Page 121 of Between Never and Forever
“Here,” Torren says softly, and I open my squinted eyes to find him grinning down at me with an outstretched hand.
I slap both of mine in his and he tugs me to my feet. We’re both laughing as he fixes my dress and tries to smooth my hair. No one is going to care if I look like a rumpled disaster. Usually, I’m high as fuck at these things. Sober and sporting some wrinkles on theGivenchyis a much better option, if I do say so myself.
“Stupid mistake,” Red says over my shoulder, and I roll my eyes.
“I still got you.”
“Doesn’t matter if we’re both down.”
I glance at him with a smirk.
“Agree to disagree.”
The awards show is a decent time, surprisingly. I actually enjoy the performances, and one of the artists who opened for us on our last tour took home an award and thanked us in her speech, which is just really fucking cool. We don’t win Video of the Year, but we snag the award for Best Rock Album, which is great. We usually dominate the genre categories. When we win Performers of the Year, though, I about pee my pants.
“Oh, my fucking god.” I look at Mabel, whose jaw is dropped. “Oh, my fucking god, that just happened.”
She looks at me, a smile taking over her entire face.
“That just fucking happened!”
I grab her hand and Torren’s hand, with Jonah holding on to Mabel’s other hand, and we walk to the stage in a long, centipede-type line. When we get to the mic, instead of taking turns like we usually do, Torren gives my back a nudge.
“This one is you, Sav,” he whispers in my ear.
I couldn’t tame my smile even to save my damn soul. I step up to the mic, the award heavy in my hand, and take a deep breath before speaking.
“I can’t believe this just happened,” I say excitedly. “Seriously, I thought I was going to pee myself; I was so shocked.”
The audience laughs and claps, my bandmates behind joining in as well. I hear Mabel snort something like, “smooth, bitch,” and I flash her a grin before continuing.
“Seriously, though, this is amazing. This is an honor we didn’t expect, but we’re so fucking grateful. Sorry for cussing. But, um, this couldn’t have been possible without our fans. You all have shown up for us time and time and time again, and we owe all of this to you.”
The audience claps again. I hear some whistles and cheers. I can’t see much in the audience because of the harsh stage lights, but when the noise dies down, I find a camera and point at it, making sure whatever tech is calling the shots backstage knows to cut to this one for the live feed. Then, I look right into the lens for my next statement.
“I want to say a very special thank you to a very special fan. Boss, here’s your word for today. Illuminate. Verb. To brighten with light. To make shine. You’ve illuminated my days, my hopes, my love for music. Thank you so much. This one is for you.”
I hold up the award and blow a kiss to the camera, and then I practically float off stage and back to our seats. Another camera pans past us, and Torren takes my hand in his and leans in close.
“Who’s Boss,” he whispers, and I smile.
“A really badass seven-and-three-quarters year old I’ve met in North Carolina.”
That’s all I tell him. For some reason, I don’t want to tell him anymore, and within seconds, the subject is changed.
We all finish the show, attend an after party, and crash at my house, and no one else brings up Boss or my cryptic acceptance speech. Before I leave for the airport the next morning, I run an idea past the band, and when I finally buckle into my seat for a long ass cross-country flight, I’m actually more excited than anxious.
I can’t remember the last time that happened.
29
“What the fuck?”
Red’s irritated voice stirs me awake in the front seat, and I sit up to see the gate of my rental in front of us. We planned it so I would be getting back late to try and avoid too much attention, and from the looks of it, the plan worked. Except for...
“Oh my god, is that Levi?”
I try to open the car door, but Red hits the lock, and I turn and growl at him. He punches the button for the gate and pulls into the courtyard.
