Page 36 of Hittin' the Right Note
“No, sir,” he says. “It’s my real name. I just don’t know where it comes from.”
Carson gets a thoughtful look on his face.
“Okay, then. We’ll come up with a good explanation for the name. Mikey Smiles is a good name for someone in a boy band. And besides, I can tell you’re one of those people who smiles a lot. That’s good. It’ll make the girls like you more.”
Mikey’s heart falls a little in his chest as it really hits him what it will mean to stay in the closet for the sake of his career. He can’t help but be aware of the cost of fame when it comes to his personal life. He’s heard the mocking comments people make about boy bands. Does he want that kind of life?
He doesn’t say anything, but just lets Carson continue talking. He might as well not even be there.
Maybe, though, it won’t be so bad, and maybe he can make it work with Luke somehow. They might not be able to be thekind of couple they both wish they could be, but maybe they can be something else. Maybe they can be like…creative partners or something.
Will it work?He asks himself. The voice sounds unpleasantly like his father’s.Get your head out of the clouds and back on planet Earth,and it’s followed by a voice very like his mother’s.Think of your future, Mikey. Don’t you want to be a success?
When he tunes back in to see just what Carson is saying, he’s not surprised to hear him talking about how pretty soon girls will have posters of Mikey Smiles up in their bedrooms, and how he’ll be the kind of success people from West Virginia will talk about for years.
Mikey wants to refuse and say he won’t do any of it without Luke, but he doesn’t. If he throws away his chance, even if it’s for Luke, he’s going to spend the rest of his life regretting it.
And so, when the conversation is over and Carson gets ready to leave, Mikey discovers he’s pretty much already signed his future away to Carson and the McKay Agency.
“How do you feel, young man? Your future is looking bright, so you must be happy.”
It’s a very complicated question, and in fact Mikey has absolutely no idea how he feels. All he knows is nothing is going to be the same going forward. He almost can’t believe he’s made the decision. His head swims, with possibility and fear and a dozen other feelings he can’t quite define.
He makes a decision. He’s going to have to end things with Luke, before they both get hurt. They both need to move on, both need to do what they need to do to build their careers.
The question is: when?
CHAPTER 13
LUKE—2015
Luke almost couldn’t believe his luck. He’d thought it was going to take a lot more to convince Mikey to go along with his idea for the concert. Having him actually say he was wrong…well, it wasn’t what he’d expected, but he’d take it.
As the tour group left the Capitol, he took one last look at it. He was so glad the place had been saved and renovated. It deserved love and appreciation, and he couldn’t help but dream about the day when he’d one day be up on that stage.
“Luke, are you coming?” Katrina asked.
Sending one last longing look at the theater, he turned and joined the rest of the group.
The tour endedup where it began and, as the group dispersed, Katrina gave Luke a meaningful look and a thumbs up.
He stuck his tongue out at her and turned his attention back to Mikey, who was standing there looking off into the distance. When he sensed Luke looking at him, he flashed him a smile.
God, I hate when he smiles,he thought. He didn’t mean it, though.
“So,” Mikey asked, “what now?”
Luke didn’t know what to say. He wanted to yank Mikey in for a kiss and then take him back to his cabin, but he also wanted to tell him to get lost.
He opted for the first. For the moment, at least.
“I guess I’ll go back to my cabin, you’ll go back to your hotel room or wherever you’re stayin’, and that’ll be that.”
He hated how cold he sounded, and the vulnerable, sensitive look on Mikey’s face didn’t help. How was he supposed to resist those puppy-dog eyes?
Damn it.
“You know,” Mikey said. “I meant what I said back at the Capitol. I really do see why you love the Ohio Valley and West Virginia so much and…” He paused for a second before going on. “And I’d really like to make the concert work.”
