SHARED VENICE HOME
venice, california
april 18, 2024
thursday
9:15pm

"raelynn cmon, we're gonna be late!" i called out from the foyer.

"i know, i know!" she yelled from her room. "i'm just putting on my shoes!"

i scrolled my phone as i waited for her to come downstairs. she came out of her room and rushed down the stairs, wearing a white long sleeve cropped top, a brown mini skirt and black heels, her hair had been done up and her makeup had been done perfectly. "how do i look?" she asked.

"so beautiful..." i said with a soft smile.

raelynn's eyes sparkled as she smiled. "thank you, you look really nice too, 'laine." she said before she grabbed her little purse from the couch and walked out of the house with me following right behind.

for the entire fourty minute drive to downtown we played sza's 'sos' album. raelynn had her window rolled down the window as the warm la air blew through the car. she sang along to sza's songs, which made me smile. i was glad to see her out of the house, and enjoying herself.

when we made it to the venue, there was barely any street parking as everyone had already parked, which was expected. "where do i park.." i muttered to myself, turning the music down so i could focus.

"i suggest finding parking down a few blocks and we can walk...i just don't wanna pay for parking." raelynn suggested, i nodded in agreement as i drove around until i found some street parking about four minutes away.

we got out of the car and walked the short distance to the venue, as soon as we made it to the venue we noticed the crowds of paparazzi and photographers around taking photos of the guests.

feeling overwhelmed, raelynn and i made our way inside the venue. the venue was big, and beautiful. the tables on each side of the stage were being occupied by staff dressed in black. many of the people were influencers, celebrities, models, and solana's family and close friends. they were all chatting amongst each other as servers walked around with serving trays of drinks and appetizers.

"let me know if you see dominic...i don't know if he's here yet." i said to raelynn.

she nodded as she looked around the room. "there are a lot more celebrities than i was expecting..." she said to me. her eyes were wide and she had a happy look on her face.

before i could respond, solana walked on stage snd began speaking into the mic, thanking everyone for coming. i stared at her in awe as she spoke, i truly adored and respected her.

solana then smiled at the audience and nodded. "i want you guys to really enjoy the music of this deluxe and to just listen to the words and just be one with it all." she said, concluding her speech. once she made her final point she walked off the stage.

i looked at my phone to see it was now 10:30. "where is dom? it's 10:30..." i complained to raelynn.

"maybe he's running late?" raelynn suggested to which i nodded. that was probably the case. i tried hard not to think about it though.

"you have your eye on anyone?" i asked raelynn.

she looked around the room. she then pointed at someone. "him" she said. i looked the man she was pointing to, he was really handsome. he had brown eyes, and a kind face. he was tall and he was talking to a few people.

"isn't that?" i narrowed my eyes "steve lacy?"

raelynn gasped loudly. "it is. i love steve lacy, he's so hot..." she said to me. i laughed at her and shook my head knowingly.

"go talk to him." i nudged her.

"are you crazy? i can't go talk to him...he's an actual celebrity. if i talked to him, i'd probably embarrass myself." she said with a shake of her head.

"you'll do fine, i know you will...just go!" i said to her with a smile.

raelynn bit her lip as she looked at him and then back at me. "you really think i stand a chance?" she asked.

"i know you do." i said reassuringly.

raelynn shook her head, "i can't do it..."

"would it be easier if i introduced you?" i heard a voice say, a voice i recognized. i looked back at the voice to see dominic, i smiled at the sight of him.

"dom!" i said excitedly, as i gave him a hug. "you made it." i smiled.

"you look so beautiful, elaine." he said to me as he looked me up and down. he then looked over at raelynn and smiled. "let me introduce you to steve." he said to raelynn.

with that he wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to steve, raelynn following. "steve!" dominic said excitedly as he slapped his hand against steve's shoulder to garner his attention.

steve turned around, a smile on his face when he saw dominic. "yoo, dominic! didn't expect to see you here."

"didn't expect to see you either! but i'm glad you're here. this girl behind me is quite the fan of yours." dominic said as he pointed to raelynn.

she blushed behind me and spoke up, "i'm raelynn...it's good to meet you, steve."

he smiled at her, his eyes sparkling. "it's a pleasure to meet you too, raelynn." he said politely. "i'm happy to see that my music is reaching new people." he said, causing raelynn's cheeks to turn an even deeper red.

