Station, стр. 42
Lilly moved Hadder to the bed and went to thecorner, where she dropped the needle on an antique record player.As she returned, Sade began to play, and no words were necessary.They collapsed into each other, both suffocating, needing the airthat only the other could provide. Clothes fell away, bodies wereexplored, and secrets were discovered in a world of sweat,laughter, heat, and gasps.
Eons later, when they came together, the fusion oftwo souls released a burst of energy, causing the record to skip asthey both dropped onto the bed in a single heap, working hard toappease their air-deprived lungs, born again in the fires ofpassion and a love both felt lost to them forever.
They laid together on the bed, sharing a cigarette,afraid that if they succumbed to sleep, the other would disappearlike a mirage. Hadder stroked Lilly's head gently, keeping beatwith the Sade soundtrack.
A thought struck him. "We all listen to Sade when wemake love. What does Sade listen to when she makes love? You thinkshe listens to herself?"
Lilly laughed, then thought for a moment. "I thinkshe listens to covers of her own songs, that way it's not weird.Otherwise, it'd be like jacking off to your own picture."
"That makes sense," he conceded before moving on."What should we do tomorrow?"
"What would you like to do?"
"As long as you're with me, I'll be happy doinganything."
"I'm not going anywhere, Marlin."
Anxiety crept into Hadder's stomach, the plague ofanyone who has endured real loss, screaming that this could allcome crashing down in an instant, that another blow would be thelast. "You promise?"
Lilly looked up, her cognac eyes holding his own,making it impossible for him to look away. "I promise." She droppedback into Hadder's lap and was sleeping soundly minutes later.Hadder kissed the top of Lilly's head, stroked her tanned arms, andlooked around, shocked at where his life had taken him. In thethroes of drugs in the Celebration Cluster, Hadder had found a newlife in the city called Station. But now, here in The RoyalJelly, in this room that perfectly reflected its occupant, withthis woman whose capacity for love and understanding was beyondanything he thought possible, Hadder found a true home.
He wept softly, not wanting to disturb Lilly. Mostwere lucky to find one home in a lifetime. Who was he to be giftedtwo times? What was the price?
He pushed these thoughts away angrily, handed thereigns to Sade, and slid down to join Lilly in sleep, where theymet again in all-new adventures.
CHAPTER 13
The following months were among the bestMarlin Hadder had ever known, his life in the Before becoming abarely visible shoreline as he sailed further and deeper into thisnew voyage. He spent almost every moment of every day with LillySistine, their time together in no way mirroring his initial monthswith Jonny VV and Reena Song. With Jonny and Reena, life was abroken record, the degradation of a song once loved, having grownimpotent through ceaseless repetition.
For Lilly Sistine, life was never meant to bedefined by a single song but was instead an ever-changingcompilation of varying genres, decades, and artists. One day theyorganized a resident volleyball tournament outside TheRoyal, with Stretch Reese, a resident who had significantlyElevated his height to shed the effects of ridicule experienced inthe Before, dominating the competition. The joy on the young man'sface as he hoisted the makeshift MVP trophy warmed a place inHadder's heart long dormant, the place that allowed him to feelhappy for another's triumph despite his own losses.
Another day, Lilly and Hadder dedicated most of theSolay collaborating to pen a song, recruiting the assistance ofBilly Crossroads, the two-armed guitar virtuoso, to play animpromptu one-song concert just as Haela settled onto the city.Hadder, unable to sing, kept the beat on bongos borrowed from Royalas the real musicians of the trio wowed a small audience ofresidents.
Still another day, Lilly and Hadder took a walkaround Station, spending the day enjoying the city's distinctbioactivity and lush gardens before setting up a picnic outside ofthe one the Elevation Centers that sat against Station's westernwall. They sat and talked, stories from today easily mingling withtales of the Before, even when they touched on less than happytimes. As they spoke, residents would enter the Elevation Center,and Lilly and Hadder would predict what kind of Elevation wouldappear upon exit. They laughed genuinely as a tall, skinny blondewoman, who Hadder thought would walk out with double Ds, left thecenter as a medium-sized, muscled man, still donning the daisydukes and crop top that she, now he, came with.
Between the Elevation guessing game, Hadder engagedin another pastime - learning of Lilly's past. Although he had onlygathered bits and pieces, not wanting to pry, Hadder learned thatLilly's mom wanted nothing more than to have a pop star daughter.She paraded the young girl from pseudo-producer to unscrupulousrecord executive, willing to turn a blind eye when they wantedthings other than money in exchange for studio time or the emptypromise of an industry contact.
In return, Hadder spoke of his daughter Mia inresponse to Lilly's countless questions. Hadder detected a sadnessin Lilly when she asked about Mia, understanding that this void inher would never be filled, not by Hadder nor music nor strongdrink, as conception was something that didn't happen withinStation's walls. Despite the pain of the topic, straight blades inhis heart that cut more with each beat, Hadder did his best toshare everything about Mia with Lilly. And while he died a littlerecounting each story about his baby girl, he was alwaysresurrected in soft Lilly's arms minutes later.
In addition to daily activities, Lilly and Hadderalso took on larger projects. One week, they oversaw theconstruction of an enormous fire pit behind The Royal Jelly,made especially for those who treasured the outdoors or enjoyedhanging out deep into the Haela. Although manikins did the majorityof the labor, working at speeds that no human could match, Lillyand Hadder felt alive getting their hands dirty, the