Page 112 of The Spotlight Effect
TWO MONTHS LATER
STARSTRUCK
ALEXIA
The flight from South Carolina to LA will definitely never get better, but at least I won’t have to do it for a while. I won’t have to be on and off a plane, which I’ve never been more appreciative of. I text Faith, letting her know I’ve finally landed before I grab the suitcases I brought. I shipped the rest of my items about a week ago so I could have everything waiting for me at my apartment.
Gray offered for me to live with him, but I feel like it’s such a big step for us when we should take our time and be together a bit longer before living together. I told him we could absolutely have sleepovers sometimes. Plus, we'll be living together on tour since I’m opening for The MorningStars on their summer tour. Thankfully, I’ll have my own tour bus, though, because I don’t think I’d survive in such a small space with everyone.
I spot Gray at the front of the airport holding a ‘Welcome Back’ sign. I feel my cheeks start to heat up in bothembarrassment and flattery as I didn’t expect him to do this. “You made a sign.”
“I heard this is what people do?” he says as I get closer. He takes my suitcases from me and hands me the sign.
“It’s very…cute.” I slightly laugh.
“Thank you. I wanted to impress you.” Gray leads me to his car and loads my suitcases up as I climb inside. “Everyone will meet us at the restaurant tonight for your welcome dinner, but right now, I’ll help you unpack,” he tells me. The next few days will be full of setting up and getting things started. Tomorrow, I have to go to UCLA and grab my student packet, as that’s the college I transferred to. I honestly don’t think I could have chosen a better place. I’m super excited to start this new chapter.
I’m staying in the Hills, where Emerson picked out an apartment for me. It’s three bedrooms and two baths. I told Emerson I didn’t need that much space, but she insisted, so I eventually gave up and just accepted the apartment. I’m not paying for it anyway, so why not take it? We arrive at Shung Miu Tower which is the luxury apartment building Shawn’s family owns that I’ll be living in. The building is black metal looking super classy with reflective mirrors on the outside.
Standing by the doors are two doormen and a valet service also sits to the side of the roundabout entrance. Gray pulls up the valet stand and lets my window down. “Sir.” The valet nods.
“Can you park this in Alexia Kirby’s exclusive parking space?” Gary asks. I have a parking space? I don’t even have a car here!
“Yes, sir.” The valet nods and Gray gets out of his car. He opens the trunk and gets out my suitcases while the valet opens my door. I step out with the bag I kept with me as the valet closes the door and takes the keys from Gray.
“Let’s get you up to your apartment,” Gray says. The doorman opens the door for us, and entering, we walk into ared and gold-decorated lobby. We walk over to the desk, and she hands me an envelope that has my name on it.
“We’ve been waiting for you. Your room key and the building rules are in there,” the woman says.
“Thank you,” I tell her. She nods in return and we head for the elevators. I notice the elevators have plant stenciling over the doors as we get closer. Whoever decorates Shawn’s family’s hotels and apartment buildings does an amazing job. We head up to the fifth floor and find apartment 8C. I take the key out of the envelope and unlock the door. My nerves begin to creep up as I’ve lived alone and had a place of my own. I turn the key and push the door open, revealing an open floor-plan apartment with lots of sunlight pouring in.
Walking inside, my boxes are already inside, along with a few pieces of furniture I picked out, already sitting up and put together like my cloud couch is placed in the living room where I wanted with my coffee table in the center that’s black glass. “Before we start, I want to give you something,” Gray says as he closes the door. He sits my suitcase to the side and walks toward me as I stand in the living room. Gray pulls out a white and gold box from his pocket.
Oh my god.
He can’t be. Please tell me he’s not. I’m so not ready or prepared. I’m twenty! “It’s not an engagement ring, just a promise,” he says, chuckling. “The look on your face looks like pure terror.”
“Sorry.”
“Alexia, I never thought I’d ever love someone so much or that someone who loves me like this. You are everything I could hope for and more. You’re literally my Asteri Mou. So, I want to give you this.” He opens the ring box that has a DR engraved on it, revealing a beautiful marquise diamond ring. “I want to promise I will always listen to you, support you, love you, and beyours for as long as you’ll have me and hopefully that’s forever.” My heart swells ten times as big as these words come out of his mouth.
“Of course I accept!” Gray pulls the ring out and slips it onto my finger. “I love you.”
My skin beginsto sweat as I listen to the crowd cheer on the other side of the curtain. “And go,” the stage director instructs me through the earpiece. I go out onto stage, following the routine I practiced a million times over the last few months. I never expected my first show to come so soon but now I’m performing in my first concert showcasing my EP.
I spot Gray in the front row beside Faith, giving me a thumbs up, and looking excited. This is one of the biggest moments of my life and I have them here. The music begins to flow through me as I start singing “Spring Break”. I can’t believe this is my life. The look on Gray’s face is the look of love and I can’t help but think… I love how lucky I am.