"we'll leave you two to it." dominic said to raelynn and steve as he led me away from the pair. i smiled at raelynn as she shyly flirted with steve. dominic's arm was still around my waist.

"i'm so excited for solana's deluxe to drop." i said to him.

"me too, solana's music always goes hard," he nodded as he leaned down toward my ear. he whispered softly to me, "it's not as exciting as being with you though."

i laughed softly. "where were you?" i asked.

"i got tied up at the studio and ran late." he explained as he squeezed my waist and smiled at me affectionately.

"do you have a date on when the album is gonna drop?" i asked.

"i'm not sure," he confessed with a shrug. "i'm still doing a few more tracks and i'm trying to decide on a title for the album." he explained and then asked me, "any suggestions?"

i walked with him to an empty couch and sat down. "it's gonna have that summer feel to it, right?"

"yeah, definitely. i'm aiming for a summer night on the beach vibe..." he said as he sat next me.

"coast to coast or dreams in high definition or...you could do something going off of the sunburn album." i shrugged.

he smiled at me. "coast to coast," he repeated, "i love that." he placed his hand on my thigh.

"you do?" i asked.

he looked at me sincerely as he spoke. "i really like the way you think..." he said to me. "but then again, i really like everything about you" he smiled at me sweetly.

"you really know what to say to flatter a girl, don't you?" i smiled as i placed my hand over his that rested on my thigh. he stared at me for a while, as if admiring me. "i think you should drop the album in early may, give people enough time to memorize the lyrics in time for summer." i said.

"you're right," he nodded in agreement. "i'm also gonna plan a nice music video in june, since i want the video to have a warm summer feel to it. i'm thinking of recording it in mexico." he explained to me. "maybe you and i can take a little vacation there after i drop the album," he suggested.

"a vacation to mexico? sounds like a dream." i said with a little giggle. "i have to work on dropping some music myself." i said.

"you're going to blow up soon, i can already see the headlines...'rnb singer, elaine hooks breaks charts with her newest album'" he grinned at me and kissed my cheek. "i know you'll be a big star soon." he said confidently.

"god i hope so...solana swears that after her song with me in it drops then i'll get more recognition, and honestly, i'm counting on it."

"solana has a good ear for music and an even better heart. she wouldn't work with you if she didn't trust your artistry. it's only a matter of time until you're the hottest artist in all of la, babe..." he told me in a matter-of-fact.

~~

for most of the night dominic and i sat on the couch, enjoying each others company. whether that was talking, kissing or doing everything in between.

then at 11:59, there was a count until 12:00. solana got on the stage as the crowd started to count down. "3! 2! 1!" we all cheered.

"lana is now out on all platforms!" solana yelled into the mic, she was tipsy and that was no secret.

dominic and i had our arms around each other as we watched solana announce her album. everyone went crazy, i looked over to raelynn just to find that she and steve were off in their own world.

the music from her newest deluxe started playing and solana walked off the stage. we all sat down as we listened to the album while sipping our cocktails. it started off with, 'young love' a song i wrote for solana. this song expressed the feeling of being truly in love at a young age.

next played, 'catch a wave,' the song i was featured on. the song generally speaks about riding the ups and downs with a partner, embracing the excitement and challenges that come with being in a relationship. after solana's verse, my voice could be heard.

"that's you!" dominic exclaimed in excitement. his eyes were sparkling. i blushed and giggled softly, as i leaned over to give him a kiss. that kiss lingered and as it continued, all i could focus on was his lips on mine; they were warm and soft.

we continued to listen to solana's music, all while kissing and cuddling. dominic had his arm wrapped around my waist and i rested my hand on his thigh.  i enjoyed our intimate moments together, we truly enjoyed each other's company and had a connection unlike any other.

