She chuckled, walking alongside me to her car. "You know...after the party? What are you doing for the rest of the night?"
I shook my head. "Not much, probably just go home and sleep."
She stopped walking. "Sleep?"
I shrugged, trying not to seem too eager. "Yeah, I'm tired. Had too much to drink"
Her expression softened. "Mchtt. Lightweight."
I laughed. "Just trying to save my liver."
She smiled sweetly. "That's cute. I'm just saying, it's been a while since I've seen you around. Just hanging out and having fun."
I tried to play off her comment. "Yeah, I guess."
"Well, you know where to find me if you ever want to hang out again."
I nodded, smiling back at her. "I will. Tell Dame I said what's up."
Her driver came around to the back to open the door for her. She glanced at me before getting in and giving me a wave. "See you around."
I watched as she drove away, feeling a sense of loss as I headed back inside. Though we'd known each other for years, I hadn't expected to feel this way about her as I did tonight. It just seemed like I was drawn to her in more ways than one. It wasn't right though since that was Dame's girl, and I'd never do anything to jeopardize their relationship.
But still...
----------------------
I walked into work, excited to catch up with everyone after the weekend. As I made my way to my office, I spotted Dame walking with his arm over Aaliyah's shoulders. I smiled, happy to see both of them, and made my way over to say hello.
"Jay, what's good?" Dame said, giving me a dap. "How was Diddy's party this past weekend?"
"It was coo', was packed with mad people though," I replied, nodding to Aaliyah. "How about you two? What brings you here today?"
"We're just hanging out," Aaliyah said, smiling. "Dame was showing me around the office."
I laughed. "Well, you picked the right day. We're all here working, getting things done."
Dame snorted. "Speaking of which, have you heard Kanye's demo yet?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Nah, I haven't. Why?"
"He wants to be a rapper," Dame said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, he's a good producer, but he can't rap for shit."
I saw Aaliyah's face fall, and I could tell she was about to say something. "Actually, I've heard some of his verses when you played them last night, and I think he's really talented," she said, looking at me for support.
Before I could say anything, Dame cut her off. "I don't need you to speak for me, Aaliyah. I know what the fuck I'm talking about."
"Excuse me?!"
"Don't start today."
The tension in the room was palpable, and I could tell that Aaliyah was hurt by his words. I needed to get out of there before things got worse.
"Well, I've got to go take care of something," I said, faking a smile. "Good to see y'all both."
I walked away, feeling angry and disappointed in Dame's behavior. Aaliyah didn't deserve to be treated like that, and I knew I needed to talk to him about it later. But for now, I just needed to get away from the negativity and focus on the work I had to do.
That afternoon, I worked hard, trying to make up for lost time. I'd been slacking for far too long on this album. I'd been so caught up in everything else, I hadn't given my music its proper attention. And when I finally sat down to write, I had no idea where to start.