Chapter 50 Lily
FIFTY
LILY
I have never seen both bands as stressed as they are right now.
Stella sits on my lap, coloring in a picture of a tree house, while chaos unfolds around us. Times Three keeps going in and out of their mom’s beach house, where we’re all staying. Fay keeps drilling them about interviews, photo shoots, and content they need to make.
They all warned me that their last show in Athens was going to be a big deal, the biggest show they had ever done. Yet seeing all the preparation makes my stomach turn.
It’s five days until the concert. The energy is high. People are traveling from all over the world to attend their hometown show, and the bands are definitely feeling the pressure.
“Fay, please, I need one second of rest.” Elijah barges in the back door with a grumpy look on his tired face.
When he manspreads beside Stella and me, my thighs clench at the thought of jumping onto his awaiting lap.
Why does he look so sexy in all states? I flinch when I see my reflection when I’m tired.
“Do you understand how big of a deal this show is?” she deadpans, standing at the door with her arms crossed.
Does she not see how he can barely keep his eyes open?
“He’ll have a quick catnap,” I pipe in for him, watching the way his eyes flutter shut. “How about you go find Levi? He must be outside,” I say to Stella.
She’s been missing her big brother a lot lately. I’ve noticed the more she grows, the more separation anxiety starts to build within her sweet soul.
Jumping off my lap and almost bumping into Fay’s legs, she runs out the back door with a squeal. When Fay realizes Elijah’s going to put himself first, she huffs and follows Stella.
He must sense she’s gone because one of his eyes pops open. “Is she gone?”
“The coast is clear,” I muse, falling into his lap and snuggling into his torso.
I fiddle with the small pieces of hair peeking out from the front of his backward baseball hat, and he clasps my hand and kisses the tips of my fingers.
“Can you lie down with me for a bit?” His voice is barely above a whisper. “I could use some cuddles.”
I swear this guy is a gift from the man above.
Jumping up like Stella, he follows me to the bedroom we’re sharing with Leonidas and Trinity.
The two twin beds sit side by side, separated by a side table; it isn’t ideal for all four of us.
It just gives Elijah and me an excuse to cuddle extremely close—you won’t find me complaining about that.
Last night, my body refused to fall asleep, and I’m guessing the couple beside us experienced the same problem.
You know those nights when you weren’t asleep and you had to pretend you were sleeping when your parents checked up on you?
But it felt like it was impossible to stay still suddenly?
That was me last night because when the bed only a foot away from us started creaking, I almost lost my mind.
The two for sure thought they were being quiet, but when breathy moans blessed my ears, I had to shove my entire face into the crook of Elijah’s neck.
Worst night ever.
Pushing back the covers, Elijah’s large body takes up most of the bed. He pins me to his chest, and his soft scent spreads warmth through my body. With the blinds pulled closed, the door locked, and the house empty, nerves suddenly take hold of my body and steer the ship.
“Can I tell you something?” He swallows hard.
“Of course. You don’t have to ask to talk to me.” Resting my face on his biceps, I play with the hair at the nape of his neck.
“This show is really fucking up my head. I don’t know if it’s because it’s the most important one or because this is my second home, but I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack every moment.”
“Have you told anyone?”
His head shakes. “Just you. I don’t want to seem weak.”
Fuck that and the world’s standards that say men are weak when they show emotions.
“You are human,” I say strongly, hoping my words get through to him. “We all feel things that make us uniquely different. What I love about you is, I don’t have to guess what you’re feeling. That isn’t a weakness; that’s a strength.”
“I think for this upcoming week, I should take my medication again. That way, I don’t fuck up this concert.” He bites his lip, looking so intensely at me that it almost makes me cry.
“Whatever you feel is right I think is the best decision.” I peck his lips.
He stares at me in wonder, and I don’t know what to do. I watch, and he runs one hand up slowly from my waist to my shoulder. When his hand rests on my neck, my breath hitches, and my eyes fall closed.
“Are you nervous?” he teases quietly, all forms of stress temporarily gone.
I look him in the eye as he traces my jawline. “No. I’m just so happy. I haven’t felt this safe in a while.”
He smiles.
He pulls my face in and plants a passionate kiss on my mouth before sucking in my lips gently.
I lose track of time as I melt under his touch, his caresses.
Very softly, with an almost-not-there touch, he unzips my red summer dress, peeling it off and kicking it off the bed.
Then he undresses until he’s only in his black briefs.
I gasp when he pulls me into his lap, my knees bracketing his hips. His hands find my waist, dragging me impossibly closer. The bedsheets tangle at his feet, forgotten and cold, until there is nothing left between us but our heat.
“We shouldn’t be doing this at your mother’s house,” I whisper against his neck. His breathing is shaky, and it only makes me tremble harder. “This is so wrong.”
“My mom isn’t here. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” he says as he grabs my waist tighter and starts moving my hips in the best type of torture.
My hands instantly go to the back of his head, and I pull at the strands of hair there.
He lets out a growl of appreciation as I give him a small massage.
He places wet, passionate kisses along my neck and collarbone.
Doing what he does best, he memorizes my skin with his touch, making me crane upward as a soft sigh leaves my throat.
“I love you bigger than the whole sky,” he mumbles between kisses.
“I love you so much that my heart feels like it’s overflowing.”
That gets him going. All remaining clothes vanish across the room, and our groans are the only thing filling the air.
The heat building in me burns and sends mini flames along each inch of my body.
I get lost in his warm kisses, the movement our torsos make, and the sound of the headboard hitting the wall.
His callous hands, from hours of playing the guitar, now play me.
I try to remain in control, but it’s impossible when my body lifts higher and higher toward the peak of euphoria.