xlv. THE IRONY.
February 15, 2018. | Third Person POV.
London, England.

Liked by sza, saintrecords, and 3,456,889 others
sedona  my funny valentine ❣️

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sza GIRL ME ASAP. I KNOW YOU DID NOT JUST DROP A BOMB LIKE THIS AND DISAPPEAR???
⤷sedona well...

rnbaddict94 nah, Sedona been real lowkey with hers... WHO IS HE?!
⤷user2  exactly like like c'mon now???

thatgirlnia  not her giving us aesthetic and VIBES but no face. sis, drop the @!

thenbvault  the way this is giving PRIVATE but not SECRET... I need answers immediately.

kdot4l  y'all peep the hand? that ain't no regular hand. that's a man hand.

woahsedona she said "my funny valentine"... so you mean to tell me my good sis is in love?!?
⤷crownmekween  wait... she's literally on tour with Kendrick. you telling me she got a secret man while traveling with him?!?

thesedonaeffect the bouquet??? the candlelit dinner??? the mystery man??? I am STRESSED.

rnbprincessera if she pop out married like Jhene & Big Sean, i'm THROWING my phone.
⤷user2 when tf did they get married???

monaehive not her sneaking in a full hand and thinking we wouldn't investigate. enhance the image!!

certifiedloversedona she got us out here acting like the fbi... and I love that for her.

sedonasfootwarmer OK BUT WHY DOES SHE LOOK THIS GOOD???? THE DRESS. THE HAIR. THE SKIN.
⤷sangdownsedona nah, she's glowing different... whoever he is, I'm scared of him.

marcoandsed4ever now wait a minute... IS MARCO BACK IN THE PICTURE?? somebody say sike right now.
⤷user2 ho u sound delusional asf.

notmymanbutours the way she looks so soft and in love... UGH I WANNA KNOW WHO IT IS SO BAD.

whotsishe bestie, blink twice if this man is tour staff and not your ex.

nowaysedona that man can't be Marco... this giving new man, grown man energy.

cuffingseasonchampion this is not a regular Valentine's Day flex... whoever this man is, he's in the lead.

shesaidyesera that bouquet??? you mean to tell me someone counted out every day they've known each other and bought that many flowers??? oh, this is a husband move.

ifnotmethenwho THE HAND IN THE PIC. ENHANCE. ENHANCE. I NEED TO KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS BY MIDNIGHT.

thehatersaresick Sedona really got us in the trenches investigating while she's somewhere sipping wine and giggling.

thatsoftloveera nah, I don't even need the @... sis is HAPPY. and that's all that matters. (But also, drop the @ please, I'm dying.)

saintrecords this level of romance... the flowers... the ambiance... the secrecy??? AND THE FACT THAT I WAS UNINFORMED. chiiiiiiiiiiii✨

softsedonaera not Solange AND SZA in here pressed like the rest of us. that's how you know it's serious.

themysteryofsedona if Solange don't know who it is either... we might actually never find out.

ifheaintlikethisidontwantit Solange and SZA trying to get answers just like us??? Oh, this tea is TOO HOT.

marcowho so we all in agreement that Marco could never right???

meltedforsedona if a man ever adored me like this, I'd simply pass out.

nofacenocasechampion Sedona got the world on standby and is somewhere laid up sipping wine. I respect it.

feliciathegoat not you booed up and shit. #divorced. 😢
⤷sedona i'll sign the papers if willing.
                          view 1,234 replies

—

Sedona stood in the middle of her bedroom, already dressed for her early flight, but unable to stop staring at the balloons still floating against the ceiling. The soft glow of the morning sun filtered through the curtains, making the delicate reds and whites look even more romantic. She sighed dreamily, rolling her bottom lip between her teeth.

If only she could take it all with her.

Valentine's Day had been perfect. Kendrick had outdone himself—not just with the grand gestures, but with the way he saw her. Everything he planned felt like it was crafted specifically for her—from Monica's decoy day to the flower count, to the way he had just looked at her in that dress. And then Nas?

She shook her head, smirking to herself. If she thought about it too long, she might actually melt into a puddle.

Reaching for her phone, she scrolled through the hundreds of pictures from the night before—candids of the private dinner, the way the candlelight flickered against the champagne glasses, her hand resting on Kendrick's thigh under the table, and of course, the video she had taken of him completely losing it when Nas stepped onstage.

