After a long, hot shower and a fresh face beat, I was back in my element. Period.
The outfit? Jaw-dropping. A black mesh Mugler bodycon with rhinestone details, paired with silver heels and the Chanel clutch Mase dropped in my lap earlier like it was nothing.
"You looking like a Dubai problem," Chanel said, fluffing my curls as I checked myself in the mirror. "You ready?"
"Always," I smiled, but my hand hesitated over my lower stomach.
I still hadn't brought it up. Not to Chanel. Not to Jennesy. Not even to myself for real. One part of me was scared, and the other part was in denial. But tonight? Tonight wasn't about that.
***
The club was insane. Think gold ceilings, Arabic trap music fused with Western beats, and bottles that lit up the room like sparklers on crack.
VIP was already on lock thanks to Mase, June and Rakim.
As soon as we walked in, cameras turned. We looked like a walking billboard for Net Worth.
"Bottle girls on the way," June said, throwing his arm over Jennesy's shoulders while two men behind us rolled up with hookah setups.
"Y'all went dumb with this one!" I yelled over the bass.
"You ain't seen nothing yet!" Mase shouted back.
Suddenly, I was on a platform dancing with Chanel and Jennesy, drinks in hand and hair flowing like we were in a music video. The bass thumped through my chest, my arms up, head thrown back.
This was freedom.
"TO BOOGIE!" Rakim yelled, holding his glass high.
"TO ME!" I laughed, clinking mine to his.
Back at the Villa – 4:12 a.m.
I was laughing, barefoot, clutching my heels in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other when I walked through the villa doors.
"That club owe me money for showing up looking this good," I giggled, kicking my feet up on the couch.
"Get some sleep," Chanel said, dropping beside me with her lashes halfway sliding off. "Tomorrow about to be crazy."
"Oh yeah?" I asked, side-eyeing her.
"You'll see," she grinned.
***
I woke up to sharp cramps and that queasy, bubble-gut feeling.
Oh no. Not now. Please not now.
Dragging myself to the bathroom, I sat there in silence for a minute, hugging my stomach. Nothing was happening, but everything felt wrong.
Could it be?
My period was late — hella late — but I had chalked it up to stress, travel, and the time difference. Now? I wasn't so sure.
I reached for my travel bag, digging until I found the emergency pregnancy test Chanel threw in there as a joke.
"Just in case, bitch," she had laughed. "We in Dubai. You never know."
Well, here we were. Knowing.
The lines on the stick didn't show up right away, and that wait felt like eternity. My fingers trembled as I watched the screen.
I can't be pregnant by Jamal. I just can't!
One line.
Still one.
Okay... okay. Maybe it really was stress.
My heart was racing, but I felt a tear slip down my cheek. Not out of fear — more like relief. Or confusion. Maybe both.
Before I could even process it, my phone lit up:
Mase: Get dressed. Breakfast on the rooftop. You got 45 minutes. Don't ask why. Just trust me.
I wiped my face, tossed the test deep into the trash, and whispered, "Get it together, LeLe. Your life is still yours."
By the time I made it to the rooftop, the sun was shining bright, the table was decked in gold and white with fresh fruit, flowers, and champagne — and everyone was smiling like they knew something I didn't.
"Y'all look suspicious," I laughed, sitting between Chanel and Rakim.
"Just relax, birthday girl," Mase said, sliding his sunglasses up his face. "You got any requests?"
"Yeah. Get me Meek Mill in this bih and I'll be good."
Everyone laughed — until the music cut.
Then that voice came through the speaker.
"Yeah, la-da-da, la-da-da-da, yeah..."
I froze.
"Naahhh... Y'all playin'."
Suddenly the sliding glass doors burst open and there he was. Meek Mill. Live. In the flesh. On my rooftop in Dubai.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY AALIYAH!" he yelled into the mic.
I screamed so loud I thought I was gonna faint.
He performed Tony Story live, along with all my other favorite songs...just for me. I was crying, rapping word for word, jumping with everyone like we were back in New York. Mase came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.
"Had to get my baby sister something real," he said in my ear.
And in that moment?
I forgot the pregnancy scare. I forgot Sincere. I forgot Jamal. I forgot everything.
Because today... I was exactly where I wanted to be.
