Chapter 1 #2
“I think there’s a pretty good chance he will,” Brenda said at last. “He’s been pretty open about how the Center was a key part of his growth as an artist. We like to think he’d do his part to help out.”
Luke could feel his resistance to the idea fading with each word she spoke. By the time she was done, he’d decided, probably against his better judgment, that he was going to do it.
“So,” Brenda said at last, “can we count you in?”
“I’m almost certainly going to regret this,” he said. “But yes.”
He could practically feel her joy radiating down the line, and Luke felt something he hadn’t in a very long time: hope.
Hope he might be able to climb out of the slump in which he’d landed himself; hope he’d be able to do something for NACA to repay the folks there for all of the help they’d given him; and even, if he was being totally honest with himself, hope he might get some bit of closure with Mikey.
And maybe something else? A little voice in the back of his head asked.
He put the brakes on the runaway train of his thoughts.
He had no way of knowing whether Mikey would be up for reconnecting romantically and, even if he was, Luke was determined to be careful.
It was Mikey who’d broken his heart, not the other way around.
Luke was going to guard it better than he had when they were teenagers.
Which, given they were in their twenties now, shouldn’t be all that hard. Right?
Besides, he thought, how bad could putting on a concert with Mikey be, anyway?
“I’m so glad,” Brenda was saying. “I’ll be in touch soon with more details. Later, doll!”
And then she hung up.
Luke quickly explained to Bryce just what the whole conversation had been, and when he was done his friend got a shit-eating grin on his face.
“What are you smirkin’ at?” Luke demanded.
“It’s just…all of this…,” Bryce gestured. “You didn’t wanna listen to anything I had to say, but the minute Brenda calls and tells you Mikey is involved you jump at the opportunity. It’s almost too perfect.”
“Shut up,” Luke said, but he didn’t really mean it. When it came down to it, Bryce was right. The situation was too perfect. It remained to be seen, of course, just how funny it would be when he came face-to-face with Mikey.
We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, Luke thought, even as his heart did a little flutter at the thought of seeing Mikey in person again after all these years. What would he even say to him?
“Earth to Luke,” Bryce was saying. “Did you hear what I said?”
Luke shook his head. “Yeah, I heard ya,” he said, even though he hadn’t. “What did you say?”
Bryce shook his head. “I’m telling you. You’ve got the hots for Mikey, just like you did all those years ago. You can deny it, but it’s true. Which makes me wonder: what are you going to do now?”
“Right now? I’m going to go fishin’,” Luke said. “You wanna come?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Bryce said with a smile.
A short time later they were down by the creek on the little dock behind the house.
Fish Creek was running low–it had been a dry winter–but it was early days yet.
Before too long there’d be some strong summer storms, the creek would start to fill up, and then the fishing would get really good.
Even at this early time of year, however, there were still enough trout and bass to give both Luke and Bryce a good day’s worth of fishing.
For a while they just sat there on the dock in their folding chairs, each of them enjoying the quiet.
The simplicity out here in the middle of nowhere had always called to Luke, and he still thought buying his little piece of property and building a cabin here had been the best decision he’d ever made.
At least I was smart enough to hire a good accountant, he thought, musing about the way his success in the music industry–as well as some savvy investments–had allowed him to get out of the public eye with relative ease.
He now lived about half an hour from Moundsville which meant, while he was still close enough to civilization, and his family, if something came up, he was far enough away he could feel like he was away from it all.
Did he really want to go back into the world of touring, and recording, and fans, and everyone prying into his business?
He was starting to think he did, and for the first time in a year he dared to imagine what it might be like to perform again.
The silence was so peaceful and deep he even dared to think Bryce might not pester him about any of the things they’d talked about earlier, but he should’ve known his best friend would have a few more things to say about what was happening with NACA.
“You know, one of these days you’re going to have to tell me the full truth about what happened with you and Mikey,” he said. “Becuase I know you haven’t told me everything, and I think I should know all the details so I can give you the kind of advice you clearly need.”
Luke tried not to snort.
“What makes you think I’m ever going to tell you everything you want to know just because you want to know it?” he asked. He sort of knew he was being a brat, but he also knew Bryce wouldn’t care.
“Well, to start with,” Bryce said without missing a beat. “You get a look on your face every time someone even says his name. I mean, I didn’t know you when you were a teenager, but you look like every forlorn teen in a romance movie. No offense intended.”
You could have fooled me.
Bryce went on. “I know the two of you were pretty hot and heavy while you were teens, and I get the scars from those years can take a long time to really heal, but don’t you think it might be time to bury the hatchet with him, see if maybe he feels the same way about you?”
“Maybe I do and maybe I don’t,” Luke said nonchalantly.
Bryce kicked him in the shin. It wasn’t hard, exactly, but it was with enough force to make him wince.
“I’m not joking around,” Bryce said. “I meant what I said earlier, too. You’ve got to find something to get you out of your isolation.
Your place is beautiful, I won’t deny it, but you’re a musician, Luke.
I saw how you looked at your guitar, earlier.
You’re not going to be happy until you’re up on a stage again, singing your heart out, and we both know it. ”
Bryce had the irritating habit of being right about a lot of things. It made him a great best friend, even if it made Luke want to smack him sometimes.
“I really don’t like you sometimes.”
Rather than looking offended or ashamed, Bryce just gave him another grin.
“I know. But you keep me around, anyway, because I make sure you’re being honest with yourself. And with you, Luke Carter, that is not always very easy.”
He paused for a minute, and then went on.
“So, about your history with Mikey Smiles…”
Luke sighed. He knew Bryce was going to keep pestering him until he told him a little of what he wanted to know.
This was the last thing Luke wanted to do, because he really did think he’d put his teenage past behind him forever.
The thought of dredging it up from where it had been buried, of having to look at it in the full light of day…
it was a lot. In fact, he’d rather just forget about the whole thing, forget he ever knew Mikey Smiles.
Liar, he said to himself. You want to think about Mikey. You’re just afraid of what it’ll reveal about your current feelings if you do.
Finally, though, he took a deep breath.
“Okay,” he said. “Here goes.”