Lashelle let out a sharp exhale as she jogged around her neighborhood. She had a radio interview at 8:00 a.m., a photoshoot at 11:00, dance rehearsal at 2:30 and the Grammys later that night. She was releasing her next single from her second album today and she was excited. The fans had been waiting for her to release another one and she knew this one was going to put her over the top.
She hadn't spoke to Trey in days since he'd been in Miami and she didn't care to. While they were husband and wife, they were also artists. She didn't have time to coddle him and play around. Trey could do that, he'd been in the game longer. She couldn't slack off while she was in her prime. She just hoped he'd be back in time for the awards show tonight.
After jogging her 5 miles, Lashelle walked into the house and let out a sigh of relief when the air conditioning hit her. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She gulped down as much as she could and texted Will to bring her large vanilla bean frappuccino when he was on his way. She jogged up the stairs to take a shower and get herself cleaned up.
After showering and fixing herself up, Lashelle walked into her closet with a towel wrapped around her body as she looked through her clothes. Since she had a photoshoot later, she figured she'd keep it a bit simple.
Picking out a pair of high waisted shorts, a fitted black tee and a pair of black Manolo Blahnik heels, she dropped her towel and lotion her body before she slipped on her panties and bra. She got dressed and brushed her hair straight. She kept her face free of makeup except for lip gloss and grabbed her tote bag, walking down the stairs.
Will texted her that he was outside and she grabbed her phone off of the kitchen counter as she walked out of the door.
"Good morning, Miss Lashelle." Will greeted her and handed her the drink.
"Morning, Will. Thank you for my drink. I have an interview with Yvonne Riley at 8:00, I have a photoshoot for Harper's Bazaar at 11:00 and I'm leaving to the dance studio at 2:30. Then I have the Grammys tonight. It's gonna be a long, but eventful day." She explained and sipped her frappuccino.
"Yes, ma'am. I got you." He nodded.
Will opened the door for her and she got in, buckling her seatbelt. She grabbed her phone and got on Snapchat to do a few videos, talking about her day.
"Good morning, my Bombshelles. I've got a busy day today. Got this interview with Yvonne Riley, I have a photoshoot with Harper's Bazaar, dance rehearsal and then the Grammys. Throughout today, you'll get to see glimpses and sneak peeks of those things. I'm gonna be dead tired by tonight, but superstardom costs. Got my Starbucks with me. I'll probably be drinking that all day. Also, I'm releasing my single today and I know you guys are gonna love it. So let's get it started." She smiled and gave a thumbs up.
She took a video of the road as Will was driving and soon her phone began to ring. She looked at the screen and saw her manager Lisa was calling.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Lashelle, good morning." Lisa started, "You've got your schedule, right?"
"Yes, I got it. I'm on top of it."
"Great, great. I called Trey's manager and he's supposed to be in from Miami around 4:00 today, so he will be here in time to get ready for the Grammys tonight. I will see you at the radio station in a few."
"Ok, I'll be there."
They hung up with each other and Lashelle looked out of the window, watching other cars go by.
When she arrived to the radio station, a few cameras were out and they snapped pictures of her as soon as she stepped out of the car. While paparazzi could be annoying at times, all you had to do was give them a smile and wave and they wouldn't be too bad. She walked inside and Yvonne smiled at her.
"Lashelle, welcome. I haven't seen you in a while." She greeted her.
"Yeah, it's been a crazy time. But I'm glad to be here." Lashelle smiled.
"Glad to have you here. This interview is going to be pretty simple. I'm gonna ask you questions about your music, your marriage, your family, your future goals that you want to accomplish, your favorite artists and things like that." Yvonne explained.
"Sounds good to me."
"Great. Take a seat, get comfortable and relax. We should be starting in five minutes."
"Will do." Lashelle smiled.
Yvonne sat down in her seat and Lashelle sat across from her. Lashelle gave Lisa her phone, so she was able to take pictures and a couple of videos of the interview to put on Snapchat. Lashelle put on her headphones and took another sip of her vanilla bean frappucino.
Soon, the introduction to Yvonne's station began to play and it was time for the interview.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up! Good morning out there to all of you beautiful people. This is your girl Yvonne Riley and guess who's here with me in the building? The music game's newest and hottest R&B artist Lashelle!"
"Good morning, good morning. Hey, everybody." Lashelle spoke into the mic and smiled.
"So glad to have you here. You look casually stunning as always."
"Aww, thank you."
"So how have things been?"
"Everything's been going great. Really busy and crazy, but it's been great. I'll be at the Grammys tonight and I'm nominated for five of them."
"Wow, look at you! How does that feel?"
