As soon as I got the all clear, I headed to my office. I didn’t even sit down at my desk. I grabbed my keys and headed out to my car. During the commercials, I found myself thinking about the balcony and my blood began to boil all over again. My hands were even shaking as I punched in Alvin’s name on my cell phone.
“Hey, babe,” he said, answering on the first ring. “Good show!”
“Thanks.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m having a bad day.”
“What happened?”
“I just had some drama with the Icon Awards show,” I moaned.
“Oh, I thought something was really wrong.” He laughed.
I rolled my eyes. If there was one thing that I didn’t like about Alvin, it was how, even though he was supportive of what I did, he would, from time to time, make these little comments like he thought my world was frivolous. I was about to say something when I saw a text come in. I pulled my phone away from my ear and glanced at the screen. The message was from J. Love.
Heard about ur ticket drama.
Then another one:
Let me know if u need me to pull some strings. I got u.
And another one:
I’m on the 2nd row.
I wanted to scream.
“Hello?” Alvin said, turning my attention back to the phone.
“Sorry, I was just distracted.”
“I was trying to say—”
“Hey, um, can I call you back?” I asked, cutting him off. I didn’t want to be rude, but I needed to talk to someone who understood what I was going through, and right about now that definitely wasn’t my boyfriend.
“Oh.” He paused. “Okay.”
“Thanks. Call you back in a bit.” I hung up and scrolled through my phone until I got to J.’s number. He answered on the first ring, like he had been waiting on my call.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
“How do you know I have ticket drama?” I demanded to know.
I could feel him smiling through the phone. “Now, Maya, you know I know people who know people.” He laughed at my silence. “Seriously, I don’t have a date. Someone suggested I take you, and then someone else told me they heard you would be sitting in the balcony with Alfred.”
Why was anyone telling him my business? I shook my head. Sometimes I hated this entertainment business. “You know his name is Alvin,” I said.
“Whatever. I’m just saying, if you want to leave ol’ dude at home, you know you can roll with me,” J. Love said. “Prime seats, baby.”
I can’t believe it, but I actually thought about it for a moment. But then I came to my senses and said, “Nah, I’m good. Don’t worry about me.” I wasn’t going to give J. Love the benefit of seeing me upset. I had planned to vent to him, but his cocky attitude made me change my mind.
“Okay,” J. Love replied. “Just know I got you if you change your mind.”
“Thanks, but my boyfriend has got me. So I’m straight,” I responded.
He laughed like he knew better. “If you say so.”
“I say so.”
“A’ight, Maya Morgan, I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye,” I said, hanging up the phone, angrier than I had been before I’d dialed his number.
Chapter 6
The halls of WSVV, the station that aired Rumor Central, were adorned with pictures of me with celebrities. With all these photos lined up along the wall, a person would’ve thought that I’d been doing this show for years.
I stopped at the photo of me and J. Love, which we’d taken the first time I’d interviewed him. I made a memo to myself to tell maintenance to take that picture down. But right now, I was on a mission.
I rounded the corner to my boss, Tamara’s office. Before she got all crazy on me about ratings, back when I interned with her before we actually started Miami Divas, Tamara and I were really cool. Even though we weren’t as close as we used to be, I felt like I could talk to her about anything, and I needed her professional and girlfriend opinion.
“Hey, Tamara, you got a minute?” I said, lightly tapping on her door. Her new secretary, Kelley, had already gone for the day, but I knew I’d find Tamara back here working away. It’s no wonder she didn’t have a boyfriend. She practically lived at this station.
“Yeah, come on in.” Tamara waved me in. For it to be seven o’clock in the evening, she still looked fly. She had on a silk V-neck blouse that looked like it was from the new Rachel Roy collection and a pencil skirt that flattered her size-six frame. She was sitting behind her desk, hands poised on her computer’s keyboard. “Let me just send this email.” She paused like she was thinking. “This new marketing campaign is driving me crazy. It’s like nobody can make a decision about anything.” She pounded the keyboard for a few minutes and then hit the ENTER button before letting out a long sigh. “Done,” she said, then leaned back in her chair. “Now what’s up?”
“Well . . .” I took a seat in one of the plush wingback chairs in front of her desk. “I needed to ask your opinion. You’re still single, right?”
“Happily single.” She smiled. “I’ve had my share of boyfriends, but boyfriends come with drama. They want your time and I don’t have time.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “And I understand you’re all in love with this guy Alvin, but your star is shining brightly. The last thing you need is to be caught up in a serious relationship. Especially . . .” She caught herself and stopped talking.
“Especially what?” I asked.
“Nothing, Maya.” She waved her hand, as if that would make her words go away.
“No, go ahead and say it,” I said. “Are you thinking what everyone else is thinking? Especially with someone like Alvin? Is that what you were going to say?”
Tamara had met Alvin several times since he came up to the station quite a bit. She had always acted like she liked him. But now, I wasn’t so sure.
