Page 22

"How did you get backstage again?" I asked.

"We know one of the musicians," Freya quipped, sending me a bright smile.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not the one who gave you those passes."

"Maybe I wasn't talking about you."

"Speaking of, why didn't you get them for us?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah," Viola added, "we're your cousins. I think that means we deserve a few perks."

"Plus, we opened for HERS that time."

"True ! We should definitely get VIP passes to all the shows."

They each nodded, and I bit back a smile.

"I'll be sure to mention that to Taylor," I said.

"Who's she again?" Viola asked.

"HERS's band manager."

She nodded as if I could actually get those passes . But HERS was even more popular now than when we started the tour. I didn't want to burst anyone's bubble. However, I felt compelled to bring them back to reality.

"Seriously though, I'm just a small part of this ," I said. "I don't have that much pull."

Freya shook her head. "I feel like you're the main event."

"Please."

"I'm sure Felix would agree with me," she said.

"Still," I said, "when I've been gone a while, no one will probably even remember my name."

At that, Scarlett pinched me on the arm . Hard.

"Ow!" I said.

"That's what you get for being too humble."

I flicked her forehead in retaliation, and she gasped.

"And that's what you get," I said, "for being overly critical and violent."

Everyone was looking at me funny, and I didn't know why. Then Lottie stepped forward and reached for me.

"I just want to say thank you," she said and shook my hand . "My sister deserves all the forehead flicks."

"Ha ha," Scarlett said. "I was just saying y ou made an impact here, Ror . Own it."

"I was joking," I said, "for the most part anyway. I'll always remember my time here. It meant a lot to me."

Hayden poked his head inside and smiled. "Aurora, Izzy wanted me to ask if you're good with her posting that picture of you and Felix from this morning."

"The one on the bus or outside the bus?"

"Outside," he said.

I nodded. "Yeah, as long as she thinks it's good and Felix is okay with it."

"Thanks." He gave my cousins a nod. "Scarlett, nice to see you again. How's Sam?"

A small blush rose to her cheeks at the mention of her boyfriend. "He's good."

"Okay, well, tell him I said hi." He gave my other cousins a smile . "Ladies."

After he left, there was a beat of silence.

"That was Hayden Davenport," Lottie said.

"Yeah," I said.

"I know girls who would kill to have his autograph."

"Now that I think I can do. The guys love signing things—especially Santino. He'll do almost anything to make the fans happy."

As if I'd summoned him by saying his name, Santino stuck his head in a second later.

"Mercury wanted me to ask if you needed anything," he said to me.

I shrugged. "No, I'm fine." Pointing to his outfit, I said, "I like the jumpsuit."

Santino's face lit up at the compliment. "Thanks, Ror . You're looking good in those jeans."

Laughing, I shooed him out but not before he sent my cousins a wink.

Before I could shut the door again, Elliot appeared and held up two microphones for my inspection.

"Taylor and Izzy want me to use the silver embellished one. But my favorite is black on black. What do you say?"

I eyed them critically for a few seconds, then said, "I think you have to go with the one that's more you, E."

Elliot sent me that quiet yet dazzling smile. "Thanks, A. I will."

Once he was gone, I closed the door and turned to face the room. Freya and the others were staring at me with an odd expression.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "You just seem different."

I shrugged. "Different how?"

"More confident or something."

Viola tilted her head. "I can see it too."

"You're so comfortable around them," Lottie said, sounding surprised.

"We have been on tour together," I replied as if that explained everything.

"Yeah, but they're…"

I waited for her to finish the sentence, but Scarlett took over.

"They're hot ," she said then lifted a hand. "Not as hot as Sam."

"Or Dare," Viola cut in.

"Or Bo," Lottie said.

I laughed. "I get it. You all think your boyfriends are the best-looking guys on the planet. But what are you getting at?"

"Just that they are really attractive," Scarlett said.

"So gorgeous," Freya agreed. "Though definitely not as pretty as Tolliver."

I felt a line form between my brows at the unfamiliar name.

"Who's Tolliver?" I asked.

"A guy who will do anything for Freya . He has been doing it ," Viola said. "Isn't that right?"

Freya just grinned. "He owes me for the basketball incident."

"But you're no longer concussed."

The memory of how Freya got injured, the whole reason she wasn't able to go on the HERS tour with me, resurfaced, and I gazed at her in astonishment.

"You're still talking to the jock who injured you?" I asked.

