Page 31 of Ordinary Secrets (Secrets Trilogy #1)

31

TREY

The next morning, Arella and I arrive backstage at the Soul House fifteen minutes late. It took her a while to orgasm, and I refused to let her leave my bed until she did.

The entire band and our manager are all crowded around the sectional. I sense the heartwarming energy before I hear the synchronized aw s. Once my eyes land on the photographer from our photo shoot at the park, I get a good feeling that I know what everyone’s looking at.

“This one’s my favorite!” Emmy says, handing a 4x6 print to Arella.

I glance over my girl’s shoulder at the breathtaking photo. There I am, holding the most precious woman in the world, kissing her cheek. I get lost in Arella’s sweet smile as I recall all the fuzzy feelings I got during that shoot.

Emmy had convinced Arella and me to take couples photos after she and Marcus did theirs. I’m amazed by how good the pictures turned out. Do Arella and I always look that happy together?

“I like this one the most,” Liz says, handing Arella another 4x6 print.

I agree. It was one of our last shots, where Arella and I had our faces in each other’s hands, looking deep into the other’s eyes. The photo looks like it belongs on the cover of a sappy romance novel. With anyone else, I might have gagged and made jokes. Because it’s Arella, I can’t stop staring. The knot in my chest tightens. Any day now, I could lose all this.

When did things get so fucking complicated? This mission was supposed to be simple: Find out what makes this Ordinary immune, duplicate it, and move on. I knew I was gonna fuck this up. I just didn’t think it’d be because I fell for my assignment.

“Could I get a copy of this picture?” I ask the photographer, pointing to the photo in Arella’s hands.

“Sure,” she says. “You can take that one, or I have a wallet size here.”

I accept the wallet size. “Thank you.”

“Could I get a wallet size too?” Arella asks.

“I only have one wallet of that photo, but I have many others you can choose from.”

Beaming, Arella searches through the options and picks one out.

“Oh!” Emmy perks up. “You guys should do what Liz and I do with our pictures.”

“Which is...?” I ask with a feeling that it’s something super girly.

“We write a cute note on the back for each other.”

Yep. Super girly.

“Let’s do it,” Arella says, handing me her picture.

I trade photos with her and roll my eyes, even though I kinda like the idea. “I’ll come up with a cute note to write later.”

“Me too.”

After we’re done going through the photos, the band and I sit down with our manager to go over social-media shit for a couple of hours. Monique spends at least half the time urging me to get “more connected” with our fans through my personal accounts. As always, I refuse. I don’t care that it’ll help “sell more tickets” or “gain viewers.” I play music because I love to, not for the money or the fame.

Once the torture is over, I grip Arella by her hand and we leave for lunch.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” I say a while later as I push my empty bowl aside. We’ve just finished eating at a nice ramen place in Chinatown.

Arella wipes her lips with a napkin, then straightens up. “What is it?”

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Forty-some minutes later, we pull up to an extravagant spa with fancy lights running along the frame of the gold-painted door. Arella’s jaw drops, but it’s not the place she’s astonished by. It’s her best friend waiting for us on the golden chairs outside.

I’ve barely shifted the car into park when Arella runs out to greet Javina with a giant hug. “What are you doing here?”

Javina shrugs. “Dunno. I got a text from pretty boy this morning to meet y’all here at two, so I’m here.”

“I’m treating you both to a spa day,” I say.

Javina’s excitement blasts through my head. “No way! For real?”

“Yep. You’re both booked to get your nails done, have an hour-long facial, and a hot-rock massage.”

Javina shrieks, then turns to Arella, patting my shoulder. “This one has my official stamp of approval.”

My girl laughs. “Thanks.”

I peck Arella on her cheek and give her a quick hug. “I’ll come pick you up around six.”

Now that Arella’s preoccupied with getting pampered, I’m free to prepare the rest of my “preserve Arella’s immunity” plan.

