Page 73 of So This Is Love

“Yeah, it surprised us all. We’ll be doing more events in the future though-, so maybe you’ll be able to come to the next one.”

“Yeah, but you probably have at least one extra ticket right?”

The woman tucks a piece of her light brown hair behind her ear and bats her blue eyes, probably thinking that will help her get what she’s seeking.

I shake my head. “I’m not in charge of the tickets and unfortunately we’re all sold out.”

“Yes, but they work for you. I’m sure they could find one more ticket if you asked them to.”

“It doesn’t really work like that-, but if I could I would,” I lie, hoping that she’ll take no for an answer.

I don’t want this situation to escalate, especially not with Laila here. I try to keep my voice light while I talk to her, hoping that if I stay cordial she’ll leave quickly.

“Well, can I have a picture then at least?” the girl asks, preparing to raise her phone to take a selfie.

I clench my teeth. I was hoping that she wouldn’t ask for that, knowing that my denial of her request could lead to this situation becoming unpleasant.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m not taking pictures right now.”

The girl frowns. “It’s just one quick picture and you won’t even give me that.”

Early on in my career I set the boundary that I wouldn’t take pictures with people who saw me while I was just out and about in public. At an event or during a meet and greet, absolutely, but anything outside of that, no.

I wanted to establish some separation between me and my fans for both my safety and as a form of respect to me as a human and not just an entertainer. Since I set the precedent early, I rarely get approached for photos.

“I’m sorry,” I repeat.

“Yo Sonny -”

Xavier steps out from the building, the rest of his sentence left unfinished. He takes a second to assess the scene between me and the woman before he steps in to put an end to it.

“You aren’t supposed to be here ma’am,” Xavier says, stepping towards the woman. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“What? No!” the woman shouts. “Sonny was going to get me a ticket to the show tonight. I’m his biggest fan!”

“No he’s not,” Xavier says.

“This is how you treat your supporters?” the woman yells as Xavier takes her arm and starts leading her away. Once they’re no longer close I turn to Laila.

“Hey, are you okay?”

She nods, but I can tell that interaction made her uncomfortable, her body tense and eyes focused on the direction that Xavier and the woman went.

“Let’s go back inside,” I say.

I take her hand in mine, walking to the door and pulling it open for her to enter first. We make our way to the dressing room and Xavier is already standing there. Laila goes in and I stop in the doorway.

“Everything handled?” I ask.

“I handed her off to one of the other guys. She’s off the premises and they’re doing another walk around to make sure no one else can get through.”

“Thank you,” I say and start to walk into the room when Xavier puts a hand out to stop me.

“You want to tell me why you were out there without eyes?” Xavier asks.

“I just needed a minute.”

Xavier shakes his head. “Doesn’t work that way, boss.”

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