Chapter 5
“Itold you I tried getting out of it, but they’re doing some new training and sent a few of us to California for the week. It ain’t like I want to leave.”
“Man, that shit weak. Since I’ve been home, we’ve barely spent time together,” Nick groaned.
Harmony closed her eyes briefly and leaned against the counter. She hated lying to him, but there was no way she could tell the truth. Between Legend, the club, and now this trip, she already felt like she was juggling too much at once.
“You act like I’m doing this on purpose. I still gotta work, Nick.”
“And I still don’t like that overnight shit. Every time I call, you either there or sleep.”
“Well, baby, I got bills and responsibilities. I can’t just stop making money because you home.”
“I just feel like shit different now.”
His comment made the guilt creep deeper in her chest, but he wasn’t lying; things were different, very different, but Harmony avoided going there.
“It’s not different. It’s just bad timing.”
Nick started complaining again, talking about how much time they were losing and how he felt like she wasn’t making him a priority. Normally, Harmony would’ve entertained it longer, but when she looked at the time on her phone, her eyes widened.
“I gotta go!”
“Already? Why?”
“Yes. They boarding soon, and my supervisor already called twice looking for me.”
“Aight, call me when you land.”
“I will.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” Harmony shook her head.
The moment the call ended, she let out a long breath.
Staring at herself in the mirror, she could practically see the stress sitting on her face.
Between lying to Nick and whatever situation she had walked into with Legend and Skyy, her life was starting to feel more complicated than she could keep up with.
Fixing her lip gloss quickly, Harmony then stepped out of the airport bathroom.
The second she walked back into the terminal, her eyes immediately landed on Legend sitting a few rows away near the gate.
Dressed in all black with his Louis Vuitton carry-on beside him, he looked up from his phone the moment she walked over.
“Everything cool?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Harmony nodded.
Before the conversation could go any further, the announcement came over the speakers calling first class passengers to begin boarding.
Not only was that her first time flying first class, but it was her first time flying period. Trying not to look nervous, she stood up beside Legend and followed his lead toward the gate.
The flight attendants greeted them politely before directing them onto the plane. The moment Harmony stepped into first class, her eyes widened. Everything looked so much nicer than she imagined.
“You cool?” he asked while helping her with her bag.
“This crazy. I ain’t never did no shit like this before.”
“I know, that’s why I got you.”
Once they got settled, Legend walked her through everything. He showed her how the seat worked, where the charger ports were, and how to buckle her seatbelt correctly.
A few minutes later, the flight attendants began going through the safety instructions while Harmony tried to pay attention to every word.
The closer they got to takeoff, the tighter her stomach felt.
She kept glancing out the window at the runway lights while mentally preparing herself.
When the plane finally started moving, she instinctively grabbed Legend’s hand.
“I got you.” He looked over and winked.
Harmony held onto him while the plane picked up speed down the runway. The second it lifted into the air, her stomach dropped.
“Oh my God,” she whispered while gripping his hand tighter.
“Relax. You good,” Legend laughed while rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.
Slowly, Harmony looked out the window as the city lights beneath them started getting smaller and smaller. Despite her nerves, a smile spread across her face, and for the first time in her life, she was really leaving Chicago.
As the flight continued, Harmony slowly settled in and started enjoying herself.
Once the plane leveled out, the nervous feeling in her stomach faded, and curiosity took over instead.
She spent most of the flight looking out the window and asking Legend random questions about flying.
The attendants came around offering drinks and food, and Harmony couldn’t stop smiling at how nice everything was.
Between the heated seats, the soft blankets, and the amount of attention first class passengers received, she understood why people with money flew that way.
Legend stayed attentive the entire flight, checking on her every few minutes, and making sure she was comfortable. At one point, Harmony ended up curled against his shoulder while watching movies on the screen in front of her. Making the three-and-a-half-hour flight feel more like thirty minutes.
By the time the plane landed in California, Harmony was fully awake again and glued to the window watching everything outside. The second they stepped off the plane and outside the airport, the heat immediately hit her
“Ain’t no way it’s this hot in November.”
“Yeah baby, you in Cali now,” Legend smirked.
A black truck waited near the curb for them, and once they climbed inside, Harmony rolled the window down. The entire drive felt unreal to her. Palm trees lined the streets everywhere she looked, luxury cars filled the roads, and the weather alone had her shocked.
“It’s literally ninety degrees out here, when back home freezing already.”
“You gone wanna move out here after this trip, watch.”
Harmony laughed while pulling out her phone. She immediately started recording videos and snapping pictures through the window. Every few seconds she saw something else that caught her attention.
“So, what hotel we staying at?” Harmony asked while posting one of the videos to her close friends.
“Hotel?” Legend repeated before going on.
“I got a condo out here.”
“Well, excuse me.” Harmony stared at him for a second before laughing.
Legend chuckled too while leaning back comfortably in the seat. The truck continued through the city for another thirty or forty minutes before finally pulling into one of the nicest condo complexes Harmony had ever seen. The building was tall and covered in glass from top to bottom.
“Damn,” Harmony muttered while climbing out of the truck.
Legend grinned proudly but didn’t say much while grabbing their bags.
The two of them headed inside the building and straight toward a private elevator that required a code just to access the upper floors.
Harmony stood quietly beside him while the elevator rose higher and higher.
The farther up they went, the more excited she became.
In her mind, their trip was about to be perfect.
She pictured them spending uninterrupted time together, shopping, going out, relaxing, and enjoying California away from everything back home.
When the elevator doors finally opened, Legend led her down a quiet hallway before stopping at one of the penthouse doors. After entering the passcode, he pushed the door open and motioned for her to go in first.
The moment Harmony stepped inside, she froze. The condo was gorgeous. The space had an open layout with huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.
“Oh my God,” Harmony whispered while slowly walking farther inside.
“This so nice.” She turned in a slow circle while taking everything in.
Legend stood near the doorway watching her reaction, but before Harmony could fully process everything around her, the sound of footsteps echoed from deeper inside the condo.
Her smile faded slightly when a few seconds later, Skyy appeared around the corner.