Page 96 of Siren

Jalen: Yo, I know y’all in Philly but the label needs both y’all on that Zoom tonight. Re: campaign rollout.

I looked at Taraj. He was glancing down at his screen, too.

He met my eyes. “Jalen.”

“Brielle.”

He shook his head and tucked the phone into his jacket pocket.

“Later.”

I did the same. “Yeah. Later.”

We stood in silence for a moment. Just breathing each other in.

Then he extended his hand. “C’mon, superstar. Let’s finish this walk.”

I laced my fingers through his and followed. Past the mural of Black jazz legends. Past the corner barber shop with Anita Baker spilling from cracked windows. Past three more fans who recognized us, whispered excitedly, but didn’t interrupt.

It wasn’t normal. But it was ours.

“I missed this,” I said, leaning into his side. “The in-between stuff. The parts nobody claps for.”

He glanced down into my eyes. “I missed you.”

My chest warmed. My phone buzzed again. I didn’t even look.

“Meetings going okay?” I asked.

He exhaled through his nose. “Heavy. Labels want everything. Brand deals. Appearances. They pitched me a podcast and a fashion collab in the same breath.”

“Damn.”

He nodded. “Not complaining. Just… I didn’t expect it all to land this fast.”

“You mean afterMore Than a Momentblew up?”

His mouth curled into that smirk I loved. “You mean afteryoublew it up.”

I stopped walking and turned to face him. “You ready for all of that? The heat, the press, the constant motion?”

He didn’t flinch. “I’m ready to make music that matters. That lasts. And I’m only doing this if it still feels like us. No matter how loud the world gets.”

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat.

“They offered me another tour,” I said softly.

He blinked.

“Europe. Asia. The whole thing. With way less turnaround than before.”

“You thinking about it?”

I hesitated. “I’m thinking about how to move without losing myself. Without losing you.”

I reached for his hand again. “I don’t want to be a silhouette on a world stage with no light inside. I want this…us… to still feel real when the noise fades.”

He leaned in. Pressed his forehead to mine.

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