning it's 3 a.m. in the UK. He probably just fell asleep, and now I woke him up.

    "I woke you, didn't I?" I ask guiltily.

      "You're fine," he reassures, though I can see how exhausted he is. I'm normally so aware of the time difference, but tonight I'd been so excited, I didn't think. "I should get back to sleep, though. I'm up in 2 hours for work."

    "Right. I'm sorry." I don't know why I feel so sad; I called him in the middle of the night, of course, he has to go. "Night, J."

     "Night, E." He hangs up quickly before I can say anything else.

      I don't even realize my friends have turned the music down until Jack speaks up, his tone laced with concern, "You okay?" He and Lilly have been doing long distance, too technically, and it seems to be going so much better for them. For starters, the time difference between Virginia and LA is nothing compared to LA and London, and Jack is here so often it feels like he's never gone.

    I should be happy for them, and I am... but mostly, I'm jealous. Longing for things to be that easy for Jamie and I.

     "Yeah," I nod, forcing a smile onto my face, one I'm sure they can all see through, "Long distance is weird. I know he doesn't mean to be so short with me. It's the middle of the night; he's tired..."

    "That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," Lilly says, knowing how I'm feeling, "have you talked to him about it?"

    "I think talking to him about it requires us being on the phone with one another longer than a few minutes," I say, my tone slightly bitter. It's not even his fault entirely. It's mine too. I've been so busy with the album and recording that all I do is write, sing and sleep. When I hang out with friends, that usually just means them tagging along to the studio that day to listen in or spending the night at their house cause their closer to the studio.

   "You're both just really busy right now," Bailey chimes in, optimistic as usual. God, I miss her and her positive outlook on life. "I'm sure once the album is out and Jamie wraps the project he's working on, you'll find some more time to talk."

    "Yeah," I nod, though I feel doubtful . I'm only getting busier; once the album's out, I'll have to do press for it and then eventually a tour, something Angela and Dan are already preparing, knowing we've got a hit on our hands. It's a lot of pressure, and I don't want to let them down. "You're probably right."

🖤

@edenbliss posted a photo

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edenbliss
Ahhhh I can't believe I am typing this... my debut album SWEET comes out on April 1st, and you can pre-save it right now through the link in my bio!

I promise this isn't an April Fools joke lol🌈🩷🦋

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baileybass screaming!!

user1 omg omg omg

user2 I don't think I can wait that long

zoesaldana congratulations beautiful girl!

lilgibs I am your biggest fan omg
— jackchampion ummmm I'm pretty sure I am
— jamieflatters this is awkward

misstrinitybliss so so proud of you big sis!! I love you forever!
— edenbliss I love you more💞

jamieflatters so proud of you, love💙
— edenbliss thanks for being my muse, J.

user3 I already love it

masongooding I am fully prepared to scream this on the top of my lungs

taylorswift I say that's my baby and I'm proud❤️
— jamieflatters has anyone checked on Eden since this comment? Is she still breathing?
— Edenbliss asdfghjkl what is breathing?

Special shout-out to
@jami3flatters for making the Sweet album cover and editing the last insta pic for me!! Love you dude