Epilogue
ANYA
I’ve never been VIP at a concert before but I will say it’s pretty cool. There’s no one crushing you from either side and the floor isn’t sticky. Heaven.
Rosie is jumping up and down like a madwoman, in between pinching my arm every time a famous face reaches for the champagne in the bucket beside her. She stares at me wide eyed after Jackson Harper winks at her from across the section. I laugh and tell her with my eyes that we can freak out in the bathroom later.
Danny’s arm comes around my waist as he hands Rosie and I our drinks. I reach up and kiss him. It’s so freeing to be able to do that whenever I want. After much deliberation in the group chat I started with Rosie, Pip and Cassie, we soft launched our relationship to the public with a picture I took at Claudette’s apartment. It was a story for a few days, before everyone moved on to something else.
The film in London wrapped up a few weeks ago, but I’ve already got a job lined up in LA to start in a few months. I’m nervous to make the move to the US, but Pip and Cassie have promised to hang out with me and Rosie and my mother are already planning a trip to visit. And of course, Danny will be there. He’s been stuck in the recording studio in LA for almost the entire time I’ve been filming in London, so the chance to share a space with him again is one I do not want to give up. It’s still a secret that he’s making the move to music, with only our closest friends knowing, but I can’t wait for the day he makes that final leap.
I lean back into Danny’s embrace, trying to ignore the phone cameras I can see pointing in our direction. The public curiosity into our relationship is something that I’m still trying to get used to, but I know now what it’s like to not be with him. A few candid pictures are worth it for moments like these.
I let my head fall against his firm chest, looping my hands around the arms he wraps around me. He holds me for a few minutes, swaying with me to the music before he kisses my cheek and says, “I’ll be back.”
I nod and let him go, turning back to Pip and Rosie as we sing along to the song.
This is my first time attending a Cassandra concert on this tour. Danny and I decided Paris would be the best show for us to see, for obvious reasons.
“Thank you Paris!” Cassie shouts from the stage. We all cheer, Pip managing to hit a pitch I didn’t think was humanly possible.
“Now I have a special treat for you guys.” Cassie says in between the roar of the crowd. “I don’t usually play this song because I can never do it justice. This last album wasn’t the easiest to write, until I was in this city.”
The cheers are deafening but I almost can’t hear them over the pounding in my ears. “I had no idea a friend of mine had it in him, but he picked up a guitar and helped me write what has now become my favorite song I’ve ever written.”
I can feel the tension rising in the arena. I blindly reach out and grab Pip’s hand, unbelieving. I want to scan behind me to see if Danny is coming back to me but my eyes are glued to the stage.
“So guys, give it up for Danny Covington .”
There’s a second where my heart stops before the roar of the crowd deafens me. I scream so loud my throat gets hoarse as the love of my life steps onto the stage, a guitar looped across his chest.
He waves to the crowd and hugs Cassie. He steps up to the mic and lets the crowd lose their minds for a few seconds longer. When they die down, he says, “Thank you, this is pretty crazy.”
Tears stream down my cheeks.
“I just want to say, I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for this city and the girl that I met here. So this is for you.”
I can hardly see through my tears as he starts playing the song. Pip and Rosie put their arms around me as we sway to the music.
I guess that’s the last secret we’ll have to keep for a while.