After hanging up, Eli stared at her phone and smiled as warmth burst in her chest. Finishing the rest of her travel plans and figuring out where Sarah was going to be when, Eli purchased plane tickets and a concert ticket. She decided last minute to keep everything a secret, hoping to surprise Sarah with the risk and commitment she had made.
* * *
It had been three weeks since she’d seen Sarah last, and Sarah had pretty much slept the entire time she’d been at the house. While Eli had enjoyed the time with her, she knew Sarah couldn’t sustain that amount of busyness for much longer. Surprising her on her last week of shows would be the perfect way to end the tour.
The concert had gone wonderfully well. Eli had sat near the back having to buy cheap last-minute tickets, but it had all been worth it. She would have enjoyed attending the concert with someone else, perhaps her friends or even Sarah’s friend, Kara, who she talked about often, but since she hadn’t made any of those plans, she’d kept to herself.
As the concert ended, people gathered up their stuff and left the building. Eli knew, from stories her friends had told and from what Sarah had said, that often people would wait out back by the tour bus to get autographs and pictures with her. Eli checked her phone to see if Sarah had texted her, but she hadn’t, not yet. She expected she would soon, she usually did as soon as she had a moment when her concerts were over and then she’d be up literally all night running on the adrenaline that came from it.
Smiling to herself, Eli waited until the crowd died down before she headed toward the back of the small theater to see where the tour bus and the rest of the line were. Sure enough, there was a group of about two hundred people waiting outside.
Tugging her jacket a little closer around herself as the night brought a slight chill to the air, Eli pushed as close to the front of the line as she could. A rope was hung, barricading people from getting any closer, which would give Sarah ample space to move and leave if she chose to do so.
The text came almost immediately after Eli got to the rope. She was closest to the bus, could almost touch it if she wanted to. Two security guards stood, one by the door and one by the bus. Eli couldn’t imagine living this way, or traveling this way, though she supposed the guards were only there for moments like this.
She didn’t send Sarah a text back since she was supposed to be sleeping in her own bed halfway across the country and Sarah would in no way expect her to answer before morning when she would text back and not expect a response until much closer to noon.
Another hour passed before the back doors opened. Some in the crowd had left, giving up on waiting for Sadie Bade to emerge, but Eli held strong, knowing this was about to be the biggest reveal, the biggest outing of herself she’d ever done.
Sarah started on the far end, signing whatever people had brought and taking quick pictures with them. Eli’s toes curled in anticipation, wanting Sarah to look over at her and see her standing there, wanting to call out to her and make some sort of scene, grab her attention, but she wouldn’t. Sarah loved her fans, loved giving them that face-to-face time when she could and building those relationships, so Eli hung back and let Sarah work her way toward her.
By the time she got halfway through the crowd, Eli’s stomach was a mess. Her shoulders were so tense, she was pretty sure it’d take all week for the knots to come undone. Sarah turned to grab a CD from someone, and she stopped short. Their eyes locked. Sarah’s dark brown ones widened in shock as she hastily signed the CD and shoved it into the waiting fan’s hand.
Immediately she ran over to Eli, stepping over the rope and launching herself into Eli’s waiting arms, their mouths pressed together in a heated embrace. People snapped photos, but Eli couldn’t even think about it as the crowd around them cheered. When Sarah pulled away, she punched Eli lightly on the arm and laughed.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d give you a break from traveling.”
Laughing, Sarah grabbed Eli’s hand and dragged her to the other side of the rope line. She kissed Eli’s cheek again and grinned at her. “I’m shocked you’re here.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you succeeded.”
Eli squeezed Sarah’s fingers tightly. “Go do what you need to do. I’ve got all week.”
“The whole week?”
“Yup.”
“You sneaky son of a bitch.” Sarah planted a loud kiss on Eli’s lips before turning to finish with her fans.
Eli tried to step away from everyone, but she wasn’t sure where to go. She didn’t know if she’d be allowed on the bus or if that was where Sarah wanted her to go or what. She stood awkwardly to the side and let Sarah be the Sadie everyone knew and loved.
It was unexpected when Sarah grabbed her hand and dragged her inside the bus, spinning around and putting her hands on her hips. “How did you get away?”
“I called my dad.”
“And he came for the whole week?”
“Two weeks. Him and my mom.”
“So I have you for a whole week?”
“Yes, but you’re going to have to tell me what to do because I’m already lost.”
Sarah laughed, her voice sending a thrill through Eli’s body, and she stepped in close, wrapping her arms around Sarah’s back and pulling her in for a hug. Sarah felt wonderful in her arms, warm, full of energy and excitement. She fit, which was something Eli wasn’t sure she had ever experienced before.