When James's breathing slowed, Lili finally made her escape after wiping her sticky legs on the sheets. What she'd done was wrong, but it'd felt amazing when it happened. Opening the curtains draped over the bottom bunk, Lili slipped past them, taking one look at James before leaving. He was only just asleep with his eyes closed peacefully, his eyelashes longer than she'd noticed. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lili closed the curtains and picked up her clothes, reaching back through the curtains to grab her jeans and panties. A loud clink made Lili jump. A Pepsi can rolled on the floor, she'd knocked it over. Thank god there was a mirror. As she flattened her hair and pushed her bangs to the side, Lili straightened her shirt, checking her appearance with an empty can in hand, readying to sneak back into the living space. The guys were all totally absorbed in conversation and didn't notice her absence, obviously. Throwing the can into the trash bin, Lili made her way to Danny's room at the opposite end of the bus, feeling guilt wash over her with every step she took. She wanted to feel clean again. As she closed the door on the boy's nattering, tears started dripping down her cheeks. The fresh sheets on the king size bed smelled like Danny. Lili laid down under them, bunching the duvet to her body, sobbing silently.
Awoke by lips pressed on her cheek, Lili knew who had come to check on her. "Princess?" Danny whispered into her ear. "We're parked up in Arizona. We gotta go to a signing, so if you need me, my number is already in your phone. Ben is gonna be here with you just in case." As he kissed her temple, Danny left with a final whisper of 'I love you', closing the bedroom door behind him. Five minutes of staying in bed, drowned in self pity was enough. Rising from the bed, Lili still felt awful. It felt like her lungs were on fire, and her insides were swirling around like a washing machine. Not even bothering to look at herself in the mirror as she passed it; she already knew the deep-set bags under her eyes only made her look more guilty.
"Afternoon, Sleepyhead" Ben cheered, sitting back on the plush couch in the living space. For once, the TV was on, a Seahawks game pasted across the wide-screen. At least the noise drowned out her conscience. "Hey." Lili breathed, her throat was dry and gravelly. It even hurt to speak. Ben could see her obvious pain. "You want something for your throat, sweetheart?". Ben shot her a look, laughing. Lili looked at him, terrified. Noticing his error, Ben swiftly apologized, shaking his head in remorse. "Oh, no no no no. I didn't mean it like THAT. I'm sorry. I wanted to know if you needed a beer." Was he trying to get her drunk? When he sprang up and paced to the fridge, Lili jumped a little, the sudden action taking her by surprise. The small Bud Light can was grabbed from the bottom shelf and in no time was lightly thrown in her direction. Lili's brain was too numb to respond to the can, watching it land at her feet. Bending down to pick it up, Ben sat back down on the sofa, worried.
"You look half dead, Lils. Has Danny done something?" Ben leaned back into the sofa, eyeing the empty space next to him. Lili caught on within seconds, opening her beer and putting it on the small table in front of them. Bundling onto the sofa with her legs underneath her, Lili tuned into the game for a good fifteen minutes. The hawks were winning. Ben broke the silence finally. "You gonna answer my question, or you gonna waste away over there?" Hanging his arm around her shoulders, Ben pulled Lili into his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. Running his fingertips lightly along her arm, he asked again. "Please, tell me what's wrong." Lili was shaking as he touched her. "Why did James leave?" Lili questioned, moving away from Ben's shoulder, tears pooling in her eyes. "Just tell me everything will be alright, Ben. I know it won't be, but just-" Lili stuttered.
"I gotcha. Get comfy honey, you need it." Lili moved her head to rest on Ben's thigh, following his instructions, staring up at the bus' ceiling. "Everything is gonna be fine, Lili. I promise. James talked to me and said something had happened with you two. I don't blame you. I won't tell Danny, though." Ben played with her hair he spoke, rolling strands of it between his fingers. Lili breathed a sigh of relief. She knew she could trust him. Her guts stopped doing backflips when he talked, his voice was oddly soothing. He made her feel better, instantly. Placing his lips on her forehead, Ben just wanted her to know he was their for her.