Page 127 of Breaking My Silence

When we walked up to the will call window at the T-Mobile Center the next afternoon and I told the attendant that something was waiting for us, Kyler turned and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. When we were handed two VIP passes a minute later, her eyes went comically wide.

“Um, babe, is there something you want to tell me?” she said slowly.

“I did a thing,” I admitted. “I honestly didn’t think anything would come of it, but I Tweeted Daphne the article about what happened to you, and I told her you were a big fan and that we were coming to the show tonight. So really, you have her to thank, not me.”

She groaned. “And now I’m the dork who’s going to be wearing a shirt with her face on it while I’m meeting her. You couldn’t have warned me?”

I laughed. Seriously,thatwas what she was worried about? Girls.

“I’d offer to trade shirts with you, but I think one of my arms might fit in your shirt,” I teased. “I didn’t want you to psych yourself up over it, so I figured I’d surprise you instead. And I can guarantee you, you’re not the only person who’s ever met her while wearing a shirt with her face on it. Come on. Let’s go meet one of your idols, and then Maya made a reservation for us at Prime Cut.”

* * *

“Oh, my God. You must be Kyler,” Daphne said with a huge grin, complete with dimples, when we were escorted into the room for the meet and greet.

Kyler nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

“If I promise to be super gentle, can I give you a hug?” she asked.

My girl turned bright pink, but nodded again, so Daphne gave her a hug, being careful to avoid the slinged arm.

“I know you probably don’t want to talk about what happened to you, but I just wanted to tell you that you’re so brave and I’m so proud of you for coming forward and speaking out about it,” she murmured. “I went through something…well, not exactly like what you went through, but similar, so I know how hard it is.”

“I read about that when it happened. I can’t imagine how awful it was,” Kyler mumbled. “Um, ‘Queen of the Angels’ has helped me get through everything that’s happened to me in the past few years, and you’ve been a huge inspiration to me. I wanted to thank you for that.”

“Thankyou,” Daphne said with a soft smile. “People like you, who still find reasons to smile after going through so much pain and heartache, are huge inspirations to me. I actually wanted to ask you if you would be okay with me dedicating a song to you tonight. I’m adding a cover to my set list tonight just for you, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if you’d rather not have me say your name.”

Kyler’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

She chuckled. “Yep, really.”

“Yeah, you can dedicate it to me. What song?” Kyler asked.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” she teased. “So, do you have something I can sign for you?”

Kyler emptied the VIP swag bag that she’d gotten and had Daphne sign the tote, and then we took pictures with her and were escorted back out.

“I can’t believe I got a hug from Daphne DeVille,” she giggled.

“Are you saying she gives better hugs than me?” I teased.

She elbowed me in the ribs, still giggling and beaming. God, was I glad to see that. I hadn’t seen a real smile on her face in way too damn long.

“No,” she said, stopping to wrap her arms around me. “No one gives better hugs than you. But she’s a close second. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

I chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Anything for you, baby. You’re at least putting the picture of all three of us up as your profile pic, though, right?”

She laughed. “Yes. And I’m never changing it. Ever.”

“Not even when you’re thirty?” I teased.

“Not even then. There’s still going to be a picture of us as eighteen-year-olds with Daphne freaking DeVille as my profile picture,” she giggled.

* * *

“Before the show tonight, I got to meet an amazing girl named Kyler,” Daphne said in the middle of her set.

I was actually surprised by how much I was enjoying this concert. I really did like Daphne’s music, but if it hadn’t been for Kyler, I wouldn’t have come to this show voluntarily. The choreography and production value reminded me a lot of the footage I’d seen of P!nk’s concerts…with slightly less acrobatics.

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