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Aliyah took another sip of her drink. The ice-cold cider tingled, finishing with a sharp burn. She mixed in a shot of tequila before Kelvin arrived. A few drinks coursed through her already.

She always prepared herself for the worst. A big decision had to be made tonight. He either cut ties with his buddies, or she cut ties with him. It all came down to the video. Would he understand why she had to distance herself?

She doubted he’d pick them over her, but most guys didn’t like ultimatums. She wouldn’t blame him if he walked away. Maybe she spoke too soon about their dinner.

If he stayed, on the other hand, he’d step directly into the spotlight. Could he handle that? He knew how hard people could be on her boyfriends. The video showed that firsthand. She read some of the comments last night. Although her fans seemed to like him, not everybody was a fan.

WTF? Is that the same dude from The Dome? Someone want to explain to me how this penny-pincher bagged a dime like that?

Say it ain’t so, Li. You can do so much better. Tell me he’s royalty at least. A prince? A duke? Anything!

Dude can’t even skate. I’m surprised he didn’t break more than his board. I bet frontside would’ve folded him like a chair.

At the start of the video, a ball of fire roared across the screen. Kelvin must’ve recognized the clip because his whole body tensed. A street performer blew a series of fireballs at the camera. Two names formed out of the blaze: Miguel and Oakey. They burned like embers until the screen faded to black.

“Oh, no,” he whispered, “What’d they do?”

Aliyah sipped her drink while he watched. The look of horror on his face put her at ease. She could see the betrayal in his eyes.

He cursed when he saw his own clip. The shot opened on some graffiti then panned to the staircase. His wheels clattered off screen. He slid the rail crooked, snapping his board on the landing. Aliyah cheered as he skated away.

“That’s my boy, first try!”

She paused the video after she hugged him. The title loomed over them in big letters: That’s My Boy. A film strip scrolled across the screen behind it.

Kelvin turned back on the verge of tears. His mouth hung open, unable to find the words.

“It’s okay,” she said, “I’m not mad.”

“How bad is it?”

“Not terrible. A couple thousand comments, but most of them are good.”

“I can call them, get them to take it down.”

“No, no need. I’d rather move forward and focus on what’s next. That’s usually best in these situations.”

The two glanced at the screen. The video showed the moment she dove into his arms. She almost knocked him over.

It was their first hug, and the entire world got to see it. She worried that might ruin the memory. Before she left that day, she remembered him saying how much fun he had. He called it the best day of his life.

“So—” He cleared his throat. “Do I have to choose, then? Them or you? Is that the bad news?”

She coughed, setting her drink down. He caught her in the middle of swallowing. She picked up her napkin to cover her mouth.

“Yeah, that’s it. Unfortunately. I need to distance myself from this. I can’t have anyone thinking I’m moving backward. There’s already enough talk of me spiraling.”

“No, that makes sense.”

“I don’t want to pressure you, but with this video, people will think we’re dating. If you want to take that step, you’ll have to distance yourself, too. I hate that it’s come to this, especially since none of it’s your fault. I just can’t have anyone thinking I’m using my boyfriend to relive my glory days.”

His eyes suddenly met hers. “Boyfriend?”

She snorted. “Is that all you heard?”

He blushed and shook his head. His bangs no longer fell in his face. She liked seeing him without all that hair. He was cute and had a cleft chin that stuck out like his nose.

“There will be some coaching,” she added, “If you stay. I don’t know what kind of backlash we’re gonna get, so I want to make sure you’re prepared. The paparazzi might come after you, and they won’t be nice about it.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

“Communication will be key. Whatever happens, you can’t be afraid to talk to me. I can handle it. To be honest, I kinda like the idea of dating a fan. I think it makes me seem less bougie, but people might say I’m slumming it.”

“Yeah, that sounds familiar.”

She took another sip, popping her brow.

“That’s your world, isn’t it?” He pointed to the screen. “Second you let your guard down, someone’s stabbing you in the back.”

“Pretty much.”

