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Reggie ran his hands down the pant leg of his suit, wishing he could get his palms to stop sweating.
Alex shook his head at him. “Don’t. You’ll leave marks.”
“They’re black,” Reggie noted. He was wearing a suit by some designer he’d never heard of, which consisted of a fitted victory red jacket embroidered with stars in black thread, black lapels and fitted black pants. His shirt was black with the top button open. The stylist had felt the open collar “suited the casual nature of the band.” It also meant his silver chain with the black tourmaline pendant could be seen. It was a replacement for the first pendant Flynn had given him which he'd lost when the leather thong broke at a party a couple of years ago. He wore the new one every day. Reggie was just glad it was loose around his throat; it already felt a bit hard to breathe.
“They’re shiny. Your hands will stain them,” Alex said. He was right. The pants did have a light sheen to them. They looked sleek, like a dolphin, or a whale.
Reggie twisted the silver ring around his left middle finger. It was a gift from Flynn for his eighteenth birthday and he’d never taken it off. “I don’t want to think about sea mammals.”
Alex frowned. “Sea mammals? Are you okay?”
“Not really?” Reggie said with a wince. “I’m really nervous.”
“I get that. I think we all are. It’s our first Grammys!”
“Damn straight!” Luke came back into the hotel room and immediately stepped into a high five with Alex. “Hey, you guys look nice.” Luke went up to Alex and smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle on the lapels of his charcoal grey tuxedo. Alex had gone for a classic look, with a snow-white shirt. He looked handsome and mature, and definitely not like he was going to fall apart any second. “Grey looks good on you.”
“Bibi just left,” Alex explained. Bibi was the band stylist and it was her job to try to make them all look presentable as possible. “And thanks. I like your look, too.” He rubbed some lipstick off the side of Luke’s mouth. “And how’s Julie?”
“She looks so good!” Luke beamed. “Like, her dress is the same colour as my tux, but covered in sequins! She’s gonna look so rad when we go onstage!”
Luke was wearing a dark blue tuxedo with black lapels, a black shirt and a black tie. The blue had the same type of shine as Reggie’s pants. Bibi had told him not to shave to help give the outfit the hard edge it needed, and it’d worked. He looked ultra modern and very rock and roll.
“Julie always looks so good,” Reggie agreed. He bit his lip. “How do I look?” He went to run his hands through his hair then stopped, knowing Bibi would kill him if he mussed it. She’d styled it with a light pomade away from his forehead.
“Like a cinnamon heart. Edible and hot.” Luke winked.
“Yeah, Flynn’s going to love it,” Alex said.
“Do you think so?” Reggie adjusted his collar, wishing he could open more buttons. He swallowed. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”
“Are you kidding? It’s a great idea!” Luke said with his usual enthusiasm. “She’s going to love it!”
“And it’s totally original. Way better than Disneyworld,” Alex said.
Reggie chewed on his bottom lip. “But… what if we don’t win?”
Luke and Alex looked at each other like Reggie had lost his mind. “We’re going to win,” Luke said.
“Totally. We’re nominated for four. There’s no way we won’t win at least two.”
“Yeah, we’ve got Album of the Year for sure!” Luke enthused. “I mean, you’ve heard it, right?”
“Okay, yeah, we’ll win at least one.” Reggie chuckled, then he frowned. “But I don’t want to do it straight off. What if we only win one?”
“We’ll win more than one,” Luke said with total confidence. “But Disneyworld is still a really good plan B.”
“For sure.” Alex nodded. “Don’t worry, Reggie. You got this.”
“I got this,” Reggie murmured. He touched his chest, feeling the small, hard circle in the inside breast pocket. Bibi hadn’t let him use a box because it “ruined the line.” He hoped Flynn wouldn’t mind.
Alex checked his watch. It was a present from Willie for his 21st birthday last October, and he’d worn it for every big event since. “We should go meet the others and head down. Limo should be here soon.”
“Awesome!” Luke bounced on his toes, a habit he’d had since he was a little kid. “Hey, I just realized me and Reggie are wearing the same colours we wore to prom back in 2021.”
That startled a laugh out of Reggie. “That’s crazy.”
“Being at the Grammys is crazy,” Alex said with a grin. “I mean, we kind of died back in 1995, and now we're here. And it's not even the most amazing thing that happened to us."
Meeting Flynn was Reggie's most amazing thing. He patted his breast pocket, heart pounding like one of Alex’s drum solos. He could hardly wait to see her. He put his arms around Alex and Luke’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”
The limo ride to the Staples Centre in South Park was far too short to calm Reggie’s nerves.
Flynn looked breathtaking in a tight red and black dress that perfectly complimented his suit. Bibi had clearly worked her magic to make sure they’d match. Flynn’s hair was up in what he knew was called a "pineapple updo," which was both easy on her hair and looked amazing. Bibi had spritzed her curls with something that made them glint under the soft lighting of the venue.
“You’re so beautiful,” Reggie murmured against her ear. They’d made their way through what felt like a million photos on the red carpet and were finally inside the doors. The band had been waylaid for photographs and interviews multiple times, which was both exciting and exhausting. Luckily Los Angeles wasn’t hot in January, or Reggie was sure he would’ve sweated through his suit by now. As it was, his nerves were dampening his forehead. He hoped he wouldn’t look too shiny in all the photos.
