22. Piper
twenty-two
piper
A White Flag
“ S pace Mountain!” Deena shrieks, grabbing Dev’s forearm and bouncing on her toes. Her Princess Elsa crown catches a glint of sunlight. We’re wearing matching Elsa tiaras and gowns, actually. “Can we go to that one next?”
Her brother grimaces, his throat bobbing, before he shifts uncomfortably on his feet.
Wait, is that . . . fear I see in the unflappable and fearless Dev Menon? Surely he couldn’t be afraid of a little roller coaster?
Is that why we’ve only been on some of the tamer rides so far? He’s been clutching that park map with all his might while he skillfully steers us toward attractions like Indiana Jones’ Adventure and Gadget’s Go Coaster. The latter is only a roller coaster in name; it barely qualifies as a toddler ride! Hell, I think he would have taken us to an actual toddler ride if it didn’t cost him his reputation.
And then, when we were just about to board Big Thunder Mountain—a rocking chair might be scarier, by the way—I looked over to see that my fiancé had conspicuously gone missing. He’d later chalked it up to needing to go to the restroom.
“Of course!” Dev responds, though I notice his voice sounds a little higher, like he’s competing with Mickey Mouse. “There’s nothing I’d like to do more.” He turns to me with a hopeful expression, though I’m pretty sure I know what he’s hoping for. “I mean, if that’s what the birthday girl wants?”
I narrow my eyes, a smirk dancing on my lips. Nothing he’d like to do more? Really?
Oh, this is going to be fun.
The warm California sun is finally making its way out of the clouds as we stroll down Disneyland’s Main Street, USA. Though it’s been overcast and chilly all morning, I’m just happy that rain is not in the forecast. At least we can enjoy the park without any weather-related interruptions.
Or any interruptions, for that matter, because even though the park is bustling with its usual magic, there’s a bubble of privacy around us. Dev’s security team, dressed like everyday visitors, have created a perimeter around us while giving us the room to enjoy the experience without feeling like we’re being watched.
The four of us also have VIP access to all the rides, entered through private entrances, and have even taken some rides alone without the rest of the public.
I say four of us because Rome came with me. Sarina was supposed to have him for the whole weekend, but I begged her—manipulating her with my curled bottom lip and clasped hands, telling her it’s what I wanted for my birthday—to let him come with me. Plus, I reminded her that she’s been wanting him to get his nose out from reading books all day.
Thankfully, she caved. It’s not that she’s an overprotective mom, like my sister-in-law Shayla, but she’s never allowed Rome to go to another city with someone.
And fortunately, Deena and Rome made an instant connection, despite their age difference. I was a little worried when we first boarded the jet this morning, given they’d never met. But a one-hour flight, several flavors of boba tea, and a thousand space facts later, and they’d become the best of friends.
“Yeah! Let’s do Space Mountain next! Please, Aunt Piper!” Rome begs, his NASA-themed hat so low on his forehead, the bill hits his glasses. “Will it really feel like being in space?”
“I don’t know, Rome,” I say, lifting his hat and tucking his hair into it. “But I’m sure Uncle Dev can tell you all about it. He looks like a real roller coaster expert, wouldn’t you say?”
Dev shoots me a look, and if looks could kill, the ghost of Piper Parker would be hovering over the streets of Disneyland right now. She’d also probably be stuck in a loop inside Gadget’s Go Coaster in some form of hell on earth, too.
But I am glad to see my husband-to-be is finally looking at me again. If getting under his gorgeous skin is what it takes to break some of the tension that’s been lingering between us ever since our “encounter” in the salon a few days ago, then so be it.
He’s been attentive all day, having silenced all his work calls and making sure every detail is perfect for my birthday. It’s been nice seeing him let go, even if it doesn’t come in the form of raising his hands up in the air and screaming until his face is blue while plummeting a hundred feet at fifty miles-per-hour.
I’m just glad to see that rare dimple grace his beautiful face and those chestnut eyes crinkle at the corners.
I know he’s been increasingly worried about his mom, still struggling to accept her situation. It’s clear with the number of times he calls and visits her how terrified he is. But I also suspect he needed today, if not only to get his mind off of everything temporarily.
Still, things have been tense between us, like he’s scared to get too close for fear of a repeat of what happened at the salon.
“Uncle Dev, what will Space Mountain be like?” Rome asks excitedly, and I hold back a giggle .
“It’s um . . .” Dev mumbles, looking green. “Dark and fast and . . . unpredictable.”
“Oooh!” Rome and Deena say together, clearly not picking up on the fact that Dev looks like he’s going to be sick.
“Let’s go there, then!” Rome says, heading toward the sign.
I grab his hand before he can sprint off, throwing my fiancé a bone. “I don’t know, buddy. I think you might be too little for it.”
“Yeah,” Dev piles on quickly. “I’m pretty sure you’re too little for it. Maybe in a couple of years . . . or decades.”
