Love at The Bluebird

The sound of the second period horn blares and my attention is brought back to the game as the puck drops. Both teams start the period out sluggish, but when the Red Wings score their third goal, it seems to light a fire beneath the Predators. They come on strong for the next ten minutes, smoking past the defense and taking shot after shot at the Red Wings goaltender, who plays phenomenally. He finally lets one slip past his pads and it’s none other than Brodie Larsen, who scores the goal to tie the game back up. Aly jumps out of her seat in excitement, cheering loudly for Brodie.

“Babe, did you see that? How cool is it that Brodie just tied it up?”

I laugh at her infectious excitement, my gaze dropping down to that beautiful smile of hers. A smile that makes me feel happy and alive every time I see it. A lump of emotions lodges in my throat as I look at her, and an overwhelming need to tell her how important she is to me starts to form. The feel of my cell vibrating in my pocket distracts me from my thoughts, and I pull it out to see I have a text from Harry.

Harry: Hey, man, great to hear from you. Thanks for the kind words. Let’s get together and jam soon.

I’m about to text him back, asking him to send me his schedule, when an idea pops in my head, making my eyes widen. It might embarrass the hell out of Aly, but in the end, if I can pull this off, it would be one of the best ways to publicly tell her how much she means to me. A mischievous smile forms on my lips and I text Harry back.

Me: How do you feel about jamming together in about fifteen minutes? Mind if I crash your second intermission set?

A small part of me feels like a selfish prick for asking, considering this is his gig, but his quick response back to me diminishes any guilt I had for asking.

Harry: Fuck yeah! Let’s do it. Meet me outside of Section 111 as soon as the second period ends, and I’ll bring you on stage with us.

I squeeze my fist in excitement, thankful that Harry is going to help me out. I look up at the scoreboard to see we have ten more minutes left in the period which in sports, can mean another thirty minutes with all the stops in between plays. Time seems to move more slowly, and I start to get antsy, unable to control my right leg from bouncing every few seconds with nervous energy.

“Gavin, your bouncing is driving me insane. What’s wrong with you? Do we need to take you to a doctor or something? You get like this every time you’re about to perform.” Damn Sosie for being so fucking loud, because now Aly is looking at me and my leg in concern.

“It’s okay, baby.” I give her a reassuring smile. “This game is just so exciting that I can’t sit still,” I lie through my teeth and start cheering “Let’s Go, Predators!” with the crowd, hoping I’m giving a convincing performance. Once she sees I’m okay, she turns her attention back to the game.

“Sos.” I lean closer to her so she can hear me over the loud sounds of the game. “When the band starts to play during the second intermission, I need you to record Aly’s reaction.”

“And why would I want to do that?” She leans back to look at me and narrows her eyes when she notices the wicked gleam in mine. “What are you planning, Gavin?”

“You’ll see.” I smirk, loving how the suspense of her not knowing what I’m up to is killing her.

Finally, the scoreboard reads five minutes left in the second period and I decide this is my time to make my move. I turn to Aly, grab her chin so she faces me, and kiss her before explaining. “Some friends of mine saw I was here when they announced it on the jumbotron and texted me to come say hello to them downstairs. I’m going to run there now before the crowd starts up during intermission. Be right back.”

“Sure.” She smiles at me and nods in acknowledgement before turning her attention back to the game when the crowd starts to cheer.

I leave the suite and text Harry that I’m on my way down. I should’ve taken into account the amount of time I’d spend with fans wanting pictures or me to sign shit, but this whole being famous business is still new to me. By the time I make it down to Section 111, Harry and his band are waiting for me.

“Good to see you, man,” I say after shaking all their hands and embracing Harry in a hug. “Thanks for letting me crash your gig.”