Chapter Thirty-Five – A.J.
Oh, I hope you know I will carry you home
Carry You Home - Alex Warren
I open the door for Alexandra after hearing two knocks, and I’m surprised by her outfit.
“I would ask what bit you.” I close the door and take in her outfit. “But I know her name and surname,” I say, making her laugh.
“You don’t like it?” she asks, almost doubting, and does a little spin.
Dear God, she looks amazing.
Maybe it’s the short boots, or the high-waisted skinny jeans, or maybe it’s the long cardigan that hugs her curves… But the spirit of Daniele that’s possessed her body really suits her.
“If this look depends on my approval, you have it. You look amazing,” I say, winking at her – doing my best not to imagine the shorts she mentioned – as Alexandra walks toward the bed in our cream-and-gold room.
Just a little less monochromatic than the ones in Europe.
“Don’t sit down, our car is downstairs,” I say, extending my right hand.
“We need to be at the airport in an hour and a half.”
“What about the others?” she asks, holding my hand, and I pull her closer.
Alexandra stops in my arms, and our eyes study each other while also trying to look away.
“Richard and Daniele left, Guilherme and Bia are eating some spicy wings they love, and Thomas… didn’t say anything in the group. But we’re leaving soon, because I need to sort something out when we get to the airport.”
“Did you know I was snooping through your Instagram, the guys’, and even the label’s this morning trying to see which other artists were at the party – and found nothing?” she grumbles, stepping away.
I take four long strides to my backpack.
“There weren’t that many people, it was more of a Vicious hangout, but you wouldn’t find photos there.” I say, checking the room to make sure I didn’t forget anything.
“Why?”
“No phones allowed at those parties.”
“You were talking to me!”
“From the bathroom, because I hid my phone so you could call me if you needed to,” I explain, pointing to the exit, and Alexandra, in this outfit, pouts at me.
This woman’s going to be the death of me.
“That was sweet of you,” Her expression softens. She wasn’t expecting it, but liked it more than she’ll admit. “But the day with the girls was really nice, I’m glad I didn’t have to bother you.” Alex says with a smile while we walk toward the elevator, where I press the parking button.
“Things with the label were formal. We schmoozed with Victor, some of the investors, talked about going back to the studio to record the next album, and we’ve already received feedback that the next tour needs to be bigger.”
“Bigger? You’re already filling stadiums!”
“But no artist at our level does shows only on the weekend. The plans for the next one will involve, at least, four shows a week.” I repeat Victor’s words as we leave the metallic box.
Alexandra blinks twice. With the intense rhythm of the shows, the two hours of soundcheck, plus the show and how much energy we put into it, it’s not hard to see how exhausting it’s going to be.
“Doesn’t sound fun, but… I don’t know, maybe it’s worth doing crazy things for a while.”
“We don’t have a problem with that, the problem is getting less than thirty percent of the net profit we generate. But our contract renewal meeting will be before we start the next album, so we’ll fix that…”
“That’s really too little.”
“Yeah, so Victor covers our expenses, got us the black card... But we want a fair contract and a private jet for the band. Things that will improve our lives, especially with the increase in shows.”
“Seriously, GenZ has been exploited too. We made money with commercials, advertising, because the soap opera and the band… went almost entirely to the network—which also owns the record label.”
“What a crappy market, on that, our parents are right, they don’t save a single penny.” I finish the topic when we get to the car. “But tell me, how was it with the girls?”
My question draws a smile so beautiful from Alexandra that it’s almost hard not to beg for a kiss. But the driver starts the car, and she begins to chatter.
***
When we arrive at the airport, Alexandra looks at me, confused. We usually head straight to the private flight departure area, but if there’s one thing our day of observing New York from above showed me, it’s that her list of impossible dreams still deserves to be fulfilled.
Even though Tereza isn’t here anymore.
“Is everything okay?”
“Of course, why?”
“You’re dressed like you don’t want to be recognized, and second, we usually don’t wander through the commercial flight area.”
“Did you plan something to do tomorrow with the girls?”
“No, why? Want to do something when you’re free?”
“No, I was thinking… if there’s one thing the guys know about me, it’s my style. Maybe we can go somewhere else.” I suggest, shrugging, and a big crease appears on her forehead.
“What do you mean, ‘somewhere else,’ A.J.? Are you crazy?”
“Hurry up.” I surprise her by grabbing her hand, but Alexandra smiles, and I run with her to the departures board.
“Seriously, look over there. If you could go anywhere in the world, and return me to Victor on Friday, of course, or he’ll kill us, where would you go?”
Her wary look shifts to excitement, and a sly smile lights up her face when Alexandra realizes I’m being very serious.
“If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to Thailand.” She responds right away. “But, considering our time…” Her eyes scan the board, floating from one destination to the next, and then Alexandra smiles.
A smile from ear to ear, making her eyes sparkle and my heart skip a beat.
“Considering our time...” I encourage her, curious to know what made her so happy.
“You’ll think I’m really cheesy if I tell you I’d go to Disney?” She asks quietly, looking up at me bashfully, and I pull her closer to laugh into her neck without attracting attention from anyone.
“No, I’ll think you’re perfect.” I declare and kiss her forehead.
