Mike
It was a challenge, but somehow Mike managed to persuade Nancy to join him in his car on their way home. At first, Nancy wanted to go home the same way she got to the concert - by cab.
But somehow, the memory of these bear-like silhouettes makes Mike feel uneasy. Of course he couldn't tell Nancy that. She wouldn't believe him anyway.
Also, these silhouettes - or whatever they were - were walking away from the scene of the concert, so it shouldn't be that much of a problem, right?
But he couldn't tell Nancy that either, so instead, Mike told her that they were going to get some take-out from their favorite restaurant. That worked. Luckily.
It didn't help today, though, because today, Nancy decided she'd go on a shopping tour alone.
Mike didn't like it, but he couldn't do anything to make her stay at home. She didn't even want him to join her because she's meeting a friend later.
So Mike spent the last two hours checking his phone every two minutes or even more often.
At first, he called her every ten minutes to make sure she's okay, but then she threatened him to not answer her phone if he dared to call her again.
That didn't help.
And now Mike is pacing up and down the living room. When exactly did Nancy say she'd be home again? Could he send her a text just to ask her that? Would she consider that as something too close to his annoying calls how she called them to answer? Should he risk it?
He decides against it.
He spends another hour pacing up and down the room until he realizes that wouldn't get him anywhere.
He needs to do something. Maybe he should think of his next pop-up concert. He tries that for about ten minutes, but he keeps checking his phone for a message from Nancy.
Another thing that doesn't work.
He needs to do something, though, something that keeps him from checking his phone every minute.
Singing usually helps, but he wants to go outside. Staying at his apartment in his custom-made rehearsal room would only make him think about Nancy too much.
He takes his phone and dials Mr. Moon's number.
"Hey there, Mr. Moon," he greets when the koala answers. "Is there a chance I can use one of the rehearsal rooms today? … Really? That's great! … No, no, I don't mind if the others are rehearsing, too."
After an hour at the Moon Theater Mike starts to feel better.
He ends his song and takes a deep breath.
He checks his phone - which he hasn't done for, well, as long as the song lasted - only to see that there's no call or text from Nancy.
With a twist of his mouth he picks up his microphone again, but then he sees all the movement.
Looks like Johnny, Ash, and Meena are leaving their rehearsal rooms as if on cue.
Nah, he can't let them get away that easily, can he? Not when this promises to bring him a little more distraction than another song would.
"Hey, where are you guys going?" he asks as he opens the door of his rehearsal room. "Don't you think you'd need all the practice you can get?"
Ash just rolls her eyes and keeps walking, but he expected that.
Meena and Johnny stop, however. He expected that, too.
"They're helping me getting the garage ready for the concert," Johnny says. "Oh, by the way, thanks for participating, Mike!"
That's something Mike did not expect. Yes, he expected Johnny to talk to him, but thanking him? Okay, yes, it's Johnny. Mike can't remember seeing the young gorilla being anything else, but nice and kind and courteous.
Maybe it's just that Mike isn't used to being thanked for anything. By anyone else than Nancy, that is.
"You wanna join us?" Johnny asks.
"Sure, why not?" Mike replies. That's another thing Mike did not expect.
Mike is surprised by how much doing just some ordinary work actually helps him to not think about Nancy.
Who would have thought that fetching nails or climbing up some ladders to check the lighting or giving orders to his bodyguards would help him that much? Well, most certainly not him.
He left his jacket, hat, and phone in an extra room because, well, they were expensive. It'd be bad enough if he ruined his pants or shoes, but he there's nothing to be done about it. He can't work naked, can he? Uhm, no.
Next time, he should probably wear some old clothes, he thinks as he decides he did enough manual work for one day and walks away to get his things.
He almost stops to slap his hand against his forehead.
Did he really just think that? Next time? Who says there's going to be a next time?
He doesn't work for free!
He said something similar about charity concerts, didn't he? That was before Nancy talked him into doing it. And by talking he means by just looking at him with her beautiful, beautiful eyes.
Nancy…
Suddenly, all the worries about Nancy are back and he can't get a look on his phone quick enough.
He's kind of relieved when he sees that he missed a call from his girlfriend.
Unless this was a call from her phone that she has been kidnapped or…
He can't dial her number fast enough.
"Oh, look who finally found the time to call me," Nancy says when she answers the call.
Mike somehow likes the annoyed ring in her voice.
"Well, I had work to do, babe," he replies.
"What work? You just had a pop-up concert!"
"For the charity concert I told you about."
"Oooohhh, can I help, too?" Nancy asks, and it reminds Mike that she said how much she loves charity concerts.
But then he thinks of Nancy running around this place and doing actual work, and no, just no.
He just needs to think of a way to talk her out of it.
"We're done for the day, sorry," he says. "Maybe next time." Or not , he adds mentally.
"Okay." There's a little bit of disappointment in her voice, and that's something Mike does not like.
"Hey, I can stop at our favorite restaurant on my way home. I'll get us some dinner and maybe some wine. What do you think?"
"Sounds good," Nancy replies and she sounds excited. Mike releases the breath he's been holding. "See you later, Mike!"
"Bye, babe!"