Chapter 30 Breakfast Chaos
brEAKFAST CHAOS
LILY
The smell of sizzling bacon and freshly brewed coffee pulls me from the warmth of my bunk.
Blinking against the dim light filtering through the small curtains, I stretch, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
The soft hum of the bus engine vibrates beneath me, but it’s the muffled laughter and clatter of activity from the front of the bus that has me curious.
Something feels off—like the usual routine we’ve settled into has been completely upended. Sliding out of my empty bunk, I shuffle down the narrow hallway, my bare feet padding against the cool floor.
“Uh… guys?” My voice is thick with sleep as I step into the living area, stopping dead in my tracks. “What the heck is going on?”
The front of the bus looks like a tornado tore through it. Mattresses are piled high in the middle of the floor, cushions precariously stacked on top, and blankets draped over everything in what I can only describe as a chaotic fort.
Marcus stands at the tiny stove, flipping pancakes with a kind of nonchalance that makes it seem like this is just another morning.
Dylan, meanwhile, is tying the corner of a blanket to one of the overhead cabinets, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
Enzo lounges on top of the mattress pile, a steaming mug of coffee in his hand, his dark hair falling lazily into his eyes. He glances up at me, smirking. “Morning, sunshine.”
“What… is this?” I gesture toward the scene, struggling to suppress a laugh.
“We had an idea,” Dylan announces, stepping back to admire his work. His short brown hair sticks out in every direction, and his green eyes gleam with pride as he surveys the room.
“Clearly,” I say, arching an eyebrow as I take in the makeshift structure. “Why are the mattresses in the middle of the bus? Where’s the table? And the chairs?”
Marcus glances over his shoulder, flipping another pancake with expert ease. “Oh, the table’s in the bathroom,” he says casually, as though that is a completely reasonable place for it to be.
“The bathroom?” I blink at him, incredulous.
“Yep.” Dylan grins, wiping his hands on his jeans. “We needed space for the fort.”
“The fort?” My voice pitches higher as I glance around the room.
Enzo takes a sip of his coffee, still smirking. “Movie night, Lily. If we’re all gonna watch something together, might as well do it in style.”
“You turned the bus into a mattress fort for movie night?” I ask, crossing my arms and fighting to keep a straight face.
“Not just a mattress fort,” Dylan says, gesturing dramatically to the chaos. “The ultimate movie night setup. Comfort is key.”
I glance toward Jax, who’s sitting quietly at the far end of the bus. His dark hair falls into his eyes, and he looks more relaxed than I’ve seen him in days, though still not completely at ease. He catches my eye and gives a sheepish shrug.
“For the record, I voted against it,” he says, his voice low but tinged with amusement.
“Of course you did,” I mutter, fighting a laugh while I roll my eyes. I turn my attention back to Marcus. “And you just went along with it?”
Marcus shrugs, handing out plates of pancakes like a breakfast magician. “Didn’t say it was a bad idea.”
This time I can’t help but laugh, shaking my head as I plop down on the mattress pile beside Enzo. “You guys are ridiculous.”
“And yet,” Enzo drawls, nudging me with his shoulder, “you’re already enjoying it.”
“Maybe,” I admit, stealing Enzo’s coffee and crossing my legs. “But only because this is so absurd, it’s kind of brilliant.”
Marcus finishes cooking breakfast and starts passing out plates.
The warm scent of syrup and bacon fills the air, mingling with the rich aroma of coffee.
Since the table has been moved into the bathroom, we sit in the center of the floor under a half built blanket fort to eat breakfast together.
It’s chaotic and ridiculous, but there’s something absolutely perfect about it.
“So,” I say between bites of buttery pancakes, “what’s on the movie night agenda? Something groundbreaking, I assume?”
“Die Hard,” Enzo says immediately, leaning back against the pile of pillows.
“Of course,” Marcus mutters, shaking his head with a faint grin. “You and Die Hard.”
Dylan chimes in, his green eyes sparkling with excitement. “Come on, Lily, you can’t say no to Die Hard. It’s a classic.”
I pretend to mull it over, tapping my fork against my plate. “Alright, I’m in. But only if we watch something I pick afterward.”
Jax smirks from across the room. “As long as it’s not a rom-com, you’ve got a deal.”
“Fine,” I say with mock indignation. “No rom-coms. This time.”
As the conversation flows, I glance around at the guys, a quiet sense of gratitude settling over me.
Somehow, amidst all the chaos of creating blanket fort movie night, it feels like we’re managing to reset.
Maybe the ridiculousness is exactly what we need—a moment to let go, to laugh, and to remind ourselves of who we are together.
Jax is definitely more at ease, even laughing softly at one of Dylan’s jokes. Enzo stretches out beside me, his arm brushing mine as he sips his new cup of coffee, while Marcus leans back against the counter, looking like there is no where else he would rather be.
When breakfast is done and the plates are cleared, we all end up sprawled on the mattress pile in the center of the bus, blankets and pillows piled high. The mess feels less overwhelming now, replaced by an easy camaraderie that wraps around us like the soft warmth of the blankets.
Enzo nudges me again, this time pulling me closer, but not fully touching. “Movie first, cuddles second,” he says with a smirk.
“Or both at the same time,” Dylan adds, throwing an arm over Marcus’s shoulder with an exaggerated grin.
Jax rolls his eyes but doesn’t move as I settle in next to him.
The bus hums beneath us, the faint vibration a reminder of how much has changed over the last few weeks.
But for now, in this ridiculous mattress fort surrounded by the people who are slowly starting to feel like my family, everything feels exactly as it should.
“Alright,” I say, leaning back into the pile of cushions. “Start the movie. Let’s see if this setup was worth destroying the bus for.”
As the opening credits roll, I can’t help but smile.