22. Epilogue - Millie
”Why did we say yes to this?” I hiss at Kayla. It”s finally here, the day of the big game. It’s taken way too long, yet it came way too fast, and I”m a nervous wreck, my hands shaking and my heart beating like it wants to jump out of my chest.
We”re currently in one of the VIP boxes while we wait for the first quarter of the match to be done, until we join my parents in their VIP box for the second half, and it”s hell. The cameras pan on us from time to time, which means we have to pretend we enjoy what we’re watching and aren’t metaphorically shitting our pants while we wait for halftime to arrive.
It’s not watching the game that makes me nervous. That part is actually kind of fun, even though I have no idea what”s going on–but seeing the crowd? Listening to the announcers repeat over and over again, how many people are watching it on TV?
I don”t need to know. I don”t want to know. Fuck. Don’t keep reminding me.
”Relax. Everything”s going to be fine,” Kayla reassures me and pats my shoulder like I’m a dog, but she doesn”t know how else to calm me down. ”We got this.”
”Do we?” I ask her nervously and start pacing the small room, biting the nail of my thumb. ”What if I slip? Oh my God, millions of people are going to be laughing at me.”
”You won”t slip.”
”What if the campaign didn”t work, and they boo me off stage?” I continue biting my thumbnail, grimacing when it brings the splint on my wrist into a weird position. At Kayla’s insistence, I had a doctor look at it once Luca left for his last training. He agreed when I told him my suspicion that nothing was broken, but got me a splint to keep my wrist still in order to let it heal faster.
As for the online shitstorm? Over the past day, a lot of people came through and joined the positive sentiments about me. News outlets even picked it up and reported about it on TV.
But in real life? The one where I have to face millions of people with no internet face-to-face? I’m scared shitless. I have no idea if it worked. They might very well also throw tomatoes at me and boo me off stage.
”Ain”t gonna happen. Don”t focus on the haters. Focus on our fans.” I roll my eyes. As always, that’s easier said than done.
”What if I forget the lyrics? Moves? The whole damned choreography?”
”Just look cute while you”re doing it, and improvise. Nobody will care.”
Well, I got the looking cute part down today. Both of us do. We”re wearing body suits, mine light pink and hers a deep red, our hair falling over our shoulders for maximum dynamic while we”re dancing, and both of us are wearing boots that reach our knees.
”But hear me out, what if–”
”Millie!” She steps in front of me, forcing me to stop walking. ”It”s. Going. To. Be. Fine.”
But how does she know that? Her sharp gaze prevents me from asking that, though.
The crowd outside starts to cheer, and it”s a deafening sound that makes my thundering heart beat even more wildly.
”Come on,” she says more softly, reaching for my hand and pulling me after her. ”Let’s go downstairs. We need to get ready anyway.”
”God, this is a nightmare,” I mumble, and Kayla shakes her head. On the way out, she grabs a champagne flute and hands it to me wordlessly.
Alcohol before the show is a bad idea, but a sip to alleviate my nerves? Hell fucking yes! I force myself not to gulp down the whole thing and put the half-full glass back on the table before we hurry downstairs to get ready.
People scurry around us, someone hands me my bedazzled microphone, and before I know it, we”re on our platform lift under the stage, waiting to be elevated onto it.
”Millie,” Kayla says, nudging my shoulder when she realizes I”m biting my thumbnail again. ”Relax. You are talented, are amazing, and you”re going to rock this.”
”I”ll still just be happy when it”s over,” I answer her, my voice shaking with anxiety. How is she so cool? Does the number of people not affect her at all? ”Same goes for you, by the way. You’re amazing.”
”I know,” she winks at me, and I take her outstretched hand as the lift jerks under our feet. “Now, let”s enchant them.”
I”m on autopilot throughout our whole performance. Thank God I know our lyrics like the back of my hand. I don”t manage to conquer the part of the choreography I was struggling with, forgetting to look at the camera as I”m too focused on my steps in order to not fall on my butt.
But I did it! And I didn”t get booed off the stage. In fact, people cheered, and I saw several banners and signs with the campaign hashtag. And I managed not to break into tears. If anything, that”s my win for the day.
When the music dwindles down after we hit our last note, and I take out my in-ear monitors, I startle at the sheer volume of the applause and cheers Kayla and I receive. My smile is so wide my face hurts, and I”m exhausted, but even through my ragged breaths, I manage to hug Kayla and press out an ”Oh my God, we did it!” Only once my arms are around her do I remember that she doesn”t like hugs.
But she hugs me back, exciting laughter bubbling out of her. ”And wewere amazing!”
She takes my hand, and we walk to the front of the stage to take a bow before the lift, which will let us disappear under the stage as we wave at the crowd.
”Oh my God, oh my God, Kayla, we fucking did it!” The realization settles, and I can”t contain my happiness, bouncing around her, my hair flying through the air. ”Oh my fucking God.”
Kayla chuckles and pushes me back into the stadium”s backstage labyrinth, where two familiar faces are already waiting for us. As soon as we come out from under the stage, some kind of camera is on us, but I don”t give a fuck.
