#lauren silverman

[chicinsilk]

US Vogue July 1973

Lauren Hutton wears a long, figure-hugging dress in soft, silky red jersey. By Shannon Rodgers for Jerry Silverman. Clip by Peter and Peggy for P.C. Designs. Hair, Ara Gallant, editor Polly Mellen.

Lauren Hutton porte une robe longue près du corps de jersey rouge doux et soyeux. Par Shannon Rodgers pour Jerry Silverman. Clip par Peter et Peggy pour P.C. Designs. Coiffure, Ara Gallant, éditrice Polly Mellen.

Photo Richard Avedon vogue archive

[ulrichgebert]

Ist jetzt irgedwie schade, daß irgendwelche Pappnasen die Aufmerksamkeit für Bradley Coopers Leonard-Bernstein-Biographie Maestro übernäßig auf das prostethische Make-Up gelenkt haben, das übrigens ganz brillant ist. Ich denke, wenn Schauspieler nur noch Rollen spielen dürfen, die ganz genau wie sie aussehen, führt das zu keinen wirklichen Verbesserung in den Darstellungen. Wie natürlich oft bei Filmbiographien von Leuten, die man verehrt, kommen nicht völlig alle Aspekte und in diesem Falle Melodien vor, die man sich gewünscht hätte, ist hier angesichts des Maestros mannigfaltiger Betätigungsfelder natürlich auch besonders schwierig. Lauren Bacall und Stephen Sondheim weisen schön auf das Problem hin:

Aber eigentlich ist es doch recht würdig geworden. Rechnen Sie bald mit Candide! Außerdem bin ich ein bisschen in Carey Mulligan verliebt.

[zot3-flopped]

Considering how big Liam was I’m surprised how little celebrities attended his funeral. A bunch of random radio djs attended instead. No sign of Rita Ora, Roman Kemp or any Capital FM djs or BBC Radio 1 djs who actually knew Liam.

There were Capital DJs:

Mourners at Liam's funeral also included Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman, James Corden, Girls Aloud stars Nicola Roberts and Kimberly Walsh, Marvin and Rochelle Humes, footballer Robbie Keane, broadcaster Adrian Chiles and Capital Breakfast's Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby.

- Capital FM

[hayleythesugarbowl]

simon cowell x reader headcanons

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

a/n: had to use this pic because eric is adorable and puppies 🍓💌 💕

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

dating simon would include…

you two met because you were friends with lauren silverman and she introduced you two 

so when they broke up you turned from simon’s comforting friend to lover

even though your quite a bit younger

lauren’s age

youre like a second mom to eric and he loves you 

lauren still hangs out a lot (cause she’s eric’s mom, you know) and you love her so much

lots of family game nights and partied hosted

ok so about simon

like you KNOW his reputation but he’s actually super sweet 

he loves getting you things cause he rolling in dolla dolla bills y’all

he calls you “my little gold digger”

when he had his bike accident(s) you were there for him and even put together an event to raise awareness

he always lets you go with him to events & shoots 

and even lets you fangirl over the celebrities you meet (never without an eye roll though ofc because he gets jealous)

you guys have dogs obviously 

he would give you the world and makes huge romantic gestures 

he can be kinda intimidating but like he makes sure to let you know you’re perfect to him

he loves complimenting you

you love watching old episodes of x factor, bgt, agt, idol, etc. with him and making fun of the “tough judge” act 

and you have movie days when he’s not busy and he always cries when an animal dies

you go to the beach a lot together

amanda holden comes over often and she teases you guys about literally everything

it makes simon blush though so you love it

he’s such an old fashioned gentleman and always insists on paying

eventually he proposes

which shocks everybody as he’s never settled down

and he does it with a skywriter

you have a small wedding in london to avoid the paparazzi

he cries when you walk down the aisle

you guys move to england permanently

he loves you so much and you guys are just so happy together <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ i hope you guys enjoyed!! i know this isn’t my best work but like i felt like i owed it to my 11yo self to write for simon ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚🩰💌

[blazetothestars]

Defending Erasermight (Part 2)

“It’s a thing about heroes not lovey dovey stuff.”

