The noise was huge, and, everywhere she looked, cameras flashed, reporters held out microphones, and celebrities posed for pictures, answered questions, and glowed in the latest fashions under the late evening sky.
Remembering to keep her jaw from dragging on the ground, Autumn smiled and did her own turns for the cameras. When a mike was placed in front of her, she responded to the inquiries from reporters. Yes, she was very excited by how well her film was doing. No, she didn’t expect an Oscar, but she’d been told to expect a nomination. Who was she wearing? A lovely outfit that the creative minds at Dolce & Gabbana had come up with, while her bag was Fendi and her shoes were Gucci. No, she wasn’t here to see anyone specific win, but she was excited for everyone who’d been nominated.
After nearly half an hour spent on the red carpet, she let Liz pull her into the theater. “Thank God,” she breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought that would never end.”
“Get used to it,” Liz replied, grinning. “This is your life now. Well, partly anyway. It’s not like you’ll be going to awards shows everyday.”
Autumn glanced around at the interior design of the building, admiring it and the gorgeous men and women that mingled amidst the splendor. “I have a feeling I’m not in Kansas anymore,” she murmured then laughed. “Can you believe it? My first awards show! I finally feel like I’ve made it.”
Liz hugged her. “You deserve it, Evans. You’ve worked your ass off to get here, so you should definitely enjoy it.” She pulled out her PDA. “But, before I forget, you’ll be tagged by a runner at eight-thirteen for your eight twenty-five presenting.”
“I’ll remember,” Autumn assured her then smiled as one of her co-stars approached them. “Now you go relax, too. I’m going to mingle.” With a grin, she exchanged greetings and began to talk excitedly with an actor who’d become a friend.
***
“What am I presenting?” Nick asked Johnny as they made it through the red carpet buzz and into the theater.
Johnny greeted one of the members of a rising alternative rock band he would soon be representing before he answered Nick’s question. “Christian Radio Rock Artist/Band of the Year. Odds are good that Brian’s going to get the award.”
“Really?” Nick was pleased by the thought of Brian’s solo venture gaining national recognition. “That’s awesome! Is he here yet?”
Johnny shrugged. “I’m going to go find him in a minute. You know where you’re going, right?”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I’m not a kid anymore, Johnny. Go find Brian and tell him I wish him luck.”
As Johnny nodded briefly then strode off through the crowd, Nick looked around the anteroom of the auditorium, trying to spot anyone he knew. If Kevin was here, he wanted to find him before they had to find their seats. Which only left him ten minutes, he knew, but he went to look anyway.
When he spotted the familiar dark curls in the midst of a crush of people near the entrance into the auditorium, he kept himself from calling out. She was here, he thought. That was all he needed to know. He’d find her later, and, this time, he’d definitely get her number.
At the tap on his shoulder, he turned then grinned hugely before scooping the pretty blonde into a hug. “I’d heard the two of you might show,” he said, letting go of her and looking over at her husband. They looked good, he thought. Love did good things to people, and they were a prime example of it. “It’s great to see you,” he added, clapping a hand on Kevin’s shoulder.
“You, too,” Kevin answered with a smile. “Where are you seated?”
Nick tried to remember. “Uh, fifth row on the left. You guys?”
“What a coincidence!” Kristin smiled mischievously. “We’re in that row, too.”
“Then I guess I won’t be bored tonight,” Nick responded enthusiastically. “I was thinking I’d fall asleep after a few minutes, but there’s suddenly fresh hope for the evening.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “Glad to be of service, man. Let’s get inside.”
***
It turned out that whoever had made up the seating plans for the show loved mixing things up. Nick, Kevin, and Kristin ended up sitting in the same row as Ludacris, and they could see Howie two rows over near Rihanna. Neither of them could see AJ or Brian, but they figured running into them wouldn’t be too difficult after the show.
When it was nearly time for Nick to present, he followed the runner backstage and had his face powdered, while an assistant reminded him of where the teleprompter would be and where and when he should exit. Having done this dozens of times, Nick barely heard the man and just crossed his fingers for Brian.
“If you miss a word here or there, just keep going or improvise. Just don’t forget that you’re on a very tight time limit,” the assistant instructed. When Nick turned to tell the man to relax, he discovered that he wasn’t the object of the other man’s attention.
“Nick!” Autumn was surprised, but secretly relieved, that he was there.
For a split second, he couldn’t help but think that it had to be fate that she was there with him. He’d been thinking about getting her number, hadn’t he? He’d been wondering how he’d find her amidst the crowds, or if he’d find her at all. Well, here she was…and she looked fabulous. He took in her appearance from the curls tucked at the base of her neck to the jade-colored dress that fell to her knees to the Grecian-looking sandals she wore. Then he grinned. “Hey, are you presenting this one, too?”
She held up the envelope. “You, too?”
“Yeah. You excited?” He could see her hands shaking.
She laughed nervously. “I’m kind of freaking out here.”
“Don’t be,” he advised her as they were propelled onto the platform they were to wait on until their names were called. “You have no idea how many times people flub their lines and no one really cares. Just enjoy being up there.” He looked down at her. “You do enjoy being up onstage, right?”
Autumn stopped and narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, you are a blonde,” she muttered before lifting her voice. “I adore being on any stage, so thank you for the advice,” she added primly, “but I think I’ll be over the nerves as soon as I get out there.”
“Good,” Nick began, but was cut off by the host’s voice.
“Our next presenters know all about family ties. She’s the big-screen’s breakout darling in a tale of one family’s struggles, while he stars in a reality show all about his struggles with his siblings. Please welcome Autumn Evans and Nick Carter!”
The instant her name was called, Autumn’s hand latched onto Nick’s and, barely glancing down at their joined hands, he led her out onto the stage and up to the podium. Knowing that she wouldn’t speak up first, he flashed a smile at the cameras before beginning to read the words off of the teleprompter. Moments after he began, he could feel Autumn’s death grip on his hand loosen up before she grinned at him and picked up where he’d left off.
“Here are the nominees for this year’s Christian Rock Artist/Band of the Year,” she finished. When she was sure the cameras were turned off, she leaned close to Nick. “Thanks for letting me freak out. I appreciate it.”
He took her hand in his again and squeezed it. “I know what it was like, too,” he whispered. “And don’t mention it. It can’t get out that I’m a good guy sometimes.”
She had to suppress the chuckle and squeezed his hand back before turning back to the cameras. Neither noticed the speculative looks the audience members in the front rows were giving them.
Nick slid open the envelope and held the paper out for Autumn to see. His heart thudded as they both spoke together. “And the winner is…Brian Littrell!”
The smile on his face was huge, Nick knew, but it was nowhere near as gigantic as the one on Brian’s face as he climbed onto the stage then leapt on Nick. They both laughed before Brian let go and hugged Autumn lightly. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” he whispered quickly in her ear. “We’ve gotta talk.”
But, before she could recover from the surprise of his words, he was turning back to the audience and launching into his thank you’s.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Ta-da! As promised, here is, not one, but TWO Proving Them Wrong chapters! I hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review! thanks to everyone who has--they've been AWESOME! Enjoy!