“Thank you.” Flynn turned her head just enough to buss his mouth with a quick kiss. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Reggie chuckled at that. “Bibi does a good job.” He licked his lips. “How’s your Gift?” Flynn’s Gift let her sense if things were going to happen, and those things were usually bad. He hoped her Gift hadn’t sensed about the ceremony; he wanted tonight to be perfect.
“Not a peep.” Flynn grinned at him. “Did you want to teleport us to our seats?”
“Do you want me to?” Reggie asked seriously. He didn’t want his Gift to attract more attention than the band, but he’d do anything for her.
“No.” She laughed. “I look way too good not to show everyone.”
Reggie laughed with her, loving how happy she was. He put his hand on the small of her back and led her towards their seats. Because they were performing, they’d been seated in the orchestra with easy access to the stage. One of the many production assistants would come get them when it was time for them to change for their song, and then would lead them back to their seats during a commercial break.
He hated the idea of not being with Flynn for the whole night. But he was excited to perform, knowing she’d be watching. And Willie, Ray and Bobby would be sitting with her, so at least he knew she wouldn’t be alone.
Ray and Bobby were already sitting down by the time they reached their row. “That was fast,” Reggie said to them.
“No one’s interested in a producer.” Bobby shrugged. Ray was seated beside him, and they were holding hands.
“Right,” Ray said skeptically, “because the fact you won Producer of the Year in the preshow means nothing.”
“Eh,” Bobby said. But he grinned and Ray kissed him.
“You’re lucky you weren’t stopped by everyone,” Flynn said as she took a seat next to Ray. “I swear, Reggie and I must have had our picture taken a thousand times.”
“Luke and Julie are still out there,” Reggie said, thinking of when he’d last seen the two lead singers. They’d been talking to the host of some Canadian entertainment show Reggie had never heard of. “I think Alex and Willie are with them.”
“Didn’t they want shots of the band together?” Ray asked.
“Like, only a million.” Flynn rolled her eyes. “But since the rumour started that Julie’s pregnant, everyone wants to talk to her and Luke. We managed to escape.”
“How can people believe bullshit like that?” Ray clucked his tongue. “So stupid.”
“But it’s great clickbait,” Bobby said. “Besides, they’ll figure it out in nine months when there’s no new little Molina in the world.”
“They need to get married first, or Tia will kill them,” Ray said.
“Victoria’s really into traditional values, isn’t she?” Flynn said. “First marriage, then babies…” she rolled her eyes.
“Sounds like you’re not into it,” Bobby said.
“Oh no, I really want kids,” Flynn said, then shrugged. “It’s the marriage part. I mean, I’m not anti-marriage or anything. But I think commitment is the most important part. Like, who needs the government to get involved if Reggie and I know we’re going to be together forever?” She said the last part looking right into Reggie’s eyes.
Reggie swallowed, thinking of his plans for tonight going up in smoke. “You… don’t want to get married?”
“I kind of thought we already were?” Flynn grinned at him as she said it. It was a line they’d been repeating to each other since Reggie had told a hospital receptionist they were married when he was barely eighteen.
He kissed the back of her hand, unsure how to answer. It’d never occurred to him Flynn wouldn’t care if they were officially married or not. He suddenly wasn’t even sure if she wanted to get married. The ring in his pocket suddenly felt very heavy.
“I don’t think Flynn wants to get married.”
Julie’s gaze met Reggie’s where they were both looking in the mirror. It was ten minutes before their live performance and they were in the "touch up" stage of hair and make up before they went on. “What?”
In a cool twist on costuming, Bibi had put all the guys into shiny sleeveless black shirts and torn jeans while Julie was wearing a form-fitting, sparkling cocktail-length black dress with long sleeves and a modest V neck. Her hair was down and cascaded in soft curls around her shoulders. She looked gorgeous.
Alex turned to look at him. “Wait, do you mean married in general, or specifically married to you?”
Bibi smacked his shoulder. “I’m not done your hair!” He snapped his gaze forward again, apologetic. Bibi slicked one side of his side part back and tucked it behind his ear.
“I think married in general?” Reggie said, suddenly unsure.
Luke was super happy about not having to wear sleeves and couldn’t stop grinning at his reflection. “It has to be married in general,” he said confidently. “She’s been with you for what? Five years? I doubt she would’ve stayed that long if she didn’t want to be with you.”
“But Reggie’s right, it doesn’t mean she wants to be married. Flynn’s never said she didn’t want it, but a girl can change her mind,” Julie said. “But, haven’t you guys talked about it?”
“Not really?” Reggie admitted. “We’ve always just joked about us already being married. I just assumed she wanted it. Like I do.”
“I don’t think you’re wrong,” Julie said.
“Yeah, Flynn wants to get married. She’d never miss an opportunity to wear a fancy dress in front of a crowd!” Luke grinned.
Bibi tapped Alex on the shoulder, letting him know he was done, and gestured Luke over to the chair. “Is this about your proposal?” she asked Reggie, even as she mussed Luke’s hair into a more rock-friendly style.
“Yeah. I was planning on proposing tonight. On stage. But now I don’t know if I should,” Reggie said, miserable. He’d been thinking about nothing else but her beautiful face lighting up with happiness and joy for months; ever since they’d heard from Bobby they’d been nominated. He twisted the ring on his middle finger, unable to shake the terrible feeling of disappointment.
“Of course you should,” Bibi said like he was particularly dumb. “Luke’s right. Flynn loves the spotlight, and she’s definitely going to want that ring.”
One of the stage hands poked her head through the door. “Five minutes!”
