Page 174 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
I look out at the blue sky filled with fluffy clouds. We’re about to jump from a plane at ten-thousand feet somewhere over North London. It’s a tradition Sav has started—skydiving in every country—and I’m actuallyreallyexcited.
In fact, really excited seems to be the theme of this tour, so far.
I was really excited when we landed at Heathrow last week. I was really excited when Sav surprised Caveat Lover with studio time torecord a few of the songs we’ve already written. I was really excited when I played one of our new songs flawlessly three nights ago, too.
When we were checking into our hotel yesterday, a fan recognized me and asked for my autograph. I was standing right next to Torren and Mabel, but they wanted an autograph from me and my bandmates. My mom and Glory are flying in for Heartless’s shows in Rome and Paris. And, while it might seem like only a small win, I can officially fit my hair into a half-ponytail without it having to poke out the top of my head like a tree. I was really,reallyexcited for that.
But the thing I’m most excited about?
Justbeinghere. With Caveat Lover. With Heartless. With Torren. Withme.
I feel more at peace with myself than I have in a long time, and after the accident, I didn’t think I would ever feel comfortable in my own skin again. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.
My body is irreparably changed. Some ways are immediately visible—like the scars on my face and arm—but more are not, and I’m okay with that. I’m coming to terms with that fact that I may never play piano the way I used to. I’ll never give up attempting the “Moonlight Sonata” third movement, but just playing it is enough. Sav was right—I’m adjusting, and adapting, and I will continue to do so in any way necessary, because making music is the only way I’ll ever feel whole.
Just before it’s time for us to jump, I do a scan of the plane. I’m spending the next three months traveling Europe with these people. Sav and Mabel have become my best friends. Ezra, Rocky, and Becket are and always will be my family. Jonah and I are...well, he and I are about the same as he is with everyone else, to be honest. But it works.
And Torren King...
I lock eyes with him once more, then give his hand a squeeze.
Torren Fucking King made me fall head over feet in love with him. He broke my heart once, but he’s mended it ten times over. He quite literally helped put me back together when I was a shattered, lost mess. He gave me strength when mine was faltering. He played my bass notes when I couldn’t. He was my harmony when all I heard was dissonance.
He’s my love song.
Torren must be able to read my thoughts because he smirks before leaning down and whispering over my lips, “You better watch it,Firebird. Somebody might think you’re in love with me. Your eyes are giving you away.”
I smile. “I’m not trying to hide anything.”
“Good.”
He kisses me slowly, his tongue swiping over my lips in a way that makes me shiver. I open for him, and our tongues glide together, but when I try to deepen the kiss, he pulls away. He smiles at me, eyes hooded and pupils dilated, then presses a soft kiss to my forehead.
“I love you, Calla Lily Sunrise James.”
“I love you, Torren Fucking King.” I step back and give him a smirk of my own. “Now let’s jump out of this goddamn plane.”
EPILOGUE
Callie. TWO YEARS LATER.
“Give me twenty minutes.”
Torren stops me before my feet land on the pavement, then walks me back into my bus and locks the door behind him. As soon as we’re alone, his mouth and hands and body are on me, and mine are on him.
“Mmm.” I hum, my voice breathy as he pulls my shirt over my head, followed by my bra. “Isn’t that a little risky?”
Their set starts in thirty, and he’s supposed to be there at least fifteen minutes early.Twenty minuteswill mean he’s showing up minutes before he’s supposed to take the stage. I open my mouth to remind him of this, but he slips his hand into the front of my underwear and my argument transforms into a gasp.
“Already so hot and wet for me,” he murmurs against my lips as he rubs at my throbbing clit. “Twenty minutes, Firebird.” He circles the tip of his finger over my entrance before easing it in. “Let me make you feel good.”
I reach for his cock and squeeze him once before he picks me up and carries me to my bedroom at the back of the bus. He lays me on the bed, then quickly pulls off his shirt and kicks out of his pants. I prop myself onto my elbows and watch with a grin.
“Gonna make me do all the work?” He smirks. “We only have twenty minutes.”
I shrug and lift my hips as he tugs my shorts and panties down my legs and tosses them to the side. “Seventeen minutes no—oh, fuck.”
Torren sucks hard on my clit and shoves two fingers into my pussy. He hooks his fingers inside me and strokes as his mouth works me over.
