Chapter 5
When Lily finally woke up, she padded her way out of the bedroom. Everything still felt like a dream and she smiled when she finally saw the men, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. This had been the most magical night of her life and now, as she saw the sun through the windows, she felt like Cinderella. She was scared that the spell with her princes was about to wear off.
She bit her lip but continued forward, thinking that at some point they would kick her out. Instead, when Anton saw her, he smiled and kissed the top of her head, still tending to breakfast. He was just about done and was glad that Lily had woken up in time. “Good morning.” He finally said, turning his back to her so he could keep cooking.
Lily smiled and finally made her way to Riley. He didn’t say a word but sat there sipping on his water, looking rather disinterested about the whole thing. He was looking out the window, ignoring her and it made her frown a little. She didn’t think Riley was really this cold, but maybe he was regretting what they had done last night.
Even though it was an amazing experience for her, she wasn’t sure whether he liked it or not. Last night, sounded like he was enjoying it, but now worry started to creep into the edges of her mind.
Before she could worry herself sick, however, Anton came over with three plates. He set them down on the little breakfast table. He looked over at Lily, who took the message and sat by his side. She was surprised by the food as it looked really good. “You can cook!” She finally stated. He nodded proudly, before taking a big bite out of his eggs.
Riley started to eat as well so Lily followed along, enjoying her breakfast. “We have something to tell you.” Anton suddenly said before she could finish her pancake.
“Hmm?” She uttered, looking at him.
“We want you to stay.” Lily nearly choked on her food as she heard him saying this. Did he really mean what he was saying or was this all some sort of a cruel joke.
“What do you mean?” She finally asked when she had managed to swallow the food that still lingered in her mouth.
“We like you. We want you to come on the tour with us.” Riley butted in but didn’t look up from his plate of food. Lily was thunderstruck. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Her heart quickened in her chest, before she pinched herself, making sure this wasn’t some sort of dream.
“You aren’t dreaming silly,” Anton said, before kissing her cheek. He then looked at her with his bright blue eyes, pleading with her. “You’ll stay won’t you?” Lily thought back to her old life. She had nothing there worth returning to. Here, she was eating breakfast with her favorite band, experiencing what millions of girls dreamed about each night in their beds. Of course she would stay, there was no question about it.
Once she answered, Anton was overjoyed and there was a soft smirk that played on Riley’s lips. He wouldn’t express it explicitly, ever so reticent, but he was still happy she was going to stay. He really liked her and their bus and band crew could use a few more girls on it.
“Can you sing?” Anton asked out of pure curiosity.
“A little bit,” she admitted shyly. It was true that in high school she had been in choir, but at the same time, she never thought she was good enough. It never dawned on her that she could use her voice for fame.
“Sing.” Riley unexpectedly commanded, looking at her seriously, his hair framing his face, giving him a stern look. Lily gulped suddenly feeling nervous. She felt as if she really needed to impress these two men, and felt a pressure to do so. She hesitated for a moment before Anton wrapped his arms around her.
“You made her nervous.” He pouted, looking at his bandmate who scoffed and returned to his food. “Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s always brooding anyway.” Anton chuckled, before turning on some music. As Lily heard the familiar beat, she started to loosen up a little. She closed her eyes and began singing along with the music. Her sweet voice filled the bus, making the two men smile.
Soon Anton joined in with her and their voiced melded together in perfect harmony. Lily blushed as she heard Anton singing with her. Was she really singing a duet with him? This couldn’t be happening, but like so many other impossible things that had happened to her in the short amount of time she had known the band, this was all too real.
When the song was over, they heard Riley clapping and looking at her. “You did well… Maybe with some luck, we can add you to our dynamic.” He mused, thinking it over. Riley was always contemplating on ways to expand their means of profit. Having a girl in the group could really help their image and possibly allow them to branch out into a multitude of different avenues.
So with this thought in mind, he immediately started to look into adding her to the band. He wanted to be very thorough about it and so, he set out trying to figure if she would really help the band or not. He immersed himself in this task as they finally hit the road once more, making their cross country tour.
Lily didn’t have the time to go back to her old apartment. Instead, she instilled the help of her cousin to tie up her affairs in her old forgotten town. Now, she would never remember that town again. She was starting a new life and she didn’t have time to linger in the past.
Time flew by and before long, they had spent about two months together. It had been an amazing experience and they were all loving their fun nights at the back of the bus. It was like a dream come true for Lily and she never wanted the tour to end. Each day she found herself falling more and more for the two men. Winning and subsequently misplacing those tickets had been the best thing that had ever happened to her.