“Almost ready,” Bibi called back.
“Do you really think so?” Reggie asked. His disappointment had morphed back to excitement and hope so fast he felt a bit sick. “But what if she’s mad because she really doesn’t want it?”
“I guess you could just stay engaged?” Julie offered. “I mean, she’s already totally committed to you. Why would a ring and a proposal be bad?”
“She’s loves you, man,” Alex said. “You’re not going to get this wrong.”
Luke got out of the chair and went over to Julie. She leaned against him, careful not to get her make up on his shirt. “Just do it,” Luke said.
“Flynn’s always said she wanted a huge, public proposal,” Julie reminded him. “And it will be great publicity for the band. She’ll love it.”
“I love it, too!” Luke beamed. “Julie, maybe I should propose to you tonight!”
The look Julie gave him was withering. “Did you learn nothing from your promposal?”
“Okay.” Reggie took a deep breath. “Okay. Getting engaged is not the same as getting married. Flynn will love it. It’s still a good idea.” He looked at his friends. “Right?”
“For sure.” Alex nodded.
“Flynn will love it,” Julie repeated.
“Totally!” Luke pounded him on the back. “Now let’s go rock their worlds!”
Luke’s Gift as a musical Empath didn’t fail them, and their performance was one of their absolute best.
They performed “Stand Tall,” which was the song nominated for Song of the Year. Reggie had written it when he’d been in hospital recovering from Gifted Psychosis. One of the worst times of his life had ended up leading to one of his best; it felt better than he could’ve imagined.
Proposing to Flynn when that song won would be absolutely perfect.
After, they all bounced back to their dressing room, glistening and beaming with excitement. Bibi cleaned them up, put them back in their formal wear and sent them to their seats in record time.
Reggie slid in beside Flynn and immediately took her hand, kissing her temple gently. “What’d you think?”
“Awesome.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “I’m so proud of you guys! Oh, I got some great pics for our Insta page.” She held up her phone.
He flipped through the photos, impressed. “These are incredible! Did you take them?”
“Ray did,” Flynn said with a grin. “Turns out his digital camera can send photos via text.”
“That’s wild.” He’d been in the modern world for five years now, but the way technology had changed so much from the 90s never ceased to amaze him.
“And I hope you get to keep that shirt. Because you looked hella sexy,” she purred, looking at him through her lashes. “Very Shawn Mendes.”
His cheeks pinked, but he grinned back. “Glad you liked it.”
“Sh!” Alex leaned across Willie's legs to glare at them. “The awards are starting.”
Reggie held up the hand that wasn’t linked with Flynn’s and made a comically apologetic face. Flynn giggled and Alex settled back down.
Like every awards show ever, the most prestigious awards were saved for the end of the night. Reggie tried not to squirm as all the awards they weren’t nominated for were presented. Reggie paid attention for Best Country Song and Best Country album, wondering if he’d ever get the chance to be nominated in those categories. Right now, Luke was adamant country music stay off the Julie and the Phantoms repertoire. But Julie was kind of into it, and Alex didn’t completely hate the idea, so maybe?
Each category took forever, since there were performances and speeches and tributes and then more performances. The performances were great, and the winners were totally deserving, but Reggie was dying of nerves. He leaned forward to look around both Flynn and Willie to see how Alex was holding up, figuring if he was feeling nervous, Alex’s anxiety must be off the charts.
Alex’s right hand was clenched around Willie’s. His face was tight, a small frown creasing his brow. That and the rhythm he was drumming on his left thigh was a huge tell of how he was really feeling.
“Do you think Alex is okay?” Reggie whispered to Flynn.
Flynn looked at him, mildly alarmed, and then leaned across Willie to tap Alex’s leg. Alex looked at her, clearly startled out of wherever his head had been.
“We got a few minutes,” Flynn whispered to him. “Want to take a walk?”
“I already offered,” Willie said with a grin. He looked relaxed and happy, like he was actually enjoying Alex crushing his hand.
“I’m cuter than you are.” Flynn smirked, making both Willie and Alex laugh.
“I’m okay. Honest,” Alex said. “But I think Luke is going to vibrate out of his skin.”
Reggie turned to look past Julie at Luke. He was sitting at the end of the row with one foot in the aisle. His leg was bouncing so hard Reggie was surprised the whole theatre couldn’t feel it. “He okay?” he asked Julie.
Julie sighed. “No. He’s bored and nervous. It’s a terrible combination.”
“Should he go for a walk or something?” Reggie asked, concerned.
“Probably, but he 'doesn’t want to take me away from the ceremony',” she said, hands up to quote his words. “Maybe you could take him?”
Reggie nodded and reached over to tap Luke’s shin. “Hey.”
“What?” Luke hissed; eyes wide.
“Wanna take a walk? I’m really bored.” It wasn’t too much of a lie, the next two awards were in the R&B category which Reggie didn’t really enjoy. After that it’d finally be Best New Artist, which they were nominated for, but Bobby had told them they probably wouldn’t win. All in, it was going to be almost an hour before they might be required on stage. They had time.
“Yeah, sure,” Luke said. He gave Julie a quick kiss, then stood. Reggie kissed Flynn, then maneuvered around Julie to join Luke on the aisle. Julie immediately took his spot, head bending to talk with her best friend.
Reggie patted Luke on the back. “Let’s go.”
