Page 17

ROYAL

W e had been back in Atlanta for a few days now, and things between me and Ave had been lowkey. Not that we were hiding. But neither of us felt the need to announce our shit to the world.

Still… keeping things on the low in the studio was damn near impossible. Every time she walked in, my eyes found her. Every time she spoke, I listened. Every time she was near me; I wanted to touch her.

She was wearing some tight-ass leggings today with a cropped hoodie that had her toned belly all out, and it was fuckin’ with me more than I wanted to admit.

I could feel her looking at me too. Her eyes would drift, just for a second, taking me in, then she’d snap them away like she wasn’t just thinking about the last few nights we’d spent together.

Since being home, we had virtually been inseparable; either she was in my bed or I was in hers. A part of me wondered if we were doing too much too soon. After all, this wasn’t going to last forever; my album was almost done and soon she’d be back in LA living her life.

I adjusted in my chair, looking at her across the mixing board as she listened to a track we had been working on.

“Man, the bridge on this part?” She tapped a finger on her notepad. “It needs something smoother, more fluid. Right now, it’s a little choppy.” I nodded, even though I wasn’t listening to a damn thing she just said.

All I could think about was how badly I wanted to get her alone.

And it became apparent that she felt the same.

Because as soon as Malachi, Zay, and King got caught up in a conversation about some bullshit, she slid me a look and tilted her head toward the door.

I didn’t ask no questions. I just followed her out of studio C and down the hall to studio E which was empty.

The second the door closed behind us, her lips were on mine. I grabbed her by the waist, lifting her onto the mixing console, pressing myself between her legs.

“This what we doin’ now?” I muttered against her mouth.

Her nails scraped the back of my neck. “I needed to feel you.”

She wasn’t the only one.

I didn’t care that we were in the studio.

Didn’t care that we only had a few minutes before somebody came looking for us and I damn sure didn’t care that anyone could hear us if we weren’t careful.

None of that shit mattered. Not when she was mine now.

And I needed to remind her exactly what that meant.

Twenty minutes later, we slipped back into the main studio like nothing happened, but the taste of her creamy center was still on my tongue and lips. I swear to fuckin’ God this girl was dangerous; pussy good, deep throat with no gag reflect, what more could a nigga ask for.

I made a mental note to have my assistant Cory stop at Soloman’s and get her an item or two. Last time I was there a few weeks back, I saw a couple tennis bracelets, I liked, one I felt would look perfect around her ankle dangling while I had her legs in the air.

As soon as we entered the studio, Zay, Malachi, and King were all staring.

I frowned confused. “The fuck y’all looking at?”

King smirked, unlocking his phone and turning the screen toward me. My stomach dropped as soon as I saw the post from Tea And Honey. Right there, big as hell, was a picture from Serenity his hand stretched waiting for me to dap him up.

“Just don’t fuck this up. Ave a real one. ”

I nodded, locking eyes with my brother. “I won’t.”

That was a promise.

Later that night, after the studio session, Averi and I were laid up in my bed, scrolling through our phones. Since the Tea And Honey post dropped, several other blogs posted too.

Lipstick Confidential

“It’s Giving Sneaky Link Turned Soft Launch: Royal & Averi Are Officially a Thing.”

You heard it here first, dolls — looks like Averi St. Claire, Actress turned Grammy-winning songwriter and producer, is officially off the market. The man making it happen? None other than Atlanta’s favorite toxic crooner , Royal.

Yup. That Royal. The one who swore up and down that he doesn’t “do relationships.”

Well…he’s doing something. And her name is Averi.

The two were spotted this weekend in Los Angeles at the ultra-exclusive vow renewal for NBA champ Creed Langston and his longtime love Serenity Bradshaw (aka QweenJaiMil’s worst nightmare).

While the event was a dream in lavender and luxury, the real moment came when cameras caught Royal and Averi sharing a full-on kiss, not even trying to hide it. (Swipe for that shot, thank us later.)

Now — we’ve all seen the subtle posts, the mysterious heart-eye emojis, and that one paparazzi shot outside Ms. Kay’s Soulfood, but this? This is a hard launch if we’ve ever seen one.

And let’s talk impact:

Fans are in a frenzy.

Twitter’s on fire.

Ex-flings everywhere? Pressed.

No word from the couple yet (we hear they’ve instructed their teams to “let the pictures speak”), but let’s be real — they look very together.

So… is this industry love? Real love? Or just a beautifully produced situationship? We’ll be watching.

