Page 62 of Love is a Lyric
18
Ben
A dark dumpster loomed to their right as Piper studied the alley. Rain pounded down in sheets, soaking Ben in an instant, but he didn’t care. Not when his brother currently faced a hoard of paparazzi for him. Not when Piper had handled the situation better than he’d ever seen.
“This way,” she called, waving him toward her.
Their feet splashed through pools of water gathering on the uneven brick road as they hurried down the alley.
“We have to get far enough away that they won’t find us before we can stop and wait for a Lyft.” She wicked water away from her face and kept going, only glancing back to make sure they hadn’t gotten separated.
They rounded the corner onto a back street. He didn’t know how quickly Chase could lead the paparazzi away, but he didn’t want to stop, not yet, not with the adrenaline pumping through his veins for the first time since leaving Florida.
It wasn’t from the run, but the energy zipping through him during the performance hadn’t left. His mind buzzed with the high of it all.
He’d missed it. In the short time since his last concert, he hadn’t let himself think about how being on stage was the only thing to ever make him feel alive.
Yet, this time was different.
This time there was her.
Singing with Piper was different from singing with Quinn, more maybe.
As he followed her down the rain-soaked street, he realized he’d follow her anywhere.
“Piper,” he called.
She didn’t stop moving.
He tried again. “Piper!”
She turned and ran back toward him. “What? Are you okay?”
“We’re probably far enough.”
Her wet hair clung to her face as she shook her head. “No. We need to keep going. Do you have any idea how many problems it could cause if they get proof you’re here?”
“I don’t care.”
At first, he wasn’t sure she heard him over the rain because she didn’t respond. He took a step toward her, but she stepped back.
A car sped down the street, splashing water toward them, but neither jumped away.
“Wh-hat?” Piper’s brow creased. “You have to care, Ben. This is your career. If they find out you and Quinn…”
“Don’t mention Quinn.”
“Why not?”
“Because, Piper Hayes, when I kiss you there is no one else. When I kiss you, we won’t think of the paparazzi searching for us, or the rain trying to pound us into the ground. It’s just us, Pipes, you and me.”
“When you…” She blew rain from her lips. Indecision warred in her eyes before the waves calmed into an ocean of blue. A street light flickered in the storm, surrounding them in shadows, the rain encasing them in a shield from the rest of the world. Piper lifted her chin, all confusion gone from her face. “Just us.” She mouthed the words as if reminding herself. “I want you to kiss me.”
“Thank heavens.” Moving at the same time, they collided, their hands grasping to hold each other upright as Piper lifted her lips to his in an all-consuming kiss. All at once, everything made sense. The emotions that had been swirling through him for days, the reasons he’d sought out Piper on tour to help him, to keep his secrets.
He trusted her when he couldn’t trust anyone else with his memorization difficulties with his music.
His arms wound around her back, tugging on her sopping shirt to pull her closer, not wanting to let go.
