Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
A s I pull away, the noise of the crowd fades, and all I see is Ryker’s love for me as he declares it to the world without a hint of hesitation.
It’s been a long road, but I know we are in this together, and I won’t allow him to face this by himself.
Grabbing the mic, I kiss his head before I turn to the crowd.
“Ryker is telling the truth. We are in love. I’m in love with Ryker and have been for a long time, but we refuse to hide anymore.
I know you all saw the photos of us and, well, they are true.
We weren’t trying to hide our relationship, but to keep it for ourselves while we figured out where it fit in our world and careers, but that choice was taken from us.
Because of this, we will be taking a break as a band.
We were given no other choice. Our label feels our relationship will hinder our performance and upset fans, and that is the last thing we want to do.
Our lives have been about making music and sharing it with the world, and when you all fell in love with the music just as much as us, we were so happy.
You gave four lost men pouring their souls into their instruments and voices their dream, but our entire life isn’t music.
I will never apologize for falling in love with my best friend. ” I look at him and smile.
“Our label, our fans all shipped us, using it to sell myself and products. They didn’t care if it was real or fake as long as it got them what they wanted, but now that they are faced with the truth of us being together, they don’t want it.
As a band, we have decided that if we can’t have this future together, then we will walk away.
We have been together since the beginning, and we’ll be together until the end.
I won’t say sorry for falling in love. I’m in love with my best friend, and I have never been happier.
He makes me a better man than I ever was, and for a short time, we got to live our dreams together, and that’s enough for me.
My entire future was focused around music, but now it’s around my family.
” I glance at Strike and Dash. “We refuse to back down on this or hide.”
Ry leans into the mic. “I also won’t apologize for falling in love with my best friend.
We’ve had the happiest few years of our lives when we started this band together, performed, and became Sanctuary.
The idea of walking away from this terrifies me more than you’ll ever know, but the idea of losing him terrifies me more.
I hope you all understand. We aren’t going to say goodbye—not now and not ever.
We will always be Sanctuary and always be there for you when you need us, and I hope that you still love us the same after tonight and support us no matter where our journey takes us. ”
Dash takes the mic. “We love you all, and we support our best friends. This choice was easy for us to make. I am so happy to see them together and in love.”
“They are right,” Strike chimes in. “I watched my best friends struggle to hide what they felt and not cross the line, but seeing them together? How could that ever be wrong? We are with them until the end.”
Fuck, I won’t cry again.
I take the mic back and breathe deeply. “So, my lost souls, music lovers, and our family, tonight we are going to sing until we lose our voices and play until our fingers bleed. Tonight, we will give the show of our lives and hope there will be more in the future, but if there isn’t, know that tonight is what we have always dreamed of, and we will never forget the love you have shown us.
We love you all no matter where we go next, so let’s make tonight last forever. What do you say?”
We wait anxiously as the cameras pan over the crowd, and we glance up at the screens.
I see some crying faces, but I also see so many screaming our names.
I recognize worry and love, and suddenly flashlights fill the crowd.
My eyes widen as more and more light up until a river of lights stare back at us, illuminating the arena as stomps fill the air and a chant begins.
It’s our name.
Sanctuary.
The entire arena stands behind us, and I know Po is right. Our fans will save us, but even if they don’t, we have tonight.
I know we are all feeling the same way in this moment, supported and loved, and no matter what happens, we will never forget this. Clearing my throat, I try to compose myself as much as I can as Ryker steals the mic with a grin.
“Since we aren’t hiding anymore, how about listening to a song we wrote about falling in love?” The crowd shouts, and he chuckles. “Baby?”
“Let’s do it.” I nod and peck his cheek.
There are no drums in this song, only a guitar and a singer, so Dash and Strike plop their asses on the edge of the stage facing us, giving us thumbs-up.
The spotlight hits us, and there are no pyrotechnics or fancy lights as Ry croons about falling in love with your best friend. I never take my eyes off him, and he never takes his off me. This is for us. We are done hiding. Whatever tomorrow will bring, we will always have this.
When the last note dies off, he steps into my side, and I press a kiss to his head as we breathe through the intense emotions.
Dash and Strike huddle around us for a moment before we break apart, and Dash takes the mic. “Okay, enough wallowing in our feelings. Let’s bring this house down! Let’s make this night last forever!” The crowd screams with him, and they hurry back to their positions while Ry and I follow them.
We perform every single song we have ever written. It isn’t perfect, and we make mistakes, but I’ve never had so much fun. We dance and play, and we do this for us and our fans, not the label, money, or fame. We do this for the love of the music, and I hope that comes through.
We perform two encores, but before long, we are told to come off stage, and I know we can’t put it off anymore.
None of us want to leave, knowing it will be our last time on stage, but we have no choice. The curtain is falling, so as we finish up the second encore, we form a line at the end of the extended stage.
“We are Sanctuary, and we will love you forever. Thank you for making our last performance the best night of our lives!” Ryker yells.
“We love you!” Dash and Strike shout, and I lean into the mic.
“Thank you for saving my life. We’ll always have this night.”
Waving, I memorize the screaming crowd. This could be the last time I experience this, and I never want to forget it, not for as long as I live, but more importantly, I never want to forget who is at my side during it.
Gripping Strike’s hand, I smile sadly at him as he looks from me to the screaming crowd. Ry is on my other side, holding Dash who is crying, and I swallow my own tears, tugging them into my embrace as we say our final goodbye.
As the lights turn off and we walk off stage, we still hear them chanting our name.