“Whadya say, Mikey Smiles?” he asked, a mischievous smile in his eyes. “Are you ready to give ‘em a show?”
Mikey couldn’t help it. He broke out into a beaming smile.
“Hell yeah!” he yelled in his turn, and he let the celebration of the crowd carry him away.
CHAPTER 33
LUKE—2015
Luke hadn’t really known how much he’d missed performing until he walked out on the NACA stage and heard and saw the crowd. He also hadn’t expected so many feelings to well up inside of him at seeing Mikey in full-on concert mode, his charisma shining like the sun.
Damn,he thought.He really is in his element.
Beneath the joy and happiness, however, he also found himself wondering if he’d done the right thing, keeping himself distant from Mikey while he worked through his feelings. He could tell every time they were together how much his attitude was hurting Mikey, but he just wasn’t ready to return to what they’d had, not until he was able to do it in just the way he wanted. He had no idea whether Mikey was going to respond to his gesture, or whether he was going to throw it right back into his face. Honestly, he wouldn’t have blamed Mikey either way.
Okay, time to get your head in the game,he thought as he caught Mikey giving him a very quizzical look, clearly wondering whether he was going to do his part to get the concert started.
So that’s just what Luke did.
He started strumming his guitar, letting the notes float up and out over the crowd. He managed to hit them right on thefirst try and, as he started to sing, the music flowed through his body, lifting him up and buoying him. When Mikey’s sweet, pure tenor joined his own rich baritone, he knew they were in just the right kind of harmony.
This is what it’s all about,he thought.This is the kind of music we were both meant to make.
The crowd clearly thought so, too, since they were now on their feet, caught up in the same kind of fervor as Mikey and Luke were. That was the power of the kind of music they were capable of producing together, and Luke wouldn’t have traded this moment for anything in the world.
At several moments during the first several numbers the two of them would come close together, so close it almost seemed like they might kiss right there on the stage, and Luke let himself imagine what it would actually be like. Would the fans love it, or would they turn on them in a heartbeat? He knew all too well just how fickle crowds could be, even when they seemed to be in love with you.
However, when the audience roared its approval of their soulful and wrenching performance of “A Guy to Build a Life With,” Luke started to relax a bit. The song might no longer be the centerpiece of their show—Mikey’s song would now occupy that position, Luke suspected—but this response was everything he could’ve wished for.
However, Luke’s anxiety didn’t go away entirely. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the crowd to turn on him the way they had a year ago.
In any case, it didn’t seem to matter, because each time Mikey would draw back. Not only that, but he hadn’t given any sign he was going to start singing the song Luke knew he’d composed for him and which he’d assumed he was going to use during the concert.
What’s he waiting for?He wondered.Did I just make that whole thing up?
He started to panic, because if Mikey didn’t do his part, then it wouldn’t make any sense for Luke to tryhisaddition to the song, and then his whole gesture would be wasted.
Fuck,he thought.Fuck fuck fuck.
Just when he was certain his whole gesture was going to go up in smoke and he was going to end up with a broken heart again, Mikey made a slight gesture to the band. They, in turn, nodded back, and Luke felt the familiar sensation of butterflies in his stomach. Whatever was about to happen, it was going to be either the beginning of something beautiful or the end of it.
Then Mikey opened his mouth and started to sing, and every single doubt Luke had ever had went right out of his head.
He’d known from the moment he overheard Mikey’s singing the song was something special, something richer, deeper, and far more authentic than anything he’d done in his career. Hearing in its rough form was one thing, though, and hearing it on the concert stage was something else altogether. This rendition of the song was like a fishhook right into Luke’s heart, snagging him and dragging him along. Before he knew what he was doing he was walking back across the stage, eyes only for Mikey.
Mikey looked up at him, and Luke lost himself.
For a split second everything he’d carefully prepared flew clean out of his head. He had no idea what words were once at the tip of his tongue, had no idea what he’d planned to do when Mikey started singing this song, had no idea even where he was. He was so totally lost in the beauty of Mikey Smiles in the midst of his music.
Then, just as quickly, he slammed right back into himself, and some instinctual part of his musician’s mind took over. The words he’d memorized–Mikey’s words, the ones that held somuch meaning for the man he loved–came flowing out of his mouth. His own baritone hummed along under Mikey’s tenor, the two strains working together in perfect harmony, hitting every single note just where it needed to be.
Mikey’s eyes widened as he realized Luke had somehow learned his song, and then his smile got even wider. It was somehow a combination of both the ecstatic smile he got when he was really and truly happy and also the smaller, fuzzier one he always had just for Luke.
The past and the present blended, meshing in the same way Luke’s voice did with Mikey’s. He was at once the same scared kid who was trying to find his way, and the country music star who was on top of the world. Above all, he was the older, wiser version of himself, someone who’d seen a few things and grown as a result.
He was dimly aware of the crowd but, truth be told, the only thing that really mattered to him was Mikey Smiles and his gorgeous face. The haze around the two of them…well, it was something magical, and he didn’t think there’d ever be anything like it again.
Finally, though, the song reached its end and, as it did, Luke wasn’t sure what was going to happen. At least, that is, until Mikey leaned over and kissed him.
