This can’t be real.
But Charles wouldn’t prank me like this, and definitely not in front of a crowd with press mixed in.
Another new paragraph appears.
It suddenly occurs to me that I might have started my speech document from within my shared lyrics folder … which I gave Griffin access to not long after we made our feelings known to each other. Which means he probably saw everything I wrote for tonight in advance—and had the ability to edit it.
Not wanting to look stupid again, I read these new words without hesitation, but secretly worry that they’re sealing a terrible fate—one in which FM Sound finds out about this and decides to unleash chaos. “As I embrace a new era, I will cherish my legal ownership of the music that got me started, but I want to make clear that it does not define me. Nothing I did or said or wore orwas… defines me.”Are those Griffin’s not-so-subtle words?“There are those who wanted to hold my music hostage in order to force me to cooperate, believing that I couldn’t move on without closure. Unfortunately for them, I was ready andwilling to walk away. When it came down to what matters most, I chose peace. Because of that choice, Glambam wants me to have justice too.”
Now I am helpless to withhold my tears. I don’t know what Griffin means by “justice,” but that word hits me right in the chest.
He comes to my side and puts an arm around me, whispering in my ear, “Almost done” as he points to the last teleprompter line.
“So,” I read, “let’s celebrate what Riff and I have done this year, and always remember: The best is yet to come.”
As the crowd erupts before us, he embraces me without reservation. I sink into him, still lost, but grateful to have him with me, letting my tears soak his shirt.
Maybe this will all fall apart later, but for the moment, I’m safe. And he isn’t angry with me.
Releasing me, though, he steps up to the microphone. “I have something to say as well.”
The guests settle.
Griff exhales once, sharply, and looks me—really looks at me—before he looks out at everyone else.
“A lot of people think they know what this is … what we’ve got going on between us,” he says, gesturing to me and himself. “They think it’s a marketing ploy or a fabricated story or … or a performance.” He huffs a laugh. “What’s ironic though, is that, for a minute there, we thought we were faking it too. We thought we were just making some music together, writing a couple of songs everyone might like, and that we’d endure it and it would be over and we’d go our separate ways. Instead, we found something we didn’t even know we were looking for. Something real—so real that it honestly scares me. Except … it’s a good kind of scared, like catching a really big wave in the swell. The kind of thing where I’m not sure I’m cut out for it, like I’m not badassenough for this, but … I’m also not going to back down, because it’s the chance to do something amazing. Making music with Harmony means I get to do my favorite thing, with my favorite person. The thing I love … with the woman I love.”
My lips part and I swear my heart actually skips a beat.
“Harm, you don’t have to say anything,” he clarifies as he turns to me, his voice dampened for the audience now that he’s not talking directly into the mic. “I just have to speak my truth.I love you. And if you don’t—”
“I love you too."
People gasp throughout the venue, or murmur comments.
One corner of Griffin’s mouth slowly rises. “Yeah?”
I nod.
For a moment we just stare at each other like no one else is watching, ignoring the whispers that break out around us. I reach up and draw his face down close to mine.
“To themoonand back,” I say.
He kisses me with full force.
About three seconds later, a BOOM reverberates in my bones and the next thing I know, huge metallic confetti flakes are floating through the air. Everyone is cheering again, louder than they have for anything all night.
Charles takes over the mic and says, “Thanks, friends! Happy listening!”
“Lip Sync” plays over the speakers like an anthem.
“How did you do it?” I ask Griffin, now that we’re safely hidden behind the stage and the party has resumed beyond us. “How did you handle everything with FM Sound?”
“I followed you to Saks,” he confesses. “I can see your location, remember? It didn’t make sense that you’d be at Rodeo—I heardyou tell my niece you hate it there—so I went to see what was up, and I saw you with Dana Hatton. I got the whole interaction on video. Even though I knew it wouldn’t be enough to hurt FM Sound legally, it gave me the idea to check security footage at the Wentworth bar where she first approached you. Then I realized she had to have done this kind of thing before, so I started digging, and I found other formerly signed artists that had also been threatened. After that, I scheduled a meeting with Charles under the guise of normal work stuff, told him everything, and he got Glambam legal involved—on the downest of lows—and they sent FM Sound a very stern letter, some official legal thing that basically says ‘We have some pattern evidence and some footage that puts you in jeopardy and shows intent to do harm to our client, so if you make good on your threats you’re going to be in for a world of hurt.’ Needless to say, FM Sound backed off. I mean, I don’t know for sure, because they obviously wouldn’t admit to anything, and no one from Glambam is allowed to talk to any of their executives in case things get messy, but the firm assured me and Charles both that the matter has been dealt with; FM Sound understands that the repercussions for defamation would not be worth keeping your masters over, and that any leak would make them subject to a thorough investigation, the news of which alone would badly taint their reputation even if it came up empty. Only, it wouldn’t come up empty, considering an in-house investigation at Glambam helped us find a PR intern named Aiden with some very shady files and messages on his devices.”
It takes me a minute to process all this.
Griffin did all this for me, and actually pulled it off? Charles went to bat for me too? Our careers are thriving and no one is going to try and take that away from us now? And …