#RoyalAndAveri #HardLaunchSeason #LipstickLeaks #CreedAndSerenityWedding #BookedAndBooedUp

Basically, the internet had been wildin’.

I wasn’t new to being talked about. But this time, it was different because now Averi’s name was attached to mine.

I smirked as I scrolled through X. The reactions were all over the place.

@scubaraae: Averi and Royal, that’s my kind of carryin’ on. Get it, sis.

@amberjoy: idk why y’all so surprised. He been posting her for a while now, just glad they stopped denying it.

I chuckled, tossing my phone onto my chest. “Ayo, Ave.” She hummed in response, still scrolling through her own phone. “You see this shit?”

She sighed. “Yes, unfortunately.” She rolled her eyes. “why are people like this? This is the bad part about being famous, everybody is in your business. Not to mention my Mama and Daddy have been blowin’ my phone down for hours.”

I tapped her thigh, my voice dropping. “It’ll be old news soon.” Her eyes met mine, and after a second, she nodded looking very unconvinced. “Aye,” I murmured. She looked up at me. I studied her for a second before saying, “Come to dinner at my mama’s house tomorrow.”

Her brows lifted slightly. “We meeting families already Royal?”

I smirked. “You technically already met most of my family. You know Zay and King, then you met Queenie in passing when she stopped by the studio that one time, remember? Just gotta meet Princess now.”

She hesitated. “Your little sister?” I nodded. She sighed, biting her lip. “King said she was mean. You think she gonna like me?”

I huffed out a small laugh. “She a fan of that corny ass show you play in.” I laughed and she hit me with a pillow. “Nah, but Princess is… a hard shell to crack. If she don’t like you, she’ll tell you to your face. And if she fucks with you? You’ll know.”

Averi tilted her head slightly, watching me. “And what if she doesn’t fuck with me?”

I leaned forward, my face inches from hers. “She will.” Her breath hitched slightly, and I grinned, watching her composure slip just a little. I leaned back, throwing my arms behind my head. “So, what’s up? You comin’?”

She gave me a small smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Yeah. I’m coming.”

I smirked. “Good.”

A few nights later, Averi was sitting at my mama’s dinner table with my family.

It was a surreal moment for me, inviting a girl home.

Nobody ever got to meet Queenie and they damn sure wasn’t meeting Princess.

But here Averi’s fine ass was sitting next to me and Princess wasted no time in sizing her up.

Queenie had cooked her ass off—fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, yams, and cornbread. The real Sunday dinner type shit.

King was at the head of the table, Zay on the side, and Averi was right next to me. She fit right in, laughing with my family, vibing effortlessly. But Princess? She was watching. She didn’t say much at first. Just observed. Finally, when dinner was almost over, she spoke.

“So.” She set her fork down, folding her arms. “How serious are y’all?”

Averi blinked. “Excuse me?”

Princess tilted her head. “You and my brother. This just a lil’ industry thing, or is it real?”

I opened my mouth, but Averi beat me to it. “It’s real,” she said without hesitation.

Princess arched a brow. “You sure about that?”

Averi didn’t flinch. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

Princess studied her for a moment, then hummed. “Uh Huh. How we know you ain’t using my brother or something.”

“Princess, really?” Queenie asked shaking her head.

“For what exactly?” Averi asked confused clearly amused. “There ain’t shit he got that I don’t already have or can’t get on my own. I been a bad bitch before and I’ll stay a bad bitch after.”

“Mannn, fuck outta here.” I scoffed.

A second passed. Then, Princess smirked. “A’ight. I like her.” Averi seemed to let out a breath I don’t think she even realized she was holding.

King chuckled. “Damn, that’s all it took? You gave Keisha a hard time for months.”

“That’s because Keisha was a hoe who was using you for clout and money. You see how that turned out for you? You see Keisha’s triflin’ ass around here now King? Take a look around… news flash, you’re not gonna.”

The entire table bust out into laughter. I fuckin’ loved my baby sister. She didn’t sugarcoat shit, and she never failed to put me and King in our places when she needed to. She was absolutely Queenie’s daughter.

“She got you there bro.” Zay clowned King who stared at him blankly.

“Shut yo hungry, hungry, hippo lookin’ ass up.”

Princess shrugged. “Anyway, Averi seems solid. And she put up with Royal’s annoying ass, so… she gotta be.”

“Now how the fuck I get in it?”

“She’s right Royal, you are pretty annoying.” Averi agreed laughing and I playfully pushed her.

The table laughed, and Averi finally looked relaxed. I glanced at her, taking in how at ease she looked, how effortlessly she fit in with my family.

Yeah. This shit was real.