Tamara gave me a sympathetic smile. “Well, if you want me to be honest, yeah. From what I know of the guy, he’s as sweet as they come, but truthfully that’s not what you need in your life right now. I don’t expect you to be like me and be single forever. Maybe you are cut out for the whole motherhood and marriage thing—I’m not. But I’m saying, right now, you don’t need to be serious with anyone.”
“But I love him,” I protested. I had come to that realization about two months ago. After watching both Sheridan and Kennedi go through their share of boy troubles, I’d realized that a lot of times, we girls chase after what we think is the glittery prize, while the real prize is right under our noses all along. Alvin was my prize.
“Yeah, I get it. You love Alvin. And you loved Bryce, and you loved J. Love,” Tamara reminded me.
“I didn’t love J. Love,” I responded defensively.
“Well, if anyone, that’s the one you should’ve been loving.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said.
She leaned back in her leather chair. “Maya, I’m just going to shoot straight with you because that’s the only way I do it. You are at the top of your game, and in this business, the way you stay at the top of your game is by staying relevant and keeping some eye candy on your arm.”
“And I guess Alvin isn’t eye candy?”
That actually made her laugh. “Girl, Alvin isn’t even a peppermint.”
I felt myself tearing up—and that wasn’t easy because I usually didn’t sweat what anyone thought. But Alvin was my heart and I hated that everybody was tearing him down.
“But he’s sweet to me and he’s good to me,” I protested.
“And when you’re forty-five and out of the business, that will be wonderful. That’s exactly what you’ll need. But for now, you need someone that will help continue to make your stock go up.”
I guess she could tell that I was getting a little agitated because her tone softened and she leaned back over her desk.
“You know, Maya, I’m not going to tell you who to love, but yo
u asked my opinion and I gave it to you. Professionally, Alvin is bad business for a girl like you, a girl who everyone wants to be like. Pretty soon you’ll fall by the wayside as one of those non-factors,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I’m going to always be a factor,” I said defiantly.
She let out a heavy sigh. “Look at Beyoncé and Jay Z. Why do you think they’re on top of the world?”
“Um, because they’re Beyoncé and Jay-Z.”
“True, and separately they’re already the bomb, but together they’re a mega explosion. That’s you and J. Love. Kim and Kanye. Justin and Selena. Same thing.”
“Justin and Selena broke up,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “My point is, people envy Maya Morgan. They want her life. Her clothes, her style, her fortune, her fame. And her man. As long as they admire you, you stay at the top of the game. Besides, it’s hard in this business having a relationship with someone that’s outside the business.”
“Oh no, Alvin’s not like that at all. He’s completely cool.” For the most part, I wanted to add, but I didn’t say anything.
“Yeah, he is cool now, but there will come a point when you’re doing your thing and it’s going to become a problem,” she replied.
“Okay,” I said, tired of hearing her put down my guy. She hadn’t made me feel better. Only worse. I stood. “I appreciate your input, Tamara.”
Tamara smiled. “No, you don’t, but one day you will.” She winked.
“Okay, fine. I’m gonna head on out.” I moved toward the door.
“Maya, at your age, it’s nothing wrong with going for the one that can get you where you need to go. There’s plenty of time for love later on,” she called out as I headed out the door.
“Okay, thanks again.” I walked out of the office before she continued her lecture. I don’t know what I’d expected Tamara to say. I should’ve expected her to say exactly what she had. For her, this wasn’t about who was best for me, this was about what was best for my career. But why couldn’t I have love and fame?
Even as I thought about that question, I knew me and I knew as much as I cared for Alvin, if I was truthful with myself, I knew that I wasn’t ready to watch my career go down the toilet. And if that meant hiding my boyfriend and hanging out with J. Love, I might seriously have to consider doing that.
Chapter 7
I must have really been in love. That was the only thing that could explain why I was hesitating to do what I was about to do. The old Maya Morgan wouldn’t have thought twice; it would’ve been all about me. But Alvin was a good guy and I really hated hurting him.
I didn’t know what else to do though. I’d thought long and hard about this and I was going to have to take J. Love up on his offer. I simply could not sit in the balcony. My career was on the line and I really didn’t want to jeopardize it. Plus, I didn’t need any distractions at the Icon Awards. And I was really tired of having to defend my relationship.
I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell to Alvin’s house. I’d practiced my speech all the way over here and I knew that, as hard as it was, I was going to have to uninvite him to the awards show.
“Hi, Mrs. Martin,” I said to his mother, who was making a rare appearance to open the door. Usually, she stayed in her room. She was sickly, which was why she lived with Alvin. When I’d first met him, I had been turned off because I’d thought he was some nerd living at home. But, it turned out, he’d bought his childhood home, which his mother had lost several years prior, then moved her back in with him.
“Hey, sweetie,” she said. I felt so bad for her. She was battling lupus, and most of the time, the disease looked as if it was winning. Today, she had on a blue housecoat, and her eyes looked dark and sunken. Her frail frame and her stringy hair made her look twenty years older than she actually was.
“Is Alvin here?” I asked.