The next step is to go to the airline’s website and pray that there’s still space on the next flight to Orlando, which is ten minutes to eleven. Then, I’ll notify Hammer that he and the team should meet me at the Orlando airport, not New York.
I’m sure he’ll only not kill me because it’s just a three-hour move for them, and I won’t even land in Orlando until the morning.
“A.J., this is crazy.” Alexandra warns me, even though her eyes tell me she’s daydreaming. “We can go after the tour, you know?”
“After the tour, we already have Thailand.” I dismiss her comment with a wave of my hand, and her jaw drops. “Besides, Disney won’t be all decked out for Christmas in February...” I say casually, and her smile widens even more.
***
Adding the three-hour time difference to the six-hour flight, we land at eight in the morning, but as worried as I am about Alexandra, nothing takes away the silly grin on her face.
A burgundy four-door sedan is waiting for us in the parking lot along with the second car, my security team’s car, and as soon as we get in, I send a message thanking Daniele, who ditched Richard to help me sort out things for this practically last-minute trip.
“Ready to live your dream?”
Alexandra nods, hugging herself like it’s the only thing that can warm her. And maybe it is. November mornings in Florida are cooler, with that damp breeze that gives you chills.
However, it’s not the weather that’s making Alexandra shiver. It’s the expectation.
“I was born ready!” She puts on her seatbelt, and I start the car.
***
The driver parks the car, and before I can even open my door, Alexandra ’s already pressed her face to the window, her eyes darting around like she’s trying to take in everything at once.
We hop on a little tram that looks more like a train made of golf carts, and even then, Alex says it still hasn’t sunk in completely.
We get off at the entrance, and as soon as she sees the two options: monorail on one side, ferryboat on the other, her eyes light up brighter than the Christmas decorations on Main Street. We obviously pick the ferry. Because that’s where the real magic starts.
We head upstairs and Alexandra rushes to the railing, hands gripping the metal bar, wind tossing her hair around. And the second she spots the top of Cinderella’s castle peeking over the horizon, a single tear slips down her cheek. Then comes the smile, then the sigh.
“You good?” I ask.
She nods, her eyes still glassy.
“Yeah. It’s just that... this castle’s in every trailer, every break during The Wonderful World of Disney , at the start of all my favorite movies and shows... and now I’m here. And soon I’ll be there ,” she says, like I could possibly understand what that means to her. Then she turns around.
I stand behind her in silence. Because there’s nothing I could say that’s more beautiful than watching a girl meet her dream.
When we step off the boat, Alex’s still completely enchanted—walking guided by the attractions she spots, not by the directions we were given.
We’re at Magic Kingdom. Daniele was super clear that she got us the perfect itinerary, but with the time we’ve got, we’ll only be able to hit one park. Neither of us complained.
“One day at Disney is still a day at Disney,” Alexandra had said, laughing when I asked if it was okay.
My little partner hands over her personalized ticket – with Minnie on it, obviously – and runs off to the kiosk to get her “First Visit” pin.
She pins it to her shirt, pride shining in her eyes, and then walks through the gates, straight onto Main Street, where the castle rises ahead, glowing in the morning light.
Right before taking another step, she turns to me – her eyes full of gratitude and barely-contained excitement.
She walks over and wraps her arms around me.
I pull her close, press a kiss to the top of her head, and she holds on even tighter.
With her face tucked into my shoulder and her arms around me, she finally lets go.
The kind of tears that fall quietly, not dramatic, just expected from someone who loves these stories as deeply as she does.
“Oh my God… we’re really here.”
She pulls back, wiping her face. I dry the rest of her tears for her.
“Wasn’t this the place you said you wanted to visit?”
“It was, but… it didn’t feel real until we got here.”
“We’ve got eight hours and a fifteen-thousand-kilometer park to explore. Ready?” I say, holding my hand out to her.
She takes it, smiling in a way that says more than ready .
It’s the end of November, and the entire park is already in full Christmas mode.
Twinkling lights wrapped around garlands, massive decorated trees in every corner…
and somehow, it all feels even more magical than I expected.
The air has that crisp fall feeling, light and gentle, with a steady breeze brushing against your skin like a soft, unexpected touch.
Every now and then, our wrists brush, and I can feel Alexandra ’s pulse. Her eyes shine with adrenaline, and her smile overflows with emotion. I try not to stare, but it’s useless.
She looks like a kid discovering her favorite place in the world, but the way she photographs everything around her makes it clear the only wrong part of that image is the word kid , because none of this feels small to her.
She’s completely, genuinely mesmerized.
As we walk through the park, a few heads start to turn.
We’re in public, and Vicious Bonds doesn’t exactly go unnoticed.
But Hammer and the team are already on it.
Like clockwork, they position themselves around us to make sure nothing gets in the way.
A few people try to approach, but the team redirects them so smoothly it’s almost invisible—unless you’re used to watching it happen.
Alex steps ahead of me, her eyes locked on a souvenir shop. I already know what she wants before she says a word.
“You need a pair of ears,” I say. She nods, like I just read her mind.
“I need a pair of ears,” she repeats, with a pout so cute it’s borderline dangerous—and I take two steps back, because honestly, I need to forget that pout exists.