Make Me Your King

Chapter 2

Katelyn blasted What Do You Think About The Car with the windows down the entire drive to the venue. She sang while she drove and we almost got into three accidents. I was scared for my life. Once we got there, she parked the car, and dragged me to the parking lot exit. A long line of hipsters stood in front of the entrance wearing their circle glasses and mom jeans while they filled the air with vape smoke. We walked to the end of the line and she looked up at me.

"Aidan, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Thank you for going with me. I know you're not a Declan fan, but it really means a lot that you still came."

I smiled. She's so precious.

For the next hour, we stood outside and watched people flow in and add to the line. Katelyn talked about how excited she was, how much she missed her cat, how tired she was- she didn't stop talking. But I thought her meaningless chatter was adorable. The doors finally opened and the hype intensified. She held on tight to my arm as we made our way to the entrance. A staff member scanned our tickets and we walked up a flight of stairs to the stage area. The place was small, just enough to fit less than one hundred people. Katelyn tugged on my shirt.

"Can you get us a good spot? I'm gonna hit up the merch stand."

I nodded "Yeah, sure."

She smiled and gave me a quick little kiss. "Thank you, honey bunches. Do you want anything? Maybe a swAggy lil Declan hat? You want a scarf?"

"Please don't."

"Alright, alright. I'll be back!"

I scanned the room for a good spot. Most people were making their way to the merch stand, so spots near the front of the stage cleared up. I walked to the very front and center and stood there. The stage wasn't too big, but the set up looked pretty cool. More people started coming in and eventually the other spots at the front were taken. A cute girl made her way to the front and stood on my right. I ran my fingers through my hair and looked over at her.

"Hey."

She looked up at me and almost instinctively spat out, "I have a girlfriend."

Of course she does. "Great. Uh, sorry for bothering you." I turned back and felt someone elbow me. I looked to my left and Katelyn was standing there in a Declan sweatshirt, eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"I hate you sometimes."

"Katelynnnn-"

"AIDAN!!! AIDANAIDANAIDANAIDAN LOOK THEY'RE STARTING."

The opening act made their way onstage. I could practically feel Katelyn's heartbeat, she was so excited. A girl with brown beach waves walked to the microphone as her band settled in front of their instruments. The second she opened her mouth, I felt Katelyn melt.

Chappell Roan was amazing. Katelyn fell in love from the first word and kept falling until the very last. I looked over at her.

"Katelyn!" I yelled over the crowd, "are you crying?!"

She wiped away a tear. "She was amazing, I love her, I love her so much," she yelled back.

"That's pretty gay."

She elbowed me.

Once Chappell and her band cleared off, the wait for Declan McKenna continued. Katelyn held my hand, rested her head on my arm, and stayed that way for the next thirty minutes, occasionally looking up and expressing her excitement. The audience began to grow restless, and so was I. I was getting hungry. I was craving a chicken quesadilla from Taco Bell. Katelyn promised we could go after the concert was over. And if this squeaky British kid was going to waste my Taco Bell time, I will leave right this very second and speed over to my taste bud heaven, my one, true love (sorry, Katelyn), the chips to my salsa, the cheese to my-

The lights dimmed.

I have never heard Katelyn scream like that.

The crowd went wild.

Silhouettes jogged onto the stage, one to the keyboard, one to the drums, and another picked up an electric guitar. I looked over at Katelyn, scared she was going to pass out. Drum sticks. Guitar intro. More screaming. Keyboard. I'll be deaf by the end of this concert. The stage lights came back on, illuminating the band members. Katelyn had drilled me on their names days before. Gabi, on the guitar? No, the drums, she looks like a Gabi. Billy is the only guy, he's on the keys. So, Isabel must be on the guitar? I'm not sure. They messed around for a bit, jamming out, building the anticipation. No sign of Declan, yet. He's such a dork. I'll never understand why Katelyn is so in love with him. He's so overrated and his music is so mediocre-

The screaming intensified. Katelyn was jumping and shrieking.

And then I saw him.

Oh. My. God.

Fuck.