Chapter 57 Lily
FIFTY-SEVEN
LILY
The sky burns orange and pink as the sun dips down to the water. Waves crash in a steady rhythm. My upper body is clad in Elijah’s large hoodie and shorts. I shiver as a breeze rolls off the water, sending cool, salty air up into my nose.
Laughter echoes in the twilight, soft and easy.
“Elijah, don’t go anywhere near the water,” Levi teases as we all walk toward the beach from Mama Drakos’s house.
I scrunch my toes in the sand, feeling a hard chunk form under my soft skin. Elijah holds on to one end of the towel, and I, the other. Once it’s nice and flat, we climb on it before the wind takes it.
Dusting sand off his palms, he snorts. “From now on, dry sand is my best friend.” His abs strain when he leans back on his hands with a shit-eating grin.
“Don’t even look at the ocean.” I swivel his face so he looks at me and not the monster that tried to swallow him up. “If you give it enough attention, it might try to eat you again.”
His eyes crinkle at the sides as he smiles. “This time, I’d be able to feel my muscles and fight.” He proudly flexes his biceps.
I clench my thighs at the sight of the mini mountains on his arms with greenish veins. My fingers grip the bulge and squeeze, making his eyes darken with desire.
Amelia lies back on her elbows, letting the last rays of sunshine hit her face. “I can’t believe our last show of the tour is tomorrow.”
“I’m going to miss the big bus,” Stella says instantly, knees in the sand, where she’s digging with a small pink shovel.
“How many cities did we even visit?” Axel says, grinning. “I lost count at twenty.”
“Not sure, man. What I do remember is the eighty shows we’ve put on, and only one more to go.” Leonidas pushes his sunglasses to the top of his head. Crouching down with a wince, he sits and starts helping Stella with her sand castle.
“Everything is falling into place.” Trinity thinks out loud. “Is this how it feels to live a peaceful life?”
We all chuckle.
Nobody in our group has lived a perfect life. Curveballs were thrown our way; tears flew down our faces faster than rain. We had to keep climbing up hills that turned into mountains.
But that’s the thing about living perfectly imperfect lives: the peace and happiness at the end is so much sweeter.
“Just one puzzle piece is missing,” Levi declares, settling behind where Amelia sits. He cuddles forward into her body.
We all pause.
Looking over my shoulder to see what he’s looking at, I find nothing.
When I turn forward, he stares intensely at me. “It’s you.”
“Levi, I love you like a brother, but that could quickly become hate if you’re going after my girl,” Elijah says, being anything but serious.
Dumbfounded, he gapes at my boyfriend before cringing. “Who let him come out here? Okay, okay,” he pleads when Amelia jabs her elbow into his ribs. “As I was trying to say before I got interrupted, when the tour is over, that leaves Stella without a teacher.”
My breathing halts.
“Unfortunately, she can never attend traditional in-person school, but she did have an amazing teacher this past year. Someone she’s very sad to part ways with.”
“What are you saying?” Elijah says on my behalf, speaking words I can’t find at the moment.
“Stella and I would love it if you continued to teach her for the foreseeable future. You went beyond my expectations, and seeing how patient you were and how safe she felt with you is rare. I would be an idiot to let an amazing teacher like you go.”
All the air that was knocked out of my lungs the day I got fired is blasted up my nose and down into the rest of my body.
Hallelujah.
“Do you really mean that?” My voice cracks. Swallowing tightly, I glance over at the little girl who resembles more of the golden sunset happening in front of us than a human.
The gap in her giddy smile makes my heart clench. Dropping her supplies, she sprints to me, sending sand all over her brother before landing on my lap. I let out an oof but welcome the pain in my ribs, and then I spot a small tear trickling down Amelia’s face.
“I’m dead serious,” Levi declares.
Stella leans up with her face only inches away from my own, and a small, bubbly laugh escapes me.
“Of course! It would be my honor!”
Throwing her little arms in the air, she launches her body at me and holds on so tight that I won’t even care if she never lets go. “Thank you, Miss Papas!”
“Thank you,” I reply but direct it toward her big brother.
Casually but with intent, he motions to his sister. “Don’t thank me. We are the ones that have the thanking to do.”
The familiar scent of Elijah envelops me.
Holding me in his arms from behind, he plants a gentle kiss on my temple. “You can breathe now.”
“So can you, Mr. It’s All My Fault,” I tease, looking over my shoulder and brushing a lingering kiss on his awaiting lips.
“You know what this means?” he whispers with his eyes closed.
I ask against his mouth, “What?”
“You’re officially stuck with all of us.” The smirk in his voice makes me chuckle.
“I was already stuck with you,” I point out, and the only response I get back is his eyes dilating.
Pouring our favorite sparkling lemon juice into plastic glasses, we clink our cups. The cheers feel somewhat sad—like an era is closing, and soon, nothing will be left to hang on to.
“Stella made a good point.” Trinity talks behind her cup, looking up at the stars that dart across the sky. “I hated the thought of living on a bus for months, but a part of me is going to miss it.”
“Me too. It became our home away from home,” Amelia says with a faraway look on her face.
“It won’t hurt if we spend one more night in them.” Elijah shrugs. He lies down and looks at the sky, arms propped on his stomach.