"He didn't do it on purpose," she said defensively. "And like Vi said, he's trying to make it up to me."

"He already made amends ," Lottie cut in with a laugh. "Over many days and nights. But Freya won't release him from his duties because she likes him too much."

"That's not true."

"Also, he doesn't want to be released."

That seemed to mollify her because Freya let it drop. I, on the other hand, was still reeling over this new knowledge. A guy named Tolliver who Freya was interested in. A whole person I hardly knew any thing about. And yet, all of them seemed to know.

"I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch better," I said, a pang of guilt shooting through me . "I feel like I missed a lot."

Freya shrugged. "It's okay. You were busy. "

"Yeah," Scarlett said. "You were out here living the dream we'd all kill for."

I lifted a brow at that. "Are you saying you didn't love your time in Boston?"

Her eyes brightened . " No, Berklee was amazing. I 'd kill for that too. I loved my internship."

"Viola, how was your summer?"

She gave me a look. " My college courses—though non-refundable and soul-crushing—went well. I played sad songs on my cello while thinking of you on tour."

A laugh burst from my lips. "You passed then?"

"Yeah, got straight A's. And honestly, I wouldn't have wanted to be gone that long anyway. I would've missed Hermion e too much."

"You spoil that dog," Lottie said with a nod. "I approve of this."

"She deserves it," Viola said. " And so do all the animals at the shelter."

I turned to Lottie and asked, "How was the book conference?"

The smile that lit her face was like sunshine. "Absolutely amazing! Ror , there were so many of my favorite authors. I got their autographs and bought way too many books. I met other readers, and we talked about books all day. It was the best time ever."

"But did you like it?" I asked.

She laughed and put her hands on her hips. "Freya's right. You are different."

"Right?" Freya said. "She's not afraid to talk to hot guys anymore. She's playing for sold - out crowds. Totally fearless."

"No, the fear's still there," I said then shrugged. "I just decided not to let it stop me."

Viola, being the smartass she was, started a slow clap; the others joined in; and soon we were all laughing like crazy. Oh, I had missed my girls. Izzy found us just like that, cackling like a bunch of crows on happy pills, when she knocked a minute later. She took one look at us and smiled.

"Just letting you know it's 10 minutes until showtime," she said.

"Thanks, Izzy," I said. "These are my cousins."

"Oh, I know. The Kent c ousins. You're really good."

She smiled at us again.

"Is there anything I can get you guys?"

"Nope," Scarlett said, "we're all set."

I shook my head.

"Okay." Izzy looked at me. " I'm going to miss you, Aurora."

"I'll miss you too, Izzy. But be honest," I said, "you're going to miss Ferora the most."

She sighed wistfully then said, "Yeah, you and Felix's fake romance was one of my best PR strategies to date. No pun intended."

We both laughed, but as she waved goodbye, I felt a little adrift. This was really it. The final HERS show —for me anyway . I might not see any of these people again after this. But no, we'd stay in touch, I assured myself. I'd never been very good at it before, content to stay in place with the people I loved instead of growing my circle, but I was determined to do better.

"We should go," Freya said, "and give Aurora some time to get ready."

"Do you need help getting to the audience?" I asked.

"What?"

"You have to find your seats, right?"

"Oh, right," she said and sent me a too-bright smile. "No, we're fine. Awesome. No help needed."

As they enthusiastically agreed, I tilted my head. Viola, Charlotte, Scarlett, and Freya all looked way too innocent. If I didn't know better, I'd think something was up.

"See you later," Freya said quickly . "Good luck."

Brushing off my suspicions, I sent her a grateful nod. Once they'd gone, I started my pre-show ritual. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Relax and know it's all going to be okay. I was on my last inhale, exhale, when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," I said.

Ryker opened the door and paused. "Hey," he said.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything you did for Felix." He gave a gruff cough. "He's a good guy. The best."

I nodded. "I know."

As he continued to stand in the doorway, I waited, suspecting there was more.

"My brother and I don't always see eye to eye. But I know him almost as well as I know myself." Ryker stared at me as if trying to impart something important. "You remember what I told you?"

"I do."

"Even if he doesn't use those words, Aurora, Felix loves you. I'm sure of it."

I opened my mouth, but Ryker kept going.

"I've seen how you are with your family, and I hope you don't judge him too harshly."

"Ryker—"

"He's a good person like you."

