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And in this exact moment, I don’t think I’ve ever been any happier.
Chapter 17
Van
“You’re okay, right?” I whisper as I stand in front of Alyssa in Rhys’s shower, slowly soaping her body up, sudsy washcloth on her neck, shoulders, across her breasts, between her legs. “I’m trusting you to tell me if we’re hurting you, princess.”
“Don’t worry. It didn’t hurt,” she replies with a soft smile. “It was…literally the opposite of me being in any pain. It was amazing. Trust me.”
“Good,” I say, before giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I don’t ever want to hurt you.”
I bring my attention back to her thighs, continuing to make sure she’s cleaned up after all thefestivities. Alyssa silently watches me wash away all the evidence that anyone had ever been inside of her, her arms linked behind my head. She then beams up at me, the expression lingering on her features.
And my curiosity gets the better of me. “…What? What is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The way you’re looking at me right now,” I press. “What are you thinking about, princess?”
“I’m just thinking about how you were when we first met,” she replies. “And how completely different you are now. I never…There’s no way I ever thought that you would be this way with me, Van.”
“What? Helping you out in the shower?” I smirk.
“Loving,” she whispers, her hands moving toward either side of my face. “And vulnerable, too.”
“…Don’t make me regret it, princess,” I murmur as I gently wrap my arms around her waist. “You know, you’re different too. When you first came into the studio, you were so young, so earnest. That hasn’t changed… but you’ve shown so much more of yourself as an artist. As a woman. On stage, with us, with the public. It’s breathtaking.”
“I won’t let you regret anything.” She smiles up at me again. Her expression becomes serious though, as a few seconds of silence pass between us. “Van, I…I think that I might…”
“I know.”
“How do you know?” she gently scoffs. “You don’t even know what I’m about to say.”
“No, I’m pretty sure that I do.” I grin. “Because I’ve been thinking about saying it, too.”
“Really?”
“Really.” I press my face against hers, before letting out a soft chuckle. “You have no idea how much you’ve turned my world upside down, Alyssa Smith, in the best possible way. Of course, I…I feel that way about you. How could I not?”
“Van...” Alyssa leans into me, close enough that her lips graze against mine. And as warm water cascades down our frames, I pull her as close to me as she can possibly come, my mouth moving from her lips, not stopping until my own lips are hovering right over her ear.
“I love you, Alyssa Smith,” I whisper. “I’m…falling in love with you.”
“I’m falling in love with you too, Van,” she whispers. “I’m—”
“Holy fucking shit!” Rhys suddenly appears inside the bathroom, his phone held out toward Alyssa and me in the shower. “Have you guys seen this?”
“Seen what?” Alyssa asks.
“Our album!” Rhys shouts, excitement filling his tone. “It’s been streamed so much tonight that it’s already on track to debut at number one on the Billboard Top 100 next week.”
“Oh my God!” Alyssa shouts back. “Rhys, are you fucking kidding me?”
“We did it, darling!” Rhys smirks over at her. “You’re going to be a fucking star!”
“We’re all going to be fucking stars!” Alyssa squeals, her hands flying up to either side of her face. In a flurry, Rhys grabs for her, cautiously pulling her out of the shower, her feet soon landing on the bathroom tile. He then dips her at the waist and bends down to kiss her. Alyssa chuckles all the way through it.
“I’m so proud of you, darling!” Rhys says once he breaks off the kiss, pulling Alyssa back into an upright position. “Fuck! I’m so proud of what you brought out of all of us!”
