EJShaun.com

Kelvin started working out that weekend. He did sets of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups every night. He found a pair of dumbbells in his garage then bought a weight bench from the thrift store. By Monday, he had a small gym in the corner of his room. The weight bench faced Aliyah’s poster.

At work, he spent his breaks checking out the venue for Aja’s concert. The website didn’t list her performance, but it did say the club was closed for a private event. He searched The Dome on social media, browsed pictures and videos, and even memorized the route from his house. Some of the reviews read like fanfare. One person called it the hottest nightclub in Hollywood. Another said that dancing under the dome felt like dancing among the stars. A third raved about the sound system and loved the laser lightshow.

The days crawled: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Aliyah told him to be there at ten. He wasn’t a minute late.

Music rumbled from inside, spilling into the street whenever the doors opened. On the roof, a giant glass dome encapsulated the building. Pulses of light illuminated it in rhythm. The windows were all tinted and shaped like stars. Outside, the walls appeared to glow, covered in flecks of neon paint. An old-fashioned marquee hung over the entrance, reading Private Event in dazzling lights.

A line of people wrapped around the building. The bouncers at the door checked IDs and compared them to their list. Each carried a tablet that looked tiny in their massive arms. One guy was sent away. He cursed and flipped them off as he left.

Kelvin collected himself before crossing the street. He adjusted his collar, fixed his hair. Online, the Dome said their dress code was upscale casual. He had to reach deep into his pockets to buy an outfit. Everybody in line wore something sleek or fashionable.

In her last text, Aliyah told him to go around back. Markus was working the VIP entrance and waiting for him. The big man sometimes worked as a security guard. His experience with celebrities made him a favorite.

Kelvin never found Markus in the back, however. Two other bouncers watched the entrance instead. Neither of them had a tablet. They let people in only if they recognized them. Kelvin doubted that included him.

Across the alley, a slender woman in a backless dress leaned against a motorcycle. A row of high-end bikes was parked along the alley. She scrolled through her phone while taking hits of a vape pen. Her short hair hid her face. Tattoos covered her arms and legs. She was talking to herself, speaking Korean, or maybe Japanese.

As he passed, she pushed off the bike and shouted at him. “Hey, are you Kelvin?”

She asked like it was a bad thing. He almost said no.

She took another hit of her pen. Afterward, she grabbed her purse off the seat then pulled out a lipstick.

“You know, I don’t see it,” she said, applying the ruby red gloss, “You wanna explain to me what you were thinking? When she ran off with you, why didn’t you bring her right back? Do you have any idea how stupid that was? How dangerous?”

Kelvin straightened the sleeves of his shirt. He figured he’d hear about their day together. He just expected to know the person yelling at him.

“She made a decision, and I supported it.”

The woman glared at him then snapped her lipstick shut. Although her features were soft, her gaze was jagged. With a sneer, she stuffed her makeup back into her purse then went inside. The bouncers let her in without question.

Kelvin didn’t move. She walked around him like he was diseased. She disappeared through the door before poking her head back out.

“Are you coming?”

Inside, the music walloped his eardrums. Conversations came and went between calls for shots and outbursts of laughter. A small lobby extended from the entrance. People crowded the bar in the back or watched the big screens on the wall. The countertops, tables, and light fixtures were all made of glass. The TVs showed the activity inside the club. One displayed the stage. Another showed the dance floor. Aja wasn’t performing yet, but a DJ played for a full house.

From the lobby, the woman led Kelvin up a flight of stairs. The sign overhead read, “To the Balconies.” They turned down a hallway at the top. Doors lined one side. A series of letters labeled them from A to H. She brought him to Door C then abruptly spun around. He almost ran into her. In her high heels, she stood as tall as he did. A tattoo of a dragon sprawled across her collarbone.

“Okay, so, she’s in a really good place tonight. And she’s been drinking. I don’t want you getting any ideas.”

“Yeah, obviously. It ain’t about that.”

She squinted. “I doubt that. I just want you to know, a lot of eyes are on you tonight. If you so much as touch her wrong, you’ll be out of here so fast your neck will hurt.”

He nodded, swallowing.

A card-reader hung on the wall. She smacked her purse against it to open the lock. He hurried in behind her. She didn’t hold the door for him.

Kelvin froze the moment he saw Aliyah. Across the balcony, she leaned on the railing, watching the dance floor. She sipped on a margarita and waved at somebody below. He chuckled at how she swayed. He swore he was looking at Imani. Her black leather pants gave him a strong feeling of déjà vu. She wore a dark tank-top under a sheer blouse that complemented her skin tone.