My first stop is at a jewelry store. I walk in without any idea of what I’m looking for. All I’ve got is one request: same-day engraving. It takes me a while to decide on a piece to purchase. When I finally do, the woman behind the counter rings me up, and I’m off to my next destination.

At a floral shop, I ask for enough rose petals to fill a swimming pool. The lady tells me she can do three dozen at most, and I accept that.

With a velvet jewelry box, a bag of rose petals, and an arrangement of flowers in hand, I head home. There, I set up the bedroom the way I want it and shut the door.

In the living room, I plant myself on the couch with a pen and Arella’s photo. I write up at least fifteen drafts in a notebook before finally deciding on the right words. In my best handwriting possible, I transfer my draft to the back of our picture.

Once I’m done, I read it over a few times. It’s the realest thing I’ve ever written. No song I’ve ever penned can compare. I hope Arella likes it.

A little after six, I’m waiting in my car outside the spa when Arella and Javina come out, practically glowing. I step out to greet them.

“How was it, ladies?” I hold my arms out for Arella to embrace me.

She does, giving me a hard kiss on the lips too. “Amazing! Look at my nails!”

I once-over her outstretched fingers. They’re cleaned up nicely, finished with a lavender-colored polish. “Looks great, babe.”

“That massage was exactly what I needed,” Javina says. “Thanks, handsome. Out of Ari’s two boyfriends so far, you’re definitely my fave.”

I chuckle lightly. “Not hard to be the favorite when the bar was set so low.”

Back at home, while I make dinner, Arella interrogates me on why she’s not allowed in the bedroom.

“You’re not hiding any dead bodies in there, are you?” she asks playfully.

I shake my head with a chuckle. It’s always dead people with her. Maybe she should lay off the true crime shows for a while.

“It’s a surprise,” I say for the tenth time.

“You can’t give me a hint?” She puckers her bottom lip out.

“Nope, and you can pout all you want, but I’m not giving in. You’ll find out as soon as we finish eating.”

Arella is quick to inhale her pork chop and vegetables. If I could sense her excitement, I’m sure it’d be on the same level as Javina’s was earlier outside the spa. Apparently, my girl has no patience, and neither do I, because I finish my meal within minutes of her.

My gut churns as I lead her down the hall and stop outside my bedroom. “Wait here while I put on the final touches.”

She nods, then I slip inside, shutting the door behind me.

First, I turn the nozzles to fill the Jacuzzi with warm water. Then I press play on my speakers, and the bathroom fills with soothing piano music. After that, I float a little fireball around to light the wicks of the many candles I’ve already placed around the tub and bed. The last thing I do is position the velvet box behind some strategically stacked candles on the edge of the Jacuzzi. Finally, I open the door.

Arella clasps a palm against her face as her jaw drops. “Wow...”

Rose petals cover everything from the bed to the floor. The candlelight sways to the soft music, inviting her in.

I intertwine my fingers with hers and lead her to the bathroom, where more rose petals are sprinkled everywhere. “You like it?”

She attacks me with a kiss. “I love it!”

Internally, I do a happy dance. There’s no way she’ll say no.

A minute later, we’re naked in the tub. Arella sits between my legs with her back against my front and her head leaned against my shoulder. I wouldn’t have it any other way. As I caress her arm, I tenderly kiss up and down her neck.

“My apartment will be ready for me this weekend,” Arella says, bursting my bubble of peace.

I scowl, even though she can’t see it. I don’t want her apartment to be ready. That means she won’t sleep here anymore. Well, if she says yes, neither of us will be sleeping here anymore.

It’s time . . .

“I have another surprise for you.” From behind me, I grab the jewelry box and hold it out in front of her.

“Another? How many do you have tonight?”

Oh, just you wait . . . “Open it.”

She dries her wet hands on a towel, then accepts the box from me. It’s so big, it’s almost double the size of her palms. Slowly, she flips the lid.

“Aw, it’s our picture.” She takes the photo out of the box, then gasps. “Wow! Honey! It’s... wow!”

