“Treasure, please…pleeeasssseee!” I laughed even though she wasn’t wrong. “What I mean is, Houston feels a little jarring after being in peace and solitude for so long.”
“Oh, okay that’s true. Well, look like I said I’m not coming out there, but I want you to continue to do you and be you. Call me if you need me.”
“I will. I’m about to find a show to binge and knock out. His house is so nice.”
“I bet it is. Bye bestie, love you.”
“Love you too!”
Before I knew it, I’d fallen asleep on the couch. We’d gotten in so early that a nap was bound to happen. When I woke up, I realized two hours had passed by, and my stomach was rumbling. It was time to cook or order something. Maybe I’d cook because I didn’t know much about restaurants in Houston. Standing, I stretched my hands over my head and walked into the kitchen. I browsed his refrigerator and freezer, then decided on turkey burgers. I also threw some fries into the air fryer. All of that cooking in Scottsdale had me tired. I just wanted something quick.
After eating, I showered and put on biker shorts and a sports bra. I ended up back on the couch, pulling my legs up, then opening social media. I scrolled mindlessly. A mix of everything passed by—faces I recognized, things I didn’t care about, andnoise I barely registered. My thumb slowed when a clip caught my attention.
The page wasn’t anything reputable. And the caption was vague as well—Studio Session.
The video was quick, slightly grainy, and the angle was off, like it had been taken without permission. Kier stood near the board, focused, headphones resting around his neck, one hand adjusting something as he spoke to someone off camera. It looked normal, and I smiled watching him in his zone. Then someone stepped into frame. I couldn’t see her face, only her body. Her hand came up, brushing across his back, slow and casual. The video cut right after.
My thumb rested over the screen for a second before I tapped it again. Same clip, same moment, same cut evoking unexplainable feelings from me. I watched it once more, noticing the details I hadn’t paid attention to the first time. He didn’t react, and I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Hell, I didn’t know if it escalated off camera or not. This is when my mind goes into overdrive.
Stop it, Sibley.
I locked my phone and set it down beside me. But then I got curious. I picked my phone back up, opened the page again, and it was gone. I tapped Legacee’s stories and saw nothing. I refreshed once, then again and still saw nothing. I shouldn’t be surprised since he never posted those kinds of things, only promo material. But was he with Kier? What if-
“Sibley, stop!” I literally had to speak out loud to stop my thoughts from taking over once again.
I exhaled slowly, pressing my lips together.He’s working. You’ve been with him. Only you. Ignore everything else. I let the thought settle then decided to call Treasure back to get my mind off of things. Treasure picked up on the second ring.
“Okay, now you’re calling me back. What happened?”
I let out a small breath. “Nothing happened.”
“Mmhmm,” she said, dragging it out. “We just spoke a couple hours ago. Something must be wrong.”
“I just—” I paused, leaning my head back and staring up at the ceiling. “I saw a video.”
“What kind of video?”
“A studio clip from one of those gossip pages.” I hesitated, choosing my words instead of reacting to them. “He was working, and this girl came up behind him… touched him. It cut right after.”
“Was it the woman you told me about before?”
“I couldn’t see her face.”
Treasure didn’t respond immediately, which told me she was actually listening and probably trying to find a way to comfort me.
“And?” She asked finally.
“And nothing,” I said. “It was quick. It could’ve been anything.”
“But you don’t think it was ‘anything,’ or you wouldn’t have called me.”
I exhaled through my nose, sitting up a little. “It just looked… familiar.”
“Familiar how?”
“Familiar like it probably was the woman for LA.”
“Did he react?”