She exhaled softly before selecting a handful of pictures— many of them being ominous so that it wouldn't reveal that it was him and just leave to to speculation. Even then she found herself smiling at the picture of her sitting at the table with a giddy smile, another of Kendrick watching her like she was the only thing in the room, and a final shot of them together, their hands interlocked on the table. What made her laugh was the blurry video of her serenading him in the car with Drunk in Love.

She smirked before typing a simple caption:

"my funny valentine ❣️"

As soon as she hit the post, her notifications went crazy. Especially with the comments from Sedona, Jasmine, and Solange.

Sedona burst out laughing.

Yeah... she hadn't told SZA or Solange about making it official. Shit.

Exiting out of the app before she got cursed out in real-time, she grabbed her suitcase and double-checked her essentials—passport, headphones, sunglasses. But before she could make it to the door, her phone started ringing.

Joint FaceTime Incoming: Solange, SZA, & Jasmine.

She sighed dramatically before answering.

"Finally, bitch!" SZA greeted, her face taking up most of the screen.

"So you was just gon' let us find out with everybody else?" Solange folded her arms, already looking unimpressed. "Cute pictures but diabolical as fuck."

Sedona pressed her lips together, trying not to smile. "Good morning to y'all too."

"Nah, don't try to be cute," SZA cut in. "Grammys night?? Grammys night is when y'all finally stopped playing in each other's faces?"

Sedona opened her mouth to defend herself but paused. Wow. It really did take them forever.

"Damn," Sedona laughed. "Can I tell my own story?"

"Nope," Solange deadpanned. "Because we been knew, we been waiting, and honestly? This is embarrassing for you. Took you long enough."

"Right," SZA agreed. "You had us geeking over the kiss that never happened, the sporadic dates, the red carpet moments—'Oh, we just friends,' 'I want this nigga bad.'" She sucked her teeth. "Girl, you a liar."

Sedona rolled her eyes but couldn't help but grin. "Fine. Yes, we made it official Grammys night. Yes, things are going great. No, I wasn't hiding it—I just hadn't had a chance to tell y'all yet."

SZA scoffed. "Girl, you was hiding it."

"Lying by omission," Solange added.

Sedona groaned, rubbing her temple. They weren't gonna let up. "Are y'all done?"

"No," They said in unison.

Jasmine, who had been quietly sipping from a mug, finally spoke. "Oh, I knew."

SZA's head snapped toward her. "She knew already?!"

"Now that is fraudulent," Solange said, eyes narrowing.

Sedona let out a loud laugh, covering her mouth. "Jas, why would you say that?"

Jasmine shrugged. "I got ears. I got eyes. Plus, Kendrick don't be looking at nobody the way he looks at you. I knew from the moment you started talking about him in the way you did that it'd be a matter of time before you guys made it official."

Sedona felt a warm flush creep up her neck. Was it really that obvious?

SZA threw her hands up. "Wow, so we the only dummies then?"

Solange sighed, shaking her head. "This is why I only trust God."

Sedona wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling. "Look, I promise I meant to tell y'all, but it just... happened. And then the Grammys were crazy, and then the tour schedule—"

"No excuses," SZA interrupted. "We gon' let you rock because we like Kendrick, but don't play in our faces like this again."

Solange nodded. "Next time, we find out before the public."

Sedona held up a hand. "Fair."

And just like that, the conversation spiraled into a chaotic mix of roasting, gossip, and catching up. Solange ranted about a fashion designer who had tried to play in her face, SZA went on a tangent about a messy situation happening in her group chat, and Jasmine casually mentioned that she was already working on another album, sending them into a frenzy.

Before long, Sedona's car pulled up outside, and she sighed. "Alright, I gotta go. My flight's boarding soon."

"Where you headed?" SZA asked.

"Frankfurt."

"Oooh, that sounds nice," Solange smirked. "Y'all gon' go on dates or what?"

Sedona sucked her teeth. "Bye."

"Keep us updated, bitch," SZA warned.

"Lowkey, though," Sedona reminded them.

Solange waved a hand. "Girl, please. Who we gon' tell?"

Jasmine smiled knowingly. "We'll just be waiting for the next big announcement."

With that, Sedona ended the call, shaking her head with a soft smile.

