Author's Notes - Hello! Finally got around to cross-posting this heh.
I've decided to combine my love of concerts and of Netteflix being an absolute disaster for you all to enjoy for the Netteflix Binge & Bang event that recently finished. If you were following that event, my entry is a modern AU under the Medium spice rating.
Please note that the first two chapters don't contain any NSFW-ness (unless you count Felix's potty mouth). And the third chapter that does have some mild NSFW sexual content will have a 'skip from [insert line] to the line break' style of warning so if spice isn't really your thing, this can still be enjoyed without missing a beat.
Anyway, on with the show!
Recommended listening for this chapter: Hard Times by Paramore
Set list:
- Ill-advised multitasking
- Jeopardizing friendships
- Impromptu donut run
Encore:
- Anxiety
"...Ugh. What was I thinking?"
Today was shaping to be one of those days where Annette should have given up five failed outfits in to drown her sorrows in a large, greasy slice of food court pizza.
Should have, really, but after clearing three months probation at her new job, she felt confident enough that they wouldn't fire her at this point to splurge a little on a long-overdue wardrobe upgrade.
The funny thing about finding a new and better-paying job was that no one ever prepared her for the hidden cost of going from a super-lax, 'just don't wear jeans or graphic tees' sort of business casual dress code to traditional business-casual. Or the cost of one's sanity in trying to find nice and non-frumpy work blouses without breaking the bank.
Staring at the mirror, the lilac monstrosity she was currently sporting most certainly did not qualify as either.
The neckline plunged so deep, Annette was half-convinced there was a missing inner layer to the garment; there was no other explanation for the neckline sagging so low that her blush pink bra dotted with light blue cats was practically on full display. This much was evident when she estimated that even Mercie wouldn't have escaped this fate by how low the droop went - not when the bottom of her bra band was visible, at any rate.
Plucking her phone from her jeans' back pocket, she took another snap to add to the batch she'd sent her friend's way for posterity and - if she was being honest - potential commiseration whenever she saw these on her lunch break.
Since the first round of five failed outfits all had captions, she opted to leave one out this time. The universally-recognized raised shoulders shrug and palms-up 'why' pose said it all anyway.
Outfits seven through nine weren't looking any more promising either but with her battery at 5 percent, she wasn't certain she'd be able to send more pics. Battery saver mode had been her lifeline during this entire mall trip but even all the screen dimming in the world couldn't stave things off forever.
Someday, she'd remember to make sure to charge her phone before outings but today was not that day.
Setting her cell down on the dressing room chair on top of her purse, she took one last look at this ridiculous outfit. She conceded that at least the colour was cute before pulling it over her head with a little too much ease. When she reached for the hanger on the hook to the side, her phone vibrated.
It's probably the final warning, she mused, venturing a guess that it was no longer satisfied with passive-aggressive pop up messages like before.
As she neatly hung up the outfit to the designated 'thanks, but no' hook, the phone vibrated once more. And then for a third time after a short pause. Curiosity piqued, Annette opted to pick up her cell before moving onto the next top she'd planned to try on.
Weird. The lock screen notification only showed she'd been texted by Felix.
Given that he didn't usually text without a reason, maybe Thea's Fanclub finally released news on the worst-kept secret known to mankind this afternoon.
She scrunched her nose a little.
The only thing that didn't add up was that she'd made a cryptic social media post about making an announcement next Monday, not today. Did it get pushed up two days? Was this Felix sounding the alarms that they had to coordinate on concert seat buying as soon as possible?
With no other choice but to look, she slid her finger in a familiar pattern to unlock her phone and tapped into her texts.
Felix: I don't think you meant to send those photos to me
Felix: especially not that last one
Felix: please respond to let me know you read this
Annette's eyes went as wide as saucers and her stomach lurched. If she could have buried herself in the clothes she was trying on, she would have.
She'd just made things weird. So weird.
As she frantically scrolled up, she re-confirmed that her past captions did not mention Mercie by name but it was clear from the context alone that she was addressing a recipient who had intimate knowledge of all the various quirks that came with women's clothing. Or at least someone who had a bust and wore bras. It had to be obvious that she wasn't trying anything funny, right?
Right?
Annette took a deep breath and a quiet moment for herself.