Luke loosened his collar and leaned against the outside wall of the Staples Centre. They’d sweet-talked a young, starstruck stagehand into letting them out a side door and propping it open so they could get back in. Reggie could’ve teleported them back, but this way was more subtle.
Now they were in an alley, well-hidden from the fans and the paparazzi who were waiting by the front. “Jesus, I thought I was going to die in there,” Luke said.
“I know what you mean.” Reggie took a big breath of air and felt some of his tension leave. Being outside and away from the show made it easier to pretend tonight wasn’t going to be one of the biggest of his life.
“Is it weird I hope we don’t get nominated for any more Grammys and don’t have to do this again?” Luke asked, then he shook his head. “Never mind. That was dumb.”
“Kind of a good problem to have, don’t you think?” Reggie said with a short laugh. “We’re lucky to be here.”
“Fucking lucky,” Luke agreed, but then frowned. “I still don’t like it that it’s me making the acceptance speech and not Julie. If we win.”
“We’ll win,” Reggie said, echoing Alex’s words. “Julie didn’t want to make the speech, remember? And besides, Sunset Curve was totally your idea. Without you, Julie and the Phantoms wouldn’t even exist. You accepting an award for all of us just makes sense.”
Luke smiled softly. “We were so little when we all got together. You remember that?”
“And how Bobby and I flipped a coin to see who’d play rhythm guitar?” Reggie returned his smile, but it slipped as he realized something. “If I’d won that coin toss, I would’ve been on your left instead of Bobby when the stage caught fire. I would’ve jumped off, too.”
“And you wouldn’t’ve been there to teleport us,” Luke said somberly. “Wow. That’s a trip.”
It’d been years since Reggie felt guilty for teleporting his bandmates into the future instead of straight to the studio the way he intended. But this was the first time he’d really thought about what could’ve happened. He cleared his throat. “Do you believe in destiny?”
“Not until I woke up staring into Julie’s eyes in the studio twenty-five years after I almost died,” Luke said. “But if that isn’t some real destiny shit, then I don’t know what is.”
“Real destiny shit,” Reggie repeated. “Fate decided on a toss of a coin. God, that’s so crazy.”
“Maybe it was decided before that. Like, when Alex got his drum kit.”
“He always liked banging on stuff. Remember him and the xylophone in grade one?”
Luke laughed. “He wasn’t even terrible!”
“His fucking Gift.” Reggie grinned.
“Yeah, mister athletic,” Luke said with a smile. “So fucking graceful.”
“As if he wasn’t pretty enough!” Reggie smirked. “He’s definitely the band heartthrob.”
“Hey!” Luke said, affronted. “I’m the band heartthrob.”
Reggie laughed. “Who told you that? Your mom?”
“Fuck off,” Luke said without heat. “And it was my sister, thank you very much.”
Reggie laughed harder. “Oh, she’d know for sure.”
“She's an artist!” Luke sniffed. “Apparently, I’m very aesthetically pleasing.”
Reggie shook his head fondly at Luke’s vanity. “How’s your nephew?”
“Lucas? So great!” Luke enthused, then launched into a story about how the five-year old was the cleverest and funniest toddler in California.
Reggie nodded and chuckled, but he couldn’t help but think about Flynn sitting with Julie inside. They’d barely been apart for twenty minutes, and he still missed her. “I think I’m going to propose at Song of the Year, if we win.”
Luke blinked. “Well, you did write “Stand Tall”, so the award is basically yours.”
“I only wrote the lyrics and some of the music. You guys totally finished it.”
“But the song is mostly yours,” Luke argued gently. “And if that’s how you want to propose, I’m into it.”
“Really? You won’t be mad?” Reggie bit his lip.
“Mad? Dude! You and Flynn are two of my favourite people. Seeing you guys get engaged is going to be awesome!”
“But what if we don’t win Album or Record of the year? You won’t get to make a speech.”
“We’re going to win,” Luke said with easy confidence. “And even if we don’t? It’s still going to be one of the best nights of my life.” He grinned.
“Thanks, man.” Reggie pulled Luke into a hug, holding him as tightly as he could.
“Band brothers,” Luke said softly.
“Band brothers,” Reggie repeated.
“And besides,” Luke said, “I’ll get to make a speech at your wedding. Since I’m going to be best man.”
Reggie burst out laughing.
They didn’t win Best New Artist.
“Don’t worry about it,” Bobby whispered to Alex loud enough for Reggie to hear. “It’s a cursed category. Except for Dua Lipa, most of the artists who win that award fade into obscurity.”
Alex nodded, but didn’t stop chewing on the edge of his thumbnail. Willie reached out and gently removed Alex’s hand from his mouth. “You don’t want to bleed all over your suit,” he said softly.
Reggie was happy Willie was helping to keep Alex as calm as possible. He’d felt a bit better after his trip outside with Luke, but now he was back in his seat with his potential proposal so close, he was so anxious it was taking all his willpower not to just teleport the fuck home.
But every time he looked over at Flynn, she was smiling back, eyes shining. She was loving every second of being at the Grammys with him. He wouldn’t miss that for the world.
“We might not win anything,” he murmured, head bent towards hers. They were both pretending to listen to another agonizingly long speech from the CEO of the Recording Academy.
“You’ll win,” Flynn said with the same confidence as Luke. “You’ll win for “Stand Tall” for sure. It’s brilliant.”
Her praise lit him up inside. “Thank you,” he said and kissed her palm. She moved so she could capture his lips with her own. He grinned. “What was that for?”