Have you ever been apart of a fandom? There are ships in every kind of media you’ll consume. People are going to ship characters because they can. Stopping every shipper would be impossible. If you don’t want to see romance stuff then ignore it. On tik tok there’s a non-interested button for people who don’t want to see whatever content had been recommended to them again. The function exists for a reason.

“I think this would be really cute I just don’t like big age gaps.”

This is one of the more popular comments on Erasermight posts. Now, let’s really think about it. Aizawa is 31 and Yagi is predicted to be in his 50s. For most people, 20 years apart seems like a lot. In reality, this shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the ship.

1. Multiple celebrities have similar age gap. Elton John and David Furnish- 15 years. Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman- 18 years. Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble- 25 years. And many more!

2. They are both consenting adults. If two adults want to get in a relationship, then why not? Ultimately it is their choice to make.

3. Yagi and Aizawa are fictional characters.

Going back to the topic of Aizawa not hating Yagi from the last post. When talking to Kurogiri/Oboro he says “And I want all the greatest heroes to live long, happy lives!” Which could be assumed that he is directly referring to All Might. At the end of the episode the bench scene occurs and solidifies this theory. “Don’t apologize for being alive,” Aizawa told Yagi.

(All quotes are directly from the MHA English dub.)

If there is anything else you’d like me to clarify in a post, I will. Shoot me an ask or comment!

[igettalk]

Shorty after a month that 31-year-old former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne tragically passed away, in Buenos Aires, family and friends gathered to celebrate his life on Wednesday at a 12th-century church in Amersham, very close to London. “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” Styles, Malik, Tomlinson, and Horan said in a joint statement posted to Instagram shortly after the news broke of Payne’s death. “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you, Liam.” The late singer's former colleague at One Direction, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan came together again for the first time since they went on the 'On the Road Again' tour in 2015, marking a very important moment for supporters of the music band, which officially went their separate ways in 2016. Harry Styles, one of the most popular among the bandmates, took to his Instagram page to write, “’s greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honor to be alongside him as he did it."  Simon Cowell and fiancée Lauren Silverman, James Corden, and Cheryl Tweedy, a former partner of Payne's and the mother of their seven-year-old son, Bear Grey, were also present at the memorial service. Payne's lover before his death, actress Katie Cassidy, and the late singer's father and mother, Geoff and Karen, were joined by Damian Hurley, who also paid their last respects. The attendance at the shows the level of impact that Payne made on those around him and the world of music when he was alive. Read the full article

[flowfeelarts]

 Join our alumni like Lauren Lapkus, Matthew Gray Gubler, Ego Nwodim, Mindy Sterling, Margret Cho, Steve Martin, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman, Natalia Dyer, Michael Cera, Keegan-Micheal Key, Christopher Titus, Janeane Garofalo, Fred Armisen, Richard Belzer, Jackie Mason, Colin Mochrie, Caitlin Thompson, Luke Perry, Gary Cole, Rowan Blanchard, Jack Quaid, Cheri Oteri, Kristen Johnson, Micheal Boatman, Nancy Travis, David Koechner, James Masters, Kaitlin Doubleday, Alexis Knapp, Rex Lee, Rosanna Arquette, Yumi Lambert, Fred Willard, Kevin Farley, Adrian Grenier, Patton Oswald, Mel Brooks, Lou Diamond Phillips, Doug Jones, Thomas Lennon, John Bradley, Maria Bamford, Sunita Mani and many others! Submit Today! https://www.flowfeelfilms.com/

[dorothydalmati1]

The Simpsons Season 13 Episode 10: Half-Decent Proposal

Written by Tim Long

Storyboard by Lauren MacMullan, Greg Lovell & David Silverman

Directed by Lauren MacMullan

Directing assistance by Raymond S. Persi

[virtualcollectionblizzardblr]