“I can’t believe I was actually excited for it. I mean, I did help film some. Here it’s been out for weeks, and everyone’s seen it except me.”

“Did you want to watch it? The rest is pretty good. All things considered.”

“Nah, I will later. I was just saying.” He fiddled with his knife. “It’s whatever, though. I hardly feel it, honestly. It’s like I knew they were gonna do it.”

She reached over and grabbed his hand again.

“I’m fine, really. It’s worth it, you know? For this. And you. It’s been the summer of my life so far. So yeah, if it’s them or you, then it’s you. One hundred percent. If you say this ain’t the break-up dinner, then it ain’t the break-up dinner.”

A warm breeze blew through the kitchen, bringing in a touch of humidity. Jamal opened the windows earlier. It rained that afternoon and smelled amazing.

“Alright then.” She smiled. “Just one more thing.”

He exhaled, smiling back. “I’m ready.”

His dimples gave her butterflies. She couldn’t wait to get to the good news. The excitement made her head spin. Or was that the alcohol?

Her stomach fluttered when he squeezed her hand. They both trembled, their hearts beating in their palms. His was slow and steady. Hers raced.

“My agent wants to meet you,” she said, “Tomorrow. I know it’s short notice, but she wants to schedule something before I fly you out. Can you make that work?”

She didn’t catch it then, but she accidentally let the surprise slip. She meant to say before she flew out. Her mistake was including him, saying, “Before I fly you out.”

He flinched. “What was that?”

“My agent, Laura, she wants to meet you. That’s the last thing.”

“Yeah, no, I heard that. And absolutely, I can make that work. But like, what was that other part? Something about you flying me out?”

A switch flipped in her head. Her actor side kicked in like somebody shouted action. She crossed her legs, putting on another smile.

“I didn’t say that, did I?”

“Maybe not. I don’t know. I could’ve heard wrong. I know you leave on Sunday. So yeah, meeting on Saturday makes sense. Before you fly out.”

Her breath hitched. She barely kept a straight face after realizing. All that, and she messed up one word. Apparently, he wanted to get to the good news as much as she did. The boy had a way of cutting through the script. She tried to stay in character, but the more she spoke, the more she laughed.

“Great… I’ll let her know… Now… Are you ready for the good news?”

She lost it by the end, burying her face in her hands.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, “Did I miss something?”

“I already said it.”

“Said what?”

“The good news… I ruined it.”

“You didn’t ruin it.” His voice squeaked. “Stop playing. I’m on the edge of my seat here.”

“Guess.”

He leaned forward, gripping the table. “Wait, are you flying me out?”

“Mm-hmm. You got it.”

“For real? Where? Charlotte?”

“Yep.”

“Are you serious? For the Fourth?”

She snickered then lifted her head. Across the table, he stared at her like he was about to freak. He didn’t blink, didn’t breathe. The candlelight glinted in his eyes. A hint of gold reflected, complementing the soft shade of hazel.

“Just after,” she said, “We stay there for about a week. I thought I’d fly you out on the fifth. That gives us a few days for whatever. My dad lives on a lake, so we could take the boat out or just chill on the beach. What do you think?”

His jaw nearly hit the table. “That sounds incredible. But like, is that okay? Does Tiffany know?”

She sputtered her lips. “Yeah, Tiffany knows. Come on, now. We talked about it, and she’s cool with it. She actually likes the idea, surprisingly. I think she wants to keep an eye on you while this video blows up. We gotta make sure you ain’t sneaking around on us.”

He giggled.

“Can you get off work for that?”

“I’d quit my job for that.”

“No, don’t do that.”

As they laughed, she grabbed her drink and raised it. He sat up, raising his.

“To our vacation,” she said.

“To you.”

Their glasses clinked.

For their meals that evening, they each prepared their favorite dish. Kelvin made himself the chicken alfredo while Aliyah had the shrimp linguine.

“Do you want to watch something?” she asked, pointing to the projector with her fork.

“Triple Flip!”

She almost threw a breadstick at him. “I think we’ve had enough skateboarding for one day, don’t you?”