“That’s more like it,” Lily said. “Now who’s got breakfast?”
Keith held up two paper bags of food and Xander took a beverage cup from Aria and placed it in Lily’s hand as they walked to their transportation. Camera operators from House of Archer followed them. Archer was happy to see that Lily was making an attempt to ignore the film crew, focusing instead on teasing Noelle about the bright pink pigtails, denim overall shorts, striped tights, and Converse high tops she was wearing that day.
Archer enjoyed watching Lily interact with his band mates. She had never been self-conscious or reserved around them, maybe because they had each had to earn her approval before Archer considered them for the band. Having that kind of power at the start of their relationship had helped Lily feel more in control, something she’d never had within her own family. Each of The Void’s members seemed to know this, too. None of them had ever expressed resentment over Lily or her friendship with Archer, instead accepting her as part of the band from the beginning.
“Archer, can I have a quick word with you?”
Looking over to his right as they exited the hotel, Archer saw Elijah standing with another male holding some equipment. “Sure.” He looked at Lily, who paused before getting into one of the SUVs. “I’ll be right there.”
She looked briefly at Elijah and nodded before turning back to the vehicle and climbing in. Archer strode over to Elijah and eyed the microphone that the producer held in his hand.
“When the tour first started,” Elijah said, “I agreed to give you some freedom on when you wore a mic because you wanted time to tell Lily about the show. Now that you have, we need you to wear this whenever we’re filming.”
“How do you know that I told her?”
Elijah gave him a bland look. “We’re filming everything we possibly can, Archer. There are eyes and ears everywhere.”
That wasn’t exactly news. Archer and the band had agreed to allow video and audio equipment in the main areas of their hotel rooms. He hadn’t ever seen anyone enter or exit his room, but he was away enough to give them plenty of time to do what they saw fit.
“Okay,” Archer said with a shrug. “Mic me up.”
The other male got to work, instructing Archer when to lift his shirt and testing the sound quality. Elijah oversaw the procedure with the diligence of a demolitions expert monitoring the pin placement in a bomb.
“I hope you get some good footage today,” Elijah said as Archer adjusted his shirt back into place. “We’re getting tight on time to put together the first episode and we don’t have a lot of useable content.”
Frowning, Archer said, “You’re going to use some of the concert footage, right? That should help fill some gaps.”
“Some, yes. But people aren’t going to tune into House of Archer to see more of what they can get on YouTube. We need more drama...more of you and Lily.”
Archer followed Elijah’s gaze back to the SUV where Lily sat watching them from the back seat. “She only just learned about the show.”
“And now she needs to get on board with it,” Elijah said in a no-nonsense tone. “Let’s face it...Lily is the only one producing a compelling storyline within The Void so far. Let’s get the two of you on camera and rock this thing. The world will love it.”
Archer realized his teeth were set so tightly together that his jaw ached. He didn’t like that Elijah was making his relationship with Lily feel scripted. Still, it wasn’t like Elijah hadn’t been transparent with his expectations. If Archer wanted this show to succeed, he needed to listen to the producer.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ve got to go.”
“Have fun,” Elijah said with a smile. “And make sure to let Lily know I’ll be asking her to sign the releases later.”
Archer didn’t bother responding or looking back as he headed to the SUV to join Lily. He produced a smile as he climbed in next to her. Although he suspected she knew the smile was forced, she didn’t comment on it.
Nor did she mention the microphone that she had watched him put on. He knew she was intuitive enough to reason out the basic content of his conversation with Elijah. Time would tell how she reacted to it.
The drive to the theme park took long enough for everyone to finish their breakfast. The members of Suddenly Something and Brewer Street pulled up at nearly the same time as The Void. Buses with all of the tour staff would be arriving throughout the day as well. This was meant to be a day for everyone to have fun. Only Christopher, Regina, and a few essential personnel remained behind.
“Okay, guys,” Lily said as they all piled out of their vehicles. “Let your fans know what you’re most looking forward to riding at California’s Great America today.”
Each of them indulged her by smiling into her phone’s camera and sharing some of the names of their favorite attractions like The Grizzly, Demon, Gold Striker, and FireFall. When she turned her camera to Archer, he looked at her rather than the lens.
“You know what I’m looking forward to riding, Lily,” he said meaningfully. He barely contained a laugh when her face reddened. “The Xtreme Skyflyer, of course.”
“Oh, really?” she said dryly.
“Yep. And you’ll have to come along with me to capture it for social media.”
Her camera hand lowered a couple of inches. “Uh-uh,” she squeaked.
“Uh-huh,” he countered, taking her phone and holding it up so they were both in the camera angle. “What do you think, friends? Should I convince Lily to ride Xtreme Skyflyer with me? Like this post if you do. Once we get to five thousand likes, consider it done.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Lily choked out as he ended the video.
“Nope. I’m helping you get your posts some traction.” And hopefully get some good content for House of Archer in the process, he silently added. “Now how do I publish this thing?”
“No way,” she argued. “I’m not dying for the sake of a social media post, thank you very much.”
“You’re not going to die, Drama Queen.”