"It feels absolutely amazing, honestly. I don't care if I win any or if I win just one. I'm honored to be in the group. Of course I'd love to win, but I'm not gonna stress myself over it."
"That's amazing. So when can we expect your next album?"
"Very, very soon. I don't want to give out a date just yet, but I think this one will be better than the first. A lot of anthems. But as you know, I'm releasing my second single from the album today."
"That's right, we'll be playing it later on today. Can you tell us the name of the song?"
"Yes, it's called Irreplaceable. It's definitely a song for the ladies, but some fellas might be able to relate to it. Sometimes people hurt us and they don't think what they're doing is wrong because they think they're not able to be replaced and we won't find better. So this is a song that basically says, I can find another you and you're not above being replaced." Lashelle explained.
"Ooh, girl. You just spoke to a lot of us right now. Making me want to church stomp up in here!" Yvonne exclaimed jokingly.
Lashelle laughed and shook her head, "You are silly, girl. But that's the basic concept of the song."
"Alright, alright. Can't wait to hear it later on. So how do you prepare for a show? Like, when you're backstage and you're getting ready to go onstage, how do you get ready?"
"Well, I definitely pray before every show. I mean, without God, I wouldn't be here. So thanks to him, always. I drink my water, do my vocal exercises and things like that. There's nothing too special that I do. It's very simple."
"Who are some of your favorite artists?"
"Ooh, that's a tough question. I love music in general. I can't really say just one artist. But of course, Chris is always a favorite of mine. He's gonna think I'm saying that just because I'm his artist." She laughed again, "But he's such an amazing talent, I love Chris. Also, I love Trey's music."
"Speaking of those two, I've gotta ask the two question people are dying to hear."
"Go right ahead."
"First, how did Chris discover you?"
"Ooh, my goodness. This story is a bit embarrassing for me." Lashelle chuckled, "But I was in 7-Eleven and I think I was buying a Slurpee, chips, cookies and chicken wings. I had just came from a run not too long ago and I wanted some junk food and through the speakers, Chris's song Yo (Excuse Me Miss) started playing and while I was filling up my cup with whatever Slurpee flavor I wanted, Chris came in with two of his friends. I was singing the song, not caring about who was listening or how loud I was and he stopped in his tracks. He tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Is that you singing my song so effortlessly?' When I tell you, I was shocked as hell on the inside, but I kept it cool and collected on the outside. My confidence was strong on the outside, but I was shaking on the inside. I mean, this was Chris Brown. He asked me my name and talked with me for a little bit. He told me he liked my look and he loved my voice. Then he gave me his number and the address of the studio he was gonna be at and told me to meet with him."
"Wow. I could understand you freaking out. I think any girl would if Chris Brown came up to them and started talking."
"Agreed. But I met with him and a record executive he knew and I sung Love Is A Losing Game by Amy Winehouse. From there, the rest was history."
"That's so great. How long did it take for the starstruck stage to calm down?"
"Oh, after the 7-Eleven incident, I was over it." Lashelle laughed, "I felt like he was an old friend that I've never met, if that makes sense. Chris is very cool, down to earth, sweet and funny. He treats you like family."
"Now the second question, how did you and Trey meet and what's it like being married to him?"
"Well..." She started.
*Flashback*
"Lashelle, come on!" Her friend called out for her.
Lashelle's stilettos clicked across the concrete as she caught up with her friend, zipping up her purse.
"I am really not in the mood for partying, girl. I'm tired. I ran ten miles and dance practice kicked my ass too."
"Come on. All work and no play makes you dull. Just have one night of fun."
Lashelle sighed and followed her inside of the party. There were drinks being passed out everywhere, people dancing and grinding on the floor and the music boomed through the speakers. The two of them grabbed a drink and sat down at a booth.
"This party is hot, right?!" Her friend asked.
"Yeah, it seem alright." Lashelle replied and took a sip of her champagne.
"Try to have fun and let loose or something." She rubbed her back and looked to her right, "Ooh, I see a fine dude over there. Mind if I go talk to him?"
"Do your thing, girl."
"Are you gonna be ok over here?"
"Girl, if you don't go. I'm grown, I'll be alright." Lashelle chuckled.
Her friend kissed her cheek and went off to whatever dude she was talking about. Lashelle stayed in her seat, sipping her champagne and looking around. New to Hollywood and the music game, she worried about her image and how things would make her look. She didn't want her fans thinking she was this out of control party girl who stumbles out of clubs all drunk and needing help.
She wanted to keep her image as picture perfect as possible.
In a matter of minutes, she saw a really sexy brown skin man began to approach her. He was dressed in a black short sleeve button down, jeans and sneakers. His hair was cut low and he sported a silver watch on his wrist, along with a familiar looking tattoo. When he got closer to her, her breath got caught in her throat when she realized who he was. None other than...Trey Songz.