Chapter 6
One day, Lily was all alone in the bus. The two men were having a meeting with one of their producers. As she sat there, she noticed that she was putting on some weight. At first, she blamed all the fast food they were eating, but then she realized that she had always eaten a lot and never gained an ounce.
This fat seemed different to her somehow. She ran her fingers over her stomach for a moment, before her eyes went wide. The entire time she had been with the two men, her period had not come once. This was not good. The realization of what this could mean, suddenly hit her hard as she tried to figure out what to do. What would happen if she was indeed pregnant?
She didn’t even want to think about it, as she paced around the bus. Doing so, the door opened up and the two men walked inside. Riley stepped past her, making his way into the bedroom, a sour look on his face as he closed and locked the door. Lily looked at him frowning, wondering what had happened. “Don’t worry about him.” Anton suddenly assured her.
She bit her lip, the worry of her realization still lingering there. Should she tell Anton about her suspicions? She didn’t want to be tossed out of their lives forever, but at the same time, she thought they should know if she was pregnant and carrying a child. “Anton…” She suddenly whispered, knowing she had to confess her suspicions.
“What is it?” Anton asked, looking at her. He could see the worry, painted on her face and frowned instantly before pulling her toward the couch and placing her on his lap. She looked down for a moment, before staring into his crystal blue eyes.
This would be one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life, but she also knew she had to do it now or she would never be able to live with herself. The longer she waited the worse it would get. “I think… I’m pregnant.” She whispered softly, but the words still seemed to be a scream that echoed throughout the bus, making her cringe.
Anton’s eyes grew big at her announcement and he stared at her a moment, his hands still on her hips. Was Lily pregnant? Frankly, it made sense. Not once had they used a condom or bothered to ask if she was on the pill. He kicked himself for being so impulsive on their first night, but he just couldn’t help himself.
When he was around Lily, he was always consumed with this unsatisfying urge for love. He was in love with her, that much he was certain of, and if she was pregnant, he would be there for her, no matter what.
With this thought, he leaned forward and kissed her nose. She scrunched her face in confusion for a moment, wondering what this meant. “If you are pregnant… then I will gladly stay by your side.” Anton said softly about to lean into a kiss when something stopped him: the sound of boots thudding against the floor of the bus.
He looked up to see Riley standing there, looking a little upset. “You’re pregnant?” He asked in an almost accusatory manner. Lily cringed a bit, pressing herself into Anton who wrapped his arms tightly around her as if protecting her. “Tell me.” His voice was cold as he took another step forward.
Anton reacted, getting up and placing Lily behind him. “Riley. Why are you talking to her like that?” He demanded, his face getting red at the disrespect Riley seemed to be throwing her way.
“I just want an answer.” He retorted, his eyes boring down at his bandmate. He waited, but Anton said nothing.
“I don’t know for sure… but I think I am…” She whispered meekly from behind her protector’s body. Riley sighed before sitting down.
“This isn’t good…” He said with head in his hands. Lily frowned, almost on the verge of tears at his words.
“Don’t say that,” Anton said quickly, trying to make his bandmate realize that this was a happy occasion.
“And why not?” Riley shot back, hoping for an answer. “How the hell are we going to keep this band alive if we have a baby in our midst?” His eyes narrowed in the direction of the girl as if blaming her for the failure he saw coming.
“Look, we have about two billion dollars between us, who says we can’t settle down, buy a house, and make music from the basement or something. Old school, you know?” Anton suggested, hoping it would, at least, calm the hostilities that had suddenly formed between them. Riley seemed to think about it for a minute.
“You know, that’s not so bad of an idea. I am sure some of our fans would like that. That we decided to become family men and settle down…” He whispered more to himself than to his companions.
Lily frowned a little. It seemed like Riley didn’t even like her. It seemed like all he cared about was profits and their fan base. He never treated her quite so kindly as Anton did.
“I’ll think about it…” He finally said, before disappearing into the bedroom again. Lily was numb. She wasn’t even sure she was pregnant yet. Still, she felt like her life would never be the same again.
“If you ask me… I’m glad you are pregnant. I always wanted to be a dad.” Anton whispered in her ear, before leaning forward and kissing her tenderly. His arms wrapped around her waist. A part of him wanted to keep her just for himself, but another side of him wanted them to be together as a happy trio.