Page 28 of Beautiful Harmonies

I called her immediately. She didn’t even bother saying hello. “Deontray, this is insane!”

“What happened, baby?”

“The media barged into the arena, looking for me.”

“Yeah. They have the radio station surrounded. I’m waiting on more security to show up. You okay?”

“Yes. I’m just not used to my personal life being this big of a deal.”

“Well, I mean… you’re dating a big deal now.”

She giggled. “I see.”

“I only said that to get a laugh out of you. You are just as big of a deal. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait either. We won’t be able to go anywhere now.”

“Nah. That ship has sailed. Lafayette gon’ even be on us like white on rice.”

She chuckled. “Okay, well I have to get back to work. I’ll call you when I leave.”

“Okay, baby.”

I ended the call and stared out the front door, hoping this shit didn’t get any worse.

I didn’t knowhow much more I could take. I knew there was a reason I stayed off social media. The public could be ruthless. They were calling me stupid for dating Deontray and diving into my past, saying maybe I wasn’t as good of a good girl as America thought. The shit was tiring and stressful. I didn’t know how Tray dealt with it. I had so many DMs I thought my phone would crash.

I got DMs all the time, but it seemed like they were coming through every ten seconds. I didn’t know how I would focus to perform tonight. My phone rang all night last night. My manager and I had talked for at least an hour, talking about how we would handle this and if I would make a statement. I told him I would make a statement tonight since Tray was meeting me here in Houston.

Terrence had been with me all day, trying to help me deal with what was going on. He knew I wasn’t used to this bullshit. Itwas a lot. My mama was in the next room, trying to handle what she could. She showed up today to be here for me. She wasn’t supposed to be here. My daddy wanted to come, but I told him to stay home. He wasn’t good with keeping his cool when it came to me, especially not when it concerned people trying to paint me in a bad light.

As I tried to get comfortable, Terrence brought me a cup of hot tea and my blanket. I purposely kept it cold in here so I could bundle up. My mama thought I was crazy. I probably was. I hated the winter, but I liked to bundle up inside like it was freezing outside.

“Thank you, Terrence. I appreciate you.”

“You’re welcome.” He turned to walk away but then suddenly stopped. “Miss Kamari… I know this is a lot for you, but is it okay if I speak freely?”

I set my tea on the table as a slight frown made it to my face. “Yeah, sure.”

Terrence had been with me since I was seventeen years old. I would always take time to listen to what he had to say. He walked back closer to me and sat across from me. His face looked serious, and it was making me nervous. He took a deep breath and slid his hand down his face, doing nothing for my nerves.

“What is it?”

“I just… I hate to see you going through this. Are you sure this isn’t a sign that you’re making a bad decision?”

My frown deepened for a moment. “A bad decision about Deontray?”

The doorbell rang before he could respond, and because of the foolishness outside, I let him hurry to the door. We had people outside, but whoever was at the door was someone I would want in my space. I was hoping it was Tray, because I needed to feel his arms wrapped around me in the worst way.

Sure enough, he came running to the couch where I was and pulled me up to embrace me. Within seconds, I felt the safest I’d ever felt in his arms. I didn’t have a reason to not feel safe before. When I pulled away from him, I could see him eyeballing Terrence. I wasn’t sure what was going on between the two of them, but Tray brought his attention to me.

“You okay, baby?”

“I am now.”

“Hey, sis!” Mi said as she shoved Deontray. “Move, nigga. Damn.”

She hugged me tightly as my mama came from the back room. “Mama!” she yelled as she released me.

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