I found this on NewsBreak: Simon Cowell shares ultra-rare photo of step-son Adam in sweet family pic with son Eric and fiancé Lauren Silverman

I found this on NewsBreak: Simon Cowell shares ultra-rare photo of step-son Adam in sweet family pic with son Eric and fiancé Lauren Silverman

[theentrepreneurmagazine]

Eric Cowell: A Glimpse into the Life of Simon Cowell's Son

Eric Cowell, the son of renowned television producer and talent show judge Simon Cowell, may be just a young boy, but he has already made a name for himself in the world of entertainment. Born on February 14, 2014, Eric is the apple of his father's eye and has been a source of joy and inspiration for Simon Cowell, best known for his roles on shows like "American Idol," "The X Factor," and "Britain's Got Talent." In this blog, we'll take a closer look at the life of Eric Cowell and his unique place in the world of celebrity children.

Early Life and Family

Eric Cowell was born in New York City to Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman, an American socialite and the ex-wife of real estate mogul Andrew Silverman. Eric's birth marked a significant turning point in Simon Cowell's life. The media mogul, often known for his stern and critical persona on television, underwent a transformation as he embraced fatherhood.

From the moment Eric entered the world, he became the center of attention for his parents, both of whom dote on him lovingly. Simon Cowell, who had previously been known for his bachelor lifestyle, quickly adapted to the role of a devoted father. He has often expressed how much Eric has changed his life for the better.

Bonding Moments and Public Appearances

One of the most heartwarming aspects of Eric Cowell's early life has been the close bond he shares with his father. Simon Cowell is frequently seen spending quality time with Eric, whether it's at the beach, on vacations, or attending events together. These public appearances have offered a rare glimpse into Simon's softer, more nurturing side. Read more

[zot3-flopped]

Who else was there?

Kate. Cheryl. Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman. James Corden and Ben Winston. Marvin and Rochelle Humes. Multiple radio DJs.

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] Simon Cowell reflected on the “really difficult” period of his life when he had to return to work just three days after losing his mom Julie Cowell in 2015.During his appearance on Mirror’s Men in Mind podcast, the music mogul dished on the “hardest” part of his life when he went through a traumatic period after mother’s death.He discussed how the birth of his son Eric and his fiancée Lauren Silverman helped him during his lowest moment when he had to resume work while navigating his mom’s passing. Cowell revealed he had to be back on the X Factor panel for the opening audition rounds just 24 hours after the tragic incident, however, fortunately the show got cancelled.The reality TV judge got two more days to mourn, recalling the time, he said, “It was really difficult… I’m in pieces but then I’m on TV.”“There were moments afterwards where it was really, really hard. And of all the times in my life, that was the hardest because it was just total finality. My mum and dad had gone and that was it.”Cowell revealed his mother got to see his son Eric even though she was really sick at the time. He said his little bundle of joy was one of the reasons he was able to deal with his pain. “Lauren was incredible,” he said, “and then Eric in his own way was my therapy because obviously having him, I had a completely different outlook on life.” “The minute he arrived, my priorities changed just like that,” Cowell added. [ad_2]

[celebsgonecrazy]

Simon Cowell departs Britain's Got Talent alongside Lauren Silverman and their son Eric

http://dlvr.it/Sprm7m

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, November 16

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s nights with Prince Andrew and teen Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Page 2: Brad Pitt kicked married galpal Nicole Poturalski to the curb after getting flak from his ex Angelina Jolie -- Brad’s relationship with Nicole hit the skids after Brad decided he needed to shore up his image during his ongoing custody battle with Angie and his focus right now is to get his dad image back on track and give Angie no more ammo to fling back at him

Page 3: Tiger Woods’ romance with Erica Herman has gone off course over legal troubles and wedding pressure and bickering over where to live and Tiger is so fed up he’s considering ditching his nagging girlfriend in Florida and moving back to his native California -- Erica’s been pressuring him to put a ring on it ever since she moved into his Jupiter Island mansion and that’s something he just won’t do and she’s already taken over his household buying new furniture and remodeling the master bath and building a new closet and hiring a gourmet chef -- California is looking better and better to Tiger who only moved to Florida to play on its tough Bermuda grass which helped improve his swing but now Tiger’s ex Elin lives in Florida with their two kids 