“Give me that phone so I can delete that video. I don’t want it to accidently publish itself.”
His grin faded as he realized how dead-set she was against going on the ride with him. “You don’t think it would make good content?”
She started to reply but cut herself off as she noted his words and expression. Her eyes moved to the House of Archer camera operators filming them nearby. He saw understanding sink in and knew she was weighing her fear over the bounds of their friendship. When her shoulders slumped a bit, his smile returned.
“Give it to me,” she huffed at last, snatching her phone back from him.
“Atta girl,” he said as she started uploading the video.
“Oh, stuff it,” she grumbled. “I’m sure we’ll be gone from the park before we get that many likes anyway.”
* * *
Barely ninety minutes later, Lily stood at the base of the Xtreme Skyflyer with ice in her bowels. The enormous cross-hatched arch that she and Dane would soon be zipping through with only cables and a safety harness to support them loomed over her like certain doom.
She didn’t get it. Previous posts she had seen on The Void’s sites netted maybe three thousand likes a day. This one had met Dane’s five thousand quota in what felt like record time.
She wasn’t sure whether to be elated that her social media posts were gaining popularity so quickly or to strangle every fan who had liked and shared Dane’s challenge. If this response was any indication, the House of Archer film crew was probably doing gleeful backflips. They damn well better be, she mused darkly, since she was really doing this for them.
Well, for Dane anyway.
She could only guess that the follow-up video of her and Dane on the Xtreme Skyflyer would blow up YouTube. The entire world was about to see her scream like a demented banshee and, quite possibly, revisit the apple-cinnamon Danish she had scarfed down for breakfast.
In either case, she was committed now.
She was even then getting secured in her safety harness with Dane by her side, one of The Void’s crew member’s GoPro cameras strapped unstylishly to her head.
“I’m going to kill you, Dane Archer,” she declared, not caring about the GoPro, the House of Archer camera operator filming them, or Aria holding her phone on the other side of a nearby chain link fence to capture the entire thing. “If we live through this, I am going to absolutely murder you.”
He grinned in response. Before she could object, he positioned her where she had to stand so wires could be connected to both of them. The wires looked treacherously thin to her untrained eye. She was certain they would snap like strands of licorice as soon as she and Dane were released seventeen stories above the ground.
When her feet were fastened into the proper brackets, it felt like someone had started shoveling dirt over her grave. She really did want to kill Dane for getting her into this, but first she needed him to get her through it.
Before she was ready—oh, who was she kidding, she would never be ready—she and Dane were tipped into a flat position and the platform they were standing on slowly lowered until it was completely flat. A whimper escaped Lily’s throat as she lost all contact with solid ground.
“Link arms—” the guy who had secured the wires started to say, but Lily was already clutching Dane’s arm for dear life. “Never mind. Pull the release when you’re ready to rock n’ roll. Have fun!”
She was pretty sure she snarled at him, but that was quickly overshadowed by complete terror as the cables connected to her and Dane started to pull them back. Her stomach felt like it toppled right out of her body.
Ten feet. Twenty feet. Fifty feet.
People-looking-like-ants-on-the-ground feet.
“Oh my God,” Lily said as they lifted higher and higher into the air. “Oh my God, oh my God, ohmygod!”
Her heart pounded like a furious fist against her breastbone. Beside her, Dane laughed like a lunatic. She didn’t want to risk releasing her grip on him to elbow him in the side, so she glared at him instead. Her ire didn’t last longer than a second in the face of her immense panic, though.
“Don’t you dare pull that release,” she warned him when they finally stopped a hundred and fifty-three feet in the air. “I’m not kidding. Don’t you d—”
Her threat was cut off as Dane gave her and the camera a devilish wink and pulled the release chord. Lily’s scream as they plummeted towards the earth was almost too high to be human. Her entire digestive system lurched up into her chest as they swooped like human falcons only six feet from the ground and then back up into the air.
By the time they made the first pass and didn’t smack into the ground like bugs on a windshield, Lily’s screams had transformed into giddy laughter. The fear released its hold on her, bursting into utter joy over the sensation of flying.
It was absolutely thrilling.
As she clutched Dane’s arm and whooped for the camera, she couldn’t help but equate the ride to her new relationship with him. The potential for disaster was certainly there, but it was bound to be an amazing ride.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Well, friends,” Archer said to the GoPro as he and Lily were stopped by the ride operators over the landing platform, “you’ve got to give Lily credit. Even though she’s scared to death of heights, she did what she promised. Now we’ll have to find a new challenge for her.”
She jerked her elbow into his ribcage, but he knew she was having the time of her life. She had never been one for taking risks and would normally never have gone on this ride. If it wasn’t for her determination to help him succeed at anything he did, she wouldn’t have done it. No one could ask for a better friend.
He was just as determined to see her succeed. Yes, he had figured this would help get some good footage for House of Archer, but he also knew it would get a lot of hits on social media and get Lily’s work exposed to more people. He had always considered it his duty to nudge her out of her comfort zone. Hopefully she learned from this experience that some risks were worth taking.