She may not have been able to take the balloons with her, but at least she was carrying the feeling of last night with her wherever she went.

—

Kendrick barely glanced at his phone before pocketing it again. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't one to live on social media—he much preferred to talk his shit in person.

So as soon as they were in the terminal, he leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching her with that familiar smirk.

"My funny valentine, huh?" His voice was low, teasing.

Sedona didn't even look up from her passport. "What about it?"

Kendrick tilted his head, stepping closer, his cologne wrapped around her like a second skin. "Just wondering when I became an Instagram soft launch."

She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. "It wasn't a soft launch. Just a little—"

"You knew what you was doing, Sedona."

She sucked her teeth, finally looking up at him. "And what was I doing?"

Kendrick let the question hang between them for a second before chuckling, dark and smooth. He reached out, his fingers grazing the hem of her sleeve.

"Claiming me."

Sedona blinked, feeling warmth creep up her neck. "Oh, is that what I was doing?"

"Mhm, loud and clear." He nodded toward her phone. "Them little cryptic pictures? The caption? 'My funny valentine'? You tryna be subtle, but you know they eatin' that shit up right now."

But she wasn't about to give in that easily.

Instead, she tossed him a smirk. "You just now figuring that out?"

She exhaled sharply, feigning exasperation. "Besides, Kendrick. If I wanted to claim you in public, I would've posted a full-body pic with 'mine' in the caption and been done with it."

Kendrick chuckled, tilting his head. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She lifted her chin defiantly. "So technically, I was still giving you some privacy."

Kendrick hummed, stepping even closer, his voice smooth as silk. "Privacy, huh?"

"Mhm."

He smirked. "That's why you got your lock screen of that picture of me lookin' at you like you hung the damn moon?"

Sedona froze for half a second. He had her there. That was her favorite picture at the moment.

Instead, she tossed him a smirk. "You just now figuring that out?"

Kendrick licked his lips, eyes dipping to her mouth before flickering back up. "Nah. I knew the moment you started saying my name like that."

She arched a brow. "Like what?"

He leaned in just enough for his breath to graze her cheek. "Like you was tryna make it a habit."

Sedona's stomach flipped. Her fingers curled against her boarding pass, but she kept her voice even. "Mm. And what if I was?"

Kendrick hummed, trailing his fingers up her arm, barely there but just enough to set her skin on fire.

"Then I'd say... you don't gotta try anymore. It's already a habit, baby."

Her breath caught for half a second, but she played it off, tilting her head. "So what you're saying is... you're obsessed with me?"

Kendrick chuckled, low and knowing. "Somethin' like that."

Sedona bit her lip, shifting slightly, her body betraying her. "Interesting."

Kendrick smirked. "Why? That do somethin' to you?"

Instead, she smirked, reaching up to adjust the collar of his hoodie, her fingers lingering just long enough to make a point. "You do that a lot, you know. Staring at me."

Kendrick exhaled a laugh, his grip on her suitcase tightening. "I'ma be real with you, ma. Hard not to when you look how you do."

Sedona bit back a smile. "Oh, so now you flirting?"

"Now?" He raised an eyebrow. "You catching on a bit slow, baby. I been flirting."

She sucked her teeth, shaking her head. "You so damn cocky."

Kendrick licked his lips, his gaze flickering down to hers. "You like that shit, though."

Sedona opened her mouth—to say what, she didn't even know—but their boarding call interrupted.

Kendrick grabbed her carry-on for her like it was second nature. "Come on, my funny valentine. We got a flight to catch."

Sedona sighed, shaking her head as she fell into step beside him. "You really love saying that, huh?"

Kendrick looked down at her, his voice dropping just enough to send a shiver down her spine.

"And do."

Sedona hated how much she loved the sound of that.

—

©kashdemi
Volume I- Redamancy.
Chapter Forty-five.
— ０２／０９／２５
———————

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!!! FLY EAGLES FLYYYYYY! I'm also here for Kendrick & SZA's halftime performance and I literally can't wait. I'm so excited, I've been excited since it was announced. This is history in the making.

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH TO ALL MY BLACK PEOPLE!!!!!!

Thoughts on the chapter? Thoughts on their growing relationship? And what do you expect for the next one?

Stay tuned for the next chapter, & til next time!
-shea