Page 4: Miranda Lambert is scoffing at ex Blake Shelton’s newly announced engagement to Gwen Stefani and she’s convinced Blake’s third walk down the aisle has failure written all over it because she thinks Blake’s bad to the bone and this marriage will wind up being a total disaster and after the hell Blake put her through Miranda can’t imagine his life with Gwen would be any different, lifelong bachelor Simon Cowell has had a change of heart since his horrific August accident and he’s finally ready to tie the knot with baby mama Lauren Silverman -- after spinal surgery to repair his broken back the entertainment mogul feels lucky to be alive and walking and the one constant in his difficult rehab after surgery has been Lauren and he wants to pay her back with a ring 

Page 5: Train-wreck Wendy Williams’ wacky behavior has TV producers scrambling behind the scenes to find her replacement after her unhinged performance on a recent episode of her talk show where she slurred her words and rambled incoherently -- there had been a hope a chatfest helmed by Nick Cannon could be a safety net should the daytime diva who spent a stint in a sober living house last year not be able to continue hosting but plans for that were pushed back after the comic made anti-Semitic rants in a podcast -- they also tried Jerry O’Connell when Wendy was out for three weeks last year but he tanked with viewers -- Wendy’s a mess and it remains to be seen how long producers will be able to put up with her problems before they decide to pull the plug 

Page 6: Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo hinted that she may be making her final rounds -- Ellen who has starred on the show since 2005 and makes $20 million a year admitted she’s considering slipping out of her scrubs after the current season 17 but her departure could spell the end of the beloved series and show creator Shonda Rhimes has said it’s unlikely the show could continue without her but Ellen has also expressed her desire to spend more time with her husband and their three children

Page 7: Mariah Carey’s brother Morgan blasted her memoir as filled with lies and distortions and he’s considering legal action -- the book called Morgan and sister Alison her ex-brother and ex-sister and Mariah wrote Morgan had a long history of violence and when she was six he slammed their mother into a wall -- Mariah also wrote her siblings and mother were heartless in terms of dealing with her as a human being and once she got famous they started treating her like an ATM with a wig on but Morgan is fighting back and looking to hire a lawyer

Page 8: Reese Witherspoon’s marriage to Jim Toth is in the muck after the stunning collapse of his new business venture and tensions are mounting in the Hollywood power couple’s already troubled union now that the streaming service Quibi crumbled after less than six months leaving content acquisition president Jim out of work while Reese’s star continues to rise and there’s a real balance of power that’s been building up and that’s put a serious strain on the relationship -- living in quarantine added to the stress between them as Reese has been holed up with her two kids with ex Ryan Phillippe Ava and Deacon and her son Tennessee with Jim at the family’s ranch in Malibu

Page 9: Dementia patient Kenny Rogers cut his three adult children out of his $250 million will and now sources fear the late country legend could have been tricked into signing the document -- Kenny left everything to his 16-year-old twins sons with fifth wife Wanda and the will also stated it was his intent to specifically exclude his daughter Carole with his first wife and son Kenny Jr. with third wife and son Christopher with fourth wife and their issue as beneficiaries of his estate -- Kenny Sr. would never disown his own children according to the source especially since the singer’s son Kenny Jr. is incorrectly referred to Kenny Rogers III throughout the will -- the wording is not like Kenny Sr. and something is not right and his older kids are thinking about contesting the will 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Kate McKinnon shot a Saturday Night live skit in NYC, Sophia Bush hit the road in L.A. with her co-pilot pup Maggie, pregnant Jinger Duggar Vuolo in Venice with daughter Felicity, Heidi Klum walking the streets in her native Germany, Snoop Dogg saluted young rappers as he accepted BET’s I Am Hip Hop award 

