Chapter 24 Milton
Milton
My hands tapped the armrest with a beat of impatience as I stared out the window in first class. The city lights of Los Angeles came into view as the plane dipped below the cloud line, and I stared down at them, trying to see if I could find the tiny speck that was mine.
My flight schedule had changed at the last minute.
Well, I had changed it. I wasn’t supposed to leave until tomorrow night, but I couldn’t stand waiting any longer.
The moment I had walked off the stage tonight, I’d grabbed my bags and headed to the airport.
The band was still back in Amsterdam, but they didn’t mind my ditching them.
They’d had me for the last forty-five days in a row, and after everything she had confessed to me this morning, I had to get home to Hazel.
I had to tell her everything I wanted to in person.
Waves of nerves and excitement overwhelmed me, and the dips in altitude didn’t help the twisting already happening in my stomach. It reminded me of the feeling I got just before I went onstage, and I prayed I didn’t barf before we landed.
The man in the aisle seat next to me looked down at my bouncing knee with annoyance as I waited for the wheels to touch down, but I paid no mind to him. I couldn’t contain my restlessness even if I tried.
I’d always hated those people who immediately unbuckled their seat belts and stood before the plane even finished taxiing to the gate, but today, I was unfortunately that man.
I didn’t have a bag to fetch in the overhead compartment, just my backpack at my feet, and I was at the front of the plane, so it didn’t feel as disgraceful.
Running down the jet bridge, I was grinning like an idiot. I was in the same time zone as her, the same city, breathing the same air. It was fucking great.
I’d left my luggage with Lexie on my way out.
After having time to ponder that decision on the flight, I knew it probably wasn’t the wisest, given she was the least responsible out of the four of us, but right now, I was just glad I didn’t have the nuisance of waiting at baggage claim.
There were only ten miles between Hazel and me, and I was ready to lose everything I had to get to her.
My rideshare was waiting and competent, knowing all the best paths to avoid the never-ending LA traffic. I wiped my palms on my jeans once we pulled into the driveway, the lights from inside the house lighting a path to the front steps.
Sweets must have heard me unlocking the door.
He attacked me as I walked through. I squatted down and let him love on me, giving him pets and scratches in return.
I stood and dropped my backpack, my gaze lifting to the wall by the stairs.
I took a sharp inhale at the finished mural.
It looked just like the view out back, the colors matching the sunset that day we had sat out talking, only there were sunflowers painted in the valley between the trees and greenery I’d come to know so well.
I shook my head in awe, laughing, because she just didn’t seem fucking real.
Hazel had taken my sunset and hers and intertwined the two. My heart was bursting at the seams.
I went searching for her, checking the main level first, and then ran upstairs, catching a wave of her perfume as I rounded the corner into the hallway.
The door to the studio was wide open, and I stopped in my tracks when I saw her sitting there, her back to me, her hair pulled up.
The flowy white dress she wore draped down the wooden stool she sat on.
She stretched her arms over her head, staring at the easel in front of her, holding a small canvas.
She looked so comfortable and at peace, and I hated to ruin it. But I fucking needed her in my arms.
My pulse quickened as I reached for the light switch and paused, taking out my phone instead.
Me: I might like you in a white dress more than the green.
I watched her head dip as she read my text. She paused, glancing to the left and right of her easel, before I saw text bubbles appear.
Hazel: Hey, you. I thought there were no cameras upstairs?
Me: There’s not.
She held her phone for a moment, letting my words sink in, and then quickly spun. My smile was wide as a soft shriek rang from her throat.
She ran to me, the stool clanging behind her as she pushed off from it.
“Hi, Sunshine,” I signed before she jumped into my embrace.
She was so excited; I knew she hadn’t registered what I’d said—or rather, how I’d said it.
Hazel buried her face in my chest, arms secured around my neck, as I held on to her tight, squeezing my arms so her body molded to mine.
Sliding my nose along her jawline, I dipped and kissed her neck. The scent of her hair, mixed with the remnants of her perfume, was comforting and arousing. My mouth watered, and I sighed.
It wasn’t the house, Sweets, or my belongings; it was her. She felt like coming home.
There were tears in her eyes when she leaned back to look at my face. She was overwhelmed and confused and blissfully happy, all at once, her green eyes sparkling with each emotion as they flashed through a continuous cycle. Until they eventually stopped on the happy.
“Hi, Sunshine,” I repeated, only my hands were still wrapped around her.
She grinned wider, and I stared back at her.
Her brow twitched, and her face suddenly flickered with the realization that I’d already greeted her with those words.
I felt her push on my chest, and although I didn’t want to let go of her, I knew I needed to.
Her eyes bounced between my eyes and my hands, and then she tilted her head at me with a cute expression. “Did you learn how to sign your nickname for me?” she asked.
“I learned a lot more than that, baby,” I replied, signing.
Her mouth dropped open as her eyes rounded in surprise and adoration.
“Oh my God! When did you … how did you … on tour?”
“I wanted to understand you.” I nodded, my chest going liquid at the look on her face. “It had been a one-way conversation for far too long.”
Her eyes welled with tears.
“Don’t cry,” I pleaded, cupping her cheek.
“You don’t know what that means to me.” She chewed on her lip. “What you mean to me.”
“I understood every word, Sunshine,” I told her.
Her eyes flew wide for a moment, flickering with embarrassment. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone. She looked relieved. Relieved that I knew the truth of her inner battles and feelings for me.
“You don’t have to be scared. Not with me. I can calm your fears, I can love your scars, and I can tell you right now, you will never fail to love me right. That would be impossible.” My heart seemed to slow and grow steady as I spoke. “Because you’re it for me too. You’re it.”
She smiled and cried.
“Whenever you’re ready, Hazel, just let me know. No matter how long it takes. Because I’m in. I’m yours.”
She jumped back into my arms, kissing me once. Twice. Giving me her answer without saying the words because none were needed.
I let out a laugh, mixed with a cry, and moved my mouth against hers as my hands went down her body, letting her know just how much I’d missed her.