15. Strip Chess
FIFTEEN
STRIP CHESS
M arcus
The air is thick with leftover tension all afternoon. Jax is sitting alone, staring out the window, his face tight with frustration, while Dylan is pacing in the small living area. His usual easy-going nature is gone, replaced with guilt and regret. After my talk with Lily, I’m hoping she comes out of the bunk to hang out. We all need to be cool before our next show and she is slowly becoming the center of every moment of connection we seem to create on this tour bus.
"Dylan," I call out quietly, leaning against the counter, arms crossed. "We need to talk." If for no other reason than his pacing is slowly driving me crazy, but I’m hoping he will be able to fix things with Lily. Jax is already making things awkward as hell.
He stops mid-pace and looks at me, his eyes filled with remorse. "I know I fucked up," he says with a sigh, walking closer anyway.
I give him a hard look, one that says yeah, you did . I’ve already had to stop him from going to her bunk several times. Lily and Dylan in the bunks is what started this mess in the first place. I tamp down the tiny bit of jealousy that tries to rise at that thought. Deciding to file it for later. "You think? She thought there was something real. The least you could do before you fuck someone on the bus is make sure you’re on the same page," I state with a roll of my eyes.
Dylan runs a hand through his hair, frustration etched into his face. "I panicked, alright? Jax was pushing my buttons, and I said the wrong thing. Things with Lily just happened. It wasn’t planned. It still isn’t. Anything can happen on the road, you know that."
Just then, Lily appears at the end of the living room, making a small noise in her throat to capture our attention. Like everyone on the bus was not becoming attuned to her every movement the longer spends with us. She steps forward, her eyes meeting Dylan’s. She looks more composed, her expression carefully neutral as she moves towards the two of us standing in the kitchen.
"Lily, I’m sorry," he says softly, the usual joking tone replaced with sincerity. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."
She gives him a tight smile, but when he tries to reach for her hand, she pulls back slightly, subtly avoiding his touch. "I get it, Dylan. It’s fine. I agree we are both adults and you did nothing wrong." Her voice is steady, but there’s a wall up between them now. If I can feel it, Dylan definitely can.
I see the weight of her words hit Dylan like a blow. He looks at me, helpless, and I shake my head slightly. He needs to give her space, for now. Hopefully, it won’t take her long to forgive him and they can move past this.
A couple of hours later, as the road stretches endlessly ahead of us, we are all sitting on the couch mindlessly watching a stupid scripted reality tv show. Lily is leaning against my side, reading her book on her phone. Things almost feel normal, which is a move in the right direction.
Enzo stands up, randomly stretching. “I’m so fucking bored.”
Dylan grunts in response, but no one else moves or responds.
Enzo walks over to the cupboards, loudly opening and closing the doors until he reaches the one above the fridge. “Ahh,” he exclaims as he shuffles things around, making a fuck ton of noise. He moves to the table carrying a chess set.
"Lily," he calls, a challenge laced in his voice. "Fancy a game of chess?"
Lily glances up from her book, her eyes narrowing. "Sure, why not?"
She joins him at the table, and I can already see Enzo’s gears turning. He’s always trying to push buttons, always testing people. This isn’t just about chess. He’s got something else in mind.
Lily sits down across from him, her blue eyes sharp and focused. She ties up her blonde hair into a high ponytail and I find myself transfixed by the long line of her neck. Enzo leans back, smirking, his tattoos peeking out from beneath his shirt as he watches her prep for the game. Dylan scoots closer to me, leaning his elbows on his knees, ready to watch the match, while Jax remains off to the side, brooding and silent.
"You ready to lose?" Enzo taunts, setting up the pieces.
"We’ll see," Lily replies, her voice cool and confident.
“Let’s make it interesting,” Enzo proposes.
“How?” Lily asks, suspicion apparent in her tone. It hasn’t taken her long to realize Dylan and Enzo are the two shit stirrers in the band.
“Oh, don’t sound so concerned,” he teases, rising from the table and grabbing two beers from the fridge. He returns, placing one on the table for each of them. “A drink every time you lose a piece.”
“Like a whole beer?” She asks.
“Nah.” Enzo waves his hand in the air, like he’s brushing the question away. “Like a sip.”
“Okay, you’re on.”
The game starts, and it doesn’t take long for us to realize Lily isn’t messing around. She moves her pieces with precision, and soon enough, she takes the first piece from Enzo. His smirk falters.
"Nice move," I say, watching Enzo down half his drink in response.
"Beginner’s luck," Enzo grumbles, though his jaw tightens like he is about to start taking this game a hell of a lot more seriously. He’s a competitive fuck.
The game heats up, and with every lost piece, the stakes rise. Lily loses three pieces but takes four more. Enzo loses another and it’s clear his beer is empty. Dylan hands him another drink with a grin. "You’re slipping, man."
"You wish," Enzo mutters, focusing harder on the board.
Lily loses a pawn, and she takes a drink, her cheeks flushing slightly. I watch her profile as she swallows. A thought pops into my head, and I voice it, angling my body for a better view of her face. "How about we make this more interesting? Strip chess."
