Kill kissed me with desperation, and I cinched my arms around his neck, wanting to stay with him as long as I could. My heartbeat stuttered as his time to leave rapidly approached.
We broke away when someone cleared their throat behind us. Trent's glasses sat askew on his face, magnifying his glazed eyes. His mouth was almost as slack as his body. My body tensed, preparing for the drama.
"I have a cab waiting outside. I'll see you later, Faith," Trent slurred, patting me on the shoulder before stumbling out the door.
“That was different,” Kill whispered in my ear.
“That it was, Killer. Now, how do we start herding everyone out so I can get you naked?” I asked, no longer caring about entertaining anyone else.
“Who cares whether they leave or not? I'm ready,” he answered, taking my hand.
We said goodnight to Taze and Stace, who were on their way home. From the shine in Taze's eyes, I figured they were going to ring in the New Year in a similar fashion to what I had in mind.
D had snuck off to bed right after the ball dropped, reminding us what time we had to be at Ray's the next day for the bus. I spotted Jet and Amy sprinting up the stairs and figured they had the same idea as Kill and I.
Van was passed out on the recliner with a bottle of tequila in his hand. I removed the bottle and covered him with a blanket. While I tucked Van in, Kill made sure everyone had a sober ride home or a piece of carpet to pass out on. When our hosting duties were done, I jumped into Kill's arms and let him carry me upstairs.
We explored each other all night, not bothering to sleep. As dawn approached, brightening my bedroom and reminding us of our fading time, our movements became more frenzied. We bruised each others bodies, staking claims until all of our energy was spent.
"Let's take a shower," Kill whispered in my ear.
Kill pulled me to him as the water cascaded over our naked bodies. The realization that he was hours away from leaving rekindled my frantic need to be near him.
"I'm going to miss you so much," I said, burying my face in his chest to hide my tears.
"It will go by quick. I promise." Kill braced my back against the cool tiles and, instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist. Our shower turned into a marathon of frenzied lust that lasted until the hot water was a long ago memory.
We took our time getting ready in the tiny space inside our little bubble. Kill reached for the door handle but didn't move to twist it. My arms wrapped around his chest, and I snuggled my face into his back.
Kill let out a long sigh. "I don't want to open the door, Slick. When I do, it will mean we’ll be apart."
Kill turned his head, and our eyes locked. When we’d been getting ready, I’d noticed we both had bloodshot eyes, but whether the reason was lack of sleep or the attempt to keep our tears at bay, I wasn't sure.
"It will be okay, Killer." His grin surfaced, and he kissed me quickly on the mouth.
"You're right. I'm just going to miss your snoring." He winked at me and finally turned the knob. He grabbed my hand, and we walked downstairs together.
My little family was gathered in the living room. An excited sadness blanketed the air.
“Do you guys want breakfast?” I asked, glancing at the clock to see there wasn't much time, but I wanted to take care of them as long as I could. They’d done so much for me, and now they were leaving.
As I expected, they all shook their heads while studying the ground.
“What the hell is wrong with you guys? You're starting the biggest adventure of your lives. People would die to get a chance to do what you're about to do. So you’d better fucking start smiling,” I ordered.
Jet leapt up and hugged me. “We're going to miss your sexy, sassy ass,” he said, slapping me on the ass to make his point.
I blinked back the tears I’d been holding back. Leave it to Jet to make me teary eyed by slapping my ass. “Well hell, I'm going to miss you guys too. Listen to me. You took me in when I needed something stable, and you protected me from my past, allowing me to heal. I love all of you so much. I want you to know how much you mean to me, and how amazing you are. As human beings and as musicians. Go out there and rock the fuck out of every show, like I know you can. Let the world see what they were missing by not showing up at Ray’s. I'll be fine here, and I'll cook you something amazing when you get back.”
Van jumped up, and I could see the instant regret on his face. He held onto his head like he was trying to get it to stop spinning. After a moment, he seemed to reclaim his bearings and came over to wrap me in a tight hug. “We love you too, sis, and we're going to miss you.”
I squeezed him tighter. "I'm going to miss you, Mr. Snuggles."
After Van let me go, D approached me next. I couldn't read his face, but he looked almost like he was feeling remorse. I didn't take what he’d said to me personally. I knew his time would come when he would find a girl who would bring him to his knees. “Call me if you need anything. Always remember that you took care of us just as much as we did you."
Amy bounded over next and pulled me into a sugar-scented hug. “I'll see you on graduation day. If not sooner," she said, after taking her licorice stick out of her mouth.
“Be good, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” I replied.