50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

Chapter Eighty-One

    The audience vibed with Aubrey throughout the second half of the show and was extremely receptive. Some of the people in the audience sang along with him. It was amazing to watch. Most of the women in audience were wearing expensive dresses and bedecked in expensive jewelry, and ecstatic at music being sung to them by a man wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and Timbs. It was a statement as to just how good his voice was, how talented he was. He drank in all of the love the crowd was giving.

    After the show, he was asked for his autograph by nearly everyone in attendance. He held up an index finger to Destiny, signaling that he would just be a minute. One minute stretched out into thirty but Destiny didn't mind. She knew how important it was for him to feel this experience. He itched to make music. He itched to perform again. It was in his blood, it was a part of him. While certain aspects of the industry didn't jive well with him, his music - his voice - needed to be heard. There were generations of people who needed to hear what he had to say. He had to experience the audience reaching out towards him and embracing him so he'd know that if he did decide to take that leap and entertain again, his fanbase would welcome him back with open arms.

    When he was finally able to tear himself away from the fans, old and new, he approached Destiny. "I feel like I've neglected you. I'm sorry."

    She shook her head. "You needed this."

    He smiled and offered his arm.

    She took it and leaned into him as they left the lounge. "Do you know how amazing you were?"

    "You're inflating up my ego," he said, angling a look down at her.

    "Everyone loved you," she went on anyway.

    He laughed and shrugged one shoulder. "It did feel good, being on stage again. Playing music. Using my voice."

    "I'm so glad you performed."

    He thought for a few moments and then said, "I'm glad you pushed me to." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He slowed his steps and reached inside his suit jacket pocket. He pulled out his cell phone, which vibrated in his hand. He lifted his phone to his ear. "Hello? Mom-yeah. We scheduled for tomorrow."

    They came to a street corner and he stopped walking altogether. Attached to his arm, Destiny also stopped walking and looked up at him.

    His brows furrowed. "Oh? Oh...well, no, I understand. Yeah. We can do it next Sunday. Would that work better? All right, for sure. Yeah." He hesitated and looked down at Destiny.

    Her brows drew together. "What?"

    "My mom says hello."

    Destiny laughed. "Hello, Sandi!" she shouted towards the phone.

    Aubrey continued speaking into the phone. "Did you hear that? She says hi, too. I'll explain it to her. Yeah, yeah. I love you, too." He ended the call and repocketed his cell phone. "Dinner with the family is rescheduled for next weekend. Something with my uncle came up, and my mom is going to go over to help him."

    "Okay," Destiny said, still clinging to his arm.

    He started walking again, escorting her across the street and towards the lot where his car was parked.

    "I guess we're going home now," Destiny said, tilting her head back and looking up at the sky.

    "Not yet," he told her, glancing at the pricey watch on his wrist. "There's one last thing I need to show you."

    Half an hour later, Destiny stared up at Graham Enterprises. "You needed to show me our work building?" she asked, frowning at him.

    He laughed and tugged on her arm.