Page 41 of Free to Fall

“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered, eyes soft.

“Thank you,” I breathed. “For everything.”

The afterglow from the concert still clung to my skin like body glitter. Every time I blinked, I could still see the stage lights. Every time I swallowed, my throat tingled from belting lyrics. And every time I looked at Nasseem, I felt like I could float straight up off the ground.

“Where we goin’ next?” I asked as we exited the venue, hand tucked in his, our fingers laced like we’d done this forever.

“Royal said he booked a lil’ section atOpium,” he said, helping me step into the SUV. “Said he wanted to party a little before we all head back to reality tomorrow.”

I smiled, heart racing in the best way. “Perfect.”

Opiumwas exactly what you’d expect a premier Atlanta club to be—low lighting, velvet booths, champagne towers, and a sea of black excellence dressed in silk, leather, and designer logos. Royal, already in the section, stood up and dapped Nasseem while Averi squealed and pulled me into a hug.

“My bitch tore that stage up!” she yelled over the music. “You looked so good!”

“I did what I had to do,” I grinned.

We were surrounded by our crew—Serenity and Creed, Brodie and Arielle, Royal and Averi, even Zay was somewhere nearby, acting like security without actually being security.Drinks flowed, music boomed, and at some point, I ended up dancing on Nasseem in the middle of the booth, my arms around his neck, his hands resting dangerously low on my hips.

“You proud of me?” I asked, breathless from dancing, sweat kissing my temple.

He leaned down, lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Always. You was a whole problem tonight, you hear me? A problem.”

I giggled, tilting my head back as he kissed my neck. “Good. I like bein’ your problem.”

We didn’t get back to the hotel until almost 4 AM. But the next morning there was nothing but peace. Soft, sunlit, grown-folk peace. We slept late, ordered room service, then decided to be tourists for once—no disguises, no wigs, no stylists. Just Egypt and Nasseem.

We hit up the aquarium first, then walked hand-in-hand through Centennial Park. He let me drag him into a trap museum, and I let him drag me to a sneaker shop that damn near emptied his wallet.

“You keep buyin’ me shit, I’m gonna have to change my last name,” I teased.

“I’m not mad at that,” he said without missing a beat, slipping his hand into mine as we walked back to the car.

By the time we made it to Slutty Vegan for a late lunch, we were laughing too loud, touching too much, high off the kind of joy that comes when you know—for certain—you’re right where you’re supposed to be. But that feeling didn’t last long.

It started with a buzz from Nasseem’s phone. Then another, and another. He pulled it out with a furrowed brow, thumb swiping fast. His jaw tensed.

“What’s wrong?” He didn’t answer at first. Just kept scrolling. His nostrils flared. “Nasseem.”

He finally looked up, eyes stormy. “You seen this?”

I reached for my phone and opened X, only to be met with a screen full of Lipstick Confidential’s blog post..

Lipstick Confidential EXCLUSIVE

"The Price of Loyalty? Nasseem Walker’s Brother Speaks Out"

Posted: 10:44 AM PST | By: Kai Monroe

Y’all know we don’t sleep over here at Lipstick Confidential—and today, we’re waking you up with a certified BOMBSHELL.

Boxing superstar Nasseem Walker, fresh off his soft-launch with actress/singer Egypt Armstrong, is now at the center of some messy family drama.

In a Lipstick Confidential exclusive, we received a tip from a very close source claiming to be connected to Nate Walker, Nasseem’s older brother, and what they had to say? Whew.

According to the source (and we’ll quote directly here):

“Nate took a whole charge for Nasseem back in the day—real talk. He did time so Nas could go live his dreams, get rich, be famous, and now? Now he won’t even answer the man’s calls.”

---