“But what if you did meet him and he asked you out?  Would you give him your number?” We were side by side at my bathroom mirror, putting the finishing touches on our make-up. My best friend Becky had gotten us front row tickets plus backstage passes to the hottest concert in town, which just happened to be my all-time favorite singer, Kayson Reed. The thought of meeting him face-to-face, much less him asking me out was so abstract and hypothetical I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. I peered at her through the mirror. “Pfft. Never gonna happen.” Adding another coat of mascara to my lashes, I figured you could probably see them from outer space by now. I normally didn’t wear much make-up but tonight I wanted to feel different – glamorous I guess.

The concert was absolutely the best time I’d ever had in my life. Kayson Reed knew how to put on a show and he had his fans on their feet and screaming for a solid two hours. There were a few times I could swear he was looking right into my eyes, he was that good at selling it. After the show, Becky grabbed my hand and we made our way to the area where we would gain backstage access, along with about fifty other “VIPs”. There was no way Kayson would know me from Adam with this amount of people around. Still, I would at least get his autograph and maybe even a picture with him. That alone was worth it.

When the band finally made their entrance the volume in the room increased exponentially. I could barely hear Becky. She tried to pull me towards Kayson but I resisted and hung back, a little intimidated now that I was so close to him. The reality was so much more intense than the fantasy. I needed a little time to have a very minor panic attack before I had my chance to meet him. By the time my breathing had returned to normal, the crowd in the room had thinned. I felt the hairs on my neck stand up and glanced around the room to see Kayson Reed looking at me while chatting with two very eager, very underdressed fans. A blush crept over my cheeks when I realized the two women hadn’t even noticed Kayson was looking elsewhere – at me – while talking to them.

He quickly wrapped up their conversation with autographs and strode over to me. “You’re the only one in the room who hasn’t gone out of her way to get my attention. I don’t know if I should be grateful or offended.” He let out a small chuckle but I could see a hint of apprehension in his eyes. I smiled warmly, “I wouldn’t intentionally offend you. I’m actually a huge fan. I’ve just been, um, trying to remember how to breathe properly so I didn’t pass out in front of you.” His laugh echoed, a melody in my ears. “No need to be nervous. Front row, stage right. I saw you a few times. I’m glad I got to meet you. Well, actually we haven’t really met.” He extended his hand. “I’m Kayson Reed.” I placed my small hand in his and felt electric sparks, probably static from the carpet. “I’m Nicole Thompson. It’s really nice, really exciting to meet you.” The blush returned to my cheeks. He kept my hand in his, the warmth radiating all the way up my arm. “Nicole. That’s a beautiful name. Listen, there’s no easy way to do this without it sounding like I’m the creepy rock star hitting on the vulnerable groupie. Would you ever consider maybe having dinner with me?”