“Let’s see how things play out and go from there.” Seeing Logic increased my curiosity as I wondered why he hadn’t been cut off the way I had been.
“Hey, baby. Did you enjoy the show?” Que stepped in front of the booth, blocking my vision. It irritated me, but I tried to play it off.
“It was cool. I’m sure the album is going to do numbers when it drops.” I honestly couldn’t remember most of the songs, so I spoke on the ones that stood out. My mind flashed back to when Keynauri rapped those lyrics about the one who got away. A part of me believed he was talking about me, but it only pissed me off more. Seven years went by, and he never tried to reach out to me. We were friends before anything, and it hurt me to know that he didn’t care enough to try to salvage our friendship.
“Thank you, baby. I have a good feeling about this album. The fans love it, and he’s trending on all social media platforms. His team decided to release the album at midnight along with an official photo shoot of him. The internet is going crazy right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made it to the top twenty on the charts by the morning.” The excitement in his tone was clear, and it made me happy. Que worked hard to make a name for himself, so I loved to see him getting the recognition he deserved.
“How much longer do you have to be here? I’m kind of ready to go home.” To be honest, I wanted to leave the minute I found out Keynauri was the artist.
“That’s what I came over to talk to you about. I have to go to the studio. One of my artists has some issues with one of their tracks, and it needs to be handled tonight. Can you get a ride from your friends?” Que stood there with his hands in his pockets as if he hadn’t just told me he was ditching me.
“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I? I don’t understand why your artist can’t wait until tomorrow. It’s after midnight. You mean to tell me that can’t wait until the morning?” I didn’t know why I wasted my breath when nothing would change. Que lived and breathed making music. He would probably live in the studio if he could.
“Bae, please don’t do this. It’ll probably take an hour or two at the most, and then I’ll be home. Tonight was a big night for me, and I want to end it on a good note. Call me when you make it home.” Que kissed me on the cheek, then disappeared into the crowd. My feelings were hurt, although I shouldn’t have been surprised.
When I glanced over at Dom, he gave me a knowing look. I turned my head back to where Nova once was and realized they were no longer there. As I searched through the crowd, I could sense someone was watching me. I froze for a moment before I shifted my body in another direction. My eyes widened when our eyes locked. His expression was unreadable, but the intensity of it gave me chills. I needed to get out of here and fast, so I sent a text to Nova to let her know I would be outside. Dominique grabbed Nova’s purse as the two of us pushed through the crowd. It reminded me of a maze as we fought to find an opening. The moment I saw the back door, I hauled ass until we made it outside. I took a deep breath, inhaling the cool, fresh air.
“Girl, why the hell were you running out of the club like someone was chasing you?” Dom fussed. I got ready to reply when I heard the sound of a familiar name being yelled.
“Cocoa!” There it was again. The petty part of me wanted to ignore him because he didn’t deserve my attention. Keynauri wasn’t going for that as he grabbed my arm when I tried to walk away.
“Don’t touch me!” I was seething. My nostrils flared in rage as I looked up at him. Keynauri stood there with a shocked expression on his face. It pissed me off even more because he was acting as if we were cool all of a sudden.
“Whoa. What’s up with you? I was trying to get your attention inside, but you dipped out of there. What’s good?” He stepped closer to me, but I stepped backward.
“Who are you?” I stared into his eyes as if he were a stranger to me because that was exactly what he was. His shoulders dropped, but I couldn’t care less about his feelings. He never cared about mine.
“Is that how we’re doing it now? You gon’ act like you don’t know who I am?”
“I don’t know you. Hell, apparently the world didn’t either until today. Imagine my surprise when I showed up here, only to find out the nigga who broke my heart is not only a free man but a rapper. This sounds like something that you find in a fiction book because there is no way this shit is real. You have a lot of nerve to stand in front of me as if everything is all good with us. Naw, you can save that shit. Continue to live your life as if I don’t exist, because I’m gonna do the same.” I yanked my arm from his hold, turning to walk away.
“Wait! Hold up, Co—”
“Don’t call me that. We aren’t cool, Keynauri. You don’t have the right to call me by a pet name after you gave me your ass to kiss. I don’t know if prison gave you short-term memory loss,but I haven’t forgotten a thing.” I scoffed, trying my best to keep my tears at bay.
“I understand why you’re upset, and I’m sorry about what happened back then. This isn’t really the place for us to unpack all of that, but I would love the opportunity to sit down and talk to you. You might be upset with me, but I’m happy to see you. You look good.”
My arms were crossed as I mugged him. I wasn’t a violent person by any means, but I couldn’t hold it in. My hand stung as I smacked him across the face. Nova walked out of the building with Logic right as my hand connected to his jaw.
“Damn!” Nova shouted as they rushed over to us. Keynauri ate the slap without any reaction, enraging me further.
“What’s up, sis? How’ve you—”
“Don’t say shit to me. I don’t fuck with either of y’all. Nova, are you ready to go? ’Cause if not, I can order a ride.” My anger was growing, and I needed to get out of there before I said or did something I would regret.
“Whoa. What did I do?” Logic held his hands up in mock surrender, but I had nothing to say to him.
“Are you okay, bestie?”
“No. I want to go home, and unfortunately, my man had to go to the studio, so I need a ride.”
“I can take her home, if you want to stay and kick it with bro,” Keynauri offered, sending me over the edge.
“I’m not getting in the car with your bitch ass. What part of I don’t fuck with you don’t you seem to comprehend?” I shouted, shocking everyone around me. Instead of addressing me, Keynauri continued to talk to Nova and Logic.
“Umm, I think I should take her home. I can always catch up with y’all later,” Nova replied. It was clear she wanted to stay, and I felt bad about making her leave early.
“Yeah, Novie should take her home. This is your event, and it would look crazy if you left early,” Logic reasoned.
