"Hey Shay, I need a date to the Opry for a Christmas concert, you in?" the text from Lucy Hale read.
"I don't know, country really isn't my thing," Shay Mitchell responded. "I couldn't tell you one song other than yours."
"Oh come one, be a supportive friend!" Lucy texted back.
"Fine, but you owe me one," Shay sent.
On the second Sunday of December, Shay Mitchell landed in Nashville, her first time visiting the city. Lucy had a car set up so the girl, dressed in a pair of torn jeans and loose-fitting pink 'SoCal' tank top. With her suitcase being pulled behind her, she approached the silver car, tossed the bag inside and headed for her hotel.
It was a short drive to the hotel. Shay parked in the garage, grabbed her bag and started towards the entrance. She was looking down at her phone, not paying attention, when the door flung open, almost smacking her in the forehead.
"Oh god, I am sorry," a blonde haired, brown eyed woman dressed in yoga pants and a black hoodie said. "Didn't see you there."
"It's okay," a smiling Shay said. "You look really familiar."
"I get that a lot," the blonde responded with a slight southern accent. "A guess a lot of Oklahoma girls look alike. I gotta run before my gig tonight, catch you later!"
Shay waved goodbye as the girl jogged away.
"Nice legs," Shay thought as she walked past the door and into the lobby.
Shay spent the morning settling in before meeting Lucy for lunch down the street from the Grand Ole Opry. She changed clothes, switching into a tight white t-shirt and a new pair of jeans, no tears to be found.
The Canadian walked down the street on the sunny day, making it to the small diner in under five minutes. Lucy was sitting at a table near the front window, waving as soon as she saw her friend. Shay walked in and sat across from the dressed-up girl.
"Nice dress," Shay said, commenting on Lucy's short blue dress under an open denim jacket.
Lucy smiled and slid a cup of coffee over to Shay. The girls made small talk for a few minutes before they were distracted by a jogging blonde running past the window.
"Oh, I met her in the hotel," Shay commented as she shared a small smile with the woman yet again.
"You met HER?" Lucy asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, why is that a big deal?" Shay asked.
"You don't know who that is, so you?" Lucy asked, amazed that Shay did not recognize her.
"Am I supposed to?" she asked, still unsure what the big deal was.
"Ugh, you disappoint me Shay," Lucy said, not revealing who the blonde woman was.
Shay shrugged and finished her coffee before the girls each ordered a club sandwich. About a half an hour later, they exited the diner and shared a hug before the shorter girl skipped across the street to the Opry.
"Don't forget to wear something nice!" she shouted.
Shay nodded before walking back to the hotel. As she arrived back, she yet again was met but the jogging blonde, who reached the front door at the same time.
"Are you stalking me?" Shay asked with a laugh.
"You sure are pretty enough to stalk but no, I'm not," the blonde said as she held the door open for the clueless girl.
"My friend says I should know you," Shay said. "Do you know Lucy Hale?"
"Of course I do, she's a really sweet little girl," the blonde said. "Nobody SHOULD know anybody, it's all about wanting to know. I'm Carrie."
"Shay," she responded. "I don't know if you're famous or not but you seem like a nice woman."
"Thanks," Carrie said as they walked into the elevator. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is your first time in Nashville, right?"
"How could you tell?" she asked.
"Just a feeling," Carrie said as the exited the elevator on the same floor. "I live here but I like staying in the hotel on Opry night."
"You're going too?" Shay asked, making the blonde laugh.
"You are so cute," she responded as she approached room 721 and swiped her card. "Hope to see you there."
Shay had a confused smile on her face as she walked down to room 745 and entered. Several hours later, Shay emerged wearing a red dress that reached her knees, low cut and showing off a lot of cleavage. She pulled a long leather jacket on over it and headed out, not bumping into Carrie for the first time.
The weather had taken a turn, rain now pouring down on the Music City. Shay got in her rental car for the short drive over to the Opry. She luckily found a parking spot close to the front despite the massive crowd already filing in. She spotted Lucy waiting outside, still wearing the same clothes from earlier and ran up to her. They shared a quick hug before walking in.
As they made their way towards the stage, Lucy stopped near an office and introduced Shay to her friend, a tall, tanned man wearing a tight t-shirt and jeans.
"This is Frank," Lucy said. "The guy I had been talking about. The one that thinks you're cute."