“To give something for the cameras to look at besides Boring McBoring on stage.” She giggled. “Besides, my outfit is way too amazing for the people at home not to see.”
He chuckled, completely delighted by her. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She smiled into his eyes. “Now shush! You’re about to win!”
She was right. The MC announced the presenter for Song of the Year, and she came on stage. It was a singer who’d won the award sometime in the 2010s, but she was still famous enough for Reggie to recognize. “That's Adele, right?”
“Yes!” Flynn said breathlessly, hands clasped in front of her chest. “Oh my God. She’s amazing!”
Adele gave a nice, and thankfully short, speech about the category, and then opened the black and gold envelope. Reggie’s whole body was tight enough to snap, and he could feel the same tension vibrating from his fellow bandmates. The few seconds it took her to open the envelope could’ve been a million years.
“And the winner is… Reggie Peters, Julie Molina, Luke Patterson and Alex Mercer! “Stand Tall”!” Adele exclaimed, and for a moment Reggie legitimately thought he’d died all over again.
“Reggie, you won!” Flynn shouted, flinging her arms around his neck, and suddenly his lungs could fill with air. He kissed her, one of both passion and relief, before being buoyed to the stage with Luke, Julie and Alex.
They piled in front of the microphone, grinning and awkward like they were all teens and this was their first performance.
Reggie looked out over the crowd, awed by how many stars were clapping and cheering. His eyes immediately found Ray, Bobby, Willie and Flynn in their row. They were all standing, clapping and hollering their approval. Flynn whistled like she was at one of their concerts, and he loved her so much it was almost painful.
Someone handed Luke the trophy, clearly expecting him to make the speech, but he looked at Reggie and tilted his head. A clear invitation.
“Go for it,” Alex whispered to him, and patted him on the back.
Reggie stepped up to the mic. “Thank you,” he started, then had to catch his breath. “Thank you,” he repeated. “This is an incredible honour, and I’d really like to thank the Recording Academy. You have no idea how much this means to all of us.” He took another breath, and glanced over at Luke, Julie and Alex, feeling suddenly unsure and overwhelmed. Their smiles were reassuring and so supportive that Reggie was able to find his words.
“It’s amazing to have won this award tonight, especially when there are so many incredible songwriters in this room. I’m in awe of all your talent, and I’m so proud to be among your number. I also need to thank my bandmates, Julie, Luke and Alex. As well as our number one roadie, Willie Ross, our band dad, Ray Molina, and our band uncle Bobby Wilson. These people are my friends, but they’re also my family and their love and support is the reason why “Stand Tall” ever got written.”
His eyes met Flynn’s, and he couldn't help smiling. She was still smiling at him, glowing with happiness. “There’s one person who I also have to thank,” he continued, “and that’s my girlfriend, Flynn Taylor. She’s my inspiration, my joy, my rock and my soulmate. I don’t know how fate brought us together, but I know nothing can ever tear us apart.”
He activated his Gift and reappeared an instant later at her seat. He heard the audience gasp as Flynn stared at him. “Reggie! What—?”
“Take my hand!” he said, and she stood and took it, confused but still so trusting. He immediately teleported them back on stage. Flynn stood with Julie and the boys, unsure, but rolling with it. Her natural confidence made her look like she belonged.
Reggie fished out the ring from his breast pocket and went down on one knee.
Flynn covered her mouth while the audience erupted with sound; clapping and hollering their approval. Luke took the microphone out of the stand and held it by Reggie’s mouth. “Flynn,” he said, “I’ve been in love with you since the moment I met you. And I know we’ve been technically married since you were sixteen, but I can’t imagine anything better than making it real.” He held out the ring, turning it so it shone in the studio lights. “Flynn…” he said, then had to clear his throat. “Flynn Taylor, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she shouted, loud enough that Luke didn’t even have to move the microphone. “Yes, I will!”
He stood and hugged her as the audience exploded with applause and cheering. She pulled back to kiss him: chastely enough for live television, but passionate enough for him to know she meant it. He slipped the ring onto her left hand. It was a perfect fit.
Everything after that was a bit of a blur. They were ushered off the stage and taken to the green room to collect themselves during the commercial break. He knew his bandmates congratulated them both, but he wasn’t sure what he said in response. Flynn had said yes. She’d said yes! She was his fiancée. They were engaged. He couldn’t have been happier.
Flynn was showing off her ring to Julie and the assistant stage manager, who’d come in to congratulate them.
Alex flung his arm over his shoulder. “We told you she’d say yes.”
“Yeah.” Reggie was smiling so widely his face hurt. “She did!”
“That was awesome!” Luke crowed. “And you teleporting her on stage? Fucking fantastic! Best proposal ever!”
“And we have two awards left to win,” Alex said, clearly much less anxious now they’d already won one. "C’mon. Let’s go back to our seats. I miss Willie.”
“Hey,” Luke said, “maybe you and Willie should get engaged next.”
Alex rolled his eyes.
Their debut album, Bittersweet Love Story, won Album of the Year.
Reggie felt like he was floating, so excited and happy to be sharing the award with his friends. Luke gave a great speech, and then the moment was over.
They made it to their seats just as the presenter for the last award of the evening was being announced.
Record of the Year was really an award for the people involved in the recording of a single. It was meant to honour the artist and the production team that made the song a hit. “Stand Tall,” the second single off their album, was nominated for the award. If it won, Bobby would be joining the band onstage to accept it.
