That was the thing about being with Mikey now. They just seemed togeteach other.
For a few more minutes they both just stood there, neither of them quite willing–or able–to admit it was time to start getting ready to leave. It was only when Duke barked, clearly ready to go outside, that the two of them broke out of their mutual reverie.
Luke sighed.
“I guess there’s no point in putting this off any longer, is there? Let’s get to town, see Brenda, and then we can go from there. I mean, maybe, once we get the ball rolling, you’d like to come back here? I mean, I know you have your entourage, and I know you’ve already paid for your hotel and everything, but youcould always just stay here for the rest of the time it takes to put the concert together. I wouldn’t mind, and I think Duke here would probably be overjoyed.”
Duke gave Mikey such an imploring look it would have taken a heart of stone to reject such an offer.
“I’d love to,” Mikey said, and Luke felt nothing but joy.
It ultimately didn’t take them much time at all to load up the truck with Mikey’s things, and as they got inside and he started up the engine, he felt a twinge of melancholy, particularly once he looked back at the house and saw Duke at the window, an equally sad look on his face.
Great,he thought.Even my dog is going to miss Mikey.
He wished he could just bottle up the feeling he’d had all this week, so he could access it whenever he wanted to.
Just enjoy the memory of it,he told himself.There’ll be other memories you two will make together.
Try as he might to convince himself of the truth of this, though, it just never quite worked.
Mikey seemed to pick up something of what he was feeling, because he reached over and took his hand and kissed it. Luke dared to look into his eyes, then, and the expression of tenderness and affection he saw there literally took his breath away.
“What are you doin’ to me, Mikey Smiles?” he asked.
A flicker of something uncertain went through Mikey’s eyes, but he just tightened his grip.
“Would you believe me if I told you I was casting a spell on you?” Mikey asked.
“You know what?” Luke said. “I think I would believe it. You make me feel things I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to feel again. That’s quite an accomplishment.”
Mikey preened. He reminded Luke of a peacock.
“Don’t get too full of yourself,” he said. “Though I guess I have to admit you probably should be proud. I don’t think anyone else could have the impact on me that you have.”
Mikey kissed him on the lips then and, even though it was probably the hundredth time they’d done it the past week, he still felt butterflies in his belly.
“Okay, okay,” he said. “We’ve got to get on our way, or we’re never going to get into town. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be on the receiving end of Brenda’s annoyance.”
They both blanched a bit. Brenda definitely had “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” energy, and it was enough to scare the both of them.
So, Luke pulled away from the house and started the drive back to Moundsville.
As they drovealong the twisting roads along Fish Creek, they both just savored the silence, their hands nestled together. Luke particularly enjoyed the warmth in his chest, the sense all was right in the world. The windows were down, the West Virginia breeze was coming through and tickling them, and the birds–the red-winged blackbirds, the cardinals, the robins–were all singing. There were even a few grackles and crows off in the distance, and they made him smile.
In fact, everything about the world made him smile right then.
“Whatcha smilin’ about?” Mikey asked.
“I was just thinking about how lucky I am that we reconnected,” Luke said. “And how I’m glad we’re working to bring NACA back to life.”
He paused, unsure he wanted to ask the next question. Now they'd left the cocoon of the cabin, though, he had to ask.
“Do you think even a great concert is going to be enough to save it, even with the streaming and all of it?”
It was the one thing neither of them had really talked about, but it was arguably the one thing theyshouldhave been talking about. What if, despite all they’d managed to achieve–both musically and romantically–they were unable to save NACA? What if, heaven forbid, it was just fated to be one of those things left behind by history?
Mikey Smiles, however, wasn’t the type to admit defeat, and he certainly wasn’t the type to admit defeat before he’d even tried.
