Michael spent Thursday morning making some finishing touches to his new loft. He hung up his clothes, put a few knickknacks on the shelf, and even got his groceries delivered and put away. He wasn't much of a cook, but he now had all the essentials. Milk, eggs, Hot Pockets, microwave popcorn, Coke. Again, all the essentials for a 21-year-old man. He even had a bag of lettuce thrown in just for kicks.
It still wasn't completely done, but the place already felt like home to Michael. The thought of coming back to his own apartment after work filled him with a giddiness.
He headed back to the office around lunchtime and worked practically non-stop until he needed to leave for Boris's concert. The only breaks he had taken were a few moments to read up on the Genovian political race, and he was happy to see that Lilly's commercial had been incredibly well-received. Along with Michael's own contribution, Prince Phillipe's campaign was now doing better than ever. He wondered how Mia was feeling about the news.
He took a cab to Carnegie Hall and met Lilly and Kenneth, who were both back in their fully punked-out attire. Although he was totally cool with his sister's look, he did feel a bit out of place next to them in his muted button-up shirt and dress pants.
The hall was filled with energized conversation before the concert started, and the energy was just amplified when Boris came out.
The music was good, an elevated version of what Michael used to hear in G&T class. He hadn't heard Boris play in-person since their band went on an indefinite hiatus, so it was nice to see how much Boris had improved over the years. About 15 minutes into the show, however, the thought did occur to him that because Boris would be living with him and going to music school, Michael might want to consider sound-proofing a closet for him.
Just kidding, he'd sound-proof a whole bedroom.
He could see Mia from his seat if he turned his head around. He noticed her as soon as she walked in, Lars trailing right behind her. She also had J.P. on her arm looking just as smug as Michael remembered him. It seemed like he disliked the guy more every time he saw him now.
Looking over at them, he could see J.P. whispering something in her ear as she nodded along, looking uninterested. Michael felt a twinge of jealously and wondered if Mia knew that he was there.
He tore his eyes off the couple and started back at the stage. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw her head turn in his direction. Yeah, she definitely knew he was there.
And then it was intermission, and Michael almost couldn't believe that they still had an hour and a half left. People were chattering animatedly around him, clutching Boris CDs in their hands. The concert was certainly a big hit.
Lilly had already stepped out to go to the bathroom and Michael was speaking to Kenneth about work. But a few seconds later, he watched as Mia and Lars got up and left the hall while J.P. stayed seated. He saw her grab her journal from Lars.
He knew exactly where she was going. Michael quickly excused himself from his conversation with Kenneth, interrupting him as he was saying something about a summer internship or whatever.
Michael headed straight towards the ladies' room and stood far enough away to not seem like a creep waiting outside the bathroom, but close enough to catch her when she came out. He ended up making eye contact with Lars, who smirked at him. Michael shrugged back, giving him a sheepish grin. He knew damn well that Lars knew about their date- er, plans- the next day.
Michael wasn't even sure what he wanted to say to Mia, but he just really wanted to talk to her. He hadn't seen her since they locked eyes before he left her party, which, thanks to Lilly, he knew she had taken to heart. Maybe he would apologize to her? Explain himself?
Except, he didn't really have anything to apologize for, technically speaking. And so much had happened since then (a whopping 3 days), that it seemed like a moot point. While he was still deliberating, the lights started flickering, a sign that intermission was coming to an end.
Come on, Mia.
He kept his eyes on the door as people moved back into the hall and he saw Lilly come out with a dark look on her face. He saw Mia exit not too long after her, but she now looked nervous and was chewing on a fingernail.
Lars looked at her and then back at Michael, doing a subtle head shake. Yeah, he had to agree. This was not the right time.
He went back to his seat as quickly and discretely as possible.
The rest of the concert was more of the same, but the crowd was practically screaming with cheers when Boris finished. The entire hall was giving him a standing ovation and his name was booming across the room.
