Ashanti swirled her straw in her iced tea, watching Nelly smirk across the restaurant table. “So…” he started, dragging out the word like he was setting up a punchline. “You seen the blogs lately?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, you mean the Ashanti & Nelly Baby Watch 2025 nonsense?”

Nelly chuckled, leaning back. “Girl, they got full-on baby names picked out for us. ‘Lil’ Nelly Jr.’ and ‘Princess Shanti.’”

Ashanti nearly choked on her drink. “Not Princess Shanti!”

He shrugged. “Hey, at least they got taste.”

She shook her head, tapping her nails on the table. “It’s wild how I can just wear a loose hoodie one day, and boom—instant pregnancy.”

Nelly grinned. “That, or we just look too good together. Makes folks wanna manifest a whole baby.”

Ashanti tilted her head. “So… you saying you wanna manifest one?”

His smirk faltered for a split second—barely noticeable. But she caught it.

“Ohhh,” she teased, narrowing her eyes. “You thinking about it, huh?”

Nelly laughed, holding up his hands. “I ain’t say nothing!”

“Mmhmm.”

The moment stretched, playful but charged. Outside, the paparazzi cameras flashed, capturing a casual dinner that would soon be dissected into headlines and speculation.

Ashanti sipped her tea, smirking. Let ‘em wonder.