Love Like A Tidal Wave

~Lyla's Point Of View

Kate, Morgan, Olivia, and I stood side stage as our boyfriend’s alternated coming on stage and wowing the crowd. We bounced and sang, and even tried to scream, for almost an hour as Of Mice & Men vibrated the entire building. Alan dragged Kate and Morgan on stage and Austin pushed them into the crowd. A million different hands tossed them around the room and Kate had lost a shoe by the time they made it back to the stage.

After Second & Sebring’s last few notes had echoed around the wooden walls of the buildings and soaked into every body in the venue, the crowd went wild. Austin ran off stage and before she could say a word, enveloped Morgan in a hug and ran off with her over his shoulder. Tito rolled his eyes at them and high fived me as he walked past. I couldn’t help but smile at their happiness, they both deserved each other. I could see Olivia on the opposite side of the stage messing with Tony’s braid as someone hooked his gear to a belt loop.

I looked past a black curtain to my left and into the awaiting crowd. I couldn’t imagine going out on that stage in front of hundreds of people and standing before them for their judgment, let alone singing for them. The house lights had come up so I could see the sweaty, adoring faces of the fans at the barricade and the line after line of faces behind them. The happiness in their eyes outweighed the discomfort by miles. Tech crew scurried around the stage screwing and unscrewing, attaching and detaching, until Pierce The Veil’s stage was complete. Three platforms stood at the front of the stage for Tony, Vic, and Jaime and Mike’s giant drum kit stood at the back. The tech crew disappeared and the lights went down, I took a seat on a nearby stool and prepared myself for the show.

The foursome ran onto the stage in various band shirts, colors of vans, and skinny jeans (except Mike, who seemed to never wear clothes). The sound from the crowd was almost deafening. The bass from the drums became my heart beat and the music itself seemed to embody me. Maybe I was thinking about this too hard but whatever was happening I liked. The first show stopping moment never ceased to shock me, night after night I was still left breathless.

Olivia appeared after a few songs and we sat together, singing until we were hoarse song after song. Tony, Jaime, and Mike came off stage and were doused with water bottles and Vic was left alone on stage with his acoustic guitar. His voice was like nothing I had ever heard, and was literally music to my ears. It was impossible to ever be sad while Vic was singing, and the warmth in my heart burst and began to spread across my face in a smile. The song ended and Vic began to talk to the crowd.

“How is everybody tonight?” Screams. “That’s great!” Screams. “I’m happy to be here! But there’s someone I want to introduce you too.” Uh oh. “This person is very, very, very important to me. She’s been here for me for the past eight months and I hope she never plans on leaving. Everybody, give it up to my beautiful girlfriend, Lyla!” Vic swung an arm in my direction and the crowd went wild. I sat dumbfounded in my seat and Vic walked over, grabbed my hand, and pulled me gently onto the stage.

“Surprise.” He whispered as he kissed my cheek. This time talking into the microphone, “This is a new song, and it was inspired by her. This one’s for you, love.”

Somewhere between the beginning of the song and Vic starring longingly into my eyes, the rest of the band had reappeared on stage. Vic began to sing A Match Into Water and repeated the first opening lines softly three times before Jaime joined him in screaming the rest of the song. Vic’s eyes never left mine and during the chorus he came so close to me, to the excited screaming of the crowd, the only thing that was between us was his guitar. I could feel his right hand pressed against my left thigh as he quickly strummed the song.

“FUCK IT.” Rang through the building as the song ended and the shaking building ceased as the crowd settled. Vic’s breath was heavy and I could feel it on my face as he pulled me into a hug. He spoke into the microphone but his gaze was still locked on me. “I’ve loved you since the day we met, since that first day during Warped when I told you to stay with me, I never stopped loving you through everything we’ve gone through in these past few months and I will continue to love you through everything that happens in the future. I’m selfish and I want you all to myself. You’re my past, present, and future. And if one day you decide you don’t want me anymore I’ll be by myself. Lyla, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

A sound like I’ve never heard before came from the crowd and tears welled up in my eyes. I was unable to speak and I could barely see. I nodded my head and Vic ran my finger along the inside of the ring, the word Stay was scripted into the gold. I felt Vic’s lips on mine and I wiped my eyes on his shirt.

“I do, I do, I do, I do, I do a thousand times.” I whispered into his ear.

Suddenly, Vic’s grip wasn’t as tight on me and all his weight was pressed down on me. What was going on? A full water bottle smashed into Mike’s drum set and another flew past my head. Vic fell backward and crashed into the back of the stage, his head smashing into the corner of Mike’s platform. Screams erupted around the room and I froze. I looked into the crowd for the culprit but the lights felt like they were burning into my skin and I had to shield my eyes.

“Bro, bro, bro, GET OUT OF MY WAY THAT’S MY BROTHER!” Mike roared from beside me as he pushed security guards out of the way.

My breath caught in my throat and my new ring felt like a thousand pound weight on my hand as I saw Mike run off stage holding a lifeless Vic to his chest. The room began to spin and the lights and screams became too much and I crumpled into a heap on the stage. Jaime’s face swam in and out of focus in the dizzy confusion and he pulled me into his arms.

“We’re not losing you , too.”