When I see Luca, I push my microphone into someone”s chest and just hope they catch it when I let go, before I run over to him and throw my arms around his neck, making him sigh and stumble back a few steps until he catches his balance. He returns the hug immediately, a proud laughter making his whole body rumble.
”You were so great on stage,” he says, his voice full of pride and admiration etched into his face, hugging me so tightly I struggle to breathe, in a good way, and lifting me off the ground. ”God, I loved watching you up there. You absolutely killed it, Sunshine!”
I can”t reply with anything but bubbling laughter and, finally tears breaking out of me. My emotions are all over the place. I”m happy it”s over. I’m still pumped and full of adrenaline from the show, and at the same time, the realization that it”s over is beginning to settle in.
I shove those thoughts aside. It”s not time to worry about the future yet. Luca sets me down again, and once my feet hit the ground, I grab his face and pull it to mine. Our grinning lips meet in a quick kiss that is nothing less than electric.
Someone shouting Luca”s name from behind him causes us to break our kiss, but he manages to press his lips against my forehead before running after Asher back to their locker rooms.
”Do you feel better now?” Kayla asks, relief written all over her face as well.
”Hell yes,” I say and start bouncing again. There”s way too much happy energy inside me to stay still. “I feel perfect.”
”Come on. Let”s go change and watch the rest of the game with your parents.”
”The stars of the day!” My Mom greets both of us when we finally walk into the family VIP booth Naroa reserved for them. Both of us have changed into jeans and jerseys with our boyfriends” numbers on them, our faces still heavy with makeup and hair not moving an inch thanks to all the hairspray.
I grin at my parents and step into their hugs, chuckling when they beckon Kayla over to include her.
”You girls were wonderful out there,” Mom gushes, looking at us with tears in her eyes. ”How do the young people say it? You had a meal?”
”We ate?” Kayla laughs and accepts Mom”s hug, and she doesn”t even grimace. God, I’m so proud of her.
”And we left no damn crumbs,” I add, and we break into laughter. God, I feel too old to talk like this.
”Right. That,” Mom says with a chuckle, laying her hands on my shoulders. ”How are you doing, Millie? We were worried for a minute there.”
”Better,” I tell her with a nod, my smile tightening the slightest bit.
It”s been a strange few days. For once, I opened social media without fear of only seeing negative shit about me written everywhere. In fact, after Luca left for his training and I left the doctor’s office, I spent the whole afternoon scrolling through the web.
Asher”s campaign really snowballed, from celebs I”ve worked with writing encouraging words, to fans chiming in. Even some of Kayla’s fans brought up how gracious I was about them taking their picture with her instead of being salty. Truth be told, that”s the bare minimum in my book, but seeing it appreciated when it stabbed my heart like a tiny needle… feels good. Cleansing, even.
”I can”t help but notice that Naroa isn”t here,” Dad says diplomatically, raising his eyebrow at us. He’d thrown himself right into research as soon as their plane touched American ground again, sending us suggestions for lawyers and legislations that could help us out.
”Well,” I start, and Kayla quickly jumps in.
”We”ve decided to part ways with our label and management,” she lets the two of them know quickly, like she’s pulling off a band-aid, blushing when my mother gasps for a shocked breath.
”Yeah,” I add. ”Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. We”ll start calling lawyers tomorrow and see how we can bring our contract to a satisfactory end for us. Fuck Starlet Sounds.”
”And then?” Mom asks, beginning to pace the room. I’m starting to realize where I got the habit from. ”Are you looking for a new label? Retiring?”
”That depends on how long everything is going to take,” Kayla sighs, sinking into one of the padded chairs. ”I”m not recording another album with that label but if the negotiations take forever, so will making new music and touring, and with a legal fight, money running out at one point is a possibility we have to keep in mind. I”m not sure how Millie feels about everything, but I, for one, would love to find a way to release our music by ourselves.”
My eyes go wide. That”s the first time I ever heard of this idea, but the determined look on her face tells me that she”s thought about it a lot already.
”What would that look like?” I ask her curiously and tilt my head.
”We”d found our own label and hire people to take care of everything that comes with it.” She shrugs, making it sound way easier than it’s probably going to be. ”I have no exact plan yet, but if we”re already scouting lawyers, we might as well keep an eye out for firms that deal with that kind of stuff as well.”
”How about we meet tomorrow and do a bit of research?” I ask her. A muffled announcement from outside the VIP booth makes my head turn to the glass front.
”Sure,” Kayla says absentmindedly and steps closer to the windows as well. ”Let”s do that. Now, let”s watch the second half of the game and cheer for our guys.” She sounds very motivated, considering she didn’t used to be Asher’s biggest fan.
I shoot her a curious gaze, and she looks right back at me, her forehead crinkling in a frown when she realizes that I see her blushing.
Without saying anything, I raise my hand and make a zipping motion across my lips. Which also helps hide my smile.
