Epilogue
One Year Later
Danica: For those of you who just tuned in to the What’s POPpin livestream of the Shooting Star Awards, I’m Danica Card, and we just saw an amazing live performance by the Usual Suspects!
Word has it that Jake Moody will be releasing a new solo single, which he wrote for his mysterious girlfriend of one year.
She must be quite amazing, since she’s also rumored to be the true muse behind the hit “Lovely, Aren’t Ya.
” With a new manager, everyone in US is doing better than ever.
Could this be—wait. [Blurry camera footage shows four teens in suits sneaking behind her.
The first one turns to shoot a wicked grin at the camera before vanishing off-screen, followed by the others.
Danica turns, too late to see them.] Was that Jake who just passed me?
Is that rogue sneaking out again? [Indiscernible reply from off-screen] What, all of US snuck out?
Seriously? Where are they off to? What could possibly be so important that they’re missing the rest of the award show?
—What’s POPpin livestream transcript
Do not change the channel again.”
Testing me, Rumple’s paw hovered above the TV remote. I turned back to the screen, watching as the award show closed. A montage played showing highlights of the night, including one of Jake and his bandmates performing onstage, before the reel faded away.
“Okay, now you can.”
Rumple slammed his foot down on the remote, making several buttons light up yellow, and an old black-and-white movie appeared on-screen.
Laughing, I leaned back under the café’s jungle canopy. “It’s good to be home for the summer.”
“It’s good to have you back,” Mom replied, smiling up at me from her tablet, where she was looking over this month’s jam-packed reservation schedule.
I’d never seen it so full during summer before.
The livestream from last year was still keeping us booked and busy, and getting cats into homes faster than ever.
“You deserve a break, you’ve been working so hard.
I can’t believe your professor’s already mentioned writing a letter of recommendation for vet school in the future. ”
I beamed with pride before teasing, “And I can’t believe you decided to keep Bunny as a resident cat along with Rumple.”
“Well, Bunny and I were twins for a while there with the whole leg thing. We bonded,” Mom reasoned, as Bunny heard her name and hopped over to say hello. “Plus, I figured since my daughter risked her life to save her, it’s only fitting I keep her.”
I laughed again before sending off a quick text to my boyfriend.
The award show started about three and a half hours ago, and US had been the first live performance.
The cameras never flashed to them for the rest of the night, and according to gossip, Jake had talked the band into sneaking out. Again.
Rumors swirled about why: Jake had slipped away to steal a limo, and the band was currently screaming out the sunroof and terrorizing half of LA. The boys were going to TP their ex-manager’s penthouse. Jake had flipped off a rockstar and then snuck off to a rave.
Dating the bad boy was actually pretty fun when you knew what he was really like.
Me: Let me guess. You snuck out for tacos this time?
Jake:
Jake: Talk to you soon
I grinned down at my screen, imagining them all pulling up to a fast-food drive-through in their fancy suits.
As I began writing Jake another text, a thudding sound came from the back door.
“It’s late,” I commented, glancing up at the pale moonglow outside. “Were you expecting anyone?”
Mom shook her head.
Ready to investigate, I approached the back door, but not before grabbing the ugly pink tiger off the shelf, just in case. I held the statue aloft in my right hand, and with my left, I turned the doorknob, throwing open the door to reveal—
“Jake!” I exclaimed in excitement.
“Lucy,” he grinned back, his eyes lighting up the moment they landed on mine, before his gaze drifted to the statue in my hands. “Are you going to put the disturbingly pink tiger down?”
“I don’t know,” I flirted. “Are you going to kiss me?”
“Is that what you ask every guy who tries to break into your café?”
“Nah, just the really cute ones.”
“Ugh,” came a familiar voice behind Jake. “Gross. Barf.”
“Move, Jake. If you can stop your obnoxious heart eyes for two seconds, we want to say hi to Lucy,” Leon’s voice chimed in. “Sneaking out may have been your plan, but we wanted to come too. Lucy’s mom said we’re all welcome here anytime.”
As if he needed to remind us. The boys had figured out ways to take Mom up on her offer a surprising number of times in a single year.
“Yeah, budge up,” a British voice requested.
Laughing, I opened the door wider to reveal Phillip, Aspen, and Leon.
“Hi, boys.” I took in their sleek, stylish suits, each one more fashionable than the last. “You guys were amazing up there tonight.” They beamed as I shook my head in delighted disbelief. “But how did you get here so fast?”
“We booked tickets ahead of time and took off as soon as we got offstage,” Jake told me. “Then we let Aspen drive here from the airport.”
Leon clutched his middle and made a face at Aspen. “Which you will not be doing again, Sir Hamilton Jr., no matter how much I want to visit.” He turned to me, perking up. “Maybe one of your mochas and a bear claw would help calm me down.”
“Caffeine? At midnight? To calm you down?” I asked, my eyebrows inching higher with each question.
“Lucy,” Leon protested, eyes widening innocently. “I stayed up extra late just for you.”
“Don’t worry, Lucy,” Phillip said, rolling his eyes. “We’ll take care of the gremlin.”
Snickering, Phillip and Aspen hauled a grumbling Leon farther inside, leaving Jake and me alone in the quiet.
“So,” I said, shutting the door and sending soft shadows dancing around us with the movement, “I’m the reason you snuck out?”
Jake shrugged, like their departure hadn’t made #wheresUS trend for an hour before everyone got bored. “I’d much rather be here with you.”
I smiled at how he made my heart flutter just like he first did eight years ago, and how he probably would till the end of time.
I once said life’s not a song. But I’d been wrong. There was music between Jake and me in the measure of our words and the cadence of our laughter, and the way we could be on opposite sides of the globe but know we were still singing in the same key.
“I brought you something from the show,” Jake said, reaching into his suit pocket and taking out a small present wrapped in silvery tissue.
We exchanged mementos a lot. It was one of our ways of being with each other even when we were not by each other’s side in person.
The gifts weren’t anything fancy, just something fun that said, You were there with me.
I mailed Jake pressed gold-and-red autumn leaves from campus last time.
While on tour, he’d mentioned that he was either always inside his hotel or performing in a concert venue, and he missed going out to see the trees change color. So I sent him autumn in an envelope.
“I saw this and thought of—” Out of nowhere, a furry black paw shot up and snatched the tissue paper out of Jake’s hand. “Rumple!”
A peal of laughter escaped me as the thieving cat ran off. Jake’s laughter mingled with mine, the sound better than any song on the radio, because it was the music of us.
“It’s okay,” I told Jake, winding my arms around him as he pulled me in against his heartbeat. “All I need is you.”