best years ✰ l.p.

Chapter 29- Paper Rings

"Mija? Are you still here?", I heard my tia say. "I know that your mom would be-", she stopped in the doorway.

"Oh my god!", she said, a smile appearing on her face. "Are these the boys from your band?"

"Surprise!", I exclaimed, the boys smiling nervously.

Holy shit my aunt can actually see them. How the fuck can she see them?

She rushed over to shake their hands. "Hi, I'm Dahlia's aunt.", she said. "I wish I would've known you were coming over, I would have-"

"Tia, it's fine.", I said. "I wanted it to be a surprise. I told them to come over. Now that I think about it, I should have checked with you first. They've come from so far away, I just sort of assumed you would let them stay here..." I was getting very good at this lying on the spot thing.

"Of course, of course. There's a pull out couch over there, and I probably have a few air mattresses down in the basement."

"Thank you, ma'am.", Alex said, being the first one of them to speak.

"Please, call me Victoria. And thank you. You have no idea how much you've helped Dahlia."

*****

After we introduced the boys to my uncle and helped my aunt bring up the mattresses, we were finally able to be alone.

"Well fuck.", Luke said. "That just happened."

"I'm still processing it all. We can be seen by everyone now, but what are we? Are we still ghosts or are we like, alive again?", Alex said.

"All I know is, that was pretty amazing how you convinced your aunt to let us stay here in literally five minutes."

"I'm a songwriter, Luke, I have a way with words.", I said, jokingly.

"But seriously you guys, 20 minutes ago we thought we were about to straight up not exist. And now we're very much existing and your aunt is somehow okay with letting three random teenage boys who she's never met stay in her house.", Alex said.

"Okay, yeah, maybe what just happened is insane, but at least we're here. At least we're all still together. Sure, this is a huge change, but it's a good one."

"Yeah, guys. This'll take some getting used to, but let's just be glad it turned out the way it did." I yawned. "I think I'm gonna go to bed if that's okay. All of this wore me out."

Then I remembered something.

"Wait, do you guys sleep now?"

Alex and Luke shrugged. I was about to get up, when I saw Reggie laying on his side, passed out.

"Okay. Well there you have it", I laughed.

*****

I woke up the next morning with the biggest smile on my face. I finally had nothing to worry about. No friends asking me out and exs showing up randomly. Most importantly, no ghost boys leaving me.

After I got dressed, I went downstairs to find Luke, Reggie, and Alex stuffing their faces.

"Dahlia look, we can eat!", Reggie said excitedly. I guess they were alive again after all.

I laughed. "I can see that."

Luke got up from his seat, picked me up and spun me around. I felt my face getting red. "What was that for...?", I asked once he set me down.

"I'm just really happy I can hug you now."

"Okay, weirdo", I said, pulling his beanie over his eyes.