She set her cell phone back on the purse and grabbed the shirt she'd come in with before doing anything else. Not that he would video chat her right now but the universe was fickle and she didn't want to invite that possibility with her bad luck.
Frantically picking up her dying phone, she quickly hammered out a response.
Annette: sorry this was an accident I meant to send these to Mercie
Annette: you must have been the last person I texted before this
Annette: please forget you ever saw these :pray emoji:
The near-immediate beep and follow-up beep jolted her.
Felix: can't
Felix: it's forever etched in my memory
When she read his two-part response, it was becoming increasingly clear she should have tried on clothes when her schedule, Mercie's schedule and the mall's operating hours were all aligned instead.
Which was to say, never again.
Annette: you're the absolute worst
Annette: do I need to bribe you?
Annette: what about vip tickets to one of the Millenium Festival 5-year anniversary shows?
Annette: and they're touring instead of only having the one date at Garrett Mach
Annette: Garreg* stupid autocorrect
Annette: anyway, they go on sale early next month
Annette: my treat
Felix: Annette I was being sarcastic
Felix: you'd be eating ramen for a month straight if you bought vip
Felix: you don't need to bribe me just be more careful
Felix: you might not be so lucky with someone else
Amid the flurry of texts back and forth, a thought occurred to her that hadn't dawned on her before.
Annette: if you're telling me that then
Annette: why didn't you let me know sooner?
Annette: there was a 5 min gap between the last two photos
Felix: I couldn't
Felix: I saw them all at the same time
An aggressive pop up appeared once again, informing her that her battery was about to die for real at 2 percent. Not wanting to leave this conversation at this awkward juncture, Annette didn't wait for him to elaborate.
Annette: nvm battery is dying
Felix: I was in the shower earlier
Annette: it's not like you can prove it anyway
Annette: okie dokie :)
With a final beep, an image of an empty battery flashed across the screen before going black.
Annette sighed. It wasn't the perfect response, especially when her second-last text came in at the same time as his last text. At least it got the key points across that she'd meant to send the photos to Mercie and she might not respond with her battery dying. At any rate, there was nothing more she could do until she connected her phone to her car charger and gave it some time.
Peering over at the remaining outfits she hadn't tried on yet, she conceded defeat right here and then. They were definitely second-string choices at best and considering how terrible the last outfit was, her heart wasn't in it and her stomach was still feeling far too queasy for comfort.
And so she gathered up all the clothes on their hangers, stuffed her dead phone into the back pocket once more and slung her small navy purse over her shoulder before exiting the dressing room altogether.
In the first shred of good luck bestowed upon her all morning, she'd managed to dodge the clerk manning the change rooms as she hastily hung the outfits on the rack for unwanted items.
After bolting out of the store entirely, Annette wasted no time speed-walking towards the mall exit and across the parking lot despite all the clopping noises her flip flops made with each step. The search would have to continue on another day when she had the bandwidth to focus on anything other than the unfolding disaster looming ahead.
Most of the photos in the set she'd accidentally sent him were simply unflattering - not cute, sexy or, heaven forbid, titillating. Even the last one was technically sorta saved by her less-than-enthused expression.
Still, Felix had officially seen one of her bras. He now knew she wore bras with cute little cats on them. There's no going back from there - even if the immediate danger had passed, it could still fester into weirdness. Especially since he'd never really shown interest in her in that way.
He was always about the next show or the latest album release. He'd occasionally help her locate some imported albums, sure, but she returned the favour by buying their tickets at work when he couldn't. All of that were the actions of one music lover to another. Not lover-lovers.
This would totally ruin their mutually-beneficial arrangement to see concerts they only wanted to see together. And the latest development where they started travelling more for them, especially the odd concerts that required overnight stays.
Stays Felix got at a great discount because he worked at a hotel's accounting department and because he trusted her to follow all his work's rules that came with that aforementioned discount.
Stays where he always made sure they had their own beds and he was fully-clothed at all times, where there was none of the usual guy nonsense where the guy would wear loosely-hanging drawstring pj pants and no shirt.
In fact, his sleep shirt was a band shirt so huge that it left everything to the imagination - he practically had no silhouette and she'd always tease him for it.
And heck, Annette was pretty sure that outside of the clothes he slept in, she'd never seen him in anything but jeans and a hoodie. And truth be told, she wasn't certain she could confirm she'd even seen so much as a flash of ankle. For all she knew, he could have had robot legs and she'd be none the wiser.
