Chapter 11

~Hailey's POV ~

After finally finishing the last few pages of her manga draft, I slumped back against my pillows, totally wiped. My hand felt like a claw from gripping the stylus for hours, and my brain? Basically fried.

Still, when I hit send and saw the little "Delivered" checkmark pop up, I smiled.

Finally done.

Kind of.

I tossed my tablet aside and stretched with a loud groan, staring up at the ceiling. God, I deserved a medal. Or at least a snack. Maybe a nap.

Or—no. A bath. Definitely a bath.

Dragging myself off the bed, I grabbed some fresh clothes and headed for the bathroom. As the hot water steamed up the mirror, I finally let my shoulders drop.

For a few minutes, there were no deadlines, no awkward family reunions, no weirdly intense moments with very off-limits people.

Just quiet. Just me.

By the time I finished, my skin was pink and my hair was dripping, but I felt lighter. Clean. Like I could maybe breathe again.

I was toweling my hair dry when my phone buzzed from my nightstand. Thinking it was my editor again, maybe with last-minute notes, I grabbed it without looking.

When I saw the name on the screen, I almost dropped the phone.

Ava.

My heart jumped. I hadn't heard her voice in days, not since I'd left New York. Suddenly, I felt a little like the old me again—the one who didn't worry so much about fitting in or pretending to be someone I wasn't.

"Hello?" I answered, already smiling.

"Hailey!" Ava squealed, so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. "Guess where we are right now?!"

I laughed, already feeling lighter. "Where?"

"London, baby!"

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

"We just landed this morning!" she gushed. "And guess why we're here?"

I shook my head, grinning. "Tell me."

"Eclipse is performing tomorrow night!"

I swear, my brain short-circuited for a second.

No way. No. Freaking. Way.

"Eclipse?!" I practically yelled. "You mean Eclipse Eclipse?"

"The one and only," Ava laughed. "And guess what? We have floor tickets! Liv's uncle hooked us up. And you are coming with us."

I was already nodding before she finished. "Oh my God, yes! A thousand times yes!"

I couldn't stop smiling. Eclipse—the K-pop group that literally shaped half my teenage years. The group whose music got me through late-night cram sessions, whose music videos made me dream bigger, and whose bond between members totally inspired me to start writing BL manga in the first place.

Especially Jay and K.

Jay, the impossibly cool dancer with the tattoos and the secret soft side.

K, the golden-voiced heartbreaker who always looked at Jay like he hung the moon.

I used to stay up for hours, sketching them into stories where they could be together without the whole world watching. Where it didn't matter what people thought. Where love was just love.

It wasn't even about them exactly—it was about what they made me believe in.

Something real.

Something free.

And now... they were here.

In London.

And so were my best friends.

"I'll ask my mom, but I'm sure she'll say yes!" I said quickly. "Text me everything!"

"We will! Love you!" Ava squealed again before hanging up.

I sat there on the edge of my bed, towel half-off my head, just grinning like an idiot.

Maybe things weren't perfect right now.

Maybe life was a little confusing and a little scary, and I still didn't know where I fit in this fancy London world.

But tomorrow? Tomorrow was going to be a piece of who I was.

Tomorrow was mine.

And I couldn't freaking wait.

As soon as the call ended, I flopped onto my bed, still wrapped in my bathrobe, and grabbed my phone like it was a lifeline.

My fingers flew across the screen as I opened the group chat with Ava, Liv, and Mads—my ride-or-die girls since freshman year.

HAILEY:

> I'm screaming. I can't believe this is happening.

AVA:

> Screaming with you, babe!!! This concert is gonna be LEGENDARY.

LIV:

> And we're seeing it together!!

MADS:

> OUTFITS. What are we wearing?! We have to slay. Jay and K deserve our best looks.

I laughed out loud, hugging my knees to my chest.

Outfits. Right.

I glanced over at my closet. Nothing I owned screamed cool, mysterious concert girl.

Most of my stuff was casual—hoodies, sneakers, art-stained jeans.

Definitely not Eclipse-level ready.

Still smiling, I started typing back.

HAILEY:

> Okay, hear me out: black leather jacket, ripped jeans, combat boots?

AVA:

> YESSSSS. You'll look hot.

LIV:

> Rock chick Hailey is my favorite aesthetic.

MADS:

> Also very Jay/K coded. Grunge but soft!!

I snorted. God, they knew me too well.

I tossed the phone aside for a second and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.

Jay and K.

Jay and K, performing live, breathing the same London air as me.

It felt unreal.

Back when I was stuck in my tiny New York apartment, drowning under homework and family drama, Eclipse had been my secret escape. Their music made me feel seen—like maybe it was okay to dream about a world bigger than what I could reach.

And their friendship—the way Jay always teased K, the way K always smiled softer when he looked at Jay—God, it had practically begged for fanfiction. For art. For stories where two boys could love each other out loud.

Without shame.

Without hiding.

That was where my first BL manga idea had been born.

Right there, between a Jay performance and a K smile.

And now... now I was actually writing for real.

Publishing chapters.

Being brave.

It felt like everything was coming full circle.

I grabbed my sketchpad from the nightstand and flipped it open. Half-doodles filled the page—loose, messy lines of characters holding hands under city lights, laughing under fake stars. I tapped the pencil against my lip, feeling a sudden rush of inspiration.

Maybe after the concert tomorrow, I'd start a new series.

Something different.

Something raw.

A story about music. About dreams. About finding the person who made you feel alive when the whole world told you not to.

Maybe Jay and K would never know.

But I would know.

And maybe that was enough.