In high school, Kelvin turned his bedroom closet into a recording studio. He put up egg cartons to soundproof the space and pushed his clothes to the sides whenever he recorded. His microphone stood in the middle. His headphones dangled from the ceiling. With all the equipment, he barely fit.
Recording music was never as satisfying as he wanted. He was bad at making beats, so that part wasn’t fun, either. He couldn’t produce anything that went well with his voice. He thought he sounded whiny over everything.
He rapped about Aliyah sometimes. She snuck into more of his freestyle than he liked to admit. Gavins was an easy word to rhyme. He swore his best stuff revolved around her. Any time he was sad or angry he put her in a lyric. It was weird. When he made it about her, rap just clicked.
Kelvin reminded himself not to freak. Playing it cool was rule number one. He knew she liked it quiet, and he intended to keep it quiet. Before he arrived, he went over the possibility of her saying something. At best, he expected a quippy comment. A meet-and-greet sent him over the moon.
At the back of the line, he clutched his newly signed hat. The autograph only included her first name. She wrote it off-center to leave room for her last. He bet it was one-of-a-kind.
The guys beside him looked as shocked as he did. They whispered to each other as they gawked in envy.
“Dude, did he get a private?”
“Dude, I think he got a private?”
After a moment, Kelvin recognized the attention. He threw on his hat to hide behind the bill. The disbelief still clung to his face.
With Aliyah Gavins, private meet-and-greets were rare. She admitted why in an interview recently. Meeting fans one-on-one, she said, was like standing on a seesaw. The atmosphere was professional, but the feel was intimate. She often let herself get too comfortable. It sent the wrong signal to some fans. One contest winner ended up with a restraining order.
Kelvin promised himself he wouldn’t be like that guy. He kept his head down and repeated his new rule while he waited. The urge to celebrate nearly tore him in half.
“Don’t freak.”
Aliyah addressed her fans in the meantime. Scattered throughout the alley, they whooped and cheered to hear her call out. She thanked them for coming, told them to get home safe. They shouted back with more praise and flattery. Some fans couldn’t take their eyes off their new memorabilia.
A few older kids remained in line. They continued to film and take pictures. One guy live-streamed everything. The velvet rope sagged in a couple places.
Nobody heard Kelvin perform his verse. He turned a shoulder to exclude the guys beside him. No camera or phone picked up the audio. Even her bodyguard missed it.
Everybody moved on Aliyah’s say. The big man relayed the message to their team, and the other members headed over at once.
He turned to Kelvin afterward. He waited to talk until people cleared. It was smart to check for stragglers. When he spoke, his voice was as powerful as it was friendly.
“Come with me.”
Kelvin squealed.
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