Page 11: Unwitting Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler once dabbled in the secret sex cult NXIVM -- the organization masqueraded as a self-help group but in 2017 it was exposed as a pyramid scheme for founder Keith Raniere who forced high-ranking female recruits to become his sex slaves -- in 2010 Jen and Gerry who were dating at the time wound up at one of the introductory seminars but they were turned off by the level of commitment expected and never returned -- they thought it was just a networking opportunity and had no idea what they were getting themselves into, cash-crunched Gwyneth Paltrow is facing hard times like everyone else and is looking to change her free-spending ways -- the belt-tightening caused by the coronavirus pandemic has even hit her lifestyle empire Goop causing her to shut down the London branch and make hard choices for the future -- Gwyneth may be worth $100 million but she and husband Brad Falchuk spend money like it’s going out of style on private jets they use on a whim and they own a fleet of fancy cars and pay steep salaries for staff who are at their beck and call 24/7 and it’s all draining their bank accounts -- they’re looking at making cuts across the board from personal trainers and chefs and drivers to the masseurs and beauticians who come to their house several times a week -- plus the couple believe it’s a bad look for them to be living so high on the hog when the rest of the world is suffering during the pandemic

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Angelina Jolie spent years developing her own version of the Hollywood classic Cleopatra and now she’s livid that Gal Gadot has stolen the Egyptian queen -- Angie’s dream was to play Cleopatra the role that made Elizabeth Taylor an icon and it was to be the part that won Angie an Academy Award for Best Actress and now that’s over thanks to Gal who will be playing the Queen of the Nile instead, after ABC scrapped plans to honor Regis Philbin with a prime-time tribute Jimmy Kimmel insisted on honoring Regis on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, MSNBC talking head Rachel Maddow is fleeing New York for her Massachusetts farm after hanging a $2.3 million price tag on her NYC pad but Rachel didn’t want potential buyers looking through all the personal stuff at her apartment so all the personal pictures and books and clothing and everything else was shipped out and replaced with staged furniture, Ariel Winter and her dog (picture) 

Page 13: Ailing Joni Mitchell opened up about how she’s still struggling to get back to her old self five years after a debilitating brain bleed -- after Joni was found unresponsive in her Bel-Air home in 2015 she said she was forced to relearn everyday tasks because the aneurysm took away her speech and her ability to walk and although she’s showing slow improvement she hasn’t been writing or playing the guitar or the piano, Randy Travis is defying all the odds as he plans the greatest comeback in country music history as he is making amazing progress after suffering a massive 2013 stroke that most believed would end his career forever and he was given just 1% chance of survival and even after he pulled through doctors believed he would be bedridden and unable to speak -- instead his grueling rehab efforts have miraculously put him on the road to realizing his dream of returning to the spotlight -- some of his motivation is financial; last year he sold his Nashville home and released his memoir which was fueled by his need to pay medical expenses after years of not being able to perform

Page 14: Hollywood Hookups -- Channing Tatum and Jessie J have split again, Cole Sprouse and Reina Silva dating, Kate Beckinsale and Goody Grace split 

Page 15: Ariana Grande is raising eyebrows with her raunchy new record Positions -- the former squeaky-clean Nickelodeon star who has been dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez spouted off X-rated odes to an unnamed lover on the LP, six months after sidelining her marriage to former quarterback Jay Cutler Kristin Cavallari admitted there are good days and bad days but insisted it’s been nice to be able to focus on herself and figure out who she is now and what she ultimately wants out of life, hotel heiress Kathy Hilton is joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a friend of the main cast which includes her half-sister Kyle Richards

Page 16: Crime 

Page 17: On Drew Barrymore’s talk show a psychic guest channeled the spirit of one of the host’s former in-laws but the man in question is very much alive -- medium Anna Raimondi told Drew she sensed the aura of a judge causing Drew to burst into tears and named David a relative of her ex-husband Will Kopelman claiming he’d passed but Judge David Kopelman is alive and still going strong -- Will slammed Anna was a submental hack and said he was surprised that Drew chose to give oxygen to someone like that