As she pulled away from her own thoughts and approached her light blue subcompact sedan, Annette dug out her key fob out of her purse and plucked out her phone from her back pocket to unlock the car. Falling into the driver's seat, she shoved her keys in the ignition, buckled her seat belt and slammed the door shut.
Tossing her purse onto the passenger's seat, she flipped back the flap and fished out the end of the USB cord from the tangle of various cords poking out from the center console. From there, she stuck it into her phone and immediately deposited it into her purse and closed it back up.
There, out of sight out of mind. She'd deal with this later.
As she turned her keys and the engine came to life, Annette cautiously backed out of her parking spot and thought about the ride home. Maybe she could take the long way in order to visit Mercie at the bakery cafe instead of texting her?
Perhaps while she was at it, she could buy a freshly-baked donut and with a nice matcha latte too - after all, she denied herself some much-needed greasy food court pizza.
When Annette's stomach didn't revolt at the thought of a snack and beverage in spite of the nervous thrum still coursing through her body, she took it as a tentative sign.
Worst case scenario was that she had a snack for later and a drink to reheat.
Not such a big deal, right?
Against all odds, she'd made it all the way to the bakery cafe parking lot despite her phone buzzing back to life about three quarters into her trip there. And even more improbable was that she kept it in her purse well after disconnecting the cable that fed into the bag and exiting her car.
As she walked into the shop, she felt awash with all the familiar sights and scents she'd once spent so much time around back when she used to work here as their admin girl. Treats' Bakery and Cafe wasn't the most modern-looking place - the space was accented in a dated custard and chocolate colour combination - but it mattered little when the smell of fresh bread and donuts filled the air and embraced her in a warm hug.
When she approached the counter, Annette could see Mercie shuffling around in the back with a concentrated look on her face so she simply ordered her tea latte and a sweet apple crumble donut.
After the counter person gave her a knowing nod and told her she'd let Mercie know she was here - all of the long-time staff still knew who she was - she grabbed her items and took a seat at one of the few booths that lined the front of the shop.
Once she sat down and fished her phone from her purse, she thumbed the power button and noticed it was at a healthier 10 percent charge. Definitely workable to check a few things here and there before her latte could grow cold.
While her nerves had subsided enough to be able to wolf down the light, fruit-topped donut, the same couldn't be said after she skimmed the rest of the texts he sent in her absence.
Felix: what do you mean?
Felix: that's not hard to prove
Felix: [turn on data to load image]
Felix: I wasn't lying
The last text had been sent around the time she'd heard all the angry buzzing en route to the shop, about five minutes ago. Annette would be lying if didn't admit there was a certain level of intrigue here but, the question remained - was it wise to do this now while her battery was still so low?
Before she could think on this further, she took a slow sip of matcha even though it was still a little too hot and thumbed her way through her settings to turn her data back on.
And she nearly snorted the tea latte through her nose when the picture finally loaded and she near-violently flipped her phone face down on the table.
It was a very good thing Mercie was still working in the back because she would have never heard the end of it had the image loaded anywhere in her vicinity. Or simply because of how brightly her entire face burned right now.
Annette now had to recant her earlier statement that she'd only seen Felix in hoodies outside his sleep shirt.
For that split-second before her sense of propriety sprung into action, she saw everything previously-hidden by the clothes he favoured.
The image was a bathroom selfie where his hair was clearly wet - his navy strands cascading down his shoulders like rivulets of ink. And while she could forgive him for this misunderstanding due to the timing of their last few texts, what baffled her was that it wasn't a close crop shot of his head and shoulders to showcase that and only that.
No, the shot was a waist-up picture in front of a still-foggy mirror with most of the condensation wiped away. She knew it wasn't staged because the counter top was a little messy with scattered toiletries and there was a fair bit of toothpaste residue in the sink.
His pose was just as unpolished as well. His face was mostly-obscured by his phone - all she could see was his piercing amber eyes peering down at his screen - and his free hand was raised with an index finger pointed at his wet hair.
While she could clearly see his intent wasn't along the lines of, 'I'm going to use what you said against you as an excuse to show off' so much as it was, 'I'm going to prove what you said is wrong,' the semantics...really did not help. Intent meant nothing when it didn't change the fact he was wearing nothing but a towel.