Kayla can deny it all she wants, but the way she interacted with Asher? The way she listened to him when they set his plan in motion?
She doesn”t dislike him as much as she”s portraying. There’s just no way. I’ve seen her interact with people she doesn’t like, and a night in that hotel in Scandinavia where everything is made of ice blocks would be an evening in front of a campfire in comparison.
But judging from her actions, she”s not ready to confront that yet, so who am I to push it?
My parents also join us at the window to watch the game.
It”s hilarious, really. The only person in this room who has any idea about what”s going on down on the field is my Dad. He tries his best to give us a crash course on football and explain what”s going on, but it takes him all of fifteen minutes to realize that it”s just not happening.
Finally, he resorts to just telling us when to cheer and when to look sad, and that works absolutely fine for Kayla and me. He hasn”t quite given up on teaching Mom, though.
Whenever Luca is on the field, I grow nervous. The Walker brothers don”t take any prisoners, they push each other, shove, elbow, and punch their way past each other, and I”m really damn worried that Luca somehow lands in between their fights.
”So, your man is the halfback,” Dad tries to explain one more time, so we at least understand what their positions are for. ”All he”s got to do is catch the ball and run through at least one of those lines.” I nod. That”s still understandable.
”Your man,” he murmurs towards Kayla. ”Is the fullback. Both of them kind of do the same thing, but playing together, the fullback tries to clear the way for the halfback.”
”Like Asterix and Obelix, basically?” Kayla asks, and I grin. She isn”t wrong to compare them to the comic book characters we”ve picked up on during our tour in France. Reading those comics has gotten us through a lot of very long tour bus drives.
”Oh, I”m so telling Asher you”ve compared him to Obelix.”
”Well, if he”s mad at it, he shouldn”t eat like him,” she says, rolling her eyes, but I catch the hint of amusement in her voice and expression. “Like a damn barbarian.”
”You”re right, though, basically like Asterix and Obelix,” Dad confirms with a chuckle. “Your man beats up the Romans, while yours runs with the magic potion? Does that make sense?” He can”t help but chuckle as he explains it.
The crowd lets out a shocked sound, and my gaze quickly jumps back to the field. A bunch of the players are wrestling each other, and I hold my breath as Luca tries to find a way through the fighting crowd. I gasp when he only barely evades one of the Walker brothers suddenly sprinting at him, taken down by Asher.
”Fuck that”s hot,” Kayla mumbles under her breath, freezing when she realizes what she said. I bite my lip to keep from laughing and act like I haven”t heard her.
Finally, Dad tells us that the match is almost over. Team Friendship, Luca”s and Asher”s team, appears to be winning, but only by a hair. The mood in the stadium is tense, as all the fans are on the edge of their seat for the final minutes.
Someone from the event organization pops their head into the room to get Kayla and me. We”re supposed to be down at the field for the final shots, for whatever reason. Well, I know the reason. Apparently, a lot of people tuned in to see some cute moments between Kayla and Asher.
I”m not complaining about going down there. At this point, I just hope that we”ll get to celebrate with them instead of having to comfort them after a loss.
The whole stadium is buzzing. The crowd is cheering, chanting something I can”t quite make out, and all I see are faces with bright smiles. I think it”s fair to say that this event was a hit.
”This match has exceeded all donation goals by twice the amount,” one of the announcers says, and I punch the air. That”s all we wanted. ”Now the only question remaining is, who will get to pick the charity?”
”Team Friendship is ahead by two points. Team Hollywood has one chance to take the win, will they take it?” Another announcer chimes in.
I check the field, but I can”t see Asher or Luca anywhere. I think Dad mentioned something about them playing offensive positions and the players on the field now being on the defensive roster, but that”s about all I understood.
The stadium becomes quiet. Eerily quiet. The referee gives the sign to start, and there”s a ruckus on the field. Then, suddenly, fanfares come from the speakers, and the whole stadium erupts into cheers. Well, half of it.
”And the win goes to Team Friendship!” The announcer shouts and Kayla takes my hand.
We run over the field until we reach the players, and Luca welcomes me with open arms.
“You did amazing!” I tell him, and I start laughing when he lifts me off the ground and twirls me through the air. My bright laughter gets lost in the sound of the crowd cheering until he kisses me.
Right in the middle of the field, he kisses me like there”s no tomorrow, hugging me tightly to him, and I lock my hands around his neck and kiss him back like he”s the air I need to breathe.
We don”t need to say it. It is way too early, we”ve fallen in love while having known each other way too little, but the knowledge that this is it, hangs heavy in the air between us. And the way he looks at me, tells me all I need to know. I’ve found my person.
We”ll make it work somehow. Even if he”s in Toronto, even if my future brings me to the other end of the world, I will find a way to make it work. Now that I have Luca, I don”t think I can ever let him go again.
And the way his soft eyes are on my face, his lips stretched into a wide smile, and he reaches out to tuck one of my curls behind my ear, I just know he”s in it as well. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be okay.
It might take a bit. But we”ll be okay.
Thank you so much for reading Siren”s Heart!