“See? He can be sweet sometimes,” I joked.
Kamden laughed, and Chanelle continued taking notes in her booklet. We continued answering questions and taking photos for the rest of the afternoon. Around six that evening, we changed and made it to the annual sports awards for the celebration of athletes in all fields. Kamden was nominated for Athlete of the Year, and this was our official debut on the red carpet as a couple. Sarai was walking us down the press line as the flashbulbs went off when I heard my name called to pose for the camera. Kamden kissed the side of my forehead and squeezed my waist. I smiled and looked up into his eyes.
“Arianna to the left, Arianna to the left!” the photographers yelled.
Sarai pointed over to us to come forward for an interview with Daily Morning Show.
“If you’re tired, let me know, and I’ll take you home, babe,” Kamden said.
“I’m good.”
“Arianna, you look so beautiful. How’s the pregnancy going?” Linda asked, pointing the mic toward me.
“Thank you, Linda. Everything is going well,” I answered.
“When can we expect you two to come on the show?” Linda asked.
“Kash! Kash, can we get a picture!” a second photographer asked from ABH network.
“Talk with Sarai. She handles all our interviews,” I told Linda before I took Kamden’s hand to take more photos.
We finished taking pictures and stepped inside the venue. As some of the drivers came up to us, I noticed Tennessee with Essence on his arm. My mouth hung open in shock. He cleaned up nicely in a black tuxedo, and his hair pulled in a tight bun. They even matched with her wearing a long, black dress with a slit on the side and a gold clutch and necklace.
“What are you doing here, Essence?” I asked.
“Hey, Kash. I came as Tennessee’s date,” Essence said, rubbing up his arm.
“Are you two dating?” I questioned as Kamden and Tennessee shook hands.
“We’re friends,” Essence replied.
Tennessee didn’t like the answer to her question based on his facial expression. He whispered in her ear, and she giggled, standing on her tippy toes, and kissed his lips.
“Ari, stay out of it please,” Kamden said.
“Did you know about this?” I asked, turning toward him.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
“Not my business,” Kamden answered as he kissed me on the lips.
“Well, it’s my business if it has to do with my bestie,” I said.
“Have you seen Colton and Rylee?” Kamden asked.
“Yeah, they’re inside talking,” Tennessee told him.
“Let’s grab our seats,” I stated and walked inside, bypassing the security line.
The room was full of people from agents, publicists, crew, celebrities, and athletes. I noticed Colton and Rylee laughing together, and I strolled over with Kamden following behind. I reached over and hugged them.
“You guys look amazing, Ari!” Rylee said.
“Thank you. Colton, how are you?” I asked.
“I’m good, Arianna. I heard you guys did a great job on your photoshoot earlier,” Colton said.
“It was good. Exhausting but good.”