Page 18: American Life 

Page 20: Cover Story -- Prince Andrew is desperate to quash explosive testimony by his pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell but the socialite’s second secret deposition is torpedoing his return from royal exile -- after Ghislaine danced around details of her relationship with the disgraced Duke of York in testimony released a few weeks ago Andrew is sweating bullets about her second grilling under oath which contains details of their intimate friendship and nights with Epstein’s teen sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre 

Page 22: Don McLean viciously slammed ex-wife Patrisha Shnier as the worst person her ever knew but in their ongoing war of words she maintains he was abusive to her -- Don is still bitter over a 2016 domestic incident at their home in Maine that landed him behind bars and led to divorce after 30 years of marriage

Page 26: Matthew McConaughey confessed he nearly turned his back on Tinseltown to be a wildlife guide like late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin -- he made a splash in a string of blockbuster rom-coms in the ‘90s and ‘00s but he was eager to move on to meatier movies and even passed on a $14.5 million paycheck in 2010 to seek more substantial roles and the struggle left him considering other careers such as a wildlife guide, Jamie Foxx has been crushed by the death of his beloved sister DeOndra Dixon who was born with Down syndrome

Page 28: Good Catch -- Bachelor stars who are still up for grabs -- Jon Hamm, Owen Wilson, Drew Carey

Page 29: Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew Perry, some stars seem to say I do at the drop of the hat -- Larry King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Bob Thornton 

Page 32: Olivia Munn was caught on camera flashing what looked like engagement bling on her left ring finger as she exited a gym following a morning workout in Los Angeles but she reportedly broke up with boyfriend Tucker Roberts last year leaving fans wondering who bought the stunning sparkler 

Page 36: Health Watch 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Michelle Pfeiffer 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Allison Janney on Mom 

Page 47: Odd List 

[ruinedthatfriendship]

If Happy Is Her

A/N: In which Lauren kinda ships it? IDK, this one got weird. Also, I’m pretty sure given the last paragraph that when I originally wrote this, there was supposed to be a part two. So sorry for that. (If anyone really wants me to, I can take a stab at finishing it?)

There were very few things Demi wanted to do less than entertain Lauren Silverman at her kitchen table. But, here she was, awkwardly sliding a cup of coffee across the table to the woman who was a living, breathing reminder of when she wasn’t good enough.

It would have been so much easier if she’d hated her. But Lauren was genuine, and funny, and the sort of person she would have liked to have been friends with, once. If things had been different.

Demi swallowed hard and boosted herself up onto the high stool with a quick smile she wished hadn’t come out so fake. “So...this is a surprise,” she prompted carefully.

Lauren’s answering smile was just as forced, and she traced the handle of the cup Demi had given her, not quite meeting the younger woman’s eyes. She took a deep breath as if to begin speaking, then cut herself off before she could get a single word out.

Anxiety mounting, Demi waited her out. She hadn’t really seen Lauren since the news of her affair with Simon had first come out. There had been a few tense backstage run-ins when she came to the X Factor set, during which Demi had congratulated herself for her civility. She had seen the woman twice more, when she met Eric, but that had been over two years ago.

Simon, Eric, Lauren… she’d thought they were all entirely out of her life. And however much that had hurt, and still hurt, she was learning to make her peace with it. If happy is her, I’m happy for you. She’d written songs until the subject was beaten thoroughly into the ground, three quarters of which never made it out of her notebook. Considering how many songs she did have out with ties back to Simon freaking Cowell, that was saying something.

“Thank you,” Lauren said suddenly, softly, shaking Demi out of her thoughts. “You didn’t have to see me,”

Demi shrugged. “You were on my literal doorstep,” she pointed out, earning a weak laugh from the woman sitting across from her.

“Demi,” Lauren tried, then paused again. “There’s something you need to know.”

Demi tried to take a steadying breath, but it didn’t stop her mind from leaping to wild conclusions. “Is...is Eric okay?” she ventured suddenly. “Simon?”