Rome crosses his arms around his chest indignantly, bending his brows. “That’s not true. I’m forty-four inches! You know I can go on all the rides as long as an adult is with me.”
I give Dev an apologetic smile before turning to my godson. “I meant, you might be too young for it. It’s not like the Star Tours ride we just went on, Rome. It’ll be fast and scary.”
I notice Dev’s shudder from the corner of my eye, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
“I won’t be scared, I promise,” Rome pleads. “But if you’re scared, you can hold my hand, okay?”
I purse my lips, suppressing my smile. “I’m not sure I’m the one needing the hand-holding. Uncle Dev on the other hand . . .?” I waggle my brows at my fiancé. “What do you say, Lex, want to hold my hand? Let me take another wild ride with you?”
I take a couple steps toward him, making sure he’s the only one who can hear me. “Or on you. I promise to scream your name again while I do.”
Heat flashes in his eyes, and I know we’re both envisioning the same thing—the way he took charge of my body without having laid a single finger on me—before he quickly masks it with a glare.
I bite my lip, fluttering my lashes and swaying from side to side innocently, making my princess gown swish.
Dev’s lips twitch before he sighs, looking up to search the sky for answers. Finding my eyes again he says, “You’re the devil, you know that?”
Ha! Victory is mine!
I adjust my tiara. “You flatter me, dear husband-to-be.”
“God, look at this view,” I breathe, watching bursts of color illuminate the sky and castle before stealing a glance of my fiancé from over my shoulder. And now I’m not sure which view I’m referring to.
The lights from the fireworks play across his face, casting a mesmerizing glow over his usually sharp features, and for a second, it makes me feel breathless.
He takes a step toward me so his chest is only a mere inch from my back, the heat radiating off him enveloping me against the cool breeze wafting through the balcony.
“I haven’t been able to take my eyes off it,” he murmurs as his eyes connect with mine and that same buzz of electricity strums between us.
It’s been there all day.
There’s been tension and unspoken words too, yes. But there’s never been a moment without that current thrumming between us like we’re two charged poles.
The hours passed in a flash after we came out of Space Mountain. I don’t know who laughed more between Deena, Rome, or me, but every time we looked at the grainy, candid picture of Dev while he was on the coaster, we’d burst out into a fit of giggles. It didn’t help that Dev gave us all stoney stares in response; it just made us laugh harder.
I’d made sure to purchase a copy of that picture to frame at some point because I swear, there was nothing better in the world.
I’m tempted to giggle again as I think about it because the man literally looked like the ‘grimacing face’ emoji, smiling through clenched teeth, with eyes as large as dinner plates. His hair was completely disheveled, probably standing on end, and I guarantee he was white-knuckling the metal safety rail even though I couldn’t see it.
As discreetly as possible, I also purchased another photograph—one of me looking directly at him. Even in the dark, plunging hundreds of feet, he’s all I saw.
That photograph is one I’ll keep for myself . . .
A token to remember today.
A token to remember us .
Since he’d been such a good sport, we’d decided to give him a break from the crazy roller coasters after that, though he did join us on the Matterhorn Bobsled and came out of that looking quite pleased with himself.
We ate corn dogs and churros and Dole Whip, and we even had a private lunch with the entire Disney cast.
When we went through the shops and Dev saw me eyeing the Beauty and the Beast tea set— seriously, I looked at it for three-point-five seconds —he promptly purchased twelve. When I asked him why, he said he wanted a full set of Chip teacups so our guests wouldn’t feel left out.
Because what kind of hosts would we be if not ones to serve the tea we never made in Disney-themed tea cups?
But amidst the whirlwind of today, there was one thing about my fiancé that stuck out more than ever. It’s not that I’d never noticed it before; I mean, it’s practically his entire personality, alongside his broodiness and quiet moments. And that’s his capacity to care. His capacity to do anything for the people he cares for.
Whether it was rechecking Deena’s safety harness on each ride, reminding Rome to stay hydrated with water instead of soda, or continuously finding ways to make sure I felt special on my birthday, the man wasn’t happy unless everyone else was.
And now that the day has come to an end, we find ourselves on a private balcony, overlooking the castle with the bustling crowd nothing but a murmur below us. It’s as if we’re in our own little snow globe. Except, instead of the snow, there’s a whole lot of electricity buzzing around us.
Deena and Rome are plastered to the railing, with Elsa and Buzz Lightyear standing on either side of them. Neither are paying attention to me or Dev, standing a little too close, feeling a little too warm. Thankfully, we’re also shielded by the veil of darkness, save for the occasional dance of lights around us.
I turn around to face him, tilting my head back to meet his gaze. His usually guarded eyes reflect a kaleidoscope of colors, and I’m not sure they’re only from the bursting sky.