After the standing ovations finally ended, the three of them went up to the stage to congratulate the musical genius. Mia, Tina, and J.P. were already up there speaking with him and Michael considered staying back, but Boris spotted him and waved them over before he could turn around.
He shook his friend's hand heartily and told him how great he thought the performance was. After Boris's attention had been shifted, Michael tried to look completely neutral, greeting everyone in the circle and giving them a polite smile. It was then painfully obvious that he was somehow the 7th wheel to a bunch of high schoolers. The three couples were all holding onto each other in some way, and Michael almost regretted not bringing a date. Why hadn't he?
Oh right. His only option currently had a guy's hand on her waist.
He decided that it was safest to look at Tina, who had begun speaking to everyone in a rather high-pitched voice (something about the senior project committee going out last night). Other than the simple hello he gave everyone, he wasn't going to give Mia any special attention. There was a part of him that was seething at the sight of Mia and J.P. together, but there was also a part that enjoyed having their meeting just a little secret between them. By the worried glances Mia kept giving him, Michael could tell that she had failed to mention their lunch to her boyfriend.
Just as the girl was babbling, Mia grabbed Tina's arm and pulled her away from the stage, using a soothing voice in her ear. Michael saw Tina turn back and look directly at him, but he pretended to be listening to J.P. talk about his fabulous night with Sean Penn.
He and Boris shared a discrete knowing look, and Michael had to cough to cover up his laugh. They continued making polite conversation with each other, except for Lilly, who was flat-out ignoring J.P. and occasionally whispered in Kenneth's ear while her ex-boyfriend was talking.
When J.P. finally had to take a breath, Michael took the opportunity to ask Boris what his plans were for the rest of the night. The younger boy pointed over to a large group in the front row. Michael was pretty sure he recognized Boris's mom, who was holding a large bouquet of flowers.
"We're having a big family dinner at home; my grandmother made a bunch of Russian food. Oh! My parents really want to meet you, since I'm going to be living with you next year."
Michael agreed with a nod and an unsure smile. He didn't much enjoy meeting other people's parents, but he was happy to have an excuse to not listen to J.P. anymore. Boris waved his parents up and introduced them.
They began asking Michael about the loft and about making sure that Boris stayed out of trouble. As he was speaking to them, he saw Mia hurrying towards them and telling the group a quick good-bye. Michael didn't even get the chance to respond because she was already dragging J.P. off of the stage and heading out the door.
Whatever. They had tomorrow planned, and that's all that really mattered.
Michael woke up to his alarm that morning and saw a blank ceiling up above him. He was lying in a brand-new bed, listening to the same-old traffic outside. This was his new life. It felt a bit weird.
But today was finally the day. The day he would (hopefully) tell Mia that he loved her. Again. Damn. At least it all felt easier now than it had 4 years ago. At least now he knew that he had a chance.
He somehow felt both anxious and calm. His heart was beating harder and faster than normal, but he also felt serene just lying there. At least he might finally get his answers today.
He sprang out of bed, stretching as he got up. He would be going into the office for the morning but dipping out before lunch. His entire afternoon had been cleared so there was no worry about hurrying back.
Although he attended his meetings and checked in with the lab, all Michael could think about was the lunch. He was trying not to get his hopes up too high, but he also didn't care that he was. He was going to make his feelings known to her, and hopefully get her to admit the same to him.
The morning was a blur, and Michael was thrilled when he arrived back at his loft around noon. He was really enjoying having it so close to work. He took a quick shower and gave his hair a shake. This haircut was really working for him.
The restaurant was on the formal side, so a sport coat or suit was required. He ended up going with a sport coat because he couldn't be bothered with wearing a tie for like the 5th time that week. He also had an inkling that he might have some advantage to having his neck out in the open…
He glanced at himself in the hall mirror and took a small breath. He looked good, he thought. Hopefully, Mia would think so too.
He arrived to the restaurant about 15 minutes early and waited outside the Boathouse without any care about looking over-eager. He caught sight of a stand selling flowers nearby but thought better of it. He wanted his hands free when he saw Mia.