Pain flitted across Lauren’s features, but she smiled a bit more genuinely. “No, they’re fine. They’re fine. I just…” She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think this would be quite this hard.”

Demi said nothing, and took a sip of her drink. Tea today, like the brand she used to frequently steal from Simon’s kitchen. She would never have made it if she’d known Lauren would show up--one slap in the face of past memories was enough for a day.

“I thought he was going to hurt himself,” Lauren blurted, earning a wide-eyed look of alarm from Demi over the rim of the mug. “He called me...I still don’t really know what it was about. He was so drunk, I told him to come here rather than let him try to get home...he said you fought.”

Demi’s eyebrows crinkled up in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Things got out of hand,” Lauren went on, biting her lower lip. “And I can never regret my son. But the night we made Eric, he, um, he just kept calling me Demi.”

Demi’s stomach was currently located somewhere in her toes, heart wedged into her throat. “What?” was all she had the strength to squeak out. This was in no way the conversation she’d expected, or planned, when she’d seen Lauren standing at her front door.

Lauren shrugged. “So I guess I always knew, you know? And as I’m sure you know, Simon talks in his sleep.”

Demi swallowed. No comment, she wanted to say dryly.

“I thought it would get better...I wanted to think he was just drunk and you were on his mind because he said you had a fight.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “It never did.” Lauren looked down at her coffee again. “I love him, Demi, so much.”

Demi wanted to scream. Why are you telling me this I can’t hear this right now I was doing so well please stop I just want to forget I can’t forget. She blinked her long lashes rapidly, trying to deny the sudden, inexplicable sting behind her lids. Don’t cry. Don’t.

“It’s taken me longer than it should have to understand that…” a humorless laugh. “He was there for Eric, not me. And I think we will always be connected, by our beautiful baby boy. But Eric isn’t a baby anymore. He sleeps through the night...I don’t really need someone to switch off with so I can sleep. We made it through the terrible two’s alive… it’s time to let go. You know?”

Demi blinked hard again, and shook her head. No, I don’t know. “I don’t understand,” she finally whispered thickly.

Lauren’s eyes shone too, and she reached out suddenly and put her hand over Demi’s on the table top, squeezing. “I never realized what an incredible thing you did, Demi, all those years ago. I didn’t want to see it. But there was a reason that it felt so tense when we saw each other on the set. I saw your face on the panel that season. And in spite of all of that pain, you gave us the gift of grace.” She pressed her lips together, then went on. “I think I know what ‘Stone Cold’ is about now, huh? And you let him go,” her voice had dropped to a whisper.

“Demi, what I’m trying to say, is that I think it’s my turn now.” She used her free hand to swipe under her eyes briefly, and let out a shaky little laugh. “Simon has done his duty to me, and to our son, a thousand times over. But he never loved me. Not the way I wanted him to, anyway. You understand better than anyone, I think, what it’s like to choose his happiness instead of yours. And I can’t keep being the thing standing in the way of his happy ending.”

Something broke in Demi’s chest suddenly, and she looked away, lips pressed together and quivering. Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry.

“And you know, if I have to listen to him going on about you while I’m trying to sleep one more time, I might just kick him out anyway.” Lauren snorted, her lips twitching up. “I need to let him go, Demi. He gave me a miracle, but that’s all we are. And it’s past time I gave him back to you.”

She took her hand off of Demi’s with one last squeeze, and then leaned over to dig through her purse. “Eric actually broke his phone a while ago,” she narrated casually. Apparently the emotional bit was over, then. “But here, I wrote this down.”

She pushed a slip of white paper toward Demi with a sense of finality in both the gesture and her expression. Ten digits in blue ink, written in a delicate hand. “Call him.” Lauren said firmly.

“Why are you doing this?” Demi finally ventured. She was staring at the slip like it might actually leap out and bite her, trying to keep her breathing even.

Lauren shrugged. “Oh, you know. Trying to jumpstart a new Demi album of love songs to play in my kitchen.”

