Later that night, closer to twilight…
"You really know how to shock the hell out of a girl." I remarked teasingly while looking over at Tommy in amusement. He just grinned as he started throwing clothes into the suitcases spread open on his bed—our bed. Wow!
"I certainly try." He replied with a teasing glint in his eye as a sudden noise from down below clued us in to the fact that we were no longer alone.
"You two packed and ready to go yet?" Kwest yelled from downstairs, and I grinned in the direction of the door as Kwest's head suddenly appeared around it.
"Damn, and I was hoping to walk in on some action." Kwest declared humorously as I picked up a pillow and threw it at his head. He caught it before winking at me.
"We need to hit the airport guys." He said softly as I grinned at Tommy in excitement. In just twenty-four hours, we would be sitting at the Grammy Awards. I couldn't help but squeal. Tom and Kwest exchanged amused glances before Tom leaned over and zipped the cases up firmly.
"We're all ready." Tom announced as Kwest grabbed one of cases before leading the way out the door. NYC here we come.
The Grammy's
The lights, the sounds, the music, the famous people. Ohhhh I was in hog heaven as I sat there in my chair nervously, twiddling with the beads on my dress as Tommy leaned over to place his palm steadfastly over my shaking hand. My category was coming up, and I had already heard my name circulating like wildfire through the other artists present. I guess Tommy and I had stirred up quite a bit of publicity with our engagement.
"Just breathe, Jude." Tom remarked quietly before looking over at the stage in expectation. I tried. Really I did as Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, of the American Idol fame, strolled onto the stage in dresses that made mine pale in comparison. Kelly looked at Carrie teasingly as they began the banter written for them on the proctor.
"Now, we get to the point in the music industry where rising artists create waves so large they become extremely hard to ignore." Kelly announced as Carrie smiled over at her winningly.
"And that is when we look to this night to recognize them for their achievements. Tonight, we can boast a long line of brilliant and talented artists, but only one will walk home with the Grammy." Carrie reiterated as Kelly pulled out an envelope. My whole world grew small just then—focusing in on that small, white triangle as if it were a lifeline. Somewhere in the midst of my scattered thoughts, I heard them announce the nominees, but it wasn't until Kelly tore open the top of that envelope that I grabbed Tommy's hand so hard, I could tell my nails were biting into his flesh.
"And the winner is…." Kelly began. Oh please, oh please, oh please!
"Jude Harrison." She finished as I just sat there in shock—staring at the roaring crowd as if I had no idea what was going on. Tom pushed me up gently before kissing me firmly on the lips.
"Go get it girl. It's your night." He said with a smile as I threw my arms around him in delight—reveling in the smell of the aftershave he had used earlier that night. God only knows, I couldn't have done this without him. Moving down the aisle, I reached out suddenly for everyone connected to G majors, hugging them until I thought my hair would fall down from the motion—dad, Sadie, Jamie, Patsy, Portia, Kwest, Darius, Spied, Kyle, Wally, and even Liam. Grabbing SME by the hands, I shoved them ahead of me as we marched toward the stage. There was no way I was accepting this award without them there with me. They made up most of the album themselves. Spied grinned as I almost tripped on the stairs, and I threw him a look as he helped hold the hem of my dress up as we climbed. Oh God! My heart was pounding. After hugging Kelly and Carrie excitingly, I took the Grammy before coming to stand behind the podium nervously.
"I have a lot of people to thank tonight." I began haltingly as I looked out over the crowd—seeking the faces I loved. "The fans for one, the studio for another, but the ones I want to especially point out are my sister Sadie, my father, my mother wherever you are, my best bud Jamie and his girl Patsy, my wardrobe consultant Portia, my all time favorite engineer Kwest, Darius the big man behind G Majors, and SME—my one and only band who is, without a doubt, the group that got me to this point. But most of all, I want to thank Tom Quincy. Without him, I really don't think there would be a Jude Harrison—just a punk rocker with a dream still trying to figure out how to make not only great music—but exceptional music. It's the reason he won the Best Producer award tonight. And…I love him..in so many different ways. So I accept this award, not on my behalf, but on his. I was a lost artist praying for fame. He was a totally irritating producer that made sure I got it." I remarked quietly, and with those final words, I searched for his face in the crowd, and when I found it, I held my hand up to the light so that everyone noticed the ring as the spotlights reflected off of it. It was my way of letting him know that it meant more to me than the grammy.
Author's Footnote: Alright guys, this is where you hate me when I say : The End. I know I'm crying just at the thought, and after reading over it, I am seriously considering a sequel. Something about what happens after the two get married. But I'll leave that as fruit for thought. What do you guys think? And, hey, do not worry. I live for posting—especially on days like this where I sit at work having absolutely nothing to do. So I just type and type and type—checking occasionally for reviews as I do. I'm hoping tonight's episode will inspire my next long epic, which I will begin on Monday so please look for it. I may also post the sequel to this simultaneously, but I haven't decided yet. I wanted to end this one with a bang and what better way to do that than her getting engaged and winning a Grammy? Let me know if you guys want more from me—a sequel and a new one maybe? Next week is going to be very very long for me so I'll have plenty of time to write. Let the reviews pour in, letting me know if you'd like to see another story from me. And as for reviews, I have so many people I want to throw a shout out to so here goes. Thank you so much Undiscovered91, Catch1Star, riotgirllina, samitiny, Can't Stand the Heat, Tommy4eva, LuvTommy56, Adrienne, Musical-cylinders, Duddley111, Giliwascool, vilandraofantar, punky199958, aubibi, starfan88, TommyQLover, xNaturalBlondex2, frozenfireheart, eleste, trina-D, Angelus1, Saralyeth, MzTommyQ, Jessie, Shakabuku, BrokenDremsx3, Ambreezy, mirage09, yomama101, Mz. Billie Joe Armstrong. Whew! I hope I didn't forget anyone! You guys are so fantastic. And even for anyone who just put me on their alert list, I love you guys too because I know you're reading. Oh, I still have an hour left of work. Will be looking for your reviews—hoping that you guys want to hear more from me. Smiles to you all!