The content you’ve been putting up you mean.
You, me, same thing.
Nally smiled at his phone. Just looking at Jude’s words made him feel better. They were mates. That’s all their banter meant.
I’m about half an hour from the studio. I’ll see you soon.
Nally took a deep breath. Instead of putting his phone down, he opened his Insta app and scrolled through some of the latest posts from people he followed. There were all sorts of red dots indicating he had DMs, but he ignored them. He didn’t open or read his DMs. Jude was doing that for him, too, and letting him know if there was anything important.
Nothing on Insta held his attention. Nothing on the other social media channels either. He would probably have his Gen Zcard revoked, but social media had always seemed like more of a chore and a distraction to him instead of something he actually wanted to spend his time doing. Instead, he put in his earbuds and listened to the classical new release playlist on one of his favorite streaming apps as the train whisked him closer to his doom.
It was ridiculous for him to think of a BBC interview as his doom, though. By the time he’d navigated into the city and from Victoria Station to Portland Street, Nally was back to being a bundle of nerves again. Fortunately for him, Jude was already waiting for him in the lobby of Broadcast House.
“You look like you’re about to puke,” Jude greeted him with a wide smile.
“I feel like I’m about to puke,” Nally answered, walking right up to him and greeting his friend with a quick, back-thumping hug.
He wanted that hug to last so much longer, but he pulled away quickly, glancing around the historic lobby instead of meeting Jude’s eyes. It was just his nerves, that was all.
“This place is so huge,” he said. “I have no idea where to go.”
“Then it’s a good thing you have an agent to handle you and get you where you need to be,” Jude said, nudging his arm. His friend’s casual smile and confident manner were exactly what Nally needed. “Come on,” Jude went on, tugging Nally’s sleeve. “We need to check in over there.”
As nice as it was to have Jude there to take charge of things, it also frustrated Nally. He wasn’t the fainting violet type. He’d always been proactive and independent when it came to his music and his career. He’d been raised a Hawthorne, which was basically the same thing as saying he’d been raised to make a spectacle of himself.
It was great having someone stand with him, though.
“Right, you’re all checked in,” Jude told him, not just with authority, but like he absolutely loved being an agent. “You’re being interviewed by Hannah Peel.”
“TheHannah Peel?” Nally’s excitement instantly doubled. Hannah Peel was famous for her film and television scores. Nally had always admired her work, but in no way had he imagined he would ever be able to consider himself her peer.
“I hear she’s really nice,” Jude went on as the intern taking them through the labyrinthine hallways turned a corner.
“I’m sure she is.”
Minutes later, Nally’s excitement crashed into nerves and anxiety again. He was being interviewed by someone famous. What if she didn’t like his music? What if she’d listened to all of it and hated it? Was she going to eviscerate him live on the air?
“Mate, you need to calm down,” Jude laughed at him as they were led into an anteroom with a huge window that looked into a recording studio.
Nally stared into the room at none other than the ultra-famous Aled Jones. In no way did he belong in the same league as Aled Jones and Hannah Peel.
“I’m so rubbish,” he said, every cell in his body screaming at him to leave.
“Nally.” Jude grabbed his arms, causing Nally to jolt. “What’s wrong with you? This isn’t like you at all.”
“I don’t know!” Nally gasped. “A month ago, I was teaching music and composition classes at Hawthorne House, minding my own business. Yes, I wrote the score forTo Serve Him, but it was all in the background. Now I’m being interviewed by the BBC, people are messaging me faster than I’ll ever be able to read the messages on social media, and…and I just don’t know who I am anymore.”
There. That was it. Change. That was the problem. His life had been run through the wringer in the last month. Thatwas why he was struggling with new emotions and fears. Jude was the anchor keeping him tethered to himself. That’s why he suddenly valued his friend more than he ever had before. Not because he was in love with him or anything.
Goddess, no, he did not just think that. He was back to wanting to puke.
“Hey,” Jude said, staring straight into his eyes like a good anchor did. “You’re fine. Everything is fine. Yes, everything happening to you right now is big and life-changing. But life changes. We’re not kids anymore. Someone has to be famous, so why not us?”
Nally let out a breathy laugh and dropped his shoulders. It helped that Jude was still holding his arms, holding him up. He glanced up at Jude with a sheepish look and said, “If this is all just me transitioning into adulthood and me freaking out because of it, I’m going to be so embarrassed.”
Jude laughed. “Yeah, it is pretty embarrassing,” he said, letting go at last and shoving Nally playfully. “Grow up already!”
“I am!” Nally insisted. “I am bloody grown up, and I can handle this.”
