Page 119 of Fauxmance

Mine was one of them.

Though to be fair, it'd been moving in Hayden's direction for a while.

At the end of their set, Elliot announced the last song, and people cheered when Hayden started speaking.

"Everyone having a good time?" he said, and the cheers in that small space were deafening. "We are HERS. And we are so glad you came out for us."

Santino grabbed the mic. "We love you guys!"

That got another round of applause.

"Santino's right. We do," Hayden said. "For this last song, we're going to do a little something different. It's a cover. And it's dedicated to someone very special."

My breath hitched as his eyes met mine from across the room.

"This one's for the girl in the elevator."

The applause shot straight past polite into roaring. Guess I wasn't the only one who saw that as romantic.

"Thanks for coming, Maggie. We didn't die that night, but if we had well, it wouldn't have been such a bad way to go."

With that, he stepped back, and they began playing.

I knew what the song would be even before the first chords.

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.

My pulse was pounding.

I didn't want to blink for fear of missing a second.

I wanted that song by The Smiths and Hayden's name imprinted on my heart forever.

It ended far too soon. I wished for a replay button, wished I'd thought to take out my phone. But I'd been too absorbed in the performance. When they finished the song, the crowd went wild, and I felt like I was coming down from some great high.

Mrs.Davenport spoke from the table next to mine. "Did you know he was going to do that?"

I shook my head.

"It was a very romantic gesture."

I nodded. "I've never had anyone dedicate anything to me before."

"He gets that from his grandpa," she said with a smile. As she stood, I looked up. "I should go," she said.

My eyes went to the stage where Hayden and the guys were packing up their instruments.

"Don't you want to stay and say hi?" I asked hopefully.

Mrs.Davenport shook her head. "No, I'm old and tired. Wouldn't want to cramp his style."

"You wouldn't," I insisted. "Hayden would be so thrilled to see you. He loves you so much."

"And I love him," she said.

"Won't you please stay?"

She looked to the entrance, and I saw a man gesturing to her.

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