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SHAREEF REGRETTED A LOT OF THINGS IN his twenty-four years but there was nothing he regretted more than sending Ayoluwa to that damned lake house back in 2020.
Maybe she wouldn't have fallen in love with Joshua if he hadn't.
Maybe he would've had more time to find the courage to tell her how much he loved her.
And perhaps most importantly at the moment, he wouldn't be sitting in a Manhattan recording studio watching the girl he loved make her fiftieth love song about another guy.
Shareef tried not to sigh as he observed Ayoluwa standing next to his computer chair, her braided locs flowing down her tank top-covered back and her brown hands speedily running over themselves on the soundboard while she hummed different harmonies to see which one of them matched the unfinished song playing.
He leaned back on the buttery soft leather, pushed off into the center of the room, and spun around until his vision became slightly blurry.
"Ahem," Ayoluwa finally turned her head over her shoulder to examine him, "You don't like it."
"What makes you say that?" He inquired once he stopped spinning.
"You're making your 'I don't fuck with this' face." She pointed out.
"I mean... Yes and no." Shareef said in a cautious tone.
Ayoluwa simply raised an eyebrow at him before completely turning around and crossing her arms against her chest, "Speak your mind."
He immediately shook his head at her request, "Nah. I don't wanna hurt your feelings."
"C'mon. You know I need your final approval on all songs," Ayoluwa pleaded.
This time it was Shareef's turn to raise an eyebrow, seemingly questioningly but in reality, he just wanted the begging type of look on her face to continue.
Ayoluwa rolled her cocoa-brown eyes in a playful way, "You, better than anyone, can always tell when one of my songs will be a hit. You're kinda like... I don't know. My secret weapon."
"Me but not Josh?" Shareef quipped before spinning around just once more.
At her boyfriend's name, Ayoluwa released a low sigh, "He doesn't... He doesn't understand my work. He tries but..."
"Fine... It's just... How many love songs have you made exactly?" Shareef questioned.
"I... I guess I've made a couple," Ayoluwa shrugged, "What's your point?"