Demi’s hand flew to her lips suddenly in a vain attempt to stifle the half-laugh, half-sob that burst out of her. And then Lauren was out of her seat and around the table to hug her, and her head was buried in the older woman’s shoulder, and all she could say was “I’m sorry.”

Tears ran down her cheeks in spite of herself, landing in Lauren’s hair while she shook. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,”

Lauren pushed her back far enough to look at her face, peering at her almost curiously. “Why? Don’t be sorry for having feelings.” She shrugged. “Simon makes it hard not to, believe me I know. But I want him to be happy. And I want you to be happy.”

“What about you?” Demi wiped her eyes, taking in a quick, steadying breath.

Lauren looked a bit timid again, and shrugged hesitantly. “I want us to be friends?” she ventured carefully.

At that, Demi smiled. It wasn’t quite one of her brilliant grins, but it was a genuine start, and she put her arms around the other woman again.

“The paparazzi would really have a field day with this one,” she cracked, earning a laugh from Lauren. And somehow, the tension left the air. Well, not completely, because Demi doubted that would ever really be gone, but maybe they’d make it.

They moved on to other topics, and by the time Lauren finally left the house, Demi saw her off with a bright smile and a wave, with the woman’s number saved into her contacts. Simon’s, on the other hand, stayed on the counter for a week.

It stared at her while she made breakfast, lurked in the back of her brain every time she so much as walked past the kitchen. It kept her up at night, knowing it was sitting innocuously downstairs. In her weakest moment, she crept downstairs in the middle of the night in her pajamas and spent five minutes digging through her kitchen drawers for a lighter before giving up.

It was eventually moved from the center of the table to sit carefully on the top of a stack of magazines, but it was never really out of her mind. Demi thought about calling when the new season of AGT premiered, and she was unable to resist watching him lay into one of the stupider auditioning acts from her couch. She thought hard about picking up the phone when ENews covered the official story that Lauren Silverman had bought a new house, and Simon Cowell was not coming with her.

Lauren, meanwhile, had installed herself firmly as a champion of Demi’s love life, making a point to text her at least once each day to inquire. 

Lauren Silverman: Did you do it yet???

No, go away, Demi had replied, resolving to ignore the following six indignant messages. 

Oh come on. 

Do it, he totally misses you

Demi!

DEMI!

Stop procrastinating you know you want to 

Why are you both so difficult I’m giving up 

At that, Demi had sarcastically typed back, Good. She really didn’t have time for this. And she liked Lauren, she did, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about her relentless efforts to put Simon and Demi together after she’d been the one to send everything to hell in the first place. 

Simon had started featuring in almost every one of her dreams now, not that he’d ever really completely left. She knew it was an easy fix; she could just pick up the phone or tear up the slip of paper and it would be over either way. But it took almost three months for her to convince herself to get off of the fence and face the fear.

It was stupid, really. She was scrolling through her phone in a moment of procrastination while an unfinished song sat open in her notebook, the final verse unrelentingly stubborn. Somehow she’d ended up in the cake decorating tag on Instagram, and she’d scrolled entirely past it before backtracking quickly up through her feed.

And it wasn’t the X Factor cake at all, just a similar tiered design with red and black, but suddenly all Demi could think of was the laughter and the taste of the frosting Simon had smeared across her lips. The moment she’d met his eyes, feigning annoyance as she licked it off but privately thinking she liked seeing him laugh.

Before she really knew what she was doing, her feet were up and propelling her across the house to pick up that stupid piece of paper. Her hands were shaking slightly while she typed it into her contacts, but she quelled the nerves in her belly and lifted the phone to her ear.

Two rings. Then three.

“Simon Cowell speaking.”

All the air left Demi’s lungs in a rush. She’d obsessed over picking up the phone for weeks, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of hearing his voice, and that British accent, again.

“Hello?” he questioned..

She was still trying to make her voice work.

“Hello?”

Demi bit her lip, her eyes welling up again, and her voice came out in a whisper. “Hi.”