Serena's P.O.V.

Got lightning in a bottle
Hands on the throttle
Even in the dust, we shine
With fire and gold in our eyes

I strummed the final beat on my guitar, and the crowd erupted with applause. I could hear from a distance some of the Umbrella Academy cast cheering for me. "Go, Serena!" Emmy squealed. Hearing my idols say that nearly brought tears to my eyes. I've only pictured singing in front of crowds in my dreams, but since I've met Aidan, I felt like I was on Cloud 9. Aidan was clapping and whistling for me as the applause continued, and it was just the third song into the concert.

"You guys are awesome, oh my goodness!" I gushed. I set my guitar on the stand as I got prepared to cover Aidan's song, For You. "So, this song was written by certain someone who's in this audience tonight. So if you guys happen to know the words, please sing along. This is called For You by the amazing Aidan Gallagher,"

As I sang his song, I could hear almost everybody in the audience singing along. I could've sworn I heard Aidan sing along too. It took me a while to find the right key to play the song, but by the time we left for Toronto, I had memorized the key like the back of my hand. The song was beautiful, and I instantly fell in love with it when Aidan first released it. "Pretend that you want me. I know that you're lying. When you say that you still dream about me, like I still do, for you,"

********

Aidan's P.O.V.

I had never heard Serena do a cover of For You on the piano before. I had heard her play a similar beat back in LA. But I thought she was working on a new song. But it warmed my heart to hear her sing one of my songs at her concert. As the hours went by, she did a few more covers of her favorite artists including, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and even did a cover of Welcome to the Black Parade by MCR, which blew my mind.

"So, this next song is near and dear to my heart because I've really been struggling for the past two years of my life. But there have been so many people who have lifted me out of the darkness when I was scared to come out. This is another one of my songs called According to You," Serena explained. My eyes went wide when she admitted about the past two years. She didn't tell them everything, but I was happy she had the courage to open up to her fans.

https://youtu.be/HJPiHLvRdqw

According to you, I'm stupid

 I'm useless 

I can't do anything right 

According to you, I'm difficult 

Hard to please 

Forever changing my mind 

 I'm a mess in a dress 

Can't show up on time 

Even if it would save my life

 According to you, according to you 

But according to him 

I'm beautiful, incredible,

He can't get me out of his head 

According to him

I'm funny, irresistible

Everything he ever wanted 

Everything is opposite 

I don't feel like stopping it 

Baby, tell me what I got to lose 

He's into me for everything I'm not 

According to you

I need to feel appreciated 

Like I'm not hated, oh no 

Why can't you see me through his eyes? 

It's too bad you're making me decide.

According to me, 

You're stupid

You're useless 

You can't do anything right 

But according to him 

I'm beautiful, incredible 

He can't get me out of his head 

According to him,

I'm funny, irresistible 

Everything he ever wanted

Everything is opposite 

I don't feel like stopping it 

Baby, tell me what I got to lose 

He's into me for everything 

I'm not

According to you

The crowd was silent for a moment. It sounded almost so eerie. Then finally, loud roars filled the venue, and I started cheering for her.  Serena's cheeks turn a bright pink under the lights, and she grinned bigger than I have ever seen her in my life. She wiped her eyes with the back of her finger, and some people let out aww's as she tried to hide that she was crying happy tears. She took a moment to compose herself before going back to the mic. 

"This next song is an oldie but goodie. Some of you may remember this song from my first performance back in LA, and I'm bringing it back! Please sing along if you know the words, this is called Without Him," Without hesitation, everyone, including me, starting singing along with her as she played it on the piano. As the song continued, I couldn't help but wonder what her reaction would be when I showed her the surprise I had planned for her. Will she be happy? Will she be surprised?

*******

Serena's P.O.V.

This life ain't meant to be lived without him

This life ain't meant to be lived without him, 

Without him, I know

I had planned for Without Him to be the final song of the concert. I had enjoyed the past few hours of singing my heart out to the adoring fans. As I looked out into the crowd, I saw that Aidan was no longer there. Inside, I was worried about where he went. As I looked into the crowd further, I noticed that the cast was gone too. Suddenly, the microphone gave some nasty feedback, quieting the cheers and clapping. I looked over, and to my surprise, I saw Aidan and the cast was standing on the stage a few feet away from me.

"Aidan? What are you doing up here?" I asked into the mic. "You remember when I told you I had a surprise? Well, this is it," He answered. He looked out into the crowd, who immediately started cheering once again. "Alright, so tomorrow is a special day, and I wanted you all to be a part of it. It's Serena's 17th birthday!" Aidan smiled. The screams in the audience grew louder. "So, we're going to sing altogether, and we're going to make her feel so special because she is so special!"

Emmy walked over to the piano and played a chord. As they began to sing happy birthday, David and Elliot brought out a small chocolate cake with numbered candles spelling out 17. Happy tears once again began to fill up the corners of my eyes and spill down my cheeks. I blew out the candles as the song ended, and I hugged Aidan so tightly. "We love you, Serena!" Aidan smiled. We stayed in that embrace for about a minute and slowly pulled apart, not wanting to let go.

This was the best surprise ever!