The flickers of candlelight reflect over a gold pendant necklace hanging from a dainty gold chain. The pendant’s angel wings are spread, with a two-carat diamond heart in the middle.

“Read the back of the picture.”

She does aloud. “Arella, you are my angel. You’re the purpose in life I’ve been searching for. I want to spend eternity with you by my side. We belong together. —Trey.”

The next moments of silence tear at me. The expression on her face is unreadable. Does she think it’s cheesy? Does she not feel the same way? Fuck. I should have written something better.

She tilts her head back and grabs my face, then we embrace in a long kiss. It relaxes the nerves simmering in my gut... kinda.

“This is so sweet, honey,” she says after she pulls away. “I love it. All of it. The surprise spa date with Javina. The delicious dinner. This candlelit Jacuzzi bath with rose petals. This beautiful necklace. Your wonderful note. Thank you so much.”

“Anything for you, baby. Now, turn the necklace over.”

“Let me put this down first.” She leaves the tub to set the picture on the bathroom counter, where it will stay dry. When she returns, she sits in the spot next to me and flips the necklace over to read the engraving.

“Paris? T.G.” Her face crinkles. “Paris? What about it?”

“I wanna take you there.”

Her face goes blank. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

She’s quiet. This would be a great time to be able to project some excitement into her or, at the very least, know how she’s feeling.

“Trey! That’s amazing!” Her giant smile relieves me. That was the easy part. Next is the hard part. As if on cue, she asks, “When do you want to go?”

“As soon as possible,” I say, then lower my voice. “Preferably... tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? I have to go back to work in three days.”

“You don’t have to work anymore. I’ll take care of you.”

She makes a that’s ridiculous face. “I can’t do that.”

I take the jewelry box from her and set it aside. Then I squeeze her hands in mine and look straight into her eyes.

“Arella, you are the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. You make me feel happy and full and... well, a bunch of other things I can’t put into words right now. You deserve way more than what I can give you, but I want to try, and it starts with taking you to Paris. You mentioned that you’ve always wanted to go there.”

“I do. Not tomorrow though. Maybe in a few weeks, after I can make sure I’ve got the time off. How long do you want to go for?”

I swallow thickly. My answer is going to freak her out. I say it anyway because I want to be as honest with her as I can. “Forever.”

“Forever? What do you mean, forever ?”

I run my wet fingers through my hair, staring at the rose petals floating in the water. “Like, as in, we won’t be coming back.”

As expected, her face screws together. “What?”

“You said you’ve always wanted to go to Paris, right?” My tone is nonchalant, as if it’s normal to ask your girlfriend to run away to another country with you.

“Yes, to visit. Not to live. You haven’t even asked me to move in with you, and now you’re asking me to move to Paris? Haven’t you ever heard of baby steps?”

I’m not fond of how quickly she’s turning me down. “Can’t you at least entertain the idea?”

“Okay, sure. Where will we live?”

“I’ll buy us a nice place there. Any place you want.” I’ve already got options saved on my phone for her to look at. Everything from cute little apartments to fancy mansions.

“What about my grandparents?”

“We can take them with.”

She shakes her head with a face that says, You can’t be serious . “They’re not going to want to move to Europe.”

“Didn’t you say they love traveling?”

The way she rolls her eyes at me drives me crazy. “That’s different. Besides, what about your band?”

“They’ll be fine without me.”

“So, you’re just going to abandon them?” I don’t like the accusative tone in her voice or that she used the word abandon .

“No band stays together forever.”

“But you’re working on a second album together and planning to go on tour after that.”

I stare at the water again because the bewildered look in her eyes tells me I’m not winning this. “We can tour in Europe.”

“Okay, sure. Where will I work?”

“You won’t need to.”

In the corner of my eye, the face she gives me makes me feel like I’m an ignorant child. “How will I pay for things?”

“I’ll pay for everything.”

“Right, so you’re going to quit your current source of income here and get a job in Europe?”

