Sweet Soul (Sweet Home #5)(47)
I waited for Elsie to close her eyes and try to sleep. Instead, she whispered, “Yellow stars on the ceiling.”
“What?” I queried, not sure if I’d heard her correctly.
Elsie shifted on the bed, inching closer along her pillow and repeated, “The yellow stars on the ceiling that shine in the night.” She rolled on to her back and pointed at my ceiling. “One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.”
I wriggled closer until I could wrap my arm around her waist. Elsie’s blue eyes were shining in the glow of the light. She tilted her face to me. “We mostly lived on the street, but occasionally we would have a home. Sometimes my mom would gather enough money to rent a room for us somewhere, other times the men she…” Elsie’s expression fell. I held her tighter. She gripped my hand. “Sometimes… her men would give us somewhere to stay, to be safe.” A teardrop fell from her eyes, then she continued. “I never used to get anything for my birthday. Most years my mom would forget. But one year, we had a roof over our heads.” Elsie sighed. “I must have been about eight or nine. I came home and my mom had a small cake—it was round with pink frosting. My name was written across the top. I knew she had made it, or had at least written my name, because the pink writing was barely legible. My mom hadn’t had much of an education, but she’d written my name… for me. She tried, had pushed through her embarrassment… for me.”
My chest felt hollow as I imagined a young, poor Elsie, caring for her deaf drug-addicted mom. She smiled timidly, and I simply melted.
“She made me blow out a single candle, and then made me lie on the bed. I did as she asked, then she turned off the light. Resting in her arms, I looked up to see our shabby ceiling adorned with neon stars.” Elsie sniffed. “It was the one of the only birthday presents I have ever received.” She rolled on her side, her forehead almost touching mine. A stray tear traveled over her nose and splashed on to the mattress.
“Those little plastic stars are beautiful to me, because they represent one of the few happy moments in my life.” I waited for her to say more, but her eyes glazed over. “Yellow and bright, they shine in the night. Glittering stars, I stare for hours. In the dark, dark room they are all I can see, a kiss on my cheek, happy birthday, Elsie.” Elsie seemed to close in on herself, then she explained, “It was the first poem I ever wrote.” She laughed. “It was terrible. I was only a kid, I guess, but when I showed it to my mom, she cried. She said she would treasure it, always. So I didn’t stop writing. My poems made my mom happy.” Elsie tried to turn her face away from mine, but I placed my hand under her chin, wanting her to see me.
“I get it,” I hushed out. I meant every word. “Your plastic neon stars were my lightning bug jars.”
Elsie wiped her face, then ran her hand around my eye. “Your eyes,” she said, “they remind me of the moon. In the day they look so light; they resemble an overcast sky. They look so pretty against your olive skin. But at night, like now, they look silvery… like the moon.”
My hands clenched. Elsie noticed. I cleared my throat. “My mamma called me ‘mia luna’, her moon. I never knew why, but I did wonder if it was because of my eyes.”
Elsie smiled. She nervously recited, “My mom brought me the stars. Levi Carillo, you bring me the moon.”
I held my breath, then whispered back, “Then you bring me the shine.”
Elsie closed the inch gap between us and pressed her lips to mine. The kiss was soft and quick, but it meant more than ever before. She was in my bed. My girl, in my bed. Being ourselves. No hiding. No shying away.
Elsie snuggled into my bare chest, her warm breath caressing my skin. I closed my eyes, feeling sleep beginning to move in, when I asked, “When is your birthday?”
Elsie stiffened, but confided, “In a week. I’ll be nineteen on the twelfth.”
A week, I thought. But I kept it to myself. I had a game that day, but I had the whole night after. I wanted to give Elsie a second birthday to remember. She deserved it. She deserved to have it all.
I wanted to provide memories she would never forget, like the stars.
After all, I was sure she already had my heart.
Chapter Eleven
Elsie
Happy birthday, Elsie!
I didn’t wake you before I left—you looked too peaceful. Thank you for coming to the game. I’ll play better knowing you’re in the stands watching.
My family are coming too. I know you’re nervous about meeting them all, but there’s no need. No one will judge, you. They’re my family. You can speak to them without fear. They know what you mean to me. They’ll keep you safe.
Be brave. Don’t hide your voice… it’s too pretty to not be heard.
Levi xx
As I sat on Levi’s bed, I fidgeted my hands on my lap. His letter was lying on the bed. I was counting down the five minutes until I had to be in the kitchen with all of Levi’s family. I had met Lexi, of course. I had seen Austin; he was polite enough, though I’d never uttered one word to him. He looked different to Levi. He was darker, and covered in tattoos and scars. Quite frankly, he intimidated me. But Axel, the sculptor, and Ally, his fiancée, had been away these past couple of weeks in New York. He had business there with a museum, and apparently they had also been celebrating their engagement with her parents.