“I’m sleeping in a proper bed,” Rowan and Axel call out.
Like superglue, the six of us all send each other questionable glances.
We jump up, collecting our stuff in a mad rush.
Things fly in the air, and chuckles ring through the breeze.
Elijah’s fingers interlace with mine, and we almost go tumbling more than once.
Running in the sand is a humbling experience.
“Shit, hide! Quick!” Leonidas whisper-hisses behind the wheel of our van, angling his head as much as he can near the dash without crashing.
“What’s going on?” Amelia’s muffled response comes from the very back of the car.
Crouching over but also trying to see her, I laugh when I spot her face shoved into her knees.
“Fans are camping outside the barricade of the arena,” Leonidas states. “How did we forget they do that?”
You have to be very dedicated to wait all night and morning outside to ensure the best possible place in the pit.
Kudos to them, but I enjoy my sleep too much to make a makeshift bed on concrete.
Camped out in tents, foldable chairs, and blankets—they all look so content, sleeping.
It makes me want to force the team to give them backstage passes.
Driving slowly and discreetly so unneeded attention doesn’t shine on us in the middle of the night, Leonidas stops at the gate and rolls down the window just as the tired-looking security guard walks up to the car.
His eyes light up when he recognizes Leonidas. He doesn’t need to see any ID in order to pass us through the gates. Jogging, he enters a code on the door. Glancing over his shoulder, trying to see if any fans around the building have spotted us, he quickly ushers us through.
“Thank you,” Leonidas calls out quietly, jutting out a thumbs-up from the window as he drives toward where we know the buses are parked.
“You are turning into such a dad.” Levi breaks the silence.
Amelia chokes on a giggle. I hold a hand to my mouth to muffle my laughter, and I find Elijah plugging his nose, inflating his cheeks with lots of air for some reason.
Does he know he can plug his nose without looking like a monkey?
“You’d better not be implying I’m old. Take it back,” Leonidas barks and brakes suddenly, almost sending me flying into the front passenger seat Trinity’s sitting in.
She is not holding back any laughter. She is bent over, full-on wheezing.
Glaring at his girlfriend, Leonidas climbs out the door and slams it. Still giving us all the death stare through the glass.
Not being able to stop laughing, we all follow him to the tour bus. All us girls link arms and walk like we’re drunk, high on life—on love.
“Since this was our bus”—Leonidas gestures to Trinity, Elijah, and me—“Trinity and I will take our bed, and Levi and Amelia will take Elijah’s bunk that’s now vacant.”
Sounds good to me. Less space just means more cuddling.
“Honey, we’re home,” Elijah sings the moment the stale air hits our noses.
My fingers graze over the couches we spent countless nights chatting on, to the handrail I gripped so tightly, fearing I might fall on the narrow steps, to the bunks that forced me and Elijah closer, until we realized what was still there.
Longing.
The usual hum of the engine is off, but the familiar walls close in on us. Elijah lies sprawled on our bed, eyes closed and one arm thrown behind his head.
Trinity raids the small kitchenette. “There’s nothing here,” she mumbles, disappointed.
Elijah says, grinning without opening his eyes, “We ate it all.”
The sleepless cookie nights hurt in the mornings, but now I ache to have one more night like that. Not knowing where you’re traveling to and going with the flow.
Once we all settle into our bunks and Trinity into the couch, we jump when the bus door slams shut.
“Oh my God!” Leonidas’s yell travels up the staircase.
A loud bang is followed by Elijah’s yelp. Twisting, I find him rubbing the top of his head, grumpy. I climb onto the bed on my knees, and my fingers rub at his scalp, messing up his already-messy hair. As I coo, he melts into a puddle, and any hints of grumpiness in his body is gone.
You’re welcome, everyone.
Fast steps climb the stairs. Appearing in the door, huffing and puffing, Leonidas looks frazzled. “We—”
Trinity storms to him and forces his hand to her chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack! Feel what you’ve done.”
Amen, sister.
I think I swallowed my tongue.
Leonidas lets out a shaky laugh that sounds more like a cry, and his body trembles. “We fucking won.”
Everyone’s bones lock.
Then eerie silence.
Leonidas says in disbelief, jolting like new life was zapped into him, “The judge ruled in our favor on all counts. We fucking won, guys!”
I watch the two other Drakos siblings, afraid of how they’ll react. Is relief going to win, or is pent-up anger going to burn this bus down?
Elijah blinks. Amelia’s mouth pops open.
Trinity grabs her boyfriend’s hands and squeezes, trying to bring him down to the present. “It’s done, baby. You guys are finally free and seen.”
He looks down at their interlocked hands, and whatever trace he was locked in is forgotten. He hoists her up by her thighs, and Trinity’s legs wrap around his waist.
That breaks the ice, sending everyone into motion. Elijah’s hard, warm body tackles me to the bed. He falls and lands on me with a laugh, and the feeling of wet tears lands on my neck. Shaky, muffled chuckles that sound more like sobs rack his body.
Holding on tight, I embrace every cry, every laugh because this is healing…
Little Elijah.
Little Leonidas.
Little Amelia.
This is the sound of freedom.
Of being heard after years of forced silence.
The sound of them winning their lives back.