Reggie clutched Flynn’s hand as the announcements were made, too nervous to really breathe. Now he’d successfully proposed, he was suddenly that much more involved with the show. He wanted to win this. Not only for him, but for all of them. The boys had been through so much, including almost literally dying to get there. Julie had to work through the grief of losing her mother, and Bobby had needed to survive the death of his three best friends. Winning for a song that celebrated how they’d all made it through seemed like the perfect way to commemorate how far they’d come.
Flynn made a noise of nervous excitement, fist pressed to her mouth as the presenter tore open the envelope to announce the winner. He read from the card and then smiled widely at the audience, his gaze landing solidly on Julie and the Phantoms and their friends, who were holding themselves painfully still in their row.
“And the award for Record of the Year goes to… “Stand Tall” by Julie and the Phantoms!” he cried, and they all leapt to their feet. Reggie embraced Flynn, probably hugging her a bit too hard.
“You need to go up,” she whispered to him with a laugh.
He laughed too, kissing her cheek gently before turning and bounding towards the stage where Luke and Julie were already waiting. Luke had his arm around Julie’s waist and she was leaning against him, so happy it was almost blinding. Alex was right behind him, followed by Bobby, who’d quickly kissed Ray before leaving his seat.
It felt amazing to be standing on stage with his band and Bobby. More than that, it felt right. Like the Universe had finally made up for the terrible tragedy that had denied them this moment over twenty-five years before. In fact, it was even better now, because every member of the band was happy, and safe, and in love. Reggie took his place by Julie’s right side, Alex to Luke’s left, and Bobby just behind. They faced the audience, standing as tall as the song.
Luke was handed the trophy by the presenter, and he gripped it reverently in both hands. “Oh, wow,” he said breathlessly into the mic. He swallowed, and Reggie could see his eyes had gone shiny with tears. “This award means a lot,” Luke continued. “Because of how we literally all went through some really dark shit getting to the place where we could create this song. So, thank you to the Recording Academy, for honouring us with this award. And thanks so much to the amazing crew we have working with us.” He listed a bunch of names, including Willie’s and Bibi’s. “I also need to thank Reggie, for writing this beauty, and Julie and Alex, for making Julie and the Phantoms the amazing band it is. I also really want to thank Bobby Wilson—” and here, Luke turned and pulled their former bandmate and current producer to the front. “—This guy never gave up on us. Even when he thought he was only preserving our legacy. I’m really proud to call him our producer, but I’m even more proud to call him our friend.”
Bobby wiped his eyes. “Jeez, Luke,” he muttered, “Way to make a guy cry.”
Luke embraced him as the audience clapped, and then they were once again all brought to the green room, and then back to their seats.
And suddenly, the night was over.
The same limousine brought them back to the hotel. When they were in LA, home was still the Molina’s house, even though it meant everyone slept where they had as teens: Alex and Willie would take the loft, Luke slept with Julie in her room, and Reggie was relegated to a bunk bed in the studio.
But tonight was a night to celebrate, and that required more than a bunk bed with a single mattress.
“Time to party!” Luke said excitedly as they piled out of the limo in front of the hotel. “Drinks in our room? I can order room service…”
“You’re absolutely right you guys should party,” Bobby said. “But it’s after midnight, and I’m an old man. Imma take Ray to bed.”
Ray laughed even as he leaned against his boyfriend. “I’m going to have to agree with Bobby. I’m too old to stay up past midnight, mijo. Brunch tomorrow?”
“As long as it’s after one,” Julie said. She stood on tiptoe to give her father and then Bobby a kiss on the cheek. “’Night Bobby, Papi.”
“Buenas noches, mija,” Ray said. “And congratulations again. You guys totally killed it tonight.”
“You deserved all the awards,” Bobby added. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Your proposal was amazing,” Ray said to Reggie and Flynn. “I’m so happy for the both of you. Seeing you guys together like this, after everything you’ve been through…” He broke off and wiped his eyes.
“Are you crying?” Alex asked, then sniffed. “Shit, now I’m crying, too.”
“Me, too,” Bobby said with a laugh. “You know, I can’t tell you guys how much tonight meant to me. It was like… “ He shook his head. “Like the Universe finally made everything right. You know what I mean?”
“Yes!” Reggie exclaimed. “That’s exactly how it felt!”
“Sunset Curve, on stage at the Grammys, the way it was always meant to be,” Luke said. He put his arm around his girlfriend. “Only better, because now we have Julie.”
“Much better,” Alex agreed. He put his head on Willie’s shoulder. Willie kissed his hair.
“And this is getting far too maudlin for a hotel lobby,” Bobby said. “Come on kids, the adults need to go to bed.”
None of them were actually kids anymore, but they all followed behind Bobby and Ray to the elevators like they were much younger.
Reggie held Flynn’s hand, his thumb playing with her engagement ring, feeling the edge of the stone under his thumb. He’d chosen a ruby in a spectacular shade of crimson offset by diamonds. The ring was an antique that Julie had helped him find. He’d known it was perfect for Flynn the second he’d seen it. He couldn’t believe the pride he felt having it on her finger.
They reached their floor and Ray and Bobby made their goodnights. Ray hugged him and Flynn tightly. “Congratulations, you two,” he said again.
Then Julie and the Phantoms, Willie and Flynn went to Luke and Julie’s room for the after-party.
There was a bucket of ice holding four bottles of champagne from the hotel, with a hand-written note that said, congratulations on your Grammy awards!.
