Her stomach had been twisting all day. She chalked it up to her mother’s leftover chicken Alfredo from two days ago. Too much garlic, maybe.
She flipped to her side and eyed her flip phone. She’d been waiting. Four months into Zay’s overseas tour and their callswere the only thing that kept her grounded. They didn’t come often. But when they did, she answered on the first ring.
Tonight, when that phone rang, she sat up so fast the heating pad slipped to the floor.
“Hello?” she said, barely breathing.
“Yo.” Zay’s voice came through, loud and warm and hyped. His voice crackled through the line, full of adrenaline and breathless excitement.
“Hey, Zay!” Princess replied.
“You are not gonna believe this, Prin. I swear I’m not playin’. They out here showin’ real love.”
She smiled and leaned back against her pillows, knees pulled to her chest. “Yeah? Where you at again?”
“Amsterdam,” he said, still hyped. “Man, they knew every word. Even the old mixtape joints. Deuce was lookin’ at me like he saw God.”
She laughed. “I told you. I been knew it was just a matter of time. You been grinding too long for the world not to catch on.”
Zay paused, then said softer, “I know, right? This shit is unbelievable.”
“I believe it. I always have.”
“Damn.” He exhaled. “That means more than you know.”
Princess’s chest warmed at that. This washerZay. The one who used to freestyle on the bus rides coming from dates. The one who dreamed so loud it made her believe in her own.
“Where y’all headed next?” she asked.
“Brussels, then Luxembourg right after. You feel me?” His voice was practically dancing. “I’m tellin’ you, by the end of this leg, we might not even come back.”
“Don’t play,” she said, half-joking, half-nervous. “You already missed my eighteenth birthday. You better come back.”
“Nah,” he said, lowering his voice just a little. “I’m comin’ back. I miss home.”
He hesitated, then added quieter, “I miss you.”
Princess’s breath caught for a second. Her heart tightened with something sweet. “I miss you too.”
There was an unspoken moment between them that didn’t feel empty. It felt like something resting. Holding.
Until she heard it.
Laughter. A woman’s laughter. Clear and very close.
Then, she heard another voice, loud and flirty in the background. “Y’all got another bottle?”
Her smile faded. “Zay?”
“Huh?” He sounded distracted.
“Who’s that?”
He didn’t respond right away. After a few moments, Princess asked again.
“Zay?”
“Oh,” he said casually. “Some folks slid through after the show. Deuce invited a few people back to the suite. It’s nothin’.”