“That’s a great idea for my first written post,” Lily said as though she had read his mind. “Doing things even when they terrify you.”
He nodded as they were returned to a vertical position. “Go for it.”
She didn’t release him until they once again had their feet on the ground. Although his bicep and forearm were quite probably bruised from her grip, he didn’t want her to let go. Only the quickly approaching camera operator stopped him from pulling her back against him.
Aria and Sydney rushed towards the elevated landing platform when Lily was freed from her safety harness, eager to find out how it was. Lily leaned over the platform to give them the details, urging them to give it a try next. He smiled over her enthusiasm as he was also released from his harness.
“Um, Mr., um, Archer?”
Archer looked at the person who had just helped him out of his harness. He was a slim Asian guy who looked about twelve years old thanks to a fluffy looking buzz-cut. Judging by his khaki shorts and blue-and-white shirt, he was one of the ride’s operators. He stared at Archer with slightly widened dark eyes almost as though he couldn’t believe he had just spoken.
“Yes?” Archer replied.
“Um, I know we’re not supposed to ask you for an autograph, but um, my kid sister’s a huge fan of yours. I was hoping you might sign something for her.”
“Sure, man,” Archer said easily. “What’s your name?”
“Thank you!” the operator blurted, his eyes still wide and unblinking. “I mean, um, my name’s Dan—Daniel.”
“You got something for me to sign, Daniel?”
“Oh.” Daniel patted his pocket and came up with a blank piece of paper and a pen, clearly having come to work prepared that day.
“What’s your sister’s name?” Archer asked.
Daniel finally blinked. “My sister? Oh. Um, her name is Danielle, but she goes by Danny.”
Archer lifted an eyebrow. Beside him, Lily choked on a smothered laugh.
“Oookay,” Archer said before signing the paper and handing it back to the operator. “Here you go.”
“Wow. Thank you, Mr. Archer,” Daniel said, his wide-eyed stare now focused on the paper.
“Can I get a photo of you two for social media?” Lily asked.
She must have gotten her phone back from Aria, as she was already holding it up and aiming it towards Archer and Daniel. Archer shrugged and put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder to pose for the photo. Daniel looked at his shoulder in complete awe, clearly not believing that Archer was touching him.
“Smile, Danny,” Archer said as Lily pointed and took the shot.
When they walked away a couple of minutes later, Lily linked her arm with his and freed the laughter she had contained for Daniel’s sake. “Do you suppose people think you won’t give them an autograph if they say it’s for them?” she asked.
“Who knows, Lily Momilly? People are strange creatures.”
They waved at Sydney and Aria as they headed in the opposite direction. “Well, you sure made his whole year by doing that,” Lily said.
“I aim to please.”
He made sure to hold her gaze when he said that and was glad to see she understood the double-meaning. Her lips twitched.
“Cheesy,” she muttered.
“Mmhmm. Which ride is next?”
“How about something that won’t have my stomach trying to escape through my nostrils?”
He unlinked their arms so he could toss his over her shoulders in the familiar way he had done many times before. “Your standards are quite low, my friend. How about the swings since they’re right here?”
She eyed the rotating circle of swings swooping outwards as they walked past the ride. “You seriously don’t think that will make me want to hurl? It flings you out in a loop and goes around and around.”
He gave her a sideways look. “What fun are you? Okay, how about the De
lta Flyers? We can glide over the park in a perfectly smooth, non-stomach-flinging manner.”
“Now you’re talking.”
They continued discussing which rides they wanted to tackle later while they walked to the Delta Flyers station. Archer tried to ignore the camera person who shadowed them and filmed them from any angle he could manage. It amazed Archer that Lily was acting so natural with the camera aimed at them. He had figured it would take her a while to get used to it. Of course, when Lily made up her mind about something, she usually put all of her drive into it. He could hardly complain that the “something” she was striving for now was him.
A few people exited the Delta Flyers station as they walked up to it. Archer didn’t recognize them and figured they were with the road crew of one of the other acts. He grinned when he noticed that the other cars gliding along the cables were all empty. Looked like everyone else was gravitating to the coasters and thrill rides.
“We’ll catch you on the return trip,” he said to the House of Archer camera operator.
“But—” the guy protested.
“Later,” Archer insisted as he and Lily were loaded into one of the cars by the ride operator. “Give us...what? Five to ten minutes?”
“Thereabouts,” the ride operator confirmed.
The camera guy grumbled but didn’t object as the ride operator secured the door on Archer and Lily’s car and sent them on their way. Lily waited until they had pulled out of hearing distance and then gave Archer a searching look.
“What was that all about?” she wondered.
“This,” he said, bringing a hand up to the side of her face and kissing her.
Everyone else could stick to the roller coasters, he thought. None of the rides in the park were as thrilling as Lily’s kiss.
He kept it tender at first, just brushing his lips over hers a few times. He wanted to give her the chance to stop him. Even though they were in the air, there was a possibility someone could see them if they happened to be passed by an occupied car or if someone chanced to look up. He wasn’t going to force her into a position that made her uncomfortable.