And then it hit him, and he knew what he had to do in order both to make a fresh start where Mikey was concerned and to reclaim some his own agency. He could change his life forever, but this time on his own terms.
I have never felt this good or this powerful,he thought,and I am not going to waste this opportunity.
With a smile on his face, he started to plan for the biggest gesture of his personal or professional life.
CHAPTER 32
MIKEY—2015
Mikey had never written a song as quickly as he wrote the one for Luke, and it was a good thing, too, because the night of the concert came much faster than he’d expected. He and Luke had seen very little of one another the last few days, but Mikey clung to the belief his song would work. It had to. Fortunately for him, the band they’d hired were more than happy to go along with his plan, and they all wished him the best of luck in winning back his man.
Of course, he knew he could’ve just gone to Luke and forced a confrontation and told him the truth about Damian. Mikey, though, was a showman. He wanted to win Luke Carter backhisway, which meant showing him how much he meant to him via the one thing that meant so much to both of them: music. It was a risky thing to do, and it could blow up in his face. Still, as he knew better than most, with great risk came great reward.
To make matters even more confusing, he could swear Luke wanted to say something to him, but every time it seemed like they were getting close to anything approximating a conversation, they somehow managed to not do it. And yet, every so often Luke would get a mischievous glint in his eye, and Mikey couldn’t help but wonder: what was he up to?
And then, of course, there was the awkward fact they had to rehearse “A Guy to Build a Life With.” Every rehearsal reminded Mikey how much had changed, and he found himself wondering: was his big gesture doomed to fail?
Still, despite his uncertainty, he was determined to go through with his plan, come hell or high water.
On the bright side, the concert was sold out within just a few days of tickets going on sale. Apparently having the Center’s two biggest alumni come back for a dual concert was quite the draw. What’s more, it looked like it was going to be an even bigger hit on streaming, and donations were pouring in. Brenda was ecstatic about the whole thing, and Mikey lost track of the number of times she told them how grateful she was.
When the night of the concert finally came around, Mikey was very excited. The song he’d written for tonight…well, it was special. He just had to hope its sudden reveal wouldn’t throw Luke off his game.
“You’ve got this,” Tricia said, when she walked in and saw him standing in his hotel room gazing out at the city of Moundsville below. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, with everything going on, but you do.”
Strangely enough, he agreed. He’d done quite a lot of growing up during his time back in West Virginia, and if tonight went as he planned, well, he’d have a lot more to do.
Hopefully Luke would do it with him.
He turned and gave Tricia a smile.
“You know what?” he said. “You’re absolutely right. I do have this. I know Luke isn’t talking to me, but somehow I think we’re going to pull off the concert, and I think it’s going to be a major success.”
He could’ve spent more time angsting, but instead he sent Tricia on ahead to NACA and focused his energies on picking out just the right outfit. He decided on a very tight pair of jeans,a white T-shirt, a black jacket, and a backwards baseball cap. Looking at himself in the mirror, he wasn’t entirely satisfied.
Lose the hat,a voice in his head said, sounding suspiciously like Luke’s. And no wonder, since he was basically in a dressier version of Luke’s usual attire.
Well, Luke’s not the only one who can wear a white T-shirt,he thought.If he is tonight…well, we’ll deal with it when the time comes.
As soon as he took off the hat, releasing his curls again, he realized he’d made the right choice.
It took Mikey another hour or so to make sure he was ready for the concert. When, at last, he bid farewell to his hotel room, he found himself wondering whether he’d be coming back here in a couple of hours heartbroken, or whether he’d be on cloud nine because he’d managed to have a breakthrough with Luke.
You’ve got this, Mikey,he thought.Just be yourself and trust the plan.
He thought briefly of his mother, who’d poured so much of her life and energy into making sure she could control every single aspect of her life–and his–and he couldn’t help but feel sad. Maybe they all would’ve been happier if they’d just tried to live authentic lives rather than constantly trying to put on the right kind of performance. He also briefly toyed with the idea of calling her, but he didn’t. If they wanted to come to the concert, they would, and if they didn’t…well, he was used to that.
Mikey could’ve driven or called an Uber to get him to NACA, but for some reason he just wanted to walk there. He needed the space and time to clear his head and to get into the space he needed in order to perform at his best. He always took a walk before a particularly high-pressure performance and, since NACA wasn’tthatfar away, he figured this would be a good opportunity to fulfill his usual ritual.
As soon as he stepped outside of the hotel he took a deep breath of the clean West Virginia air and sighed. No matter how many times he did this, and no matter how trite it might seem to some, there really was nothing quite like being at home in the Mountain State.
Passing by the spot where Luke had pulled up and where they’d had their last difficult conversation, he felt a pang. He almost reached for his phone but stopped before his hand even got in his pocket.
No,he thought.We’re not going to call him. We’re going to stick with the plan. Have some faith in yourself and have some faith in Luke.
He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He squared his shoulders, reminding himself why he was going through with this in the first place. It wasn’t just to get Luke back; it was also to prove to himself he wasn’t afraid of a challenge anymore, he was happy and healthy with who he was, and he was the kind of person who wouldn’t stop until he’d gotten what he wanted.
And what he wanted was Luke Carter.
