Page 90 of For One Night Only

I tilt the mic back. “Thank you bothso muchfor coming!” I reach into my pocket and hand them each one of the custom purple Glitter Bats guitar picks that Wade ordered as a surprise for us tonight. The fans jump up and down.

I grin, handing out a few more as I walk past some other fans in the pit, fist-bumping and throwing peace signs and even taking a selfie with someone’s phone. “You’re all amazing. We love our Glitterbugs!”

“We really have the best fans in the world, don’t we?” Valerie asks from her mic. “They probably want to hear another one.”

I turn back to face her. “I’m sorry, I got distracted. Is it time to play the next song?”

The audience yells a few of their favorites.

Valerie places her hands on her hips in mock-annoyance, which we also rehearsed. The crowd laughs. “They didn’t just come here to hang out, Caleb Alexander Sloane.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, Valerie Elizabeth Quinn, let’s rock.”

Riker leans into his mic. “This one’s called ‘Summer Sunset.’ Sing along if you know it.” More screaming. This song is a Rikerfeature since he wrote it with us, and he gets the guitar solo while Valerie plays rhythm. They’ve both already swapped out their guitars, which tells me I spent exactly the right amount of time up front.

Jane confirms it in the monitor talkback. “That was perfect, Caleb.”

Riker launches into the song, and Valerie and I join in on the chorus, just like we planned. We settle into a groove, and the time starts to fly by, our set going without a hitch. By the time we’re winding down to the last few songs, I realize, now more than ever, that I don’t want this night to end.

Maybe I don’t want to stop playing music with these people. Maybe I never did.

When it’s time for the big reveal, I force myself to focus. Valerie and I each grab a stool and an acoustic and huddle around two mics.

“You didn’t think we’d finish tonight without a surprise, did you?” Valerie asks, looking at the crowd with mock-dismay.

Their response is wonderful and overwhelming, as it has been all night.

“There’s one song Valerie and I started to write together years ago that we never finished. But I’m excited to announce that we had a chance to complete it this summer, and—”

Valerie interrupts me to tell the crowd, “This is when you get your phones out.”

The stadium lights up with the glittering sea of recording phones.

I continue, “—and we’re excited to share the world premiere of ‘Daydreams Like This.’ ”

I look at Valerie, and she nods, biting her lip. She leans into her own mic one last time. “This is a love song.”

The fans absolutely lose their shit as we play the intro. Whileshe begins to sing, I pretend it’s just me and Valerie, and we’re not in a stadium full of thousands of people. A chill rushes through me as her voice rings out, clear and true, and my skin prickles with goose bumps. She sounds perfect. This moment is perfect.

I can’t believe we’re really doing this.

I swallow thickly, trying to keep it together. When it’s my turn, I sing every word from the bottom of my bruised and battered heart, and by the way her eyes are shining, I know she understands what I’m feeling, especially as we’re singing in tight harmony on the new bridge:

never knew my heart could feel it

’til I kissed you and I fell

thought I had to keep you secret

but it’s too good not to tell

got all my hopes and dreams

now I’m finally waking up

cause making it means nothing

if I’m there without your love

---