“Yeah,” he replies tersely.
A long, uncomfortable beat stretches between them, and Seacrest clears his throat awkwardly. “Well folks, we’re going to take a quick commercial break, but stay tuned, because when we come back, Jake Taylor will be performing live!”
“Hey!” Ali’s familiar voice cuts through the crowd, her petite body shuffling through the throng of bodies. “Somebody turn that off! We’ve got a woman with a broken heart over here! What are you trying to do, give her a stroke?” She grabs the remote and clicks off the TV, an action that’s met by an angry murmur from the crowd.
Man Bun picks up the remote and glares at us as he clicks the TV back on.
“IsaidI want to hear Olivia,” he says through gritted teeth.
Ali shoots me a helpless look, but I wave her off.
“I’m fine!” I say, somewhat surprised when I hear myself slurring. I guess I drank more tequila than I thought. “Totally and completely fine.”
She raises one eyebrow skeptically. “Are you sure about that? Because from where I’m standing, you look like Dr. Evil.” Her eyes shift downward. The chihuahua has found its way into my lap. Even worse, it seems I have unconsciously begun stroking it.
I shrug, then take another swig. “You, of all people, shouldn’t be judgmental about my new boyfriend.”
“Rude, yet merited.” Ali takes the tequila bottle out of my hand, placing it down on the sofa table, and sits down beside me. “Listen, if you’re seriously going to watch this, then I’m going to be right here by your side.”
“Us too.” Chloe and Mia materialize in front of us. Mia’s holdinga beer and Chloe’s clutching two glasses of champagne. She hands one to Ali and then sits down on my other side, slipping a hand through mine.
“You are not alone, okay? I promise you; you will never be alone.”
A second later, the commercial break has ended, and Seacrest’s face fills the screen again.
“Welcome back, everyone! We’re live at Times Square forNew Year’s Rockin’ Eve!” The crowd explodes in applause. “Ladies and gentlemen, here to perform his smash hit, ‘Blueberry,’ the one and only Jake Taylor!”
The camera pans to Jake, who is standing behind a microphone. He takes a step closer, wrapping his fingers around the base, and I inhale sharply as I brace myself to hear his voice. I think I fell in love with Jake the very first time I heard him sing, and despite everything that’s happened between us, my feelings for him haven’t faded a decimal. I know perfectly well that no matter how hard I try to convince myself that things are over between us, my body will betray the lie the moment I hear him sing the words he wrote for me. I straighten my shoulders and blow out an exhale, resigning myself to my fate. But before his band can start playing, Jake presses his lips to the microphone and clears his throat.
“Actually, there’s been a slight change in plans.” He’s staring directly into the camera and somehow, it feels like he’s looking right at me. A shiver runs down my spine.
“I recently lost someone incredibly important to me. The world may know her as the girl in the love song, but man, she’s so much more than that. She’s brilliant, and cool, and funny. An insanely talented chef. Basically the most amazing person I’ve ever met. She knew me before all of this”—he sweeps out an arm, gesturing to the crowd—“when I was just a nobody in a dive bar, and no matter how much my life changed, she never looked at me any differently. The truth is, she saved me. When I was at my lowestpoint, she took me by the hand and pulled me out of the darkness. She reminded me of the person I really am, even when I couldn’t see it for myself.”
The crowd has gone completely silent, hanging on to his every word. Hundreds of audience members are holding up their phones to record his speech.
Jake continues, his voice growing firmer, more resolute. “I’ve made so many mistakes. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, and forgotten about what really matters. I forgot why I fell in love with music in the first place. Worst of all, I neglected the people who matter most. I didn’t appreciate her enough, not until it was too late. But that ends now. I’m making some changes in my life, and I’m prepared to spend the rest of my days trying to become the man she deserves.
“So tonight, I’m going to play a different song. A far more important one. Because the truth is, none of my songs, especially ‘Blueberry,’ would have been possible without this one.”
He turns and nods to the drummer, who rests his sticks down. Suddenly, it’s clear that there will be no backing band.
The audience grows quiet. After a beat, Jake runs his thumb over the guitar strings. When the familiar chords waft through the TV screen, an invisible hand tightens around my heart.
“Isn’t this that song fromThe Music Man? ‘Till There Was You’?” Man Bun asks no one in particular, and someone murmurs in agreement.
Beside me, I hear Ali take a sharp breath, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Jake. I feel exactly like the first time I heard him sing—completely under his spell. Listening to him feels oddly nostalgic; for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m home.
After he delivers the final note, he reaches up, brushing a tear from his eye with the heel of his hand. The audience is quiet at first, then slowly breaks into scattered applause. The camera pans back to Seacrest, who clears his throat nervously.
“Wow, that was… um…”
“That washeartbreaking,” Trixie finishes for him. She’s dabbing the corners of her eyes with one gloved finger, careful not to smudge her winged eyeliner. Ryan opens his mouth like he’s about to correct her, but then closes it, nodding in concession.
“We’re going to take a quick break, but when we come back, Olivia Rodrigo will take the stage! Stay tuned and, uh… maybe call your ex.”
Even when the program switches to a commercial, I can’t tear my eyes from the screen. I don’t even realize I’m crying until I feel the warm wetness of a tear slip down the side of my cheek. Jolted back into reality, I realize the entire room has gone silent, save for the quiet whimpering of Man Bun.
“Did I… did I make a mistake?” I ask quietly to no one in particular. Chloe shifts her body beside me but doesn’t respond. Man Bun mutters something under his breath, then takes a sip of his beer. Even Ali is quiet for once. It’s Mia who finally speaks up.