He looked down at her and smiled, "Hey, beautiful."
She cleared her throat and straightened herself up, "Hi."
"You're Lashelle, right?"
"Yes, I am."
"I thought that was you. I love your music. For a newcomer or for anyone for that matter, you are something special. I can see that." He complimented.
"Thank you. Um, who are you?"
He chuckled, showing his pearly whites again, "I'm Trey. Trey Songz."
"That name sounds familiar. Hmm, who knows?"
He chuckled again and ran his hand across his fade, "You mind if I sit down?"
"No, not at all."
He slid in the booth and sat down next to her.
"Damn, he's even finer in person and he smells amazing." She thought.
"So how come you're not out there dancing?" He asked her.
"It's been a long day and I'm not really in the mood to dance, you know? I only came because my friend needed a companion."
"I feel you. She left you hanging, huh?"
"No. I just told her I'm grown and she can do whatever she wants. I don't need a babysitter." She chuckled.
"So how 'grown' are you, Miss Lashelle?"
"Grown enough. That's all you need to know."
"Damn, a little feisty. I see you. I like that. Would you mind if I got your number?"
"How about you give me yours first?"
"Gladly."
Lashelle grabbed her phone from her purse and Trey rested his hand on her thigh, whispering his number in her ear. She'd be lying if she said goosebumps didn't appear on her skin. She put his number in her phone and he gave her his phone for her to do the same.
"Alright, Miss Lashelle. I'll be hitting you up later." He told her.
"I'm sure you've said that to all the girls and never did, didn't you?" She asked.
He chuckled at her attitude and whispered in her ear, "You're not them, baby girl."
*End of flashback*
"Whoa. Girl, that's major." Yvonne stated, "But I know you did not tell him his name sounded familiar."
"Yes, I did." Lashelle laughed, "About a couple of weeks later, I told him that I knew exactly who he was and that I was a fan of his. I just didn't want to come off as a groupie or easy."
"He came up to you and he knew who you were! How would you be the groupie?"
"Hey, people would flip the script like that. But we were friends first and everything progressed naturally for us."
"How old were you?"
"I was 23. I had just turned 23. By the next year, we were married. He said he knew he wanted to marry me a month into our relationship, but of course, I made him wait."
"That's so sweet. Imagine that. You made Mr. Steal Yo Girl sprung over you."
"I guess so." She chuckled, "We're doing good."
"It's so good to hear that. Well, listen. I think now would be a good time to play that new single of yours. So here it is, y'all. The debut of Lashelle's new single. Here is Irreplaceable."
Later that day towards the evening, Lashelle stood in front of the mirror in her walk-in closet and looked at her outfit. She wore a golden colored halter gown that was jeweled from her neck to her chest as the rest fit her in the style of a mermaid. Her back was exposed quite a bit and her hair was pinned into a elegant side bun style with a few hairs draped on each side. Her heels were the same color of gold and rhinestones were draped across her feet in rows of two.
"Shelle, are you ready?" Trey called out to her from the bedroom.
She carefully walked out of the closet to the bedroom and saw Trey in the mirror, straightening out his jacket. He looked extremely good in his black suit and blue tie. She hated to admit it, but she wanted him right then and there. They didn't see eye to eye all the time, he got on her nerves and they fought a lot. But she wasn't blind to his looks. Her husband was Trey Songz nonetheless.
But then she remembered what she found on her phone after her interview. The Shade Room had pictures of him and his ex girlfriend Helen talking and laughing with each other. It looked too close for comfort for her and it made her upset.
He turned towards her and eyed her up and down.
"My golden goddess. You look absolutely breathtaking." He complimented her.
She wanted to blush, but she kept her attitude.
"You and Helen, huh?" She asked.
"What about me and Helen?"
"I saw on The Shade Room. You two looked mighty cozy and comfortable."
"Here we go again." He rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatingly, "You're trying to find another reason to be mad. Me and Helen are nothing more than friends."
"She's your ex-girlfriend, Tremaine."
"Oh, now you want to pull out the government name? You are tripping over nothing, as usual. She is nothing more than a friend. She knows I'm married. Hell, the whole world knows that. I hadn't seen or talked to her in years. All we did was catch up. I'm allowed to have friends, right?"
"You know what? Do whatever you want, Trey. We have an awards show to get to, ok? Respect me and don't have me out here looking stupid. We have an image to uphold. I'm doing my job. Learn to keep up and do yours." She advised him.
The two of them walked out of the house to the limo that was taking them to the Grammys. They could be annoyed and mad at each other all they wanted, but when that door opened and those cameras flashed, it was time to suck it up and show a united front. Problems stayed at home, not on the red carpet.