Lost on You [Lewis Capaldi]

Chapter 21 - winners

"This is incredible!" Keira whispered excitedly to Lewis.

After the red carpet, they were taken inside and seated in the centre of a huge arena, along with all the other celebrity guests.

There were loads of circular tables swathed in fancy cloth and decorated with buckets of ice and wine.

As Keira gazed upwards, she noticed members of the public crowding around the edges of the arena, high up in tiered seating. The noise inside was overwhelming as people frantically chattered about the performances and who they thought would win awards.

She and Lewis had been seated at a table with five others, four of which she didn't know, save for his manager who she had met a couple of times.

Lewis talked easily with all of them, joking and catching up with people he must have known from his years in the music industry. Keira sat quietly beside him, sipping from her flute of champagne. She joined the conversations when she could, but mostly she was distracted by just how glamorous everything was.

Celebrities dressed in smart suits and gowns were sat at the surrounding tables, seemingly unbothered by the camera crews hurrying around them, desperately trying to interview as many people as they could.

Keira tried not to stare for too long as she spotted some of her favourite singers and musicians amongst the crowd. She knew if Lewis noticed, he would no doubt introduce her to them in a heartbeat. But she was way too nervous to chat with her idols right now. And she would no doubt find a way to make a fool out of herself one way or another.

There were only a few more minutes before the show started. The presenters were already making their way onto the stage as the lighting dimmed and music faded out.

Beneath the table, Keira reached for Lewis' hand. As soon as her fingers brushed against his, he turned to her, smiling.

"Yeh ready?" he asked, squeezing her hand gently.

Before she had time to reply, the presenters launched into their introduction speech, their voices booming out of the large speakers above.

They sat, holding each other's hand as the first performance began, and then the next, and the next.

Keira could tell that as each winner was announced, Lewis was getting more and more nervous as his category drew nearer. His hand was itching to grab one of the beers from the centre of the table, but his manager quietly reminded him that he still had to perform later tonight.

Keira tried her best to comfort him, her hand now resting on his thigh as he looked intently at the stage. Waiting.

She wasn't used to seeing Lewis get nervous. He was always so confident and calm, even when singing in front of thousands of people. But now, it was like he felt a pressure to win. Maybe not for himself, or even his team, but for her. To make her proud.

Finally, the wait was over.

Two different celebrities walked up on stage and announced the nominees in his category. Keira squeezed his thigh. Now she was feeling nervous for him. She wanted Lewis to win so badly. He deserved the world and everything good that came with it.

"The winner of New Artist of the Year is . . ." the presenter began, slowly opening up the envelope.

Lewis' hand flew to hers, gripping tightly.

"LEWIS CAPALDI," they both yelled, and the whole arena erupted with cheers.

Everything that happened next was a blur.