Sneaky Link

III

Normani reads the message with widened eyes, feeling like her heart is about to drop into her ass.

Oh no. This can't be good.

Solána (5:52 PM): call me. NOW.

...

Shit. Shit. Shit.

There's no way Solána knows... right? How could she? Who could've possibly told her?

"Fuck, what should I do?" Megan asks her girlfriend, having thrown her shirt back on as she paces back and forth in circles. "Should I call her back?"

"Absolutely not," Normani responds in a slightly panicked voice, standing up from the studio's couch as well. "If she confronts me, I'll crack. I swear to God I'll crack and I don't wanna tell her this way."

Megan stops pacing and sighs loudly, running a hand through her curls in distress.

"Mani... I don't think I have a choice. It'll be suspicious if I don't. I always answer for her and she knows that."

Unfortunately, those are the exact words Normani doesn't want to hear. For a moment, she genuinely fears she's about to descend into a panic attack. Thankfully, Megan is there to catch her.

"Don't say a word, okay?" the older woman says, gently grabbing hold of her hand. "I'll talk to her one on one. It'll be like you're not even here. Is that alright, beautiful?"

Megan leans down to press her forehead against Normani's. She stares into her autumn eyes, pulling her in close by the waist. Moments later, she's encircling her arms around her, breathing her in as she soothes the anxious woman.

"I love you," Megan says, pressing a few light kisses to Normani's cheek before pressing a final one to her lips. "It'll be okay. I promise."

Though still on edge, the dancer nods her head at the taller woman's words. Normani feels her cheeks warm at the sensation of Megan leaning down once more to press another sweet kiss to her face, lingering for a few moments before pulling away.

Less than a minute later, the Houstonian is dialing Solána's number. She bites her lip in anticipation as she waits for her friend to pick up.

*ring, ring, ring*

"Hello?"

Megan gulps. She didn't realize how nervous the mere sound of Solána's voice would make her.

"Hey girl, it's me..." the rapper starts casually. "What's with all the missed calls?" When Megan only hears silence on the other end of the line... she grows even more concerned.  "Are you okay?"

"No, Megan, I'm not okay. Have you seen the news? Have you been on your phone at all in the last few hours?" Solána pauses for a second, releasing a throaty chuckle. "Well, obviously you haven't been. I've called you like what, three times in a row?"

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm still caught up at the studio and I had my phone on silent– You okay? What's going on?" Megan digs, trying to find out how much her best friend knows.

Solàna's scoffs then sighs, her voice breaking like she's near tears.

"It's Jalen," the singer sniffles, referring to her fiancé. "He cheated on me. He's fucking his ex."

Solána bursts into tears over the phone, Megan's eyes widening at the realization that the calls had nothing to do with her or Normani. Guiltily, she feels extremely relieved about that, but also, she's worried about her friend.