“Well, San Diego,” he said into the microphone. “This is quite a night, isn’t it? Some of you may have seen my name in the news recently.”
As he spoke, he began to play some soft chords on the keyboard.
“For those of you who don’t know, I became famous relatively early in my life. I was only a teenager when I joined Good Treble, and I’ve lived my entire life since then in the spotlight. I don’t regret that. It’s allowed me to do incredible things, like perform for all of you, and share my music with the world. I am so deeply thankful for the community that has risen up around my music. I am so thankful for all of you.”
He smiled again and played some more chords.
“Because I joined Good Treble when I was so young, I didn’t finish high school in the traditional way. But I remember what it was like to be in high school. I remember how rumors could get started, how we all liked to be in each other’s business. We could be cruel when we were younger, couldn’t we?”
He stared out at the crowds, his expression growing serious. He had things to say, and he needed them to hear his message.
“I am proud to say that I am a gay man.”
The crowd cheered, and Joel smiled again. At the end of the day, he loved his fans. They were good people, with good hearts. Sometimes, they got a little carried away and could do with some gentle parenting.
“This is not something I thought I would ever share with the world, because the world is not always a kind place, especially to people who exist outside what society has deemed ‘normal’ for sexual and gender identity. I thought that I could protect myself by hiding this aspect of my identity. And, truthfully, I worried what it would mean for the success of my art if I came out.”
He frowned. The next part was hard for him to say.
“My chance to come out on my own terms was taken away from me last week. I think it’s a despicable thing, stealing someone’s chance to share their truth. What happened to me was a gross invasion of my privacy, and I’ll admit that I was disappointed to see how some of my fans responded. I am so thankful that my fans enjoy my music. I am glad that my fans feel connected to me. I hope that my music has, in some way or another, shown hope to other people. However,noneof that gives anyone an excuse to dig into my personal life, to analyze my past, or my present. I am a human being, entitled to privacy and respect and decency.”
To his surprise, there was another uproarious cheer from the crowd.
“I am humbled and thankful for the people who defended me against some of the attacks I faced online. As many of you know, I don’t use social media myself, so everyone who was insulting me was actually insulting some poor interns in the marketing department at my record label. Shame on those trolls.”
He played another chord—he was getting ready to launch into a song. “I didn’t have the chance to come out the way I wanted to.Wedidn’t have the chance to announce our love the way we wanted to.”
He glanced up at the Jumbotrons behind him, which now showed Quentin in his private box in the stadium, smiling and waving at the camera. Another cheer from the crowd.
“Yes,” Joel said. “Quentin Hartley and I are dating. Surprise! I wish that we had had the chance to share our truths in our time, and in our way, but that chance was taken from us. However, there are still some things I’d like to say.”
He couldn’t quite see Quentin’s private box, because the stadium was so large, but he knew where to look. He smiled up in that direction. “Quentin, my love, you came into my life in the most absurd way, in the craziest times, and yet you fit perfectly into it. I am so beyond thankful that I get the chance to love you and to share my life with you. Over the past few months, in all the free time I’ve had—I’m being facetious, of course, because I’ve hadnofree time—I’ve been working on some music. I’m always writing songs, and this one is for you.”
Up in the private suite, Quentin leaned close to the windows. He drank in every word Joel said, and he was already crying. Henri laid a hand on his shoulder. The others in the suite looked carefully in his direction. Ariadne wiped tears from her eyes. It was a surreal moment for Quentin—in this private box, in what felt like a new world, about to watch the man he’d fallen in love with proclaim that love to the world.
He knew it was fast. He knew that he and Joel had only been “together” for a few months, but he knew what he wanted. They both did. They’d found certainty together, and they weren’t going to let go.
The song that Joel sang was a sweet, heartfelt ballad called “My First Love Song.” It spoke of the thrill and uncertainty of a secret relationship, and the sweet joy of realizing you were falling in love. It described quiet moments and stolen glances, and the power of discovering you were ready to share your love with the world.
By the end of the song, Joel was crying, and Quentin was crying, and everyone else around him was crying, too.
Joel stared up at the suite where Quentin stood, and Quentin could’ve sworn their eyes locked.
“I love you, Quentin Hartley,” Joel said into the microphone.
“I love you, too,” Quentin whispered.
Epilogue
Quentin
Three months later
The modern news cycle works fast, and by the time the Playoffs came to a glorious end (Boston didn’t win that year, losing in the semi-finals, with the Seattle Killer Whales snagging the cup), everyone who’d been so concerned with talking about Quentin and Joel’s relationship had gone on to talking about other things. Hockey news returned to hockey coverage, and the entertainment world was focused on various other scandalous events (like the fact that Troy Whitman, Ariadne Lake’s ex-producer, had leaked the story about Quentin and Joel to get the eyes of the media off his back, a decision which backfired when one of his assistants blew the whistle, and he was stuck with a massive lawsuit), or other news, like Joel’s announcement of his upcoming album,My Life and Love, which he had written and recorded while on tour. “My First Love Song” was the lead single from that album. Quentin had heard the album in full and loved it. It was some of Joel’s simplest work, mostly acoustic songs with only a piano and a synthesizer for background music. Joel provided all the vocals, melody, and harmony. It was beautiful.
Quentin was glad to be done with the season. He had seriously thought about retiring after the season, because everything that had happened around his coming out had left a sour taste in his mouth. However, after the Seattle Killer Whales had won the Cup, Sebastiaan Koning had tracked Quentin down and encouraged him to keep playing. The Dutchman reminded Quentin that visibility in sports was important.
But Quentin needed something to change. His contract with Boston was up, and he was ready for something new. He and Joel decided that they wanted to be in the same city—not Los Angeles, but New York. The New York Monarchs were a good NHL team, and they needed some new players, with two of their star centers retiring. They took Quentin, and they were also taking Sebastiaan Koning. The owners and managers of the New York Monarchs said they were ready to push hockey forward with equality, progress, and diversity, and they were excited about having two incredibly talented, openly queer athletes joining the team for the next season. Quentin was excited to play with Koning. He was an incredible player and was known as the Basher. Quentin had a feeling they would be good friends.