Tiffany noticed him first. She was leaving to get another round of drinks when she spotted him. Her shimmering red dress caught him by surprise. He’d never seen her in anything other than work attire. Her ponytail was even styled for a night out. She tapped Aliyah on the shoulder before leaving. She tipped her glass to say hi.

The lights flashed off as Aliyah turned around. The music cut out at the same time. The DJ shouted for everybody to freeze. The lights flashed back on after the bass dropped. Fog billowed from the ceiling. An airhorn sounded. They smiled at one another while the dance floor erupted.

About a dozen others joined Aliyah in VIP. Balcony C was one of the biggest the Dome offered. People mingled on couches and loveseats. Some drank at the bar. A few gathered by the railing.

Aliyah gestured for him to join her, pointing to a nearby sofa. She sat down with enough room for him, but like a dope, he chose the seat across from her.

“This is incredible,” he said, “VIP, what?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” she said with a shrug, “Did you get in okay? Find it and everything?”

“Yeah. My escort was a little rough, but otherwise, it was good.”

“Yeah, that’s Miko. She rolls with Aja. She’s real tough. I wouldn’t mess with her.”

“I won’t.”

They snickered. He glanced over at the bar where Miko was taking shots. Aja drank with her, chatting up the bartender. Her outfit stood out among everybody else’s. She was dressed for her performance. In neon fishnets, she matched the colors of the club. Even her hair was vibrant, braided in rows of neon beads.

Miko caught him staring, narrowing her eyes. He turned back to Aliyah at once.

“You look fantastic, by the way.”

She smirked, leaning against the armrest. Her hair tumbled over one shoulder in a mess of dizzying curls. “You’re looking pretty good yourself. Did you buy a new outfit for tonight?”

“I figured the occasion called for it.”

“It wasn’t too much, was it?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said with a boyish grin.

He wasn’t lying, not entirely.She searched his face like she didn’t believe him. Her big brown eyes gleamed.

Without warning, she reached over and grabbed his wrist. “Get over here,” she said, yanking him onto the sofa, “Why you sitting across from me? This ain’t a meeting.”

As she pulled, she took his arm and draped it around her shoulders. He fell beside her with his hip against hers. Her thick curls tickled his neck. She smelled of coconut. Between the lights and the music, the balcony spun.

“I want a picture.” She pulled out her phone. “We don’t have any together yet.”

Before he knew it, she pressed her cheek against his and was snapping pictures like the paparazzi. She held her phone high and clicked. She swung it wide and clicked some more. He followed it the best he could, struggling to smile.

The shots didn’t turn out. She went through them quickly, grunting at every one. He kept his arm around her while she flicked through them. He knew he messed up.

“What is this? Dude, you look scared in all these.”

“I think that’s starstruck. Still a big fan, you know?”

She shoved him. “Boy, you have got to come off that. Here, let’s try again. This time, you take them.”

She handed him her phone then scooted closer. His hand shook holding it over them. Once more they were cheek to cheek. He angled it to center her, but she nudged it back.

“Come on, now. I have enough of me.”

He chuckled, then snapped the picture.

He managed to take several decent ones. Some were blurry. Others, he stared at her more than the camera.

“This one’s perfect,” she said, showing him one of their last, “Oh yeah, you crushed it.”

Tiffany stopped by after a minute. She set a bottle of water on the table to get their attention. Kelvin pulled his arm back immediately. Aliyah cocked her brow, staring at her new drink.

“That’s not a margarita?”

“Well, I thought a water might be better. It’s still early.”

Aliyah wrinkled her nose.

“Also, just a heads-up, I saw Brian downstairs. Don’t know which balcony he’s on, but he’s here.”

“Yeah, I saw him earlier. I guess he’s a fan of Aja, too.”

Kelvin drummed on his knees while the two women talked. Aliyah eventually realized his arm wasn’t around her anymore. His face lit up when she put it back.

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “I assume you know about Brian?” she asked Kelvin directly, “It should go without saying, but keep your distance. We don’t need the drama.”

“Of course. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

He and Aliyah continued going through their pictures after she left. They lounged on the sofa closer than before. They laughed at the bad ones, disagreed about their favorites. He loved her in all of them but didn’t like himself in any. She thought at least one or two turned out.

“Y’all doing selfies?” Aja interrupted, hopping over the back of the sofa. She landed beside Kelvin then threw her arm around both of them. “Come on, Li, let’s sandwich him.”

He startled. His fingers dug into the cushions. The leather squeaked.

Six years ago, Kelvin took a seat in a dark theater to watch a movie he’d never heard of. It was his birthday, and he was officially a teenager. He had no idea that by the time the credits rolled, everything would be different.

Aja pressed her cheek into his. “Smile, Kelvin. I don’t do this for everyone.”

He chuckled, and Aliyah snapped the picture.