28

Several hours later, we are crammed into another van, after leaving the Warsaw Neon Museum and enjoying a few drinks at a nearby pub. I was not happy about us being in the public and voiced my opinion thoroughly but was overruled.

Which I also voiced my opinion on.

Thoroughly.

We were largely unnoticed, mistaken for a random cluster of American tourists, although the size of some of the men in our group raised a few eyebrows.

Tai and I cozy up in the backseat as the engine purrs to life, and I slide my arm around his shoulder. "There's something very important that needs to be handled."

"Handled, huh?" he asks, a tone that suggests his mind went straight to the gutter. "And what exactly are we handling?"

Fuck, why does he have to be so tempting?

"Unblock my number, because we can't be official if I can't even text you."

He twists to face me and plants a hand on my chest, tilting his head until we're almost nose to nose. "Is that what you want? To be official?"

"More than anything," I murmur, brushing my lips against his with a touch so faint it's barely felt. "There's no one else for me, Tai, but if you're not ready for that, just say the word and I'll stop—"

"Don't stop… don't you dare. I want that, too."

"Not going to make me chase you?" I tease, nuzzling his nose with mine.

"You can still chase me," he breathes, our lips brushing again as my heart kicks double time in my chest. "Maybe I want you to."

"I don't mind chasing, sweetheart, as long as I catch you in the end."

"Knock it off with the canoodling back there!" Theo interrupts us for the second time today, and I shoot him a glare that could slice through diamonds.

"Or you could mind your own fucking business," Tai snaps, but Theo is wholly unaffected as he rolls his eyes.

"If I'm not getting any road head, neither are you."

My entire face is flaming as I stutter, "That's not… we weren't… there wasn't anything like that happening…" Tai squeezes my arm, unable to help his laugh as I turn to him.

"Ignore him, chippoke. He's trying to get a rise out of you."

"A rise , classic," Theo snorts, before he blinks a few times. "Did you… did you just call him tiny ? Oh my stars, why is that so fucking adorable?!" Tai stares at him with an expression that's surprised and slightly curious. "Don't look at me like that! I watch enough anime to have basic knowledge of the Japanese language."

"Fantastic, cultural lessons by Naruto," Tai mutters, and Theo sticks his tongue out. "At least you aren't screaming Pokémon names at me and trying to pass it off as words."

Theo's eyes grow huge as he turns to Dante. "I just had a great idea for a tail…"

Aaaand, we've lost him.

Shaking his head, Tai shifts his attention back to me. "Now, where were we?"

"You were making it to where I can text my man." He's smug as he pulls his phone out, tapping through the settings until he finds the right one and unblocks me. Simultaneously, both of our phones blow up in a series of pings, and his eyes widen as he cringes.

"I might've… messaged you a few times." Both of us stare at our screens, and I read the texts he sent me along with those I sent him.

CONNOR

Tai, every day I'm separated from you, I regret leaving even more. What we have is too amazing to walk away from, but I did. I fucked up, sweetheart. And now… now I can't find my way back to you. One day, I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me, and if you do, please look for me. I'll be waiting.

CONNOR

Not a minute goes by that I don't think of you constantly. I miss you, and I'll tell you every day until I get through to you.

...

CONNOR

Not a minute goes by that I don't think of you constantly. I miss you, and I'll tell you every day until I get through to you.

I peek over at him as he scans the never-ending stream of identical texts. "How many times did you text me?"

"Sixty-three times," I whisper, and my eyes are damp as I meet his. "One for every single day we were apart… I'm sorry, sweetheart." My voice cracks, and emotion clogs my throat, so I throw my arms around him as he does the same, both of us crushing the other.

When we regain some composure, he whispers, "I'm sorry for the mean drunk text." I choke out a sniffling laugh as we pull back and grin at each other. "But I really meant it at the time."

"That's fair… I deserved that." We're quiet for the rest of the drive, his head on my chest and my fingers raking through his hair. Even though it's only ten and we've barely been awake for twelve hours, we are catching up to the time difference, yawning as we ride the elevator to our floor.

Everyone splits into their own spaces, and soon it's just me and Tai again, standing inside his room with the door open. "You need more sleep." I brush my thumb over the dark circles forming under his eyes, and he scoffs.

"Are you trying to say I look bad?"

"You look stunning." I slide my hand to the side of his neck, tugging him closer. "It doesn't matter what you do, Tai, you'll always be beautiful to me."

"Such a romantic," he murmurs, and we both smile as I inch closer.

My eyes dip to his lips, and then I'm right there, hovering a breath away. "Tai, I really want to kiss you. I've been dying to kiss you all fucking day. May I?"

"Please," he whispers, and then our lips meet, and it's like the first time all over again. My entire body lights up at the soft press of his mouth against mine and the happy sigh that pushes from his nose as he melts into my touch.

It's patient and sweet, and over far too soon as I pull away, unable to help myself as I place a second gentle peck on his lips. "I should let you get a good night's sleep tonight."

