There were so many people.

I knew Jerrik was famous, but being put in a concert filled with all his fans was a little overwhelming.

I wondered, idly, what they would do to me if they knew just how close he and I are? Would they hurt me for it? Probably. I’d heard of fans doing a lot of ridiculous things.

I was situated near the front of the stage, in a sort of VIP area compared to the rest of the space. There was even a line between me and the rest of the crowd, and I felt that only made me stand out more. But I hardly cared.

Jerrik stood there, on the stage, tall and proud like he should be, like I hadn't seen him before. The stage was set up with some music equipment, a couple of guitars, a piano, and a set of drums. There were other people on the stage, setting themselves up with their instruments, while Jerrik stood in front of a microphone stand. He was in his signature look, jeans and a tank top, that showed off his physique and the tattoos that littered his shoulders, neck and chest.

He sang, and with all the noise, from the music to the crowd yelling in appreciation, I could barely hear his voice, even with the speaker. At some point, I was going to ask him to sing for me so I could listen purely to his voice. But, I had to admit, his singing was amazing.

It was a new song, and I listened carefully to the lyrics. They painted a beautiful story, and I would have to look through them a little more closely to be sure, but I thought it had something to do with us. The thought of that had me swaying with the music, and I wished we could dance to it together.

As the song drew to a close, the sound of screaming fans roared up again, and I was tempted to cover my ears a little to relieve them. Pretty much every one of his concerts was like this, and if he had anything to say about it, I’d be appearing at many more of them, so I had to get used to it at some point.

“Thank you, everybody!” Jerrik shouted into his microphone, eliciting even louder screams from the fans. “Did you guys like my new song?” he went on to say. I don’t think people even answered verbally; it was still just screaming.

I couldn’t help rolling my eyes, but a part of me felt proud. All these people, there to see Jerrik, and I was the one he would be taking home.

He talked some more, calling out for appreciation for the guys on the instruments, who waved in response to all the noise they received, and it was enough to have me cave in and cover my ears. Then he waited for the room to quiet down before he went on.

“Now, I have a little surprise planned for the audience and someone very close to me,” Jerrik said.

Instead of more screaming, the crowd went so silent it was eerie. But I wasn’t paying attention, my mind replaying his words. I wondered if he meant me, and at that moment, as I looked at him up on stage, he looked down. Our eyes met, and he smiled at me.

“The guys and I are going to play a brand new song, one that hasn’t even been to the recording studio yet, so you all get to hear it first, live.” He had to pause while the crowd showed their appreciation. “This new song is dedicated to this someone, who is very special to me, so I hope she likes the song.”

I barely heard the crowd; my mind focused on Jerrik’s voice as he began to sing, straining to catch all the lyrics. I changed my plan just slightly; I would have Jerrik sing this song specifically to me when we were alone at home. I swayed a little to the music, a smile forming on my face to match the one he had on. We were surrounded by hundreds of people, and there were plenty more watching live. Not to mention the people that would catch the replay. But just then, it felt so much like there was only the two of us.

Jerrik didn’t look away from me the entire song, his eyes sliding closed in some places, only to open again quickly, like he was afraid I’d disappear. Near the end of the song, he looked off to the side. I was a little sad to lose his attention, but then I felt someone touch my arm.

I started, but it was only Jerrik’s agent. He gave me a smile and gestured for me to follow. After some hesitation, I did.

I was pulled onstage, feeling incredibly confused. I would have rather stayed off it, but it wasn’t like people didn’t know we were together by then. We had been for a few months already. When Jerrik went back into his career better than ever, of course, more attention was paid to him, and I just happened to be caught one day. Somehow, I was still given plenty of freedom, so I didn’t mind it much.

But Jerrik had never done something like this before, so it was something of a surprise when I was brought right to his side, and he took one of my hands in his.

My eyes widened slightly when he suddenly went down on one knee, right there on the stage, in front of so many people. Later, I would probably think back and feel some mortification, because I was a woman that liked her privacy, and it was such a special moment. But, right then, I was unable to make a coherent thought, because there was only one thing this could mean.

Jerrik was going to propose.

Sure enough, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Funny how I hadn't spotted it during the concert, when he had only been a few feet away from me. He opened the small box with his one hand to show me the ring, simple gold with three small diamonds, the middle one slightly bigger than the other two.

I was crying and smiling, and I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t think I would hear myself. It was so loud, louder than ever, and I didn’t think he’d even hear me if I said yes. So I just gave him a rapid nod.

“I love you, Sharon,” he said, and I could hear it all around us, so I knew he’d used his microphone.

I pulled back with a pout because that was cheating. But I took his hand that held the mike and brought it to my mouth, taking a deep breath so I could say it clearly;

“I love you, Jerrik.”