Well, I got half of what I wanted. I can’t fault her for wanting to explore more of Milan. I know she loves music, so the opera house is something she’ll enjoy. Honestly, I’m kind of glad she’s doing that without me. I was never really into the history of music or staring at old instruments.
I’m not even sure if that’s what you do at the opera house, but that’s why I’m not the one with the tour tickets.
I get to spend the night with her tonight, and that’s what counts in my book. I still have some things in my drawer that I’ve been dying to try with her, and with the emoji she used at the end of her text, I know she’s ready too.
Plus, the bruise inside her thigh looked a little faded the last time I saw it. Gonna have to reapply my mark.
Group Chat
Pre-Concert Jitters
Paige:Okay, listen up! We are going to a Solace concert! This is not a drill! Do we have a game plan?
Rissa:MY PLAN IS TO VIBE! I’m going to vibe so hard that Solace will feel the cosmic tremors and dedicate a song to me.
Skye:The plan is to stay together. We are guests.
Riley:She’s going to open withNeon Ghost. And someone in our row is going to cry. It’s Rissa.
Rissa:I WILL NOT CRY. I am a wall of stone.
Paige:Skye, what are you wearing?
Skye:Black.
Paige:Shocking. Absolutely groundbreaking.
Rissa:I need to buy glowsticks. How many is too many?
Paige:Buy all of them. Skye… are you actually going to enjoy this or just stand there and analyze everything?
Skye:I can analyze and appreciate the music at the same time.
Rissa:She’s going to fawn over the artistry! I knew it! I’m telling Solace you said that!
Skye:Rissa, if you approach Solace, I will bench you.
Paige:Okay, MOM. We’ll be good. No stalking the pop star. Just some wholesome glowstick fun.
Rissa:Riley is my crying going to be ugly-crying or more of just one graceful tear?
Riley:…bring tissues.
Chapter Nineteen
Violet
The arena is cold, despite the weather feeling warmer outside today. I’m slumped forward in my seat with my coffee balancing between my knees like it might spill over if I blink.
The semifinals aren’t for another twenty minutes, which is just enough time for my brain to realize I didn’t sleep well last night. Despite being wrapped up in Skye’s arms, sleep just never found me. I would like to file a formal complaint with my nervous system.
I’m wearing the mask again. Not the literal one, although that would be on par. Tonight I turn back into Solace. Someone I’ve kept tucked away for most of the time I’ve spent here in Milan. It’s been a vacation from myself, and it was way overdue.
Skye hasn’t just quieted the parts of me that lived for Theo’s approval, she’s opened entire realms inside me that I never knew existed. Sides of me that would have Theo staring at me in cold, silent judgment.
I don’t know what comes next. Do I tell my mom? Or is this just a strange, beautiful fluke?
The sharp, undeniable twist in my gut as Skye glides onto the ice for warm-ups answers my question. This is no fluke. But it can’t be just her, right? That wouldn’t make sense.