He nods, but his eyes tell a different story as I separate us and step into the hallway. "Alright," he says, gripping the doorframe until his knuckles turn white, like he's holding himself there. "Goodnight."

The door shuts, leaving me alone in the hall. I take a deep breath and force myself to walk towards my room, fighting the urge to sprint back and spend a few more precious moments with him. My feet stop moving, and for several long seconds, I stand there, chewing on my lip as my internal battle wages. Caught between honoring his desires and feeding my own desperation, I'm torn.

"Fuck," I mutter, spinning around and marching to his door. Before I even knock, it swings open and Tai grabs my shirt, yanking me inside the room. In a single motion, he pushes the door closed and we fall against it.

His mouth finds mine, and it's no longer the sweet, chaste kiss that we shared a minute ago. This one is clanking teeth and clumsy lips, beard burn on his cheek and nails in my back. "I've missed the taste of you," I groan against his lips, and he frantically nods, leading me towards the bed.

We barely make it a couple of feet before we stop, hands desperately grabbing at each other as I pin him against the wall. His fingers tangle in my hair and pull me closer as his teeth scrape my lip. It stings, but I've never loved a touch of pain so much. Another step and my hand slides under his shirt, skimming the warm skin on his lower back.

His tongue slips into my mouth, finding mine, and I growl, yanking him to the bed.

Only we don't… quite… make it.

My foot catches on his discarded shoe, knocking my balance off kilter as gravity grabs me and I teeter backwards. With a stunned shout, I tumble towards the edge of the bed, unintentionally pulling Tai along with me.

My frantic brain concludes that the most appropriate action is to launch him onto the bed, so he'll at least land on something soft.

Brilliant plan… in theory.

What actually happens not quite so smooth. My back hits the mattress with my ass hanging off the end, while Tai lands with a knee on either side of my head.

His crotch is on my face.

Literally on my face.

I try to speak and get a mouthful of sweatpants-covered balls. It's not a delicate dip of a tea bag into a mug, but shoving a whole fistful of them into one, then punching them to make sure they fit nice and snug.

Tai rolls off me, roaring with laughter so hard he can't catch his breath as his face turns red. The bed shakes with the force of it, and when he finally inhales, it's a loud, gasping wheeze of a noise.

My body quakes as I laugh from deep in my belly, my legs giving out as my ass slides to the ground. "Shit, I'm sorry," I say through the chaos, and it only causes him to laugh harder. Gleeful tears streaming down his cheeks, he clutches his stomach while I army crawl onto the bed and flop beside him.

"I bet you missed my smooth moves, huh?" I ask, wiping tears from my own eyes.

"Sure did, Pink Eye," he says, and my mouth drops open into a perfect circle.

"You did not! " I shriek, and he throws his head back and howls as I sit up, dragging him into my lap. Just like that, every worry about us finding our way back to each other disappears. Every fear that it could never be the same flies out the window into the black, starry night.

He's Tai, and I'm Connor, and we're back on that beach, drinking banana rum and wrestling in the ocean.

It's simple, and effortless, and amazing.

I kiss him again, sweet this time, using far too many teeth because I can't stop smiling. "Get some rest, sweetheart. As soon as you want me in the morning, I'll be ready for you."

He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tight, not a single molecule between our bodies as he relaxes into me. It takes another five minutes for us to pry ourselves apart, and by the time I close the door behind me, Tai's drifting off to sleep with a tiny smile on his face.

The next day, Monica surprises us with a chartered bus tour of the city, which gets us out to explore while not being too strenuous after our travel. It also allows the band to stay within my sight, and the absence of added strangers puts my protective heart at ease.

There's plenty of room, as the bus is built for groups three times our size, and the driver is a kind older man who greets us all with a smile.

Tai and I take a seat near the rear, constantly touching each other, and it continues for the rest of the day. Holding hands, wrapping our arms around each other, leaning in for kisses and ignoring the catcalls when we're caught.

No fancy words or grand gestures can express as much as the casual contact and easy affection do.

He touches me because he wants to.

I touch him because I'll die without it.

When night comes and we're tucked into the privacy of Tai's room, we turn on a movie. I couldn't tell you the plot, or even the name, because we spend the entire hour and a half making out on the bed. Clothes remain on and hands stay mostly to themselves, but I can't get enough of kissing and touching him, knowing there's not an expiration date on it this time.

Tai sleeps in again the following morning, and the day goes by in a rush as we prepare for their show. It's a mad dash of verifying equipment is where it needs to be, coordinating with the venue staff, and ensuring everyone is hydrated and rested.

Social media posts are made, as well as phone calls to family back in the states when the hour is appropriate, including a quick group call to Eric's parents where we all chime in to say hello. I'm officially introduced as Tai's boyfriend, and it brings me a ridiculous amount of joy.

We split into our two vehicles and head to the venue, watching the vibrant city pass beyond the windows as I rake my fingernails through Tai's hair. Despite the craziness, I'm more relaxed than I've been in a long time, and as he glances up at me and smiles, I know he is, too.