Despite looking sickly, she had a big grin on her face. “He is,” she said, stepping aside and motioning for me to come in. “He asked me to tell you to come on in and have a seat.”
I walked into their living room and sat on the edge of the sofa.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, ma’am. I’m good.”
She had a mischievous look on her face and I didn’t know what to make of it. The woman had probably said ten words to me in the entire time that I’d known her, so I didn’t know what the look on her face was about.
“Just wait right there,” she said.
“Okay. But do you know how long Alvin is going to be?” I asked. It was unlike Alvin to keep me waiting.
“Just a few minutes,” she said, a little too loud.
I tried not to look at her crazy as she said, “Let me turn on the television for you.”
“Oh, I’m good,” I said.
“No, no, no. I have to turn the TV on,” she firmly said.
“Okay, fine,” I replied.
She smiled as she went to turn the TV on. She set the remote on top of the TV, then turned to me. “I’m going to leave you here to watch TV.”
“Okay.” I don’t know why she was acting so strange. But I didn’t feel like trying to figure it out either. So I just sat back and waited. After a few seconds, I heard music from the television. Then, a voice.
“Once upon a time, a friend called and asked if I could help out a friend of a friend.” Alvin walked into the view on the screen. I frowned in confusion. Why had he taped a video? “Because I get those kind of calls all the time, I wasn’t too thrilled about once again having to provide my services to someone free of charge,” he continued. “Then, that friend of a friend showed up at my door. From the moment I saw her, I knew. I knew that she was special. I knew that, one day, she would be mine. But I also knew that she was way out of my league. So I could only dream. I dreamed that one day she would see in me, what I see in her. I dreamed that one day she would see that none of that celebrity life mattered. That the only thing that mattered was having someone in her life that really and truly loved her. That guy is me.” The camera zoomed in closer as Alvin continued. Even though I had been trying to figure out what was going on, my heart was swelling.
“Maya, I don’t even know if you remember that exactly one year ago today is when we first met. And on this, our anniversary, I want to say, I want to continue to be your best friend, your partner, and when you’re ready, your lover. I will spend every day trying to make you happy.”
By the time the video finished playing, I was in tears. Alvin had been so understanding about everything. Even though he was trippin’ a little bit about J. Love lately, he put up with a lot and genuinely wanted me to be happy. Not to mention how understanding he’d been that I wanted to save myself (yeah, I know, a rarity). Not that I was waiting for marriage, but I was waiting for when the time was right.
“Maya, thank you for being in my life,” Alvin said as the music came back up. Just then, Alvin appeared in the doorway with a bouquet of roses. “I hope those are happy tears,” he said.
I stood up and hugged him. “They are. That was so sweet.”
He handed me the flowers. “I know you can afford to buy anything I would’ve bought you, and I wanted to give you something from the heart. So, that’s why I made this video. And these flowers are handpicked from my mother’s rose garden.” I took the bouquet and sniffed it.
“Maya, you are my best friend, and while I’m in no rush to do anything, I just want to make you happy. Whatever that may mean,” Alvin added.
I hugged him tightly. Then tossed the speech I had been practicing from my mind. Forget what everyone else said. Alvin was the love of my life, and I would proudly have him on my arm at the Icon Awards—even if that meant we’d be sitting in the balcony.
Chapter 8
I didn’t care what anyone said tonight, I was going to have a good time. That was the mantra I had been repeating to myself all evening long as I got dressed in my Christian Dior metallic silver gown. Alvin had
proven he was worthy of being on my arm, and I needed to hold my head high as he escorted me to the awards show.
I knew that the evening was off to a great start when Alvin showed up to pick me up wearing an Armani tux. I had dropped several hints and then come right out and told him that he needed to bring his A game for this event. He’d blown me off and told me don’t worry about it, he had it. Then, he’d refused my request to send me pictures of his tux. I’d gotten him sized and I had a backup tux upstairs—one of my dad’s expensive ones that he’d never miss. I’d already had the waist taken in since Alvin was a little bit smaller than my dad. No way was I going to have this night ruined because Alvin was dressed like a nerd. I’d seen him dress up before, but I needed a backup plan just in case. Luckily, I didn’t need it because Alvin was on it.
“You look nice,” I said, giving him a once-over as he stood in the foyer of our house. “Except . . .” I stepped toward him and removed his Coke-bottle glasses. “There.”
“But I can’t see!” I knew he was joking. Stuff was a little blurry, he’d told me before, but he could still see.
“I’ll guide you,” I said anyway. “But you look perfect now.”
“He sure does.” My mom approached us, smiling.
“Hello, Mrs. Morgan,” Alvin said, politely.
“How are you, sweetheart?” she said, leaning in and giving him an air kiss.
My mom totally liked Alvin. I do think there was a part of her that felt like everyone else and wished he had a little more swag, but he was so polite and she loved the way he treated me, so she gave him a pass.
“Thank you very much,” he replied.
“Is that Armani?” my mother asked, fingering his collar. As a devout shopaholic, she knew designers like she knew her own name. Guess that’s where I got it from.
Alvin nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Custom.”
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