I’m not sure why, but I turn my hand around and stroke my thumb over Yivi’s plump pink lips and down her chin to cup her jaw.
“Call it a honeymoon if you like. Reality can hit tomorrow. I don’t know your past, but I sense there’s a sadness to it, and I want to give you a few moments of happiness because that’s the sort of person I am.”
Yivi gently takes hold of my hand that’s caressing her jaw.
“I’d like that very much,” she says with a smile.
“Liam, will you get a move on?” Cameron shouts through the bedroom door again. “The cars are waiting to take us to the helicopters.”
“I’m coming.” I slide from the bed and hold my hand out to Yivi, who takes a deep breath before grasping it with hers.
Thankfully, she’s fully dressed under the bedsheets. I wait while she quickly drags her fingers through her hair and puts on her only pair of shoes, and then I lead her from the room to where the rest of the band is waiting.
“Yivi is coming with us as well. Is that okay?” I question. A big smile beams on Zoey’s face.
Tate shakes his head knowingly. “Of course it is. Just get a move on.”
We walk in convoy through the hotel to the limousine waiting outside. It’s only a short distance to the airport where the helicopters await. I watch Yivi the entire journey. Her eyes go wide and her skin pales when she sees the helicopters. I can tell she’s anxious.
“I’m so nervous,” Zoey announces. She’s sitting on the other side of Yivi. “Have you ever been on one of these before?”
Yivi shakes her head. “No, it’s my first time in a limousine as well.”
“Get used to that. We only travel in style,” Cameron responds, pulling down his sunglasses and winking.
“Says the guy who drives around in a beat up Chevy when he’s at home,” Austin teases.
“It’s a classic car, Austin.”
“Beat up Chevy,” Tate and I both add at the same time.
“Heathens,” Cameron moans.
The chauffeur opens the door to the limo, and we all file out. Two helicopters stand waiting for us, each one emblazoned with a Maverick logo and a sign saying Grand Canyon Spirit.
Two pilots make their way over to us. They both nod before one of them says, “Hello, I’m Jim, and this is Steve. We’ll be looking after you today. I’ll need you to divide yourselves between the helicopters. Would it be possible to have one lady in each, please?”
Yivi looks a little disappointed.
I take her hand. “Don’t worry you can sit in the back with me.”
She smiles warmly.
“Er…” Jim’s voice is full of caution. “If it’s all right with you, sir, I’d like the lady to sit in the front. It makes it easier to flatten out the weight distribution within the helicopter.
I look at Yivi, and she’s nods her agreement.
“That’s fine,” I confirm to the pilot.
I help Yivi into the helicopter and then take my own place in the back next to Austin. I can see the logic behind balancing the aircraft. Austin and I aren’t exactly small men. At six foot three, I’m taller than him, but we’re both powerfully built. My arms are especially muscular from playing the drums.
“You’ve got headsets. If you put them on, you’ll be able to talk to each other throughout the flight. The trip to the canyon is about forty-five minutes. We’ll fly around for about half an hour. Make sure you’ve got your cameras ready.”
“Thank you,” I acknowledge the pilot’s words.
The helicopter takes off, and we all fall silent as we make our way out of Las Vegas and toward the Grand Canyon. All my attention is focused on the sights out of the window, and it seems impossible to believe forty-five minutes have passed when the pilot announces we’re at the outer rim.
I’m mesmerized as I see the ancient rock formations come into sight. We follow the Colorado river upstream beyond where the dark green waters change to the pale blue of the Little Colorado river. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. It really looks as if it belongs on the surface of Mars or some other far-flung planet.
“What do you think?” I speak into the headset I’m wearing.
“It’s cool,” Austin replies first.
Yivi turns her head to face me, and I see tears in her eyes. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
We fly over the Marble Canyon with its contrasting bright oranges and whites, reminding me of the shapes of the skateparks back in Seattle. When we reach the Northern Rim, we land for a few moments and take some photos before heading back through the widest and deepest part of the canyon, the Dragon’s Corridor. The rugged canyon walls here are more graduated in color with whites and deep reds.
I reach forward and place my hand on Yivi’s shoulder. I’m not sure why I do—it just feels right. I don’t know anything about the woman in front of me, but something inside encourages me to try and find out more. It seems she’s got the soul of a beautiful woman who’s overwhelmed by the stunning scenery around us. There’s a fragility to her, but underneath I’m already discovering her thirst for knowledge about the world. All of this I’ve learned, and I’ve not even known her for twenty-four hours.
I find myself feeling sad when the pilot announces we’re turning back to the airport. I don’t want the experience to end. I know this won’t be my only time here. One day, I want to explore a bit more on foot or even by boat down the Colorado river.
During the forty-five minute trip back, I doze—the tiredness from the previous evening’s events finally catching up with me. I don’t want to be exhausted for the concert tonight. Every now and then, we catch a little bit of turbulence, and when I wake, my thoughts instantly go to Yivi. She spends the return journey looking out of the window and taking everything in.
When we land, I wait for the helicopter blades to stop rotating before jumping out and helping Yivi from her seat.
“That was the most amazing experience of my life. I’m coming back here and exploring farther as soon as I get the chance,” I tell her.
“It was stunning. I can’t even imagine how it all came about. I need to read as much as I can. I wish I could have taken some photos. I’m pretty certain the colors and cliffs are ingrained into my memory now, though.”
“Why didn’t you take any pictures?” I question dumbly.
“I didn’t have anything to take them with.” Yivi nibbles nervously on her lip.
“You should have brought your phone with you. Give me your number, and I’ll send you the ones I’ve taken,” I reply, shocked she forgot to bring such a vital item with her. I never leave home without my phone. It’s permanently attached to me.
Yivi pulls away from me and starts to make her way back to the car without replying to me. I jog along after her.
“Did I say something wrong?” I ask.
“No,” she replies and walks a little quicker.
I grab her hand and pull her to a halt. “Talk to me.”
The rest of my bandmates look on from where they’re standing beside the limousine waiting to take us back to the hotel.
“I don’t have a phone.”