“I think I liked it better when you could only call me on a schedule, damn.”
“Yeah, you and I both know you don’t feel that way. What’s good with you, L-Boogie? I wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten about coming to the studio today.”
I smirked at the excitement in his voice. Keynauri practically lived in the studio since being home. It made me happy to see him smiling and passionate about his craft. He was finally getting ready to perform live in a few months, and I couldn’t be happier. He chose to keep his identity hidden due to him being locked up, so his fans were going to see his face for the first time. I already knew the show was gonna be epic, and I planned to be right there to cheer him on.
“I’m getting dressed now. I should be there in the next hour.”
“Where is my Noodle at?”
Keynauri was just as obsessed with my little girl as Logic. East was worse than both of them, though. Keyz called me on video chat just so he could see her face and say goodnight prayers with her. She had all of the men in our lives wrapped around her finger, and she had no idea the kind of power she held.
“I told you she officially started pre-school. She’ll be there for half the day, and then Granny Nessa is picking her up.”
“Damn, it seems like every time I ask about her, she’s with East’s people. Do you ever have her?” Keynauri griped. I could have gotten offended, but I knew he was only speaking out of jealousy.
“We had this conversation already. You must have forgotten that I’m not just a mother. I’m a social media influencer with multiple platforms, a brand ambassador, and I host at clubs almost every weekend. Granny and Aunt Pam have been a godsend to me, and I’m grateful for everything they do for me.”
“Whatever. I plan on picking up Keyami, and I’m getting Noodle too. I need to spend some time with my girls before life gets even more hectic for me.”
“I hear you, mister superstar. Let me get off this phone so I can finish getting ready. Do you need me to pick up anything for you on my way?” I asked, knowing I planned to stop by the gas station to grab some snacks. The baby had my appetite going out of control, and I craved hot chips and pickles.
“Naw, I’m good. Just hurry up and get here. I want to play a couple of songs for you to get your thoughts on them.”
“I got you, brudder. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
It took me twenty-five minutes to get to the studio after I stopped to get my snacks. Anytime I went anywhere, the men were relentless when it came to trying to holler at me, so I wasn’t shocked when a few old niggas tried to approach me. One of them offered to pay for my gas, and I let him. I wasn’t turning down free gas in this economy.
When I pulled up to the studio, I sent Keynauri a message to let him know I was outside. Within a few seconds, he sauntered out of the building before heading in my direction. My smile grew wider as he got closer.
“What’s up, Boogie?”
He wrapped his arms around me as I melted into his embrace. I would never get tired of his hugs, because there were so many days that I wished he was around to hold me and tell me everything would be okay.
“Hey, brudder. You in here creating your next panty-dropping hit?” I teased, nudging him in the side.
“Hell naw. I have enough of that shit. I’m trying something new.”
I looked around, taking in the scenery as we stepped inside the building. When I walked into the studio, I greeted the few men who were inside. I didn’t have to guess whether or not my brother had told them I was off limits, because they barely took a second look at me after they spoke.
I had met his producer, Spinz, and he seemed like a cool dude. I knew his baby mama from IG, and she was a bad bitch. She did wig reviews and a bunch of other content. We were mutuals, but she was older than me. I always admired how she carried herself online as well as in person. A lot of these bitches with rich baby daddies made them their entire personality, but not her. The only time she ever posted or mentioned him was when they were spending time together with their kids or on his birthday. You could tell they had a good friendship, even though they weren’t together.
“What’s up, little one? How you been?” Spinz greeted me.
“I wish you would stop calling me that. I’m grown as hell.” I scoffed, pretending to be offended.
“You’ll always be little to me. I still remember the way you and your cousin used to hustle those niggas out of their money at the corner store.”
“Hey, I can’t help it if they were generous.” I smirked, recalling those memories myself.
I used to be nervous asking men for things, but Shaylyn taught me the game quickly. Outside of social media, we hadn’t seen each other in years. She seemed to be enjoying life and doing well, but I missed her terribly. The mention of her had me wanting to hit her up to see if she wanted to hang out. I never imagined we would be this distant.
We talked for a few moments before Keynauri got in the booth. I smiled with pride in my heart as I listened to his deep, raspy voice croon through the speakers. I remember him writing music and making beats in his room when we were younger. He always loved music, but to see him follow his dreams was surreal.
Keynauri spent a few hours in and out of the booth as he and Spinz tweaked his tracks. Nauri was a perfectionist, so I wasn’tsurprised when he would get back in the booth and record the same part over and over until it felt right.
Each song told a different story of our struggle and his life experiences. I recognized a few love songs that I was certain were dedicated to his first love, Naiari. A few months after he was locked up, he stopped talking about her. When I asked him what happened, he gave vague answers, but I assumed she must have left him high and dry.