“I could, but I have more than enough money for us to live on for the rest of our lives.” Even if I didn’t, I’d make sure she was taken care of. Whether that means I’d be waiting tables or going back to school, I’d do it for her.

“You do not.” The way her eyes narrow irks me. I haven’t told her how much money I have, but for her to be so skeptical...?

“Don’t underestimate what I have in the bank.”

“This is insane.” She rolls her eyes again. I wish she’d stop doing that.

I lean back and drape an arm over the edge of the Jacuzzi. “It is, but I want this more than anything.”

“ You’re insane.”

“Only a little.” This idea sounds crazier out loud than it did in my head. There, it sounded reasonable, like I’m offering her an all-expenses paid vacation... for life. Who wouldn’t want that? To never have to worry about paying bills, and her only concern would be whether she wants to visit the Louvre or the Gardens of Versailles for the tenth time.

“Why do you want to move to a whole different country?” she asks. “No, sorry, a whole different continent ?”

“Don’t you think it’d be a fun experience?”

“Yeah, for a few days, or even a couple of weeks, but for life?” The tops of her tits keep peeking up above the water, distracting me from our serious conversation.

I lean back with my best I promise I’m not losing my mind face. “If you don’t like Paris, we could go to any other place in Europe.”

“Why Europe?”

“If you don’t like Europe, we can move to Australia, China, or Africa. Whatever you’d like.”

Trackers sense other Zordis by the use of their elemental and body powers, but it doesn’t work underground or overseas. Since I’d rather not live in a hole, Arella and I have to move.

To be safe, I plan to live out the rest of my life without ever using my powers, in case Victor decides to send someone overseas to locate us. Hopefully, he doesn’t have connections with any of the ZIRDA bases abroad. The idea that he could have a bunch of people there on the lookout for me is terrifying.

“Trey, I don’t want to move at all.”

“Can’t you at least think about it?” I don’t give a shit that I sound desperate. At this point, I’m willing to get on my hands and knees and beg if it means she’ll say yes.

Frowning, she crosses her arms over her chest. “What’s the real reason you want to move? For a ‘fun experience’ is not going to cut it.”

Coming clean about everything was on the list of options I came up with to get us outta this mess. It didn’t take me long to decide against it. If I tell Arella the truth, she’s gonna run, and I’ll lose her. Then she’ll definitely be in danger. I’ve got a feeling that if I’m not the one who takes Arella to Victor within the week, he’ll send someone to replace me, and I doubt that person would hesitate like I am.

Arella lowers her tone and cups my cheek. It only settles half the anxiety swirling inside me. “Honey, are you in some kind of trouble?”

“I can explain everything once we get to Paris.”

She drops her hand from my face. “Why not now?”

“Because... then you might not come with me.” I hang my head low. “Actually, you might never want to see me again.”

A loud pfft echoes throughout the bathroom. “Well, that just makes me want to pack up and head out right now, doesn’t it?”

Once it’s safe to, I have full intention of telling Arella everything. How the way we met wasn’t an accident, how the Royals faked her death when she was three, and everything about the Zordi world. Is it a huge risk? Of course, but I want to be done lying to her. My gut tells me she’ll be mad at first but, in the end, she will understand. She has to...

With her damp hands, she rubs her face and lets out a little groan. “So, let me get this straight. You’re saying that whatever secret you’re hiding from me might make me leave you, but you want me to move across the world with you before you tell me?”

I guess when she puts it that way, it sounds bad. I’d tell her now if I had a guarantee that she wouldn’t freak out and run away. I can’t keep her safe if she leaves me. If we’re in another country, at least she’ll be safe while she processes all the stuff I have to tell her.

I nod firmly. “Yes.”

She throws her hands up. “That makes zero sense!”

“I know, babe, but that’s just the way it is.” I reach for her, but she shoves me away, stinging me deeply. Then she stands and exits the Jacuzzi, grabbing a towel to wrap around herself as she storms out.

I’m left feeling like my entire world is crumbling.