...Or when there was so much more to unpack in that split second she had to put her phone away to stop staring.
Between his sleep shirt being massive and his hoodies tending to be on the loose side, she'd previously-assumed he was merely skinny in the absence of any concrete evidence. The fact that he had a significant amount of muscle definition for his still-wiry frame was a mind-boggling revelation. How broad his shoulders were came as a complete shock as well.
He had a desk job like she did and worked even longer hours, when did he have time to exercise? Abs and arms like those required work, even for blessed jerks with really good metabolisms.
And to top it all off, if her eyes had not deceived her, he had a tattoo near his ribs of what looked like some kind of abstract art in a variety of cool-tone colours - maybe of a pegasus knight or valkyrie?
So many questions danced around in her head. She wanted to ask him if it was some kind of album art - the likelihood was high considering the hints of the more eclectic side of his music taste kept popping up with more and more frequency - but that would require looking at her phone again.
And that was something Annette was not prepared to do.
Not yet anyway.
If she did, that would mean something. She didn't want it to mean something. It was bad enough she was head first in another thought spiral already.
Then a loud buzz reverberating against the table demanded her attention like it was throwing a tantrum.
Annette opted to take a long sip of her latte, not particularly caring that it was scalding her tongue the more she drank at the moment.
Then another buzz angrily came through and though the cafe was not really known for dine-in seating, it felt as though everyone was craning their necks to locate the source of the sound.
As she scanned her immediate surroundings, no one within eye contact range was doing that thing where fleeting glances ricocheted in other directions upon detection. Good. Maybe it was all in her head. Or maybe it was all in her stomach because it was in knots for seemingly no good reason.
In spite of herself, she preemptively picked up the phone to prevent a third cacophony of sound, resigned that her growing curiosity was superseding her sense of self-preservation as she swiped her lock screen passcode instead of stuffing the phone in her bag.
It was almost poetic that both of the buzzes were simply random push notifications about 2-for-1 deals on a nearby bubble tea place and an email coupon from a fish & chips shop she hadn't been to in months. Still, she pulled up her texts anyway and found she still had ones she hadn't read.
The follow up texts from Felix weren't long but, much to her chagrin, the bottom half of the pic from his navel downwards was still visible. And of course there was a faint treasure trail staring her in the face that she hadn't noticed before. Of course.
Felix: I'm assuming your battery is dead by now
Felix: so don't waste more energy on this when you catch up
Upon further thought, resignation was probably the wrong word to use here.
A more appropriate word kept bubbling to the surface when she flicked her thumb up to see the picture with a reluctant yet still morbid fascination even though she told herself she wouldn't do this not even ten seconds ago.
Screwed.
Completely, utterly and absolutely screwed.
While he gave her an opportunity to collect her thoughts by giving her an out, it was almost cruel that he would not entertain her talking about this any further.
Felix was never one to pull his punches when it came to getting her to not ruminate over past mistakes. If he said something like this, he would let a follow up text on this subject be left on read until the subject was changed. Unfortunately for her, he learned that lesson after a seat mix up one time and he stubbornly refused to repeat his own past mistakes.
"Hello Annie, I didn't know you were coming by today." a soft voice wafted through the air from the bench cushion across from her.
"Bah!" Annette nearly threw her phone up in the air. "Mercie, you scared me."
Her friend gave her a smile. "You seemed like you were deep in thought. I take it you didn't have much luck shopping?"
Oh, that was the understatement of the century.
"No, not really." Annette lamented, biting her lip slightly. "Mercie?"
"Yes?"
Here went nothing.
"It was worse than a bad day at the mall. I...messed up."
"Oh?"
Mercedes's brows were raised ever so slightly and her mouth parted in a way that suggested she had her full attention. It was nerve-wracking to have one of her rare moments of laser focus even when she deliberately instigated it.
"All the outfits looked awful and I thought I was sending the pictures to you and...I realized a little too late that I sent them to someone else."
"You should be fine Annie. You were looking for work clothes, not unmentionables. All you need to do is tell the man who received your pictures that it was a mistake. Problem solved, no?"
Annette winced at the word man. Her friend was so astute at the worst possible times.
"Mercie, it's not all that simple, I…did do that and he knows it was a mistake but..." she paused, trying to find the words. There just was no way around this, was there? "I sent them to Felix by mistake. And he...might have seen some of my unmentionables. The tops I tried on were really big."
