Page 91 of Snowed In with You

Lucy wiped her clammy hands on Nate’s navy sweatshirt, feeling jittery with nerves. Tonight felt like it was going to be either an ending or a beginning of something, and she really didn’t want to mess it up.

‘No,’ she said. This might be a big gesture, but the least she could do was deliver it sober.

‘I’m going to take a short break after this song,’ said Nate, adjusting his microphone and raking his hands through his hair. ‘Leave you in the very capable hands of Cara Louise, who’s an incredible up-and-coming singer that you’re going to love. But before that, I want to play my new single.’

The crowd roared, and Jonno feigned pain for about the twentieth time. Lucy had loved the show as much as she had last week in Bristol – a mix of Nate’s music and a few covers and some special guests who’d joined him on stage. The whole set was full of joy and optimism – just a guy living his best life and still not entirely able to believe it was all happening.

‘Jesus, what’s wrong with these people?’ said Jonno, covering his ears.

‘Did you never scream at a gig when you were a teenager?’ laughed Lucy.

‘No,’ said Jonno, not entirely convincingly. ‘OK, maybe once, at a Pixies gig. But that was actual music.’

‘OK, it’s time,’ said Lucy, her heart pounding as the opening bars to ‘Can’t Be Mine’ filled the venue. She started to unfurl the banner, until she was ten feet from Jonno and the fabric was taut enough to hold it up. She checked behind, to make sure nobody’s view was going to be blocked, but they were so far back they were practically leaning up against the doors.

‘I am dying inside,’ said Jonno as they both held the banner high above their heads and people nearby turned to see what was written on it.

‘What did you say?’ asked Lucy, steadfastly ignoring the stares and pitying looks from nearby fans. She focused on Nate, who was singing a song that Lucy was now pretty sure had been written about her.

‘Don’t say it’s for the best

Don’t tell me I’ll be fine

You tore my heart to pieces

Telling me you can’t be mine.’

‘I AM DYING INSIDE,’ yelled Jonno.

Lucy ignored him as she held the banner steady, her head high. She’d made it from two white sheets, folded lengthways, stitched together along the short end and properly hemmed at the edges so it didn’t look tatty. She’d stapled it to two wooden poles, then used blue fabric paint to decorate the edges with snowflakes, and in the middle she’d written nine words in huge letters.

Nate – I CAN be yours. But if not, WAHZ

‘You need to put that down,’ said a burly security guard in a high-vis jacket, elbowing his way through the crowd towards them.

‘Please, just to the end of the song,’ said Lucy pleadingly. They’d held it up for less than two minutes, and Nate might not have registered it in the sea of swaying bodies. Maybe she should have added fairy lights.

‘No,’ said the man firmly. ‘Take it down NOW, or I’m throwing you both out.’

Lucy sighed and dropped the banner, glaring at the guard as she moved towards Jonno and bundled it all up. He nodded and gave them both a final glare, then disappeared.

‘You proper embarrassed yourself there,’ said a teenage girl, witheringly. ‘Aren’t you a bit old for Nate Lambert?’

Lucy pulled a snarky face. ‘Aren’t you a bit young?’

The girl gave her the finger, then turned back to watch Nate.

‘My arms were killing me anyway,’ said Jonno, handing her the other end. ‘Don’t you have any lighter-weight sheets?’

‘Egyptian cotton,’ said Lucy with a tired smile. ‘A throwback to when my bed experienced higher traffic flow.’

‘Well, if that didn’t work, you can always switch to Plan B and call him tomorrow,’ said Jonno. ‘It’s a good story to tell him either way.’

‘Yeah,’ said Lucy, feeling stupid and embarrassed and deflated.

‘Shall we head off now?’ said Jonno.

Lucy shook her head as the song came to an end and the crowd cheered and whooped. Nate waved and left the stage, and his place was taken by a young woman in a yellow dress. She had a husky, soulful voice that reminded Lucy a bit of Andrea. ‘I just need to stay here for a few minutes, but you can go to the bar if you like.’