I'd always tried to be a nice human, but it was nice to know Ryker thought so. I wanted his approval. Not just because he was Felix's brother but because I actually thought he was a kind soul underneath all the moodiness.

"Felix deserves to be happy," Ryker said. "And he loves you. That's all I wanted to say."

I sent him a small smile. "You deserve that too, you know? So does another person we both care about."

His face remained blank.

"Thank you for coming to talk to me about Felix," I said. "You're a good brother."

With a nod, Ryker walked out, and I was left wondering how two guys with such big hearts could be so different yet the same. They both had trouble expressing themselves in words. But their actions spoke so loud. He'd said Felix loved me, and after that conversation, it was clear just how much Ryker loved his little brother.

Felix and London came to me next. Neither one knocked, but I kind of loved that they felt comfortable enough to walk right in. The women's dressing room wasn't being used much anyway, so their presence made the space feel full.

"Hey, princess," Felix said.

"Hey, Felix," I said back.

We smiled at each other, and London cleared her throat.

"Is this going to take long?" she teased . "I just came back to give her something."

"No, I'll be fast." Felix stepped toward me and said, "Good news, I spoke to your dad."

"You did?" I asked.

His smile was confident. "Yeah, he and your mom are out in the audience. Your dad said he wants to introduce me to your uncles. I told you I'd win them over."

I covered my mouth on a laugh.

"What?"

"That's not a good thing, Felix."

"It's not?" he asked.

"No, I love them, but my uncles are kind of infamous . My cousins say they like putting the fear into anyone we date . Basically, 'meeting the uncles' means my dad is going to try and scare you off."

Felix's smile dimmed.

"But don't worry," I said, patting his shoulder. "You got this."

"How many Kent brothers are there again?"

"Just five," I said.

He paled a little at that, and London laughed.

Felix ignored her, leaned forward, and kissed my forehead softly.

"I'll see you out there, princess," he said.

"Yeah," I said, "last time. Has to be good."

"Oh trust me, it will be."

I leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips.

After he'd gone, London shook her head. "I really don't want to share you, but Fe's obviously got it bad."

"I don't want to share you either," I said with a smile.

"Luckily, you don't have to."

"But that dance with you and Ryker…I thought things were better."

"Oh, they are," she said. "He's gone from open hostility to treating me with kid gloves. It's an improvement, I guess."

I sighed. "He'll get it together eventually."

"Yeah," she mumbled, "but by then, it may be too late."

A moment passed, but then London smiled.

"Anyway, who cares about him? I 'm here to give you this," she said.

In her palm was a bracelet. The beading was a gorgeous mix of dark blues, purples, and pinks. There was a heart charm in the center, and when I looked closely , I saw that it had a name on it.

"Lorora," I read.

"It's our couple name," London said, and I smiled so hard it hurt. "Who says only romantic ships can have those?"

"It's beautiful."

Tears were in my eyes and hers as well.

"I love you, London. I'm going to miss you so much, and I'm so glad to have you as my friend."

"Oh hush," she said, dragging me into one of her bone-crushing hugs. "This isn't the end, Aurora. It's only the beginning."

As she leaned back, I sniffled.

"Friends are never really far apart."

"Because we carry each other in our hearts?" I asked.

"I was going to say we can always talk on the phone ," she said, "but let's go with yours. It's sappier."

I was laughing and had just gotten finished hugging London again, when something black streaked into the dressing room. The shape, I realized, was a dog, one that I knew. And she was fast.

And mischievous.

Onyx barked once, startling me, then she took the friendship bracelet London had just given me and made a run for it.

"It's okay," I said to London. "I'll get her."

As I gave chase, I vaguely registered how odd it was that Felix's dog would be here in a concert venue that clearly stated a no pet policy—which I thought was pretty terrible. But they said it was for the safety of the animals, so who was I to judge?

But anyway, yeah, it was odd.

I ran as if my life depended on it, trying to catch Onyx, knowing my 10 minutes was probably up, and I had to get out there for the performance. But I couldn't just let her go. That bracelet was important to me. London made it. Plus, if the venue wasn't dog-friendly, I didn't want Onyx to end up in trouble or hurt. Luckily, she seemed to be slowing down. She stopped and sat in the wings of the stage area, and I smiled in relief.

"You're fast," I said, petting her midnight black fur. "Did you enjoy making me chase you?"

Onyx panted up at me with the bracelet hanging from her mouth.

