Page 80 of Gabriel's Album

“Oh, she must’ve misunderstood; we got some instruments and played music. I mean, we did play ‘If I Were You,’ so it was kind of a soundcheck?” I grin at her.

I consider telling her about the song we wrote, but it’s not ready yet, and I want her to hear it when it’s perfect. Especially since part of it is about her.

“Are we all going in the same limo?” she asks as I put my tux jacket on.

“Yeah, we are. They’ll want us to do some pics together during the Gauntlet.”

“I was thinking…” Ariana trails off, and I spin around to look at her.

She’s chewing on her lip and shifting from foot to foot with a look of uncertainty painted on her face.

“Thinking what?” I ask, walking over to stand in front of her.

I wrap my arms around her gently and look down at her, but she’s staring at my chest and won’t meet my gaze.

“That maybe we could walk through the Gauntlet together,” she mumbles.

My heart is thudding in my chest, where a tiny bloom of hope bursts and begins to flower. I put my hand under her chin and tilt her face so it’s turned up toward mine. She closes her eyes and still won’t look at me, though.

“Ariana,” I say, and she opens her eyes when I do.

I stare at her, hardly daring to believe that she could mean it. I feel as though the months of hiding everything, and of being as patient as I can with her, are finally paying off. But I also can’t allow myself to really believe she’s going to go through with what she’s just suggested.

“Do you mean that?” I breathe.

“Yeah, I do. I think-I mean, I know that I’m ready to do this,” she smiles at me and my heart explodes with joy.

I lean down to kiss her passionately, pulling her tighter against me as she melts into my embrace. Today is the best fucking day ever. I’m nominated for the Grammys with my best friends, and my girlfriend is going to be right there with me if we win.

I’m on cloud nine as we make our way down to the lobby to meet up with the rest of the band. Heather and Harrison are already waiting for us, along with Hayden. Both men are wearing tuxedos similar to mine, and Heather is wearing a long, slim, black dress that has a plunging V in the bodice and is studded with black rhinestones.

Hayden strikes up a conversation with Ariana and I throw my arm around Heather’s shoulders, careful not to mess up her hair, which is hanging in loose curls down her back.

“Thank you, H. I can’t believe you made a dress for Ari.”

She beams at me. “You’re welcome. I’ve always been interested in designing clothes, so it’s nice to have a model to practice on.”

I squeeze her shoulders and thank her again before moving over to stand with Ariana and Hayden, slipping my arm around her waist and smiling down at her, feeling at peace, but also feeling the excitement and nerves bubbling away in my stomach.

The limousine arrives to take us to the awards, and at the same time, Sebastian walks into the lobby with the blonde woman from earlier on his arm.

“Really? He’s taking a random?” Heather grumbles to Harrison.

Harrison rolls his eyes and shrugs as he quietly replies, “Apparently so.”

I’m not overly surprised that Sebastian is taking the woman, more that he’s managed to get her a ticket. As we get into the limo, I can’t help but wonder where she’s going to sit during the ceremony. I slide in after Ariana, who sits between Heather and me.

“So, did you decide on what you’re going to do tonight?” Heather asks her once we’re seated, and I raise my eyebrows at the question.

I wonder if they talked about it when they were getting ready for the evening.

This theory is confirmed for me when Ariana replies, “Yeah, I told Gabriel that I would walk in with him.”

I still can’t believe it, and I grin at the two women next to me. Ariana has become just as important to my friends as she is to me. We've been together as a group for so long that the few partners Hayden or I have had over the years, occasionally struggled to fit in.

Ariana was a perfect fit from the start, though, except for her fear of the paparazzi. If she’s finally ready to let go of that, I can’t see any obstacles in our future, and that’s fucking amazing.

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Heather says, and Harrison smiles at Ariana from the other side of Heather.

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