“You know,” he said, looking deep into Luke’s eyes, “you don’t have to keep thinking I’m going to ditch you at the slightest sign of commitment. I’m not going to leave, Luke. I promise.”
Luke believed Mikey, of course he did, but he couldn’t help but feel like all of this was incredibly fragile.
I guess I’m just going to have to accept we’re both works in progress,he thought.
“I believe you,” he said, just so Mikey wouldn’t worry. “Really.”
Mikey looked at him for a moment more, and then he nodded his head, clearly satisfied.
“Okay, then. Once this concert is over we’ll put this album together, and then we’ll start figuring out the rest.”
Luke didn’t like the way things still felt so unclear, but he was learning to accept there were certain things he was just going to have to take on faith, and Mikey’s assurance he wanted to build a future with him–both romantically and professionally–was one of them.
I can do this,he thought.I really can.
Luke was pretty surethe two of them could’ve spent a lot more time in the cabin–working on the music, baking and eating and, of course, having the best sex of their lives–but it was inevitable the real world would intrude on their little oasis.
It was, of course, Brenda who was the one who broke things up, because she’d always had an uncanny sense of timing.
When Luke saw her number come up on his phone, he was half tempted to just let it go to voicemail and pretend he hadn’t seen it.
“You’d better just answer it and get it over with,” Mikey said with a chuckle. “You know she’s just going to call and call until you answer.”
They both knew what the call would almost certainly be about, but neither of them wanted to say it aloud. Even if, as they both hoped, there was something for them beyond this moment in time, they both knew they’d never recapture exactly the feeling they’d shared.
Still, Luke answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Luke!” Brenda said brightly. “How are my two life-saving talents doing?”
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes a bit.
“We’re fine,” he said. “How are you?”
“I’m going to be a lot better if you tell me the two of you have managed to put together a good, strong set. The concert is racing toward us, after all,” she said. She paused meaningfully. “So, have you?”
He sighed slightly.
“As a matter of fact, yes we have,” he said. “We were putting the finishing touches on a really good song just when you called.”
“Good,” she said, all business as usual. “So, we’ll need the two of you back here as soon as possible, preferably today. Once you’re back, we can start getting the logistics handled. We’re gonna have to find the right band to play for you both, make sure the venue is as in-shape as it can be, and have some rehearsals. It’s crunch-time, babe, which means I’m gonna need both of you with your heads in the game. Can I count on you?”
Luke sensed something behind what she was asking, but he decided to just answer the direct question.
“Yes,” he said. “You can count on the both of us. The concert is going to knock everyone’s socks off, and I think you’re gonna be very impressed.”
Brenda actually laughed.
“I knew I could count on you two. I’ll see you soon!”
Before he could say anything she’d hung up.
He proceeded to talk to Mikey about the problem of logistics and, though Mikey assured him he knew people who could do a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to getting the auditorium at NACA in fit state for a concert of this size, Luke couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea of not being in control. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Mikey, of course. It was just, when it came down to it, he was a bit of a control freak and wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of so many moving pieces of the concert being out of his hands.
When he told Mikey some of this, he just laughed and shook his head.
“It’s okay. You like things how you like them. It’s just who you are.”
