“Shhh,” Demi said. “Why you ain’t tell me, Bird? Hmm?” he asked, kissing the top of her head. “Tell me everything, Bird. Who is this nigga? Cuz I’ma kill him, but I got to know everything first.”
By the time Charlie was done telling Demi about her past, he was in the mood for murder.
“Listen to me, Bird, and hear me clear. You don’t got to fear a nigga walking this earth as long as I’m breathing. You hear me?” he asked.
Charlie nodded.
“Are you keeping anything else from me? What else don’t I know?” Demi asked.
Her eyes widened slightly, and he knew there was something else. Something more.
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered.
“And you weren’t going to tell me? Why wouldn’t you tell me that, Bird?” he asked.
“Because I’m not keeping it,” she answered.
He eased her out of his lap and stood. This just might be the worst day of his life.
“Just like that?” he asked. “You’ll get rid of my seed without even thinking about it?”
“I just can’t, Demi,” she whispered. “We said goodbye. We were done. We’re supposed to be done.”
Demi nodded. He was gritting his teeth so hard he thought they would chip.
“Yeah, I guess we are,” he said. He walked out of the apartment and didn’t look back because there was nothing left to say or do.
FINAL CHAPTER
One Year Later
Must not have beeeenn, paying attentionnnnnnn
Stepped right on in itttt, didn’t even noticeeeeee how deee—ee-ee-eep I wasssss
Charlie’s face stretched in emotion as she sang the song with conviction. She felt that shit. She felt it like Demi felt her dirt all over him. It had been a year of no contact. A year of space. He had done what he promised and erased her fears. Shad Brooks had been found dead in his apartment from an apparent overdose three months after the infamous sex tape, but Charlie knew Demi had been responsible. Her life had been a whirlwind since. An abortion, a record deal, and instant fame. The sex tape had caught everyone’s attention but her voice had kept it. She hadn’t even dropped an album yet. She was recording a mixtape of cover songs calledIdols, from artists who had inspired her to sing. It was the most anticipated project of the year.
Day was producing, and as she sang, she saw him falling into his infamous head nod. Whenever she was knocking it out the park, he became so engrossed he got lost.
I went from the ground to the top of the clouddddd
And nowww as I look down I see where I felll into your armssss now
I’ve got looooveeeeee
All over meeeeeee
The song was so appropriate. For him. To Demitrius Sky. The man who had freed a bird from her cage and allowed her to fly. She missed him. She thought of him every day, hoping that he would pop in to one of her studio sessions, but he never did. He was more of a silent partner these days. After accompanying her to the doctor and holding her hand through the abortion procedure, he hadn’t communicated with her since. Charlie sang the song to its end and then smiled at the thumbs up Stassi gave her through the window from Day’s lap. They were off and on, hot then cold, but it worked for them. Her sister was happy and that’s all that mattered to Charlie.
“Charlie, you’ve got to get out of here. You’ve got to meet that realtor so you can sign the papers for the condo,” Stassi said, as she pressed the button to speak into the recording booth.
Charlie nodded, pulling out her phone to check the time.
“Damn, you’re right. Am I good to go, Day?” she asked.
“Yeah, we can do adlibs tomorrow, superstar,” Day said.
Charlie snickered. It was their inside joke. Her presence had grown online ever since her sex tape had leaked. She hated it, but as soon as the tape had gotten steam, Day had dropped the video of her singing at the showcase, putting money behind it to get it on the same timelines of people who had liked the tape. Once they heard her sing, they became instant fans and the conversation changed. She had been the “superstar” of the label ever since. She grabbed her bag and her keys and rushed out.