~~

INSTAGRAM
celebupdates

liked by 1,324,622 others
celebupdates rising star, elaine hooks, seen arriving at sza's listening party alongside a friend. sources say elaine and singer, dominic fike couldn't keep their hands off of each other the entire time.

view all 21,443 comments

user1 is that the coachella girl??

user2 SHE pulled him? the math isn't mathing

user3 she was just on sza's deluxe wasn't she?
⤷ user4 yeah that's the same girl

~~

dominic rolled his eyes at the post. "at least you look good in the photo." he said with a shrug.

"are you kidding me? i look scared out of my mind." i looked at him with furrowed brows. "who even are their 'sources'?" i paused before speaking again. "you know what, their sources are probably in here right now, and they're probably staring us down."

"it's whatever, they just wanna create drama." dominic said nonchalantly. "we get to enjoy the night together, so it's not like it matters." he added as he gave me a light kiss on the lips.

"i'm ready to head out." i said with a sigh. "i gotta drive back to venice."

dominic nodded in understanding, he then stood up and held his hand out for me. "let's head out then." he said in a firm but sweet tone. i smiled at him and accepted his hand.

"no wait, raelynn." i said before i looked around the room and spotted raelynn talking to steve. i waved her over to us and she jogged over to us with a big smile on her face. "rae, are you about ready to go?" i asked her.

she nodded and her eyes widened excitedly. "this was such an amazing night. steve is so sweet." raelynn told me before she gave me a quick hug.

"oh yeah?" i asked her as i held onto her and walked towards the front door.

raelynn leaned into my ear as dominic held the door open and whispered softly. "i think we're going to see each other again." she said excitedly. i smiled at her, happy to see her so joyful.

"thanks" i mouthed to dominic before walking out. "well, you and steve looked adorable together..." i said as we walked towards the direction of my car.

she blushed, "we were just talking for the most part. steve was telling me all about how he produces his music." she informed me. and then she nudged my arm. "but you on the other hand. you were just all over dominic." she said to me with a soft laugh.

"that just seems to be the topic of night, me and dominic right?" i said sarcastically.

"i mean, you guys make a cute couple. so it makes sense that people notice," she explained.

"we're not a couple, rae." i said as i stopped at the end of a block and looked to see if dominic was still nearby.

raelynn stood by me, she was visibly shocked at that. "what do you mean you're not a couple? i watched you two make out all night?" she asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

"yeah but we're not dating, just seeing each other...testing out the waters before labeling anything." i explained.

a smile grew on her face and she giggled. "testing the waters? well do the waters feel good to you?" she asked knowingly. "from the way he was holding you and looking at you, there's no way it's only 'testing the waters'" she insisted.

"you're the worst." i said jokingly as i noticed dominic was nowhere to be found, maybe he went back into the party.

she laughed, "i'm just saying, dom can't keep his eyes off of you. i think he's more than just testing the waters. he's diving straight in." she laughed once more at her own joke.

"this is the most i've heard you talk." i said as i continued walking.

"hey!" she said defensively and poked my arm. "i talk... just about the things that are worth talking about." she said with a proud look on her face. "like, steve lacy." she giggled once more, i shook my head and laughed with her.

~~

in my room, i scrolled through instagram and came across solana's newest post.

~~

INSTAGRAM
sza

liked by dominicfike and 2,256,989 others
sza LANA is now out on ALL PLATFORMS!..thank you to every single person that played a part in this. every producer, every label, my engineers, my managers, my featured artists, my FRIENDS, my writer, my family, and every single person that believed in me and pushed me to drop. i love you, please enjoy. 🥹💕

view all 9,423 comments

user1 heavenly

user2 no skips

elainehooks you're amazing solana
⤷ sza YOU'RE amazing, elaine.

~~

i smiled to myself as i read solana's beautiful words and took matters into my own hands and created a post.

~~

INSTAGRAM
elainehooks

👤: sza, raelynnkatz
liked by dominicfike and 100,322 others
elainehooks have you listened to sza's new deluxe yet?? because i have and i love it just as much as i love @sza.

view all 1,211 comments

user1 your voice is heavenly.

user2 i need a song with only your voice (i love sza)

sza love you more 🥰🥰

_shayelrod someone's in their famous arc
⤷ elainehooks does it look good on me?
     ⤷ _shayelrod yes!! you're glowing