Page 29 of Beautiful Harmonies

I thought it was so sweet that she called my mother Mama. I could tell that my mama was flattered by it. After she hugged her, Tray hugged her as well. “I’m so sorry y’all are fighting all the attention. People can be crazy as hell.”

“It’s okay, baby. You and Mari can’t help that you’re so interesting.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Umm… I’m not the interesting one,” I responded.

My phone started vibrating on the table, and I totally ignored it. My daddy and the princesses knew to call Mama if they needed to get ahold of me. I sat back on the couch, and Tray sat next to me. “Has your phone been ringing like that all day?”

“Since yesterday after your interview.”

“I can see your nerves, baby. You have a show to do tonight. Try not to let this shit get to you. If I gotta stand on that stage the entire time, holding you in my arms, you know I will. Whatever I gotta do to make this better, I will.”

I didn’t respond to him. I turned sideways and scooted back to him and grabbed my tea. He wrapped his arms around my waist and softly kissed my cheek and neck. I closed my eyes andallowed my man to comfort me, taking my worries and casting them out like they never existed.

The show was going well. I had already performed three songs, and the crowd was begging for more. I glanced backstage and saw Tray standing there with a microphone, ready to make his debut at the end of my next song to lead into his song. We’d practiced it this morning, and I knew it would be so beautiful. The song I was singing was talking about a toxic guy that I fell in love with. It was weird that it fell that way. Tray wasn’t toxic, but he was viewed as toxic by people that had no clue who the real Deontray was.

At the end of the song, I changed the words up some to lead into his song. The crowd would be completely confused until he stepped on stage. Honestly, with all the hoopla going on, I couldn’t wait to make a statement as he had. As I sang the mid-tempo song and played my guitar, I smiled, knowing what was coming.

The beat slowed, and I sang the revised lyrics.“Who said you were toxic? Maybe you were toxic because you were in the wrong places, mingling with the wrong people, kissing on the wrong faces. When you meet the right one, that toxicity becomes a thing of the past. She’ll show you what love really is and how to make it last.”

The crowd was completely quiet as all the other music stopped. Only a bass line was played for about ten seconds. Tray slowly walked on stage, his eyes never leaving mine as the crowd roared. I swore his gaze had my clit on edge as he made his wayto my stool. When he got closer, I started playing my acoustic guitar, and he began singing.

I stared at him the entire time he sang, and this time, I knew he was singing those words to me. My entire body heated up as he sang the words that I was his light in darkness. The words he sang seemed so pure in the moment. When he got to me, he stopped singing and kissed my head, causing the crowd to go into an uproar all over again.

He began singing again as he addressed the crowd.“The only people that matter are me and you. No one knows what’s between us because they aren’t us. They don’t feel what we do because this is more than lust. I love you, girl, and I know you love me. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be making statements like this, you feel me?”

He turned to me as I sat wide eyed on my stool, slightly trembling. Those weren’t the lyrics. He’d made some changes of his own that we hadn’t practiced. I was so stunned, I’d stopped playing. Walking to me as the crowd screamed, he grabbed my hand and swung the guitar to my back. I stared into his eyes as he said in the mic, “I love you, Kamari.”

The tears fell down my cheeks, and I felt like I was hyperventilating. It had only been three weeks since we met. What was he doing? Instead, I closed my eyes and responded to his declaration. “I love you too, Deontray.”

I felt his hand caress my cheek, then he laid his lips on mine, kissing me like we were alone. I didn’t dare pull away. It was at this moment that I realized I wasn’t just saying the words because he had. I was in love with Deontray Trammel. I slid my hands to his face, holding him to me as I gave him my tongue slowly.

When I pulled away, he did his best to hold on to my bottom lip. The crowd was going crazy. I grabbed the microphone from him and addressed the crowd. “So I guess you can say it’s true.It wasn’t a rumor. Deontray and I are embarking on a beautiful love affair. Neither of us are crazy. We’re in love. Have a good night, Houston!”

I dropped the mic, and Deontray lifted me in his arms, his hands gripping my ass as I wrapped my legs around him, and he carried me off stage. He stared at me the entire time, so I wasn’t sure how he knew where he was walking to. When we got backstage, my mama and Mi were screaming in excitement. Tray allowed me to slide down his body until I reached the floor.

I wanted to sling that guitar across the floor and hop back into his arms. Unfortunately, I still had autographs to sign. Tray lowered his head and kissed my lips again. When he pulled away, I asked, “Will you sit backstage with me and sign autographs?”

“For real? You want me to do that for free?”

I laughed then bit my bottom lip. “I promise you’ll get paid, baby.”

He caught the hint as soon as I threw it. He grabbed my hand and kissed it. I could see in his eyes that he was already anticipating the moment. Before we could walk away to the dressing room to get changed, my mama pulled me into her arms. “That was so hot, Mari! Oh my God!”

I giggled. “He caught me completely off guard, but I loved every minute of it.”

“Girl! My baby is truly a grown ass woman.”

I laughed again as Mi’Junae hugged me. “Although that was my brother,” she said and fake gagged, “it was definitely hot.”

“Thanks, sis.”

I kissed her cheek, and Tray playfully yanked me away from her. When we got to my dressing room and had closed the door, he shoved me against the wall. “Kamari, damn, baby. I want you so bad.”

“Mmmm,” I hummed as I closed my eyes. “I want you, too, but I want it to be special, Tray.”

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s gon’ be special as hell. The heat coming from between your legs when I carried you off stage almost made it a special viewing for everybody else too. I been fiending to stroke your insides for a long time.”

“Tray, three weeks isn’t a long time.”

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