“Do you think they expected us to drink this on our own?” Julie asked Luke.
“They knew we’d bring people back,” Luke winked at her.
“Oh! They have a sparkling rosé!” Alex said excitedly, pulling it out and immediately twisting off the top. His Gift meant the cork came out perfectly with the kind of pop suitable for a movie.
Luke immediately held out two glasses for Alex to fill, passing them to Julie and Flynn before filling two more. Reggie got his own and one for Alex, giving it to his friend as soon as Alex put the empty bottle down.
Luke raised his glass. “A toast! to Julie and the Phantoms! And Willie and Flynn!”
“And Bobby and Ray,” Alex added.
“And Tia, and Carlos, who I know were watching and cheering from home,” Julie said.
“To Julie and the Phantoms, Willie and Flynn, and our families,” Luke amended with a broad smile.
“To everyone we love,” Flynn said, raising her glass.
“To everyone we love,” they all echoed and drank.
“Fuck, that’s sweet!” Willie said with a laugh.
“Ugh. It tastes like the shit Caleb gave us at the Ghost Club.” Luke shuddered. “Not drinking any more of that.” He went to put his glass down on the table.
Flynn deftly plucked it out of his hand. “What? I don’t have bad memories of drinking this from the Ghost Club,” she said to Luke’s frown, making him laugh. She sat down on the couch. Reggie sat beside her. Willie and Alex took the love seat, and Luke perched on the arm of the overstuffed chair Julie was sitting in. Julie had kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet up, looking happy and sleepy as she sipped her champagne.
“I like it.” Alex shrugged. “Tastes like cherries.”
Reggie handed Alex his glass, unable to drink it for the same reason as Luke. Alex winked at him and drank it, then put the empty glass on the coffee table.
Flynn finished Luke’s glass and started on her own, drinking much slower. “God, I was nervous tonight.”
“I hear you.” Alex nodded. “I swear. I’m actually amazed I didn’t throw up.”
“You did amazing, babe,” Willie said, stroking Alex’s head.
“Therapy is what’s amazing.” Alex grinned over the edge of his glass. “That shit works.”
“You know what was amazing? Winning three fucking Grammys!” Luke exclaimed. “Fucking awesome!”
“Waiting for our awards was the worst!" Julie said. “Like, why does the show have to take so long? Don’t they know we’re dying?”
“What did it feel like to hold it?” Flynn asked Luke. “Were they heavy?”
“It wasn’t even the real award. We won’t get those for a couple of weeks,” Luke explained. “The company that makes them has to put our name on it. Bobby told me.”
“Did you know that the company that makes the Grammys—Billings Artworks—has trademarked the material they’re made from?” Alex asked them. “It’s called Grammium.”
Julie stared at him. “You’re making that up.”
“Why does no one ever believe me when I tell them stuff?” Alex said mournfully. He sipped his champagne.
“Your speeches were excellent, Luke,” Willie said. “You did a great job thanking everyone, and you barely swore.”
Luke blinked. “Wait, I swore?”
“Oh yeah, at least three times. Twice when we got Album of the Year for sure.” Alex grinned, but then his brow creased. “Didn’t you do it on purpose?”
“It sounded like it was on purpose,” Flynn said. “I mean, where you put them made sense.”
“Fuck. I really didn’t mean to swear.” Luke’s cheeks pinked. “Do you think it was a problem?”
“No,” Julie said, and moved so she could kiss his cheek. “It goes with your badass rockstar image.”
“I’m so happy we got Album of the Year!” Alex said. “Did anyone feel like they were going to cry when they said our name?”
“I did cry, during my speech for Record of the Year,” Luke said. “Shit, I wanted that one so bad.”
“Because of Bobby?” Reggie asked, he was pretty sure he knew the answer.
“Because of Bobby.” Luke nodded. “It felt like such a vindication, you know? Like he said downstairs, like the Universe was finally making this shit right.”
“Dad told me how bad it was for Bobby when he was nominated for his first Grammy,” Julie said softly. “He never wanted to win without you guys.”
“Poor Bobby,” Alex breathed.
“He’s really been through it,” Flynn said. “You all have.”
“Okay,” Luke said, “this is getting way too depressing. Guys, we won three fucking Grammys!”
Alex stood and grabbed another bottle of champagne, expertly popping the top. “I’ll drink to that.” Everyone held up their glasses as Alex made the rounds with the bottle.
“Another toast?” Luke asked. “Who wants to give it?”
Willie raised his glass. “To Flynn and Reggie, and their engagement!”
“Absolutely! That engagement was fucking amazing!” Luke pointed at Reggie with the hand holding his glass. “Reggie, you knocked it out of the fucking park!”
Reggie’s cheeks heated as his friends all cheered. “Thanks, guys, but I’m just glad Flynn said yes.”
Flynn laughed. “As if you were ever concerned.”
“I wasn’t totally sure!” Reggie protested as his friends laughed. “You might’ve said no!”
“Flynn would never say no,” Julie said, waving her glass. “You guys have been married since forever.”
“It was really romantic. You should’ve seen the faces in the audiences. They were eating it up,” Willie said.
“Did you want a public proposal?” Alex murmured to him, “because we’ve got a world tour coming up… “
Willie laughed. “And have you die of anxiety? No thanks. A quiet proposal somewhere nice would work just fine.”
