GuiTara

🎵~45

🎶For my hand ~ Burna Boy feat. Ed Sheeran

●Tara Afua Henrie●

Two weeks later

Immediately the sleek black car pulled up at the extravagant venue, my pulse quickened.

The sea of cameras flashing outside, capturing every single moment, had me second-guessing my decision to be Shaun's date for the night. However, I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the showdown. Looking at where I'd gotten to, there was no turning back.

"You got this, T," I whispered to myself. "You've totally got this." My fingers tightened around the small clutch as the door opened.

I turned, ready to step out.

"Wow."

My head flew up. "Shaun?"

He stood at the door, looking devastatingly handsome in a well-tailored suit with his dark hair slicked back in a way that made him look even more polished than usual.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, taking his extended hand and carefully stepping out of the car. "I thought you said you'd meet me inside."

He just shrugged. "Well, I had to get away from all the business proposals inside. Couldn't turn a corner without someone trying to pitch something. Plus, I couldn't wait to see you." His eyes swept over me in clear admiration. "You look... I don't think there's a word good enough to describe how stunning you are right now."

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips. "You just used the word stunning."

"Still not enough." Slowly, his free hand curled onto my lower back, pulling me in for a kiss that had every camera flashing in our direction. And for the first time tonight, I didn't care about my nerves or the fact that a thousand nosy strangers were watching us. What truly mattered was this man and how I felt about him.

When he pulled back, his forehead rested lightly against mine. "Ready to face the madness?" he whispered.

"As ready as I will ever be," I chuckled.

Shaun offered me his arm, and with one last reassuring squeeze, we began our walk down the red carpet. The flashing cameras were relentless, though Shaun kept me close, guiding me through the chaos as we stopped for a few photos, and my ensemble had me feeling super confident.

I stood tall, feeling the breeze lift the ends of my braids. They cascaded down my back, adorned with tiny silver beads that Areli and my hair stylist had painstakingly fixed so I could sparkle like the stars. A pair of diamond drop earrings glittered at my ears, matching the delicate bracelet on my wrist. My heels were a bit too high for my taste, however, they were surprisingly comfortable, giving me just enough height to stand confidently beside Shaun. Every detail had been planned to perfection, thanks to Pam and Areli, and I had to admit-they'd done a phenomenal job.

After a few more photos, we reached the entrance which was heavily guarded. But since I had Shaun on my arm, we slipped through with ease.

"Well, that was quite the entrance," a familiar voice remarked.

I chuckled, "Hey, Refugio. Fancy seeing you here, stalking us."

"Stalking you? Hardly." She brushed the comment away with a smile.