I ignore him, instead waiting impatiently as Kellan toes off his sneakers, swinging our linked hands back and forth. "Did you see the artist lineup? And Michael Bublé is hosting , which means he's definitely going to open the show. What song do you think he'll open with? Feeling Good, maybe? Or Home because he's, you know, home in Canada hosting The JUNOS?" I gasp as a thought occurs to me. "Or maybe he'll do a medley of a bunch of his songs. Should we place bets? If he opens with Feeling Good, you owe me a donut."
Kellan smiles as I lead him to the couch, where we squeeze in front of the television and force Adam to move over to make room for us.
"Deal. And if it's Sway, I get to choose where we get dinner on Friday."
We shake on it, wearing matching mischievous smiles, and I know that no matter what song Michael Bublé opens with, Kellan would get me a donut anyway. That's just the kind of boyfriend Kellan is—the kind who shows up with a box of donuts when I'm stressing about an assignment, who lets me choose the same restaurant five times in a row because I'm always craving their shrimp pad thai, who shows up the night before an assignment is due during exam prep season to watch The JUNOS with me because he knows I watch them every year.
"You're so on," I say, fluffing the couch cushion behind me to get comfortable for the show.
After a week of drowning in study guides and highlight-stained notes, this is exactly what I need—a night of glitz, guitars, and watching a perfectly curated playlist of great Canadian artists with my boyfriend.
"Your mom is definitely hoping he opens with a Christmas song," I say to Kellan, looking at Adam to explain. "She plays his Christmas album on repeat from November. I'll have to text her during The JUNOS to see her reactions each time someone wins. She's especially curious about who will take Artist of the Year. Maybe I should call her so we can debrief before the show starts."
Kellan's Mom, having known me forever, was not surprised when we told her we were dating. In fact, she only smiled and said 'Finally. Let me know when the wedding is,' which earned a laugh from me and a burning red face of embarrassment from Kellan.
Adam grabs a bag of pre-popped popcorn, opening it with more aggression than necessary and sending a few popped kernels flying. "I know how much Kellan's mom loves the Christmas album. I'm the one who taught her how to stream it when her CD player broke." He stuffs a handful of popcorn into his mouth and mutters, "And she thinks Tate McRae will win that."
Choosing to ignore the last statement, I point to the remote beside Adam. "Well, are you going to turn it on? It's on CBC or CBC Gem, whichever you choose."
"I know which channel it's on," he grumbles, turning the television on and changing the channel to CBC so we can pretend we're actually at The JUNOS.
It's only commercials playing, so I settle in against Kellan. "We still have ten minutes before it starts. Who do you think will win—" I'm cut off by my ringing phone, and I gasp when it's a Facetime notification from Lori. I answer it immediately.
"You'll never guess who was standing only 50 feet in front of me," she starts with no preamble. She's in a crowd, and even from over the phone, I can feel the excited energy of an entire stadium full of people waiting in anticipation for a historical night.
"You're at Rogers Arena, so it'll be pretty hard to guess," I say, soaking in as much detail from her surroundings as I can. She's living her best life travelling the world and enjoying her gap year, and she just so happens to be on the Canadian leg of her trip in Vancouver at The JUNO Awards.
"Sum 41!" she exclaims over the excited chatter in the background. "Like the band Sum 41! Like the Pop Punk icons that are being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame today, Sum 41! They were right there in front of me!"