The smile on Mercie's face was so pure yet so...unholy at the same time. It was terrifying how she managed that.
"Oh, so you have his number. That explains a few things."
Annette furrowed her brows. "What do you mean, 'explains a few things?'"
The smile got even more unholy.
"Sylvain and I had noticed there have been quite a few instances where you two have been gone at the same time over the past year. Especially in the past little while." she pointed out. "We may have come up with a few theories over a friendly wager."
"You and Sylvain bet on us?" Annette stage-whispered in a conspiratorial manner. This was so embarrassing she didn't even know where to start getting mad.
"It was Sylvain's idea more than mine." she clarified, as if it absolved her of any responsibility for still participating. "But if you were embarrassed over the pictures, it looks like Sylvain might be losing here. You two weren't.. .ah, enjoying each other's company, correct?"
Annette wanted to bury herself in the ugly clothes she left back at the store and top the burial pile with a mountain of cakes and bread.
"Mercie, we were going to concerts. " she dramatically hissed. "They were great concerts so we were enjoying ourselves but not in . ..that way. That's probably the furthest thing from his mind. Felix just likes music and concerts. That's all."
The evil pure smile was back with a vengeance. Annette was tempted to run over to the back to fetch some salt to protect herself from the possessed demon her friend had become.
"Music and concerts may be a common interest you two have but it doesn't necessarily explain why you do it together." she politely challenged.
Annette blinked. "I'm sorry, I don't follow."
"Let me put it this way, remember how you used to ask me to go with you to concerts years ago?"
"Yes, I do. I asked you even though I knew they weren't your thing because I didn't want to go alone. Doesn't that...not prove your point?"
"I'm getting there, please bear with me for a moment." she prefaced. "When I told Sylvain about this after we started dating for a few months, that's what gave him the idea for us to do lawn seats for that festival concert with all three of us and Felix."
Annette crossed her arms, clutching her phone even tighter.
It was the place where she properly met Felix for the first time two years ago after hearing about him as a recurring footnote in Mercie's stories, playing the role of Sylvain's largely-absentee roommate who had rather unfortunate timing regarding their "escapades," as she put it.
At first blush, he'd given her the impression he had been forced to come against his will like a cat being threatened to be thrown in a bathtub. He said very little, most of it was polite even, but the displeased look in his eyes spoke volumes back then.
Months after that, when she attended a general admission concert by herself when Mercie had to cancel at the last minute, Annette was surprised to see him there too. After some brief chit-chat she initiated out of politeness, she found out Felix had been in the same boat as her - Sylvain had supposed to be here with him. They bonded a little over the newly-connected dots.
As they had waited in line, he casually mentioned it had been a strange change of pace to do lawn for the other concert - a sentiment she wholeheartedly-agreed with. And when he'd gone on a slight tangent about how lawn seats tended to be for those who'd rather spend more time buying expensive cheap beer than watch the performers, she knew he was most definitely speaking her language right then and there.
But instead of telling him that, she'd jokingly called him a concert snob then and he rightfully pointed out that the pot was calling the kettle black if she'd camped out for hours to get front row for this show. And the rest was history.
Annette just hoped that aforementioned history wasn't about to be rewritten with what Mercie was about to say next.
"Sylvain got the idea because Felix always used to go to concerts alone and not tell anyone he was even going to them." she explained. "Based on what was said, I get the impression he doesn't mind going to things by himself."
Oh no.
"W-well, that doesn't have to mean anything." Annette countered with a slight stammer. "Maybe he went alone because no one liked the same bands. I don't personally like going alone but I have done it when the opportunity was too good to pass up. Sylvain does work a lot of later shifts too so maybe that's why he didn't bother asking him."
"That could very well be the case, but I'd wager he at least likes your company in a platonic way." she quietly told her. "Unless there's something you're not telling me, Annie. Your face is awfully red right now."
"What? No, there's absolutely nothing going on at all." she protested even though she wasn't fooling her friend in the slightest. "Besides, why are you trying to get Sylvain to win your bet? Aren't you winning? Goddess, I still cannot believe you actually bet on us."