Lily’s shoulders stiffen and Enzo’s grin widens. "Now you’re talking,” he exclaims.
I watch as Lily rolls her shoulders back, forcing them to relax. "Fine. But don’t complain when you’re the one sitting naked."
My mouth slackens in shock. I expected her to immediately turn me down, but she never seems to do what I expect her to. “One piece of clothing per game piece?” I ask.
Lily nods. “Yeah, but if I’m doing this, you ALL have to strip when Enzo loses a piece.”
“I’m in,” Dylan quickly interjects. “But we get to help Enzo.”
Lily laughs but agrees. “Okay, if it takes all four of you to win against me, who am I to judge?”
Enzo grumbles, but allows us to all crowd around him, even Jax joins in. We huddle together as we discuss next moves. Every twitch Lily makes draws my attention, so I’m barely any help. We attempt to turn the game using a mix of strategy and teasing. It doesn’t work. Enzo loses another piece, groaning as he pulls off his shirt to reveal the swirling tattoos on his chest and arms. The rest of us follow suit, taking off our shirts.
"Take that, Enzo," Lily laughs, sounding slightly breathless. I grin as I watch her eyes flit between us, taking in all the naked skin on show. I flex my chest lightly, enjoying her watch my pecs as they jump and tighten.
Her distraction allows us to capture a piece two moves later. Lily grumbles and sighs, then removes her socks. Of course, she would start with her socks. We huddle closer together, trying to plan our next move.
Lily captures another piece before we do. Enzo stands up and removes his pants, revealing his briefs. The rest of us follow suit and I hear Lily’s breath catch. I smirk as she takes a sip of her beer, finding it empty. I walk to the fridge and grab her another, leaning close as I place it on the table. “You seem like you need this,” I whisper in her ear.
She gulps, then straightens her shoulders. Pointing to the board, she says, “You’re awfully cocky for someone on the losing team.”
I chuckle, then straighten and head to the other side of the table. “Not for long.”
Our lack of clothing seems to distract Lily, either that or maybe she doesn’t want us all to lose our underwear. We win the next two consecutive pieces and Lily is left sitting across from us in a simple black panty set. I can barely keep my eyes off her chest, and I almost miss when she states, “Checkmate.”
“No way,” Enzo exclaims, staring at the board in shock.
“You need a better team next time,” she says with a laugh.
Enzo groans, slumping back. "This is bullshit," he mutters, taking one last drink and tossing his briefs aside. He’s completely naked now, glaring playfully at all of us.
Jax, who’s been his usual quiet, broody self all night, finally cracks a small smile. "You guys are idiots," he mutters, shaking his head as he removes his boxers.
Dylan grins, flinging his boxers away, then standing there with his hands on his hips like he’s posing. "Yeah, but you love us anyway."
I remove my boxers as well, watching as Lily averts her gaze from all the naked male across the table from her. “Rematch?” I ask jokingly.
“Err, tomorrow?” She asks, still not looking at me. “When do we put our clothes back on?”
Enzo laughs. “Now I guess. Although it’s a bit anticlimactic.”
Lily’s cheeks flush, but she jumps up and throws her clothes back on, waiting to look in our direction until our underwear is back on. She cleans up the chessboard as we all settle back into the couch, returning to the reality tv show. Once she finishes picking up the pieces, Lily settles back against me and I wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer.
As the night winds down, everyone starts heading to their bunks. Lily slips away ahead of me, but I catch up to her, gently touching her arm. "Crash in my bunk tonight?”
She hesitates, her eyes searching mine. "I don’t know, Marcus... Every time I sleep in someone else’s bunk, it seems to start trouble."
"Just to talk and sleep," I say, my voice soft.
After a moment, she nods. "Okay. Sure, Marcus."
We climb into my bunk, the space tight but comforting. I wrap an arm around her, and she rests her head on my shoulder. The quiet hum of the road surrounds us, and I can feel her starting to relax.
"Today was crazy," she whispers, her breath warm against my skin.
"Yeah, it was," I agree, running my hand gently through her hair. "But life on the road is crazy. This is just part of being with the band."
She looks up at me, her blue eyes filled with uncertainty. "I’m worried about what’s going to happen when I have to go back to real life.”
I press a soft kiss to her forehead, buying myself time because I’m not sure how to respond. I haven’t even thought about life after the next tour stop, yet alone life after the tour ends. "There’s time to worry about that later."
She sighs, her body sinking deeper into mine. "I know."
"Get some rest," I murmur, pulling her closer as we settle into the bunk. She’s laying half on top of me at this point and I’m still not sure if it’s close enough.
She leans up, moving to place a gentle kiss on my cheek. I move my face at the last second, capturing her lips with mine. She is soft and sweet, yielding as I demand entry, her tongue hesitantly touching against mine as the kiss continues. A groan builds in my throat as I cup the back of her head, deepening the connection. She releases a soft mewl and I pull back, both of us breathing heavily. Tucking her back into my side, I whisper, “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight, Marcus,” she returns with a sigh.
I fall asleep with a grin on my face.