"Can I have that back, please?"

I held out my hand and was shocked when the dog dropped the piece of jewelry into my open palm.

"Thanks , Onyx. You're such a smart girl."

I couldn't wait to tell Felix about this.

But as I looked up, I got the feeling he already knew.

Felix was walking towards us with a small smile.

"You're not going to believe what your dog just did," I said anyway.

"Did she bring you here?" he asked.

"Yeah, actually, she did."

"That's because she's the best girl," he said, reaching down and ruffling Onyx's fur.

I arched a brow. "You don't look surprised to see her."

"Because I'm not."

Felix whistled which must've been some signal because Onyx left and trotted over to…London, who was standing near the stage door with a knowing smile on her face. When did she get there? Felix stepped forward and took my hands in his. As he nodded his thanks to London, I looked back and forth between the two of them.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing really," he said . Somewhere in the background I could hear Hayden and Santino warming up the audience. The y were loud and getting restless. "But I wanted to talk to you before the show starts."

"Okay, but I still don't understand why Onyx is here."

"She's my accomplice."

"For?"

"This." Felix's eyes never left mine, and he brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. "I love you," he murmured softly.

"What did you say?" I breathed, thinking my ears must being playing tricks.

He took a deep breath, shrugged and smiled. "I love you, princess."

Something had broken inside me because my eyes immediately started watering.

"I needed you to know before I do this."

My brow furrowed. "Do what?"

Instead of answering, Felix backed up, keeping his eyes on me even as he walked on the stage. The fans went wild, and I looked on, curious to see where this was going. Hayden finished up, propped the mic into its stand, then stepped aside. Felix took his place behind the microphone.

"Hey everyone," Felix said, strapping his guitar across his back. "I asked the guys if I could play a special tribute . I hope you don't mind."

The screams only got louder.

" A while ago, I met a girl." Felix's gaze collided with mine before he continued. "I fell hard but couldn't tell her. Partly because she disappeared in the night, but mostly because even when I found her, I didn't have the words. But now I do."

I covered my mouth as understanding set in.

"People say love at first sight is a lie, but for me, she was it."

Felix's voice carried to every corner of the venue and over the audience, who were going crazy.

"I knew it that night on the beach ," he said. "I still do. I fell in love with you, Aurora . I'm sorry it took me this long to find the words ."

He strummed his guitar, and as if it was a cue, bright lights lit the rest of the stage . I saw my cousins sitting there with their instruments, and the guys from HERS too, standing ready to play. My heart was beating so hard I hardly knew what to do with myself.

"Hopefully this makes up for it," Felix said.

Then he started playing.

From the opening notes, I knew the song . It resonated deeply within me, always had , b ut there was something about this version. I'd recognize Scarlett's string arrangements anywhere . One of my favorite things was playing with my cousins, but ranked closely to that was listening to them play. And this was something else.

The best part, though, was Felix.

I'd never heard his voice in person before. The videos online didn't do it justice. It was like dark chocolate, rich, deep, and warm like him. I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys would forever be a favorite—but Felix's version hit different.

Because it was him.

And because he wasn't just telling me he loved me.

He was showing me.

Again.

As the song came to a close, my cousins walked off the stage and smiled at me as they passed; HERS kept playing, and Felix stopped in front of me.

"So, what'd you think?" he said.

I shook my head as I stared at him, speechless.

"I knew you'd cry."

A laugh escaped as he pulled a pack of tissues out of his pocket and offered them to me. I took them gratefully.

"You were right ." I looked up into his eyes. " But the jet was more than enough, Felix. I didn't need this too."

"I like to overperform."

"I loved it," I said.

"Good," he said. "Because I love you."

"Can you repeat that?"

Felix swallowed, and his voice dropped to something tender. " I love you, princess. You knew that already though."

"I did," I said and smiled through my tears. "So, what now?"

"I guess we live out our happily-ever-after."

"And how do we do that exactly?"

"I guess we'll see."

As he leaned down, I lifted up on my toes to reach him. Our lips met in a heart-stopping kiss , and I felt all the good things at once. Love, joy, passion, elation. Standing backstage, wrapped in his arms, kissing him, it felt like everything had come full circle. There was nothing fake about my feelings for Felix, and he'd shown me, over and over, that he loved me too.

I wasn't sure what the future held for us.

But if Felix was there, I couldn’t wait.

Happily-ever-after had never felt more real.