By the middle of the set, Aria wonders if the fans will ever get sick of some of her music like she’s sick of it. From the looks of them, perhaps not, but that also doesn’t mean they don’t deserve something new.
A sudden lightning strike of sensation runs through her, and with it, an idea: What if Aria gave the audience a taste of her new song?
If Griffin can step bravely outside of the game that he has allowed to define him for all of these years, why can’t she take a risk on herself too?
The song winds down, and before Marty leads the bandinto the opening of the next song, Aria speaks loudly into the mic and calls for a pause.
The crowd stills, attention glued to the stage, as this unplanned quiet leaves them waiting for the next boppy hit. A few crew members poke their heads out from their hiding spots to assess for issues.
“Chicago! My dear hometown. Thank you for being here with me tonight. As a special token of my appreciation, I wondered if you might like a sample of something new I’ve been working on.”
The crowd erupts. Aria glances over her shoulder, and the band looks shocked and confused.
“It’ll just be me on the guitar. The band is as surprised by this announcement as you.” Laughter rises from the crowd, and when Aria glances back at the band, they’re freshly relaxed. “You guys with me on this?”
Whoops and cheers come from the crowd, and one of the crew brings Aria a tall barstool. She whispers her thanks. It’ll make it easier than doing it standing as she had planned.
Aria slips onto the stool, and her body hums with excitement. It feels like her very first performance, the state fairs, the dive bar stages, lived all over once again.
Before her hammering heart talks her out of it, she strums the chords she put her lyrics to and sings them, her eyes closed to the world, the words bringing her back to a time when Griffin was by her side. When she came alive in the most remarkable way. When he paved the way for this very moment.
“Until you came along,
I was living in slow motion.
Playing pop star like they wanted,
For them and their devotion.
But in the dark of night,
I tossed and turned, all wrong.
It started to make sense,
Only as you came along.
In trying to be perfect,
All I did was make me small.
You told me, more than once,
Go ahead and give your all.
Things started to go right,
Me letting go and staying true.
But then you left me in the dark,
And now I know something new.
It wasn’t just the music,
Not the hope you sparked in me.
It was everything about you,