Mercie softly chuckled. "If you must know, the bet wasn't at all serious. Even if it was, I'd say that unless you started using concerts as an excuse to catch up on... ahem, sleep, Sylvain isn't likely to win. He bet that was the main reason why you two were often away at the same time."
"You know, somehow that makes me feel worse knowing that Sylvain thought it was even a remote possibility. Um, no offence."
"None taken, I understand completely. To be fair however, I think he'd made the wager based on what he knows about Felix more so than you."
A whirlwind of thoughts spun around Annette's mind.
"What do you mean by that? Did Felix tell him something that would give him that idea? Is there something I should know about that I-"
"-No, not at all. From what I've been told, it's quite the opposite." she thoughtfully interjected. "Felix rarely tells Sylvain anything so he's only noticed that he's been in a better mood lately. Work's not changed for them much so I'd imagine that's where he got that idea from."
The gusts in her mind quieted to a pleasant breeze. But then her morbid sense of curiosity got a hold of her once more.
"So...do I even want to know what you bet on?"
"To be honest with you, probably not. I can tell you it's less baudy than Sylvain's guess if that's what you're concerned about."
Annette sighed.
"You might as well tell me then. Not knowing is going to bother me more at this point. I mean, if it's not as baudy, it can't be worse than what I just did."
"Well, if you phrase it like that, I'm not so sure. When Sylvain came up with his bet, he mentioned that Felix didn't really have time for relationships because of his work. Since I know you're still settling into your new job too, I wagered that if you were more than friends, it would happen by accident."
Annette nearly did a double take. She'd been expecting to be annoyed or amused by an off-base bet. Not taken by surprise by...something that may be vaguely possible.
"I'm pretty sure I'm going to ruin this friendship by accident." she declared, slumping her head on the table before immediately jolting upright as she knocked over her latte and dropped her phone across the surface in the process.
Thankfully, Mercie's reflexes were fast enough to bat the phone away closer to her before it was entirely coated in spilled matcha.
"Today really stinks." Annette groaned, plucking napkins like they were going out of style to mop up the mess.
"I'll grab a wet cloth for you in the back." Mercedes offered before a loud buzz demanded her attention.
Annette's life flashed before her eyes when her best friend picked up the phone and absentmindedly swiped her passcode.
" ...Oh my. " she softly remarked at the screen before casting a knowing look at her. "So...nothing is happening between you, huh?"
"Nothing Mercie, he sent that to me by accident." she frantically explained. "I replied to him at the same time so it looked like I was responding to a different text. I think he thought I was saying he couldn't prove he was in the shower. It's a totally honest mistake. You can even look for yourself seeing as all my pictures were meant for you anyway."
With the granted permission, Mercedes peered downward as she flicked through the texts for a moment before re-establishing eye contact.
"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt but I'm a little puzzled. Why do you think it would ruin your friendship? You said he understood and after reading through today's texts, it's plain to see he cares about you."
"Because it still feels like I accidentally put myself out there to someone who made it very clear he's not interested." Annette explained. "I mean, you even said he wasn't looking for a relationship, right?"
"I did, but I'm still curious. What did he do that made it clear that he wasn't interested?"
"Well...it's more like what he didn't do, if anything." she clarified in spite of herself. "I mean, we've been going to concerts together for a while at this point. If he like-liked me, wouldn't he have said something by now?"
"Most would, but it doesn't necessarily mean someone's not interested. Some people express how they feel in different ways. In any case, I suppose I should get the cloth now before my break is over. I'll be right back."
Mercedes carefully handed her back her phone before getting up from the bench and walking towards the backroom.
Left all alone, Annette swiped her passcode again and reread today's texts once more, stopping at his picture.
Objectively-speaking, she could admit that her friend was attractive for a man. It wasn't a lie and even Mercie had 'oh my' d at the picture so it wasn't just her. Acknowledging that didn't have to mean anything. Plenty of people were gorgeous to look at but it didn't necessarily mean she wanted to bed every single one of them.
Scrolling down further, she noticed yet another new text she hadn't seen before.
Felix: can you text me the details when Monday's announcement is announced? I have an unnecessary department meeting I can't get out of
Without much thought, she composed a reply.
Annette: I sure can! ^_^
Felix: thanks. I'll coordinate details on my lunch
After getting his response a few seconds later, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Felix was being Felix again without missing a beat. Maybe things were likely to go back to normal after all.
Just maybe.