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My mum purposely coughs very loudly and shoots me one of her looks – one that is very clearly intended to warn me against having backstage sex with any boybands. On any other occasion, a romp with one, two, three or all four members of The Burnouts (let’s dream big, it’s pure fantasy, after all) would sound absolutely wonderful (in theory, I guess, because there’s no way I have the game or the energy to pull all that off – no pun intended), but not today. That’s how you know I’ve got it bad for Adam.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Chillz, everyone’s favourite punk/metal band. Yikes, I bet that hurt,’ Adam says to the heavily pierced lead singer as he runs offstage after his set. From what I could see on the big screen, I counted at least nine piercings, and that was just the ones from the neck up.
‘Next up we have something completely different,’ Adam tells the crowd. Someone in the audience wolf whistles at Adam and he thanks them before he continues. He looks the tiniest bit embarrassed by all the female attention, but in a way that is entirely charming.
‘Imagine the opposite of Chillz, so take away the instruments and fill in all the piercing holes…’ Adam chuckles to himself, pausing for dramatic effect. ‘Who wants to see The Burnouts?’ he calls out.
Eardrum-damaging screams follow as almost every female on the beach goes wild. I can hear a particularly loud screeching noise coming from nearby, but it’s only as I look for the source of it that I realise it’s my mum, screaming and clapping like an excited teenage girl.
‘But first,’ Adam starts, taking a deep breath before he continues, ‘I need to say something and I’ve squared it with my boss so don’t expect to see any massive bouncers manhandle me off the stage, but know that if you try and get up here to touch The Burnouts’ Dylan King inappropriately, they will pounce on you without a second thought.’
Laughter from the audience, as well as more screaming for The Burnouts – most of which really is coming from my mum, Mel and Angie.
‘I want to take a moment to talk about something a little different. I’ve got a confession to make, and I figure there’s no better place to do it than here, with all of you as witnesses,’ he continues.
Oh, God, what is he doing?
‘I’m not sure if you know this about me, but I’m a bit of a movie buff,’ Adam continues, his eyes scanning the crowd. ‘And there’s this one actor I really admire – Leonardo DiCaprio. You might’ve heard of him.’
The crowd chuckles, and I feel a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth, as I wonder where this is going.
Adam’s grin widens.
‘Leo’s been in some pretty iconic films, right? But there’s one movie that stands out to me because of a certain scene – a scene that I think is kind of perfect for what I’m trying to say right now. And not only that, but it’s one that features his legendary blonde curtains, which I myself had as a teenager – not that it helped me get any girls.’
The crowd quietens down, and I feel my heart start to race. He’s still scanning the crowd, like he’s looking for someone. Like he’s looking for me. He has to be, right?
‘In Titanic, there’s this moment,’ Adam says, his voice softer now, more serious. ‘Jack and Rose are in the freezing Atlantic Ocean – sort of like you’re all feeling here tonight. There’s room on that door, right? We all know it, but Jack sacrifices himself for Rose. Now, I’m not saying I’m ready to freeze to death in the Atlantic – although the sea here is pretty cold at the moment – but I’m saying that when you care about someone, really care about them, you’d do just about anything to keep them safe, to make them happy.’
My breath catches in my throat. He knows I’m here. He has to. This isn’t just some random speech.
‘So, here’s the thing,’ Adam says, his voice carrying over the crowd, reaching into every corner. ‘There’s someone in this crowd right now who means the world to me. Someone who, if she feels the same way about me as I do about her, I’d like to think she’d come find me. We’ve been through some rough seas – pun intended – but I’m willing to weather the storm if she is.’
I feel a lump forming in my throat. No one has ever made a grand gesture for me before, or even a small one really, and this one is… wow. This is pretty big.
‘So, if you’re out there, and you feel the same way,’ Adam says optimistically, ‘then come find me. I promise I’m not going to let you freeze out there on your own.’
The crowd erupts into cheers and applause, but I’m frozen in place – no pun intended. This is my moment, my chance to go to him, to tell him how I feel. But can I do it? Can I really put myself out there like that?
I don’t know how long I stand there, rooted to the spot, my mind racing. But then, almost without thinking, I start moving, pushing through the crowd, making my way towards the stage. People part for me as I go, and it’s like the entire world has gone quiet; the only sound I can hear is my own heartbeat thudding in my ears.
Adam’s still on stage, still looking out over the crowd. He hasn’t spotted me yet, but I’m getting closer, feeling more terrified with every step.
Finally, I’m at the front, right by the stage, and I look up at him. Our eyes meet, and for a split second, everything else falls away. It’s just the two of us, in this moment, and I’m not terrified any more.
He gestures for me to join him, backstage, so one of the bouncers lets me through and, honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever have a cooler moment in my life.
Adam takes a step towards me, his smile softening as he reaches out to take my hand.
‘I wasn’t sure if you’d come,’ he admits, his voice seeming so quiet now that he isn’t holding a mic.
‘I wasn’t sure if I would either,’ I confess, my voice shaking. ‘Why did you stop calling?’
‘You weren’t answering,’ he says with a laugh. ‘I knew I needed to do something big to show you that I was serious.’
I smile.
‘Your family and friends came through for me then. I wasn’t sure they could get you here,’ he says, taking my face in his hand gently. ‘So, what do you say? You ready to hold on to that door with me?’
