All is Found

45

            Alyssa broke me out of my stupor and showed me to our dressing room for the night. I'm going on a little later in the show and I got to relax for a little bit. I got myself and Thea a drink before we made our way to our seats. Once again I'm sitting in the front row and that makes me nervous. Thea sensed it and she put her hand on mine giving it a squeeze. I focused on her for a moment and gave her a quick kiss before taking my seat. Thea is sitting in the middle of Alyssa and I.

            Just before the show started Taylor Swift took her seat, which happened to be the seat next to me. It was the last thing I needed for my anxiety but I just quickly finished off the last of my whiskey and said a polite hello. Thea handed me the last of her drink and I finished it off before Taylor pulled me into conversation with Lizzo who sat next to her.

            Finally the show started and I got to relax a little bit. Thea's hand is firmly in mine giving it a squeeze every few second to keep me tethered to the ground. The show slowly moved along and I started to enjoy sitting next to Taylor as we continued our conversation throughout the night. The glass of whiskey I had kicked in and I definitely felt more relaxed. Lizzo and Taylor both left their seats to get prepared for their own performances. Before Taylor left she asked for my cell number and I almost fainted. After Taylor added my number she also added me to a group chat. She said that it was with other female artists and to introduce myself in the chat. When both women left they were replaced with Drake and Post Malone. Both guys were pretty nice and Thea got a really sweet picture of the three of us together before I had to go back to the dressing room to get changed for my performance.

            I changed into a black tee shirt and a pair of jeans to keep it simple. I didn't want anything crazy for this song. Toby popped his head in and wished me luck before leaving again. It wasn't long before I was standing on the stage with my band waiting for the curtain to rise. The song actually went over well. I got to release some of my nervous energy during the performance and it helped me relax a bit. The fans in the audience were into it and so were some of the celebrities.

            After the song was over I changed back into my suit and we were shown back to our seats. This time I was brushing elbows with Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. The pair always reminded me of how Asher and I used to work together. I couldn't dwell on the moment for long as the first award I was up for in the night was up. Favorite Female Pop/Rock. I was up against Ariana and Taylor and I knew I had no chance at winning so I just sat back and held Thea's hand tightly. She gave me a kiss on the cheek as the announcer opened the envelope.

            Ash Monroe. Wait what? I looked up and saw my face on the screens, did I just win? I looked at Thea and saw her pulling me to stand. She gave me a hug and pushed me towards the stage. I accepted the award from the announcer and looked around at the audience.

            "I thought I had no chance at this because of the other two incredible wonen I was up against in this category. I am so incredible grateful to be here tonight in their amazing company. The song I sang for all of you earlier is my thank you to the fans. A thank you to them for following me on this new path in my career. I want to thank them for giving me this platform and sticking with me when everything was going wrong in my life. So thank you for believing in me and my sound enough to go out and vote for me enough to win this award. I love you all so much." I took a breath and walked off the stage.

            I walked off to the bathroom and collect myself. A few minutes later I felt a hand run down my spine and I knew it was Thea.

            "Why are you hiding baby, so many people want to see you." Thea said quietly.

            "I can't believe that this is happening right now." I said took a deep breath.

            "Well you need to get used to it love. Once this new music hits the air, you are going to win a lot more awards. How about we get another drink and head back to our seats." Thea said.

            I just nodded and took Thea's hand. She led us out of the bathroom and I found my band waiting for us when we got outside. Nikki launched herself at me and pulled me into a tight hug. A few others followed and I could feel myself breath again. The love these people have for me is something I won't ever take for granted. Alyssa actually handed me the drink when we broke apart. She led us back to our seats and we got settled to watch Lizzo perform.

            It was getting towards the end of the show and I know the other two award I'm up for are coming up. Thea kept a tight hold on my hand and I just kept taking deep breaths. Favorite Music Video came up next. I watched as the announcer call out all the people up for this award and for the first time I found myself wanting to win. And I did. When I heard my name I smiled at Thea and gave her a hug before I hugged Alyssa and walked onto the stage.

            "This award is for a song I wrote about the woman I love. I count my blessing every day that you are in my life. I don't know what I would do without you in my life. I can't wait to keep making memories together. She'll always be my muse so don't be surprised if you hear more songs written about her. Tell the person you love that you love them every chance you get. Thank you." I gave a smile to the crowd before walking off the stage.

            This time just Thea was waiting for me back stage. As I got closer to her Thea walked the rest of the distance to me and I picked her up in my arms and spun her around. When her feet touched the ground I planted a deep kiss on her lips and found myself not wanting to let go. I had to unfortunately because the last award I was up for tonight would be on shortly.

            We were showed back to our seats and Alyssa had to wipe Thea's extra lip stick off the corner of my mouth. When she was done I looked up at the stage and sighed.

            "Is it bad of me to say I really want to win this award?" I asked looking at both of them.

            "No." They both answered at the same time.

            "After everything you've been through Ash, you deserve this award more than anyone up for it. You've had an incredible comeback year and everyone knows it." Alyssa said and patted my hand as the announcer came out to present the final award to the night, Artist of Year.

            I held my breath as the announcer presented everyone who was up for the award. Once again I'm in great company but I am actually wanting to win this. The envelope opened and I watched as my face flashed up on the screen. I just won again. Thea just pushed me up on stage this time and I grabbed the award with a large smile on my face.

            "I don't know what to say. At the beginning of the year I really didn't think any of this could be possible. 10 months later I'm standing on this stage in front of all of you accepting this award. None of this would be possible without the love of my life. She saved me in more ways than one and I owe her my life. My manager Alyssa who has been able to keep me in check and be everything from a shoulder to cry on to a best friend to even a mom at some moments. To my band who has become like family to me in the dark moments, I love you three so much it hurts."

            I looked around in the crowd and found my band standing with Alyssa and Thea. I gave them a bright smile before I looked up to see I'm running out of time.

            "I'll wrap this up but I just wanted to say that next year is going to be huge, a lot of new music is coming your way soon. Thank you all again so much. Have a good night!"

            I took a breath and handed the award to the waiting stage hand and I went back down the front of the stairs and was pulled into a group hug with my team. Tonight has been one of the best nights of my life.