My hands find his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart underneath. Slowly, as if I’m scared he’ll spook—the way he did after the last time we were this close—I let them travel upward, tracing the column of his throat. I feel him swallow before the weight of his palms meet my hips. I shudder against him despite feeling the warmth from his skin seeping through my gown.
Trailing my hands up to cup his jaw, I brush my fingertips over his scruff, saying more with them than I can with words in this surreal moment.
My head is a jumble of thoughts, each one in a race with the other, while my heart feels like it’s beating steadily for the very first time in my entire life.
How is it possible for this man to make me feel like I’m flying high and sinking deep all at the same time, while also making me feel so . . . grounded? So tethered?
“Did you have fun today?” I ask him, feeling a mix of anxiety and exhilaration.
His brows bunch together. “I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to ask you that. Did you have fun on your birthday?”
“I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in my entire life,” I answer sincerely.
He smiles, and I take the moment to catalog the way his beautiful lips stretch, moving my thumb to brush that adorable dimple I’m so obsessed with.
“Your turn,” I insist, feeling like a bundle of nerves.
I’d promised Claire I would pull her son out of his busy life and force him to have fun. But now, as I stand waiting for his answer, I can’t help feeling worried that perhaps I didn’t fulfill my promise.
Dev’s eyes soften before he lifts his hand, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in my entire life, either.”
A relieved smile takes over my entire face. “Really?”
“Really.”
And suddenly, I feel like crying.
For reasons beyond me—and for absolutely no reason at all and for all the reasons in the world—I’m going to cry on my damn birthday, like a cliché.
Blinking rapidly, I wrap my arms around his solid frame, laying my head on his chest. “Thank you,” I whisper. “For today. For everything.”
Dev takes my face in his hands before looking at me with a look I can’t quite decipher. I’ve seen a glimpse of it before but never as clearly. “Happy birthday, Peter. ”
I pout at the use of the nickname, making him chuckle.
He lowers his mouth, bringing it inches from mine. “Happy birthday, my beautiful Piper.”
And that’s when I break rule number one, lifting up on my toes and molding my lips to his in a move that can only be considered . . .
My surrender.
A white flag.
A towel I should have thrown in long ago.
Shit. I am in so much trouble.
For a moment we both freeze, our lips locked and our breaths colliding. For a moment, time stops and the world ceases to exist. For a moment there are no fireworks, no castles, and no one else.
Just us.
Me and him.
Then, as if a button has been pushed, everything snaps back, setting us alight.
Dev crushes me to him, one hand splaying across my back, pulling me closer, while the other travels up to tangle inside my hair. His lips move against mine, no longer frozen, deepening our connection with urgent need. They’re plump and soft, completely in contrast to the rest of him, making me melt into him.
His kiss is as gentle and tender as it is brutal and demanding. Like he’d been waiting for this, yet resisting it.
My hands travel up his chest before I wrap my arms around his neck. My tiara falls somewhere as I arch my back and pull him closer.
Dev kisses me like it’s all he knows before his tongue travels the seam of my lips, asking for entrance. And God, do I give it to him. Like I’ve been starved for it my whole life.
I don’t know if it’s the magic of this place or the way he just groaned into my mouth, but I think I can safely say this kiss destroyed my rule.
This kiss obliterated my rule.
Because, if this is what he has to offer with kiss number one, then I can only imagine kiss number two, or kiss number four-hundred-and-sixty-three. There is no way I’ll miss experiencing kiss number four-hundred-and-sixty-three!
Our tongues brush against one another as our kiss deepens, transforming into something even needier, more desperate. As if we’re trying to make up for all the time we lost. All the time we could have been doing this.
Dev kisses me long and slow, the taste of him—a mix of the cotton candy we’d shared not too long ago and the beer he’d had earlier—practically causing my knees to buckle. His tongue sends currents through my spine that pools inside my feeble thong. I press my thighs together, feeling the drenched fabric between them and moan into his mouth, fisting the collar of his shirt.
God, please don’t stop. Please don’t ever stop.
When we finally part, both gasping for air, Dev’s hand cradles my jaw. He thumbs my beestung lips before pressing his forehead against mine.
Our labored breaths subside as the world around us comes humming back.
The corners of his lips rise as he glances behind me. “Right on time.”
I turn to follow his gaze and my mouth hits the floor. The castle dazzles with dancing stars and colorful lights, forming a message that has my breath halting inside my airways. I swing my head back to him. “You didn’t!”
His smile broadens as he pulls me against him, my back to his chest, his arms encircling my waist. He brushes a kiss against my temple as we watch the words, Happy Birthday, my beautiful Piper , dance across the castle walls. The crowd cheers and the final spectacle of fireworks light up the night sky.
But as the last sparks fade from the sky, a terrifying thought cuts through my intoxicating euphoria.
Rules are meant to be broken, yes. And I have a feeling I’ll be breaking all of mine, courtesy of this man who is starting to burrow under my skin.
But so are hearts . . .