Chapter Forty-Eight
Sitting on the sand at the back end of the festival crowd, sipping my cherry coke through two straws and listening to a combination of talented singer/songwriters, awesome pop groups and epic rock bands, I feel quite happy. I could almost forget all of my problems were it not for the devastatingly sexy reminder that keeps appearing on stage and talking in between bands.
I am of course talking about Adam, who really is doing such a good job of hosting the festival. Not only is he just so cool and charming up there but the crowd love him. He’s a very loveable person. I am so proud of him but at the same time, absolutely devastated at the way things have turned out. I had hoped, when I did eventually clap eyes on him again, that my feelings for him might have calmed down a little… if anything, they’ve only grown stronger. It’s true, what they say about absence…
‘Let’s push our way to the front,’ Mel suggests. ‘The Burnouts are on next. You never know, they might see us and decide they want to take us backstage and have their wicked way with us.’
My mum purposely coughs very loudly and shoots me a look that warns me against having backstage sex with any boybands. On any other occasion, a romp with one, two, three or all four members of The Burnouts would sound absolutely wonderful, but not today. That’s how you know I’ve got it bad for Adam.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Chillz, everyone’s favourite punk/metal band. Yikes, I bet that hurt,’ Adam says to the heavily pierced lead singer as he runs offstage after his set. From what I could see on the big screen, I counted at least nine piercings, and that was just the ones from the neck up.
‘Next up we have something completely different,’ Adam tells the crowd. Someone in the audience wolf whistles at Adam and he thanks them before he continues. He looks the tiniest bit embarrassed by all the female attention, but in a way that is entirely charming.
‘Imagine the opposite of Chillz, so take away the instruments and fill in all the piercing holes…’ Adam chuckles to himself, pausing for dramatic effect. ‘Who wants to see The Burnouts?’ he calls out.
Eardrum-damaging screams follow as almost every female on the beach goes wild. I can hear a particularly loud screeching noise coming from nearby, but it’s only as I look for the source of it that I realise it’s my mum, screaming and clapping like an excited teenage girl.
‘But first,’ Adam starts, taking a deep breath before he continues, ‘I need to say something and I’ve squared it with my boss so don’t expect to see any massive bouncers manhandle me off the stage, but know that if you try and get up here to touch The Burnout’s Dylan King inappropriately, that they will pounce on you without a second thought.’
Laughter from the audience, as well as more screaming for The Burnouts – most of which really is coming from my mum, Mel and Angie.
‘I want to take a moment to talk about something a little different. I’ve got a confession to make, and I figure there’s no better place to do it than here, with all of you as witnesses,’ he continues.
Oh, God, what is he doing?
‘I’m not sure if you know this about me, but I’m a bit of a movie buff,’ Adam continues, his eyes scanning the crowd. ‘And there’s this one actor I really admire – Leonardo DiCaprio. You might’ve heard of him.’
The crowd chuckles, and I feel a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth, as I wonder where this is going.
Adam’s grin widens.
‘Leo’s been in some pretty iconic films, right? But there’s one movie that stands out to me because of a certain scene – a scene that I think is kind of perfect for what I’m trying to say right now. And not only that, but it’s one that features his legendary blonde curtains, which I myself had as a teenager – not that it helped me get any girls.’
The crowd quiets down, and I feel my heart start to race. He’s still scanning the crowd, like he’s looking for someone. Like he’s looking for me. He has to be, right?
‘In “Titanic,” there’s this moment,’ Adam says, his voice softer now, more serious. ‘Jack and Rose are in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. There’s room on that door, right? We all know it, but Jack sacrifices himself for Rose. Now, I’m not saying I’m ready to freeze to death in the Atlantic – although the sea here is pretty cold most of the time – but I’m saying that when you care about someone, really care about them, you’d do just about anything to keep them safe, to make them happy.’
My breath catches in my throat. He knows I’m here. He has to. This isn’t just some random speech.
