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“I’m ready. I think.” Marjan hesitantly stepped out of her room, shoulders hunched and hands splayed out at her sides as she awaited Nancy’s response.
Nancy turned, hurrying to swallow the pretzel she had just crammed in her mouth. She paused, looked Marjan up and down, and continued crunching.
“What?” Marjan’s eyes widened. She straightened and crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t like it.”
Nancy held up a finger, signaling to Marjan that she was still polishing off the pretzel.
“Nance,” Marjan said. “I thought we were going to have a nice dinner before!”
Nancy swallowed. “We are, babe! You know I can’t go very long before mildly peckish turns to hangry beast.”
Marjan nodded in concession. “So, what’s wrong with my outfit?”
Nancy pursed her lips and cocked her head. “Well, it’s … not that there’s anything … wrong, per se.”
“Nancy, spit it out.”
“Okay, look,” Nancy sighed. “This is Chappell Roan.”
“Yes?” Marjan raised her eyebrows.
“Have you seen her perform?” Nancy asked.
“No,” Marjan answered. “Isn’t that the whole point of tonight?”
“Babe.” Nancy stepped closer, eyeing Marjan as if she couldn’t quite believe what she saw. “You haven’t even watched a video?”
“No,” Marjan scoffed. “I want to be surprised.”
“Okay, fine,” Nancy said. “Fair point. Going in blind isn’t a bad idea. But you have to know what you’re getting into.”
“It’s a concert,” Marjan said, her voice flat.
“No,” Nancy said, dragging out the word, “it’s an experience.”
“Aren’t all concerts?” Marjan flung her hands down to her side.
“Not like this. Look, I saw Chappell last year, before she blew up. There’s a whole culture. I showed up in jeans and a sweater, and I seriously regretted it.”
“Okay, so what are you wearing, then?” Marjan asked.
Nancy grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
She hurried past Marjan into their room and returned with a garment bag. Marjan furrowed her brow. “That seems a little excessive.”
“Which is the whole point!” Nancy exclaimed. “You’ll see.”
She unzipped the garment bag, and out tumbled an explosion of shimmering rainbows.
“Whoa,” Marjan muttered.
“The theme is Kaleidoscope tonight,” Nancy said, her face alight. “Rainbows everywhere .”
She pulled a garment from the floor and held it up for Marjan to see. It was a jumpsuit covered in glittering sequins. The cap sleeves were so ruffled, it almost appeared as if there were rainbow feathers jutting out from them. The legs of the jumpsuit were long and slim, perfect to accentuate the elegance of Nancy’s long, lean legs.
“Please tell me this doesn’t make me look like a pile of unicorn vomit,” Nancy groaned.
“No, no,” Marjan said. “I’m sure you’ll look great.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “I just don’t have any idea how to match that.”
“Well … lucky for you, I anticipated as much,” Nancy said.
“Hey!” Marjan laughed, feigning offense.
“So I got you this,” Nancy finished. She pulled something else from the garment bag, and Marjan gaped at it.
Nancy held a white suit with a shimmering rainbow tie. Her smile fell. “Do you like it?”
“Oh my god, Nancy,” Marjan breathed. “I love it! How did you – I mean, this is just perfect!”
Nancy’s smile spread to her eyes. “I’m glad you like it.”
Marjan took one step toward Nancy and engulfed her in a hug. She felt Nancy sigh into her hair. “We’re going to have the best time.”
When they arrived at the venue, the bass boomed so loudly that Marjan could feel it vibrating in her chest. A marquee sign on the front of the building flashed, “CHAPPELL ROAN.”
Throngs of people in a frenzy of different colors flooded into the venue. Face paint and sparkles and tassels were everywhere.
“I feel a bit underdressed,” Marjan noted.
“Babe, the point of a Chappell Roan concert is that you don’t have to be like anyone else,” Nancy said. “And you’re perfect.”
Marjan blushed and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. Nancy placed a hand on the small of Marjan’s back, and together they stepped inside.
The once-muffled bass grew clearer and louder, pounding in Marjan’s bones. Everywhere was a splash of color visible even in the dim lighting.
“What song are you most excited for?” Marjan asked.
“Definitely ‘My Kink is Karma,’” Nancy said with a cocked eyebrow.
“Remind me never to cross you,” Marjan snorted.
Soon, the lights dissipated into hazy darkness. The blaring bass stopped, but Marjan’s heart still pounded, speeding up as she and Nancy clasped hands.
Nancy gave a small squeal, and Marjan glanced over at her. She smiled and basked in the way Nancy’s deep brown eyes were alight, the way her cheeks flushed and her mouth hung agape as she awaited the first note.
She thought Nancy wouldn’t even notice her staring, but Nancy turned, her eyes locked on Marjan’s. Marjan’s first instinct was to look away, to pretend she hadn’t been staring. But instead she focused on Nancy’s gaze, her body warming from the inside out.
Screams cut through the air. A pair of tall, pink boots clacked onto the stage. Nancy squeezed Marjan’s hand as the opening notes of “ Femininomenon ” rang out.
Marjan looked around as everyone burst into song, nearly drowning Chappell out. When the chorus hit, Marjan’s lips began to move, mouthing the words. But by the end of the song, she was fully belting the lyrics with Nancy, laughing as they sang to each other.
By the time “Pink Pony Club” began, Marjan was buzzing from head to toe, filled with giddiness. As she and Nancy danced and jumped to the chorus, hand-in-hand, tears sprang to her eyes. She swiped at them with her free hand and laughed aloud, feeling light and free.
Nancy twirled Marjan to the beat. As the concert ended and Chappell bounced off the stage, Nancy pulled Marjan close.
“Did you like it?” she asked.
Marjan let air out through her nose with a smile. “Are you kidding? Did you see me?”
Nancy grinned.
“In all seriousness, though, thank you,” Marjan said. “I’ve never experienced something this … freeing.”
“Thank you for coming with me,” Nancy murmured.
Marjan tilted her head upward and pressed a soft kiss to Nancy’s lips. Nancy cupped Marjan’s face in her hands, stroking her cheek.
Marjan laid a hand over Nancy’s. “Also, just be prepared for me to sing ‘Pink Pony Club’ the whole way home.”
Nancy laughed. “I’ll make sure to put in my earplugs.”
“Hey!” Marjan gave Nancy a playful push.
As the two stepped out of the venue into the hot, still, night air, Marjan felt the tears rush to her eyes again. She lifted a hand to brush them away, but Nancy’s hand was quicker, catching her tears before they could fall.
Marjan stopped in her tracks and turned to face Nancy. “I have something to tell you.”
Her heart fluttered, kicking against her chest as she gazed up at her girlfriend.
Nancy stopped too, taken aback. “What is it?”
“I love you,” Marjan said. “When I’m with you, it feels like there’s this constant song inside of me. A beautiful song, one that tugs at my emotions and makes me want to dance. You’re like the song of my heart.”
Nancy’s face softened, and she tilted her head. “Marjan,” she whispered. She took Marjan’s hands in hers. “I love you . And that’s … such a beautiful thing to say.”
“It’s true,” Marjan said. “I know it sounds cheesy.”
“No, not to me,” Nancy cut in. “It’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever told me.”
After a few moments of smiling silence, they headed back down the street, arms swinging as Marjan hummed “Pink Pony Club.”