Flynn sat up. “Oh! Has anyone checked our social media yet? I want to see if the video is trending!” She opened her clutch and took out her phone. “It is trending!” she squealed in delight. “Hashtag Romantic Reggie. That’s fantastic!” She flipped through a few more screens. “Taylor Swift posted the video on her Instagram! And she tagged Julie and the Phantoms! It has over 250 thousand likes!” She checked her email notifications and her eyes grew round. “Holy shit. Our media is blowing up! We’ve got thousands of new followers!”
“Wait, what? My purse is by the door. Luke?” Luke handed Julie his phone and she immediately went to his Instagram. “Adele posted it, too. Oh my God, guys! Adele posted the video!”
Luke leaned over to look. “Did she tag us in it? Did she tag us?”
“Yes!” Julie flipped to a few more profiles. “Guys, Beyoncé Tweeted 'congratulations', hashtag Romantic Reggie, hashtag Lucky Flynn.” She looked up, eyes huge. “Beyoncé congratulated you.”
“Beyoncé?” Flynn jumped up to look at Luke’s phone. She shrieked. “Beyoncé congratulated us!”
“Beyoncé is a big deal, right?” Alex asked Willie.
“The biggest,” Willie assured him. His eyes were as big as Flynn’s.
“Hashtag Romantic Reggie?” Luke repeated. “Is that for real?” he laughed.
“The story is showing on news stations all over the world,” Flynn said. She’d returned to the couch and was glued to her phone. “The Prime Minister of Australia just congratulated us, and invited us there for our honeymoon.”
“This is huge,” Julie said, voice nearly a whisper. “Like, so huge.”
Flynn looked up from her phone. “Since the Grammys your album was downloaded 16,732 times on Spotify.”
“But it’s barely been a couple of hours,” Willie said, grinning widely.
“We’re world famous, aren’t we?” Alex asked faintly.
“Fucking A!” Luke cheered, “this is the best night of our lives!”
Reggie was feeling awed and a bit overwhelmed, but mostly incredibly happy. They’d won at the Grammys and he’d proposed to the love of his life, and both events had apparently catapulted them into being stars overnight. It was everything he’d ever dreamed of. It was absolutely incredible. “To the best night of our lives… so far,” Reggie said, raising his glass.
“To the best night of our lives so far,” Flynn and the others echoed. Flynn frowned into her glass. “Alex, my glass is empty. Can you please open another bottle of champagne?”
Alex stood and grabbed another bottle. “I’ll drink to that,” he said.
It was well after two a.m. when Reggie and Flynn said goodnight to their friends and went to their room. She opened the door with their key card. “Home sweet home,” she said with a sigh.
Reggie swept her up in a bridal carry. She shrieked and then laughed, clinging to his neck. His own laughter bubbled up with his happiness, bright and sparkling like the champagne. He carried her into the room and put her gently on the bed.
She lay back, propping herself on her elbows, still laughing. “What was that for?”
He took her clutch and put it on the desk. “Well,” he said, as he undid each of her black, strappy heels, “carrying a bride across the threshold is meant to be good luck.” He took off her shoes and tossed them towards the closet. He toed off his own shoes and kicked them in the same direction.
“I think you’ve already had a lot of good luck tonight. You won three Grammys!”
“True.” Reggie grinned at her as he pulled off his socks. “But I think the luckiest part of my night was when you said ‘yes’.”
“I had to!” Flynn lay on her back and lifted her hand with the ring, admiring it in the light. “This ring is way too gorgeous for me to have said no.”
Reggie laughed. “I’m definitely lucky.”
“Honestly? That proposal was exactly what I’d hoped for. Better even. And all the media attention? Just perfect.” She gave a happy sigh.
Reggie hadn’t really thought about the publicity proposing at the Grammys would bring to the band, but he couldn’t be unhappy with it. Luke had plans for Julie and the Phantoms to be as big as U2 or the Rolling Stones, and Reggie was glad his proposal had helped a little bit towards that goal. “I’m so glad you liked it,” he said, “but you know the proposal was for you. Not the band.”
“I know,” Flynn said. “And It was perfect. I loved it so much.”
“I love you, so much.” Reggie said. He bent over her and kissed her.
She kissed him back languidly, making the little sound of pleasure that made Reggie crazy. Gently, she broke the kiss. “So, when do you want to get married?”
Reggie’s mind went to the conversation Flynn had had with Ray and Bobby at the ceremony. “Do you actually want to get married?”
“I want anything you want,” she said softly. “But didn’t we already get married at that hospital? You know, when you told the receptionist we were?” Her eyes crinkled.
He smiled back, then stood to take off his jacket. He tossed it over one of the chairs, then started on the buttons of his black shirt. “I was just telling her the truth. We’ve been married since we met.”
“How could I ever forget?” she said, eyes soft. “Ever since I first saw you, I haven’t wanted anyone else.”
He removed his shirt and threw it to join the jacket, before moving to sit beside her on the bed. “I will never love anyone like I love you.” He took her hand with the engagement ring and kissed her fingertips. “And I don’t care if we ever get married or not. Because I’m already your husband. Now and forever.”
“How are you even real?” Flynn fingered the silver chain around his neck, then pulled him towards her for a kiss. He slotted his lips over hers, heart thudding. His hand went to the back of her dress and undid the zipper before smoothing it off her shoulders. She bit her lip, eyes dark and sultry before she stood and let the dress drop to the ground.
He sucked in a breath, taking in her lacy red undergarments. “Did Bibi find you that?”
“Everyone knows a wedding night needs good underwear,” she said.
END