‘So, here’s the thing,’ Adam says, his voice carrying over the crowd, reaching into every corner. ‘There’s someone in this crowd right now who means the world to me. Someone who, if she feels the same way about me as I do about her, I’d like to think she’d come find me. We’ve been through some rough seas – pun intended – but I’m willing to weather the storm if she is.’
I feel a lump forming in my throat. No one has ever made a grand gesture for me before, or even a small one really, and this one is… wow. This is pretty big.
‘So, if you’re out there, and you feel the same way,’ Adam says optimistically, ‘then come find me. I promise I’m not going to let you freeze out there on your own.’
The crowd erupts into cheers and applause, but I’m frozen in place – no pun intended. This is my moment, my chance to go to him, to tell him how I feel. But can I do it? Can I really put myself out there like that?
I don’t know how long I stand there, rooted to the spot, slowly sinking into the sand, my mind racing. But then, almost without thinking, I start moving, pushing through the crowd, making my way toward the stage. People part for me as I go, and it’s like the entire world has gone quiet, the only sound I can hear is my own heartbeat thudding in my ears.
Adam’s still on stage, still looking out over the crowd. He hasn’t spotted me yet, but I’m getting closer, feeling more terrified with every step.
Finally, I’m at the front, right by the stage, and I look up at him. Our eyes meet, and for a split second, everything else falls away. It’s just the two of us, in this moment, and I’m not terrified anymore.
He gestures for me to join him, backstage, so one of the bouncers lets me through and, honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever have a cooler moment in my life.
Adam takes a step toward me, his smile softening as he reaches out to take my hand.
‘I wasn’t sure if you’d come,’ he admits, his voice seeming so quiet now that he isn’t holding a mic.
‘I wasn’t sure if I would either,’ I confess, my voice shaking. ‘Why did you stop calling?’
‘You weren’t answering,’ he says with a laugh. ‘I knew I needed to do something big to show you that I was serious.’
I smile.
‘Your family and friends came through for me then, I wasn’t sure they could get you here,’ he says, taking my face in his hand gently. ‘So, what do you say? You ready to hold onto that door with me?’
I can’t help but laugh.
‘Only if you promise not to let me go,’ I reply.
‘Never,’ he says, and before I can say anything else, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me.
It’s all so perfect, and yet…
‘But what about Si?’ I ask, pulling away.
‘We had a long chat,’ Adam tells me. ‘He understands how we feel about each other, and he knows he has some issues, but I think he knows that it’s time he moved on. He even said it was time he forgave Rory, so I think you and I might need to get a bit of a Parent Trap thing going there.’
I laugh.
‘There is no one I would rather Parent Trap my brother with,’ I say with a playful sigh.
‘Okay, so, I’m working right now,’ Adam reminds me playfully. ‘But we’ll talk later, yeah?’
I nod my head before grabbing him and kissing him again. As grand gestures go, that was better than I could have ever imagined.
I can’t help the stupid grin on my face as I stroll back through the backstage area – that is until I find myself face-to-face with Si.
‘Hi,’ I say cautiously.
‘Hello,’ he replies.
An awkward silence follows for a few seconds.
‘Well, I can’t compete with that,’ Si jokes, and I laugh.
‘I’m sorry about the way things worked out,’ I tell him honestly.
‘Me too,’ he replies. ‘But, for what it’s worth, I do think Adam really likes you. I’ve never seen him act this way with a girl – sorry, a woman.’
I grab him and give him a hug.
‘Thanks for being there for me when I needed someone,’ I tell him. ‘You’re a great friend.’
‘You are too,’ he replies. ‘I promise you, you’ll get no trouble from me, and if you want to move back in, well, that’s absolutely fine.’
‘You know what, I think I’m going to stay at home for a bit,’ I reply with a smile. ‘I’m getting used to them again now. But thanks.’
‘Okay, well, see you later,’ he says.
Oh, I am so going to get him and Rory back together, so to speak. It’s the least I can do.